I found these photos among a box of old photos that my mother has. They show my father's 1923 where they pulled it from the field in 1955, on the trailer, my dad working on it, then a few shots of my mother driving it in 1962.
Neet, what great pictures
Steven
Those are wonderful pictures. Very nice to see them.
Rich
Great pictures. Thanks so much for sharing. Any details about the speedster in the third photo?
AWESOME STUFF!!!
Gene; The Speedster is a 1919 that my grandfather got in 1927 (used). He and a friend modified it (it was a Runabout). New body, Rajo OHV, Stomberg RF, Simplex wire wheels, etc. He ran it for a few years, then got married, and it was stored in a chicken coop for 21 years, until my father retrieved it and got it back on the road in 1955. It was on the road until 1979, then was disassembled to have the engine rebuilt and other work done. After the engine was completed, the car (in pieces) was stored and never re-assembled. I now have all the parts, and am working on it now to get it back together. Here's a better photo:
Gary - Sorry I called you Gene! By the way, I'll send you a PDF of a newspaper article that I have as well, if yo like. I can't post it, as it's too big (file size).
That would be great. My e-mail is in my signature.
Cool, a preserved period speedster with family history - priceless Was the drivers seat and steering wheel in the center? Any pictures from the 20's?
Roger - Actually, there are two seats with the steering colum/wheel in it's normal location, although it was lowered. The driver's seat is forward, and the passenger is offset toward the rear, to give both a little more hip and shoulder room. If you look closely, you can see the top of the back of the passenger seat behind the curved side panel. Still a pretty tight fit with two normal sized people! Unfortunately, I have no photos from the '20s or '30s, but I've heard that they exist somewhere in the family. Will try to track them down, eventually.
Love the way they put the T on the trailer to get it home!
Dave,
Great photos! I would guess they got the 1923 Ford for less than a $100 and that they could get it running without a lot of work? My Dad paid $85 for a 1918 drivable touring with four new Montgomery Ward tires back in 1951. What a fun time to be in the hobby that must have been!
It is great that you are rebuilding the speedster. Is the 1923 still in the family also?
Respectfully submitted,
Hap l9l5 cut off
Hap - Sadly, no. My father sold it to another T guy in the mid '70s. My father and grandfather have passed; I'm not sure what they paid for it, but I suspect it wasn't much. I think my dad was able to get it on the road without too much work.