trav timber

[ian.mcdougall]

Hi all
has anyone made the timber sides on a trav in anything other than wood eg fibreglass before and was it a success or was it more expensive than new timbers
Ian

[KeithGSY]

There was an attempt by BMC to use fibreglass which was mentioned in a magazine article in the last few months but I cannot recall where. The problem these days would be convincing MOT/insurers that the alternative was as strong since the timber is deemed "structural". There is a half way stage though. The WEST (wood epoxy saturation technique) method soaks the timber in eppoxy to hermetically seal it. This stops all rot and swelling/shrinking with damp. It is also an excellant way to execute repairs and bond in replacement wood. Finished with UV proof 2 pack varnish the result is excellant and tough. Take a look at www.westsystem.com

[simmitc]

I recently purchased a complete set of timber from the acknowledged expert. We discussed my idea of using WEST, and I was told that they tried it once. It looked wonderful but the timber rotted within a few years. No matter how careful you are, damp WILL get in, and the WEST simply trapped the moisture. If staying with timber, then use a microporous treatment that also gives UV protection.

[IaininTenbury]

Yes, BMC did experiment with GRP wood on a car. there is a picture of it in one of the Minor books (can't remember which one offhand) though the caption just refers to it as a 'late traveller'. the big clue is the radiused corners between the (or what would have been) joints as it looks like the side is a one piece moulding. Also the colour (yes its a B&W pic) looks very even with no visible grain. No idea what happened to it, I suppose its very doubtful that it exists.
I woudl imagine a one piece GRP side moulding could be as strong, if not stronger than wood, certainly more durable.

There's also been a series of articles in Minor Monthly magazine by Mike Foster about overseas Minors where the wood was replaced by a metal fabrcation as the wood rotted very quickly in foreign climates. Some of them, you had to look closely to spot the difference.

I also have a photo of one in Malta where the wood was replaced by what looked like extruded aluminium double glazed window frame sections. You could tell the difference with that one as it was all straight lines and no curves, but I suppose it would last well

[bmcecosse]

And would be nice and cosy - with the double glazing, I suppose!