MTFCA Forum

Russ T Fender

You can always jack up a rear wheel to make cranking easier. I have a bad back and carry a single winter jack that I can use to raise a rear wheel in a jiffy. Usually don't need it when warmed up but it certainly makes cranking a lot easier. Also, leaving the hand brake lever forward when the car is...

Russ T Fender

Larry how did you find the hose on Amazon? A quick check shows 30 pages of red, rubber tubing.

Russ T Fender

Might not be the best advice but as long as the roller bearing will slip in without having to be aggressively forced in place I assume the housing doesn't need straightening. I usually try to fit the bearing four times with the axle turned to the 3,6,9 and 12 o'clock positions using the hole for the...

Russ T Fender

I miss my 1908 Type I Locomobile but at least I get to visit occasionally and it is now getting the benefit of the restoration it deserves.

Russ T Fender

They run OK but are a bitch to start cold on the crank. Start right up with the starter and full choke however. I ditched mine for an NH after going through 3 of them to try to cure the crank starting issue.

Russ T Fender

Rich, I debated doing anything to the top as you have to be 7 feet plus just to see it unless you use a ladder. I was just going to use it on fair weather days but in Florida a fair weather day can turn into a downpour in a flash and why have a closed car if you can't use it in foul weather!

Russ T Fender

The top on my original unrestored Centerdoor was alligatored, dry and cracking. It was also sagging in spots between the bows so water could pool there. I used Flex Seal on it and it came out great. I applied numerous coats and eventually it filled the cracks and reduced the alligatoring. My only ob...

Russ T Fender

I run my '10 and '14 without the pans in Florida and have never had a problem with overheating. I think the pans were intended to keep dirt and mud from unpaved roads out of things. That would be especially important for open valve engines. The early cars even had pans around the transmission and mi...

Russ T Fender

I decided on the four post lift because it can be moved around the shop if needed since,it,does not need to be anchored to the floor and I too was concerned about using a two post lift with my larger cars..

Russ T Fender

Rough but period correct. Found on a well used depot hack stored since 1940.

Russ T Fender

I know it probably goes without saying but be sure to check the inside of the tire casing with your hand before inserting the new tube in case the offending object that caused the puncture in the first place is still there waiting for a repeat performance.

Russ T Fender

Don't know about the wrench but the other tool is for grinding valves

Russ T Fender

My wife let me put this one on the shed but refused to have it on the house.

Russ T Fender

This is what a previous owner did on my '12. Not too keen on adding Murphy buttons to the windshield but it has kept us dry on many rainy tour days.

Russ T Fender

Why not have it x-rayed. I believe that is how they confirmed the quality of the weld on my 1908 Locomobile crank.

Russ T Fender

Still looking

Russ T Fender

The old PJA Pneumatics were light grey. I still have a set on the shelf but given their age am afraid to use them.

Russ T Fender

The early 40 h.p. Chalmers Detroits used exhaust pressure to compensate for the lower gas tank on the racier runabouts. The tank was too low for gravity feed. My Touring car has the seat much higher so it was unnecessary but the manifolds are the same and there is a plug in mine where the connection...

Russ T Fender

Looking for one or more usable 30X3-1/2 Universal white sidewall clincher tires. One of mine finally bit the dust

Russ T Fender

I am nursing 30+ year old tubes in all my cars but one and some of them have 4 or more patches. They rarely require more air and when they do it is a pound or two. The one car that has new tubes is consistently losing air at the rate of 5 pounds or more per wheel per week. No wonder valve stems are ...

Russ T Fender

When cold crank once or twice with choke on. Then turn on switch and crank without choke to start. Some carburetors work best if mixture knob is opened a 1/4 turn initially and then closed once started. When warmed up no choke at all. Everyone is different so you have to experiment until you discove...

Russ T Fender

I enjoy driving at speeds of up to 25 with an occasional run up to 30 when approaching a hill. Easy on me and the car. It's not high tech but everything that moves can only move so much before it wears our. Higher speeds mean more rpm's. It's just plain old common sense. I don't drive my T's because...

Russ T Fender

My concern, especially on the early cars, is that the body itself is not adequately anchored to the frame to withstand any major impact. So, if you secure the seat belts to the body you will go where it goes but, worse yet, if you secure it to the frame you and the seat belt may wind up holding the ...

