MTFCA Forum

A heat pipe will not cause any noticeable power loss except in very hot weather, and the hot weather itself is a factor as well as the heat pipe. Not according to this dyno test with and without the hot air pipe! https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/257047/298871.html?1341900318 Some of the loss i...

Tbird wrote: ↑
Tue Jan 06, 2026 8:38 am
Looks great Neal!

Thanks Mike. Now you know what you will need to do if you spill that last available LMF cherry stain that you got!

Last September I asked for some suggestions for cherry stain for the firewall, since Laurel Mountain Forge stain was not available at that time, and when it would be available again also unknown. Last week I checked another muzzle loading supply house and the situation has not changed, so it was tim...

It was 75 degrees in Kansas on Christmas day, so our 8 month old grandson got his first Model T ride! He really enjoyed it.

Look closely to read what it says on the bib that he got from me for Christmas!

Corey Walker wrote: ↑
Tue Dec 16, 2025 12:10 am
In my experience those run very well but don’t seem to have as much top end speed.

Thanks Corey for the information and pictures about the S carburetor! The Holley G carb that I replaced the S with is one that Corey refurbished.

Rich,

Did the Holley S that you removed have the body painted black? Stan's pictures of the S he rebuilt had no paint on the carb body, but the one that I have appears to have been painted black, or is REALLY tarnished.

deleted duplicate response

Opposite of your experience, it was very sensitive to flooding. The previous owner cautioned me to halt the engine by “starving” the mixture needle, and not to give more than two pulls on the crank when choking cold. The time or two I failed to heed his directions I had trouble starting, both resta...

Last year I bought a very original early model year 1914 touring that has a late November 1913 engine. It has some transition parts like a two piece driveshaft and likely the original carburetor that was used for the 1913 model year, a Holley S. The car was in running condition when I got it, but fo...

I'm sure many of you can relate to this, but I have one car in particular that this is meaningful. Why?. because I built this car myself over a period of seven years. The moment is laying on a creeper and reminiscing where I bought every single nut and bolt, not just any nut and bolt, but genuine F...

It is my understanding that up until 1910 or early 1911, Ford would use the engine serial number as the "car number" that was stamped onto the firewall patent plate, and by 1911 or so it got to be too much of a pain to keep that coordinated, so the numbers no longer matched. Does anyone know whether...

When it is 75 degrees in mid November in Kansas, you take your T for a drive! I also finished putting together the engine from my 1914 touring project. It is a low mileage car, and the babbitt was good and the dimensions within tolerances everywhere, so I put new rings and replaced the original stan...

For those that have never seen what the original Ford stain looked like, here is a closeup of the area behind the coil box on the 1914 firewall that I am replacing. Also shown is the red cherry stain from the replica 1959 Les Paul guitar with the flaming cherry paint that I built two years ago. It i...

Dodge wrote: ↑
Tue Oct 14, 2025 5:25 am
I too have use Laurel Mountain Forge Stain on gunstocks and loved it. Too bad their gone.
I am also going to be staining an early dash. I have been looking at General Finishes brand stains and see some that have promise.

Which General FInishes colored stain are you considering?

An article in a late 1950s HCCA journal gave this recipe for staining dashboards: “Mix artists’ tube oil paint Alizarin Crimson into a 50/50 mixture of spar varnish and turpentine.” The result is very acceptable and indistinguishable from the Laurel Mt. stain. Be sure to avoid water miscible paint,...

Well, I tried ordering it from Dixie and they are out of stock on Cherry...

They said that they placed another order, but I've asked when they expect to actually get it back in stock.

Woo hoo! Thanks Mike. I just ordered a bottle. I really like how it looks on the 1911 that I restored, and now the 1914 T that I am restoring will have a firewall that looks as nice.

These hubcaps are on November-ish 1911 car s/n 83XXX: Hubcap Chad.png ...and are known to be original to the car: hubcap Chad stamped.png : ^ ) Keith Being the current caretaker of S/N 83XXX, I can attest that these hubcaps are original to the first owner, W.F. Markham. That guy stamped his name, f...

Well naturally their website is down for maintenance. :roll: But, did you try calling them? Not sure how the same number works for both phone/fax but here it is anyway if you don't have it. I'd call em! phone/fax: (219) 548-2950 I tried calling them and no one answered the phone, and no way to leav...

