Here is some valuable information regarding the bench seat back rest of an early 'high-cowl' roadster. This information may also be useful to those with the low body style.
I have had the opportunity to remove the leather coverings from my roadster backrest as I had intended on replacing the wooden part as mine had rotted (not to mention the leather). The idea was to have a new wood backrest made and ready to go when I took it to the upholsterer.
WELL, This was not to be. THE BACKREST IS A COMPLICATED AFFAIR. It is not something that can be made out of a sheet of half inch plywood, and I'll tell you why. Firstly, the original is made up from four different shaped/sized pieces of wood, it has 19 springs (9 large ones and 10 small) that are attached in different areas of the back. Moreover some are bent in such a way to give that great "old sofa" look to the backrest when it is in the car. I would STRONGLY suggest that if your back rest is shot, you either replace it with bucket seats or look for a good used back rest at a swap meet.
However, If you are either desperate or brave enough to attempt to make a replica - here are the measurements and materials you will need.
Begin with a piece of quarter inch Luan board. It should
measure 44'" Wide by 21 & 3/4" deep.
Measuring from left to right, (along the long side) move
the tape in 1 & 1/2" from the left side and make a mark. Then, from
that mark, measure 41" (this accomodates the notch either side at the top
of the back rest, for the hood frame.) This notch extends down from
the top, 4 & 1/4" each side in a slight curve.
The overall depth of the backrest is 21 & 3/4". Having marked for the notch at the top, measure from the very top of the backrest down the right side 17 &1/2" and make a mark. (You will now begin to mark the bottom cut out, where it bridges the leaf springs and sits on the sills). Measure in 4", down 1 & 1/2", then in 3", and down 2" to the bottom of the backrest. The total width of this notch should be 7 & 1/2".
Now, measure in from the right side edge (not from the notch) 19" and put a mark.
Mirror the above measurements for the two notches on the left side of the back.
At the bottom, in the middle you should end up with two
marks about 6" apart, this is where the cut out will be for the prop shaft
tunnel. It should be about 6 & 1/2" high, but it tapers. The best thing
to do is set
your prop shaft tunnel on the back rest and use it as
a template, you'll get a much more accurate cut, but remember not to make
it taller than 7". At this stage you should not have made any cuts - everything
should just be marked though on the Luan board.
The next step is to take some 1/2" x 3" stock. (you could use 1/2" ply cut 3" wide). You will need two pieces 38 1/2" long for the top rail and the upper base rail, two pieces 22" long for the side rails, one piece 12" long for the center rail, one piece cut 7" wide x 38 & 1/2" long for the lower base rail.
Now, turn your Luan back rest over on the floor so that the markings you made earlier are facing down. Next lay out your pre cut lengths of 1/2" ply as follows:
First place your two side rails on the outside edges either side, then place the 7" wide base rail horizontally between them at the very bottom, directly above that place the upper base rail and then place the top rail at the top edge.
Finally figure and mark the center point of the top and upper base rail out, mark it and place the 12" center rail vertically between these two points. You now have your basic frame laid out. You need to attach these frame pieces to the Luan. I would suggest (now you know how it should look) removing them and re-laying them out on the floor in front of you, then place the Luan board on top (with your markings facing up) and nail through the Luan into the ply wood frame rails, a little glue wouldn't hurt.
YOU ARE ALMOST FINISHED!
Once the frame pieces have been nailed to the Luan and the glue has dried, take a plane and knock a 45 degree bevel top frame rail, but not so deep that you cut into the Luan. Then, with a jig saw, cut out areas we marked earlier.
Once again lay the back rest on the floor, frame side
up, as we have two more pieces of wood to add. These strengtheners are
23 & 1/2" long, 1 & 1/2" wide by 1" deep. They run top to bottom,
on their edge, at a slight diagonal beginning, (measuring along the top
of the backrest) 4" in from the hood bow notch on either side - to
just inside the notch we cut out for the leaf spring shackle. You will
see once you lay these on your backrest that you will have to notch out
these strengtheners so they attach to the Luan in some places and frame
in others. These pieces have a 45 degree bevel on ALL FOUR long edges that
will be inside the seat back. In addition the ends are cut at 45 degrees
so that they taper to create a wedge (2 - 2 1/2" long) towards the top
and bottom of the seat. These pieces are then attached to the back rest
with screws from behind. There are just two more things you have to do.
In the square area of Luan
that you now see either side of the center rail, drill
a 1" air hole in the middle. Finally, sand all the outside edges so there
is nothing that will rip you new leather when it's applied.
