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Question
Hi Paul, I have a 1935 pickup and am having a hard time finding a supplier for the wood doorposts and other wood cab parts (roof to cab, rear cab panel reinforcements, etc.) GM switched to all metal in 1936 but 33-35 had wood built in to reinforce sheet metal. any suggestions?
Randy,
I was up against this when I was restoring a '28 Chevy in 1970, so I bought some tools and started my own service. You can find everything for early Fords, but GM stuff like this is thin on the ground. I ended up with a nice business, back in the late '70s, rewooding cars and trucks like these.
Nobody makes kits for your pickup. Even if a kit was made, the ends of the pieces would have been left mostly uncut, because there is a lot of fitting necessary; each body is slightly different due to age and wear.
My only advice is to get into line at one of the places that restores woodie wagons. Many also do body wood like yours. Unfortunately, it's not cheap.
One more suggestion, if you've got more time than money: Take a woodworking class at a local Junior College. You'll learn some great stuff, and have the use of their shop facilities, too. Most instructors are gearheads and sympathetic to such projects. And, after all, it's your taxes that pay for this!
--Paul
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Answers by Expert:
Paul Wilczynski
Expertise
Most questions involving vintage car restoration, mechanical and body, paint and upholstery. Parts sourcing. Extensive experience in wood-bodied station wagons, British and French cars of the '40s through '70s. Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger, Citroen Maserati, VW Beetle, 1955-65 Chevrolet (especially Nomad station wagons), Corvair.
Experience
Wide-ranging and long-term. I owned a restoration shop in the 1970s, continue to dabble in vintage exotics. At one time, had a seven-car collection of contemporary exotics which I had restored and maintained myself.
When I was 18 years old, I designed a woodie kit for the VW Beetle, which I developed into a product which was featured on television and in over 100 magazines and 25 books at last count. I still own and drive one of my creations.
I owned a design and fabrication consultancy from 1982-2002, specializing in show car fabrication for manufacturers including Ford, Mazda, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, etc.
Since 2003, I have been a department manager in Industrial Design, and a full-time instructor in automotive design and fabrication at the university level. My students go on to design automobiles as staff designers for major auto manufacturers worldwide.
Organizations
Western Automotive Journalists, Industrial Design Society of America.
Publications
Long list of magazines and books, including Playboy, VW Trends, VW Greats, Hot VWs, and European automotive magazines.
Education/Credentials
I teach design and fabrication at university level. My education is in Industrial Design, University of Illinois (1966-1970).
Awards and Honors
Many awards for restorations in local concours and shows.
Past/Present Clients
Mazda, Ford, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, Chrysler, Mercedes, Porsche.
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