MTFCA Forum

As seen @ Hershey 2023

Due to the size differences if you take a "modern" cable housing and all it fits inside the original speedometer cable housing. To be clear here - The outside diameter of a "modern" cable is smaller than the inner diameter of the original stock Model T cable housing. Remove the inner spring cable an...

23Ford,

You might get a better response if you put WTB in front of the title.
If you want the 3 piece style it would be a 1917-1925 box lid.
There should be some out there for you.

Mike

Remember Lye eats Babbitt and Aluminum and Zinc plus other soft metals so unless you want them to disappear keep them apart.
It will help remove rust also.

I use an old school sink type cleaner and Kerosene.
But for a high quality cleaning I let someone else do it.
Mike

Due to Ford buying wheels from multiple sources just to keep up with production requirements and some are interchangeable and some not this has been an issue since day one. Then add the aftermarket making parts for owners adding to the mix. And the reproduction rims have been made in certain styles ...

Happy Birthday and Congratulations on making it that far.
The last few years have made me question if I will make it that far.

Keep going and enjoying life for years to come.

Mike

If you want a really smooth look proper padding is important. Just don't go too thick or you will get a marshmallow top look. If there is protruding spot it can be sanded down. I looked it up and Snyders still lists the "original?" material while Langs does not. There is also classique who sells top...

Mark, I am sure that there are some folks concerned about over boring to 0.100" due to the fact that on more "modern" engines you can not overbore that much. You can't go that far on "modern" engines is beat into a lot of peoples heads. But I (myself) am not jumping on this because in spite of needi...

I looked it up for everyone
https://braunandhelmer.com/?es_feed_tar ... fid%3D3522

I'm glad I don't have money and it's too far away or I would be in trouble.
Mike

I doubt it was Noah Stutzman @ Hershey, he is Amish or Mennonite. But it might have been his stuff there..... Mel of Mel's Leather and HorseHair does sell @ Hershey and Luray (and maybe others) selling Leather, Horse Hair, Early Top Parts, Wheel Parts, some castings and usually more. Chocolate Field...

I put Babbitt thrust surfaces on at least one engine I poured. I don't remember which one(s) it was though. To do it you have to remove material from the block to have a thick enough thrust bearing surface. The stock block is not that much smaller than a finished bearing length. And since they are n...

Allan, Wear from the clutch spring pressure will wear the front thrust surface (I was wrong earlier). This will make the magneto gap wider. It also will naturally wear forward by some amount. The evidence of this is left on worn and scored crankshaft flanges. Why this happens and how much happens we...

While all that technology sounds expensive and hard to find, for anyone who wants to learn about it there are lots of ways. Besides internet learning there are Makerspaces scattered all around. All Makerspaces are different in what they have and offer so I advise everyone to look into them. For the ...

If this were my problem (and I do not own an '09 so it is not mine for sure) I think I would go new school. Although I really like the Laser welding idea, exhaust manifold repairs spook me. It is not too tough of a part to have it Laser surface scanned to create a CAD file and cast an authentic repr...

Yes, there is a difference to how octane is calculated in the US and most of the world
Here is what is going on.
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threa ... eu.373446/
https://www.etuners.gr/fuel/

Mike

When installing solid rivets that are round headed I have always calculated length by the formula of "Length = Material Thickness + 1.5 times Diameter". It takes a certain amount of material to make the head so adjust as needed from there. For countersunk rivets I do the same then grind the top smoo...

Forum Members, I need to confess that I have been thinking about this backwards for about 50 years since I was a kid. Now I understand why magnetos do not hit on badly worn engines. Which side wears makes no difference to how I drive and fix my cars so my misunderstanding just kept continuing on and...

Allan, While the rear of the #3 main bearing is not the only face where it wears, it is where the majority of the wear occurs. The crankshaft thrust surfaces also wear but not very fast. The clutch spring in neutral, low, and reverse is pushing it forward with 90 to 110 lbs of pressure, hopefully. I...

Probably everything you want to know about holes in frames somewhere in this posting.
https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/3 ... 1366353153

Mike

When I see this, I see a speedster build start. It has a custom (high version) radiator shell to match the new custom hood you have to build. All the modifications would allow someone to put a different transmission behind the Model T engine. Frontenac made and sold an adapter kit similar to this se...

I am sure to get criticism for this, but typically I work on bottom of the barrel parts and living in the rust belt with a non existent budget means the parts I work on are usually fairly bad. If I get a nice clean part it feels like cheating but I take it when I can. I also often get handed part th...

