Another Australian makes it back

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: Another Australian makes it back
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dick Pakeman on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 04:31 am:

This is a re-post:
We thought forum readers may be interested in Elise's Australian bodied T which has just been registered.
It has a Propert body and is the same vehicle which appeared in a posting titled "An Aussie Barn Find" in January of '07.

Someone who can may wish to post the link. It would be appreciated.

The top is still being worked on and Elise is now having driving lessons.
We are not sure how many owners she has had since that earlier posting but we bought her from a fellow in Bendigo, Victoria two years ago.

Propert - Model T


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Page on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 05:21 am:

Hello Dick and Elise,

Here is the link to the thread in '07. The car has come a long way since then. Congratulations!! Looking forward to seeing it soon. Best regards, John

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/29/24175.html?1170358846


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hap Tucker on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 06:09 am:

Dick,

I do not know what happened to the posting. But I know several folks including me had commented on the great job you had done in going from lose rusted tin to beautiful car!

Thank you for the update and please post additional photos when you have a chance. Really nice looking T!

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Peter Kable on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 06:20 am:

Hi Dick, Good to see another T on the road again,

What markings were on the car which identify it as a Propert?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Chantrell - Adelaide, Australia on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 06:30 am:

I agree, great to see another 'T' on the road and especially a colonial body. The windscreen looks incorrect to me though & much later...


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dick Pakeman on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 06:48 am:

Peter there were no markings on it and we are not familiar with Australian T's. Mark Herdman put us onto the original post which mentions it as being a Propert.
David we understand that the windscreen is perhaps incorrect along with probably one or two other little things. Not being purists we just wanted to get her on the road to enjoy. There were parts of a screen with the car we were told was an earlier Duncan and Fraser screen. As we said we know nothing of Australian bodies. Our other T's are colonial too, African colonial though.
The spare wheel carrier had allowance for mounting a fuel tank so that is where we have put it with a vacuum tank on the firewall.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Allan Richard Bennett on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 08:38 am:

Dick, your car looks great. I love those one piece rear body sections. Holden's made a similar body for the back of the early 20s Dodge Roadster. I could not find a reference to a year model in your post. David mentioned the windscreen looked to be much later. Than what?

The screen is typical of those from the Dalgety Ts built in 1925 prior to the opening of the Ford plant in Geelong. The cowl top panel ties in with this. But the exposed door hinges do not. The Dalgety 25s had concealed hinges.

My 1924 Tarrant tourer also has the fuel tank under the spare tyre carrier and a vacuum tank on the firewall. This body was built by Holdens in Adelaide. It would seem that more than one colonial body builder adopted this practise.

I hope Elise really enjoys driving such a pretty car.

Allan from down under.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dick Pakeman on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 03:00 pm:

This is a picture of the car when we collected her.
All the body panels were sandblasted to remove the filler so we could know what we were dealing with. Rusted areas were cut out and patches welded in.
The original post mentions her being '22 but we have registered her as a '25. In fact the engine is a '26 so although a "bitzer" we will enjoy.
We understand she was originally a buckboard owned by a Chinese market gardener and the Propert rear end was added a few years back. The original key is stamped W Yang. Elises T


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 09:08 pm:

That is a beautiful car. I love the Australian bodied Ts. What does an African bodied T look like?
I notice the floorboard leaning against the trailer in your "before" picture looks like it had been altered. I wondered if for the later engine. Then realized that being right hand drive, I am not sure what they did?

I wonder how many wonderful, unique, and different antique automobiles would not exist today if someone didn't commit themselves to fill in the missing pieces however they could in order to restore it. I often use the word "resurrect" in reference to cars brought back from mostly gone.
Drive carefully, and wear a funny hat! W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dick Pakeman on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 09:35 pm:

Wayne since you asked our ex African T's too are RHD of course, Canadian built but South African assembled. The Tourer (Touring) has an all steel body with the only major timber being the floor boards.

These T's have been a part of Dick's life for the past 50 plus years.

The TT is currently being resurrected into a bus cum mobile home. This one will hopefully be ready for Australia's National Model T Rally in South Australia next year. We are hoping to drive it to South Australia then go on to tour Tasmania before driving home to Queensland. That is the plan !!
. . . . Elise


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Peter Kable on Friday, November 09, 2012 - 04:49 am:

It's good to see there is someone still prepared to tackle a big project such as this one, There are a few rare Australian bodied T's languishing part restored for want of someone prepared to tackle the work needed to get them "resurrected" as Wayne describes. One needs to be capable or prepared to pay for the few able to rebuild these early bodies.

From the original 2007 post showing the rear roadster tub section then to Dick's purchase one we can see how its come together. This rear roadster shape was the fashion of the day on Model T's and other makes of the period from the early teens to the mid twenties. Who made a particular one is virtually impossible to tell unless it is from a complete or part body which still has a builders plate on it or has a recorded history.

One thing that is for sure is that it was better that this roadster remains was restored than the alternative where restorers construct a horrible poorly shaped back or some other rear that ruins a restoration.

I have the Propert catalogue and the photo's of their bodies which I got from Tom Propert's son, none of them show that this rear section is a Propert. As Dick has explained the rear section was purchased and mated with the remains of a Buckboard and his purchase photo shows the previous owner had adapted a Dalgety cowl and what appears to be made up doors to fill in and join the two sections.

Now that Dick has this roadster on the road he should be able to compare the roadster tub with other known roadsters and possibly be able determine if it indeed a Properts roadster or some make even rarer but its fairly obvious that the original finder guessed or was miss informed of its providence. If he wasn't it would be good to find out his reason for declaring it a Propert.

Dick look forward to seeing you and one of your T's next year at the South Australian Rally maybe the answer to the roadsters history can be nailed there. I particularly would like to view your motor home as I have an interest in them having one myself.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Warwick Landy on Saturday, November 10, 2012 - 03:07 am:

Congratulations Dick on putting back on the road what is a smart looking roadster.
My friend David, sold that project at Ballarat Swapmeet. It is great to see it as a car once again. It will be good to see at the National rally at the Barrossa Valley next year. Your proposed camping trip sounds great!


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