MTFCA Forum

Rich Bingham

. . . My guess is that some property of Kevlar causes more friction than cotton or wood. . .[/size] I’m guessing with you, Steve. But is it friction in itself, or the amount of heat generated and/or developed by a synthetic material ? Anyone who has worked much with ropes knows synthetics can gener...

Rich Bingham

Driveshaft spool has enclosed studs, running board braces are forged, pointing toward 1919 or earlier.

Rich Bingham

Though he never wore three piece suits, pressing business kept KD from attending the regular broad meeting at Ernie’s that season.

Rich Bingham

There was a lot of contention over that spot, and many near misses. Weldon’s cows were always out, his fences were badly in need of repair, and his cattle always felt the grass was smaragdiner on the other side. Painting the linhay that winter helped a lot, but motorists who dared take the hill in h...

Rich Bingham

It would be fun and inexpensive to have reproductions of that label of instruction pasted inside the box lid. Is there any interest ?

Rich Bingham

Always enlightening to read a sketch on the lives and careers of KD’s friends and associates. Nathicklwood Hoskinz’s decimal collection is the centerpiece of the punctuation display at the Institute. We are indebted to his scholarship for the modern system of distinguishing periods from decimal poin...

Rich Bingham

Thanks for that, Larry ! I’ll touch it up next winter.

Rich Bingham

This is the coil box and switch on my ‘13. The knob in the right of the switch body is the “key”. It’s a brass shaft that makes it “impossible” to throw the switch when it’s removed. I think the switch plate is supposed to be black, with the inscription in relief unpainted. Good a time as any to rev...

Rich Bingham

Wonderful pictures ! Thank you !!

Rich Bingham

It’s interesting to put it all in perspective. If an on-line inflation calculator is to be believed, the runabout cost $21,366.00. In today’s dollars, and you’d have to spend an additional $4,300.00 to upgrade to the Laundaulet. The runabout price of $825.00 was over two years’ wages for a working s...

Rich Bingham

Us Model T guys tend to be notoriously cheap. Well, to be kind, let’s say “thrifty”. ;) Oddly, we tend to wax nostalgic for the “mom ‘n’ pop” independent providers of goods and services, writing paens of praise for the personal attention, prompt service and honest integrity they represent. Then, at ...

Rich Bingham

Curiously, aluminum bronze is magnetic. How about that ?

Rich Bingham

I’m frequently amazed at the factoids that emerge on this forum. Linus, I hope you’ll keep us posted on what you discover (and re-cover ;) ) for your project. FWIW, the references made me aware that DuPont Fabrikoid was a nitrocellulose material on cotton backing, and that “Naugahyde” (U. S. Rubber ...

Rich Bingham

Arlie failed to reference the fact that KD was not only in attendance (note his raceabout in the lower left-hand corner of the above photo) but was on the program to deliver a dissertation on his latest discoveries in methods to de-flocculate the effervescence emanating from the spasmodle screen on ...

Rich Bingham

1947 Case Model D plowing with a 17” two bottom IH “tumblebug”. Gone but not forgotten!

Rich Bingham

If it is a cut off touring they put a “correct” runabout top on it

can’t see the side well enough to tell for sure.

Rich Bingham

jiminbartow wrote: ↑
Mon Jun 29, 2020 10:04 am
. . . neutralize any remaining vinegar residue so new rust will not form over time?

Really no way to entirely eliminate corrosion. Antifreeze mixes retard corrosion. Running straight water, many add a pint of soluble oil. YMMV

Rich Bingham

On a ground up restoration I sandblasted a bare frame and brushed it on. It levels well. I then top coated it with enamel, because POR (at the time) decays fairly rapidly if exposed to UV. This was over 20 years ago, maybe they have changed the formulation to obviate that ? POR is a very hard coatin...

Rich Bingham

Simply depress the clutch pedal firmly and engage low gear. Thing is, you don’t want to do that unless you are moving no faster than you are when you normally shift from low to high. If you have a speedometer, note your speed on shifting up (usually around 10mph). If you don’t have one, it’s not dif...

Rich Bingham

John, Bovalix is the brand of supplement block I’m familiar with. The tubs are useful but not “bullet proof” :lol: Rich, as you know, acetone is a major ingredient in lacquer thinners, but I don’t think lacquer thinner is quite as volatile as straight acetone. Should work out better, methinks. I lik...

