When you go to a car show and look at a beautiful prewar car, a lot of the craftsmanship that went into building that vehicle is hidden.  Wood was the medium of choice under the bodywork in a world where complex dies and plastics were not yet invented.  If you fancy a project that requires a high degree of skill on your end, then have a look at this 1929 Buick coupe for sale on craigslist in sunny San Diego, California.  At a very reasonable $6,000 or best offer, is this the kind of Depression era woodworking project you have the skills to complete?  Thanks to our pal T. J. for the tip!

Roll the clock back to the turn of the century.  North America still had millions of acres of old growth forests that was rapidly becoming lumber.  Some of that lumber became homes, some became furniture, and some went to automobile factories.  A few of the first automobiles actually had wood frames.  However, the main use for wood was for framing up body stampings for the passenger compartment and to form floors.

Ford, of course, used a lot of wood in the construction of their cars.  The company used so much wood that the sheer volume of the scraps offended Henry Ford’s frugal side.  With a little help, Ford ended up using those scraps to make charcoal.  Ever heard of Kingsford charcoal?  Bags of charcoal and portable grills were then unceremoniously dumped on Ford dealers to sell whether they wanted it or not.  Some of Ford’s corporate sales tactics back in the day would definitely be the dreams of lawyers today.

The Buick we see in these photographs gives us a good view of just how much wood was in these early cars.  One of the design features that stood out when the Chrysler Airflow debuted in 1934 was the all-steel body construction.  This Buick is pretty far from that.  From what we can see, the whole cabin was built around a wooden substructure, and a wooden floor stretched from the cowl to the end of the trunk.

All of this was well hidden by the steel on the outside and upholstery inside.  You also should take into account that the body of a car was not considered a necessary component for structural rigidity.  Bodies sat on frames that became heavier and heavier in their construction as time went on.  These stiff frames also helped to cut down on the noise generated by wood-to-wood contact.  Wood was also fairly strong for its weight when it came to accidents but was far and away inferior to the steel structures that replaced it.

A look inside this Buick reveals the large amount of wood that would need to be replaced if you were to go forward with a full restoration.  There is an amazingly large amount of original wood left to use as patterns.  Some pieces would be easy to replace, while others would require the talents of a skilled woodworker.  Wood kits are still available for common cars like the Model A Ford.  My guess is that these wood kits are machined to fit a standard pattern and tolerances are close enough for the home restorer to install.  For rare cars, this is a luxury that restorers do not have.  This Buick would be best served by taking it to a craftsman that specializes in replacing wood in antique cars.

Finding such a craftsman, however, could be a problem.  This is quickly becoming a dying specialty trade and nobody seems to be willing to pick up the torch.  Take for example woodies.  Wood bodied wagons used to sell for high amounts, but many of the woodies featured on these pages don’t seem to bring much anymore.

So where does that leave us with this Buick?  Another possibility may be replacing the wood in the body with steel.  I have seen hot rod builds where the wood was replaced with steel tubing welded together in critical areas to provide the necessary structural rigidity and as a mounting point for interior panels.  If it is going to be covered anyway, why not use something that will last longer.  When you are facing a full restoration, as in the case of this silver anniversary Buick, then why not make some hidden improvements.  I’d bet the technology is there to laser map the interior and 3-D print the sections you need in plastic.  Modern problems require modern solutions, or so I have been told.

Have you ever had to deal with replacing wood in an antique car?  What would you do about the wood problem in this Buick?  Please let us know in the comments.