Woodie's World

One Finished Car!

2009-05-24T10:35:00.001-07:00

Here she is out of the garage and ready to roll! Side view...all done and ready for a drive.

The creators with their finished masterpiece!

The finished tailgate attached and down.

Grandpa's helpers on the tailgate!

Oh no! Hijacked by the babies!

First passengers.

The End!??

2009-05-18T08:19:00.000-07:00

No it's not the end of the blog. Not yet anyway. It the back end of the Travelers..all done! This week Gary finished the tailgate and mounted it. Remember the broken piece, well he was waiting on the replacement part so he could mount the tailgate. It is hard to tell it is on...look closely right below the handle, it does match very well.

Here is a picture off to the side. It makes it a little easier to see that something has been added.

A full back view! This vehicle is gorgeous! I am in awe everytime I walk out and see it. Saturday it will be departing for the northlands...we will miss her in the garage.

He is sanding, ever sanding....

2009-05-08T09:25:00.000-07:00

I never have a good idea for a title! However, that is what he has been doing a lot of lately, sanding and varnishing. The last few days have brought some finishes.

He inserted the screening in the back side windows, no glass yet.

He has finished the refrigerator. Here is a picture of the surprise!

Are those just the cutest little handles?
And hinges that match.

A picture of the refrigerator from the back doors.
And this is taken from the passenger front door.
This little "icebox" has a lid on top which opens into a stainless steel bin.

They would put ice in the top to keep the box cold. This will more than likely now be used for storage.

Top up and a door open.

This is the frame for the bed. It is very little. It measures 4 ft x 2 ft. It will sit opposite the "icebox". It will be on brackets that will allow it to be stored up against the side wall.
Legs to support it while in the down or sleeping position.

Bed with the legs in place.

Well, I began this post over a week ago. The program closed down and I couldn't get it to open. Then I got sick, again. Today I decided I better try to get this up, as there are now other finishes out there to be documented. The farewell date is about May 23...give or take a day.

Got Refrigerator?

2009-04-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

I know this doesn't look like your typical Sears Kenmore, you may have to use your imagination. It will however, resemble an antique icebox when finished. This 1929 Travelers was designed by Mr. Ford to be a RV, you know like a motorhome. It had many modern (for the time) conveniences, one being an icebox and two a bed....I think there are a few others, I will keep you posted on that! Here is the beginning of the "icebox". It will be constructed to use for storage, but it will have the stainless steel tub in the top in which you could store some ice....

This is the front or looking at it from the front. Below it is laid on it's back and the doors placed in place. I hear there is a surprise with those...stay tuned!
This is the side view. I have to show this because I left Saturday morning to run to town, I was gone almost 5 hours, when I came back I initially could not see all that had been done, so I will help you. The top (which we didn't take a picture of had to be cut out to allow access to the tub and he put the top on. Look closely you can see the joint. The opening is all rounded and smooth (he assured me he had done A LOT of sanding). Also this little box has to fit inside the back of the truck. He had to custom cut the large notch for the wheel well and the little notch for the bracket above. They fit very nicely!

Here is the back before placing the cabinet.
See how nice that all fits in, so all his time was well worth it. (I knew that anyway...just wondered what he had done....). The seat will come back, but does not touch the cabinet at all.A close-up. There is also a lid that goes on top, that took some time also to make it fit to the opening.
The other day he put the back windows in place. The back doors are completely finished. The windows mounted from the inside, and then another moulding was placed over them to hold them in place, and then screwed to the door.
A close-up of the details...I love the maple wood!
So there was a crisis on Saturday night. Apparently some metals can't be bent! Uh, that was learned the hard way, and although I think he really knew it, he was just going to bend it a bit. Yeah, it didn't work and he broke one of the hinges for the tailgate. All is well, another will be ordered. The tailgate is an added feature to this particular vehicle. Seems they didn't have these originally but Grandpa wanted one so he had somewhere to put his stuff when you were traveling...a place to cook from mainly. She is moving right along, the list is being marked off and slowly it is being finished up. They even have her farewell date in place!