Rich Bingham

John, Bovalix tubs ! Good idea. I also like the idea of using diesel and mineral spirits. Maybe time to explore soaking solutions ? I can’t say I have a lot of experience with them. Usually when I need something like that it’s “right now” and out of desperation. My “kit” stuff has usually been Liqui...

Rich Bingham

What a great project ! Keep us posted Rich, I hope the transmission yields some good parts. That’s a lot of penetrant even with this most economical vessel. I like that you stained the “potty chair”

nice touch !

Rich Bingham

Amos Zinderplaster was the town cobbler in Saddlestring for three generations. Well known for his fine craftsmanship, honesty and sterling character, back in the old days folks referred to him as a “peachy, square, cobbler”. Kalamity Dick always patronized him, and ordered several pairs of custom ma...

Rich Bingham

I think most sellers who are “true Model T guys” are influenced by perceptions of rarity when they offer parts. Oddly, locale has some bearing on that - some items that are scarce in one part of the country are more plentiful in other places.

Rich Bingham

Frank, scarcely anyone reads prior posts. Mostly the boards are here to post stuff. As to attention span ? Squirrel !!!

Rich Bingham

Curiously, the expression “out of the loop” has its origin with Zelda May. In spite of the number of loyal followers she had in the Basin, most folks realized her prognostications were inaccurate 99% of the time, when they weren’t just flat-out wrong. Her location next to The Loop Saloon led folks t...

Rich Bingham

Susanne, I was mulling this over in terms of the historic time-line, and what I’ve noticed re/ tire wear on my own Lizzie. Dirt roads can be “kinder” to tires, but pavement is always abrasive. The reality that few Model Ts have all four wheels in perfect alignment, to say nothing of worn steering el...

Rich Bingham

It seems white tires have been troublesome for quite some time. Not long ago there was much discussion on these boards as to the cause of their turning brown. Haven’t heard much about that lately, I wonder if it means that problem has been solved ? Up til now, Steve’s experience with extremely rapid...

Rich Bingham

The Larkvonnet dynasty continues to this very day. Not long ago, scions of the Larkvonnet family were busily engaged in growing square melons, a boon to shippers, but a curse for the producers of melon balls. One might say Chatsworth’s vision has become somewhat “watered down”. By the way, Sebastian...

Rich Bingham

Perfectly understandable, Burger. The Loop Saloon in Blattsville was a popular watering hole in its day, in spite of the fact no water was ever served there. It was remarkable for having a basement (easily seen in the photograph) in an era when most saloons were on the level.

Rich Bingham

Susanne wrote: ↑
Tue Jun 23, 2020 6:19 pm
. . . a muddy engine isn't that big of a deal...

Very true, but a muddy carburetor intake sorta is

Rich Bingham

Meanwhile, back in Chugwater, a garbled telegram from Hebgen had sanitation engineers climbing the “corpro-ladder” [sic] descending into several of the Basin’s septic tanks looking for salvageable participles that had been inadvertently flushed. The poker term was not lost on regulars down at Ernie’...

Rich Bingham

My opinion - When Model Ts were new, road conditions of the day made splash pans advisable, especially in mud. Today, when nearly everyone rolls mostly on pavement, not so much. With advancing improvements in the road system, splash pans became vestigial or non-existent on new cars before WW II. I h...

Rich Bingham

Weeping is not a problem. Dripping is.

Rich Bingham

Long time readers will remember this photo of a guard dog guarding a tomato, prior to knurling.

Rich Bingham

Bill, there’s an old wooden boxcar on our place that has been used as a shed for over sixty years. Stenciled on the walls it says : “this car is not to be loaded with coal, hides, or anything that will make it unfit for high-class lading”. I’m guessing automobiles and machinery were probably include...

Rich Bingham

The baffle is there for a reason. Over years, folks have found all manner of items in that “hidey-hole”that could have raised hob with the mag if they hadn’t been trapped there. Still, it would be a good feeling to know the pan was squeaky clean through and through ! (I’d put it back)

Rich Bingham

I’m guessing they have Model T gaskets on file, then ?
Thanks for that source Steve !

(Bearing them out with a hammer really isn’t a LOT of fun !

)

Rich Bingham

I’m surprised to see a post to the “regular” boards titled “KD driving one of the rarest Fords on the planet - a 1905 Model B”.
Are we missing out somehow ?!?

Rich Bingham

Hasn’t everyone made their own gaskets one time or another using a ball-pein hammer ?

