Im going to look at and probably buy a 1926 Model T touring tomorrow morning. All I have to go buy is one photo and its 999.00. I could only get him to come off the price 1.00. It is a divorce/moving to New York type of deal. I also think it may be a Non Starter Improved car. It is supposed to run, He started it last year and let it run about 30 minutes. The only major parts missing seem to be the wheels and windshield frame. There is also supposed to be about 1/2 a pickup load of parts, ???? Am I crazey to drive 6 hours . ????
One more thing. In Arkansas I will have a clear title in my name in about 3 weeks, using bill of sale only.
Maybe! But are we all just a bit crazy. LOL.
The car Im going to look at, may be the long lost, poor country cousin, to my 1927 Sport Touring. My 27 got to go off to college and this country cousin had to stay on the farm ....
Looks rough to me Donnie
Yes, it looks a little rough, but with all the extra parts it's probably worth a grand.
I have heard id using bailing wire but barbed wire?
It might be for added traction while turning!
I missed the after market handy dandy gas tank!
I have seen guys start with much worse. Good luck!
Just save the rust and throw another car under it and your good to go!
Donnie that should keep you busy for a week or two
Donnie, that's a 26/27 car, why would it be anything but starter equipped? Maybe I misread.
Hal: There are non starter equipped 26 model Ts (Im not sure if it was still an option in 27) They came with steel felloe 30X3-1/2 inch non demountable wheels (not a typo), oil side lights on a special bracket, The Ford-O kerosene taillight. a black painted radiator shell, block off plates at the starter/generator holes. The ammeter hole is blocked off on the special switch plate. The standard taillight bracket holes are drilled in the rear fender but are unused. All are black paint only. ... Very few have survived, There have been discussions about them before. Im not good at finding past postings, maybe someone can find it. There is about a 50 percent chance this one is a non starter. I asked a lot of questions about it and the man trying to describe it makes me think it is . ...
And behind the blanked-off plate for the ammeter is a resistor to provide dim headlights. I have a few of the non-demountable steel felloe wheels, don't think I have a full set though.
David; If this turns out to be a non starter, I may be interested in your wheels if you do not need them. I have one good one and one that is just useable. For me to consider it a non starter car it will also need the aluminum step plates, and the "step" in the cowl at the top of the front doors. That would make it an early 26 and non starters should have been the more common of the open cars at that time. I believe the holes for the side curtain rods have an aluminum grommet at that time also. If I get it, we can all start picking it to death. If it is early enough to be a non starter, Im putting it back that way. I have always believed that the bulk of early 1926 open cars and "ALL" 1919 open cars should be non starter. They have just been changed thru the years. And a lot may have been changed before they left the dealership. Just my opinions for right now.
I would say it is a good deal at that price. Just proves there is a few good deals left if a fellow has time to look and travel a bit.
Donnie if you decide to make the drive to look at the car take a look at the engine and see if it is a 26-27 engine in it. In my mind the 999.00 is about tops in price. And if the sheet metal is rusted out on the bottom of the panels and elsewhere that could be a issue.
Those things you cant really see in just a picture.
I bought my 21 Touring in about the same condition less engine and frame thinking it wouldn't be all that bad. I turned out replacing half of the side body panels and had to buy all the seat springs. The remains of the originals were out in the weather to long.
Good luck!
"In Arkansas I will have a clear title in my name in about 3 weeks, using bill of sale only."
Donnie -- It used to be that way, but the DMV has screwed that up for us. Have you titled a car in the last couple of years without a title for the car? It's now a major headache. I won't buy another car without a title.
I started with something worse than that....I don't see any bullet holes...
You can make that work.
Donnie, I had rust-out on my 23. I'm not a body man (on cars that is) but I bought some lead and the required tools and repaired it. It turned out perfect.
Im loaded and ready to leave in the morning. I always check these deals out. You never know, it could have a Ruckstell, with an aluminum Warford, and also have a Wakasha head. Probably not, but .???? I did buy a 27 Tudor at an estate auction about 8 years ago. There was at least a half dozen model T guys there. It was a rust bucket grown up in a fence row and covered in green briers. I gave 55.00 for it. It had a ruckstell and a Wakasha head on a unstuck 27 engine with a good EE crank in it . Everyone else was too lazy to crawl (almost on my belly)into the briers and look. I knew when the bidding started what was there (except the EE). You just have to do the home work..... and leg work.
Mike I did one about 6 months ago. The only thing they have changed is, you need three receipts for parts you have bought for the car. Any receipt for 100.00 or more is working for me. I have boxes of receipts for Model T parts. For the guys who do not know me. I have been doing this for over thirty years. This is probably car # 100 (or more) I just wanted to post it to see what you guys think .... Ill post some more when I get back ....
Half the cars I have restored, I started with worse. Looks like it might be worth it to me. If you have time for another project.
Drive carefully, and good luck! W2
Donnie,
I'll have to find them first!! Pretty sure I know where they are. let me know.
David
Well I survived the trip, and its mine now. Not to bad, 9 hours round trip, including, loading time, eating and also looking at the friends toys (50s model Studebaker stuff). Its rough, and the parts were OK, but just common stuff. I did get a 1930s Grey inboard 6 cylinder marine engine. It appears to be an overhauled useable as is motor. It may be worth more than the car. ??? It was a freebie, as well as a lot of just misc tools, angle iron, oil, antifreeze, paint ect. It was stuff that he could not haul back to New York. It all was free. He said anything I did not get was going to the dump or scrap next week. I like deals like that. So I think I came out OK. The car is definitely a very early 26 and is almost for sure a non starter. Ill get pics tomorrow and we can start picking the non starter to death. But be prepared, Its not pretty. The engine did run and sounds pretty good. It was missing on the junk coils and the gas looked like iced tea (used the handy dandy aftermarket gas tank), but it did run. (surprised me). Im too tired tonight but Ill try to add more tomorrow. I have a lot of Non Starter questions.
Correct me if I am wrong but I thought that all early '26 did not have the headlight tie bar. From what I recall it was added in late '26?
Justin: That is my understanding as well.
Sounds like a good haul to me! I would hate to find a deal like that now. I have too many projects, no money, and not near enough time to work on them.
Congratulations! I think.
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2
Nice Find Donnie:?)
I picked up a headlight bucket with a squarish mount bracket rather than the rod/stem type used 1917-25. Is this a 26 headlight ?
the headlights look like 26 lights mounted on a 27 light bar, tough to tell tho from the pic
The headlight on the car is the early 26 (stem style), mounted to a later bar. Burger, the headlight you describe is the late 26-27 style that attaches to the bar. The early 26 has a stem like the earlier ones but has a "foot" to bolt to the fender, instead of a threaded end like the 15-25 style. Ill get some pics today of what I believe make it a non starter.
THX, Donnie. I am new enough to T's, but this seemed to HAVE TO BE a real late application type.
These are the early 26 headlights:
This is an adjustable after market bar with early 26 headlights:
Jim
Jim: Thanks for reminding me of the aftermarket bar. I have one of them and may use it when I remove the homemade adapters from the 27 style bar. I was just going to remove the bar, and go back to the 26 style of lights with no bar, but this thing is rickety, An aftermarket bar will help, and not really detract from the purpose of returning this car to a non starter.
Here are a few pics of the "treasures"
Not a lot of stuff, but the engine may almost pay for the car. This thread is getting long, so Im starting another thread about the 26 Non Starter features ....
Donnie, love the Gray engine. I own a 1925 Gray touring made by the same company. Gray had a connection with the Ford Motor Company as John Gray was the first president.