I feel like i need to share with the world - my speedster is coming along!!

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: I feel like i need to share with the world - my speedster is coming along!!
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Nathan Bright on Saturday, November 17, 2012 - 10:04 pm:

hello everyone, My name is Nathan and i have been lurking in the forums here for about six months. I have purchased a speedster that had not run in 15 or so years and was really excited to tear into it. However, my father, two weeks prior purchased a 14 Caddy in near running condition so my priorities became helping him get his car on the road. Now that it is.... my turnnnn :-) I installed a 12v alternator and electronic distributor tonight and i have fire!!! its exciting :-) also, i discovered that a prior owner installed domed pistons :-) needless to say i am a happy camper. sorry if i wasted yalls time, but i LOVE this hobby :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JAMES STARKEY Naperville, IL on Saturday, November 17, 2012 - 10:13 pm:

NAthan,
Do you have any more pics? Like to see the profile. Jimmy


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Saturday, November 17, 2012 - 10:19 pm:

Congrats, Nathan!

Check that frontend real good. Our speedster was unsafe at almost any speed with the lowering it had.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Nathan Bright on Saturday, November 17, 2012 - 10:36 pm:

here ya go!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mike_black on Saturday, November 17, 2012 - 10:45 pm:

Neat, fun, and functional! A monicle windshield with a bracket that attaches to the steering column will keep the bugs out of your eyes and make your trips even more enjoyable. A short custom windshield going all the way across can be appreciated by you and your passenger.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Nathan Bright on Saturday, November 17, 2012 - 10:49 pm:

im not sure what i want to do as far as a windshield is concerned. I have ridden in many open cars and a couple speedsters and i have always been satisfied with just my sunglasses. but who knows :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gavin Harris (Napier, NZ) on Saturday, November 17, 2012 - 11:10 pm:

Nathan,
first shower of rain may change your mind.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gavin Harris (Napier, NZ) on Saturday, November 17, 2012 - 11:12 pm:

Great looking car though, looks like a lot of fun.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Frank Harris from Long Beach & Big Bear on Saturday, November 17, 2012 - 11:21 pm:

If your dad needs help, we had a 1913 Cadillac for 27 years and I know a lot of tricks. They are almost the same except for the ignition and the two speed rear axle.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Nathan Bright on Saturday, November 17, 2012 - 11:25 pm:

sounds good! thanks a lot!!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By mike_black on Saturday, November 17, 2012 - 11:28 pm:

Sunglasses don't help a dragonfly to the forehead! I look over my monicle like a motorcycle windshield, unless I'm caught in the rain, then I can scrunch down. The spray from the fenderless tires is worse than the falling rain. My wife don't like to ride with me in that one because she has nothing to protect her. My other speedster has shortened stanchions to use only the top section of a T windshield and fenders. More wind resistance, but, it's worth it to keep her happy. Since you have a homemade cowl, you'd have to custom make something for the passenger. Something like a pair of the little curved windshields used on early race cars would be cute and functional. Enjoy it as you drive it and decide what you want to do. Speedsters are kind of like hot rods--there's no right or wrong, just personal taste.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Sunday, November 18, 2012 - 02:11 am:

What is this "wasting" our "time" stuff?? We love these things! The more the merrier! The more photos, the better! I have had five different speedsters over the years, and am working on number six now. Maybe I can finally have two at once! Number seven is waiting in the wings! Did I say we love this stuff? Speedsters are fun to drive. But so are stock Ts. (My runabout will be done before number seven.)
As to windshields. Only one of the speedsters I have had did I run a windshield. It was original to that body and I wouldn't have done it any other way. For the rest of my speedsters, I like to wear goggles. But that is me. Speedsters were done both ways back in their day, and they can be done either way now.
Welcome to the affliction!
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hap Tucker on Sunday, November 18, 2012 - 06:48 am:

Nathan,

It is looking good! One of the best parts about old cars is they are still easy to work on -- you do not need a computer to check out the engine etc. And you can tell when you are making progress. Way to go!

You didn't mention how familiar with Ts you are. From your posting at: http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/257047/292025.html?1338487073 you mentioned you grew up around antique cars all your life but this was your first real old car. If the speedster is your first T you have been around, recommend you let folks know and we will gladly point you to some good threads for new owners etc. or you may have already read some of those in the past six months. One item I often remind owners about is they sometimes leak gasoline. That can be caused by many things -- dirt etc. in the carb, old float, worn needle valve etc. And if that occurs any sparks etc can sometimes set off the vapor. That is really an issue if the hot water heater is in the garage and it is a gas or propane fired heater. At least one house and car were destroyed because of that. In that case when the dishwasher was turned on, the gas hot water heater turned on and -- the rest was an insurance claim. No one was physically hurt but the house and car(s) were gone.

