This is continuation of the story about Sara's Grandfather's 1915 Touring car....
The upholstery is complete with the vintage leatherette


and the fender has been repaired....

Enjoyed the journey last year. Thank you for carrying it over into 2018

Looks good out in the sunlight !! What became of the front seat upholstery ?!? What's the plan now ?

How did you do the vintage leather look?

Your fender repair is amazing.Hats off to the repairer.I like how the originality has been preserved.

Yes, great fender repair. Outstanding!

Cheers,
Willis

Looking great.....thanks for posting an update.

SUPER!

To Rich in Blackfoot, Idaho....the front seat upholstery and springs have been gone for many years....The wood frame was in excellent condition. The Back seat upholstery on the seat cushion was in shreds and spring was bent and broken. The only original remaining upholstery was the back rest of the back seat and it was in very poor condition.
To mark Lynn....the vintage leatherette came from Big Z Fabrics in California...see my 2017 thread.

2017 Thread

It needed upholstery and I did not want a "new" look.

The clutch appears to need replacing so my next project is to remove the engine, replace the clutch and bands and install rings while the engine is out.

Here's a close up of the upholstery

Thank you for the "rest of the story". I couldn't seem to locate the previous thread. Great job on the new/old upholstery !!

Rich,

Original thread from 2017 is here:

@ http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/708324/786225.html?1506367438

FJ

Thanks FJ !

Making progress...Does anyone know if the switch cover pictured is what was installed on early 15's? Or should a brass and black plate be installed over this cover?

On other news, we have decided to make the car mechanically perfect without changing the outward appearance. Removed the engine this week, with the supervision and help of my friend, John Strickland. Discovered that it is in excellent condition. cylinders do not need boring; valve guides are tight and will be reused; valves will be replaced; valve seats are perfect; crankshaft and main bearings need turning; cam shaft is perfect; new rods and aluminum pistons; installing turbo clutch, magneto needs to be replaced...ordered from Snyders; shaving the head and block. Should have installed within two weeks.

I understand that there is some discussion whether Henry painted the engines or not. We plan to not paint and leave original appearance.

Still looking for some top irons that are missing. I need the two front and passenger rear irons.

When all is done....we may even do some limited touring.

John,

You have the late 1917-1922 style cover and most likely late 1917-122 style switch. Below is what the later 1913 steel coil box into 1917 style switch looked like (thank you Ken Parker for the photo) :



Below is the 1915-1917ish coil box - note the rounded corners of the one-piece lid and the bakelite housing for the switch, The brass plate was 1915-16 and the steel painted black plate was used after that. (thank you Jim Lyons for the photo):



Below is the late 1917 to 1922 switch - note it has an all steel cover and you do not see any backelite on the sides. It appears to me that is the same switch on your coil box. Photo was on e-bay a while back.



And below is the late 1917 - 1925 coil box 3 piece lid:



Note the switches function the same and interchange -- they just are made a little different.

See also the postings at:
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/331880/350042.html?1364163021


http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/118802/123686.html?1266363995

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/331880/348492.html?1363791843

And reproduction switches are available -- but for keeping your car looking original/used -- they would need to be toned down some. Also at the price - some of us might use a later switch (we have a 1940's light switch for off/battery/mag on our 1915. It came that way back in 1951 or so and still works.) See Lang's part number 4730S at: https://www.modeltford.com/pl.aspx?t=s&v=4730S%20&page=1

Great looking T !

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off.

By the way - The wood on the front seat back rest as well as the metal body maker tag you posted on the original thread at: http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/708324/786225.html?1506367438 all point to a body made by Beaudett (also spelled Beaudette and referred to as Pontiac in many of the USA Ford Documents). I looked for, but I did not see a comment by you saying you did or did not find a letter "B" on the front seat "and - or" the rear seat heel panel (the part the heel of your shoe would hit if you kicked backwards while sitting in the seat)? Would you please take a look and let us know if your car has a letter on either of those panels and if so what the letter is or the letters are?

Below is a typical location and "B" on a Beaudett body with the wood seat frame which from the photo you posted I suspect your car has the wooden seat frame.



Note the Beaudett bodies with the metal seat frames came out a little later and the few of those I have seen have a hole in the letter "B". But the earlier wood framed seats that I know of do not have the hole.

Please see the forum posting “Home for the Holidays” at: http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/29/40322.html for additional details on body letters, body numbers, and 1914 paper tags the cars were originally shipped with.

Respectfully requested,

Hap l9l5 cut off

Did the 15 Touring come with a speedometer? Or was it offered as an option. And if it did come with the car, what kind is it?

Thanks,
John and Sara

The encyclopedia says that the speedometer was discontinued as standard equipment some time in 1915.

http://www.mtfca.com/encyclo/S-T.htm#spd

My '15 Touring didn't come with a speedometer. -I've been given to understand that during the period when Ford couldn't purchase enough speedometers (whenever that was), a refund of $6 was made to each customer whose car was no so equipped. -I installed a GPS speedometer, but it frequently goes dead whenever there is no line-of-sight to a satellite. -The non-historical, mechanical speedometer Lang's sells might have been a better choice.

https://www.modeltford.com/item/SPEED-S.aspx

Yes, by 1915 the speedometer manufacturers could no longer keep up with Ford's pace of production, and he dropped them. From then on, speedometers for Fords were an aftermarket accessory. Russ Furstnow's book on speedometers lists the various brands, and tells which models are correct for each year. Prices for a good working T era speedometer range from $500 to well over $1000. Until I get around to installing one of those, I'm using a Cat Eye Velo 5 bike speedometer. At a little over $20, the price is right. It doesn't depend on a satellite signal. Its downside is that when you change the battery you lose the mileage on the odometer.

