Thread: 35 Chevy pickup wooden door frames

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I am starting work on a 35 Chevy pickup. My first job will be to replace all the wood in the doors and try and get them to fit properly. Does anyone know where I can get some instructions on this? I have some good dry ash but there must be some short cuts out there.

Thanks

I had a 35 years back, but mine where already restored, DennyW has a `34
maybe he can help you

a good band saw will give you the shortest cuts.

russ35 yes the dreaded wooden door. with past experiences replacing the wood with metal is the way to go. i have a 34 with the wood still in the doors, you can adjust them every time the weather changes.
i am building a 36 sedan, it had wood in the doors, i replaced it with metal.
here a before and after picture. jonathanDSC00298.JPG

DSC00011.JPG

Thanks for the feed back. I never thought of weather effecting the door fit. Maybe metal would be the best answer.

I'm with Johnathan. I had the same job to tackle. I've got a 36 Chevrolet so you probably have more wood in your project. Mine was limited to the pillars and the piece under the dash that ties the two together. No wood in the doors themselves. How is yours set up? After talking to Pete Hagan (I was doing the hidden hinges as well) I opted to use some 2X2 sq tubing (think it was 16 ga) mated together. Made a template out of poster board to get the shape of the outside of the body and cut accordingly. You'll end up with a 2X2 piece of tubing from low on the pillar and it will grow about mid way....also you'll have to trim the top to slide in where the wood inserted and screwed in. This can be used for factory hinges too. In fact....I nearly ditched the hidden hinges. While not impossible....our body style is more difficult than some. Due to the angle of the pillar and width. I'll see if I can find my pics.

Found the thread.... about 2/3 of the way down. Wish I had taken more pictures. http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/sho...t=33843&page=2

Dave G

Originally Posted by DennyW

I'm using wood in my 34. I'm redoing all that is there. And that is quit a bit. I'm using Oak myself. First off, if you consider the shape of the doors in the 34, and 35 pickups, it is pretty square. Second, the span, distance of the wood used, the expansion is only 1/4" or less. Third, if the wood being used, depending on type of wood, is from the same batch, and allowed to dry in the same area, cut, and fitted, with slip joints, and sealed on the ends when complete, there should be little problems. If you look close, the door is only a skin, that is screw nailed to the wood. The slight bow in the metal skin, will expand, and contract according to the wood structure. Even the metal will expand. And when mixing different thickness of metal, it will have different expansion rates also. Either way will work. On the wood, you need to check out the expansion characteristics of what you want to use. Sealing the cut ends, eliminates the expansion rate almost to zero.

Hey Denny. How are you doing? Hope well!
I cant imagine trying to duplicate the wood pillars. You've got a heck of a patience level!

Dave G

Think I'd go the steel route..... the old wood and nails might have been ok with a 60 horse (or whatever they were) engine and putt-puttin' around at 30 mph but when it's time to go down the road at 75 mph, or around town with all the dummies waiting for an opportunity to t-bone me I'd much prefer some welded steel over glued and nailed wood...... even just a chebbie engine and some radial tires is gonna put more stress and flex pressure on the body then the engineers back in '35 thought would ever be possible.....

Any of you heard of a trabbant? ( trabbie ) They were an East German car. You got the joy of actually mixing the gas and oil. they were a resin body, on a wood frame, with a 2 cycle engine. You could tell when an older trabbie had been in an accident because of the splinters in the road. Yep, wood frame. W. Germans hate them, they have about a 50 MPH top end.

I would love to 'rod' one, but the EPA bans them from even entering the country! They look like a scaled down 53 chevy with oversized bumpers.

BTW.. one of you mentioned working on a 36 chevy.. did it have a wood 'subframe'?

By sub frame I imagine you mean the actual frame? No.....full frame. If you mean wood in the floor between the seat base and the firewall...Yes. Mine was floppy as heck when I got it. I got rid of it in favor of a steel floor. I'm sure they were fine in theyre factory form and probably would last better on todays roads....and we arent going to abuse them on the dirt roads they were driven on back in the day. I live in a rural part of Arkansas. You know....dirt roads are getting scarcer (is that a word... ) today.

Dave G

yes, my car has a 2X6 from the firewall back to the kickup at the rearend, that is laying on the frame wtih the body bolted to it. the car was really sound so i left the wood in the car. just removed it out of the doors because of all wear and tear the doors take. plus i removed maybe 50 lbs out of each door using 3/4 inch tubing and 20 guage metal. i could barely pick up a door when i removed them off the car. i can pick them up now easily now. and you can grab them at the top and bottom of the back of the door an try to twist the door it will not move. all my door with wood in them will flex top to bottom after they are used. jonathan