Russ T Fender

I have taken the water pump off of every T I acquired that had one when I got it. Some had relatively new radiators and others were original radiators. Never noticed a difference. The fan is another issue. You probably don't need it if you are moving all the time but it sure helps when you are sitti...

Russ T Fender

Years ago I threw a belt on a tour on a day that was well into the 90's and without a motometer did not realize how hot the car was getting with the original radiator until I started loosing power. It got real hot to the point where the oil was so thinned out that I lost almost all of my braking cap...

Russ T Fender

I use them on 5 of my cars and am still running some very old non-skids on some of them. I have been waiting for decent tires to replace them.

Russ T Fender

One of my cars had springs under the pan ears when I got it. Perhaps the springs were not strong enough but I found the engine twisting excessively when accelerating to be annoying and I was concerned that it was actually putting more stress on the pan ears. I removed them and went back to the Ford ...

Russ T Fender

With people coming from every part of the U.S. and the world it would be crazy to let that many people get together and then return home to potentially get this pandemic started all over again. God willing there's always next year!

Russ T Fender

I am assuming what you are referring to as a cherry picker is a portable engine hoist. Most engine hoists have an adjustable hoist arm that you can slide in or out depending on the weight of the engine. The further in the heavier load it can take On mine you can slide it all the way out for a T and ...

Russ T Fender

I remember mud like that at Hershey,

Russ T Fender

Since we are talking about trailer security, when I used to live in NY they would steal anything left unattended. It was not uncommon to see cars, trailers and other wheeled items disappear entirely or wind up sitting on blocks with the wheels gone. I chain the wheels on my trailer together and thro...

Russ T Fender

The Vaporizer carburetor on my '27 started fine with the starter if you richened the mixture a1/2 turn and held the coke on all the way. Unfortunately, it was a bear to start on the crank when cold. I rarely use the starter as none of my other cars have one and found this to be annoying but the real...

Russ T Fender

That's why we still have the rotary phone. We have frequent electric outages and no cell phone coverage so without a rotary dial phone we'd be screwed. Last year a young man who was lost stopped at our house and asked to use the phone because he had no cell phone service. I handed him the rotary dia...

Russ T Fender

I think they will work on all cars with brass radiators but of course would not be correct because there are cosmetic differences.

Russ T Fender

Upstate NY we have dial phones and a party line. Unfortunately, the young maintenance people working for the phone company don't know how to deal with a party line so I guess it won't be long before they make us switch over.

Russ T Fender

I have a set of theses. They are designed for you to drive on to them so you don't have to jack up the car to use them. Wish I could find another set! They don't make 'em like they used to

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Russ T Fender

On my original depot hack they took an old floor mat and used it for a seat back.

Russ T Fender

How did you get that done so fast? I'm three years in on a restoration and half as far along as you are! Don't you ever sleep?

Russ T Fender

Here's another

Russ T Fender

Here's one way

Russ T Fender

I had lamps that were treated with something other than lacquer and it was tough stuff. Nothing but soaking in acetone for several days would remove it.

Russ T Fender

Acetone! But you have to be careful with it, especially when disposing of used rags.

Russ T Fender

As far as I know you have to remove the hogs head to change the bands so there is no reason to use the bands with the detachable ears. I have tried on my '10 without success. The opening is just too small. I did not however have any interference issues when I tried the later bands but there are a fe...

Russ T Fender

After seeing pictures of the car and assuming the engine is free and has compression I don't think the asking price is out of line. I agree that cleaning it up and running it as is makes the most sense and will get you the best bang for the buck. I did that with a non Ford that I ran as found for ov...

Russ T Fender

A not so old covered bridge in upstate NY.

Russ T Fender

I used it when I redid the top and upholstery on my '14 Runabout. It moulds easily with a heat gun and holds tacks and staples just like wood.

Russ T Fender

My speedster in a not too neat garage.

Russ T Fender

I wanted storage under the seats so I used a piano hinge in front and repurposed some old spindle bushings and tappets to guide and stabilizes the seats when they are down. Worked out great.

Russ T Fender

A few years ago I bought a '22 Centerdoor that had not run since 1960. I paid $3,500 for it and the previous owner had just put 5 new tires on it hoping to get it running. It is an original unrestored car with a very good original interior. I got it running in a day and have been driving it ever sin...