I am restoring a 1914 T that will be getting a new firewall. When I restored our 1911 Touring, I used Laurel Mountain Forge antique cherry stain, based on recommendations on the forum site. It really is a good match for the original stain Ford used, when comparing it to the portions of the firewall ...

As seen Saturday at the Old Car Festival on another unrestored 1914 touring car, the Murphy fasteners were all black originally on these cars in 1914.

I've got mostly original 1914 touring car that has all the Murphy fasteners painted black. Does anyone know if that's how they came from the factory, or was that done by one of the previous owners? The pictures show a few examples.

Sure hope he had the reamer for bushing and you used it while there. I will go back to use his Stevens reamer after I install the new bushing. At the same time, I'm planning on using his NOS magnet charger made by some company back in the day, to freshen up the magnets in the car's engine. It is re...

They make a puller for that purpose or you can try to carefully drive it out. I tried to drive it with my drive shaft (which I was replacing) and sheared off some of the rivet heads holding the ball on. I was able to replace them but it made what looked like a simple job much more complicated. Lang...

I recently picked up a 1914 touring car that has had minimal restoration and mileage (due to lack of wear on the internals and moving chassis parts). Cosmetically, the car's fenders and splash aprons were repainted at some point, but the body, upholstery and tattered remains of the top are original....

You may check your front and rear metal seat riser for a letter. My July 1913 Beaudette "1914 style" touring has a "B" up high just below the wood seat frame in the center. Mine is on the rear seat riser. Ford was making '13's and '14's style touring cars at the same time. Also, if you get a chance...

I've got an early 1914 Model T that I am working on that I am trying to decipher the identification stamped on the wood frame under the front seat cushion. Here is a picture of what is stamped into the wood, with letter and numbers typed below for easier reading: stamped into the wood: F 6 14 221131...

I try to shop the different suppliers, to help spread my $ support around. However, I really, really, really, really like that when shopping Snyder's you KNOW if a part is in stock. If not in stock, it says so.

Birdhaven reached out to me and they have a core to build up an adjustable spool, so I am going that route. Thanks to those who checked for one for me.

The spool is for an early 1914 T, equipped with a two piece drive shaft. Here are some pictures showing the pinion. If you mean by bumps having extra meat around each bolt hole, then yes.

Thanks for the information, but it is a 1" long crack between one of the holes and down the inner wall with the sleeve removed.

I am looking for a Fun Projects/Birdhaven converted closed spool pinion bearing. I would prefer the adjustable version, but am open to the nonadjustable kind. Birdhaven still does these conversions, but it is my understanding that the customer needs to provide a crack free housing and my closed spoo...

Original Smith wrote: ↑
Mon Jul 28, 2025 6:05 pm
The ratchet in your photo is definitely the early style. Clean it up, and reuse it.

Definitely! There is not much wear on it.

I learned something new yesterday. I am in the process of pulling the engine on an early 1914 T and I was getting ready to pull the pin holding the crank handle ratchet, when I discovered that the pin was permanently installed with both ends peened. I asked Larry Smith about it, and he said that is ...

If you live near an Atwoods, they sell conventional motor oil; at least the one near me does.

When you replaced the rotor, did the camshaft have the hole for the rotor pin drilled all the way through the camshaft? Earlier camshafts were made that way. If so, you may have installed the rotor 180 degrees out of phase.

Scott is correct that, in this case, the wire needs to be replaced as part of the repair. Several years ago I restored a 1915 Runabout that had cracks in the vertical flange of rear fenders. In my case, I fabricated some 0.03" or 0.04" doublers that I installed with JB weld on the inside of the vert...

Tim,

Have you tried Lucas tires? I got flaps from them in the past:

https://lucasclassictires.com/

Congratulations Keith!!!

There is or was a 1909/10 touring for sale in Connecticut for $29,000 on Facebook Marketplace. Mostly original condition. Needing restoration Its engine number is 1513 which puts the engine build somewhere in February 1909. I don’t know how accurate that is because supposedly the first approximatel...

There's also one less than two miles from Greenfield Village. The perfect way to end the day after visiting it or the Henry Ford museum.