THAT'S IT!!!! You now have a Morgan back rest!
You should be able to re-use the springs from your old back rest. As I mentioned earlier, there are 19 ! The two side rails get three large ones each as does the center rail, the top row of the larger ones are bent down. The square Luan section on each side get five small springs each, in a square shape with one in the middle. All protruding frame edges on the inside of the seat are covered with horse hair. A good auto upholsterer should be able to take it from here.
Good luck!!
Jeff Webster
Refinishing a Mahogany
Dash
by Art Hart
I had problems in the past with refinishing wood on other early automobiles. Recently when I did the original mahogany dashboard over on my Morgan I took all kinds of precautions to get the "perfect" high gloss varnish finish including spraying it upside down suspended from the ceiling so the dust wouldn't settle on it while the varnish was still wet. It came out just as I expected, however it had that "cheap glossy look" and also provided unbelievable amounts of sun glare. I ended up wet sanding the gloss with 600 paper and finishing it off with a high quality furniture wax. The result is a non-glare very rich looking finish.
With mahogany and other open grain woods it is essential
to use a paste wood filler or other sealer before varnishing. Otherwise
it can take many many coats of varnish before you fill all the pores in
the wood.
One of the best sealers is a low molecular weight epoxy
such as West System #505 resin with their #206 special coating hardener.
This does not provide a very smooth finish but seals the wood well.
Sand this
down with 150 paper and follow with 2 or 3 coats of polyurethane
spar varnish sanded lightly between each coat and then do the wet sanding
with 600 paper followed by the paste furniture wax. It's beautiful,
and after 2 years it still looks like I did it yesterday even though I
have not rewaxed it since the initial application.
I also used a dark red mahogany stain before sealing for a dark, rich color
'64 +4
Chester, NJ
Refinishing a Mahogany Dash II
by Jack Claxton 1956 +4
1) I sought out and found a clear finish coat for exterior
applications; Minwax Outdoor Clear Shield (Satin). A quart-sized
can was $11.95. The front label says "weather resistant coating for wood",
"tough, hard protection from sun, rain, dirt, scratches", and "advanced
ultraviolet absorber formula". The
fine print says "three coats are recommended for exterior
use" and "exterior surfaces coated with Clear Shield should be maintained
by lightly sanding and adding additional coat(s) as required". I would
guess that lawn furniture, wooden doors, etc., in the sun continuously
year-in, year-out would need refinishing more frequently than a Morgan
dash, which hopefully may last quite a while without maintenance with such
a product (time will tell).
2) The Clear Shield above is recommended for use with Minwax Gel Stain, that comes in several colors. At $3.95 for an 8 oz. can, I tried 5 colors on the back of the dash before settling on Honey Maple 604 (an 8 oz. can was enough for the job).
3) I sanded the mohogany down completely to bare wood
with 220 grit sandpaper and applied the gel stain per the instructions.
When dry, I applied a liberal coat of Clear Shield per the instructions,
did light sanding with 320 grit paper, and applied another liberal coat
of Clear Shield. After the second
coat of Clear Shield I sanded it smooth as silk with
320 paper, being careful to remove all depressions in the Clear Shield
coat. The Clear Shield by now had filled all the wood grain "pores", if
this is the correct term, and this sanding step put the Clear Shield coat
completely flat and smooth. I then applied the final clear shield coat
liberally, but then I went back over and over the final Clear Shield coat
(while wet) with dry sponge brushes so as to remove any embeded dust particles
and eliminate the need for sanding the
final finish when dry. I brushed only enough to get the
dust particles out, using several sponge brushes on this last step. I left
it in the somewhat "wet" state to dry overnight.
The next morning the results were far beyond my expectations, and better than what I thought myself capable of achieving. The satin finish has no "glare" and the color is absolutely rich.
Clear coating Wood
by Charles Hill
I've had good luck in topcoating automotive wood with clear coat finishes from automotive base coat/clear coat systems. Its expensive, but the results are worth it.
N.B. I have tried this myself with success. It's virtue is how uncomplicated it is but many coats are required over a few days. Webmaster
The concern with an open air car dash is with UV which causes most finishes to break down. I'm not sure if Danish oil is UV stable but it does give a great finish. In my experience, shellac doesn't like sunlight. Marine spar varnishes have UV stablizers and hold up better in the sun (the car will see the sun, won't it?) Try one part oil based marine spar varnish (glossy), one part boiled linseed oil and one part turpentine. This formula builds a film slowly so many applicatons and rubs with steel wool gets great results. To keep the wood stable, put some finish on the back side as well.