Here is a link to the often quoted and referenced test of penetrating fluids. https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/411944/457782.html?1404246100 As I said before I usually use PB blaster most of the time. To be more specific it gets used most often when I put something away for later disassembly gi...

Jacob, The Perfecto predates the Hall Scott / Ruckstell rear axle assembly. The Ruckstell book - https://www.modeltford.com/item/R6.aspx - Goes over the history. I think of it as a generation 1 part and an evolutionary step getting to the Ruckstell we are familiar with. The only problem I know of it...

This is my personal preference and opinion: I use PB Blaster, it works well and is easy to get. The local hardware stores have it. And it has no silicone so it is paint safe. While I know there are products that are (maybe) slightly better they are hard for me to locate. I could make my own (ATF / K...

This following discussion shows a lot of pictures of what the magneto looks like inside
https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/1 ... 1264263362

Here is a Borrowed picture from the post above

When you buy mid octane grade fuel at the pump what happens is that the pump mixes the fuel from the low and high octane tanks underground. That is done is to save installing another tank and hauling another truck out to deliver the mid grade fuel. So to the original question the answer is that the ...

The devil is in the details, and there are lots of little ones. Here is a detailed look at the frame differences. https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/331880/356544.html?1366353153 Here is an abbreviated copy of the black book called "The Car That Changed The World" https://www.mtfca.com/encycloped...

Model T switch tumblers were made from pot metal that often swells and gives problems after the last 100 years. Add a bit of rust on the steel parts and it gets stiff. Careful lubrication and working it can sometimes bring it back around, be careful not to break it. If the tumbler does need replacin...

Jacob, That does not look like the right shape seat. It looks like someone tried to epoxy a seat from something else in there. But why? Did they not have the right one? Bad threads? Rust? Other? I would try heating it and see what is actually in the hole. It might be savable if it cleans up good eno...

I thought about it and decided to draw up how I wire LED lights for my car. It is a totally custom made out of parts. The fuse block uses glass fuses and is brass from a marine supply store. I make a control panel with the switches and indicator lights. I mount the control panel in the middle so the...

While BDC is much easier to prevent the engine from moving it has several flaws in the process. 1) The wear is minimal at the bottom and it is not the most important part of the cycle. 2) At least one valve is open at BDC making testing the valve seal quite hard. Mike Screenshot 2026-02-16 181316.jpg

And watch out for worn pins also.
They do wear, especially if someone replaced them with nails years ago.

If I am deep enough to replace valves I use modern angled keeper type for reliability.
I make up a set from various parts and sources.
Mike

Craig, I Quote - "I run my Ts on 12 vac using the lowest cca" I really hope this is a typo and you do not run your starter on 12 volts AC I have never tried applying alternating current to a Model T starter motor, it might be an interesting test. I think you meant to say - 'I run my Ts on 12 vDC usi...

Some 12 volt bulbs work fine on 6 volts and some do not. It is always safe to operate a bulb at lower than rated voltage but the light output is not guaranteed. There are many bulbs out there that will work fine on a wide range of voltages. Sometimes they tell you, sometimes they do not. All individ...

Anton, If your desire is to charge a cell phone or GPS then hook it to the 6 volt battery, it works fine. Inside the unit the battery voltage is either 3v, 3.3v, or 5 volts and will work just fine No need for 12 volts for that. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2q2ndf7jmY I hope it is Ok to have ...

It looks like maybe an accessory shock or spring that installs like a spring shackle
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Fordmod ... 674770548/
or
https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/4 ... 1400552610
or
https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/5 ... 1457652840

Mike

Over the years I have seen different attempts to drop the voltage from using a bendix spring, to undersized cables, to longer cables, to resistors and they all do something to varying degrees. I have also seen people who just run a 6V starter on 12V and hope. They will all work for a while and event...

This an off the wall thought based on no practical experience on my part. I have no first or second hand experience with this type or process. What would happen if one of the high tech ceramic or other exhaust coatings were applied to this manifold? Would it help tie the crack together? Would blocki...

The Lock-N-Stitch closed comment got my attention so I had to look it up. I used a few for one project and know of several other instances where they have been used. I really liked the design and engineering behind it. They are plugs that pull the metal together rather than spread it like a normal t...

