Truck based woody

[GB SISSON]

Do you mill any of your own lumber? I've just been reading about the logging in Washington and it's fascinating!

We have a bandsaw mill but we use it primarily to saw big old beams from buildings into dimensional lumber for cabinet and furniture projects. One of my beam suppliers has a tag line 'Logging the industrial forest'. The folks moving up to the islands from the cities like the fact that no trees were harmed in the building of their cabinets. As for me, I cut lots of them down to improve my view, get more sunlight, and heat my house and shop. Most of the trees around here are second and third growth and not the best for finish work. Of all the species here on the property, the alder is actually pretty nice for furniture.

 

[flatford8]

The link works fine.... Thanks,Mark

 

[GB SISSON]

Starting to get some sealer on the wood. Will be one door at a time for a while. Got the last tire mounted up after work and the rear axle seals came on UPS while I was finishing the tires. Now I will soon have a roller with service and parking brakes. This will allow me to push it outside and get it turned around, heading into shop for engine and trans next week. I have a lot of family for the long weekend so woodie goes to back burner for a while. That's ok, I need a break.

 

[GB SISSON]

Work keeps getting in the way but now my wife is gone for the weekend so I can get some woodie time in. Well actually I asked my 23 year old son who works with me if he wanted to go to the mainland tomorrow to watch the sprint cars race, so that's part of the weekend. I am writing because we are experiencing summer in the Pacific NW and so we rolled the woodie outside. Both front doors are sealed and it's good to be outside in the fresh air for varnishing. By Sunday night I shhould have made good progress. Clutch is on the flywheel and ****** next.....

 

[jerseyboy]

GB,
I really do enjoy watching this build! You are doing such a great job!

Keep V-8ing and 4-banging!

 

[GB SISSON]

I have a question about the bodies on cars and woodies in particular. I have noticed that when the woodie is parked on uneven ground, some of the doors will stick. The rear wooden 'deck' that I built upon is bolted to the frame rails with some rubber belting between the two. I have decided that I need longer bolts with some discarded valve springs mounted below so the frame can flex without twisting the body as well. I have also picked up some steel to fabricate a sort of rigid frame which is to be welded and bolted under my floor structure. The truck's steel floor is stock so some welding will be done there and then brackets built to connect to the wood floor cross supports which are a full 2" x 6" which supports a plywood deck. Another thing to note is that there are no dovetails on the doors yet and I plan to use those from a 46 pickup. Now a question on door gaps. Can someone tell me what their's might be? My body is closest to a '40 ford. The body's insert panels are just set in place, not screwed in yet. I'm hoping these will provide a certain amount shear strength once fastened in. Do woodies tend to flex more than a steel bodies? I'm thinking if I do all that's mentioned above, as well as opening up some gaps I should be ok, but I welcome advice from those with experience in this area. Thanks in advance, GB

 

[Bill]

Just reviewed some of your older pics and think I notice you have eliminated the angle brackets at the rear platform barn door opening. on a 41/48 wagon at this point the steel floor platform turns up maybe 3 to 4"and is bolted in an offset pattern. I can send a pic if you like. Replace this and it should connect to a steel platform from side to side connected to the chassis. Think it disappeared when you changed the design of the lower wood crossmember. Also on 41/48 wagons there is a serious steel support post on the "C" pillar from the inner fender extending upwards and rearwards for more support. Woodies do flex you can hear it when you drive. Gaps on my car are generally 1/4". Tailgates 1/4-3/8" and plenty drafty! At any level none of my doors jamb but after a hard rain they will and have binded. Your wooden platform in the rear may account for some of the problem but I'm thinking the flexing starts with the frame itself. Just my observations from 4000 miles away...others may have other suggestions. Bill

 

[Bill]

Just had another thought! The frame on your truck is "ladder style" and Ford passenger cars had an X style frame which would reduce the amount of flex in a wood wagon. You may need an X brace to eliminate the flex action. Just another roadblock. I could be wrong...Bill

 

[GB SISSON]

Just had another thought! The frame on your truck is "ladder style" and Ford passenger cars had an X style frame which would reduce the amount of flex in a wood wagon. You may need an X brace to eliminate the flex action. Just another roadblock. I could be wrong...Bill

So after I read your posts I noticed that all my steel braketry is just set in place temporarily with sheetrock screws. I do still have very stout angle brackets at the rear doors. The fabbed steel stiffeners I am planning for the woodie body are also very substantial. All my door gaps are about 1/8th inch and that may be a big part of the problem. I am more used to cabinet door reveals and we use 3/32" and look down our nose at those 1/8" gaps that some use..... It's a whole new world when the cabinet goes outside and gets rained on and parks with one wheel in a dip and another on a big old rock. Thank you Bill for your input.

