Any way to check condition of wood in fordor

[iamskee]

Hi all, I have a few questions, mostly regarding preventative maintenance. I may be purchasing a 28/29 fordor that looks like it was restored at some point. I never wanted a pre-S/W fordor due to all the wood. I can help but think go over a bump or up a driveway the whole body collapses, haha.

1. Are there any exposed areas of wood anywhere that I could check the condition? Bottom of doors? Bottom of body? Anything?

2. If the wood is ok, and I do purchase it, is there any way to protect/preserve the wood… any penetrant or oil I can use on any exposed wood (if any wood is exposed?).

3. I plan on driving this often. I won’t go out in the rain but it might rain while I am already out. Is there anything I can use on all the exterior metal body including rims, hood, bumper, headlights to prevent rust?

4. Any way to ensure the seam where the top vinyl meets the roof does not leak? (I don’t know if it leaks, just wondering for prevention)

[rotorwrench]

Ford didn't leave much of anything exposed when it came to wood. Everything was covered in fabric, trim strips, and hidum welt.

If wood is getting soft then it won't hold it's shape. The top will move around too much if pressure is applied. It will look like it is sagging. On body structure, the doors will start getting harder to open and close.

[ronn]

first thing to check is door sag- if all 4 doors are solid and open and close nicely, you should be fine. If the doors sag, it is a show all for the rest of the body.

[Ken B]

One thing I did to check the integrity of the body wood on my 30 Town Sedan was to slowly turn into a driveway where there was an incline. I looked at the inside door tops to see if they didn't shift up or down. There is a lot of body twist turning into an inclined driveway. I didn't notice any movement up or down and figured that the wood body was good. That was over 10 years ago and everything is still tight.

[Gene F]

There is some product they apply to a woddy to help preserve the wood, but the name of it escapes me.

[1930artdeco]

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Outside of the doors there are a few areas you can check. Get under the car and you can see the subrails and some of the body wood in the back where the spare tire bolts to. Take and awl and poke at the wood in those places. If it goes in then you will have other issues. As far as the top goes check the drip rails, if the tops leaks then the wood that they attach to will be going/gone bad. See if they are loose and or have come away from the body at all. That is pretty much it for checking the wood.


As for a preservative, there are marine grade items out there but you have to remove either the interior or the metal to get to the wood. And you know what that intails...


Mike

[nkaminar]

All the suggestions so far are good. An ice pick is a good tool to check to see if the wood is soft. You don't need to see the wood but just poke at it through the cloth. If it enters the wood then you need to preserve it or replace it. There are several wood hardeners on the market that are basically water thin binders that the wood soaks up. The binder hardens the soft wood. I got some at Lowes Hardware for my RV where I have a tiny bit of water damage. I have used a hypodermic needle to inject soft wood. You can get the needles online with large syringes at vet supply places.

[eagle]

I bought my Fordor, completely unaware of the amount of wood structure. I got lucky, the wood is absolutely solid as new. If I was looking at another one, I'd do as above poster advised. Check for door sag, drip rail, and the header above the windshield, although that is really hard to see. Also crawl under, the wood will likely be softer toward the ends of the pieces. Mine has a tarlike coating on the bottom wood that you can poke your thumbnail into, and has kept the wood pristine. If you find anyplace it is soft, I'd run from it unless you are up to the task of total reworking.

[iamskee]

Thank you all very much for your opinions! I appreciate your expertise. Will keep you updated on how it goes and if I purchase it. I am definitely not lookin for a project so I hope the wood is good.