MTFCA Forum

Wayne Sheldon

I agree with Steve T. I save a lot of pieces that should be scrapped just because I dislike throwing out pieces that have survived so long and given their full measure of service. But any foolish attempt to repair something like that could result in disaster. It is very likely that microfractures ha...

Wayne Sheldon

Stan G says he has seen at least five period photos of 1915/'16 Ts with gas headlamps. That is in the same range as the era photos that I have seen of 1915/'16 model Ts so equipped. Certainly, people making that change in those days were in a very small minority. For every car so equipped that we se...

Wayne Sheldon

Is photo # 9 a ‘15 or ‘16 touring with retrofitted hood and radiator of the ‘black era’? And the 2nd to last photo of the 2 ladies in a roadster appears to be similar ?? Thanks for the photos and this puzzlement Tom. Thank you for that George! I, too, spotted both of those almost instantly. While n...

Wayne Sheldon

Thank you for that Hap! Pleased to see you are still around.

Wayne Sheldon

Thank you DS/pk for that important milestone!
Yes, earlier "commercial" broadcasts did not yet follow a schedule. It is hard to believe how quickly "radio" became a big part of daily life for so many millions of people!

Wayne Sheldon

In 1917, only scientists, experimenters, and some specialists in the military or shipping had radios. The first true commercial broadcasts were in 1919. MOST radio usage in 1917 was still Morse code.

I always enjoy seeing this photo!

Wayne Sheldon

Brackets are NOT Ford or model T, and do not look like anything I would recognize. The headlamps are not shown well enough to identify them.

The forks (brackets) are very unusual. Might be off a truck? Many trucks used acetylene headlamps well into the 1920s.

Wayne Sheldon

You could try carefully grinding the weld down flush with the top of the castle nut. Apply heat to the weld and try breaking the nut loose. I would second that suggestion as a first effort. Question? Is that a secondary wishbone/brace with the above axle perches original for 1917? The studs were so...

Wayne Sheldon

That "Form-a-truck" is neat! Quite a number of companies manufactured such kits, or provided turnkey completed units to order. Smith is probably the best known among the model T crowd. Graham Brothers, later manufacturing trucks for the Dodge Brothers family, and later still the Graham Paige automob...

Wayne Sheldon

Yes, picture number twelve appears (assuming USA build?) to be a one year only low radiator with slanted windshield (does NOT appear to be the Canadian version!) roadster. It has been run hard and put away wet. I wonder how old it was when this photo was taken. The turtle deck/trunk has been removed...

Wayne Sheldon

To be clear, 1923 was a mixed up year. Is your coupe a true 1923, basically the same as 1919 through 1922, suicide doors etc? Or the early production 1924 style which began production about June of 1923? This subject is as loaded with land mines as what oil should I use with model Ts! I have seen pe...

Wayne Sheldon

Number eight.
A lot of pinstriping on that 1911 touring car!

Wayne Sheldon

Rich E did an incredible job putting that 1909 together! It always looked fantastic in photos.
I sure do miss trading emails with him.

Wayne Sheldon

Wow! That is a lot of American builders hoping for greatness in an upcoming race! Big names with a lot on the line. (Hopefully.)

Wayne Sheldon

Photo number ten is trying to trick us! The front fenders are saying it is a 1915/'16, not the later 1917 it is pretending to be. The visible rear fender is an after-market straight inside commercial fender for the pickup box. The black era radiator and hood sure updated the car nicely. Also notice,...

Wayne Sheldon

Picture number two. I saw that picture on another forum a couple days ago. I am not sure what to think about it. There have been a rash of AI produced fake photos creeping into the internet in the recent past year. I am not sure that this isn't another one. Anybody? Details you might see that do no...

Wayne Sheldon

Photo number nine. Definitely a genuine era photo, and a long time favorite of mine. Anybody care to guess the exact model of this pre-T? (I will tell you in a couple seconds) Believe it or not, this very exact car is owned by one of our own, a longtime forum regular, and a highly respected one at t...

