General Forums > Wooden Bombardiers
Grfishmaker's '47 rebuild
grfishmaker:
A few weeks ago I sent The Old Trucker a few pictures of my machine that I had just started to redo the woodwork on and he quickly informed me that "I was doing it wrong, you are supposed to put it on NT for everyone to see". I know he was right, but I sure hate to agree with a Newfie.
Anyway, I had taken a few pictures as I started, but I see I should have taken a few more. It is so easy to forget the camera and peck away at the job ahead. I have certainly enjoyed following the previous rebuilds that have been posted and found some of them to be such a great reference during my rebuild (especially the old wooden machines). It's always nice to sit back and enjoy (along with the builder) the fruits of their labour.
Back in the latter part of the winter of 2008, I purchased a 1947 wooden narrow from KLM up in The Pas (I've meet alot of nice people on NT). It needed alot of attention, but it was the kind of machine that I had always wanted. I had never ridden in a narrow gauge but had heard alot of stories of their work in the snow (maybe some tall tales) and it only incresed my desire to own one. Originaly my intention was to start on the rebuild in the summer of 2008, but the summer slipped by too fast and before long it was fall and it was left sitting with no work being done. I have no garage to work in so it was going to have to be a fair weather project. So I told myself that this wouldn't happen next year; I would work on it as soon as spring arrived and I'd have it all finished by summer's end and save the fall for hunting. Well back in mid August I realized it was all happening again and I had better get going on it or it would be a repeat of last year. My intention was to get the woodwork done and I could do the rest in the colder weather.
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh31/grfishmaker/a022.jpg
Here she is on her way home from The Pas.
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh31/grfishmaker/easterride0023.jpg
Taking her out on our first voyage.
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh31/grfishmaker/easterride00623.jpg
Well you can see from the pictures above that there have been some modifications to her over her 60 years. The newer style windows are a obvious adaption, she has a 292 GM automatic transmission in her, missing her front bumper, missing half of her rear metal framing beside the radiator, the windshield and all side windows are cracked (except the driver and passenger doors), has metal under the skis replacing the wooden runners and the wooden plywood has been redone a few years back.
Who ever owned her back then, had redid her using regular plywood. Naturally that didn't go too well and she showed alot of weather damage to the wood (warpped and rotten) and had alot of spots that silicone was used to try and mend the damaged parts. But like I said before, this was the kind of machine that I would like to have and I knew going in that there would be no shortage of repairs and labour involved in her rebuild.
grfishmaker:
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh31/grfishmaker/hummingbrid351.jpg
Well here she is in my new garage. This is where I intended to get the woodwork done and painted up before frost arrived and slowly peck away on the rest of the work before snowfall. This was "PLAN A".
the old trucker:
Finally got you to do it right !! ::) 8). I know the tips of my fingers are sore from trying to convince ya to do it. I noticed the tail lights in one of the pics & they look like an old VW light.
Send her down my way & I'll use her for a guinea pig so when I get at mine I'll know how to fix my mistakes. Ha Ha. Keep us posted on your progress, son.
The Old Trucker
;D ;D
;D ;D
;D ;D
Ear to ear
the old trucker:
I forgot to ask, now that PLAN "A" is out the window, what's PLAN "B" ?? You do have a PLAN "B".... well don't yea......?????
grfishmaker:
Well Plan A started off pretty well, as I stated removing the plywood shell. On all the seams of the plywood on the roof you could tell that water had seeped in and rotted the wood. After removing a few pieces off the roof, I discovered that not only the plywood was rotten, but also some of the oak frame boards. So this is where Plan A turned into Plan A 1/2 as I looked for some oak. Although oak grows on trees, it certainly doesn't in this neck of the woods. Luckily I was able to scrounge up enough rough oak to replace the rotten sections but this set me back a couple weeks as I located it.
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh31/grfishmaker/wd2.jpg
Starting to shed her skin.
No need to comment on the yellow interior. I think it goes without saying. "What were you thinking?"
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh31/grfishmaker/bomb010.jpg
The last person to redo the plywood used gyprock screws to attach the wood. I had to grid off the heads of every screw. They all hung on to the bitter end. As the rusted, it was like they grew roots. After pulling the plywood free, I had to go over all the remaing screw stems and unwind them using vise grips. This was a most enjoyable pastime as I scrapped my knuckles over every second sharpened stem. After a great deal of effort and a few new #@%* words of thought to the inventor of gyprock screws, I had them all out.
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh31/grfishmaker/bomb008.jpg
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh31/grfishmaker/b006.jpg
Got most of the old skin off.
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh31/grfishmaker/omb008.jpg
Rotten oak on top frame.
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh31/grfishmaker/bom7.jpg
Some more rotten oak.
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh31/grfishmaker/09030.jpg
One more for good luck.
While I was looking for some oak I figured that I could start replacing the plywood on the front end as all the oak was solid in this area.
I should mention something about my lesson on birch plywood. You know when you plan out a project and you like to have all the materials ready to go? Well this is what I thought I had done. Away back in the fall of 2008 I was down in Grand Forks and thought that I would check out the price of birch plywood down there. Bingo, 1/4" good two sides birch was $16.98 @ sheet. I picked out 6 sheets, bought them home and all that was left was till wait till spring and everything was ready to go.
So like I mentioned before I intended to start on the front end first. I started tracing out some pieces on my "good deal" birch plywood and installing them on my machine. I did a few pieces on the front end until I could go no further untill the oak railing along the top was changed.
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh31/grfishmaker/bomb117.jpg
Stating to give her back her figure. (Little did I know that I was using the wrong type of birch and would be taking it all off and starting over. Thank God I found out before I went too far.)
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