Doors

2009-04-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

I just have to say Gary has spent a ton of time out in the garage, however this progress is slow right now. Before Grandpa went home they did add the canopy or visor to the front window.
Another view of the front visor. Gotta love the hood cover! Is that authentic???

Actually we have to keep her fairly covered and the roof has a covering over it always. We live in the desert southwest, it IS dusty and dirty here. Right now with the temps changing the wind blows everyday. Lots of dust, lots of dust! Not to mention that the wood shop is in the third bay of the garage, and produces some dust also.

They also cut the openings in the back doors for the windows and framed them.
Gary worked on varnishing the back doors, adding the hardware and mounting them this past week.
Isn't this nice looking?
He took pictures of both doors and the hardware to open them. It is a regular little vehicle.

I just have to point out some details here that I find fascinating. I have to say I am very proud of my husband and the beautiful job he has done on this car. He has taken many hours to do this project, he has loved the work, it has had challenges, but he has done his best. IT IS BEAUTIFUL! Notice the details in the wood, how the sections are divided on the doors and the side panels with different wood, how they match.
He, of course, is out working tonight again. He is working on windows and varnishing the tailgate (which is an added feature, not part of the original). He worries when wood chips out, when there are runs and has a page list of things yet to finish on this car with a deadline to finish. I hope he makes it. I will be sad to see the little car go, it is fun to have her out in the garage, but she has some work yet to do....at the very least a road trip. Stay tuned they are not done, there are still several things yet to finish, but she is looking more and more like the car she was hoping to become!

Top This!

2009-03-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

Friday brought a trip to town. The airlines "misplaced" the package of screening that Grandpa brought with him. Friday they headed to town to pick that up at the airport and a trip to the hardware store for nails, wire wrap and other items.
Thursday night they had run the electical wiring. They debated how best to hide that in the ceiling of the car. Friday they decided they would use a spiral wire wrap. It does look nice and is nearly invisible, as evident in this photo.

It will have a light in the back of the camper area.
Grandpa has been working on the electrical, while Gary has been making trim pieces for the windows.

There is glass in several spots, in the front doors, the long openings along the side will have the screening and glass and the back doors will have glass. (I think that is part of Saturday's project schedule). They determined that they wanted trim around all of these windows. Here are pieces that have been cut and routered for the trim.

And the big project for today was the vinyl top! These pictures DO NOT do this top justice. Because it is black, it is not photographing well. It is beautiful. First they laid a cotton fabric (felt almost like a poplin) on the top, then a thin foam and then the vinyl. They pulled it tight and nailed it on. They trimmed it up evenly (very scientifically I might add!). Then a trim piece called "hide-em" was added. It has two ridges that come together in the middle that are pulled apart to put the nail in and then they come back together to hide the nail. This was a long process. Everything is done holding your arms up over your head. Chad came and helped, he said it was hard to get the hide-em opened up to allow for the nail. Here are some pictures of the top.

Notice the front section is not complete. They are working today on the canopy for over the front window....maybe visor is a better description of that piece.

We're so glad when Grandpa comes!

2009-03-26T02:30:00.000-07:00

Grandpa is back for a long weekend of work on the woodie. Here is what he found when he arrived this afternoon.

She has slowly been put back together. First the left side,

then the right side,

In the above photo you can see the white protective paper has been removed from the fender. There is a vinyl beading that was stapled to the wood, it finishes the edge off.
Then the top,

so it isn't on in this picture, but it was by the time Grandpa arrived. The top is very heavy it takes two of them to hoist it up.
Here is what she looked like from the back when Grandpa arrived. It didn't take him long to get started working on her.

The side front doors need some work still.

Stay tuned, I'll be posting some more progress later tonight!

Got Parts?

