Pete,
Checking condition of wood in the TD is mostly a matter of gaining
access.
Most, if not all, the solid (not plywood) in the TD is ash. Ash is
strong, light, springy, tough, easy to work when recently dried, takes a
nice finish. It's a great wood for the purpose. On the down side, it is
not among the more rot-resistant woods, so needs to be kept reasonably
dry or completely saturated to avoid deterioration.
Color--good wood is wood color, under the dirt and paint. If it's
blue-grey dark, further investigation is called for. That color is
characteristic of fungal growth, though that may or may not be
significant. Check further.
Cracks--longitudal cracks and checks occasionally appear in ash. Not
always, but occasionally. If slight, they can be disregarded, but
investigate them to determine their size and if they harbor dirt and
moisture that can wick water into the wood to feed deterioration going on
inside the timber. Cracks perpindicular to the grain always indicate a
fracture and loss of strength. They can be repaired with epoxies, but if
there is such a crack in a piece of wood in a car it's probably too
contaminated with dirt to make an effective repair. Consider any crack
of this sort serious.
Smell- use your nose. Bad wood, especially if damp, can smell bad. It's
a wet leafy forest floor smell, sort of like deteriorating leaves. It's
not a bad smell; it's just bad news.
Every place that the wood is punctured by a bolt or screw is a place
where water can get in easily and be retained. If you can remove a screw
or bolt, its condition usually mirrors the condition of the wood into
which it fits.
Use an awl and a flat screwdriver to go poking. A flat screwdriver
pushed into the wood across the grain should dent the wood only slightly.
With the grain, the dent will be much deeper. It's the cross-grain test
that is significant. If you haven't tried this before, poke some pieces
of wood that you have at home for comparison. 2x4s are spruce or fir,
depending on where you live. Spruce is softer than ash; fir can be about
the same hardness; open grain oak about the same; apple and cherry
harder. What you don't want to see is the end of the screwdriver plunging
into a pit of rot and peatmoss.
Places you would like to check particularly are inside the panels of
the doors, inside the panels for the door hinges, inside the panels
between doors and running boards. These are, of course, covered and the
present owner might not want to have you take his car apart for
investigation. If that's the situation, then about all you can do is to
look for snug screws, properly fitting doors, tight hinges, secure door
check, and absence of rust in the area. You can see alongside the
plywood floor at the door. If that space is filled with dirt and
moisture, it is likely that there is deteriorated wood in the door sill
area.
All the wood that's easy to see is likely to be OK. If the plywood is
bad, that's not a big deal to replace, but it may indicate much greater
troubles with the concealed wood. The plywood used was good material.
Look for little piles of sawdust under the car. Termites and carpenter
ants have been known to attack these cars. One of our club members found
it necessary to have her car fumigated.
But don't be overly discouraged by findings of deteriorated wood. If it
is not too extensive, there are alternatives to replacement.
Bob
TDc21934
On Sat, 12 Jan 2002 18:44:55 -0500 "Peter Thiel" <pthiel@QuixNet.net>
writes:
> Here's a question for the TD list: How can you determine the
> condition of the
> wood in the body frame? Especially in the door frame area. I am in
> the process
> of checking several cars for purchase. I have read the info on the
> TD FAQ site
> and it did not really cover wood condition. All answers are valuable
> here.
> Also, I am still considering other cars, if you are interested in
> selling a
> TD.
> Thanks to all!
> Pete Thiel
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