Wayne Sheldon

Picture number two. I saw that picture on another forum a couple days ago. I am not sure what to think about it. There have been a rash of AI produced fake photos creeping into the internet in the recent past year. I am not sure that this isn't another one. Anybody? Details you might see that do not...

Wayne Sheldon

So sad to see this. They were an incredible couple.
My condolences, definitely. And will be in my thoughts for some time now.

Wayne Sheldon

A couple points of clarification. MOST water pumps intended for use in a model T won't hurt the function in any significant sense, as long as it is in good condition, functioning properly, and doesn't leak. However, some poorly designed pumps can restrict flow badly enough that even with the best ra...

Wayne Sheldon

The problem that has happened all too often with "temporarily" replacing a very early engine in a very early car with a later engine for the convenience of a starter, is that sometimes the car later gets sold and the engine does not go with the car. Sometimes this is due to whoever manages the estat...

Wayne Sheldon

The fifth picture looks like an interesting competition. Notice the nearby Ford with the radiator adorned with the car's number (8) and above that "VIBER". Vibrate. Gotta love a warped sense of humor and puns. Also, the rear tire is missing. I wonder if he just spun it off? One would get good tracti...

Wayne Sheldon

The second photo is quite interesting (at least to me?). For many years, the entire 1915 to 1916 transition has been discussed, studied, and debated, with numerous out of sync midyear changes being made. There were unusually long crossover times when both earlier and later styles were both still bei...

Wayne Sheldon

In recent years, generally speaking, innertubes have been the same for both tire sizes. It does matter a little bit, if an innertube has been used in a 30 X 3 1/2 tire and been stretched just a bit. It is possible that a somewhat stretched (or otherwise ill-fitting tube) may be more prone to folding...

Wayne Sheldon

A rare short timeframe pan, between the seven rivet and having three rivet hangers with the earlier style nose-piece. Just curious. Does this one have the tapered feet (like all 1912 and earlier pans) that sit in the frame rails or the parallel feet (like most 1913 and all later pans) that sit on th...

Wayne Sheldon

Nice! I don't consider myself an expert on the really early model Ts, but I have read and heard the tales of this car for years. As the first thousand model Ts go, in spite of it's alterations and a few minor flaws, I think it is considered to be one of the really good ones. Congratulations! I am pl...

Wayne Sheldon

Beautiful car! Something to consider? Being a coupelet, the position of the sidelamps and brackets will be different by a couple inches both up and forward relative to a runabout or touring car. If the bra attaches to the sidelamp brackets, that dimension might be critical to hold the bra tight enou...

Wayne Sheldon

Over the years, I have worked on rebuilt replaced or put together so many model Ts, my own and helping other people, I have been through this probably dozens of times. I have used every method so far mentioned as well as a few others at times. Model Ts are easy. Model A Fords? Not! A long time ago, ...

Wayne Sheldon

I have no idea how rare they might be? However, Many years ago, I had a pair of I guess 1926 rear end radius rods. They were too short for the earlier rear end like I was using, and had the longer fork for the later backing plates. They also had the two nuts to adjust the ball joint end, NOT the for...

Wayne Sheldon

Done this a few times. Often, with the earlier radius rods, backing the rearward nuts as far as they will go will be enough. Sometimes, due to the threading being a bit shorter, it may not quite make it. Since your radius rods are not in there (I had to take a set out once to correct another problem...

Wayne Sheldon

That is a lot of 1912 T Ford delivery trucks with decals just behind the doorway!
Thank you for sharing them.

Wayne Sheldon

Snap and unsnap. Or, rather, Murphy Snap, twist, and untwist on most side curtain points, with a few exceptions for regular type snaps. I have had a couple cars with side curtains. I love using the side curtains! On the 1915 Studebaker touring car I used to have, I usually left the side curtains up ...

Wayne Sheldon

Great photo! Thank you Rich B!

Single lever three pedal. Not really early. I cannot tell for sure, but I cannot see the butterfly brackets under the rear fender, dark enough though that they could be there.

Any 1909/'10 experts that can narrow the timeline down better?

