MTFCA Forum

Erik Johnson

At the factory, the rims were heated, the felloe and spoke assembly were placed in the heated rim and the rim would shrink onto the felloe. This is also what professional wheelwrights do. Period Ford Motor Company film covering Model T Ford wood wheel manufacturing process from start to finish: http...

Erik Johnson

My father has other antique cars and the seat cushions are more substantially built with wood frames, etc. akin to a box spring and, if you wanted to do so, you could set the cushions between two saw horses and sit on them, no problem. If you did that with the common 1913 or later Model T roadster o...

Erik Johnson

I believe the reason a wooden or stamped steel cover is needed is due to the design of the seat cushion which needs to be supported in the middle. My dad's July 1917 touring has a stamped metal cover for the front seat but doesn't have a stamped metal cover for the back seat. Instead there is a stam...

Erik Johnson

I wouldn't waste my time trying to partially re-spoke that wheel.

I would do one of the following:

- Find a better wheel locally

- Purchase a rebuilt wheel from the U.S.

Erik Johnson

It's 1/8" cotton sash cord. It's not hard to find.

Don't know if it is a still a common item at hardware stores but it's readily available online and most likely at your local window blind/drapery/curtain supply.

Erik Johnson

Minnesota 1912-13-14 license plate 27878 was registered to T. Roebske of Mankato, MN for a Ford.

Erik Johnson

You can utilize Google lens on your PC. Google lens is one of the features of Google Chrome browser.

Erik Johnson

Another set of what I presume are Goodyears Courtesy of Perry Kete in this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=50430

Erik Johnson

The diamond tread pattern on the Goodyears vs the Blockleys isn't the same. The Goodyear tread is as follows: 3 diamonds 2 diamonds 3 diamonds 2 diamonds etc. The Blockley tread is as follows: 2 diamonds triangle, diamond, triangle* 2 diamonds triangle, diamond, triangle etc. * or diamond with a 90 ...

Erik Johnson

You don't have to make clamp-on brackets if you rob them from a pantograph luggage rack.

Erik Johnson

Most likely because the raw bar stock was stamped every (insert number here) inches or feet before it was cut into the required lengths and then arched, etc.

Erik Johnson

If your car has been driven 35 years without tire flaps, why start now? When you replace your tires and find out that the inside of the rims need a little attention, wire brush them by hand or with a wire wheel on a drill or angle grinder and then brush on a coat of Rustoleum rusty metal primer. Als...

Erik Johnson

Any idea what this iron object is?

It was posted on NextDoor by a south Minneapolis resident. It's been in her garage for many years.

She didn't provide any measurements.

Erik Johnson

Photo courtesty of Dan Hatch. My father used this same procedure 60 years ago to stretch a set of metric Dunlop 875 x 105 clincher tires so they would fit the 27 inch wheels of his 1910 IHC. He said he let each tire sit on the modern tire over night. Note that this works only with clinchers because ...

Erik Johnson

I know that retailers such as Montgomery Wards didn't manufacture tires just as Sears didn't manufacture the 1950s Craftsman tablesaw or the 1980s Kenmore dryer in my basement which were manufactured by King Seeley and Whirpool, respectively. Just mentioning that my father always said that Wards Riv...

Erik Johnson

My father had a 1930s Wards Riverside 30 x 3.5 "blem" or "second" on his '17 touring for many years. It had a slight defect in the bead so the Wards Riverside name was ground off. According to my father, Wards Riverside tires were manufactured by U.S. Rubber/Uniroyal. I don't know if this is true or...

Erik Johnson

YouTuber Hand Tool Rescue recently reproduced that style of wrench:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZspDqxx2MFY

Erik Johnson

I'm not in the market for Blockley tires or tubes but I think it's baffling that there isn't at least one Blockley dealer in the U.S. so tires could be shipped in bulk directly from the factory in Vietnam and the tariff calcuated on the wholesale, not retail price. When my father bought English-made...

Erik Johnson

The same wrench is used for loosening demountable rim nuts. Maybe the revision to box-end may have something to do with the above? PS: Has anyone ever seen a nickel-plated T-2335 wrench? I go to a lot of estate sales in the Twin Cities and saw one but passed on it because the open-end was spread out...

Erik Johnson

AndyClary wrote: ↑
Fri Oct 03, 2025 1:09 pm
Since half the time forum members can’t agree on torque specs it’s probably not a big deal.

Andy

Torque spec aside, wouldn't a simple solution be to use the extension when tightening ALL of the headbolts, not just the headbolts near the firewall? Wouldn't that guarantee uniformity?

