Well, we finally have been able to make a start on bringing the Time Warp T out of mothballs. She sure has done a few miles and first job is replacing shackles, bushes, and oil seals.
Today the rear shackles and oil seals were attacked (successfully too).
Front axle is dismantled ready for examination tomorrow. So far it is apparent the axle has had a good "smack" on the passenger side - which may explain the older style guard on that side. The axle is bowed, bent and twisted :-)
Oh, we love a challenge too:
What a Beauty!
Those plates appear to be 1930-'31 NZ rego, so it must have been well used when 'new'.
Are you hoping to have it at any event in the future so locals may see it?
Hi Wayne, yes she is destined for a museum just as she is. We have been commissioned to bring her up to WOF standard only,
Today's work list included:
Replace steering column bushing (lower), fan hub bushing and add zerk, radiator dismount (and sending off for header tank to be patched), rear tail light repair, muffler freeing (the exhaust pipe was frozen in solid), horn wiring, remove perch bolts, send axle for straightening and a carby overhaul (new needles and seats - other wise not badly worn) among other numerous small fixes.
Best achievement of the day: finding 40yr old celluloid in the rubbish (had only just been tossed the day before!) to make a new side lens for the tail light. It is great to see that it still looks "period" after repair.
Surprisingly things have gone very smoothly so far.
I meant to add that the original roller timer is in remarkably good condition, and with a clean and refacing would probably be good to go.
Of interest is the roller flapper which is copper plated (photo to follow tomorrow).
Hello Adrian,
This is a great piece of Canadian - New Zealand Model T history preserved. I wonder if you could get some photo shots of the muffler?? Some time ago I had a thread going on the Forum regarding the 1921 - 27 Pressed Steel Mufflers . I found sufficient evidence that the Canadian Mufflers were different to the US produced cars. If the muffler is original I would be very grateful if you would take a few pictures. If I can get some photographic evidence that the NZ cars also had the special muffler that will pretty much complete my research on the matter.
Best regards, John
Adrian
You must be having a ball with this one! I think I recognise the mentors shed! You are all in good hands.
Presumably the number plates shown were those on the car when it was last registered? They appear to be white on a black background. If the symbol in the centre is a dot, or shield, it would be from the July 1937 - July 38 year.
Looking forward to watching this story unfold. Have fun!
Best wishes,
John Stokes
John Page, I had the pleasure of seeing this car with Adrian on my recent trip to New Zealand. What a valuable time capsule. I remembered your previous thread on mufflers and took photos of this one for your interest. I will have my son email them to you when I have the chance.
The car is indeed in good hands and the Refurbishment is only to get a warrant of fitness so the car can be driven on the roads. It is to be maintained in its original state otherwise. Keep up the great work fellows.
Allan from down under.
Adrian, what year is the CD.
My guess would be 1922 or 1923, but some of the RHD cars had their own unique features???
Hello Allan,
Thank you for your support for my Canadian muffler research. I will look forward to receiving the pictures you have of the muffler. Having that evidence from New Zealand will be great.
Best regards, John
WHAT A GREAT CAR!!!! Thanks for sharing all the photos!
I was interested in seeing the photo of the underside of the horn button. On seeing that it was manufactured in the U.S.A. I decided to take a look at the ones I have. I have three and they all just have a brand name " BENZAMIN " imprinted in the back.
Regards, John
Beautiful example Adrian. I'm very glad to hear this will be kept as found. Love to see shots of the interior when time permits of course.
Regards,
Scott
William,
There are some interior shots of the car on this earlier thread.
Regards, John
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/257047/315107.html?1349408577
Hi guys,
Today's update: was a quiet day :-)
(I will post muffler shots as soon as I get them taken. I will get some more 'panoramic' pictures of the interior as well - at the moment the car is in "a few parts" so they will follow. Let me know if there are other specific you would like to see).
