Hole in my wood....

Discuss Bodywork problems here.
Forum rules
By using this site, you agree to our rules. Please see: Terms of Use
Post Reply
duddlebug
Minor Friendly
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:48 am
Location: North Wales
MMOC Member: Yes

Hole in my wood....

Post by duddlebug »

I'm in the process of stripping the varnish from the wood on a 1964 traveller I bought last year. The wood is tired, and I'm intending to replace the lot at some point.

Whilst stripping the n/s front pillar, a hole has appeared. As I scraped the wood, it gave way and I've been left with this:

Image[/frame]

It's a hole that's just over an inch tall and goes about half n inch in, exposing the metal.

A while back (shortly before the hole appeared) I contacted Steve at 'woodies' about replacing this pillar and also the cant rail on the same side, because with the varnish on they looked a bit supsect. Steve was very helpful and said this piece could be replaced, along with the cant rail, and it wouldn't be too difficult.

So, a few questions...

Has anyone replaced this pillar (without doing the rest of the wood), and how difficult was it? (I'd do the cant rail at the same time, I think)

Would it be possible to fill this hole for a temporary fix, rather than replacing the wood sections, until i do the whole side? Is that a daft idea? Would it be safe? Would it pass an MOT? (Which has just expired, bah!)

So basically, should I get the two sections from woodies and replace the bad bits? (Is this straightforward) Or can I patch it up until I replace the lot in a year or two?

I would ideally replace all the wood and do a proper job, but that's just not possible at the moment because I'm well aware of what I may find when the car's stripped down!

I've already got an ongoing VW campervan restoration (taking up the required garage space), I'm working six days per week until April, I need the Morris as a second car a.s.a.p, and I need to keep my wife happy with the whole idea of the Morris as a second car! So I can't really do this now, and I was hoping to make the existing wood last a year or two.

The car isn't a daily driver and probably only covers about twenty five miles per week (taking my daughter swimming once a week, plus a couple of trips to the local town or post office). Although the wood is tired the car is fairly solid and runs well.

[frame]Image[/frame]
bmcecosse
Minor Maniac
Posts: 46561
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 11:24 pm
Location: ML9
MMOC Member: No

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by bmcecosse »

Fill it for now - it won't be easy to renew that section. Wood replacement generally involves taking the whole side off.......
ImageImage
Image
duddlebug
Minor Friendly
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:48 am
Location: North Wales
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by duddlebug »

Thanks for the reply!

What's best to fill a hole that big? And will whatever I fill the hole with affect the metal it's up against?
youngcamper
Minor Fan
Posts: 329
Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2010 4:34 pm
MMOC Member: No

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by youngcamper »

I'd be inclined to treat the area with something to prevent further rot ( it might be called cuprinol ? ) then use a suitable wood filler.
Will
ImageImageImage
________1967-Lily________________________1963-Phoebe_______________________1965-Dobby_________
DAVIDMCCULLOUGH
Minor Legend
Posts: 3010
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2007 10:42 pm
Location: Whiteabbey, Co Antrim
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by DAVIDMCCULLOUGH »

Is the wood very soft? I used a ronseal product on mine once called wet rot hardener and I got an exra few years out of the wood. Use the hardener and then some wood filler, I helped disguise mine with some brown shoe polish under the varnish (dont tell anyone..... :D )

As for replacing those two bits, its not so easy. It would require lifting the whole wooden frame off the car to get the front pillar in. Its much easier to do a back post as you dont have so much to disturb.


Too many Minors so little time.....
bmcecosse
Minor Maniac
Posts: 46561
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 11:24 pm
Location: ML9
MMOC Member: No

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by bmcecosse »

Treat inside with rust killer -make sure everything is as dry as possible - then plastic wood I think. Scoop the hole out a bit (as a dentist does) so the filling once packed in tightly can't come out!
ImageImage
Image
duddlebug
Minor Friendly
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:48 am
Location: North Wales
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by duddlebug »

Thanks everybody!

That's what I hoped to hear. Any particular brands or types of wood filler that people prefer? Or are they all pretty much the same?

I'll test the wood hardener too. And treat the metal too, which actually looks OK, so I'd like it to stay OK.

If I can keep the car running my wife will see it as a viable second car, so a quick fix that will last until the VW camper's on the road is just what I need. And then I can use the van for a while, get the Traveller in the garage and replace all the wood properly, and whatever else that throws up underneath.

If I started taking the wood apart, that would be a very unpopular choice. I have the camper van to finish, and also inherited two of my Dad's cars, an unfinished XK120 kit car and a 1937 Sunbeam Talbot, neither of which will be working for a few years to come. When i suggested taking the Morris wood apart there was much grumbling about having four cars filling up the place, none of which worked. :)

Thanks again!
isalei
Newbie
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 2:08 pm
MMOC Member: No

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by isalei »

Another alternative would be to chisel (or cut with one of these fantastic electrical cutting tools) the deteriated wood. Make the cut out symetrical and then shape up a piece of ash to pop in the hole. Take care to match the grain. Glue this in with a two component glue. I use "West System". The incert will be proud and you can sand it down to blend it in to the old wood. Strenght wise, the repair will be as strong as a new complete section. The appearance will depend on how much care is taken when fitting the incert.