Wayne Sheldon

I am saddened that someone made a deal with you that they were unable to properly follow through with.
I am pleased to hear you now intend to keep it for the duration.
Maybe you can find someone that you can trust to leave it to in your will?

Wayne Sheldon

A couple of the pivot bolts (inner and outer brakes if both are used!), the shank is supposed to seat inside the casting! If it doesn't, it is a stress point that can become a fracture and brake failure. It sometimes takes a bit of finagling to get the shank the right length to properly seat. But I ...

Wayne Sheldon

Remember, the demountable wheel and electrics options on the open body model Ts of the 1920s, were two separate options. A dealer or customer could choose one or the other, or neither or both. As someone that has looked very closely at literally thousands of era photos of model T? Just an observatio...

Wayne Sheldon

This is an old thread but I wanted to leave a comment. Rich Eagle who posted earlier in the thread was a friend of mine and passed away in 2024 and I now own the ‘09 touring. Regardless of how much of the car is original and how many different cars the parts came from I wouldn’t be happier if it wa...

Wayne Sheldon

The problem with the Moore, and the similar Universal Gear Company two speed units? Is that most of them were made to be an underdrive, usually about a fifty percent gear reduction. Yes, they "can" be turned around, made into an overdrive. However, that results in a very steep overdrive. I did know ...

Wayne Sheldon

I often have wondered about those covers, and the timelines when wooden slat or stamped steel covers were used. I suspect which covers were used depended upon what body supplier built or finished the bodies to order. I know some of the body suppliers went back and forth between the wooden and steel ...

Wayne Sheldon

Possible that they could have been for after-market wheels for a model T. Or not.

You say "smooth" tire? Do you mean worn to treadless? Or smooth never had a tread (common on tires before 1920)? Or smooth (straight?) sided tire as in not a clincher?

Are the five lugs fixed (attached?) to the rim?

Wayne Sheldon

Having trouble with my computer AGAIN! Very frustrating! The OP is in Germany. There are some language issues, and proper answers for people here in America may not be the most practical advice for someone needing to deal with worldwide shipping two directions from Europe? I do not know, but the las...

Wayne Sheldon

Do NOT under any conditions consider using John Regan's spoke press on wood felloe wheels! Tightness is imperative to the wheel's strength and resilience. John's design is great for the more common steel felloe wheels. The depth that the end of the spoke for a steel felloe wheel is much shorter, and...

Wayne Sheldon

There were a number of radiator companies, large and small, that made replacement radiators for the model T Ford. Some made very high quality radiators, like Livingston. Some were good quality, and recognizable even today like Peerless. And more than a few lesser-known companies catered to local sal...

Wayne Sheldon

"Cut and paste" on your computer is called "cut and paste" because in past decades, cutting from a donor picture and then pasting that piece in to repair damage or a light leak was how photos were often cleaned up and restored where details and/or natural appearance was desired. Some damage also mig...

Wayne Sheldon

Before they began building exclusively for the Dodge Brothers (1920ish?), in the mid 1910s, The Graham Brothers manufactured make a truck kits to fit basically any automobile. Their advertising targeted mostly non-Fords, although they did also make kits for the model T. Their kits were mostly custom...

Wayne Sheldon

That silly bolt has been driving model T hobbyists crazy for more than seventy years. Some touring cars have it? Some touring cars don't. There were at least five different companies supplying Ford with touring car bodies for 1915 and 1916. In the later 1910s, a couple of those suppliers dropped out...

Wayne Sheldon

Photo number eight is quite interesting. A probably 1914 runabout, apparently a few years old, I "believe" the license plate is one issued new to an owner of a pre1915 automobile using the previously issued numbers. For 1916 through 1919, car owners used the same state issued plate, but changed a me...

Wayne Sheldon

The eleventh photo is very interesting to me. In part just because I have restored (one basically finished and driven for a few years before being sold, the other sadly still waiting to be finished) two 1915/'16 model Ts. That and I am just more attracted to earlier cars. Maybe a few people are tire...

Wayne Sheldon

The 13s and 14s are the pipe thread that fits a model T. I don't know nor have a reference to tell me what the Edison number 12 fits. It could be the model A size or some other (18mm?) that fits some other car. Whatever the thread size and type and whatever they fit would help to identify and get wh...