There are several known safety items such as that. Most of the safety "gotchas" are easily avoided [I replaced the propane hot water heater when I purchased a house that had one. You could also consider installing an additional fuel shut off that is easy to get to [many of us will take the time to turn the one off by the carb but might not turn the one off by the fuel tank. Note -- our speedster has an inline shut off near the tank with a little lever to turn it off. It is the crawling under the car that many of us don't want to do to shut off the gas.]] And if this is the first T you have been around – be sure to ask questions about the front end set up etc. That is another “gotcha” area – that is easy to do correctly but also can be done incorrectly as the parts will “fit fine” in more than one location but they do not function well in the wrong locations.

And are your steel spoked wheels from the Shay reproduction Model A Fords?

Again – glad you are making progress and the forum is a great place to post your photos of progress as well as any questions you may have. It encourages many of the rest of us to “get’er done.”

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Hycner on Sunday, November 18, 2012 - 07:03 am:

The speedster looks great. Since it is not stock and you have already installed a 12v system you might be interested in this windshield, they work great for keeping bugs out of your face. It is made out of Molded acrylic. I think it would fit the look of the car. http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb.dll?parta~dyndetail~Z5Z5Z50000027a~Z5Z5Z5000 14~P149.95~~~~S3NB0EY3GE74771825150H~Z5Z5Z5~Z5Z5Z50000027b


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim on Sunday, November 18, 2012 - 07:48 am:

Nathan,


Thanks for posting

Good luck with the build !



Jim


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gary Schreiber- Aiken, SC on Sunday, November 18, 2012 - 08:16 am:

schweet :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By john kuehn on Sunday, November 18, 2012 - 08:52 am:

The wheels look like 19" Model A. Am I right?
You have a neat looking speedster for sure!
Curious about how the wheel adaption was done.
Were different hubs or adapter plates used, were they welded straight to the T hubs?
Again, Nice!!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Hjortnaes, Men Falls, WI on Sunday, November 18, 2012 - 10:23 am:

I would stick with the sunglasses or goggles like Wayne does. My speedster does not have a windshield and I am fine with it.

I don't think you could find a windshield that would look good on your speedster unless you got a monicle and than what does your passenger have.

Rain on your sunglasses is the least of your worries. In a heavy rain the water runs down the front of your jacket and pools in the middle of the seat and that is where you feel all the cold water.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Sunday, November 18, 2012 - 11:07 am:

I think a 3-piece windshield following the form of the cowl, but a little steeper, would work. Monocles were passe' by the end of the brass era.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Aaron Griffey, Hayward Ca. on Sunday, November 18, 2012 - 01:51 pm:

A full windshield just gives you wind on the back of your neck.
Even with a windshield you still need goggles or good glasses.
That cowl may cause enough turbulance that a windshield would not be needed.

The wheels look like early A or T wheels cut down to about 17 inches? what's with the wheels?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Nathan Bright on Sunday, November 18, 2012 - 03:18 pm:

I have grown up around antique cars, my pops has 32 chevys, a 28 chevy, 10 buick, 14 caddy and a few 70's stuff. I have already restored a 73 Mach 1 mustang. I also have restomodded a 82 VW rabbit as a daily driver (the little sucker gets 48mpg!) so im very familiar with old cars. my dad also restored my great grandfathers huckster T in the 90's. It is all original minus the body that my great grandfather built. I will be keeping it all original. but i wanted to make my speedster wild.

The sunglasses i wear do a good job of forming to my face and keeping out the wind. as far as the rain goes, i have been drenched in a speedster and it was the worst thing i have ever enjoyed :-) the speedster also will have a wood body, so i will do my best to keep it out of the rain if i can.

The rims are Shay rims. they have been rebored from 4 to 5. one of the rims was not disturbed, two were bored to use one of the existing holes and the last two were bored to not disturb any of the holes. they work for now but i have a set of 27 wire rims for it. Im also looking to sell those shay rims for a good price. they are solid. Im hoping to get enough for them to pay for my tires for the 27s. any thoughts? message me if you know someone who may be interested.

lastly, thanks for all the knowledge and wisdom on here. makes my life a whole lot easier :-) hope to see everyone "down the road"


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