Wooden Inserts?

[Cajun98]

I'm doing repairs to the hat channels on the floor of my '59 CJ5. I removed the wooden pieces from the toe board hat channels. The hat channel was rusted out but the wood was still in perfect shape. Does anyone know what type of wood was used?

[bmorgil]

Cajun, I have seen that answer somewhere. I am thinking it was White Oak originally. The military specification was for "Hardwood". Maybe someone will jump in who knows for sure.

[LarrBeard]

I'm doing repairs to the hat channels on the floor of my '59 CJ5. I removed the wooden pieces from the toe board hat channels. The hat channel was rusted out but the wood was still in perfect shape. Does anyone know what type of wood was used?

Concur with White Oak, but being a Southern Boy too, I would not be adverse to using cypress if it was available. As you know, cypress is widely used for boats in Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana - it has a lot of natural oils in it and it is VERY rot resistant. Once upon a time it was called "Gopher Wood" and a guy named Noah built a very big boat out of it...

[gmwillys]

It is in fact white oak that was originally used in the hat channels. The down side of the wood is that it does retain water, but instead of the wood rotting, the hat channel itself trusts away. The wood was there to prevent the channel from collapsing when the tub is bolted to the frame. In WWII, metal was in short supply, so wherever they could carve a corner, they did. Plus the life expectancy of a Jeep in combat was 90 days, so no use in using all the good materials on supports. After the war, they just continued to use wood all the way through the AMC days. New reproduction hat channels have collars welded in to prevent the channel from collapsing when the hardware is tightened. I do not use wood when replacing hat channels.

[bmorgil]

the life expectancy of a Jeep in combat was 90 days

Amazing how long they last when there not in combat!

[LarrBeard]

Amazing how long they last when there not in combat!

A picture from the Ira project - a Jeep in combat.

[bmorgil]

Ha ha Ira had a good point, they have to be put down!

[Cajun98]

Hey, guys, thanks for the information. I was thinking it was probably oak. I'm amazed that it's survived almost 63 yrs without rotting, considering it spent its first 35 yrs in South Louisiana. I may fab up some collars vs replacing the wood. I'm making slow but steady progress on the tub. I have new floor pans to install after making repairs to all the hat channels. I've spent the last couple days welding up almost 200 holes that were drilled for the old soft top and fender flares. I'm getting pretty good at plug welding, lol.

On another note, two of the bars in my grill were cut out years ago to make room for a winch that my grandfather installed. If anyone has a junk grill that they'd be willing to cut out a couple of bars, I could certainly use them for my repairs. Glad to pay for your time and shipping to 71295 zip code.

[mrgrtt123]

Hopefully you can find the accessories you need for this project. You can check 4wheelonline if you are looking for a new set of wheels and tires for this classic ride.

[gmwillys]

I'll keep my eyes open for a donor grille. I salute you for wanting to fix your existing grille, instead of replacing it. As a solution, try forming some 18 gage sheet metal into the form of the grill. I can send you some scraps to practice on, and fix your missing teeth. Find some steel round stock that matches the inner radius of the existing grill slats. Place the flat sheet metal on top of an open vise and peen the round stock until the sheet metal matches the radius of the original. Practice, practice, practice.

For inspiration, check out the Grand Willys Project through Mrs. Google.

https://allmetalshaping.com/showthread.php?t=12411

[Cajun98]

gmwillys, that may be an idea! I've got to get some sheet metal this week anyway. For the life of me, I can't figure out why my grandfather cut up the grill. The winch that was on the jeep when I was a kid didn't come near the grill. I definitely want to keep the original if I can. Thanks again.

[gmwillys]

One may never know the logic to why any body modification may have been done.