Erik Johnson

I wouldn't hesitate calling anyone with the name James McNeal in the Los Angeles area. That will be quicker and more effective than social media and crossing your fingers. James H. McNeal, Jr. and James H. McNeal, III, aka "Jimmy McNeal", are members of the family that owned Schaefer Ambulance in Lo...

Erik Johnson

Is there a reason you can't make a phone call?

That's quicker and more effient that social media.

Erik Johnson

Same video on YouTube - don't have to wait so long for it to load: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdTSwvT7I4g I remember the same Bill Williamson appearing on the TV show Real People in the 1970s. He's been discussed on the MTFCA forum in the past. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLaHfAYbmFU Here's...

Erik Johnson

- Suitcase tank

- Dog house tank

- Lunch box tank

- Triangle tank

- Pyramid tank

- European racing tank

- British racing tank

No. 3 Racer tank, pre Caractacus Potts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL4Gf2ydq2U

Erik Johnson

I presume that is the December 1905 issue of "Country Life."

Erik Johnson

Since he is 85, it may be simpler to find an enthusiastic neighborhood kid/young adult willing to do the cranking and be a driving companion. If he were 65 and was just tired of cranking but planning on driving for the next 25-30 years, then I would go through all the monkey business of adding a sta...

Erik Johnson

The correct front and rear straps for 1917 are cotton webbing, not leather. The hooks and buckles shown in your photos won't work with the cotton webbing. The correct hooks and buckles are serrated. You can use the hardware/buckles you have with your two-man top if you make new leather straps. Other...

Erik Johnson

If you make a tool yourself, it doesn't have to be as complicated/fancy as the Hassler factory issue tool.

As I posted above, a length of all-thread, two nuts, a washer and a flat piece of steel with a hole drilled in it will suffice to compress the spring in the bracket.

Erik Johnson

Hasslers came with a dedicated tool to compress the spring. However, you can compress the spring with it in the bracket with a homemade version using a piece of threaded rod, two nuts, a washer and a flat piece of steel with a hole drilled in it as I described here: https://www.mtfca.com/discus/mess...

Erik Johnson

Utilizing Ritchie Bros. to conduct an antique car and parts/automobilia auction is a very odd choice, in my opinion. I also noticed that every car that I clicked on indicated the terms were bill of sale/no title. That also seems extremely odd. It's hard to believe that a majority of the cars don't h...

Erik Johnson

All the references I found on Google books date from 1946 to 1949. Therefore, I say postwar. Click on this long link for self edification: https://www.google.com/search?q=embree+aqualator&sca_esv=0d75eb938edb70a5&udm=36&ei=_W-8aI_yPLadptQP9oSQ2Qk&ved=0ahUKEwjP5PWe1cSPAxW2jokEHXYCJJsQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&o...

Erik Johnson

1910s/20s BASCO (Briggs & Stratton Co.) combination ignition and light switch with two keys. Tumbler and keys are stamped "37." A number of different auto manufacturers used BASCO switches. Not sure what make this is from but possibly a Dodge. $40 plus postage. Personal check, cash or money order.

Erik Johnson

That San Juan dealer badge doesn't date to 1916 - it's much later.

Erik Johnson

In Minnesota, Menards carries denatured alcohol but Home Depot does not and it's getting harder to find at hardware stores. You should be able to buy it at a paint store like Sherwin Williams or even a woodworking supply because it's the solvent in shellac. I go to a lot of estate sales and buy dena...

Erik Johnson

If the pinion skips on the ring gear you will definitely know it because that produces a loud, ratchet/banging noise and it will sound like it's coming from under the floor boards. I would not describe it as growling. If the rear end is growling when accelerating, decelerating or going around corner...

Erik Johnson

This thread reminded me of Model T arbitrage: Does anybody remember the unsophisticated fellow who, years ago, would occasionally post ads with photos in the classified section for Model Ts that he didn't actually own but were listed for sale elsewhere (ex. Craigslist) at a lower price by their righ...

Erik Johnson

I believe the factory issued top boot for 1916 is the same as 1917 - no Murphy fasteners:

Refer to this thread:

https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/5 ... 1455820509

Erik Johnson

See my posts and photos in this thread:

viewtopic.php?t=32994

Erik Johnson

Brass trimmed kerosene lamps are correct for the 1915 model year but incorrect for the 1916 model year. For 1916, the doors/rims and chimney caps should be black painted steel. Same goes for the headlamp rims - not brass but black painted steel.

Erik Johnson

That looks like a natural gas/manufactured gas pilot light valve. The 1953 Rheem furnace that was original to my house had a "B" handle valve for the pilot light, but the inlet and outlet were in straight line, not 90 degrees like yours. It was a tapered valve, not a ball valve, with a tension sprin...

