Go West Young Man - 1916 Coupelet

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: Go West Young Man - 1916 Coupelet
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Philip Berg on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 11:26 pm:

Hello All,

I'm the guy who posted a year or so back on the mtfci forum regarding inheriting my grandfathers 1916 Model T Coupelet. In July I'm slated to pick up the car from my mother and haul it back to California. I convinced my dad to let me borrow (he lives in California)his third garage bay from him for a year or so to get it running again. Then it will reside in my garage which I'm painfully selling some of my motorcycles and cleaning it out to make room.

I've been viewing this site for literally months now gaining all the knowledge I can about Model T's. Reading all the posts have given me much insight and calmed my fears about working on such a simple yet intriguing car.

The main question I have at this time is to trailer the car back to California it will be on an open trailer. As you know from the pictures I've posted the top is in bad shape. With that I have three options:

1.) Encase the top with cardboard or plastic to protect during the trip.

2.) Remove the top completely and cover the exposed interior with plastic sheeting.

3.) Fold the top down and hope for the best and protect the exposed interior with plastic sheeting.

I prefer step two because the top has to come off anyway to get replaced. I can't find any info on how the top is fastened to the body. Can any of you offer some information regarding removing the top?

Here is the link to the photo's to refresh your memories.

http://s153.photobucket.com/albums/s203/fbergski/1916%20Ford%20Coupelet/


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Randy Milano on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 11:37 pm:

I'm not a restorer but I'd choose #2.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rik Van on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 11:39 pm:

Wow what patina! i'd be tempted to leave it exactly as is top and all and just get it running! Therefore I vote for option 1. I also suggest rigging your tarping so that there is a sloping angle from the front of the trailer to the top of the car with rope or boards because the front windows are perfectly flat and not aerodynamically designed to withstand modern highway speeds high winds etc.
- best of luck


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ed in California on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 11:51 pm:

I towed a similar condition T on an exposed trailer before. Wrap it up tight. The wind will cause the old brittle top to come apart bit by bit if you dont.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Randy Milano on Thursday, May 10, 2012 - 11:52 pm:

You I don't mean remove the top and toss it! Like it's remove the top and bow to protect it.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Craig Anderson, central Wisconsin on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 12:07 am:

THAT is one cool car!....... :-)

One important tip I got from a Model T friend......WIRE THE DOORS SO THEY CAN'T FLY OPEN......EEEEEEEEEEEK!
I'd go with your second choice too.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bernard Paulsen, San Buenaventura, Calif on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 12:37 am:

Fantastic car. Priceless. I hope you do not plan on painting it, ever.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ed Baudoux on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 12:45 am:

Get a roll of plastic for packaging. It looks like a big roll of Saran Wrap. Make a cocoon out of the whole car, once it is strapped down to the trailer.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mike_black on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 12:48 am:

You can buy a roll of shrink wrap at any office supply place and wrap it from the cowl to the trunk to secure the doors and the top!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By kep NZ on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 02:24 am:

What a car! i like the shrink wrap idea. About the motorcycles, Keep them in the house?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Hatch on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 05:54 am:

With the price of fuel, why not look at someone to haul it for you. I have used Passport to haul a couple of cars. If you see what it will cost you to go and get it, then call them you may find out like I did. They hauled it for only a couple hundred more that I could. They have enclosed trailers and ins. Dan


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Royce in Dallas TX on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 06:43 am:

I agree with Dan. Open trailers are OK for a jaunt across town. That car with its original upholstery and top is very delicate. You can lose significant fabric in the wind. While you may be planning to replace the fabric, it will be much easier / cheaper with good original pattterns for the upholsterer to use.

If I had to use an open trailer for your couplet I would wrap it in the giant plastic shrink wrap with the top up.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Larry Smith on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 09:10 am:

That car is so rare, and so nice I'd pay to have it shipped in an enclosed trailer. Hauling it on an open trailer is asking for trouble for a car that nice. By the way, do I see a taper leaf front spring on the front? Also, I'd consider looking for a 16 engine for it.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Walker, NW AR on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 10:12 am:

Philip -- Congratulations on acquiring such a wonderful car! It is indeed a piece of history and should be documented and treated as such. Whether you restore it or preserve it is up to you, but please do all you can to make the end product as authentic as possible. You can buy more motorcycles later if you still have the urge to do so, but this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Above all, don't get in a hurry. Do lots of research before doing anything to the car.

The first choice would be to haul it in an enclosed trailer, as others have recommended. Otherwise, I suggest that you lower the top and windows, and remove the windshield, leaving only the two windshield posts sticking up. Removing the windshield doesn't involve much work. Then, with the top down, I'd suggest wrapping the entire car in shrink-wrap, as mentioned above. It is amazing how much damage can be done by the wind, so you don't want anything flapping in the breeze. Limit the speed to 55 mph.

That way, when you get it where it's going, you'll still have the car as complete as it is now so you can document every detail before taking anything apart. You already have 90 photos of it, but you can't have too many. There will still be details that you miss. Removing the top will be quite a project, and it'll be much better to do that after you get the car where it's going and take plenty of time with it. This is after photographing every tiny detail, inside and out, of course.

