Dad's '27 Fordor is getting loaded on the trailer for it's trip to Don Booth in Bay City (Michigan) in the morning. I have been waiting to get this car restored for more than 40 years.
Congratulations Ed. What a fantastic gift to give yourself. So will it be a frame-off from the floor up restoration? The fact it's your Dad's car is really great. Photo's will be expected. :-)
A now picture of it is on his profile.
Some day, if I live long enough, I will learn how to post pictures.
Ed,
Safe travels to you and your family.
Try not to drive at night ...
Last night. less than a mile from me, a drunk
driver behind the wheel of a minivan got on
I-75 southbound on the northbound lane and hit
another minivan head on ....
Four people dead so far ...
Safe travels to all who are on the roads
Merry Christmas !
Jim
Richard I saw it on there right after I posted. Pretty awesome wouldn't you say? It looks like he's got an excellent start on what will be a beauty. But the photo's I meant was while he's getting the job done. Unless he doesn't plan on being involve with the restoration. Ed you'll at least be checking up on the guy won't you. After seeing your Hack I doubt you'll settle for anything but excellence. Richard, have you tried to post photos yet? It's easy if you use the "upload attachment..." selection below your post. Have you got photos on your computer? The photos have to be smaller than 200 killobytes in order to work. (I thing that's the size) Then when it gives you the option to browse, go into your photo album on your computer and click on the photo you want to download and select open. That will bring the photo file name to the box by the browse selection. From there you upload the file name to your text area. From there when you post your message your photo will show up.
So that felt like I was really doing a poor job of describing the method for downloading a photo. I'm sorry. Maybe someone else can help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_k2izQCHHU
Here is the video of Don's own Fordor.
Oh Jim, a person really hates to hear of such things just before Christmas. You drive careful out there too. It's always fun to think of the amount of driving you do, where you go and what you haul. I've always wanted to ask you what the rarest car you've hauled was or the most interesting.
My Christmas gift to myself.
Jim, email me.
rwolf63@tampabay.rr.com.
We've got a Fordor in our club. And it's a beauty. I'll dig through my photos and see if I can find one that has the Fordor in it.
I'm giving myself a great gift this year. A trip to Arizona. I'm leaving January 4th to see my sister in Phoenix. I'll stay with her and her husband and use that as my home base. There are so many places I want to see again. I was there 3 years ago and all that did was wet my appetite. Hopefully I'll see some Model Ts while I'm there. I'm coming home on the 14th. I rented a Mustang convertible to play with while I'm there.
Ed B, That sounds wonderful!
Yes, everyone.
Drive carefully, and enjoy the holidays! W2
You too, Mike G!
(Hope this works - photo uploads not previewing correctly)
Try this to post photos . . . Part 1
Try this to post photos . . . Part 2
And this is what it should come out like (only with your photos)
Regards
Art
Much better. Thanks Bart.
Ahhh – I knew I would miss something, however it should be easy to spot.
After you browse for and find your file you have to click on “Upload”
Regards
Art
Art, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I'd butchered your name. And it's not like it's a big long name. Now I don't want to be mean but I've been laughing ever since I saw it. Please don't despise me.
OK Mike - you get one free one cause it 'The Season'
(I/ve been called worse <@^@>)
Merry Christmas All . . . . .
Regards'
Art
Thank you. I went and knelt 15 minutes on a pencil anyway.
I should have signed my last post "Bart"
that would have given you a chuckle (to late smart and past my bed time)
Night all !!!
Mike G,
I have to laugh? You knelt on a pencil? I have called a "pencil" a "penance-cil" since I had to write "I will not pass notes in class" twenty five times. (Fifth grade)
I gotta go wrap a couple gifts.
Please drive carefully, and do enjoy Christmas! W2
Hi Ed, congratulations I know both Don and Bob Booth ---I may have met you too over at Bob's "TOOL TIME" garage. Have fun. JOE
Mike Garrison,
Ed and I discussed the restoration earlier and it is to be a frame off restore. I haven't seen the car yet but it would be a mistake not to replace the wood for the sake of the restore to last as long as possible. Ed brought his entire family down to see my Fordor and check out my work which I suggested he do before he made a decision. It quickly became apparent that "Grandpa's car" was very important to the whole family. It was also clear to me that the Fordor was very much a part of the family heritage. I truly feel honored that Ed has trusted me with the job and he will not be disappointed with any aspect of it. The kids (all six of the them) ranged from 7 years old to about 13 or 14 and took pictures with 3 camera's of my car while his wife circled the old lizzy about 10 times with a smile from ear to ear. They didn't say much but they didn't have to. What they saw was grandpa's car brought back to life and the look on their fathers face of the thought of doing his Dad proud. And that we shall do...
These dashcam videos should keep you sober:
Subject: Stupid drivers, and others just in the wrong place at the wrong time... Unbelievable footage, didn't know there were so many dash cams out there to capture so much carnage on the highway.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/oFkw5JFOmHk
On a related note, Hit and Run are 48% of the accidents in Los Angeles now, vs. 11% nationwide. Part of the problem is the police not following up, even if given a license #. They're apparently more interested in statistics showing success than stopping crime.
Be careful, ya' hear?