Erik Johnson

I would skip installing rubber pads or shims.

Erik Johnson

When your 1916 touring originally came from the factory, there were no pads between the body brackets and the chassis.

If there were pads when you removed the body from the frame, those would have been added by someone at a later date.

Erik Johnson

Similar to the Safe-T-Man dummy that was marketed circa late 1980s/early 1990s. The original idea was women who drove alone could put it in the passenger seat of their car. An employee of the company where I worked was ticketed when he was caught driving in the carpool lane with a Safe-T-Man in the ...

Erik Johnson

Those are anti-rattlers. They are a band-aid for worn steering components (bushings, tie-rod bolts, kingpins, etc.) but don't actually cure anything other than reducing noise. They are one of the worst things you can install on the front end of a Model T Ford. They create wear marks on steering syst...

Erik Johnson

Water might be getting between the firewall and the body. From the factory, I believe there originally was a rubber gasket, similar to a flat piece of inner tube, along the top of the wooden firewall between the firewall and the body. When my dad replaced the original factory firewall on his 1917 to...

Erik Johnson

For heavily tarnished brass, use Bar Keepers Friend and then follow-up with your favorite polish. It works extremely fast, even if the brass is brown. Wear nitrile or rubber gloves when using it. It's inexpensive and available in powder or liquid and you can find it a Walmart and, if you are in the ...

Erik Johnson

I'm surprised that the rear axle nut "Z" wrench is open-end.

My father has a TT rear axle nut Z wrench and it is box-end. It also has a round handle which is easier on the hands.

Erik Johnson

From the factory, for 1915 through 1922 U.S. roadsters and tourings, there SHOULD NOT be a pair of webbed straps from the front to the rear bow. I believe the same holds true for the 1913 and 1914 model years. It is the top pads tacked to the bows that keeps them separated. If you copy the top pads ...

Erik Johnson

It's fastened to socket two and three with large upholstery nails - one per socket.

Click on these threads and see my posts and photos:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=34940&p=270542&hili ... ls#p270542

viewtopic.php?t=32994

Erik Johnson

Now I wonder if there were two styles of Hammerblow timer - one with the apron and one without (late version vs early version or vice versa) or if the one shown in the ad that Mark posted was just for illustration purposes.

Erik Johnson

Click on link and read the description - does not use rollers, brush, fibre or raceway. A quickly read some of the material I posted above and it did have a cam as I assumed. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Motor_Age/e45MAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22herz+timer%22+ford&pg=RA2-PA14&printsec=frontc...

Erik Johnson

I searched "Herz Timer" on Google books. They were manufacturing timers early on, long before Model Ts arrived on the scene. Around 1920, they introduced the Herz Hammerblow Timer for Fords. If you search "Hammerblow timer" on Google Books, it yields some good information (two web pages worth of res...

Erik Johnson

If you search Gidleyford in Google books, you will find some articles on Gidleyford and Doryford boats including an extensive article by Murray Fahnestock in "Fordowner and Dealer" magazine. Fahnestock article https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ford_Owner_and_Dealer/4Jo3AwDh9csC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%2...

Erik Johnson

My father has owned and detailed a few nickel over brass National Cash Registers over the years - he still has one of them. The inner workings of those machines are the same as your slightly later 720. I go to a lot of estate sales and I've also examined a number of the them over the years. Remove t...

Erik Johnson

The original owner of my 1917 roadster drove it until 1947 when he sold it. He was a Swedish bachelor farmer in Cokato, MN and raised ginseng. My father was born in 1931 and is a lifelong Minneapolis resident. He said that he would see the occasional Model T used for regular transportation well into...

Erik Johnson

Walmart Supertech SAE HD-30 conventional motor is readily available, at least where I live. However, it's typically not in the automotive department but in the area where they sell lawnmowers or lawnmower sundries/yard and garden. They also sell SAE 30 non-detergent for air compressors but it is not...

Erik Johnson

You might want to obtain a better swivel. Yours is pretty worn and it might not be good situation if the ball pops out.

Erik Johnson

In corset making that type of metal cap is called a boning tip. Quarter inch and half inch metal caps are readily available - for example. Not sure about 5/8" caps. 1/4" tips http://corsetmaking.com/boning-tips/CMS-SSB-BT4DZ.html 1/4" tips http://www.voguefabricsstore.com/Spiral-Bone-Tips-1-4-6mm-pr...

Erik Johnson

That's the water pump - not a starter.