Well done! It's rare when young folks get to show the older crowd how it's done. If you really really want the car, it is a speedster and the seat can be moved. I am sure you have the skills to move the seat but..... Looking at the pictures of how it was built it looks like moving the seat would req...

Here is a really good document on vacuum tanks http://hudsonterraplane.com/tech/1927/StewartWarnerVacuumTank2-11-27.pdf Maybe it will fit and maybe it won't. Finding a brass float is a great solution but they are intolerant of modifying. It has to fit in the hole of the gas tank so somewhere about 2...

Not all Model T's are wired the same See https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=2960 https://nebula.wsimg.com/bfee1cac0d076311fdaa678a4e048905?AccessKeyId=1992A0A3E731FDB20580&disposition=0&alloworigin=1 and I use https://www.texastparts.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Session_ID=b21c72c6c8a47e8ea25698b07c5c...

Wood and cork and all porous floats have to be sealed with something. In the old days that was normally shellac. Shellac is an alcohol based product and does not like modern gas, or maybe it likes it too much. I would test it with some cheap alcohol to see if it holds up. Or you could just run it an...

When the magneto wire is hooked up it is grounded on the other end and has low resistance. The lighting circuits (3 of the screws) will have low resistance bulbs also connected to ground. This might show up as a short with two low resistance parts in series. Incandescent bulbs are low resistance and...

If you want to test the drivetrain drag in low and reverse gears here is how: Get a helper Jack up the rear and put it up on jack stands Remove the plugs (to eliminate compression forces) Have the helper put the car in low and hand crank the engine. Probably best to use the neutral with the pedal an...

I think you are referring to this... https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/708324/794890.html?1509727571 It give a clear idea of what I was trying to describe about how they are built. Richard Eagle was a prolific poster and always tinkering in the shop and with art. 6236 forum postings if you searc...

Sounds a lot like down on power. Engine worn out, carburetor or vacuum leak issue, bad timing, ignition etc but make sure it is a solid start inside first. Check compression or leak-down in the cylinders to see if things are still good inside. If you have a borescope you can look inside at what is g...

Henry made sure the car parts were mostly "interchangeable" so for the last 100+ years they have become mixed up to keep them running and to suit the owners desires. Since day one the aftermarket has provided "better ideas". While some were better, some were worse, and some just cosmetic. That leave...

Has the magneto ever worked in this car? I would test the magneto before going too far. https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/599638/665328.html?1470945248 It is possible to have a shorted magneto post so that is a quick test. The last one I found was a tiny bit of wire caught in the spring, never f...

Bows broken like that are an all to common occurrence. The ends of the bows are solid castings or forgings that have a thin sheet metal formed tube slipped over them and fastened on. To give strength to the thin tubes there is a tapered piece of wood slipped inside hopefully all the way to the solid...

Art, Some of the hardware is listed in the parts book (and electronic copy of the black book). Some of it is listed with thread and length sizes. Sometimes the fastener sizes are listed in vendor catalogs and web sites. There is also a fastener chart and fastener listing document floating around in ...

Harvey, If it were my issue, I would start by putting the rear axle on stands and spin a tire (probably need a helper) and see if it shifts or not. If it does not then remove the shifter rod and see if the rod or front shifter is jamming somewhere. If it does not, then remove the shifter from the ho...

For something like this my suggestion is to hook up with the Model T Ford Club International chapter - "Shenandoah Valley RackeTers". They put on the Luray Pre War Flea Market and Model T tour. https://modelt.org/chapter-directory While they are not really close (or really far) they know of lots of ...

Do you have a link to the Facebook listing so we can see more of this interesting piece of history?
I would like to see more.

Mike

I have stacks of Vintage Ford and Model T Times covering a lot more years than you have listed. But I have always heard about the Secrets of Speed magazine and curious as to what is inside. https://www.secretsofspeed.com/ You say Free or Swap but not anything you might want for them. I am not near y...

Dave, The "Cushion" (bottom spring) just sits in there The "Backrest", Ford Called it "Seat Back Cushion" (vertical back spring) is built into the seat frame and hangs on straps or screwed in place then the upholstery is installed over it trapping it into place. Originally they were tacked in place ...

For the sake of completeness, clearness and clarity here is what I build to hold my batteries in. I skidded on the frozen snow to walk out there and get a picture. It is not authentic or original but it is secure. While I prefer original and authentic, safety and reliability can take over the decisi...

He will get plenty of Lactate when he uses his muscles to put it back together so he is kinda sorta right.