(Works best with “paper” gasket stuff)

Rich Bingham

Blattsville had an extremely short life. One of the Basin’s remarkable boom towns, it sprang to life shortly after Elmer Purselane’s mule accidentally kicked up a vein of pure question marks. This was at a time when the alphabet mines were yielding practically no punctuation at all, so the market wa...

Rich Bingham

Not sure, Herb. Is that the St. Swithin’s Day Parade in downtown Saddlestring , 1914 ?

Rich Bingham

I have heard forest fires in Portugal some fourteen years ago or so practically ended the cork industry which may never recover. You may have noticed how plastic stoppers have replaced corks in your favorite vino ? Any road, the “pure” sheet cork (made from ground up cork) used for gaskets always wa...

Rich Bingham

Forged brackets riveted to the frame side rails were always supported by truss rods ( 1909-21 all bodies) as your photos show. Without them running boards are very flimsy, and the frame rails may twist some when weight is applied to the running board. 1920-21 forged braces were replaced by one piece...

Rich Bingham

KD loved children, and not just parboiled, as W. C. Fields used to quip. He often claimed his best ideas came from the innocent and untrammeled minds of three-year-olds. That parallel also explains his long association with Cuthbert.

Rich Bingham

What was it ? Nothing that’s available today I’m pretty sure. For that matter, motor oils sold today are mostly very different from many types that were available only 20 years ago. The common wisdom on this forum is that “any” modern oil is far superior to what was commonly used “back in the day”. ...

Rich Bingham

Why not offer it on these boards, to forum members, rather than “flea bay” ?

Rich Bingham

It is an open car, windshield stanchion bolted to the cowl is typical. Earlier style of radiator shell with integral lower molding was transitional in ‘23. I believe Wayne is right.

Rich Bingham

Again, a remarkable photograph. Doubtless, this launching is the maiden voyage of the KD Zepplin, which took to the skies from the Squamish field at Scratchankle College on St. Swithin’s Day, 1931. You can tell from the license plate on KD’s raceabout in the foreground, and the broken bottle of Happ...

Rich Bingham

Thanks for bringing that up, Burger. It’s often amusing to compare the advances and lapses in technology between here and Europe. The article made no mention of KD nor of the extensive use of push ropes in the Tri-Burgs over a century ago. Oh well. I understand yellow breeches were uniform in the It...

Rich Bingham

So much of the heavy work in the Basin would have been real slow drudgery without KD’s helpful know-how. Owing to the wizardry of his mechanical genius, every workday in the Tri-Burgs was practically a fun-fest. Workers in all trades looked forward to each 12 hour day with happy anticipation. Here w...

Rich Bingham

Thanks Rich. I just tripled the order. After all, it keeps. Interesting, KD’s raceabout shows in this photo of the alphabet mine, the adit where the richest vein of “Gs” played out just before the regatta in ‘23. Minors referred to it as the “G-string”. Most had their mouths washed out with lye soap...

Rich Bingham

Professor Plum. Because there was no place to hide it in the library. Last trip to the gas station.

Rich Bingham

Not a speedster - a ‘12 torpedo.

Rich Bingham

Not to digress, but subscribers to this topic will want to know that with just a month less one day until the annual St. Swithin’s Day Celebration, preparations are progressing apace. Bartholomew has brought the floor sanitizer up from the basement to purify the Institute’s foyer for the opening ded...

Rich Bingham

. . . There are times when it seems more like a horse than an automobile. I completely agree with that !! An uphill, down dale ramble at 25 per on a dirt road, top down and windshield folded is as close to a high lope on a good pony as one can get riding a motor contraption. More, like a horse, the...

Rich Bingham

Bad is right, Dan ! Graphite is conductive - shorts out the magneto !!

Rich Bingham

I have always run Scandinavia lining, pre 1965 and recently, as of 2017 so I can’t speak to whatever variations different owners of the brand offered during the interim. One thing I have always done is to soak the linings in pure neatsfoot oil overnight after riveting them to the bands. This was rec...

Rich Bingham

Beautiful ! Please show us more !

Rich Bingham

It's a 100 year old car, employing 100 year old technology. The best you're going to do is balance the engine and transmission someday, which will cost about 1/2 of the car's present total value unless you do it all yourself. Enjoy it for what it is. Old cowboy advice: “Don’t try to make your pony ...

Rich Bingham

I’m in for a pair of 30x3s. Tread is currently more or less a mere suggestion on all four tires on my ‘13. I’m in no hurry to buy tires that have an increasingly poor performance review. I like the look of the Bockley tires, and I’m very interested in them.

