A few weeks ago on the final day in Albuquerque, I went down from my room to discover I had a flat tire in the rear of my '13 touring. Since any touring was optional that day, I was just going to load it on the trailer and fix it when I got home, but there was this young guy hanging around who was genuinely interested in our cars, and we struck up a conversation. It seems he is a truck driver for Consolidated Truck Lines, and his rig had come to grief, and was spending a couple of days at our hotel until his truck got fixed. This guy was really fascinated with our cars, and the more I talked with him, it was apparent he wanted to know everything he could. He told me he was from Romania, and he would be bringing his wife to the U.S. later this year. He was so interested, I decided to show him how to change a flat tire on a Model T, and he eagerly helped. After putting a new tube in the tire, which had picked up a nail in the hotel parking lot, we got things put back together with the help of an electric tire pump loaned by Donna Jones. It was approaching lunch time, so I asked the kid if he would like a ride, which he eagerly accepted. We drove him to a neat restaurant and bar a few miles away, and I offered to buy him lunch. He indicated in Romania, they rarely see a car older than the '60s, so I imagine this made his day. After returning to the hotel, I said good bye, and never saw or heard from him again, but I wonder about the impression I left on this 23 year old boy. He'll probably never forget it as long as he lives.

That's the way. I like to give rides whenever I can.


David López, visiting from Spain, drove my 1915. He's only 15, so we used a private road.

I agree, guys. Remember a while back there was someone on here (I don't remember who now, and don't care) that was so afraid of a lawsuit they said they would never give anyone a ride? Stark contrast. Guess I just throw caution to the wind, 'cause I'll give anyone a ride that wants one.

I love giving kids rides. I'm looking to sell my runabout so I can get a touring car and pile more kids into it.

Fantastic Larry! Way to do it!

Good on ya!!

When we had a joint tour with the Portland Or. Model A club to Power Land (home of the Oregon Steam Up) down south Clay and I let several people drive our cars on the grounds (with us on board of course). We had a great time. The youngest was 15!

They are out there. It is a great moment when we can share our cars with those potential enthusiasts. Some of them will no doubt acquire a T someday. We may never know or we may end up on a tour with some of them. That is a wonderful way to perpetuate the hobby.
Thanks for doing that and reporting it here.
Rich

I usually hang with the cars when they are on display at a show when a group of T's show up. Mostly I'm there to answer questions on how to drive them, but often I offer the individual a chance to sit I one of our cars. There are a number of other T owners in our group who do not care if someone sits in their car, as long as a club member is there to attend them. People are shocked to be offered the opportunity, and the cameras always come out. It's fun to make their visit memorable.
A couple of weeks ago, as I was getting out of my 21 touring at Home Depot, a young man, somewhere in his 20's ask if he could take a picture of my car. He said it was for his father who really liked old cars. I told him to get in and give me his phone, I would take a picture of him in my car. You would have thought I offered him a $100 bill. I took a couple of pictures from a couple of different angles. When he got out of my car, he shook my hand and told me I had just made his day. One of the many fun things about owning a T is sharing it.

Larry. Your the man. I do it all the time. I've been on tours and at stops I let lots of people get in my cars and I have let a young nephew drive my 1911 around the block. His family had all just gone for a ride so when it was his turn we went 1/2 way around the block and switched seats. When we came the rest of the way around the block the family was shocked and got some great video and photos. He will own one of these one day. I don't know if it made his day but it made mine and his dads and grandmas. I bought mine to drive and I do. I had a lady send me a text one time saying she had the photo blown up and on her wall in her living room. It don't get no better than that.

I love to teach kids and give rides too, as that is the only way to inspire the next generation.

As a young person myself (who also owns his own T) I was shut down a lot by some of the "old timers" (we all know the types that do that). I try to impart knowledge, inspire and teach as much as I can to others.

Here is my 15 year old at the wheel of the Roadster. He is learning to drive it and is getting more comfortable in it.

Well said, Doug. I too, have that happen all the time. When I tell my wife "I'm just going out for an hours drive" she knows it'll be twice that long for the same reason as you at Home Depot that day. Makes your day, doesn't it?