Erik Johnson

An acquaintence of mine here in the Twin Cities restored a 1909 REO that was very complete and in comparable condition to yours. (It also had the original canvas belly pan/diaper like your REO.) Alhough it was a victim of poor storage, it was actually a low mileage car and mechanically there was ver...

Erik Johnson

To elaborate on what Keith posted, efer to the upper left of ad below.

Erik Johnson

My father and I were invited to Darel's birthday ice cream social but, unfortunately, we couldn't make it. Darel and my father attended Minneapolis Washburn High School. They were in the same homeroom - the "Sound Crew" - which served as both the A/V and stage crew. Darel and my dad are standing nex...

Erik Johnson

On my roadster, I also replaced the original factory springs with lighter springs.

Erik Johnson

Valley Forge brand small 4x6 inch US stick flags are made of a polyester cotton blend. I would try running the edges over a candle flame to melt and seal them to keep them from fraying. (Years ago my sister, an avid sewer, made her own down vest. I watched her pass the nylon edges of all the various...

Erik Johnson

Minnesota 1912-13-14 license plate 22736 was registered in 1912 to a Hupmobile owned by C.F. Dahl of Essig, Minnesota. The registration was published in the June 10, 1912 edition of "Finance and Commerce of the Twin Cities" newspaper. Essig is approximately half-way between Sleepy Eye and New Ulm. (...

Erik Johnson

The most widely possessed but never read books are the Holy Bible and car owner's manuals.

Erik Johnson

The very first thing you should do which does not require taking anything apart is to simply open the petcock on the bottom of the fuel shut-off bulb and stick coat hanger wire straight up through the bulb and into the gas tank to clear any obstruction from the fuel tank into the bulb. Evidence that...

Erik Johnson

The pinstriper that my father utilizes uses 1 Shot. He is also a talented sign painter. As far as various shades of 1 Shot goes, he can pretty much create any shade/color you want by mixing/combining the various off-the-shelf colors. I have witnessed him doing this. Also, I believe 1 Shot has tintab...

Erik Johnson

Adjustment screw at 12 o'clock position on the bucket is correct through at least the 1917 model year.

Erik Johnson

From the factory, there were no webbing straps undere the top. The top pads serve that purpose and, if they are made correctly, they have canvas sewn inside them. There are two pieces of leatherette top material sewn down the middle tacked between the first and second bow as reinforcement (finished ...

Erik Johnson

I had to use the link to see what sawtooth means. Is it better than treads on Blockley, Wards, or other Model T tires, or is the attraction here the bargain price? To paraphrase my elderly father, sawtooth tread is "modern tread" and not period correct for a Model T Ford. Regardless, they are good ...

Erik Johnson

Regarding sidewall cracking: I have 30 x 3.5 Coker sawtooth tires on my roadster. They were on the car when I acquired it 30 years ago and, at that time, the sidewalls were already cracked. I don't know if this is an issue with current production. On the plus side: Coker 30 x 3 Coker sawtooth tread ...

Erik Johnson

I'm guessing that the 1912 touring in the first photo is Canadian because the front wheels appear to be 23" with 30 x 3.5 tires. Also, note the following accessories: knee action front shocks bumper headlamps converted to electric toolbox in lieu of acetylene generator or Prestolite tank seat covers...

Erik Johnson

Two different 1917 coupelets....

Erik Johnson

From personal experience, it is substantially easier to remove and mount a clincher tire with the wheel on the car instead of the wheel or demountable rim on the ground or a bench, etc. If you have demountable rims, move the rim to the front wheel if necessary as there is more room under the fender....

Erik Johnson

honeymoon cropped.jpg This is somewhat "off topic" given the likelihood that this T has been gone for 100 years, but it is a mid year '17 coupelet. The photo was taken by my grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Ostergren Sr. of my grandmother Agnes Dephine Wernstrom Ostergren at Atasca State Park in MInn...

Erik Johnson

Cropped copy of flyer - click on it to enlarge:

Erik Johnson

Cropped copy of flyer - click on it to enlarge:

Erik Johnson

Yes, they really work.

Years ago, you couldn't give them away.

Today, there is some demand.

In my opinion, $200 would be a reasonable price for a matched set of four of the style shown in your photo.

https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/3 ... 1385911783

Erik Johnson

I mentioned this thread to my 93 year old father - he's been in the antique car hobby since 1948. He said in the into the 1950s, there were a few fellows in the Minnesota Region of the AACA who used 1920s and 30s sedans as tow vehicles to trailer their antique cars. I don't know if he has any photos...

Erik Johnson

As Ed posted above, the gravity flow fuel system is the reason the carburetor sits so low and the intake is so long.

My father's 1910 IHC Model F roadster has overhead valves and has a much longer intake than a Model T Ford.

