Got Refrigerator?

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

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!

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!

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!

January's Progress

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!

We've made a start

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.