Thanks to everyone for sharing our fun with others.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off

I was at a car show a couple of weeks ago and a mother with three kids came along. She was extremely conscientious (unlike many parents these days) and kept reminding the kids not to touch the car. I watched for a few minutes and asked her, "Instead of touching it, would they like to sit in it?" Oh, my! They had a great time in the car, pretending to drive and just enjoying the experience. You know what? The car didn't suffer at all from their being in it.

One time at a show a couple with a very young girl (not talking yet) was looking at my T. I asked them if they wanted to take a picture of her sitting in the car. They were thrilled!

For some reason, the little girl got in her head that my turn signal lever was an imaginary candy dispenser. She kept on cranking the lever with one hand, holding her other hand underneath, then pretended to give the "candy" to her mother.

Uh, Mark.... Model Ts don't have turn signal levers....

That's how MOST of us all got into Ts isn't it?
That's how it was with me and a fella named Lesly West Jr. (Bugs). 1961, Springfield, Mo. I had model As then and I got a short ride in his 23 unrestored roadster. He then took me around to meet other Ts and their owners within a ten mile radius who were building their ts. I got to ride in a couple of more. Next we went to a fella's house who would GIVE me a 26-7 roadster!!! ONLY problem it was out in a pasture and MANY cows had walked over it!!! Yup, it was flat on the ground. Everyone laughed at me (except me) and I passed on the scrap tin on the ground. Those rides in those fellas T's is what sold me on them.
So guys give all you can rides in your ts.

LOL Dick, mine does! It came to me with a set of aftermarket turn signals installed.

Still you DO have to be careful and talk to the newby rider to please be careful of HOW they interact with the old car. Most do NOT understand of what sand or gravel on their shoes will do to the running boards and paint on the car nor do they CARE about how many hours you had to put into painting those parts!!
I said this as It looked like I didn't think on my last post above so I after rereading it remembered some of my incidents with people jumping up onto my running boards and trying to hang on like in the movies have shown people doing in the old days. Also I have to tell them "NO, It's NOT a gangster car!!!".

For me,the only way any old car is worth the expense and effort is if you share it!! Bud in Wheeler,Mi.

Joseph provides another benefit of a "barn fresh" car--there usually isn't much paint shine to lose!

I second Dewey's comment. Fussy, over-restored cars are about as fun as a
bad case of diarrhea. Always worried you'll have an "accident" and forever tied
with a short leash to it for fear "something" might happen. No thanks. Beat
that dog like a rented mule and if the running boards (or anything else) need
paint, Ace sells gloss black in the rattle can for $4.99.

Dick Lodge: Well several years ago my Grandson's step son was at the house and I was ready to take the '19 Touring for a short test drive and I asked the kid (Lonniea) haw about going for a ride, and his first question was "Does it have seat belts" and I said heck now we are only goi9ng down to the corner and return. He =would not ride in the '19. He left and has not been around our area and has grown up a bit so he may have changed his mind.
I have this weird idea that I might be coming back to Mansfield or Norwood next year, depending on how I feel heart wise. If I find I have the time I might just come up to St. Louis. Have not been there since 1956, as I got out of the Army at Fort Sheridan on August 25, 1956. It seems like Ancient History now. I graduated High School at Norwood in 52. Would check with you and see if you are in town around my visiting time.
One of the Cardiac Nurses has a son that will be graduating from Basic at Ft Wood and I set up trip to the Wilder Museum at Mansfield and the Wilson Creek Battlefield and then to Branson and back up to one of the caves near Waynesville, Missouri. I told her that when you speak of Missouri it is Muissourahhhhhhh, not Missoureeeeee.One of the people in the Cardiac patients agreed.
Have a great weekend. It is said that by Monday we may have some shower weather and if so that will be the first since probably April or May past.

That photo of Steve shows he has his tape measure on his bib's as he and his visitor is driving his Runabout!!!!!!!!!!!!

That photo of Steve shows he has his tape measure on his bib's as he and his visitor is driving his Runabout!!!!!!!!!!!!

When we built the 1914 chassis, I had my son and his friends all pitch in. Two years later they still talk about it and they have all used that experience to get accepted in the engineering program at our High School. Get them off those "devices" and skin a couple of knuckles!

The chassis build in 30 seconds!

https://youtu.be/aGHqjDkAAiQ

Clayton, your son looks right at home in your roadster. Bet he'll be wanting to drive it to school soon. That would be some exposure!

Bill Dugger: Absolutely! There are other T people here in St Louis who show up on this forum as well. It would be nice to put a face with a name. I'm sure we can organize something T-related.

