two different years ,
I understand there was a transition period when they may have used up parts 17/18 ?
er
I can't quite tell what were looking at... Is that an '14 - early '15 half mated to a late '15 - 16 half?
Probably the aftermath of an overhaul where they chose the best available parts. Very common thing to do in a day when you neither knew nor cared about the differences.
Your picture is most likely due to a repair.
The rear ends with mismatched housings that are sometimes found on 1917 model year Fords have one housing that has a plain backing plate (typical of 1915-16) and one housing that has a ribbed backing plate (introduced in the 1917 model year).
My unrestored 1917 roadster (May '17 motor number, car assembled in Minneapolis, MN) has one plain housing and one ribbed housing. I have seen this on some other 1917 Model Ts with known histories (not "put-togethers") in Minnesota.
Many Model T's survived many years with mixed parts. Unless you have a totally low miles and unrestored T most will a few of this and a few of that here and there.
"After all what is your car car but used parts anyway"
I have seen some rear ends with 14s on one side and 15s on the other side. I would bet that is a case of using up old stock.
Dave,
I, wouldn't drive on that tire, a whole lot more?
I picked up a mostly brass era T frame engine and drive train last year that had the same mismatch rear axle housings. It had been used as a power unit for a saw rig. I figured it was a case of putting together parts to make a rolling chasis to make moving it around easier. Now I'm not so sure.
But Wayne the tire was still holding air. Believe it or not the rubber came off the tire from just loading it on a trailer at the farm where I bought the car and unloading it my shop. The rubber came off in huge chunks.
I have it cleaned and painted now, so,
The way I am going to look at it is
"it is working, why change it?"
I would like to know the year of both sides,
and it has a brass breather tube ,
will post some pictures of it cleaned up soon
Wayne - don't give Dave a hard time about that tire..
All it needs is a little sneaker goop and it will be ready for another 3,000 miles
A broken Ruxstell could have been replaced too.
There are people who know me well, amongst whom I have a bit of a reputation for running bad (?) tires. I usually get kidded about it at the Endurance Run tech inspection, even though the boat-tail has some of the best model T tires I have ever owned.
The truth is, with over a million miles under my belt, I have had less trouble with old hard bias ply tires per mile driven than I have had with new and nearly new radials per mile driven.
Years ago, I ran an old 8ply 16 inch truck tire on the back of my old pickup. The tread was nearly gone, and it started throwing the edge of the tread where it turns down to the sidewall. The missing chunk kept getting longer and wider, while the rest of the tire got closer to bald. My dad and I started to bet on which would end the tires run. We eventually called it a draw as the rest of the tread on one side peeled off the same week the other side wore through to the cord. I was probably within 200 miles of a blowout in both places. It has been a while since I have run a tire that bad.
So I just have to kid Dave a bit.
Dave, I always love your postings, and the photos you include. Thank you.
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2
Wayne:
I enjoyed your post on the tire. The car had not been run since 1945. I was surprised to see huge hunks of tread peeling off the tire when we pushed the car off the trailer. I had seen all types of other problems with old tires coming into the shop but I had never seen one peel like that one did.