My hood support rod keeps moving rearward. It only takes about 10 miles of driving for the rod to slide off off the cradle on the radiator. Is this normal? Is there a common fix? Mark, I had the same problem with my 1915 Runabout that I used to own. Dan's suggestion may work, or even a small blob o...

This week I finally added the factory pinstriping to the late 1911 touring car that I finished restoring in November 2022. A big thanks to Keith Townsend for providing pictures of the pinstriping on his car based on his research into proper striping that the factory did at that time. I took it out f...

Some folks don't understand how easy it is to hand-start a T (on BAT OR MAG) because they have never tried it with one that is up to specs. A common mistake people make is to assume that their car is as it should be. Magnets, magneto gap and crankshaft endplay within the Ford Manual specs really ma...

This is the underside of the seat cushions from the late 11 touring car that I restored, showing the wire seat bases. One of the pictures that Keith posted is one of these cushions before the cardboard like bottom was removed.

Neal

So far, nothing! However, I will be getting getting our 1911 off the jacks soon and get it back on the road since spring is arriving in Kansas after a long winter. What my SON did was make two picture frames, one for him and one for me, using the remnants of the original cherry firewall that I repla...

Our 1911 touring spent most of its existence in the Hollywood area, and the records that came with the car stated that it was used in the movie "Excuse my Dust" in 1951 starring Red Skelton. Supposedly it was also used in two Mae West movies in the 1930s, but I haven't been able to figure out which ...

Me three...

At least it is supposed to get in the low 50s tomorrow. The first time this year.

How hard it is to mount them will depend some on how warm the tires are, and how they are made. Wards Riverside tires have ribs that go up the sides a ways and, in my experience, are harder to install than the Blockley tires that I installed on our 1911 touring car. The HF tire irons work well, as l...

I'm able to look back at every single part that I put together and think about how this vehicle came to be. Having completely restored two Model T's, I can relate to your observation. Every area brings back memories of the restoration; some more enjoyable than others! It is one of the benefits of d...

I've used both the 1917 Ford band wrench and the ratcheting wrench for band adjusting. I too found that the ratcheting version does have some clearance issues on the earlier aluminum hogshead, so I pretty much just use the 1917 wrench now, since flipping the wrench while adjusting the band nuts isn'...

Donsolcars wrote: ↑
Thu Dec 12, 2024 3:36 pm
Where in central illinois is the powder coater you used. I'm in Springfield and always looking, have a set of wire rims to get done. Thanks Don

If you are asking the original poster, I live in Kansas not Illinois and had them powder coated in Wichita.

Model A tires can be mounted without tools, I just did six using plastic trash bags to make the tire slide over the wheel. You are correct. However in my case, the tires are maybe 30 years old and the I couldn't get the tires warmed up, so they were a bit stiff. I did use the garbage bag method whi...

John kuehn wrote: ↑
Sun Dec 08, 2024 4:25 pm
Where did you get the tire spoons. Looks like they would work well.

They came from Amazon. Do a search for "tire spoons" on Amazon and it will show numerous sources. I would suggest getting three of the 14.5" long ones.

Installing tires on a Model T or a Model A is no one's favorite task to do. Having installed three sets of tires on Model T's in the past, I have found that tire spoons work well for me. However, there's still the risk of scratching up the rims. This past week I decided to have the rims from our 192...

Tillotson was an aftermarket offering that was never offered on the Model A from Ford. Other manufacturers were enlisted to produce the Zenith so a -1 or -2 was added to the bowl to identify makers since the carbs were identical. The Zenith-3 is the carburetor on my ‘31 Ford. It has a different inl...

One of the reasons that I enjoy being a caretaker of a Model T is the opportunity to learn about and experience using car technology from a different era. That experience was expanded for me this past summer when we picked up a 1929 Model A. Most Model T owners know that much of the mechanicals of t...

Steve, You unfortunately missed last January's Model T clinic, but there was an excellent ignition presentation by Larry Azevedo. Among other things, he talked about the spark setting when running on MAGNETO and that there is essentially one setting that works the best from idle to cruise speed. I s...

The OP's questions was answered, but I seem to recall reading on the forum once that the T's with the "one man top" are not quite as tall as the "one man top" cars. Is that correct? I do know that the runabouts (at least our old 15) do not sit as tall as the two man top touring cars. Our old house h...

