In the DIY restoration of my T I added certain modern conveniences to my car. All modern additions are installed without holes drilled or destroying authenticity and can be removed in a few hours without any damage. I now have nice big led directional lights and stop lights on both sides of the back of the vehicle with halogen bulbs in place of the gas jets in the headlights. Also installed disc brakes on the ruckstell axle. Today's drivers would rather run over you than go around you or simply looking so hard at the car that they forget to go straight and almost knock you off the road. When I drive the T I am, as well as most everyone in this hobby, drive slow, maybe 25 to 35 or so, to be able to enjoy the views and the full experience of life a hundred years ago.
Have I gone too far with accessorizing and modernizing? Comments and opinions welcomed. Thank you in advance! Frank

You are certainly the one to decide. Safety is an issue if you drive in traffic. I like to keep many things original on my cars but we can drive on quiet roads without major traffic.
Rich

This comes up from time to time. It boils down to how much you want change 100 year old technology and to what extent you want to go to do it.
I am lucky enough to live in the country and have good roads to drive on without driving in crowed traffic.
Quite frankly I won't drive my T's in daily traffic.
Cars in the late 30's thru the 60's can be driven in traffic safely enough because they go fast enough to be driven in modern traffic. Thats the reason I bought a 63 Ford to cruise around in from time to time in town.

I think there's a natural consumer's tendency to feel that the person paying the freight has every right to call the shots. - The tendency, then, may be to cause the object of purchase to conform, to the greatest degree possible, to the needs and tastes of the purchaser. - Normally, we order our food, clothes, cars, computers, etc. in exactly that way. - It's unusual for the purchaser to feel a need (or, Heaven forbid, a moral obligation) to conform to the needs of the object being purchased.

The large-ticket purchase price of something the size of an automobile just isn't conducive to an attitude of self-sacrifice. - I felt the same way when I bought my '15 Model T Ford and before the car even entered my garage, I had a number of major modifications made. - These included switching out the original, overhand-type front wishbone for the later, underhand type; adding an electric self-starter, which necessitated switching out the original transmission for a later-vintage model; electrifying the cowl lamps to convert them into turn-signals; adding a complete 12-volt electrical system and rewiring the headlights so they'd run off the battery/alternator rather than the magneto; adding an extra pair of tail-lights and converting the existing kerosene tail-lamp into an electric brake-light.

Okay, so why'd I do all that? -Well, one excuse behind which I tend to hide is that of safety. - Most of the above could be considered safety-equipment and while it all sounds very conscientious, none of that stuff did anything for the historicity of this artifact. - Rather, it made the car conform to the traffic needs of my own neighborhood—in other words, my needs. - Maybe the right thing to do would have been to conclude that my neighborhood wasn't the right environment for the operation of a Brass-Era car and until such time as I moved to a more bucolic locale with lightly traveled country back-roads, I shouldn't own a horseless carriage.

Well, that kind of thinking might be good for the individual antique car, but it's not good for the antique car hobby and the hobby is a large part of what drives the survival of these wonderful old machines. - In a sense though, the situation is naturally self-regulating in that the least expensive cars—in other words, cars like the Model T Ford—exist in large enough numbers that there will always be plenty of intact, historical examples that conform to high standards (and organizations like the AACA do have strict rules about what those standards should be).

On the other hand, numerically rare and opulent automobiles like brass Pierce-Arrows, Packards, Locomobiles and the like have tended not to fall into the unwashed, unsophisticated hands of a know-nothing newbie like myself, but, for now, are the pampered pets of the last generation of regular guys (and gals) who were around at a time long ago when these cars could be bought for a song, and who were possessed of the now arcane skills and knowledge to restore such automobiles to deserving standards. - When these senior folks are gone, only the very affluent will be able to afford and possess such treasures.

I guess, in the final analysis, it becomes a matter of, "Hey, I bought and paid for the car with my own hard-earned money, so I'll do with it as I please"—and if some know-it-all car-show spectator doesn't like that idea—and many are vociferous about sharing such points of view—then he can put his money where his mouth is, make a similar investment and preserve his car according to his own much higher standards.

I think I live amongst the worst drivers in America so I wanted to make sure some texting or phone conversing idiot could see me. I too installed large LED lights front, back and side to try and let those idiots know I am there. The whole system is 12 volts, runs off a tiny battery and can be uninstalled in about an hour.

well,I have a small after market turn signal outfit on the T pickup and a small "STOP" brake light. Factory tail light.
I have a problem when i go to make a left hand turn into my driveway in the TT that folks think I am motioning to go around and have been just about clobbered more than once. Hand signals used to be taught in drivers ed but a blinking light does not distract from a text so a pointing hand is not either.
All of the add on's I put on my TT and T are removable without damage for the next owner.

Safety first. Every place I go requires driving on 70 mph two lane highways. It's simply not safe to be out on these roads without brake and turn signal lights familiar to the general public. I used Model A lights to the rear and small but very bright turn lights on the front. As you said I did it with minimal disturbance and easily reversible to original condition. Your not saving your car if you get hit in the rear by a 70 mph missile.

There’s no good answer to your question other than “whatever suits you”.

I agree with every safety feature you have mentioned, Frank. A Town Car especially,is a slow, heavy rig, where others are understandably not aware of it's acceleration and stopping limitations. I respect the position and intentions of purists, and I am one of those, however, where there are logical features that make these cars less of a challenge for other traffic, then these devices are fully logical to me.
Regards,
Scott

After reading this, I am feeling guilty and foolish.

One of these days I need to get a brake light.

Frank, I drive in the same traffic you do for the most part. I certainly don’t think you’ve gone too far. Brake lights, turn signals and better brakes (Rocky Mountains) were my priorities for feeling safer driving my T in this area.

My 1915 car will never be an historic example of an original car. It had too may changes before I got it, probably made in the 1950's. There is some evidence that it is a car made of parts. So I have have gone for safety, reliability, and performance. I have LED lights, disk brakes, etc. etc. It is really fun to drive which is why I own it.

To each his own.

I don't have heavy traffic in my area. I seldom drive at night, and when I do, I have someone follow me. I don't feel the need for turn signals. I did rig an LED brake light using the stick-on strip type LED lights you can buy at any auto parts. I made a backer for my license plate and stuck the LED strip there. I don't know how much good it does, since I use engine braking to slow me to a crawl before ever using the foot brake. I probably wouldn't have put it on there except I got pulled over for no brake light in a neighboring town. He let me go after I explained to him that I didn't have to have one and he sat in his air conditioned car for 20 minutes looking it up on his computer while I baked in the sun with no moving air. I figured maybe it would prevent that from happening again, so I buckled. There's no way in hell I'd ever put disc brakes on a T. Just WAY too out of place for my liking. I can only DREAM of owning a T with gas headlights. And dream, I do. To electrify gas headlights is akin to blasphemy to me. But that's just me.

Everyone has there own opinion of how far is too far. And you DID ask, so that's mine. Glad you did not drill any holes in making your modifications.

Now, I sit back and await the incoming shelling of 'original air in the tires' comments.

Experience talkin' here: Don't rely on or get a false sense of safety because of the improved lighting. You say yourself you prefer slow driving. You may be the only one in your area that does and the chimps that talk feel you're just in the way. I was passed on my right by a moron driving on the grass shoulder so his kids in the back seat could get a better look. This happened just after I'd installed a complete stop, turn, tail light set up.