Work list included changing tyres (3 of the 5 done), adjusting the pitman arm ball joint (surprisingly little wear), installing tie rod bushes and adjusting the tie rod ends, installing oil seal for the timer, installing the Anderson timer. 'Soft rain' meant little more was done today.
Best achievement of the day: finding that putting new tyres on the rims is not that difficult (I had been fearing this after reading the stories of the trials others have had). They are ex-Vietnam Riversides.
Disappointment of the day: coming to the decision to replace the original wiring loom (we wont throw it out) as the wire is just too brittle and a fire risk through earthing.
If you are interested in trim and paint details, then here is a "walk" around the body. Body is steel, with aluminum trim, painted wooden pieces around windows and aluminium scuttle (cowl). Pin stripe is rather "wonky" too :-) but looks original:
And a detail of the carpet (well worn around the pedals:
Notice how the pin striping starts and ends at the front with the curve up.
Willie - please see the post above by John Page who linked the first thread on the car as more details are provided there.
It is a 1924 high cowl center door - which seems to be an unusual combination, and possibly makes it one of the last center doors made?? Who knows! If you do please do share the info.
Cheers
Adrian
Adrian,
Here is a link to a discussion that Hap was trying to find answers for way back in 2009. The Centerdoor that you are working on would appear to have similar characteristics. Note the door handle appears to be the same as the Centerdoor. Both cars have the high radiator and firewall, which is not in line with what the US models were following.
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/80257/117327.html?1261044115
Adrian,
You mentioned that you changed the tyres. The old ones appear to be Firestone. Possibly made in N.Z. ?? as they were for many years.I am still running some on our Fordor that I bought in the early 1980's. Good Tyres !!!
Regards, John
Correction to my post last night - the registration plates are certainly 1930-31, as Wayne Tomlins says above. Is it known if this was when the car was last registered?
Adrian,
Great thread documenting your efforts.
Thank You for the pictures too !
Jim
Adrian,
Thanks for sharing your preservative efforts on this remarkable centerdoor! What joy you must be having! Wish I was there as I have a '19 centerdoor and this is my favorite of Model T body styles. I have a question about the curtains/shades as I replaced my rear oval window curtain with a Lang's repop. The original was totally tattered but looked like some kind of silk. Were they Ford? And I noticed you have some side window curtains. Surely these were owner purchased.
Adrian,Nice car I may have missed it but have you thought about replacing the thrust washers in the rear end. I know it`s a bit of work. Having taken many apart your chances of finding broken or bridle washers are good. If nothing else you have piece of mind knowing all is good.
Adrain,
What a GREAT car!
The rear outside auxiliary brakes look like Bennetts. I'm curious, does the brake pedal say "Bennett"? Whatever brand they are, since the bands are anchored in the center they will provide good braking while moving either forward or backward.
Henry, i doubt the brakes are Bennetts. When Adrian organised for me to take pictures on my recent visit, I was most interested in the brakes, as i have a set of Bennett brakes on my 1917 shooting brakes. The pedal is not branded, the actuating levers on the shoes are bent and twisted flat steel rather than Bennett branded castings and the equaliser is different. Somewhere else in my New Zealand travels I saw some identical components in a parts stash, so perhaps they are of New Zealand manufacture.
Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.
Thanks for the response Allan. It is interesting to observe the similarities and differences of the various products intended to do the same job.
Today's update.
The brakes have no branding on them (see Allan's comments).
The thrust washers will be on the list - probably after the certification is completed.
The side curtains all match and sure seem original. This is a Canadian body and they seem to have been there a looong time. (please see the other thread for some pictures of them).
(Not much work done today due to other tasks.)
And here are the promised muffler photos:
John, thanks for the link above - there sure are similarities there betwen the cars.
The tyres are Firestones, but unfortunately the sidewalls are so cracked they are beyond safe use.
