Just got this in for a friend of the family where the owner passed away, will do a few things to it before listing it, so here are a few photo's 1917 updated engine with starter and generator,
enjoy , Bob

That is perfect the way it is! Just tune it up and go.

Nice find !!

Will be going up for sale soon, not perfect but the patina is fabulous, great parade or tour car, Bob

That would be a great car for the young man with the Corvair if he could buy it right.

I'm glad folks are continuing to think of the young man with the Corvair, I hope we can help him find a better deal than the one we talked him out of!

At least you know the address of the man who had it before. The house numbers are right there on the front of the radiator. Does this mean that this car could drive home by itself?

Many things indicate your car is much later than 1917:

square top sockets
horn button
two extra bolts and reinforcement strap on inside of cowl
later wishbone and perches
square fellow wheels
fluted headlamp lenses
later steering wheel
etc……

What is the motor number?

I don't think you can put a generator on a 17 engine block. isnt the casting different for a generator engine.

Nice lookin car though

In the 1st post, updated engine with starter and generator.

Regardless if the motor was swapped out, what is shown indicates that it is not a 1917 Ford. The body is definitely later than 1917 due to the two additional bolts and the reinforcement strap above on the cowl, just above the coil box.

Also, it doesn't have a 1917 windshield which would have built-in sidelight brackets.

The reason I inquired about the motor number is that the car may simply be a 1919, 1920, 1921 or 1922 Ford with its original motor.

That is a great little car Bob! Why not keep it? Then you will have something to drive to town!

Tom I have a 1916 engine with a generator mounted on it. You simply put the block in a milling machine and remove the outer boss down to where a later generator drive pad will fit. Then attach it to the block and fasten the generator to the boss.













You can see in the upper right corner how the patch was made. It can be done it only co$ts money.

interesting

That little honey is perfect!
Robert, did you kick up some dust or did that little Ford carry a bunch of ghosts with it? Two of your pics are littered with orbs (ghosts) or dust. :-)
Please keep us abreast of this little car. would you?
Frank, isn't it all the goodies downstairs (and upstairs) that co$t the money as opposed to the milling job? ;-)
Sweet Roadster!

I am not saying the car has not had changes over the years and have not had time to go through this yet, it has a 1917 title
two round fellow rear wheels
one square fellow
one steel fellow non demountable
I am sure the front end has been changed over the years as same with some features like the horn button, side lamp brackets, this is not a rip van winkle just a good old T and should be made safe to drive and leave the patina as found, I will let you know when and if I get time to go through this car, Bob

Over time a T that was used as the main source of transportation had some later parts or pieces put on it to keep it going. People weren't worried about keeping their car exactly correct as the day they bought it.

In the 20's and 30's people would put on demountable rims, steel firewalls to replace the earlier wooden ones, extra tail lights and etc.

The 17-25 era of T open cars had a lot of interchangeable parts on them. Especially as they were getting older and outdated.

Robert,

I wish I could say...."I'll be right over".

I know there is another T or two in my future one of these days.

What I see is not a 1917 Ford. Again, the body is definitely not 1917. Even though the photos aren't the greatest, I can point out more items in addition to my prior posts but I won't waste any more time because these discussions have a tendency to turn into vaudeville routines.

It would be nice to know what the serial number is. In my opinion, it is definitely a later car and the motor serial number may be correct for what is shown.

The DMV does not determine the model year of cars. Just because the title says "1917" does not make the car a 1917 Ford.

As far as "barn find" and "patina" is concerned, it's car with what appears to be a 60 year old cosmetic restoration that is simply dusty and dirty.

Looks like a 1919. Can't be newer than that due to the two piece front spring shackles. Can'be older with the side horn button. Does it have flat trunk latch handles or round ones? Did you look under the seat? Round or oval tank. Far to many cars get labeled 1917s. I think people see the style change that year in some book and say "that's it".

Hey Robert, Dennis, and Mark- thanks for the suggestion!

Robert- I sent you an email and would love to talk about the possibility of selling the car.
James