Wayne Sheldon

Mark E, I don't know whos car that is? However, it is beautiful, and from what can be seen in that photo a very right looking 1917/'18. It appears to have the proper non-demountable "rounded" felloe wheels (changed somewhere around 1918 to the "square felloe" wheels. I couldn't be sure whether the t...

Wayne Sheldon

1917 is a very special year for the model T Ford! The first year of the "black era" cars, it had many characteristics carried over from the 1915/'16 last-of-the-brass cars. There are a few details such as the gutter-less firewall, and radiator fan shroud, that are unique to the 1917 model year, some...

Wayne Sheldon

Just trying to be helpful?
From the photos, it appears he wants the deep thread on the out-side of the hub. The question I guess is, is that one with the machined speedometer gear shoulder on the inside side of the hub? The more I look at the photo, the more I am not sure what I see?

Wayne Sheldon

If you would like to have a matching set? It would help to post a couple photos of which ones you have. It may be helpful also to network with a couple other people interested in the number twelve Edison plugs as once a few people have a mixture of styles, they can swap styles around to the benefit ...

Wayne Sheldon

Does the magneto still work? Is there even a field coil even in there? Many years ago, one of the several engines I put together for the nearly dozen model Ts I have put together for my use? I would have sworn that I cleaned everything THOROUGHLY! There should not have been anything left behind anyw...

Wayne Sheldon

In the for-whatever-it-is-worth department? Some years ago, I picked up a damaged and very incomplete brass bulb for my 1915. It had been dented in in the large threaded opening, but not badly dented. I was on a tight budget, and the price was right. The dent was an easy fix, a rigged up mini-jack a...

Wayne Sheldon

It would be interesting to see what you/he has got. You're as much an expert as anyone I know of. I wonder if the column you are working with had a magneto drive above it? There were several types of those that required unusual spark linkages.

Wayne Sheldon

Numbers nine and ten both appear to be that rare few month's mid 1917 production when the earlier even folding windshield hinges were used on top of the later bolted together windshield frame and cowling brackets. Number nine is some sort of a studio shot, maybe a traveling studio, maybe at a local ...

Wayne Sheldon

A very interesting look at early steps of the new company!

Wayne Sheldon

I believe that the Roadsters and Tourings were painted black and the Coups and Sedans were painted different colors. Do not rely on the sales literature of the day. Sales literature was published by the marketing department before production began, and continued to be published with "information" t...

Wayne Sheldon

Photo number three, same car, at the same location with the same Dodge Brothers car behind it is in Tom's "Stuck" thread. More people in this shot.

Wayne Sheldon

I suggest that you check out this thread under General Discussion if you haven't already. Some good information there about this car.

https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=50263

Wayne Sheldon

A very good friend has a 1915 Stutz Bearcat, dark red, almost dark maroon, body, with black fenders. I love it!

Wayne Sheldon

Looking at that photo again (I love looking at that early short time sidelamp!), I notice something else interesting about the car. The paint on the car suggests that it has been around a couple years by then. The hood, which lines up with the cowl, is very fresh and shiny. I sure wish we could see ...

Wayne Sheldon

Number fourteen is very special! Notice the nice closeup of the early production 1915 oil sidelamp! It is not the earliest style sidelamp used on the early production so-called enclosed body cars. The folding top couplet was likely manufactured in very late calendar 1914 before the open body cars be...

Wayne Sheldon

I "believe" from things I have seen and read, that these units were used as original equipment on a few high end automobiles. I am particularly sure that some models of Stutz used them, although I do not know what years. I have heard that these were also sold for use on dual ignition after-market he...

Wayne Sheldon

Number eight again. That is a brass radiator hiding under that later shell!

Wayne Sheldon

I couldn't make out the state or year of the license plate. However, the smaller tag on the radiator number seems to match the larger license plate. Texas I know used such smaller tags for the front during a few years of the 1920s. I do not know when it began or ended. Maybe a clue to when the photo...

