I'm new to owning one of theses .Our is a 1920 model t sedan 4 door style . How fast should these go . The engine and tranny have just been rebuilt It all orignal. Thanks
If it's stock, about 40-45 on level ground. About 20-25 up a 6% grade. The 4 door is a bit slower going uphill than the roadster. Break it in slowly. Go about 25 until you have 1,000 miles on it. Have fun!
Norm
Mike ,how about a picture,the Fordor did not come out until the 23 model year but you may have a 20 engine.
Rick
Mike,
Well tuned they can into the mid 40 range, Ford claimed 42 but I had a cop pull me over at 47. I'd say 35 is a decent fast cruising speed.
Alex
55 all day is possible. Just depends how good the rebuild is. Remember, don't go faster than you can stop.
Go down the hill in the same gear you would go up in....
Have always liked to go fast. Does any one know of records on a stock T land speed (Bonnevile type or similer). A friend of mine has won the Montana 500 three time and I think his best average speed was very close to 53. Thanks guys, enjoy today and plan for tomorow. Duane
The day we drove our truck to the DMV to get it registered as a legal vehicle, we happened to pass one of those machines they'd set up on the side of the country road which digitally showed your speed. My son was driving and so he had maxed the throttle. It was 41 mph. We didn't rebuild the engine; just did a valve job and cleaned it out many many times with kerosene and then many changes of oil. Maybe when we finally rebuild the old engine it'll even do better, but we were pleasantly surprised.
John
The day we drove our truck to the DMV to get it registered as a legal vehicle, we happened to pass one of those machines they'd set up on the side of the country road which digitally showed your speed. My son was driving and so he had maxed the throttle. It was 41 mph. We didn't rebuild the engine; just did a valve job and cleaned it out many many times with kerosene and then many changes of oil. Maybe when we finally rebuild the old engine it'll even do better, but we were pleasantly surprised.
John
John,
I've been into the Canadian Club tonight...please tell me you posted twice
Ha ha!! Sorry about that! I accidently did it twice! Darn it!
Darn it! (Oops, there I go again!) :-)
John
I just had my engine rebuilt by the Carnegie Brothers and am in the process of putting the transmission back together. My question pertains to Norm's advice about breaking it in slowly. This may sound moronic, but why is it inadvisable to go over 25 before a guy hits 1000 miles? Thanks.
Hello, Mike. Welcome to the affliction. Tell you what, these T models will do 40 mph, maybe even 45 or 50+ but 35 feels so comfortable that I usually drive about 30. What's the rush? When I'm in a hurry I take the late model. Main thing is to get that old T out on the road and have fun with it. Bob
I used to be able to do it twice and even more on some occasions but with age have learned to check what I am doing very carefully and slowly and only do it once correctly. ;<)
Jim,
The reason is because pistons swell up and scuff, rings need to seat themselves. Depending on the fitting method used, bearings need to seat in too. If you break it in slowly everything has a chance to adjust slowly. If you get it too hot too fast something could seize or bind and do some damage. There is more friction in a new engine and it makes more heat, takes more power to keep the engine spinning too. After everything is broken in there is less friction, less heat, and less power required to turn the crankshaft - and more power to the rear wheels.
Today I went for a little drive in the country with our '27 and found 25 to be about right. Even did 20 in some areas where the trees were colorful. Why is everybody in a rush? I left the modern iron in the garage and the Interstate highway behind me just so I didn't have to go fast.
Our '26 Touring seems to like to cruise at about 30. It will do faster, probably up to 40, but then the rattles start, things sound stressed, etc. 30 seems like a good comfortable speed for all concerned.
There is a T speedster in the Model T Museum in Richmond, IN, that reportedly has been up to 75.
I like to start the engine with the rear wheels jacked up and run it in high gear at a fast idle for about 1 minute, then shut it off. That gets the oil splashed around. Let it sit for a while Then come back and run it at a fast idle until it reaches normal operating temperature. Then if you have a cast iron head re-torque to 50 ft lbs. Then let it cool off and repeat. If you have an aluminum head torque after it cools down. If it sounds good and doesn't extremely overheat, then I let the wheels down and go for a short drive a mile or two and let it cool off. After that I torque the head. If you are using a cast iron head torque it hot. If an aluminum head let it cool down before you torque it. After torquing the head you can drive as much as you want to drive but not too fast for about 1000 miles. During that time you can run it up to 35 and immediately slow down to about 25. Do this from time to time. All the time you should keep a good watch for overheating. Overheating is your enemy. Torque the head from time to time until it remains at 50 ft lbs. After that you don't need to re-torque it. By doing this you won't be likely to blow a head gasket.
If you break it in gradually, your engine will run very well for a long time. Aluminum expands at a greater rate than steel and it is especially important not to get the pistons so hot they will sieze or you could have big problems. Listen for knocks or other strange noises and if you hear any, investigate and fix before any serious problems occur.
Norm
Norm:
Sounds like I need to drive it very carefully once I get everything reassembled. I'll be using an AL high compression head, AL pistons, Stainless Steel Chevy valves and have had the radiator recored. I'm hoping that with all these improvements that the car will run much smoother and better than before.
Mike,
Last summer I had a friend follow me in my 27 Fordor, all stock but a pretty strong runner. He followed me with his Yamaha FZ6 and I hit 40. I had a lot of road, and it took a while to get there, but it did. I won't do that to the ol girl again, it made sounds that can't be described. 30 is where shes happy. (again this is a haevy old Fordor),
Brian
My fordoor has truefire ignition, aluminum pistons and a high compression head plus everything balanced as good as i could and no magnets. It will do a little over 60 on the flat and cruise all day long at 45 to 50. Mike
I do not have intentions of "rodding" my 4dor, but when I did some overhaul of the engine and transmission last winter it was fitted with new AL pistons and I balanced the flywheel (in a regulat wheel balancing rig :-) and also balanced the 3 planetwheels.
I did NOT replace the original steel/cast iron valves which stroke back on a longer trip to a car exhibition (I have no truck and trailer). One of the cast iron valveheads decided it have been sitting there going up and down to many times so it decided to jump of the valve stub:
By coincidence I have just a few weeks before bought this AL high compression head to be the start of my speedster project :-):
A few questions:
Is this what some call a Z-head?
It has 22-27 marked on the top - does that mean it is made for 1922 - 1927 Fords?
Wonder how it will go after this. I do not want to race it, but do find it fine if I could just hold 40 mph as march speed.
I will see how it works - also if the starter have problems cranking it etc. I do have a friend with at least 10 heads on stock, but that have to be machined and painted etc before I can/will use it
Mike:
Sorry,not a "Z" head. Conventional Ford style head with less combustion chamber.
It looks just like the Reeder head I have. Mine has REEDER stamped inside the water outlet. The 22-27 probably means the outside profile is same as a standard high head. You will be pleased with the improved power from the 6:1 compression - getting more from each liter of fuel. You get more power at all rpm.
rdr
The "Z" head has a squish type combustion chamber that is somewhat angular. The one pictured is similar to the standard Ford head but more shallow, which translates into less area with a bit higher compression.
Look at : http://clubs.hemmings.com/frameset.cfm?club=mtfctulsa
Tulsa Chapter has great information on about everything Model T. Thank you Tulsa Chapter members !!
Bob Jablonski
Michael:
After clicking link, go to Technical, click, and look for Model T Heads in listing. You'll see a few that were made in the day & the "Z" head.
It's called a "Z" head because it was first made by Ralph Zajicek, now made by his brother.