Sometimes spell check is not as helpful as it should be sometimes.
But it sure can be funny!
And we often need more humor in our lives.

LMAO also
Mike

About Paul's information request: The original battery hold down method is shown in this thread https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/179374/211505.html?1311865183 The brackets do not fit properly without the box and lid so you might have to get creative like these. https://www.mtfca.com/discus/mess...

ALL batteries need to be secured. I have seen multiple batteries that have fallen into fans or belts or pulleys making a great mess. Plus I have seen batteries move and short to something causing all kinds of electrical issues. I have seen multiple Model T's where the cables are binding or dragging ...

I would advise against it. The drive and brakes of a Model T rely on the hubs being locked to the axle without any motion. They are supposed to lock on hard and be torqued up to greater than 75-80ft lbs of torque Minimum. Others will say it needs to go even tighter than that. Anything that makes it ...

While the wheelwrights like Stutzmans and Calimers will rework your wheels for you I do not know if they sell individual spokes. There are wheelwrights scattered around and I do not know of any near you. Your profile says Henderson Nevada, I am Mid Atlantic so I don't know of suppliers in your area....

If you are going to do some lathe work, buy the bushing that is 1" on the outside Turn the oversized bushing to fit the box 1909-1925 Steering bushing is 1"x3/4"x1 1/4" 1926-1927 Steering Bushing is 7/8"x3/4"x1 1/4" But this only works if you have a lathe with the required tooling and know how to us...

SkyHunter - Very true, After 10 minutes of searching, the internet was not on my side and providing me a picture of someone holding a real bee so I gave up. I took a shortcut. It seems like those who hold bees in ones hand don't take many pictures while they are at it. Tonight I found a better pictu...

My father used a tub of Nickel Anti Seize that he bought in the 50's up until the 90's and the only problem was he had to stir it. It settled some, but worked fine. I gave him some replacement tub in the 90's that work was throwing away after it had "expired" after 1 year. It still works fine, it's ...

Why does it have an expiration date? Because everything has to have an expiration date these days, and it sells more product. All it really guarantees is the product will still perform as advertised even with poor storage conditions. There could be a real reason or not. Everyone will have a differen...

Please post a picture.
I don't believe I have ever seen anything like that.

Mike

From the Encyclopedia here is the word on the roll up rear window panel Screenshot 2026-02-07 104342.jpg I believe it went away as a cost cutting, time saving decision. People have added them to their cars of other years for many reasons but opening the back panel in the hot summer makes it more com...

I was told years ago by an old demo derby driver that he filled up his derby cars with used motor oil in instead of coolant for the derbys he ran. It wasn't the best coolant but it did not leak @ the slightest leak. The derby did not last long anyway so any coolant was better than no coolant. I feel...

Allan, Given his location listed I sure hope he uses something of antifreeze or protects the car. You can use a water / AntiRust and keep it in a heated garage or drain it, I have in the past. But then I started parking them in different places. Some temperature protected and some not so I swapped t...

Rich, The original ones I have seen looked like old leather and the rivets were to hold a 2nd layer out on the ends. Did not know topping material was ever used. Maybe it was a transition part between leather and rubber? Someone's better idea? "Spurious" parts? Screenshot 2026-02-05 133837.jpg Very ...

Scott is correct. 660 is for gaps greater than 0.020" and badly worn parts. For such a large gap it is thick and would act like PC7 or JBWeld. I don't know what your gap is but 0.020" is 7 pieces of paper or 24 gauge sheet metal (think modern car thickness) . I suspect your gap is not that large. At...

While I appreciate the beauty and hard work of a "perfect" Model T my favorite kind is the the driver cars. Reliable, a complete package, and one that you don't have to worry about. The warts and scars tell a story. It makes people come up and talk to you about the car. Kids can sit in it and get pi...

Rootleib still has them listed in their catalog.
Maybe they have them in stock.

Mike

No, I would not, do not, do not recommend using it. Use only coolants that are labeled for older vehicles and these are IAT coolants. The old school green stuff. Don't trust me, trust what the manufacturers say: https://www.valvolineglobal.com/en-ksa/all-you-need-to-know-about-coolants/ Screenshot 2...

Re - Utah Model T Club Chapters: While I don't see any chapters listing for MTFCA or MTFCI being in Utah there was a Model T Ford Club International annual tour in 2013 out of Kanab Utah. I did not attend or remember who put it on. But I will guess that Model T Speedometer expert Russ Furstnow (Flag...