Rich Bingham

Thanks for the testimonial Tim. I’ve never noticed any lack of response with a Holley G. Plowing through heavy mud or sand or negotiating a steep grade in low gear is more in keeping with the power requirements of the T engine than driving at speeds above 35mph. A stock Model T will lope along at 25...

Rich Bingham

I love the Holley “G” carb, and put one on my ‘13 even though it’s not “correct”. Others with more carb savvy are welcome to correct my notions, but I would say the float adjustment and resulting “puddle” at the strangling tube is the most critical aspect of setup for good results. I have not starte...

Rich Bingham

Tim, that’s good news indeed. I wondered about the ability of those who practice this craft to deal with old iron, a couple of armchair opinions indicated it wouldn’t work on our antiques since panels on the new cars are so much thinner, and tempered. Useful testimony! Thanks for posting. (It’s also...

Rich Bingham

The “Better Farms & Barns” centerfold was the cause of much salacious gossip in the Basin when it appeared. It’s possible those yellow pantaloons found in the Institute’s basement may be the originals. I wish Heinrich would put them back. They really need to be examined for authenticity.

Rich Bingham

Not exactly a book, but “Lulu” (not her real name) was featured in a special issue of “Precision Machining and Ox Shoeing Journal”. An article by Binford Stroschlap titled “Oiled Doves” covered several of the Tri-Burg ladies who were employed in various capacities developing improved machinery of al...

Rich Bingham

Rich, that lapse is most likely due to the note “meet Lulu at 10:30”. Obviously KD drew the sketch before that meeting. Lulu was well known for her condensing aptitude, no doubt inspiring the later improvements he made to the design.

Rich Bingham

The sketches on napkins file is probably the largest single collection of documents in the archives. No doubt this is one of KD’s concept sketches for the floor sanitizer. The notation, “tuna on rye, no mayo” dates it to the first edition when KD was allergic to mayonnaise. Meanwhile, Snickley locat...

Rich Bingham

Great fun to have these responses. Thanks, fellows ! Part of my intent, which I didn’t make clear at first, is to learn how many had a T as their first personal driver. So, whether you owned it or not, if a T (or TT) was your first, that counts. Model A ? Close, but no cee-gar. Owning one first, but...

Rich Bingham

In the thread on the self-destructing magneto, R. V. Anderson commented that a weak mag could indicate cracked magnets. How weak is weak ? What’s the best test for magneto strength ? Do you need instruments ? My Lizzie starts readily on battery when cold, but I haven’t had a similar response crankin...

Rich Bingham

A thread about a new owner’s “maiden voyage” and subsequent comments got me wondering - how many of us can say our first car was a Model T ?

Rich Bingham

Kristy Spadaford favored yellow pantaloons. It’s documented in the archives. Very relevant !

Rich Bingham

Oh ! That’s different. That works every time. I thought one of the rules of free start was the car cannot be moving ?

Rich Bingham

Rich, thank you for supplying that excellent photo of the flume. It’s remarkable in that it clearly shows KD’s raceabout negotiating Sasquatch Creek on one of his excursions to photograph the migratory Opisthocomos in their spawning plumage. Balloon tires on the raceabout improved flotation. Dick is...

Rich Bingham

I’ve never gotten a free start on “mag” yet.

Rich Bingham

Milton Spring emptied into Sasquatch Creek about a mile below Cuthbert’s west pasture. The Falicson boys built the flume that diverted the stream into the bottling works. Milton Wallop produced the beverage line for ten years. He never let on that the “wallop” ingredient was actually owing to his er...

Rich Bingham

Simply put, adequate spark, gasoline and correct timing, should run, even if poorly for other reasons. Eliminate one of the three, no go !

Rich Bingham

What carburetor are you running ?

Rich Bingham

Good thoughts Harold. I do think you’re a little quick to “junk” the Model T, however, as well as “re-commission” them. Perhaps region is a factor in the number of Ts continuing in service, but I think our own family history is likely pertinent: In 1929, at the age of 38, my granddad bought his firs...

Rich Bingham

It’s likely KD’s food preferences were shaped by Aunt Frodee’s cooking. It was said by those who knew her well that she never deviated from the recipes in Sloan’s cookbook. A tee-totaler, she sternly disapproved of Happy Sally, but always had a “fifth” of Sloan’s Liniment on hand for all occasions. ...

Rich Bingham

That reminds me, one topic we have inadvertently neglected on this thread is a discussion of KD’s gustatorial preferences. As he was well known for his adventuresome palate and eclectic tastes, I have requested Sebastian and Bartholomew to research all aspects of this intriguing facet of KD’s life a...