2009-03-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

So I am a slacker... Well I didn't mean to be one, I got sick, really sick. It has taken over two weeks to feel somewhat normal again. And I am on spring break, nearing the end, but I have taken advantage of my time off. Although alot has happened out in the garage, and busyness aboundeth, it is hard to show that kind of progress sometimes.

Lots of sanding has been done and the car has been dismantled of it's wood pieces. First the back doors came off (I didn't get a picture of that step). Then the top and the sides. Here is what she looks like today.

All the wood had to be finished, a coat of polyurethane on it, well several coats actually. Here is the top laid on its top.
A close up of the top and the slat work that was done.

Isn't this the prettiest wood! The finish is bring out the grain very nicely I think...this is the top also.
Here is a close up of the top of the top. Each of those slats was screwed in along several places.
The sides scattered to any flat place left in the garage. I think we needed a 4 car garage for this project...

Day 3....progress????

2009-02-28T20:19:00.000-08:00

What did they do all day out in the garage?
Although pictures won't say it all, here is a list of what they accomplished today and in the last three days while Grandpa and Gary worked. They have worked hard, I am positive there are muscles that hurt, I know there are tired bodies. I think they are happy and pleased with the progress they have made, actually getting farther than they anticipated.

It is true..."many hands make light the work"!

Today:

Finished the slats on the roof

Mounted the back doors

Trimmed front doors and they are ready to mount

In the last three days:

Slats on the roof

Installed all the metal hardware

Readied (the mounting holes had to be drilled and they had to be filed)

and mounted all the hinges for doors

Assembled all the panels and attached them to the frame

As Grandpa went off to bed tonight, he talked about this being a dream come true...

He is like a child in a candy shop with this car. It has been fun to watch the excitement.
Thanks for the weekend, it was fun to have you here.

Day Two and the progress

2009-02-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

At the end of Friday night here is what these two men had accomplished. You may find it hard to see the progress, but I will help point it out. They were exhausted by the end of the day. It is truly a project that requires hours of work, but may not much progress sometimes. Grandpa told me this morning he loves to work, I believe him...he said "The day I quit working I will be dead". We laughed and said, "No, the day you die, you will quit working!"

Below you will notice the black topped screws, this is what Grandpa has been working on all the metal parts and assembly. I believe the box is all secure at this point on the frame.

Maybe hard to see, but you will notice the black bracket in the center, part of the door latch. The black bracket in the left hand corner. There is also a black brace, bracket along the wheel well. and up the sides there is a brace to hold the wood box to the frame.

Here you can see the hinge for the back doors.

This is a top view of the TOP! It is almost complete. You are able to see how the slats had to be bent. An old iron, wet clot and some clamps. I see glue was probably used and some screws.

Once again you will notice black headed screws...holding the assembly together.

I am hoping tonight to have a large picture fest out there and lots of explanation from Grandpa and Gary. I will post again tomorrow.

Grandpa Arrives

2009-02-27T23:00:00.000-08:00

Gary's dad (Grandpa) flew in Thursday morning. Gary arrived with him back at the house about 11:30. Anxious to see the progress, they made a beeline for the garage. I think he was impressed, surprised, she truly is much more beautiful in person that pictures could ever express. I heard the word beautiful pass over his lips more than once. Not sure who was more pleased with himself, Gary for a job well done so far, or Grandpa at having thought to create this masterpiece with his son. Here is what Gary had accomplished when his Dad arrived.

Remember those front corners, all cut and rounded. Sanded to a smooth finish here is the left side and below is the right side, which gives a better view of the work.
These next two pictures show the top or roof. You can see slats being added to either side. This is a long process. Each of these slats has to be hand bent and attached to the bows. After this step then the top is ready for the vinyl.

Here is a close up of the slats attached to the bows. At the front they angle down towards the front of the car. It is quite the process to install these.
The two of them spent all day, long into the evening out working on this car. Grandpa did all the metal work, the box is all attached together and Gary worked on the top. It is remarkable to me how hard this grandpa can work and how much he can accomplish in a day.