Russ T Fender

That looks like it would be a good accessory that could be reproduced rather easily. Doesn't require any modification to the car and actually serves a real purpose. I'd be interested in a few sets.

Russ T Fender

A few Fords in front of the La Chute River falls.

Russ T Fender

Art, after years of struggling with a two piece timer I gave up, changed the timing cover and switched to a brush style timer. No more problems. Unfortunately, the early timing cover for the two piece timer can't be used and if you want to keep the spring loaded fan set up you will need very early t...

Russ T Fender

My '22 Centerdoor has the flat top. But assuming the highest part of the sloped tank is the same height as the flat top tank it should work just fine. The tank is a tight fit so the recommendation that you take measurements and have them checked against a new tank is good advice.

Russ T Fender

May be a silly question but if you have a non starter car or truck for that year do you still have the bell crank? Knowing Henry, I would expect only starter equipped cars to have the bell crank as it serves no purpose if you don't have a starter.

Russ T Fender

I ran into an issue like that a few years ago. I had purchased new rings and glands and it turned out that the rings were keeping the manifold from crushing the glands. I don't know if it was because the rings were too wide or that the depressions in the block and/or the manifold that the rings set ...

Russ T Fender

Florida 1927

Russ T Fender

Let me try that again!

Russ T Fender

Steve, here is the template I received. I don't have access to my car right now so I can't hold it in place to see how it looks but it seems to be very close to the glass pictured in the Ford brochure posted earlier in this thread. The bottom of the glass is somewhat rounded on the template but I wo...

Russ T Fender

I am doing a restoration of a non Ford car and am in the 4th year of the project. After allowing the parts to air cure for a week after painting I wrapped them in bubble wrap and stored them in boxes in my storage space. Four years later I am now in the process of unpacking those parts and everythin...

Russ T Fender

My electrical skills are challenged even by the simple system on a Model T so perhaps the answer to this question is obvious but it certainly escapes me! Why can't the e-lights be designed to operate two signal units so you could have one on the front and back using the same controller?

Russ T Fender

This is the mount with the accessory tail light

Russ T Fender

Rob I have a 40 H.P. Chalmers-Detoit without a compression release and a bad back. I have priming cups on each cylinder and after I prime each cylinder I leave them open about 1/4 way to start cold and shut them right after it starts. Poor mans compression release!

Russ T Fender

Either that Thomas had a compression release or it must have come with a gorilla. Starting a 40h.p. car without a compression release is tough but that monster would be almost impossible!

Russ T Fender

Thanks for the information. I think I have a template on the way!

Russ T Fender

Does anyone have the dimensions for the glass? I guess I can fudge it but I'd rather get it right! Thanks.

Russ T Fender

It takes 4 quarts all through the oil filler at the front of the engine. The engine and transmission share a common sump. Type of oil is a more complicated issue as there are as many opinions on that as there are different oil types available. I run straight 30WT detergent in my rebuilt engines and ...

Russ T Fender

My '27 touring has matching numbers but when I got it the engine for it was sitting in a corner and the engine in the car had a '25 serial number. The '25 engine ran fine but I thought it was well worth the effort to rebuild the '27 motor and put it back where it belonged! Is it more valuable that w...

Russ T Fender

They make threaded rivets that you can use. From the outside they look like just like rivets. I have used them in a number of places where I had to remove a rivet and could not install a replacement without causing damage to paint etc.

Russ T Fender

I had to buy a whole sheet of the correct thickness safety glass (way more than I needed) as no one had it in stock. It was a bit expensive but I wound up using it all after buying another car that still had plate glass and replacing a cracked piece in one of my other cars. Don't know where the glas...

Russ T Fender

I hand crank all my T's. Starters are highly overrated!

Russ T Fender

I'll take them.

Russ T Fender

Thanks Steve. I deleted the old picture and got it right this time.

Russ T Fender

I tried to add a picture and could not get it to post right side up. I tried to rotate it but it would not work. What am I doing wrong and how can I remove the picture that was added to the photo gallery. My '22 Centerdoor is getting tired of laying on it's side!

Russ T Fender

If you can get some of the powder coating material you can mix it with acetone into a paste that you can brush over the damaged spot.

Russ T Fender

I have used the brass shim that fits behind the crankshaft pulley. It lasted a bit over a year with a fair amount of driving. It was supposed to be a short term fix until I could pull the engine but I replaced it with another one after the first one wore down and got another year plus of driving out...