Rich Bingham

the midwife don’t deliver at home ?

Rich Bingham

Burger, mea culpa. This is what comes from incomplete identifications. Boris Ametre, shown looking from the window in the above photo, is the great-grand uncle of Heinrich’s good friend, Boris Slagwater. I can see the confusion, both wear hats.

Rich Bingham

Boris was a rather relaxed personality. Arraigned for counterfeiting in Chattahootchie (he was casting phony silver dollars out of Linotype metal) he was acquitted for lack of evidence. His accomplice had melted them down into fishing sinkers, which was actually more profitable. Warned by the presid...

Rich Bingham

I really enjoyed your post, Bill. You’re very kind to the gremlins. My no-water pump, no-starter T shipped from ‘way back East a few years ago. Any gremlins it had hanging about just waved goodbye.

Rich Bingham

Those who have owned, driven and worked on both should respond to this. (For fun !)

Rich Bingham

One thing leads to another around here. The rabbit hunt photo reminds me that KD had a brief lived affair with LuluBelle Suggs, who was crowned Queen of the Aberdeen rabbit drive that year. More humanely, they used ball bats - but I digress.

Rich Bingham

Just pondering the imponderable. Think of it ! Over fifteen million Model Ts rolling through almost one hundred and twelve years of history to date. Does anyone dare to estimate the number of miles they have traveled ? (So far ! We ain’t done yet !) Even at the conservative annual average (20,000 mi...

Rich Bingham

The annals of the Model T include instances where the riveted gear case has parted from the column. When that happens you have no steering, which has resulted in serious mishaps. Make sure your re-attachment is robust and sound. No aluminum, no plastic, no glue !

Rich Bingham

Natural “patination” in progress here. Heavy rains the past couple of days, apparently the hood hinge leaks like a sieve ! No doubt the spark plug wells were full of water when I cranked ‘er up this morning - I never thought about it. I’m a little surprised the plugs weren’t shorted out by all that ...

Rich Bingham

Rich, that looks great ! Corduroy is a good choice. Bill Hirsch used to order up authentic wool broadcloth stuffs for the restoration trade, but even 30 years ago it was mighty expensive and required him to make massive orders with woolen mills in the U.K. He may still have some Model T patterns. Wo...

Rich Bingham

Rich, that’s correct. He didn’t change them until January 4, 1936. They were still brown. Slug always was a snappy dresser, but he wouldn’t have had to wear two pairs of socks if he’d worn the right size boots. (14 triple “E”)

Rich Bingham

The Diablo tire patent was devilishly clever, and would have revolutionized pneumatic tire technology for years to come had Biff Huffingpuf, inventor and founder of the company, been independently capitalized. Alas, he made a “deal with the devil”, and launched his tire enterprise with financing fro...

Rich Bingham

The encyclopedia states 308,162 cars were built in 1915. I heard the “urban myth” that there were more ‘15s around than Henry built (owing to phonied-up 1916-22 cars) back in the ‘60s. Does anyone still believe that ?

Rich Bingham

Curious how that magenta beret brings us back to our main subject, the adventures of Kalamity Dick: In his early school days, KD had a very close friend, name of Chad Plackett who affected a beret. The two shared many happy after-school hours, fishing for mud puppies on Upper Chugwater Creek, and co...

Rich Bingham

Two observations: There were at least three (likely more) suppliers of bands throughout production, and each had their own slight differences. For the detachable ear variety, mis-matching “ears” and bands may or may not be problematic when fit up in the case. (Going through a big pile of bands in a ...

Rich Bingham

Jack was a kind soul who often fed the pigeons in Chugwater Park on his lunch break. The birds loved him for himself, and would sit in his lap and perch on his arm to get the moss seed he brought them.

Rich Bingham

Few people know how instrumental great great grandma Burger was in the development of the self contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA). She often complained to Jack Crustacean who worked the seed beds at the moss plantation how trailing the “hard hat” diving suit air hoses and gear lanyard ...

Rich Bingham

The pages reveal many fascinating details. Miss Prudence Ramcootie taught all nine grades in the one-room school house KD attended for three years. Her diary entry for September 4 : “. . . It’s an absolute delight how quickly young Richard Klamitboffer has grasped the concept of turning pages in a b...

Rich Bingham

Wasn’t there also a model they called the “Strudelmaker” ?
But we digress.

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