Looking for some advice

Topics Last Day Last Week Tree View    Getting Started Formatting Troubleshooting Program Credits    New Messages Keyword Search Contact Moderators Edit Profile Administration
Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: Looking for some advice
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Lilly on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 08:41 pm:

I am a long time fan of Fords. Not just the vehicles themselves but the history of the company back to Henry. 50 years ago I did a major college paper on the rise and fall of the Edsel. I have been hooked since then. The Model T is probably the most historic car ever built when all is consider. Unfortunately, my mechanical abilities are almost non-exsistant so I never anticipated a T would become part of my household. Thanks to a neighbor with a big heart and lots of T knowledge, I became the proud owner of a 1925 T pick-up about 7-8 years ago. I was taught how to repair lots of minor problems and helped with some major improvements. While on an all to infrequent driving lesson I managed to turn a magnet into a lethal weapon, well lethal to my T, and an engine rebuild followed in CT. 2 years later a new p/u body was added in Maine and I finally had a T to be proud of. Unfortunately, my friend/T mentor passed away suddenly and I was left without the confidence to drive my now well equipped T. I must admit that back surgery followed by shoulder surgery a year later didn't encourage me to spend much time with my T. Last spring I decided it would be best if I sold the T and put it all behind me. Well, it didn't sell but I will accept the blame for that as I never really got around to advertising it for sale. Last week I decided that I should get serious about selling it because it was of no use to me if I didn't feel comfortable driving it. Last night I spent a couple of hours on line looking for someone to teach me how to drive it. Am I fickle or what?

I don't really want to sell my T. I have lots of money invested in it that I will never get back but that really isn't the reason. I absolutely love the history of the T and I want to be able to drive it with confidence. I would love to hear from anyone with a similar situation and how they resolved it. I know in my heart the the T is easy to drive (with some practice) but I just don't feel comfortable driving it. Do I just need more practice? Do I need a teacher? I sincerely hope to get your thoughts.

Thanks, Dick (Durham, NH)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Greg Whaley, Georgetown Ontario Canada on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 08:45 pm:

Dick,

There is a Model T Chapter about an hour away from you. I am sure if you contacted them, they will be more than willing to help you out.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
•Central New Hampshire Model T Club
c/o Russ Whitney
96 N. Lowell Road.
Windham, NH 03087


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Charlie B actually in Toms River N.J. on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 08:56 pm:

Rich I share your pain. Getting comfortable with a T on the road isn't as easy as it sounds. I've been through 3 of them in the last 8 years and drove all almost exclusively in the development I live in. Flat roads and almost no traffic. Now I go through a lot of cars and my T phase may be over but truthfully the last one was the only one I ever took out into street traffic. It took me that long to get to the point where I didn't need to "think" before I did something. Also, truthfully, my few out side experiences were not plesant. The car is very slow by today's standards. In fact the only road that had a posted speed limit that the car could handle was in the development. 25 MPH. Every out side road is 40 at a minimum with all cars going faster than that. Not every one out there is a ****. You're just in the way.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mike_black on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 09:00 pm:

Hi Richard,
Welcome to the FORUM. Come back here often, but, try to get in touch with someone in the T-club listed above. We have all kinds of T folks here. Some like to drive, some like to build, some do research, some like shows, but, most do combinations of all these. A large number of people "lurk" (just read and never post). But, we all like T's. The folks here can help you with problems as you encounter them, but, for hands-on help, you need someone local. Good luck, and don't give up!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Walker, NW AR on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 09:03 pm:

Dick -- We all experience that anxiety when first driving our Model T's. The only way around that is practice and more practice. The more you drive it, the easier it becomes. If you can find another mentor, I'm sure he can give you some tips. After a while, it's all automatic.

Don't get discouraged. The Model T is very special, as you already know. Stick with it; you'll be glad you did.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Greg Whaley, Georgetown Ontario Canada on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 09:04 pm:

Dick,

Mike has said it perfectly. Please don't give up on your T - you sound very passionate and dedicated to it.

And i forgot to add in my first post - Welcome to the forum! These guys are great!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 09:21 pm:

My dad, born in 1903, grew up in the horse and buggy age. I don't think he owned a car of his own until he was past thirty, and thus he had the mechanical Touch of Death. Because of that I was raised with no mechanical experience at all. I could adjust the chain on my bike, and that was about it. I was over fifty before I got around to buying a T project, and because of work it was another fifteen before I really got seriously into the subject. In the last five years, thanks to this forum, I've learned a lot, and there's a lot more to learn. The point of this little memoir is that my experience tells me you can become comfortable with your T. If you were here I'd be delighted to play driving teacher, and I expect you can find some New Hampshire T guys with the same attitude. Remember, millions of people drove Model T Fords. It ain't brain surgery. T driving is about the same as any other driving. With some practice you get to where you do it without even thinking about it.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dennis Halpin on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 10:17 pm:

There's got to be a road or a parking lot near you that doesn't get much traffic where you can practice starting, stopping (especially stopping), shifting and turning. Give it a try, it will become second nature before you know it.
Keep in mind,that you don't 'slip' the pedals like you would do with a normal clutch, or ride the brake pedal. You 'apply' them all the way and release them. Especially with regard to the brakes. Apply, release, apply release. Other than that, it's pretty straight forward. Once you get a little 'seat time' in, your car will 'talk' to you. You'll just 'know' when it needs more advance or if it's running too rich or too lean by messing with the controls.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill dugger on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 11:20 pm:

Make sure that you have GGGGOOOOOOODD Brakes.. Them thar brakes gotta stop you almost on a dime with a penny in change know. That thar Steve guy is got good bunch of "STUFF", right Steve?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill dugger on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 11:22 pm:

Hello Steve: Did you complete the roof before rain hit there?
I'll look for the blue tarp in the photo

bill d
Redding, Ca.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Thursday, November 08, 2012 - 11:52 pm:

Bill, I'm heading down the home stretch. Nailing on shingles, racing the rain forecast for Saturday night. Should finish sometime Saturday.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Danial - Veneta OR US Earth Solar System on Friday, November 09, 2012 - 12:54 am:

Dick, I've owned my T about 2 years now, give or take. Here's a link to a vid of me making my third attempt at driving my 27 coupe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDWGquSluqw

I learned by watching the how-to-drive vids on You-Tube, (many posted by folks or friends of folks who post here) and by asking these guys lots of questions.

While I am not "perfect" at driving it by any means, I wouldn't hesitate to jump in it and go anywhere an appropriate road could take me now.

Please don't give up on it. It's more fun than a bed full of lovelies and less tiring...(ok stretching it a bit there but you get the idea...grin)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By William Rowles on Friday, November 09, 2012 - 04:36 am:

I have been the proud owner of a Model T Ford for 3 years. I spent a couple weeks reading and learning the theory and pitfalls of the transmission, brakes and steering before I ever tried to drive it. I practiced for a year on country roads before I ever entered a parade or car show where I had to have really good control for safety and emotional comfort(don't like embarrisment when I screw up). I marvel at the transition from horse control to Ford control that occurred 100 years ago with our forefathers. I also remember the difficulty I had as a child learning to control the old blind horse we had....I think maybe you could try a blind horse for a while and then transition to the Ford in order to unlearn modern technology, relearn some historical skills and appreciate the Model T. :>)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gary Schreiber- Aiken, SC on Friday, November 09, 2012 - 06:32 am:

Richard. A frequent poster here Fred Dimock lives right around the corner from you in Newfields. Hopefully he'll chime in shortly. If not you may want to send him a private message via the forum.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Saturday, November 10, 2012 - 07:40 pm:

Richard L,
First, Welcome to the affliction! I have a very severe case, myself. The only cars I ever cared about were built twenty to fifty years before I was born. Been in the hobby almost fifty years now. (Yikes!)

First advice for learning to drive a model T. Forget everything you learned about driving after you were about five years old. When you were five, you knew daddy (or?) sat behind the steering wheel, turned it this way and that to steer. He pushed levers and pedals and buttons to make the car do different things. But you had no idea what the steering felt like. You knew one of the pedals somehow stopped the car, but you really did not know much else.
A model T is just different. It steers different. It feels different. As Dennis H says above, don't slip the bands any more than you have to. On and off, on and off, with low throttle, till you begin to move, then press the pedal down HARD to engage the transmission, and give it the gas. Believe me, it takes practice.
Embarrassment? The best cure for "killed the engine embarrassment" is to drop your head onto the steering wheel, get out, stagger to the side a bit, throw your hands into the air then go give it a good hand crank (be sure to retard the spark during all those theatrical hand movements). Make a show of it. Make someone laugh. I was in my first model T speedster endurance run over forty years ago. I still kill the engine occasionally.

Model Ts are one of the most fun cars ever built. And remember. They were built for and sold to people that had never ridden in a car before. Let alone driven one.
Drive carefully, and wear a funny hat! W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Garrison on Saturday, November 10, 2012 - 10:59 pm:

I was pretty comfortable driving my first T within a week or two of buying it. I was raised on a farm and did some logging and worked in the iron mines. I ran everything for push mowers to 105 ton electrahaul trucks. I've always been pretty good at learning to operate this stuff. Skid loaders even came easy and that takes a little coordination to work the pedals, throttle, steering clutches and get the job done. So you say; "So what"? And I guess the answer is I'm comfortable in any equipment but I still ended up with my Model T in a church parking lot starting and stopping and then on some very deserted country roads getting comfortable but it wasn't long before I was putting some miles on. Some things I would caution any new driver is don't drive beyond the capability of your brakes. Learn how to brake properly and pay very close attention to the road in front of you. Always be ready to yield to the "fast" guys. And if you've got lights for turning and stopping, please use them if not be very deliberate with your hand signals. And keep it in the back of your mind that there are few if any drivers on the road that know how to read and understand hand signals. Drive super defensively.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fred Dimock, Newfields NH, USA on Sunday, November 11, 2012 - 09:58 am:

Dick -- Gary is right I can help.

I live about 15 minutes from you. In fact a few weekends ago my wife and took our 19 T to Durham for coffee. We were looking for Braking New Grounds. It wasn't there but we found a new one. We parked it in front of it, got coffee and watched the college kids. OK we laughed at them as they look at the car.

I first drove our T in the 60's to high school events and after about 45 years started driving it again. When I took my 93 year old mom for her first ride in the car after 40 years she remarked that I driving a T must be like riding a bicycle because I hadn't forgotten how to do it well - just like my dad. My reply was I was taught by the best!!

The Central NH T club meets on the first Monday of each Month and in the Hooksett Library and I attend as often as possible. Unfortunately I have missed the last few due to travel.

Send me a private message thru the forum and I'll respond. I'm always looking for a reason to make a short trip in the T.


Posting is currently disabled in this topic. Contact your discussion moderator for more information.
Topics Last Day Last Week Tree View    Getting Started Formatting Troubleshooting Program Credits    New Messages Keyword Search Contact Moderators Edit Profile Administration