I am still rather new to the model t world I bought mine in October of this year. In November I changed out my transmission bands because the reverse was slipping and I was told that changing them would help. Well I have not gotten it to start since. I changed the carb gaskets and fuel but most I'll get is a sputter.
I know mine will only pop, but not start when it's cold unless I richen the fuel mixture 1/4 turn from the optimum, steady running position. Once it starts, I have to start leaning the mixture back out almost immediately.
There are many members around the bay area. Maybe you can find someone with experience in San Jose, who can help you.
Here are a few questions.
1.How did it start before you changed the band linings?
2. Can you turn the crank with the car in neutral without the car moving?
3. Can you push the car in neutral without the engine turning over?
You should be able to crank in neutral without moving the car or push in neutral without turning the engine. If either of the above is not true for your car, the bands are too tight. They should be tight when about 1 inch above the floorboard. If tighter than that, they will drag and make the car hard to start, overheat the drums which can lead to cracked drums and cause the engine to overheat.
If your car has a good battery and a starter, the easiest way to start would be with the starter. It could be that you need to back out the carburetor adjustment needle about 1/2 turn. If you now get a sputter, that should cause it to continue to run. Then after it is running, adjust the needle to where it runs smoothest. Transmission bands and carburetor gaskets have nothing to do with each other. If you changed them before you tried to start the car, it is possible that while doing so, you inadvertently changed the float level or caused some other carburetor problem.
One thing I have found, is that a battery can be so low that even though the coils will buzz, the spark is weak and the car will not run. Charging the battery, and the car will start right up, so check the charge of your battery.
I haven't mentioned ignition, but if it ran smoothly before you started working on it and you didn't touch the ignition, it is probably not the cause of the hard starting.
Good luck. If doing the above, doesn't help, try to find a local who can help you
Norm
It has a bad starter which was fried by the previous owner who converted the car to a 12v but left the original starter. It started up 9-10 times before I parked it. I have noticed a fuel deposit on the floor below the carb. Before I swapped out the old carb gaskets it would pour gas out the vent. I will try to reach out to other members in the area.
I agree with all of the above. What Mark posted is essential always if your engine is cold and even if you parked it for 15 or 20 minutes. Remember, more is not better here. Unscrewing the mixture a quarter turn and no more turn is it.
A good starting position for the fuel needle is 7/8 turn, so close it (not tight) and open 7/8 turn. Mine is very sensitive if more than 7/8 it will not start after starting turn in to 3/4 turn or where it runs best. Mine will start on a small 6 volt dry cell so it doesn't take a lot of amps. I believe if the coil buzzes it will fire. Try a different procedure, from cold ign off, full choke two turns suck in fuel, choke off two more turns and stop just over top dead center then ign on. You may get a surprise. If it spits back repeat the procedure with ign off.
This is a good read for the new owners;
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/29/8538.html
Gas on the floor below the carb sounds like a stuck float. Rap the carb with a hammer a few times and see if it stops.