I spent part of the day at Benson Library primarily looking for some Model K drawings. In the same box were drawings for a "Model M." I had no idea what they are, and am still unsure, but thought it interesting. Since I have no part numbers, many microfilm I pulled were just hit and miss, but here they are:

I'll begin with a piston drawing. The piston size is listed at 4.86". It has a ledge for a double ignition magneto too.

Anyway, I'm confused:

Piston, 4.86 in.


Head gasket


Three dip removable pan?


32X4 tire wire wheel


Intake manifold


Magneto mounting bracket "for double ignition mag"


These were tucked in with Model K drawings, and there were up to four modifications on some parts, labeled M, M1...thru M4. Any idea what it is (was)?

This model was going to be introduced after the ill-fated Model L. . . .

A few more drawings:













All courtesy of The Henry Ford, copy rights apply.

No wonder the Model M didn't make it, The one drawing shows it being held together with scotch tape!

Apparently Henry and The Boys weren't finished thinking about big cars after the Model K.

The head gasket drawing looks like it's for a Model T, but smaller.

Using a displacement calculator, if the engine had the same stroke as bore, it would have been 360 cu inches. The Model B was 283 and K 406 c.i.

After thinking about it (and talking with Mike), maybe the 1,2,3,4 numbers stand for different prototypes. Or maybe "M" was the letter assigned to experimental? I'm still confused....

All I said was that the M might be a code letter for something other than a Model M Ford.

But it seems plausible that all the letters between A and T were design studies for vehicles (or parts for them) built and unbuilt, so it's not unlikely that the M drawings might have been parts for a Model M Ford.

The head gasket is what throws a wrench into that theory, since it obviously is for a much smaller engine than those monster pistons with the M on the drawings. With an overall length of 15", and a cylinder bore of just over 3", that gasket is for a much smaller engine.

I wonder if the "M" was for "Make Over" Perhaps the draftsmen made a mistake on the drawing and had to make it over again. Or they changed something and he had to make it over again.

Judging by the smaller (dimensionally) engine and the designs for the wire spoke wheels, could these be for the one-off cycle car that Henry built to quell the cycle car craze that was cutting into his slice of the low-priced car market?

Denny, I'm just not sure. One thing, the small gasket is labelled M-IV. I don't recall if any others were marked as IV, so maybe that is entirely different from the other M drawings?

Mike, I would have thought the cycle car would have a similar or smaller tire than a T, but again, maybe that's as good an idea as any.
The external magneto pedestal and strap made me think this was a pre/prototype T before the T magneto was developed. I wish I had more time to look at the drawings but was looking for Model K drawings and these just happened to be in the same box. I did find the K drawings I was looking for too,
Rob

Rob,

On your next visit, be sure to ask for the microfilm reels. I believe real 31 has a number of Model K parts drawings on it. I will try to find the accession number. Use the same machine to read the reels as you use for the 105mm films.

Thomas,
Do you recall the accession?

A few more thoughts, the differential housing is a six bolt. I wonder if the camshaft lobe is Model T sized, larger or smaller?

The intake manifold is 12 1/4 inches center to center inlet. Does anyone know the dimension of a T intake manifold?

The dips in the pan look like 4 3/4 center to center and 5 /516 (center cylinders with gap?). I wonder how this compares with NRS or T crank distance?