Wayne Sheldon

Picture number eight. Look closer! My first thought was a mid 1917, an early "black era" T touring car with the even folding windshield. I zoomed in for a closer look at the windshield and noticed the front fenders are the flat 1915/'16 style. It appears to have been updated using genuine later Ford...

Wayne Sheldon

TXGOAT2 wrote: ↑
Sun Sep 28, 2025 11:37 am
Who was C.E. Phibbs? Doctor Phibbs, perhaps?

That wouldn't be a reference to Vincent Price? Would it?

Wayne Sheldon

Google: "Ford model a speedster gas tank argentina". Then look for a facebook post. I figured they were some sort of modern re-creation, manufactured in small numbers for a specific niche market. I can only recall a very few era photos showing such a shape gasoline tank. I suspected they were not m...

Wayne Sheldon

Spencer made fatman steering wheels for almost any car, in a variety of styles and sizes. Some folded up and above for if the car's control levers were below the steering wheel. Others, dropped down surrounding the steering column for cars with control levers above the steering wheel. Yours is a spe...

Wayne Sheldon

W Jorgensen, Yeah, there is a lot going on in that photo! Not the least of which is that it appears someone was careless in handling the roll film. The slightly angled somewhat straight washout along the bottom might have been caused by roll film not being kept tight enough and allowing light to sne...

Wayne Sheldon

I just looked more closely at the photo. The license plate is 1929 New York. Well within the time frame a lightning bolt could have been borrowed from a Marmon.

Wayne Sheldon

The lightning bolt on the T radiator is kinda cool in picture 13. Hadn’t seen that one before. Maybe kind of rare. I am not certain of it being genuine, could be some sort of after-market thing? However, Marmon automobiles for a couple years used a very similar lightning bolt on their radiators. Go...

Wayne Sheldon

Now zoom in to that photo Wayne. On the far left side of it there stands a large man in a white shirt and light colored pants. Then, on the other side of the car behind the man peering over the fender….. there’s a GHOST IMAGE of the Same large man….. Yeah, I spent some time looking at that man, bot...

Wayne Sheldon

Photo eleven is very interesting, and not necessarily immediately obvious. So, how many men does it take for a photograph? There are four men that clearly appear on both sides of the car. In addition, both sides of the car have an additional man. The right side of the car (your left) has a tall man ...

Wayne Sheldon

Just an FYI in case it may be helpful. I helped a friend many years ago do this. In his case the early engine already had a flywheel with the ring gear. So it was not necessary to pull the engine. The engine did NOT however have the field coil with a notch in it. He was getting all worked up over ha...

Wayne Sheldon

Not a master vibrator switch. It is a security key switch that covers over the late 1913 into about 1920 non-starter cars and trucks with the ignition switch mounted directly on the coil box. Those factory switches from the Ford factory used a single universal key. Anyone with a key could walk down ...

Wayne Sheldon

There is almost no difference in the front neck mounting position. There may be some variation due to heads having been milled, some variation to minor casting shifts from the factory, however, I have yet to see a significant variation based upon early low heads versus the more common high heads. Ab...

Wayne Sheldon

The car looks very good with the side curtains on it! I have had a few cars over the years that I used side curtains on them. I like driving with the side curtains on the car.

Wayne Sheldon

Wonderful photos!
I was wondering about you just a few days ago, I was hoping all was well for you over there. It is nice to see you posting here again.

The model T is looking wonderful!

Wayne Sheldon

The 1915, 1916, and early 1917 windshield frames were all riveted to the brackets attaching the windshield frame to the cowl. These all had the even folding hinges. In the mid 1917 model year, the hinges and upper frame were changed so that when the upper glass is folded all the way back and down, t...

Wayne Sheldon

I am certain that I have had and seen a lot more coil box metal bodies that did have both the switch and the reinforcement strip than I have seen ones that had had a switch but without the reinforcement strip.

Wayne Sheldon

Let me reiterate, those ridiculously high pan prices were a short time fluke, the timing of which was bad for me. Since then, because the prices had gone so high, I suspect literally hundreds of good pans have flooded the markets. Prices go too high, and many people turn loose of their stashes. Sinc...