Erik Johnson

RE: nickel plated radiator shell on 1917 Ford touring When I acquired my 1917 roadster, it had aftermarket nickel-plated headlight rims and radiator shell and a honeycomb radiator. However, the radiator and shell were in rough shape so I sold them (the original owner had pushed portland cement into...

Erik Johnson

The 1912 Torpedo with the young woman has Minnesota 1912-13-14 license plate 19029 which was registered to Charles Wayland of Ivanhoe, MN.

Erik Johnson

RE: nickel plated radiator shell on 1917 Ford touring When I acquired my 1917 roadster, it had aftermarket nickel-plated headlight rims and radiator shell and a honeycomb radiator. However, the radiator and shell were in rough shape so I sold them (the original owner had pushed portland cement into ...

Erik Johnson

The 1915 touring in the very first photo has Minnesota 1915-16-17 license plate 87307 which was registered to A.L. Synnes of Gonvick, MN.

I've done casual research A.L. Synnes in the past - he was a photographer and passed away in 1970.

Erik Johnson

My unrestored May 1917 roadster has figure-eight shackles with steel oilers all the way around. My dad's July 1917 touring (last month of the model year) which he purchased unrestored from the original owner in 1949 has "L" shackles all around. L shackles have no provisions for oilers. The unrestore...

Erik Johnson

RE: Re-refined oil In the mid 1980s, I worked for a short time at the neighborhood gas station/convenience store. We stocked and sold a lot of re-refined, non-detergent SAE 30 oil. If I recall correctly, the price was less than a buck for a quart can. The folks that bought it were mainly poor people...

Erik Johnson

When my father started in the hobby 77 years ago, he put the used motor oil from his father's Cadillac in his Model T. An acquaintence of mine in the antique auto hobby who was born in 1925 told me that when he was a teenager, he drove Model A Fords and the service station in his neighborhood used t...

Erik Johnson

For heavily tarnished brass, I use Bar Keepers Friend cleanser and then follow-up with Brasso or Simichrome. Bar Keepers Friend has mild abrasives and oxalic acid and will quickly remove the brownest of tarnish. I inherited a bottle of Noxon 7 Metal Polish when I bought my house years ago. It's good...

Erik Johnson

While it is true that tappet wrenches have a thin profile, you don't have to limit yourself to tappet wrenches.

Just google thin wrench set, super thin wrench set, thin wrenches or thin profile wrenches and will find a good selection.

Erik Johnson

Lap the shut-off valve as previously mentioned and then lubricate it with bar soap.

Erik Johnson

As I posted earlier, 1/2" C Tips are readily available from a number of vendors under the moniker of boning caps and are marketed to corset makers. Click on the link in my first post.

In my opinion, using a 1/2" tip on a 5/8" strap would be easier than trying to re-work a 1" tip.

Erik Johnson

He's looking for 5/8" C tips like the one shown in the photo below of the original top boot from my father's 1917 touring.

Erik Johnson

Too bad RV Anderson isn't around as he could tell you the proper trade name of the end caps. However, boning end caps are used in corset making and are readily available in 1/2" which may suffice. For example: https://www.amazon.com/caps-Spiral-Steel-Corset-Boning/dp/B083C4NSPH?th=1 If you Google bo...

Erik Johnson

Runbaken Magneto Co of Manchester. If you search Runbaken in Google books, there are a lot of hits. If you search Runbaken timer, it brings up the improved design which has four terminals in top. If you search Runbaken commutator, this is what I found that gives the best description regarding the ti...

Erik Johnson

Just another unofficial and mis-applied term used by certain hobbyists.

It's similar to folks that that call their 1928 Model A a "1928 Model AR" or call their 1965 Mustang a "1964 1/2 Mustang" even though Ford Motor Company never referred to those vehicles as such.

Erik Johnson

The fact that each of the braces are rounded have rounded instead of square ends is most likely an indication that it folds. Also, did you check if to see if the end of the diagonal brace that is covered by the vertical brace is slotted so you can push the diagonal brace forward or backward so it no...

Erik Johnson

If either end of the diagonal brace has a latch/release, then you can fold it.

Refer to this thread:

https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/5 ... 1448354833

Erik Johnson

Does anyone know if that battery box was used strictly on the enclosed cars, strictly on starter/generator-equipped open cars or both enclosed and open cars? On sedans, tourings and roadsters, the logical location for the battery box is on the front end of the driver side running board (at that loca...

Erik Johnson

The photo of the Model S is distorted because the original photo was not scanned on a flatbed scanner or it was copied with a camera and the lens not perfectedly parallel to the original photo.

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