For the one or two of you who were wondering how the Marriage Carriage is coming along, here are some pics:



Now that it has the fenders and running boards attached, it looks less like a soap box derby racer. I'm also getting some of the "bling" installed, such as the cowl lamps and horn.





I made the running boards out of 6/4 Cherry lumber that I had in stock. They'll get brass step plates of course, and brass edging. The hood shelves are cherry as well, and a fellow in Missouri is making a Cherry steering wheel rim for us. Here is the dash area, complete with a mahogany coil box. The owners insisted on the Mercedes emblem, because they're passing this off as a "replica of a 1902 Mercedes", rather than a Model T.



These cute bail-handled cowl lamps are "Neverout" lamps, which we're told came on a 1902 Curved-dash Olds originally.



The seats are built and painted and are now in Ernie Romero's upholstery shop. When they're finished and shipped to me, all I'll have to do is bolt them on, and it will be a pretty complete car. This is the most fun work I've had in quite a while! And as Brent Terry said in an earlier thread, it is definitely a lot of fun building a car with someone else's money.

Looks great Mike. Glad you got power back.

It looks great!

You probably already posted this infromation, but what's under that longggggg hood? Extra space or more engine? Or???

Henry -- The hood is long to make the car look like the picture the owners found. The pic is my "blueprint" for this job. I showed a pic of the engine setback in a thread on the 2008 Forum a month or two back. The frame is stretched two feet; one foot is in the engine setback and the other is taken up by a KC Warford tranny. (I think this link will get you to the earlier thread. http://www.mtfca.com/cgi-bin/discus/search.cgi )

Sorry, here it is: http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50893/77312.html

That is some fine looking work Mike. Did you make the hood too?

Ops, got it!

Im confused...why a Mercedes out of a Model T? Nice job though.

Jed, check prices of larger brass era cars - then a replica made from later T parts sounds lika a bargain.

Still waiting to see some photos of the Coupelet!

What color did you use for the body? We're doing a Speedster and that color looks perfect for what we have in mind.

Wayne -- I'm told it's a 2009 Porsche color.

Old cars are like old women. No matter how you paint them their lines give away their age.
That white car looks like a model T painted white whith a couple of pieces of schnorsedez pieces of jewelty on it.

Well, Aaron, i don't know whether to take that as a compliment or be pissed off. I googled "schnorsedez" and found nothing, so I still don't have any idea what that means.

Mike,

It looks like fine work. I'd choose to take it as a compliment but the only opinions that really matter are yours and the customer that ordered it.

I don't recall that you have ever pretended that it was anything other than a custom marraige coach based on a Model T drive train. OK, the customer may want to call it a replica of a Mercedes but anoyone who knows anything about vintage cars will know it for what is is. No harm done to my thinking. Those who use it will have opportunities for some nice memories and photos.

Walt

Mike what I said shouldn't be taken either way, it's just my opinion that no matter what the customer wants it to represent it's still a model T and it looks like a model T.
The owner can be PO'd at me if he wants.
I think it is a real nice looking car with great body work though. He could have a model T painted white for weddings and call it a model T and be proud of it too.
You never heard of that great German car the Schnorcedes von Benz?
I'll refrain from posting my dry humor re: your posts from now on. But you gotta show more pictures of that car as the work progresses. I Promise.

Thanks for sending the pictures to me of the updated car!

Aaron -- Click on my name and send me an email so I'll have your address. Then I'll send you some pics of the completed car.

Well, I guess I could post just one....

Neat. I wonder how it would look with a surrey top with fringe? I have some original 1911 T top irons that were modified for a surrey top.

rdr

Just a thought, if it were mine (wish it was) I think I would make a removable top out of heavy wall conduit, have just a flat top fringed top. That way dependent on the customer or the weather, leave it on or take it off. I am thinking that building a folding or original type top is going to be a bear, just have sockets for the legs of the top to fit in, I made similar tops for farm equipment years ago and it worked for me.

That is one beautiful car.

Mike, how far have you gotten to drive it?

Aaron, while to you it looks like a Model T, to 95% of the world out there it is an old car. If the radiator did not have that particular shape, it probably would fool another 3-5% of the population too. I think Mike accomplished his customer's goal very well. This is a prime example of the application of the Golden Rule!!

She's a beauty. Who cares if it is "authentic"; it's still a work of art. Congratulations on a fine job.

All it needs is the Flying Lady on the cap of that coffin radiator, and RR in place of the gawdy emblem on the coilbox.

.

RR

Better view of the Coffin and Lady:

Those Rolls' are some beautiful cars.

Thanks for the compliments, guys. I appreciate them. Brent -- I've driven it maybe 10 miles. It's still in town, but I don't see it often. The owner did bring it by my shop recently so I could adjust the clutch and bands, which was actually fun.

The pic posted above was taken before the top was installed. The "blueprint" picture of the '02 had a buggy-type top on it, so we tried to make one that looked like that. Here is a pic of the car with its top.

That pic was taken by a friend, and it was too big to post here. I've tried to resize it, here goes............

Interesting that Ricks would choose a pic of a Piccadilly Roadster, as some 28 years ago I was working an an American P-1 Piccadilly Roadster--now for the T tie-in! The original owner was the head of the Warford Transmission company!
T'
David D.

That's better, Mike. To me it just looks naked with no top or windshield.

Does anybody have a pic of a brass T with a surrey top?

Hap may have a pic of one. A South Carolina member has an 11 or 12 "peach hack" with a surrey top.

Yes, the finished car does look less like a T.
It's a beauty.
How long is the wheelbase Mike?

That's a beautiful car mike. I like it with the top. I reminds me of this,

Continued. \image

Aaron -- The wheelbase is 124", and it's lowered 4". This was done to make it look more like the pic they had of the '02 Mercedes -- long and low.

One more time,

Wow, what a car! It looks like it should have a Maharaja riding in it.

You nailed it Mike. Even without the umbrella?