Thank You Adrian for the Muffler Pictures. I will add that information to my research. I hope sometime to have all I have collated over the last few years on these mufflers published in one of the magazines. I very much appreciate your help.
Best regards, John
Today's pictures: the rear seat details (in case you are after upholstery information):
And the base/ seat back. Note the various holes in the board at the back. A recycled packing crate? No obvious purpose for them:
An additional picture of the underside of the horn push button:
Linings replaced, while the hogs head was off the drums looked pretty good with not a lot of wear apparent to a quick look:
The radiator came back from repair. Core is water tight and good, but a bit of patching was needed on the header tank around the hose fitting. While we used new mounting brackets and springs we put the old caps on to keep the original look:
Remarkable pictures, remarkable car !! Thank you for your methodical preservation of this jewel and sharing the pics with us, Adrian. These last pictures shook loose a few questions, though. Do you not have rats and mice that make urine in New Zealand? The panel -and original cardboard!!- under the rear seat cushion is perfect! Last sedan I restored revealed 6 rat carcasses and totally rusted out sheet metal there. Took measures not to get Hanta Virus while cleaning it out. And I'm curious as to how the spark and gas levers actuate the carb and commutator on these RHD Model Ts. Your last picture sparked this question. Are they opposite of what we're used to in the States? Can you not take the generator (dynamo?) out from above like I can and have to first remove the engine pans? Inquiring mind need to know ;o)
George, the generator does indeed need to come out from below on RHD cars, meaning the engine pan must come of first. If one is unlucky, the inlet manifold has to be laid aside on some cars.
The levers are opposite to LHD cars. Our throttle is the left lever. The linkage arm is on top of the rod,and the linkage curves around behind the inlet manifold. The throttle arm on the carby is positioned differently to get full travel.
The timer is installed with the pull arm at the bottom rather than the top as in LHD cars. The short lever is installed on the top of the control rod. Pulling the lever down pulls the timer arm so the timer rotates clockwise as viewed from the front of the car, just as on LHD cars.
Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.
Fascinating!! So, in the Southern Hemisphere, the generator has to be taken out "down under" and the commutator control bracket is also installed "down under". Your pictures of the emergency brake crosshaft with the 'backwards' cam on the right side and the steering column next to the generator blows my mind. As you can see, I don't get out much. Thanks again!
THAT IS A DREAM CAR !!! Super find.
Today's tidbits are around the front windscreen and fittings. We have slowed down now waiting for the axle back from straightening. All 5 wheels changed over (the last 2 were as easy as the first 3 as well - whew):
(We do have rats and mice down here as well and one of the biggest surprises with this car is the lack of rodent activity and little insect chewing either).
Of interest is the brass "double ended" screws used to keep the glass holder in place:
And undoubtedly the fabric tape inserted under the glass saved a lot of corrosion as well protecting the metal from chafing:
(Despite the desire to keep the windscreen, it has to be replaced with safety glass for the car to be certified as fit for the road ...)
And I've seen something else that I've never seen on a survivor Model T before. First spotted it on your door "T" handles - those screw fasteners with the little square hole in the center. Then, in these latest pictures, the brackets that open both front windshields have those peculiar square holed screws too. Is this a Canadian or NZ production fastener? This thread has the most interesting history!
George, Those are Robertson fasteners. Very Canadian in origin! Ford also used them on the Canadian Model As.
Just waiting on the axle being straightened and new safety glass to be cut for the windscreen, so things have slowed down,
We decided to keep the original loom in place, and just touched up a few frayed wires.
The anti-rattle cardboard under the rear seat turned out to be the back cover of a book (possibly the Ford Manual) with a note handwritten on it "Look after her, Buck Lawrence 26-6-67"
Interesting find!
The windscreen frame repair cannot be seen! a great job done by the local tin bender.
We managed to get the Mayo Skinner windscreen wiper to go - sounds a little like an old milking machine! but has a smooth positive action and plenty of power - given the large piston size it should do too :-)