# Wood car **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [March 7, 2016, 7:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710 "2016-03-07T19:20:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![circuitsmith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/circuitsmith/32/40376_2.png) [@circuitsmith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/circuitsmith)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 7:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/1 "2016-03-07T19:20:49Z")
Needless to say, not very practical (maybe a little more than a motorcycle), but beautiful. > **[Tryane II Continues March of Wooden Cars](https://jalopnik.com/tryane-ii-continues-march-of-wooden-cars-384733)** > > Take a look at those wheels — the three lugs are a dead giveaway as to what lies beneath the slippery hand crafted exterior. That's right, the Tyrane II started life as a Citroen 2CV but its obviously much modified from the original. Builder Friend... ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/2X/c/c39f9161f18616be588b1f8bbfd0725205ff4ae9.jpg) ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/2X/a/ab94f3d676598b979f1ec4c333541d6683c93468.jpg) ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/2X/b/bfbca186acec27c07374cddec8172ce1e9badcd2.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 8:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/2 "2016-03-07T20:32:30Z")
But at least . . I . . could be the body man for repairs. The greatest percentage of my personal tools are woodworking. - - I let my shop full of mechanics do my car stuff most often but still have my original set of Craftsman sockets my dad got me at 14 years old. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2016, 8:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/3 "2016-03-07T20:57:41Z")
This is far from the first wooden car I’ve seen (see link), but I like it. [http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=drivable%20wooden%20cars&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=drivable%20wooden%20cars&sc=1-20&sp=-1&sk=](http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=drivable%20wooden%20cars&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=drivable%20wooden%20cars&sc=1-20&sp=-1&sk=) ---
**Author:** ![auto-owner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/50afbb/32.png) [@auto-owner](https://community.cartalk.com/u/auto-owner)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 12:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/4 "2016-03-08T00:39:09Z")
Not gonna rust, but beware of termites. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 2:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/5 "2016-03-08T02:48:40Z")
Here’s my favorite wooden bodied car… Hispano Suiza H6C ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 4:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/6 "2016-03-08T04:22:55Z")
I saw an antique fire truck, mostly wood, good enough for a fire truck, good enough for a car. ---
**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 4:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/7 "2016-03-08T04:36:00Z")
Just treat them like any wooden boat or outdoor furniture. EVERY exposed surface must be coated, ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/8 "2016-03-08T06:30:05Z")
In front of the town hall in my hometown is a newly manufactured glass-sided display garage housing a 1925 REO Speedwagon, all original and the first schoolbus my town ever had. It’s a wooden flatbed with wooden benches running longitudinally along the sides and a wood-framed canvas top (the canvas is long gone, but the wood framework is still intact). I’ll try to take and post photos this week. It’s about half wood and half metal. The wheels are wood spoked in metal rims. It’s beautiful. The plan is to get it streetworthy and use it in parades. Frankly, until I heard we were getting this I though REO Speedwagon was only a band. I didn’t know it was a car company. Interesting factoid: the gas tank is a cylindrical tank mounted on and fully spanning the dashboard just below the windshield. Scary… but in 1925 I’m sure they thought nothing of it. I’ll get photos. Many years ago many cars actually used wooden frames. I seem to recall reading that Morgan still does. Oak, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Marnet](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/marnet/32/41_2.png) [@Marnet](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Marnet)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/9 "2016-03-08T06:32:27Z")
Sweet. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![circuitsmith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/circuitsmith/32/40376_2.png) [@circuitsmith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/circuitsmith)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/10 "2016-03-08T06:39:16Z")
" the gas tank is a cylindrical tank mounted on and fully spanning the dashboard just below the windshield. Scary… but in 1925 I’m sure they thought nothing of it." Still, better than the 1899 Horsey Horseless, which was going to locate the fuel tank inside the horse head: ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/2X/3/3ca71de01edcc3fa34fc0a1eac786caf3aae8376.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/11 "2016-03-08T06:42:01Z")
^^^ Can’t be scaring the horses, eh? ;-] ---
**Author:** ![B.L.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@B.L.E](https://community.cartalk.com/u/B.L.E)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/12 "2016-03-08T18:23:03Z")
> Many years ago many cars actually used wooden frames. I seem to recall reading that Morgan still does. Oak, I believe. Since horse drawn carriages were largely made of wood, it only made sense to make horseless carriages the same way at the time. Early aircraft were mostly wood and fabric also. Many home built aircraft still are. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 8:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/13 "2016-03-08T20:34:39Z")
True, but I was referring to cars of a much later era, such as some of the British sports cars. Private homebuilt General Aviation aircraft still often use wood and doped fabric. Airframe schools still teach the technology. It’s really amazing how strong a structure made like that actually is. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 10:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/14 "2016-03-08T22:28:02Z")
That picture looks to be the result of the first rear-ender… ---
**Author:** ![DrRocket](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/drrocket/32/2603_2.png) [@DrRocket](https://community.cartalk.com/u/DrRocket)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 4:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/15 "2016-03-09T04:48:23Z")
Per How They Make It:Dream Car edition, the Morgan’s body is actually aluminum sheets, but the entire sub structure is indeed made of wood. Few natural materials offer the strength to weight ratio of wood. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 6:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/16 "2016-03-09T06:39:28Z")
And few cars offer the old world beauty of a Morgan. It’s a good match. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 7:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/17 "2016-03-09T07:06:06Z")
Okay, the photos of the '25 REO Speedwagon… the sun’s angle wouldn’t let me get much, but at least you can see the gas tank I was talking about right in front of the steering wheel and the wood spokes in the iron rim. ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 8:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/18 "2016-03-09T08:26:03Z")
The perfect place for the gas tank when you’re gravity-feeding an up-draft carb next to the block. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/19 "2016-03-09T20:11:35Z")
Excellent point, insightful. I thought of that when I originally noticed the gas tank location. Besides, it’s a much safer location than the Pinto had! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 11:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710/20 "2016-03-09T23:13:56Z")
Pinto had plenty of company in that design area (and even later) with some even worse. The early Subarus of that era had vertically mounted fuel tanks against the back of the rear seat panel. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/wood-car/92710.md?page=2)