1913 Model T Touring



FJ

Very cool FJ! Johns-Manville?
The fiberglass insulation people?
Very cool.

Hi Duey,

That image was taken a few days ago by me in Oklahoma City, OK.

It is from the 1913 Touring T that I posted in the Classifieds as a courtesy to the owner who put it up for sale.

FJ

Thank you Mark, Bob Steve and FJ.

It would appear that the car did not come with a speedometer and is therefore correct without one.

The speedometer issue is well documented. In November 1913 (1914 production), Ford discontinued the installation of speedometers on the Ford. Speedometer manufacturers used this opportunity to offer "accessory" speedometers on 1914 Fords. In late 1914, Ford contracted with four speedometer companies (Johns-Manville/Jones, Stewart Warner, Standard Thermometer and Sears-Cross) to build a speedometer that could be used on the 1915 Ford.

The specifications Ford submitted to these companies was that all speedometer parts, including the heads, cables, drives and gears MUST be interchangeable with one another! These speedometers are referred to as Ford Motor Company "Ford Special" speedometers, and are the ONLY speedometers that have parts that are interchangeable among different speedometer brands.

These Ford Special speedometers were sold as factory accessories, and by June 1915, the practice of installing factory speedometers halted. The four speedometer manufacturers offered their speedometers, which were similar to the Ford Special without the Ford "Winged Script Pyramid", after June 1915.

One misconception is that Ford offered speedometers on 1914 Fords, but this is incorrect. Ford did install the Stewart Model C on 1914 model Fords until November 3, 1913 and ceased installation after that date. Also, Ford Motor Company speedometers were offered ONLY during the 1915 production year and no other year.

I hope this helps,,
Russ Furstnow

Yall are doing exactly what I'm doing to my 24 Touring....making it mechanically very good while trying to maintain the "look".

We even both had to weld up a cracked rear fender....on the same side of the car!

And, like you, I'm going to instruct my engine builder to not paint the block and head. Mine have what I consider to be a gorgeous, non-rusty, aged patina that just looks fabulous....kind of like an old metal playground set from the '50s that has had kid's hand on it for so long that the metal has become oil treated.

I'll be pulling my rear axle when I get home from Chickasha and will go through it. My dilemma will be how to paint it. There's literally no paint left on the housing...it's all just pure surface rust, which I'm not a fan of. I think I'll go with flat black and then fail to wash it for a long time.

Thanks again for the updates on your sweet little car. I just love it.

Lizzie is back again.....found an amazing source for my top irons and bows...Mel Draper of Jeromesville, Ohio. My friend who has been helping me with Lizzie, met Mel in Hershey, last fall. I contacted Mel in February who said he used the original molds for the castings and original rollers to make the top irons (sockets) as well as the steam bending equipment to make the bows. After a two month delay due to Mel's illness, he delivered the Irons and bows a few weeks ago and they looked like they came out of Henry's factory. He fitted the bows to the irons.
I delivered Lizzie and the new irons and bows to Gene Fletcher of Valdese, NC who fabricated the top, with a similar vintage leatherette that I used for the upholstery. I cant tell you how pleased I am with the outcome.
In July, Sara and I took Lizzie to MTFCA annual tour and homecoming where we met owners of 110 Model T's.....Lizzie got a lot of attention. We just entered Lizzie in an AACA regional car show at the Charlotte Motor Speedway where Lizzie took first place for Historical Preservation.

Found the luggage rack at the Auto Fair this spring and the 1915 suitcase on ebay. The 84 is our registration for the MTFCA tour. If you zoom in on the top irons, you will see that they match the patina of the rest of the car.....while in Indiana for the MTFCA tour, someone mentioned to me that Rustoleum made a paint that looked like rust. Well there it is......

A "first place for Historical Preservation" is very well deserved!
Congratulations.
By the by, Lizzie looks fantastic!

Mel Draper make some parts for me. I was given his name by a friend who restored a 1909 Economy. Very nice guy to deal with.

John and Sara,

Very nice.

On my 15 I elected to install an original after-market speedometer. The car came with a Stewart but the pot metal casting was so warped that I was never able to get it to work. I found a Johns-Manville on the internet and am very happy with it. It was rebuilt. It is very accurate and I like the fact that I can keep track of my mileage.

I don't know why some people continue to post bogus speedometer information! What Russ says above is correct, and that is the information everyone should use.

Speedometers were discontinued early in the 1915 model year, so in most cases any speedometer found in a 1915 Ford is aftermarket. The encyclopedia says early 1915, but doesn't specify how early.

Back to the ignition switch: by mid '15 the brass plate was changed to a steel plate:

I should clarify.

When I bought my car there was a Stewart speedometer that came with it. I did not buy the car new.

The speedometer was frozen. I tried to repair it but ran into the bad casting issues.

Neil