looking at a 1912,what should I look for to tell if it's the real deal?Thanks

Post pictures and you will get your answer

Look for the engine number and casting date to see if it is a 1912 engine. Look for a 12 rivet rear end or 12 rivet clamshell if its an early 12. Check under rear of body for the cast body mounts on the end of the frame. It should have the door panel on the driver side as a separate part and not just stamped into the whole side of the body. That should give you a good idea of the important and expensive parts to look for.

Thanks Bob,don't have pictures yet but I know it don't have front doors, it is open on both sides, doors on rear only

One of the dumb things this hobby did a half century ago, was believe that the fore-doors and door-less driver side panel were "optional", and therefore not needed on 1912 Touring car Ts. So many if not most '12s restored in those days did not have the fore-door units installed. Over the years, many of the original removable door panels were forever separated from their original cars. Many of them were somehow lost forever.
And that is why so many '12s today have no front doors.

One thing to look for also in a '12, is whether it is one of the earlier versions with the 1911 step-side style? Or one of the several later variations of what is often referred to as the "slab-side" '12.
Which one of the two major variations doesn't really matter. Some people prefer one. Other people prefer the other. I believe from what I have seen, that the earlier step-side is a bit more rare. But that difference doesn't seem to make a lot of difference in value.

I do hope you can post some pictures soon. (Maybe wait until the new forum is up next week?) I do like to look at pictures of brass era Ts!

As to what to look at to determine if it is a genuine car? There are a hundred little details. It is either best to do a lot of studying, or take a knowledgeable friend along.

Larry will beat me up here, but after having owned two '12s in recent times, both my "infamous" Pete, the Comm. Roadster P/U, and most recently a Touring without the fordors, I actually like them WITHOUT. Kinda sets them apart from all the others. And they're a heckuva lot more fun to
drive looking down at the road passing by. Just my opinion is all!

Bob...after looking at your neat pics again, I just noticed the one of the undercarriage, looks like the brake rod supports on that car are incorrect. Which is typical of most early cars. The correct supports usually have rotted off long ago and been replaced with the cheaper, later repop style rather than the expensive correct repop.

What irritates me about 1912's that have had the doors removed, is the lengths the owners have gone to, to cover up where the striker plate was. It just doesn't look right.

Larry, I agree. My former '12 was "left alone", just no doors. So you could still see all the original stuff. I just like the looks of the openness, maybe 'cause I love '11s, and like I said, the thrill of driving "open" like that is indescribable.

I have owned three 1912s. One was an 1911 year issue and was all original. The serial number was on the right hand side and, as I remember from 1956, was just below 100,000. It had the original doors, rear end and all. The second one was just a chassis and a bunch of early body parts. Lowel Frost restored it real nice. No doors, as the body front section was from a 1911. The other one had started life as a touring, but was now a nice little pickup. The serial number was on the left side and to the left of the water outlet. There are, I believe, more variations of the 1912 touring than any other model year.

all the 12s that where sold out of Winnipeg {and Winnipeg supplied all the dealers to the west in the early days}the ads state fully equipped including fore doors, being Canadian four opening doors. Cheers From Winnipeg

Colin, brings up an interesting question: did the driver's door on US production 1912 tourings open or not? Since they look like they were an addition to the body, could both doors have been functional?

Thomas, The drivers door on a US produced 1912 did not open. They both were screwed in place, I had a very nice pair of doors a few years ago.