Premium

Woodworm - or how to restore classic car wood

This article was auto-translated. We apologize if some words are confusing or simply amusing. Would you like to help us improve?

Created on July 10, 2020

Text:

Marcel Schoch

Photos:

Marcel Schoch

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

All the wood on this Steyr, built in 1928, needs to be restored

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Wood as crash protection! The exposed tank is protected against damage by wooden strips

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

The sheet metal cladding is supported by a wooden frame

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

On the surface, the bodywork still appears to be in a usable condition

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

A closer look reveals that the entrance is already completely rotten. Further wood damage is hidden under the sheet metal cladding

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

At that time, the roof substructure usually consisted of a pigeon lattice

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Roof damage! Constant dripping wears away the stone, but wood also suffers a lot

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

In the case of such wood damage, only professional reconstruction can help

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

The wood in the roof area was inserted into the bodywork using the production method of the time

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

If the entire wooden frame has fallen victim to wood rot, it will be professionally rebuilt

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Ancient timber is stored in the Ross, Schmidt and Partner timber warehouse

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

The old sawn timber is too valuable to throw away

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Almost all types of wood can be found in the veneer warehouse

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

When chemistry fails! Even wood sometimes needs to be sandblasted if the old paint is to be removed

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

This saw can be used to cut any type of wood into the desired shape

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

This is what veneer that has been exposed to the weather and sunlight for years looks like

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

The wooden interior of this MB 220 has been extensively restored

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

The result is convincing. An MB 220 SE dashboard after restoration

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Color pigments are used for the original tinting and coloring of the wood

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Household cleaners can also be useful for decoating the wood

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

The right stain for every wood color is stored here

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Almost no old paint can withstand this stock of solvents

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

A Merc from 1899 before restoration by RSP

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Everything is just right here! After the restoration, the Benz Dos-á-Dos shines again in its original condition

When logged in, you see more images in larger size.

Original paintwork can be reconstructed with the help of paint analyses by the LKA Munich

You have only

1 out of 27

images seen in high resolution

Summary

Restoration companies that specialize in restoring wood on classic and vintage cars are few and far between. This is not because there are too few classic cars that have wood as a load-bearing element or as a decorative element on the bodywork or interior, but mostly because of the high demands placed on the restorers during a wood restoration. We therefore took a look around the scene and found one of the few companies that has the necessary expertise for restoring wood on vehicles. The restorers at the Ross, Schmidt und Partner restoration studio in Kirchstockach, Bavaria (municipality of Brunnthal), south-east of Munich, explained to us what is important when professionally restoring wood on classic and vintage cars.

This article contains the following chapters

Tough material - long tradition
Partial additions
Wood for decoration
Criminalistic work

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The company's premises, an old Bavarian farmhouse built almost entirely from wood, already show customers where the company's core expertise lies. The two managing directors of Ross, Schmidt und Partner, Hayo Ross and Michael Schmidt, are state-certified restorers with additional training as wheelwrights. "The profession of wheelwright is as good as extinct in Germany," explains Hayo Ross, "but we were still able to track down old master wheelwrights who passed on their traditional knowledge to us. A look around the workshop clearly shows that all the classic and vintage cars here have one thing in common: they need the help of wood specialists. This applies both to wood as a structural element in classic and modern cars and to the wood applications in the interior.

Welcome to Zwischengas!