 

[GB SISSON]

VRoom vroom. Well, pretty soon. I have been bolting down the heavy steel brackets and doing some welding too, and things are tightening up nicely. Still need to open up the door gaps. Now with it turned around in the shop it will be easier to varnish the back end in the natural light. Last night I hooked up and adjusted clutch linkage and started fixing up a rusty battery bracket. Hope to also paint my radiator support.

 

[GB SISSON]

For 30 years I have not missed the Puget Sound Antique Tractor and Machinery show at Lynden Wa. I run my 8 hp 1912 stover hit and miss engine that I ressurected way back when. Many other hit n miss engines came and went. For 15 years I towed my collection there with my 38 tonner. I load up tomorrow for the annual show and plan to trailer the unfinished woodie truck to Lynden and drive it around the 80 acre grounds. Unlike back in the '80s when guys were hauling in all kinds of junk from the fields and ditches, there is rarely anything new at the show, so I thought I'd mix things up a it. There are always old farm trucks and semis and a collection of ATHS truck members in attendance. Temps are gonna be in high 90s and for a Western Wa. guy it's almost unheard of. Plan to license the woodie after I get on the mainland with a pair of YOM plates I got at the Portland Or swap meet in April. Yeah!!!! 4 days off!!!!

 

[Mart]

Sounds great, GB. Take a few pics for us. Occasionally my flatheads fall into the hit and miss category when the ht side of the ignition starts failing.

Mart.

 

[GB SISSON]

I had a great time as usual. Got the woodie licensed and hit the county roads out in farm country. ****** shifts very well and it steers and brakes well. After years with the 4 speed trucks, this is a bit high geared in low. Speedometer worked for a while but at about 40 mph it self destructed. Got a lot of interest at the show and on the ferry and freeway on the trip. Many folks had a hard time wrapping their heads around some guy sawing the back off a truck and bending some wood into a car.The photo board helped. That's my buddies from all over Washington I see once a year and share a setup with and the engine is my 1912 8hp Stover. Built in Freeport Illinois.

 

[PeteVS]

We need a "like" button on FordBarn!

 

[Seth Swoboda]

I had a great time as usual. Got the woodie licensed and hit the county roads out in farm country. ****** shifts very well and it steers and brakes well. After years with the 4 speed trucks, this is a bit high geared in low. Speedometer worked for a while but at about 40 mph it self destructed. Got a lot of interest at the show and on the ferry and freeway on the trip. Many folks had a hard time wrapping their heads around some guy sawing the back off a truck and bending some wood into a car.The photo board helped. That's my buddies from all over Washington I see once a year and share a setup with and the engine is my 1912 8hp Stover. Built in Freeport Illinois.

We have an early 1900's model Lauson Frost King 2hp engine. I enjoy the stationary engines as well as the early Fords. Thanks for the post.

 

[GB SISSON]

Thanks guys. After work I'm hooking up a brake light before I head out on my local roads. The front clip might be a nice touch as well. Still on a total loss electrical system as my slingshot bracket was not the right one. It didn't have holes for the fan mount so I guess I ordered the wrong one. Here's my setup now and I'm wanting to go with 12v alternator which I just bought. I know a 6v generator is a great thing also, but I have had lots of flathead trucks and on this particular one I'm going 12 neg one wire. Who has the right bracket?

 

[flatford8]

I love hearing a hit and miss engine. Nothing more relaxing. Every year at the Fryburg Fair I sit and listen to them popping 'em off.......Mark

 

[slowforty]

Check out Speedway. But you could also Fabricate one.

 

[GB SISSON]

Check out Speedway. But you could also Fabricate one.

The wrong one I have came from speedway. I was reading some old fb posts about slingshots and many said the correct bracket with the threaded holes for the fan only worked with narrow belts. If one uses the wide belts it would require facing off the alternator surfaces to get the belts to line up. It's just that I have used them over the years and I always have trucks with wide belts and they worked in the past. Just wondering if anyone knows which bracket works with my setup and wide belts? Seems there is a 46-53 style and earlier and I guess my setup is the same as the 8ba or 8rt. ???

 

[willowbilly3]

Gary, I'm surprised a man of your talents doesn't just fab up a bracket. If it was me, I'd be building one to run the smaller frame Ford 3G. Since it has external cooling fan, you can get one of those into a lot tighter space.