What's in the box???

2009-02-24T19:04:00.000-08:00

What is in the box?
I don't think you will be able to guess which car part arrived in this box! I will give you a hint....It is black, and it is soft.

Okay it is the roofing material. Here is a picture of it after it had been laid out flat in the family room and then rolled on tubing to keep it as flat as possible.
It is very interesting. I could best describe it as a type of vinyl or naugahyde. It is textured with long lines running parallel to the long sides. It has a foam underlining that is a separate piece. There is also a black liner that I am told will go in the inside, to make things look good....I love the wood look myself.

Well Saturday here is what she looked like late in the morning. Front view:

Side view:

The dust is our fault, the garage is dusty with the wood shop in the next room. Also Arizona is dusty and dirty, and it has been extremely dry lately. Well Saturday was a hard day for Gary. He made what he thought was a huge mistake...it all ended up being just okay though.

These long top sides have taken him hours, literally hours to make. He has had to custom make each and every cut, some cuts taking several times to be exact. You see this is not a kit, nor do they have instructions or a pattern. They have pictures from another that has been restored (apparently there were only a few of these made, not sure on the exact number). They have reproduced this car from the pictures.

Here is a picture of the top front side. It runs the full length of the car. Well Gary went to make a cut in the front part of this piece and cut it wrong...30 hours down the drain. He was so distraught and frustrated with himself. Not only that, and this I don't entirely understand, but he now lost an angle and felt like it would be next to impossible to reproduce this piece. Well after much consideration, he did patch and glue (doesn't every piece of art have to have some sort of imperfection...And this is truly a work of art!) Well here is a close up of the "mistake". Can you tell? I had a hard time finding it, it will be just fine I think.

Next he glued the top part together in the back and sanded it. This raw maple wood is beautiful, just absolutely beautiful with it's soft subtle grains.

A close up of the details at the back corner.

This is the front header to the roof assembly. It was a piece that was purchased.

Here it is laid up where it will go. The "corner" or area where the side and front meet have to be put together, rounded and sanded.

Lots of hours getting everything just so. Accuracy is a priority, and it takes time. This has kept him busy and he has thoroughly enjoyed every minute...well almost every minute...there were a few minutes of stress on Saturday.

Upon my return....Here is what I found!

2009-02-22T08:57:00.001-08:00

Sides complete and attached temorarily to the frame!

Check out the detail! All the trim was hand done, cut to fit and screwed on.

The front side door, and a close up to show off the details.

The inside of the front doors. See all the screws which hold all that molding and trim on. No glue used when applying the trim pieces.

Here is the beginnings of the roof. He has all the bows cut and is placing them. These pictures are a bit more difficult to see the detail.
This is taken looking up through to the ceiling of the garage.

This one is taken looking more through to the front.

*Note: Band clamps are a temporary feature just used to hold everything in place until it is properly attached.

And last of all Grandpa's little helpers, Ty-kell and Sophie.

January's Progress

2009-02-17T18:50:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been so long between posts, I took off for a week and went to help our daughter with her new baby. Before I left, I did take some pictures, I just didn't get them updated on the blog.

Gary has been busy with this project, he works in the garage nearly every night to finish this up. Here is a picture of the blade he had special made to do the finger joints on the fenders.

Here is a fender that is finished ready to be assembled onto the side.

A close up of the finger joint

Here is a side in the process of having the trim attached.

The side with the fender attached and more trim work being done.

Pieces for the top or roof, all pieces have to be varnished where they touch, this is to completely protect the wood from the elements it will be exposed to.

Close up of finger joints. These were all individually done.

I will post tomorrow what I found when I got home...stay tuned you will be surprised!