Bill, don't forget to drop in here when you go to MO. We'll take a T ride if I have one running. I give rides to old people too.

Last week I got to share Abby with young and young at heart at the piquette T birthday party. I love doing these kinds of events and all my passengers returned safely; we even picked up a few people on the street during the short rides.

Joseph:
I like your comment about the sand on peoples shoes wearing down the running boards. I'm restoring a r.h. running board now, and the tops of the diamonds are worn down at the door. It's a lot of work sanding around each diamond, but I plan to leave the worn areas there. The floorboards endured a similar fate, and there is a worn spot just aft of the pedals where the guys heal wore a dish in the floorboard. It's going to stay too.

I remember when I was 18 (1998) and at the Turlock swap meet and found a 16V roof head on a vendors table. Knowing what it was and knowing I couldn't afford it I asked out of curisoity what he was asking. I believe my words were "Out of curisoity what are you asking for the 16 valve roof" bear in mind there was no tag on it. The response was something I will never forget. He looked me up and down and responded "you are way too young to know what that is." Turned out it was part of one heck of a deal at $2500 which included frame, wire wheels, '26 engine, trans, and ruxtel!!! Believe me I WISHED I had the money then.

Dennis, He has already asked....and has also asked about building his own. That might be a while though.

I want him to get comfortable in this one first.

My daughter loves riding the speedster the backroads -- she's not driving it yet, though. My son prefers the T-V8 hot rod, but the speedster's growing on him

David,

Nice looking speedster. Looks like the old Indy race cars!

Willis

Bill D. - When you're in the neighborhood, you might as well stop by my shop and kick some tires. Fayetteville isn't far from Branson, and pretty much on your way heading to St. Louis. Give me a holler when you are nearby. My phone number is on my profile page.

Willis, it's a '20 fairground racer with, obviously, earlier parts in the mix. The frame and engine, and maybe the frontend and wheels, maybe all that's left of the roadster that it once was.

This car was built by a dairy farmer not far from San Francisco, and the earliest memory anyone has of the car is in 1951.

Runs great and takes the hills like they're flat ground. Putting new tires on it tonight

An old friend had asked some time ago IF I would take her for a ride in one of my T's.......is if I wouldn't!
Labor Day weekend the weather was outstanding, her daughter was "home" with her grandkids so the timing was perfect........and off we went.......
Mom and three grandkids squished into the back seat.
A fitting byline from a now extinct weekly newspaper: "A good time was had by all".......

https://www.facebook.com/Model-T-2016-Sea-Mountains-and-Valleys-Tour-T-National- Rally-168551093572207/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE&fref=nf
Just taught my 14 year old son to drive on the Australian National Tour. Many other people took the opportunity to give kids a driving lesson on a beautiful private road away from other traffic.
The future of the hobby is in good hands at least around where I live.

I'm 30, although I'm not all that young, my father and I have been talking about getting a model T for a long time. We finally bought our 15' touring less than a year ago. Although it was running and driving, it needed work and we were a little hesitant, but now thinking back, I'm very happy we didn't get a fully restored one. The day we brought it home, as ratty as the interior was and to my surprise my wife jumped right in for a spin, my friends, family the neighbors, everyone came to look. Since then, with the help of my friends and my younger brother we redid the interior and the top, we did all the regular maintenance items, lubes, adjustments. The only thing we didn't do our selves was the paint. My friends are eager to help with it, when I thank them their response is something like "how many people have the opportunity to work on a 101 year old car? It's an honer!" We had a mini car show for my 30th birthday, and everybody wanted a ride in it. Even a bunch of kids around the corner jumped in for a ride around the block, and it made their day, maybe even their year. I've taught a few people how to start it and drive it and they can't get over how cool it is. I'd have to say it's the slowest car I've ever owned but definitely the most fun. Besides who wants to go more than 45mph in that thing anyway? The fact that it's so different from what we're used to it's unique, and simple. They made 15 million of them and it for the most part is the car that put America on wheels. It makes us smile every time we take her out. I know there are many people in my generation, and younger generations who appreciate them as much as we do, but hopefully enough of us continue collecting them and keep them running. I know now there are plenty of website for parts and information as well as clubs (such as this one). Hopefully in years to come it stays that way, and perhaps if enough people are exposed to them it will.