I'm like a kid in a candy store. UPS Tracking tells me that the tack rails I ordered from Classic Wood Products arrived at my house today! I've been waiting for them for 8 weeks.
These are the big, thick contoured pieces of wood that go around the back/top of the buckets on my 24 Touring. They're not the skinny additional pieces that some of the earlier cars had.
My question:
Can someone provide a photo, drawing, etc of how they're fastened to the sheet metal? My car has some big holes along that top edge of the sheet metal and a bunch of smaller holes.
I'll get a photo of the wood and the holes when I get home this evening in case I haven't made myself clear what I'm talking about.
And...by "buckets", I mean the seat backs.
Mine as a Roadster 24 here is a couple of pics I snapped at the time. I think I got the bolts from Langs. Can't remember. I did end up adding a bit of aluminum angle in the middle of the back and the sides because the metal had rotted away there.
24 Touring
If you don't have the metal splice plates, the vendors sell an excellent reproduction.
Thanks for the excellent photos...this helps a lot.
I placed the rear pieces in roughly the correct positions. The fit, even in this trial setting, is excellent.
They'll certainly need some sanding and tweaking, but it looks like this will be an easy and pleasant installation.
Did the factory use any glue on the wood?
If not, is it advisable to do so?
I think the general consensus would be no glue. It should flex
I chose not to use any glue on my 1924 cut-off touring and my 1925 touring body.
I hadn't thought about the need for it to flex....good point.
Does anyone have any experience with a factory piece? I'm assuming wood glue wasn't a thing the factory used on any part of the car....is that correct?
Only for edge gluing, like the floorboards.
I think the vendors sell tack rail bolt kits. Langs had a kit for my 21 Touring when I installed new wood in mine. They were almost an exact reproduction.
Your original hardware might be still good but new is avaliable.
RV Anderson does a great job of accurately reproducing Model T fasteners, he's the first guy I check with when I need a correct fastener.
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/29/39522.html?1194911994