Russ T Fender

It's actually the gum rubber tires!

Russ T Fender

My original '22 Centerdoor still has the composition roof material which has sagged over the cross bow supports but is still functional. I coated it with Flex-seal to keep it waterproof as the top material was alligatored. It really did a good job of filling in the crackled surface to make the top w...

Russ T Fender

It has been a while since I had mine apart but it also has the detent in the middle. I can easily shift mine with the car standing still. In fact that is usually what I do when pulling into the garage or the trailer.

Russ T Fender

I have one on my '27. It has neutral. I have been told that it should not but it sure is nice to have a true neutral and since it shifts fine and has never slipped out of gear I have to believe it was intended. Perhaps earlier versions did not. Planetor low is great for loading into the trailer or m...

Russ T Fender

Art what is the paint you used on the body? It's just what I have been looking for! Beautiful!

Russ T Fender

You can look into using Ospho. It neutralizes rust and provided a paintable surface without having to wash it off. It can be used over paint, rust or bare metal so you don't have to remove all the old paint if you don't want to. If the paint is not flaking, peeling and is otherwise sound you can jus...

Russ T Fender

No tag but this stamping on my '22.
.

Russ T Fender

With a bad back I often jack up a rear wheel to make cranking easier. I raise whichever wheel is most convenient at the time and have never noticed any difference. I keep a winter jack in each car and can easily raise a wheel using that. Key is chocking a front wheel on both sides of the wheel so it...

Russ T Fender

Are you looking for a driver or just occasional use? If the latter you might be able to get away without cutting the crank if it is a bit tapered but the first thing you need to do is get the proper measurements so you know what you are dealing with. It's mostly a question of how long the repair wil...

Russ T Fender

If it's like my '14 the tail pipe is swaged into the cast muffler end.

Russ T Fender

For what it's worth, I gave up scraping bearing years ago in favor of time saver. It is easy to use and gives very good results. As far as the crank journal is concerned you definitely don't want it out of round or tapered so you certainly don't want to try to fit the bearing until you have that sor...

Russ T Fender

With four Model T's in a two car garage I was in desperate need of more space. While thumbing through Model T service bulletins I came across an article showing the interior dimensions for the smallest recommended garage for housing a Model T which are 10'X16'. In less than a week I had it built and...

Russ T Fender

My seats are similar to yours. I bought that stuff they use in place of wood for tack strips and heated it to shape it into the contour of the top of the seat. I screwed it on from the inside so it was flush with the top edge of the sheet metal seat back. The upholstery is rolled over the tack strip...

Russ T Fender

Easy enough to do unless the steering shaft itself is worn. If that is the case the shaft may need to be replaced or turned down to the diameter where the shaft is worn. Otherwise, if you ream the bushing so you can get the shaft in the bracket it will be loose when the part of the shaft that is wor...

Russ T Fender

Plymouth had free wheeling on the PA and PB models.

Russ T Fender

If you jack up a rear wheel, chock the front wheels and put the hand lever in neutral without it engaging the rear brakes you should be able to crank start the car with the switch in the battery position. Take out the plugs and put a couple of tablespoons of gas in each cylinder before you replace t...

Russ T Fender

My late slab side '12 has the bend

Russ T Fender

It all boils down to the fact that "you can't fix stupid". No amount of lights , flashing or otherwise, is going to protect you from the morons out there driving these days. I have been passed by women putting on their makeup, men reading the newspaper, people texting with both hands and any number ...

Russ T Fender

Last run of the year

Russ T Fender

I believe there is a small difference between the '26-'27 top and the earlier one man top.

Russ T Fender

I will take one also

Russ T Fender

If there is a musical instrument repair shop near you they can probably repair your lamps. They are used to straightening mangled and dented instruments. I had one do a horn for me.

Russ T Fender

Jeff what you are saying is true when driving but if you have the engine set at a certain rpm with the timing retarded and then advance the timing the rpms should increase without touching the gas. When I start my stem winders with the spark lever in full retard position and the throttle open a bit ...

Russ T Fender

I was able to work in the gears with time saver on my '14 column. It was time consuming but I wound up with a nice tight, smooth running set of gears. It was well worth the effort.

Russ T Fender

I'll also take one.

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