Received this email in Aug from

joe 90 mackinson@live.com.ar

Hi Norm.
I´ve picked your e-mail from Durant´s Forum. A month ago I bought my Durant and I´ve just started it´s restoring.
I´m attaching few pictures.
Could you suggest any reference for engine rebuilt manual? I´m also looking for wood structure restoring procedures.
I´ll really appreciate if you could send me your Durant´s pictures.
Best regards,

Gustavo, from Argentina

Pic's were of a 6 wire wheel sedan that looked in fairly nice shape. I did reply saying I knew of no such manuals and sent a couple of pages out of my 1930 614 sales brochure, that showed the wood and motor. Also mentioned our cars were similar except for 32 having different bumpers, door handles, upholstery, carb, headlights. Also pre 30 parts don't fit post 29 except the 617 which is half 29 and half 30. Body / fenders of 617 are 30 and chassis 29.

I recieved no return email unless someone else wants to help Joe out with info.

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 sedan

There is a good general purpose book right now on ebay under Durant parts. tips on wood restoration by Don Marsh. If you are thinking of exactly duplicating the wood just as the factory made it--it's probably out of the realm of the home hobbyist. As I recall on the doorposts for my 6-14, there were three pieces dovetailed together for thickness, and also joined together by finger joints, etc. I used pieces of solid eastern oak and cut them as one piece(boy that wood was hard to cut!) It must have been cheaper to pay for the labor of the woodworker than to use larger pieces of stock,( and to get the wood grain to be straighter for strength). If you are replacing all the wood try to set the body back on the frame with all the shims(those pieces of what looks like firehose under the mounting bolts), in place before your final lining up of the doors, to help with the correct door gaps. Replacing the body structural wood is not a task to be taken lightly! Ross

Where Are You From? Orygun

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 6-14

Hi Ross .. I did contact the seller of that book hes selling on Ebay "Tips on Autobody Woodwork...a Tips Manual by Don Marsh" and he said it was for more pre 30 cars and not really applicable to our post 30 Durant's. So I didn't pick up a copy.

I like the front door post as all steel no wood, unlike the pre 30 cars, ha ha.

I have put off even trying to unravel the top wood. The 32 floor is like factory still but header is a row of bolts where wood was. Makes sense the wood on the header would rot when its unprotected from rain splashing up under the sun visor.

Orig wood on the post 29's was maple and oak, but I would prefer white ash as it takes the many nails without splitting.

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 sedan

Norm, Ross,
I pretty much agree with you both. However Norm I found that that Book is still helpful for the later cars, as it talks basic construction techniques, and how to tackle problems. Elm is also a good choice when you can find it, Hickory too. But stay away from all the softwoods out there, easy to work with but won't hold up. I guess you could still use it for patterns though.

One thing the book stresses is start fom the Bottom up (building the Floor rails/joists first) not the other way around. Likewise doors can be a problem trying to re-fit back to the new structure. Lastly Norm if you are only doing the roof that is not such a difficult job, but again if your door posts are bad, then you have to fit them to the floor: SO we go back to where we started; i.e. Floor First, Door Posts, Roof.

You are right Norm, they made up large parts from small pieces because it was cheaper then buying big wood pieces and cutting them up. Right too on keeping the grain straight, easier with lots of small pieces: Enjoy your sawdust, ha,ha.!!

Hope this helps,
Lance C.

Where Are You From? Niceville, Florida

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1925 and 26 Locomobile JR-8's, 1928 Loco 8-70, 30 Durant 610

Hi All.....

Another good book is the Fisher Body Service Manual 1926-1931.

This is a good general book. Has @ 150 pages of info.

Covers wood work, interior and roof covering, as well as window and windshield mechanisms. Not surprisingly, the 1929 and up windshield lift is identical to that used on the Durant. My 1929 Chevy has the exact same set up as my 1930 Durant!


This book has been reprinted, I picked up my copy on eBay a few years ago.

Frank ---

Where Are You From? Hookstown, Pennsylvania

Do You own a car built by Durant? 17 Durant & Star cars & a Durant Dort buggy (one horse power)

Hi Lance

Dot seems ok from doors down. Its the gutter wood up that needs replacing. Again more stupidity by Durant not to treat or seal the wood from water behind the gutters. The floor rails you can't push a nail into on Dot. She still has her back floor carpet.

Never could understand a car coming from an auto wrecker's yard 40 yrs ago with leaking roof, yet all lower wood is solid. Someone used wire from chicken wire around the row of header bolts to keep roof covered as much as possible. Dot still has roof liner inside, but mice have now put a round hole right over back seat about a foot across, since I brought her home. Hope they enjoy the mice food I put out for them, ha ha. And lots of Bounce sheets.

Getting ash is now a problem with ban moving wood any where in Ont. Emerald ash borer is on the move and destroying ash trees all along the Seaway. Much like dutch elm bug and now I hear a sugar maple one as well. That will hurt the maple sugar producers US and Canada. Park owners a bit worried at the park I help look after all summer, as I replaced a lot of trees with ash ones over the years. They are coming along well but ... Elms dying everywhere. You can tell which elms die. They leaf out for about two weeks in the spring, then drop all the leaves. I removed about 10 of those this year at park. I know others will follow by look of them.

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 sedan

I too, have purchased the Don Marsh book sometime back and his advice in the book has been a tremendous help to me in the body restoration process. I would definitely recommend the book to anyone that is planning to take on the task of 20's and early 30's body restoration. I was able to buy rough-cut and dried ash planks in various thicknesses, widths, and lengths to suite my needs. The body and wood skeleton is completely disassembled and the wood pieces and hardware have been labeled for their relative position in the body. The process of sawing, planing, joining, routering, and sanding the over 60 some pieces of wood used in the assembly have been mostly completed. During this time I built a 12 foot long copy-carver machine using a laminate router and stylus to duplicate the contours on many of the wood body pieces. Alot of the wood has been duplicated now except for a few cuts that need to be made at the time of assembly. It has been a fun, challenging, and time consuming task to say the least, but a needful process for a frame-off restoration.

Where Are You From? Hyattsville, Md

Do You own a car built by Durant? Yes