Got curious about the plaque & photo. What I found is some good information to establish some provenance of the items you have. Thanks for the info. At least I now know who the guy is in the photo and on the plaque! The gentleman for whom the estate sale was for appeared to work in the Bloomington ...

It is not a windshield weather guard. 1909 and possibly 1910 model year T's did not come standard with a top or windshield. Some tops had an integral roll up windscreen curtain attached in case there was no windshield, but if a windshield was also installed then there could be both. The car in the ...

Over the past several days there has been a nearby estate sale for a gentleman who was a long time insurance agent and 1922 Model T runabout owner. There was a variety of antique car wall memorabilia and awards given to insurance people. I bought this bronze plaque celebrating 60 years of State Farm...

I've got a question about reground cams for the group. The picture below shows a stock cam/bearings that I removed from a 1922 engine that I rebuilt to use as the "driving" engine for our 1911 touring car. Below that is a reground cam that a friend gave me that appears to be from a pre 1924 engine, ...

Steve Jelf wrote: ↑
Sat Nov 09, 2024 4:50 pm
Neal, you can make it yourself. If an electronic dummy like me can do it...

I imagine that I could Steve, but I really like now nice one that Fun Projects used to make looks. Within reason, I'd rather pay someone to make a nice one than make one myself!

Is there a big call for these things? I have one and could easily make them, I just didn't think there was a big demand for them... Jeff Jeff, I would be interested in buying one if you could make one similar to the Fun Projects one shown in an earlier post. Right now I have to crawl under our 1911...

Nice video as always Mitch. Thanks for making them. About how many miles did you have on that new timer? It seems like a lot of wear in a year. You may want to consider using red grease instead like shown in Royce's article (link below). He's not the only one who suggests grease instead of oil, and ...

The clamps are just for mounting tires with the rim or wheel off the car, aren't they? I've never carried them on a trip. Neal, in the photo your car is in front of the Wright home and cycle shop, isn't it? Steve, I've only used the Sioux clamps for installing tires on the wheels removed, because i...

Thanks for all your comments. Blockley won't give me a shipping price, Firestone tires are out of stock in California and are about $125 per tire more then wards riversides, so im going to go with the riversides. Kim, I have installed two sets of Riversides and one set of Blockley tires. My observa...

The one shown in my earlier picture was removed from our late 1911/early 1912 model year touring car. Perhaps they briefly made them with the hex head before switching to the square head for the rest of the T production.

I don't remember the hex on the outlet cover like yours, but it may be so. Allan, I looked at Gail Rodda's Model T part guide book, and here's a picture of the early brass sediment bowl from 1912 with what looks like a square instead of a hex on the outlet cover. I haven't found any pictures of old...

The Fun Projects replica is a well made tool. I have used when I've built up a couple engines to make sure that the magneto was working well while I was assembling the engine.

Ed, your price may not be too far off if it was the earlier type without the hex below the thread, it had the correct drain tap and had not been polished. Those are really scarce. Allan from down under. I am not trying to hijack this thread and sell a sediment bowl, but Allan is this what you mean ...

Restored Rubes triple twist brass horn restored and ready to install. It is has some usual dents and small crack along one side of the removable front piece where it fits into the horn. $300, which includes shipping within the US.

email sent

I drove our 11 touring to the "Andover Days" car show. This was the second year in a row that I brought it there, and it proved once again what most T owners already know, that kids LOVE Model T's. This year I even won the kids choice award. I was parked between two 68 Camaros. The yellow one in the...

I'm selling a spare original Ford aluminum timer from 1912-1913 and brass roller. $100 including US tracked shipping. Please contact me if interested using the info below. NO PM please.

Thanks,

Neal

I have used Mercury Auto Transport twice for arranging enclosed Model T and Model A transportation. They provided quick, excellent service in finding a carrier. One from LA area and the other from the tip of the tail of Massachusetts. The quoted prices were reasonable too. I can provide the contact ...

Since we no longer have our 1915, I'm selling an original 1915 Ford owners manual.

Excellent condition. $75, which includes shipping within the US. Please contact me using the info below. No PM please.

bump for reduced price

I am selling a Bruce Compton rebuilt Holley NH center drain carburetor. It was my spare carburetor, but I since picked up a Holley G for that purpose, which is more correct for our T. The price is $200, which includes tracked shipping within the US. Please contact me using the information below. Ple...

