Tomorrow the Model T Ford Club of San Diego is having their "Learn to drive a Model T day". We do this almost every year and the docents of the local Automotive Museum come out to learn to drive. Also friends and family members of the club members learn to drive. Usually we have a good turnout and it helps to stoke enthusiasm in more people to get into the hobby.
Norm
Its great fun, we have done the same down here under the heading of "Ladies Drive day", the kids get in for a drive, its a great idea and certainly does massage the enthusiasm of those who generally sit in the passengers seats.
We should have more of them, more often.
David.
I would love to come down and learn how to drive one but my oldest daughter is graduating from high school.
Any plans for a another date this summer?
Philip
Usually once a year. Is the graduation on Saturday? We start at 9:00, so if you leave Simi about 5:00 AM you should get here in plenty of time. Besides that you will beat most of the beach traffic.
Norm
Norm,
I sure wish I lived closer to San Diego! I have some family members who would benefit greatly from lessons not given by me, although lessons I give double as vocabulary expansion lessons too!
Norm,
I've booked my plane ticket. It must be 4 years since I last drove a T. :-)
Bede
Are you really going to fly there?
DRIVING THE MODEL T FORD
By Glen Chaffin
As a Model T Ford owner, have you ever been asked “How do you drive a Model T Ford” or, “What do the three pedals do?” Does that sound familure? I don’t think there is a Model T Ford owner who has not been asked these questions. After hearing them a thousand times at our business, I decided to write a simple, easy to understand set of instructions that would help the new Model T Ford owner learn how to operate his car safely. What a great idea! Now, when the question is asked, I simply hand them a copy of my instructions and they leave happy. I thought it might be helpful to share these instructions with our readers as some of them may have asked the same questions. I have included them below.
HOW TO START THE CAR
1. Pull the hand brake lever all the way back to the rear position to put the car into neutral and set the parking brake.
2. Insert the ignition key & turn the key to the left (bat.) position.
3. Pull the spark lever (lever on left of steering column) down about 4-5 notches.
4. Pull the throttle lever ( lever on right of steering column) down about 3-4 notches.
5. Pull the choke lever knob all the way out.
6. Step on the starter button.
7. After the engine turns over 3-4 times, push the choke lever all the way back in.
8. Continue to press on the starter button.
9. The engine should start.
10. After the engine starts, pull the spark lever all the way down.
11. Adjust the throttle lever for the desired engine idle speed.
12. If necessary, adjust the carburetor control for the smoothest running engine.
THE THREE PEDALS
1. The left pedal is the low gear, Neutral and high gear pedal. Wow, This pedal does a lot of things! With the pedal pushed all the way down, the car is in low gear. With the pedal in the mid-way position, the car is in neutral. When the pedal is all the way out, or back to the rear, the car is in high gear.
2. The center pedal is the reverse gear.
The car must be put into neutral before using either the reverse gear or the brake pedal. This is very important or you will stall your engine.
The car may be put into neutral in either of two ways. (1) Push the left, or clutch pedal, down to the mid-way position with your foot, this will put the car into neutral. This is the most difficult procedure to learn and requires some practice to find and maintain neutral.
(2) Pull the hand brake lever back to the mid-way position. Do not pull the lever back too far or you will set the hand brake. This is the easiest of the two procedures to learn.
3. The right pedal is the brake pedal. You must always put the car into neutral as described in Step 2. above before using the brake pedal.
TO DRIVE THE CAR FORWARD
1. Push the left clutch pedal half way down and hold the car in neutral with your foot. While holding the clutch pedal in neutral. Squeeze the handle of the clutch lever and move the clutch lever all the way forward. The car should not move. Now press the left clutch pedal all the way down to the floor while pulling the throttle lever down a few notches to give the car some gas. The car should now move forward in low gear. Do not race the engine but increase the speed of the car and then let the left pedal all the way out into the high gear position. The car should now be moving along at a moderate speed in high gear. Adjust the speed of the car with the throttle lever.
TO STOP THE CAR
1. Push the clutch pedal down to the mid-way position with your left foot. This will put the car into neutral.
2. Step on the right brake pedal with your right foot. The car should slow down and stop. Make sure you hold the left pedal in neutral or you will stall the engine. Always put the car in neutral before using the brake.
TO DRIVE THE CAR BACKWARDS
1. Put the car in neutral, with either the left clutch pedal or the hand brake lever as previously described. It is usually easier to use the hand brake lever.
2. Now, press on the center, or reverse pedal. The car should now move backwards.
3. To stop, simply move your foot from the reverse pedal to the brake pedal while maintaining the clutch pedal in the neutral position.
Now that you know the secrets of the three pedals, with a little practice, you can drive your Model T Ford with confidence and safety. You might even want to teach your wife how to drive. Then again, you might not! She might go shopping!