Wayne Sheldon

Rather than write a single post way long on two different views of the tread subject (would I ever write an overly long post?)? I split this into two separate posts. My NOS replacement part story. Some years back, trying to put together my 1915 runabout, I wanted a correct 1915 pan/crankcase. I had ...

Wayne Sheldon

Along about 1921, Henry Ford hit upon a bit if hard times. He had spent a fortune on expanding and improving production facilities, some bank notes had become due (I do not recall the details?), and the postwar depression (lasted about a year) had hit temporarily reducing his sales and cash flow. Al...

Wayne Sheldon

A lot of cars in those listings are misidentified. SEVERAL 1926/'27 cars identified as anything from brass era years into the mid 1920s. I hope bidders know what they are bidding on and get what they think they are. A lot of nice basic model Ts in there as well as some very desirable models. I suspe...

Wayne Sheldon

Thank you Vern! That looks a lot better. I am still not certain about whether it might be a wide track chassis or not?
Anyone else want to speculate?

I sure like that speedster!

Wayne Sheldon

Is the speedster with the Livingstone radiator built on a wide track car running gear? Allan from down under. Which speedster with a Livingston radiator? How often do we get to ask that question? Me just being snarky. It can't be photo number two with the early Paco on a likely 1913 chassis. Note t...

Wayne Sheldon

Photo #10 - 1913 runabout is the same car as the one in photo #2 in the “Room for One More” thread ! Interesting !! Good eye! Same car, same tree, same house, same driver, the three visible valve stems in the same position. Also the Prestolite tank improperly rotated onto its side. The car appears ...

Wayne Sheldon

Those do look like Jaxon lugs and wheels. Most Chevrolet wooden spoke wheels I have seen that size also had fixed lugs on the rims. I have even had 21 inch Ford wheels drilled to accept the Chevrolet rims (drilled in both positions for the valve stem). Those may have been after-market wheels for ear...

Wayne Sheldon

. . . why they didn't buy a new TT truck chassis? . . . Maybe it’s a 1917, and the TT isn’t even a rumor yet ? Hey there Rich B! The horn button is not the early one used 1915 through most of 1917. I am not sure just when the combination horn/light switch began being put onto the cars. However, I t...

Wayne Sheldon

Photo number nine. Interesting chassis on its way to become what? Definitely a car chassis, extended about two feet, but I do not like the looks of that frame extension! It appears to be a second rear cross member cobbled onto behind the original cross member. It doesn't look very strong to me. I su...

Wayne Sheldon

Number thirteen is a 1908 model S roadster, note cowl and rumble seat.
I love it.

Wayne Sheldon

Photo number eight is a wire wheeled 1917 folding top couplet. Nice!

Wayne Sheldon

For whatever it is worth? I had one of those Fordson mag drives a long time ago. The drive gear with it seemed to fit the T's camshaft and line up okay with the mag drive. I was considering using it on a speedster I had at the time, but found a proper mag drive for it instead. I considered keeping i...

Wayne Sheldon

Photo eleven is a 1914 style touring with the 1914 style windshield. Photo number eight is a 1914 style touring car with a 1913 style windshield. The big, unanswerable question is whether the windshield is original to the car or a replacement at some point for some unknown reason.

Wayne Sheldon

just for the sake of conversation would a double wishbone have prevented the disaster? Craig. Maybe, maybe not. An added under axle wishbone would have helped stabilize the front axle somewhat. Would it have been enough? One of the heavier duty ones (like many of the modern versions) probably would...

Wayne Sheldon

That brand & design of front springs/shocks were pointed out as a factor in the fatal crash of Ken Meek. My apologies for bringing this up. I do not like sabotaging people's for sale items. However, on these style shock absorbers, it is very important to keep reminding that the fronts of these shou...

Wayne Sheldon

Added FYI. The iron hogsheads began showing up at the factory assembly lines around November of 1915. The assembly line photos of the one millionth engine early December 1915 show both aluminum and iron hogsheads going down the lines. Smooth and ribbed pedals on US built Ts were pretty consistent wi...

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