We've sold our 1915 runabout, and the car was delivered to the new owner with the later flat key that came with the car when I bought it. However, the key that I preferred using was the two piece key with the round shaft. I found that it goes into the ignition switch a bit easier than the one piece ...

There are are a few anomalies with this T. That is a lot of money for this T. Rear fenders & Top irons 17 or later also. Thats more added cost to correct. Seat cushion cover backwards? Plus a buyers premium. Best way to launder an old car/motorcycle is thru an auction. I doubt the buyer knows what ...

B 29 doc. Money well spent to tour the front half. Costs at least 12k per hour to operate... Oshkosh was good this year, but it's too bad that Ford isn't a major sponsor any more, because there are no Model T's from the nearby clubs giving rides any more! It was good to see two B-29's flying. I liv...

Sold pending payment

My contact info if interested in buying them:

Since I'm in the process of selling our Model T that is equipped with Edison 14 spark plugs, I'm selling these spare Edison 14 plugs for $100, which includes tracked shipping. The plugs are used, but appear to be in good shape. My contact info is below if interested. No PM please as I probably won't...

1912touring wrote: ↑
Thu Aug 01, 2024 12:01 am
Very nice car...and very tempting

It is quite likely that the final bid will be below what was invested in doing the full restoration. Someone is going to end up with a really nice brass T for a really good price!

Wouldn't a serial number of 591xxx be well in the 1914 model year? It is a 9/30/14 assembly date, which was early in the 1915 model year. The car was likely finished in early 1915, as Ford was having trouble with the transition to the new 1915 body styles, both for the runabout and touring car. For...

We are reluctantly selling the 1915 runabout that I fully restored during 2019-2020 to make room for a 1929 Model A and since we aren't driving it as much since we finished restoring our 1911 T touring car. There aren't many recently restored Model T's out there; particularly for sale. It's a great ...

Our 1911 touring car in the Mojave desert in 1923. The original owner is second from the right, and the picture came from the widow of the first man on the left.

It appears that the post by the gentleman looking to buy a very early Model T has been removed or I just couldn't find it. If that gentleman is still checking the forum site, here is a restored 1910 Model T listed on Facebook. I know nothing about the car; I'm just passing on the link: https://www.f...

price reduced. new ones no longer available from Tim

My wife and I are looking for a Model A Tudor or Fordor (preferably) in all around excellent condition. The year is not particularly important. Ideally one with low miles since total restoration, and are willing to pay accordingly, within reason! I know that many Model T owners have Model A's too, s...

For Sale Lee Day-Night gas gauge reproduction made by Tim Morsher. It is calibrated for a ROUND gas tank. Tim stopped making these in 2022. Price is $140, which includes tracked shipping within the US. International sale shipping would be extra. Please contact me using the information provided below...

Craig, I had zero experience painting cars before I restored two Model Ts. Both paint jobs turned out very well with a very low cash outlay. I did have the fenders and splash aprons professionally stripped by a low pressure, high volume media blasting place. This is NOT sandblasting. They did a grea...

The 1911 touring that I restored came with a back seat floor cocoa mat that was in pretty poor shape. I put it back in the car after I was finished, because a new one from the vendors was close to $100. I'm not sure that its even available right now, because Snyder's shows it as discontinued. This p...

Guilty as sin, Your Honor. I can be as lazy as anybody else. :) My response was meant for the "other guy" type of posters! :) I still learn things from the T owner's manual every time that I reread it. It's 110+ year old information that still will help keep current Model T owners out of trouble if...

Argument on FB. Other guy: The thermosyphon system is designed to boil. IMO, people need to look at the Ford owner's manual and/or the service manual FIRST if they have a question and then pose the question on FB or the forum site IF their answer can't be found. The original manual is very unique i...

I use this 6V strapped to the frame on our 11 touring. Our 15 runabout has the same battery, although possibly a different part number because I got it several years ago. I got the idea of using a battery like this from Steve Jelf's website posting that he provided the link for. It works well, and I...

I don’t know if the modern cam gear cover plate seal would fit on a 1911 gear cover plate but that Anderson needs to be oil free. Just dab a little vasoline on the 4 contacts and flapper occasionally. And, of course, you’ve removed that round brass shield behind the commutator. The modern seal won'...

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