The Wreck

2009-01-31T07:47:00.000-08:00

This blog is a little out of order, for which I apologize. I got a little anxious. Anyway, in November of 2008, Grandma and Grandpa set out to bring the Travelers to Gary to work on the wood. We were excited to have them come. They set out on their journey on Wednesday evening. Thursday morning they were involved in an accident. It was kind of scary to know that they were in the middle of nowhere (well kind of, a ways away from home, and a long way from us).

As the events of the morning unfolded we began to understand more of what had happened. For what we are most grateful is all walked away with minor injuries, bumps, bruises, etc. Grandpa could see the what was going to happened and reacted in such away to avoid major issues. We are grateful for his quick thinking.

However although the humans faired pretty well, the vehicles did not. At this moment I believe, there were 4 vehicles involved, 5 counting the Travelers. All totaled. Grandma and Grandpa's red truck with totaled as was their trailer. The Travelers sustained major damage. I don't think that the pictures show the extent of the paint damage.

I think this was very hard for Grandpa to see this vehicle he had worked so hard on be so damaged. But true to his spirit, he immediately started the process of rebuilding. Many from his club and family came to help him take her apart and put her back together. She is beautiful! And the second trip down, well she came in an enclosed trailer this time, she was riding in style. And although it is weird not to see Grandpa's red truck, well the new white one is very nice. Seems that all ended much better than could have been expected. Isn't that how it always goes.

In the end it is all alright...if it is not alright, well it is not the end!

And thanks to great Neighbors E&E and Todd who came and helped them clean it up and bring it home!

Here is how this project came about!

2009-01-31T07:32:00.000-08:00

I emailed my Father in law about why he decided to make this particular model of Henry Fords cars. Here is his reply:

I have been trying to do some kind of a project with Gary thru the years but it seems that some how, it was not to be, something came in the way. When you were in Boise I thought that I could encourage Gary to do this project with me. I looked forward to doing this but with the Mission and all that happened it kind of fell by the way side.

I dreamed of getting the travelers done and driving it to Alaska, but that probably has gone by the way side also.

I have thoroughly enjoyed spending many hours researching the information as how to put this together and trying to figure out how to put a trailor hitch and spare tire mount on so little a place and still make it look some what original; all this so I would not have to have the tire on the fender, because it is very hard for me to get into the cars with the side mount spare.

I put a great deal of extra's on this car so it could be used for long distance travel, maybe to Alaska or to the Regional Conventions. B motor, 56 steering gear, 12 volt battery, over drive, trailor hitch so I could pull a small trailor, heavy springs, powder coat all the metal serfices, windows to help keep out the cold wind.

I told Gary maybe he could have Chad work with him because he likes to work with wood, and in some way make up for what I am not able to do.

With seeing it in the warm room when the men came out to work on their cars and the crash, there is a lot of interest in the club to see the car done and have it in some of the parades.

*Editor side note...I know all those extra's sound cool, I am not exactly positive about some of them, although I understand the windows to keep out the cold wind. I apologize to my father-in-law right now if I get something wrong, I am not intentionally doing that just will be by my lack of understanding. I hope this car with spirit will someday be in parades. It certainly has made a stir. I love seeing it in the garage and smelling it's smell (Okay that might be a little weird but true.) The smell reminds me of something, but I can't put my finger on it.
This will be a 1929 Travelers, with the above extras and changes.
Also I am Glen's daughter in law, my husband his middle son, is Gary. I think for sake of this blog I will refer to him/them as Grandpa and Grandma. I think some of his club members are following the progress.

We've made a start

2009-01-21T20:32:00.000-08:00

This blog has been started in an attempt to help grandpa keep up with the wood progress on his Travelers. He and Grandma brought it down here January 9, 2009. This was their second attempt and I hope to get Grandpa to post some pictures and tell his story so this will be a journal of sorts of the adventure of this vehicle. Here is what she looks like since being parked here.

After being parked for two weeks here is what has happened....don't be discouraged.

And another picture of her progress.