16-08-2019, 09:19 PM
As some of you know, I sold my '29 Tourer in order to get something more up and together and original so that I actually USE a car rather than fiddle with it... and have suddenly landed myself into a holy/holey pile of exterior ash frame which wasn't the intention. I think it must be the same syndrome as those who serially rehouse unruly dogs in the belief that someone must do it.
The extant and recently sighted Austin 7 woodies seem to break down into created half-woodies (from behind doors back) and those which have become woodies as a result of their metalwork moving from outside to inside the frame. Mine seems to be a fairly well made kit which in the 40s was either generic to small cars like Sevens or made bespoke for the Seven. It has been on the car since the early 50s but plainly was even then I think the car was a bit of a Trigger's Broom. One contact remembers a father in the 40s and 50s creating Utilities from rear ended small cars whilst working at Dennis's works, for a bit of evening pin money. Mine co-incidentally has a Guildford registration...
The body sits well back over the arches and with quite nice proportions, and I don't plan to replace any of the heavy rear window frames above the tailgate, just so it can be a light car with air blowing round the visible woodwork as much as possible. Likewise, the doors I plan just to remake as Chummy-style half doors for the time being, although there are fortunately (enough) remains of full wooden doors with RK style glass arrangements, but in a far shorter door.
I'm trying to pull together some images of all the cars known or perhaps lost, so do shout if you know of anything so we can start to compare wood construction.
Will have to go in search of Automobile. Ken Kimber recommended a book on wood framed vehicles by Colin Peck. I paid about a fiver delivered from ebay and it's a great read, although some of the larger ones seems ludicrously overbuilt and just waiting to fall part once a bit of structural decay gets in.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wooden-Bodied-V...B00D5FOIUA
The extant and recently sighted Austin 7 woodies seem to break down into created half-woodies (from behind doors back) and those which have become woodies as a result of their metalwork moving from outside to inside the frame. Mine seems to be a fairly well made kit which in the 40s was either generic to small cars like Sevens or made bespoke for the Seven. It has been on the car since the early 50s but plainly was even then I think the car was a bit of a Trigger's Broom. One contact remembers a father in the 40s and 50s creating Utilities from rear ended small cars whilst working at Dennis's works, for a bit of evening pin money. Mine co-incidentally has a Guildford registration...
The body sits well back over the arches and with quite nice proportions, and I don't plan to replace any of the heavy rear window frames above the tailgate, just so it can be a light car with air blowing round the visible woodwork as much as possible. Likewise, the doors I plan just to remake as Chummy-style half doors for the time being, although there are fortunately (enough) remains of full wooden doors with RK style glass arrangements, but in a far shorter door.
I'm trying to pull together some images of all the cars known or perhaps lost, so do shout if you know of anything so we can start to compare wood construction.
Will have to go in search of Automobile. Ken Kimber recommended a book on wood framed vehicles by Colin Peck. I paid about a fiver delivered from ebay and it's a great read, although some of the larger ones seems ludicrously overbuilt and just waiting to fall part once a bit of structural decay gets in.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wooden-Bodied-V...B00D5FOIUA