There is a whole range of "Loctite" products available. There is the threadlocker style that range from small screw (light strength) to almost permanent requiring a torch and effort to remove. And if you have plastic involved then there is special stuff for that. Then there is a range of retaining c...

Frontyboy, I can not give you a quick answer because what I think you are building is around 10% (guess here) of the speedsters built. That makes getting information harder. I don't know what is in your head so I can only give you areas to look and maybe something will stick. Most I have seen use a ...

Use some bearing retainer to lock the bushings in place if they are loose https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NCB37424 or equivalent Just make sure you are installing it in the bottom of the bracket when you install it. And yes make sure the control levers do not wiggle on the shafts. You could also bra...

If Edsel drew it for Tom then should he be worried about design copyright infringement?
Should we bury this thread before Edsel sees it and comes knocking?
They do look a lot alike!

David,

Thank you for running the tests.
Nothing beats a heads to heads test with apples to apples comparison data.
Good, bad or indifferent is sometimes hard to find.
Seat of the pants data will only get you so far.

Mike

It looks like a first sketch of the Torpedo or open runabout. https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/331880/375707.html?1386985892 https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50893/77368.html?1231173564 Or maybe a first round sketch of Edsels Speedster https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/411944/456610.ht...

A few years ago we were working on a TT truck that would run fine then go for about 1/2 a block and die. In a minute or two it would restart and run great then die when you drove away. Frustrating! After going through everything we discovered the problem. The replacement ball valve right angle shuto...

For me the best clamp is "A" I have them, and they generate more than enough magneto power for my needs. I have never noticed (or measured for) any real world performance difference in the types of clamps. Unless I built the engine I don't even know what type is in there. It would take a setup like ...

The picture gives lots of information, thanks You have an up to 1924 (& some of 1925) carburetor so it takes a mixture and choke setup not like in the drawing you sent. It could be converted if desired but that means more parts. The dashboard and control rod slots in the firewall determine what piec...

Nothing yet so far in 2026 It has only gone above 32 deg F for a few short afternoons so far this year, weeks ago. And for over 2 weeks it has been single digits at night. The 6 to 12" of snow and ice is very solid and has been hanging around for weeks now locking everything up. The roads are white,...

Since this is a 1926 TT chassis the coil box should still be firewall mounted. Remove the lid before you start it. Take it the machine out and "push it" When it starts breaking down the passenger can carefully hold the coil points open and make sure they all make a difference. Be careful or you will...

On at least some of the factory lifters there is a hole through them to install a pin (wire, or nail) in them to hold them up when removing the camshaft.
While it will not help installation of new lifters it might help removing the old ones.

Mike

Robert The quadrant arc at the top of the column, on the notch surfaces, is supposed to be a flat plane perpendicular in all directions from the steering shaft. This helps keep the controls from wandering up or down while driving. Maybe it's the picture, but it looks like the timing side notched sur...

If the part number alone is to be trusted it references back to Langs and screws for original ring gears or non starter flywheels.

Lets see if I get the 3C's right, if not I am sure someone will correct me. Concise, Complete, & Correct Hopefully someone who has one apart can post pictures of a correctly assembled one. I do not currently own a TT truck but I have seen plenty of their parts on friends vehicles so I am not a TT "e...

I see a WTB add coming.
The TT rear brake parts are TT only so make sure not to get 26-27 parts and try to make them fit.
The vehicles have history - Some good, Some bad.
And they will work "fine" in amazingly poor condition.
Keep at it, eventually you will get to the bottom of the list.

Mike

Melba,

Are these the #14-24 screws for the original ring coils or the 1/4-24 screws for the reproduction ring gear?
It matters a lot.

Mike

Just a comment and my preference: I would drop off the generator and carburetor to make getting all the pan bolts & cotter pins installed. The manifolds can stay if you don't want to mess with all the gland rings or remove them if desired. Or make it like a '27 style and use lock washers to save som...

Darren, #1 be very careful when working around the magnets. They love to pick up things from the bench and nearby areas. This includes filings from the magnet plates. If you have a burr or ding then it is safest to remove the plate and take care of it elsewhere and return it back. There have been in...

I don't think this is your problem but, don't forget about the spring clips (the u bolts). The early front crankcase front bearing uses 2 U bolts and the later uses one. Having these unevenly tight or just loose will cause crooked and other problems. The proper tension (torque) applies to ALL fasten...

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