1. To avoid hi-jacking Dave’s original question about 1915 Roadster body irons located at: http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50893/59529.html?1215926044 – I copied and relocated Scott’s Canadian Roadster pictures to this thread and I want to use them to stimulate discussion about the 1915-23 or so Canadian produced body features. :“

2. If you want the summary – just read the numbered paragraphs and skip the ones with letters – they just add additional details.

3. What a great opportunity for us (especially me – I have very little documentation on this one) to discover more about the 1915-1920 or so Canadian roadsters! Note I’m 99% sure that Scott’s runabout is a CANADIAN produced body (also commonly called roadster – Ford USA usually called the two passenger version a runabout but sometimes used Roadster for the same body with a mother-in-law seat such as in 1908 Model S Roadster). Below are the pictures he originally posted – and it looks like he has been doing some great work:








4. Scott would you please confirm it is a Canadian Ford body and not a USA body that has had a left hand driver’s door added to the body? (Note: non Ford accessory kits to add a driver’s door to the USA model were offered).

5. Leon was correct in his comment on the original thread that the 1915 tourings and roadsters started off with the wooden seat frames and most but not all USA bodies transitioned to the metal seat frames during the first part of the production year. Note the Canadian bodies did NOT transition to steel seat frames until the 1920s and even then the tourings continued with the wooden rear seat frame similar to the 1914 style.

5.a. Basically the early USA 1915s were very very similar to the 1914 USA style of construction with the wood seat frames but they had the newer metal cowl rather than just the flat firewall up front.

5.b. Later 1915 USA production switched to the metal seat frames BUT apparently at least one and possibly more USA manufactures for Ford bodies continued the wooden seat style of construction longer – continuing into 1916 and perhaps even longer.

5.c. During the WWI years Ford USA again switched back to the wooden seat frames – but I believe some metal seat frame cars were also produced during that same time frame

5.c.(1) Ref Bruce McCalley’s “Model T Ford” page 218 as well as the Ford price list of parts that offers the wooden seat frame parts for 1917-1918 USA bodies for the switch to wood seat frames 1917-1918.

5.c.(2) And that some cars were produced with the metal seat frames during 1917-1918 ref my unrestored May 1918 Beaudett bodied touring that has the body number stamped on the right front wood sill and has the metal seat frames. Of course my Beaudett body could have been modified but it appears to be mostly original (some original seat upholstery – known history from 1955 or so etc.). If anyone can provide other samples of USA produced metal seat frame roadsters and tourings during the 1917-1918 time frame that would be appreciated. A sample size of 1 is sort of small.)

5.d. LOOKING FOR INFO: If anyone has additional information on USA 1915 or later cars with the wooden seat frames that are not an early 1915, please let me know (how to high jack my own thread – ok send me an e-mail and we will start another thread.)

6. However, the Canadian produced touring and roadster bodies continued the wooden seat frame construction much longer than the USA production did

6.e. LOOKING FOR CONFIRMATION: That the 1915-20 Canadian touring and roadster bodies are slightly wider than the 1915-20 USA touring and roadster bodies. And if so, that the reason is they continued to use the 1914 style construction.

6.e.(1) I’m 80% sure I read some where that the early 1915 USA touring and roadster bodies with the wood seat frames were slightly wider than the later ones with the steel seat frames. But I don’t recall where I read that. So if anyone has a reference to support or correct that please let us know.

6.e.(2) I read somewhere that the Canadian tourings and roadster (actually it might have just been the tourings?) were just a little wider than the USA versions. Again I don’t recall the reference. If anyone can add a reference to support or correct that please let us know (also please e-mail me so I don’t miss it).

7. For Keith – for a USA produce body – I believe you are correct that the lower portion of the body iron would have mounted to the more substantial wooden seat frame rather than the smaller extra tack strip on top of the seat frame. The top part of the body iron did mount to the wooden tack strip. Below is a front seat section from a 1914 wooden seat framed touring (perhaps the roadster was different?). The body irons are different from the roadster but I suspect the idea is the same. Note the cut out portion of the tack strip to allow the body iron to be mounted directly to the seat frame. Picture below was cropped from page 128 of Leslie R. Henry's "Model T Ford Restoration Handbook" which is available from the vendors.



8. For Canadian production – I do NOT know how the body iron attached at the bottom, but I would like to document how it was done. I will send a couple of e-mails to folks with Canadian tourings (if someone knows some folks with Canadian roadsters – please check with them also) and ask. If anyone has some photos or information about the Canadian body irons and how they were mounted please let us know.

9. For Scott – would you please comment on the attachment of the lower body iron to your tack rail – ref para 7 above? Did you have a good sample to follow or is it possible you seat frame should actually be the thickness of the tack strip higher? I’m trying to document how the Canadian bodies were made. And so far I do not have any details on that (or most of the rest of the Canadian body wood for that matter).

10. FYI: If you look at a Canadian produced touring body – it does NOT have the carriage bolt in front of the rear door like the metal seat 1915 bodies and other USA produced bodies have from 1915 to 1922. Below is photo of Gordon Sylvester’s very original 1919 Canadian Ford – note there is NOT a carriage bolt and after that picture is one of his wooden front seat frame area..





11. For anyone with Canadian information – please let us know. If you are not comfortable posting on the forum – please click on my name and send me an e-mail. Or if you are having trouble re-sizing a photo etc. send it to me and I will gladly resize it. Also – if you post photos – if you would please send me a higher resolution one by e-mail. It allows me to zoom in and often see features that I cannot see on the ones we post on the forum. I am hoping we can document additional information to make it easier for others in the future.

12. I would also like to document the any information on the door latches. Did Canada produce their own door latches all the time, some of the time, non of the time? And did Canada use the USA style 1914 latches in the 1915 and early 1916 like the USA production? Or did they switch to a different style latch sooner or later than the USA. Why the question? Well Canada switched to the slant windshield and one man top approximately 3 years before the USA production. But Canada continued to used the ribbed transmission pedals for approximately another 4 or 5 years after the USA production phased them out. Could the Canadian door latches be helpful in dating a Canadian car? Or in establishing that a right front door found by itself was a USA or a Canadian door?

13. I’m sure there are others that are staying awake a night trying to solve these questions -- ok – so you aren’t. But I think we have enough interest in the subject that we should be able to gather some additional clues.

14. Thanks to everyone for their help to me and your support to our hobby.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap Tucker 1915 Model T Ford touring cut off and made into a pickup truck and 1907 Model S Runabout. Sumter SC.

Hi Hap,
Yes this is a Canadian body. This body was used in Canada from 1915 - 1919. The wood was copied from an original body. Do you have any other questions?
Yours in vintage motoring,
Scott