The truth is, I have never done this on a car. I have a saloon and a pickup. I do have a mahogony sail boat from 1957 and have carried out such repairs both above and below the water line. Glad to say thoose below the water line have kept out the water and those that can be seen don't detract from the original vanished mahogony. I assume that you can do the same with ash.

whether you choose to do, good luck with the repair.

John
MarkyB
Minor Maniac
Posts: 7845
Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2007 3:18 pm
Location: South East London
MMOC Member: No

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by MarkyB »

I like your thinking isalei, my concern is that it is the rust expanding that has cracked the wood off and extends further than the damage to the wood, it's the rust that needs sorting out, the bit of wood that's missing now is just cosmetic.

"Once you break something you will see how it was put together"
bmcecosse
Minor Maniac
Posts: 46561
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 11:24 pm
Location: ML9
MMOC Member: No

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by bmcecosse »

Fill it and use it for now - it's not to last for ever - just a temporary job to keep the car on the road for a while.
ImageImage
Image
duddlebug
Minor Friendly
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:48 am
Location: North Wales
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by duddlebug »

Yup, I'm going to fill it. As long as it's fine for 12 months or so, it'll work for me and keep my wife happy with the Morris.

I'm going to replace all of the wood as soon as I finish my VW camper, sometime next winter I think. When all the old wood is off, I'll be repairing and rustproofing any areas of the floor or cab that need it and I'll be replacing all the seals, trim, window runners etc.

So it will be done properly.... eventually!

Thanks again for the advice.
mbo145
Minor Fan
Posts: 187
Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 7:43 pm
MMOC Member: No

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by mbo145 »

Fill it for now with a 2 pack wood filler, speak to Steve Foreman again, he has lots of information on replacing different sections while leaving the rest on the car, he was kind enough to email them to me! Mine had bits of filler in like that for years, I used to paint the filler with acrylic paint and then put a grain on it with acrylic and varnish it!
My 1956 Series 11 Traveller! Bought when I was 17 (1985)....sold 6 years (1991) later......bought back 9 years after that! (2000) With 6 different owners in the middle, what a lucky boy I am!
orb596
Minor Fan
Posts: 196
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2011 10:53 pm
Location: Bournemouth, Dorset
MMOC Member: No

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by orb596 »

I can certainly vouch for the fact that MBO always looked good when Phil had done that it :D
Laurie Blewer
MMOC member since 1986
Dorset Branch Secretary for ever!!!!
bmcecosse
Minor Maniac
Posts: 46561
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 11:24 pm
Location: ML9
MMOC Member: No

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by bmcecosse »

Big tube of wood filler in Wilco for £2 !
ImageImage
Image
duddlebug
Minor Friendly
Posts: 30
Joined: Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:48 am
Location: North Wales
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by duddlebug »

I thought I'd give a quick update...

The more I poked about with the wood, the more I thought I should probably change some sections. The hole in the front pillar got bigger the more i looked at it, and then I decided to pull away the headlining to check the cant rail, which looked a bit dodgy from the outside. This is what I found... Eeek!

Image

So I didn't use filler in the end, I changed three sections. Steve from Woodies gave me some excellent advice and was incredibly helpful, especially considering the small amount of wood I bought from him (plus window runners and some seals).

Steve supplied me with a front pillar, the cant rail, window runners, screws etc. and I found a 'new' waist rail in our outbuilding which must've been an unused remnant form a Morris Traveller my dad and I restored in the late 80s. I learnt a lot, made a few mistakes (a couple of which are visible) and had a lot of fun dismantling and reassembling the side.

Image
Image
Image

I'm still planning on replacing all the wood in the not-too-distant-future, but the car now looks more presentable, and the wood structure is MUCH more solid, and hopefully weatherproof. Next time, I'm going to do a much better job of the guttering too. That bend on the corner was a right pain in the behind....

Thanks for the advice here, there'll be plenty more needed over the next few years.

And best of all, this morning the Morris passed it's MOT, so I now have a car! Hoorah!

I'll post a picture of it 'finished', when it stops raining. No point in getting it wet... :)
bmcecosse
Minor Maniac
Posts: 46561
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2005 11:24 pm
Location: ML9
MMOC Member: No

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by bmcecosse »

Well done indeed - lovely job. I didn't think it would be possible to renew just these sections.
ImageImage
Image
oddbod
Minor Fan
Posts: 315
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2012 12:46 pm
MMOC Member: No

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by oddbod »

Well done!! Its looking smart :wink:
MarkyB
Minor Maniac
Posts: 7845
Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2007 3:18 pm
Location: South East London
MMOC Member: No

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by MarkyB »

Quality job!
No amount of filler would have sorted that lot out!

"Once you break something you will see how it was put together"
orb596
Minor Fan
Posts: 196
Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2011 10:53 pm
Location: Bournemouth, Dorset
MMOC Member: No

Re: Hole in my wood....

Post by orb596 »

What a lovely job you've done - well done. :D

I've got a couple of bits on mine going soft and you may have inspired me to have a go at replacing the sections required. Right at the back of the top rail on the passenger side and the top of the pillar by the passenger door. I've already replaced the drivers side rear pillar and end of the wheelarch section a few years ago. It still looks good and I managed to blend them in nicely with the original wood using a darker varnish on them before putting the top coats of clear on the whole frame.

Before I do anything though I'm going to get her in the garage and strip off the varnish to see how bad it really is. :-?
Laurie Blewer
MMOC member since 1986
Dorset Branch Secretary for ever!!!!
Post Reply