Rob -- I can't believe you missed this one. All this time you've been wanting a Coupelet, and this one was in your own back yard! :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Philip Berg on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 12:10 pm:

Thanks for the replies and comments. I'll try to answer some of your questions about shipping the car.

1. Shrink wrapping was planned.

2. Removing top is my preferred method with removing front windshield.

3. I'm going to lobby my step dad to make some wood framing to strengthen the cab if we think it needs it. He's extremely handy with wood.

4. Enclosed trailer would be nice, my mom has one but I'd have to return it. If I can get her to meet me in Denver then it might work out. I can drive to Denver in a day from California.

5. My grandfather is not the original owner by way.

6. It does have some updates as you can see in the pictures. We have the original engine in a box. As for the front end I think it was changed prior to my grandfather purchasing the vehicle.

7. My grandpa collected spare parts for this vehicle, differential, front axles, wishbones.

8. Grandpa also collected other parts I'm not sure what they are, my mom has a very large wood box full of Ford parts.

9. No restoration at this time. I plan to clean and stabilize, fix any issues. replace any damaged parts.

Now can anyone give me some info about removing the top?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kim Dobbins on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 02:47 pm:

Please hire a shipper. That car MUST go in an enclosed trailer. They are only original once.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Walker, NW AR on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 02:52 pm:

The brass trim around the edges is very fragile. In cross-section, it is an arc of thin brass filled with lead on the backside. There are small brads imbedded into the lead, which hold the trim to the wood beneath. Be very careful when prying the trim from the wood, so you don't distort it. It looks like the top material is torn away from the trim in places. If that's so, you won't need to remove those pieces of trim.

After that, it should be pretty straightforward. There are two clamps on the tops of the windshield posts which will release it there, and the top irons should unbolt from the body. That way, the whole top will come off as a unit. You'll have to feel your way through undoing the headliner from the body; I haven't dealt with that part of it. The headliner doesn't look like it's in bad shape. Since you're planning to preserve the originality of the car, you might want to leave the headliner intact and replace the outer top covering. In that case, don't remove the top, just fold it down and wrap it for the trip. You probably won't be able to remove the headliner from the body and re-use it.

As I said before, I'd fold the top instead of removing it at this point. Whoever will install the new top covering will be way ahead if he can see the original top in situ. Pictures aren't the same as seeing the real thing, and hardly anyone who upholsters cars has had any experience with Coupelets.

You can lower the windows into the doors and fold the hinged covers down over them.

Send me an email through my profile page if I can be of any help. Nebraska isn't too far from where I am.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 04:12 pm:

Take Kim's advice; even if you have to borrow the extra money. What you have is special. I bet there are a couple of people who would trade you a restored Coupelet straight for that one.

Trailers are evil things, especially to people who don't trail every day. It's just not worth the risk.

Here's what hit us in Eastern Colo in Aug '09. Yeh, it broke the windshield and dented the car all over.



They were baseball size until they hit the ground.

rdr


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mike conrad on Friday, May 11, 2012 - 07:46 pm:

Wow!! If it was mine the decision is an easy one. Kim and Rick gave you solid advice. Enclosed trailer is the only way I would even try. Good Luck.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Philip Berg on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 05:45 pm:

Here's the latest. My mom said no problem using her enclosed trailer for the return trip. I will meet her in Denver a couple weeks after I get back to exchange it.

It appears my Grandpa collected more Ford model t parts and memorabilia then I thought. She said I can have it all and whatever I don't use or want can go up for sale.

Philip


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By George Button III (Chip), Lake Clear, NY on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 07:35 pm:

Philip, there is a guy in the classifieds going west, you might want to check with him. He states he has room in an enclosed trailed. Please try to transport it in an enclosed trailer. Towing open is very hard on an older car!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Philip Berg on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 09:09 pm:

Thanks for the heads up on the guy going west. We have family in Nebraska so we are killing two birds with one stone per say. Plus I need to help my mom and step dad prep the vehicle. Their trailer is completely enclosed, they haul around their 1927 Marmon inside.

Philip


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Walker, NW AR on Sunday, May 13, 2012 - 09:27 pm:

Phiilip --I don't know how tall a '27 Marmon is, but a Coupelet is pretty tall for a T. Even with the top down and the windshield off, the front body posts might be too tall to fit into the trailer. You might want to have them measure the opening height before committing to using their trailer. You could always let some air out of the tires if it's close. A closed trailer is definitely the best way to move the car.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Philip Berg on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 - 10:05 pm:

Another bike gone and $1k in my pocket. Next stop model t parts :-).

Philip


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Thursday, May 17, 2012 - 03:22 am:

When measuring enclosed trailer clearance, don't forget to allow for bounce (both loading and transporting). It is always more than people think.
That is a fantastic car! congratulations.
Drive (and trailer), carefully, and enjoy, W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Lee Crenshaw Richmond Va. on Thursday, May 17, 2012 - 09:13 am:

Philip, take heed of what Kim offers. He's a fellow Californian who knows all the players
and has preserved some of the finest T's in the country. Get to know him. His counsel is worthy.
Lee


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Philip Berg on Thursday, May 17, 2012 - 02:32 pm:

After I get the car I'll hit Kim up for meet and greet. The car will be stored while I stabilize and clean it up at my dad's house which is two hours north of me. So it won't be accessible to LA people until I get it home in my garage.

Philip


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