Can't wait to see that T getting back into shape. Congratulations Ed
Here is my small dilema. Both rear fenders on this car are banged up, but not terribly. I have another very good used left rear, and a new old stock right rear.
Don is very capable of repairing the old fenders, and they will look perfect. It has been suggested that I sell the replacements and use the revenue towards the restoration work. Dad bought these replacements in the early sixties, and my intention has always been to use them on the car. What would you do? The NOS one is worth some $.
Ed -- If you're going to pay someone to repair the fenders, you'd have more in them than the good ones would bring. (Been there and done that.) I'd swap them out and use the better ones. BTW, Sedan fenders aren't worth much, even NOS ones.
Mike, the sedan fenders are the same as touring. I think the NOS one would bring at least $500.00
I want to use the NOS one on the car, as it was Dad's intent. The wife says sell it.
I think you need a sign that says, 'Fenders due to wife backing car out of garage'.
Ed,
Myself I would bump out the fenders on the car--they don't look bad and with some hammer, blocks of wood and time with a file you will learn. Just start with the last place they bent--the edges and work in from there then a little filler. Your own time is free--what are you going to do? put a dent in them? already done and just bump it out.
The NOS sedan / touring fenders don't bring the $$ that the coupe / roadster fenders do and I don't think you are looking at $500--maybe half that on a good day. I would put the NOS fenders away for that bad day when something happens like backing out of the garage or getting hit in a parking lot. In 20 years when you might need them they might be really hard to find.
You are lucky that you have a choice and I would take advantage of that--repair what you have and keep the spares. I am not new to this as I still have my first T that I bought at 17 and am now 52--many other T's around here and I don't get rid of NOS parts. The few hundred dollars for the NOS fenders might buy something easy but will never purchase NOS fenders again.
Tim Moore
Ed,
I agree with Tim. I've started in T's at about Tim's age but am older. Your fenders arn't badly damaged (no tears or rustout; not really crumpled just dented). I've fixed rusted fenders that had a 60-70 degree twist plus crown rusted out and edge splits. Sure it took some time and learning but they are perfect now and original to the car. I've collected many NOS parts years ago that are now unobtainable. (NOS frames; even foil condensers for the coils). Once this stuff is gone there is no more. Keep the new fenders as spares as Tim said. You are already spending a significant amount for restoration--what's few more $ ?. Just my 2 cents worth.
Thanks guys. The "new" fenders will look nice hanging on the wall of my shop.
Ed -- Tim's advice is sound. If you're looking at doing the work yourself, it's a different ball game.
Here's another option to consider: I agree with keeping the extra set "in stock" in case you need them later. But why not go ahead and put the better ones on the car and hang the dented ones on the wall? Your car would have nice ones on it now, and you could repair the original ones when you didn't have anything else to do. Just a thought.....
Well poor Ed's Christmas present on day two is
going through a labotamy....running boards, rear fenders, top wood, upholstery, seats and radiator
got yanked like a bad tooth.
One thing I've noticed over the years -- For some reason, they sure come apart a lot faster than they go back together.
Mike W
Your right on that but you need to put anchor
on the pesky little parts, they like to walk away and hide.I've never figured them out.
Bob
I've adopted the habit of cleaning and placing each unique group of bolts/fitings in a ziplok bag with an identifying note and any associated info. I than put all the bags for each assembly in a separate box marked engine etc. Also photos become indispensable especially after time passes (and our memory gets older). Sorta works for me. Now if I can just find the frame and rear end??? And the boxes of bolts??? :-)
Looks like a great project Don! Sure is tough to keep a shop warm with that 35 MPH northeaster though. It has sure decided to be winter for a while. Have fun, Jim Derocher, AuGres, Michigan
Jim, stop in if you get a chance. Ed's car is so cool, it is very solid with just a few areas that need attention. The wood is all there but it has dried to the point it has to be replaced.
I was trying to determine why the doors fit so loose and discovered yesterday the front door pillars have twisted over time. So, it will require some wood work ( I LOVE IT !! ).
Don, I'll stop when I get down to Bay City some time. I'd like to stop by when Ed is there checking your progress. I haven't met Ed yet, but I have a few dozen questions for him about the depot hack in his profile, similar to what I am building, and it looks like he used the front cowl on his as I am going to do. I am assembling my engine today, warming up the shop right now. Spent hours last night cleaning out the inside oil line, it had loads of little babbit pieces plugging it. I WILL run an outside oil line as well! Looks like most of the body pieces on Eds car are in usable shape, and I know how handy you are with a big hammer! Spring is right around the corner... Happy Holidays to you and your family. Jim
Day three, the ole Lizzy is still in the tear down mode. I'm finding many differences between the two Fordors. One example is the fasteners used and another is how the wood sills were fashioned. Interesting. One huge advantage is having already tackled a Fordor, it makes this project much easier to attack.
At the risk of mentioning what is obvious to some I have found a couple of very handy tricks. I made a tool to remove the body skin without damaging it. It is a very thin and sharp flat chisel. It allows you to go under the skin and shear off the nail heads. The other is removing the carriage bolts from the wood. If you have ever tried this you know the bolt just spin in the old wood. What I do is drill holes on opposing sides of the carriage head just deep enough to get vise grips to clamp the head. The wood will hold the vise grips from spinning while you remove the nut. Works really well and saves the bolt for reuse.