Birthday

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2014: Birthday
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jeff Burton on Sunday, November 09, 2014 - 05:45 pm:

Can someone tell me the day my engine was built?
5510594 October ? 1921
Thank You


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Strange on Sunday, November 09, 2014 - 06:15 pm:

According to the book "Model T Ford, the Car That Changed the World", engine 5510594 was one of 3,898 engines assembled on October 25, 1921. :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hap Tucker in Sumter SC on Sunday, November 09, 2014 - 07:12 pm:

Jeff,

Welcome to the forum! And if the 1921 speedster is your first T – welcome to the fun world of Ts. I don’t want to assume you are new to T’s but on the other hand I don’t want to assume you have been around them for a while and have you do something that gets you hurt unnecessarily. If you are new to Ts please read the safety items at: http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/411944/490910.html and scroll down to the Sun Nov 2 long posting with lots of links. That information can save someone that is new to Ts a lot of money, frustration, and on a rare occasion their life. It also recommend joining one of the local Model T chapters.

For Mark -- good on you for looking in Bruce's book. There is a wealth of good information there and so much still to be discoverd.

For Jeff and Mark, actually there is a little more to establishing the date an engine was manufactured than only looking up the serial number and seeing what day it is listed. In the case of the serial number that was posted, it is in the engine number range of serial numbers recorded in the daily engine log and recorded in Bruce McCalley's R.I.P. engine serial number listing on page 526 of his excellent book "Model T Ford." But on page 501 of the same book (also on his CD version) he explains that sometimes blocks of serial numbers (not numbered blocks -- but just a range or block of serial numbers) were sent to branches to be stamped onto engines that the branch assembled. He states "Some of these record number shipments were noted, but most were not. As a result, while the Highland Park (or, later, the Rouge Plant) assembled engines on the days indicated, other blocks of engines might have been assembled days or weeks later.

You can say an engine with that serial number was manufactured on or after Oct 25, 1921. But without checking a few additional items – with a serial number alone you cannot know for sure if the engine block you have was or was not manufactured that day. In addition to being assembled at one of the branches, it may have been replaced sometime in the past. In a very small sample size of 4 Model Ts in my Dad's garage -- 2 had a replacement block. How did we know? The serial number indicated the engine was one date and the casting date was later by a year or so than the serial number indicated. And it is difficult to machine the block before it is cast. I do not think 50 percent of the blocks have been replaced – but from other owners I know it was common when folks were first learning about cars to let the engine freeze or run out of oil etc. You never had those sort of problems with a horse – they didn’t use oil.

Again welcome to forum and please let folks know if this is your first or one more of many Model Ts you have had so we can better understand how to word our remarks.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off


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