MTFCA Forum

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.

Russ T Fender

Could it be an earlier replacement block that was stamped with the number of the block it was replacing?

Russ T Fender

Titles started in 1972 for NY. Prior to that you transfer via the registration which has a provision for that on the back. If you get the registration filled out for the transfer and a bill of sale it should not be a problem. I have transferred cars from NY to Florida that way without a problem. Flo...

Russ T Fender

Scott I am confused. I read your link but the cops told me that the exemption for seat belts in cars built prior to 1968 does not apply to children. It is true that I don't need seat belts but according to the police I do have to have them if I want to take my grandkids in the car. I have been stopp...

Russ T Fender

Well I guess my grandkids won't be able to ride in my cars until they are 18. Hope I live long enough to see that day. Right now I would have to live to be 91 and that assumes I won't have more grandkids! There is a risk in everything we do and a reward associated with that risk! Depriving me and my...

Russ T Fender

I think Florida deleted the exemption for cars not originally equipped with seat belts, at least as it applies to children and the use of car seats. That is what a police officer told me when he pulled me over for having two of my grandkids in the back seat of my touring. He just gave me a warning b...

Russ T Fender

If the car you are looking to put a top on is the '21 roadster and you already have the body irons, sockets and bows all you need is the kit from Classtique and a little bit of patience. I did my '14 Runabout using their kit and it came out great. I had never done anything like that before but it is...

Russ T Fender

Nice castings, who do you use? I have some things I need to get done and your castings look like they do a fantastic job!

Russ T Fender

If you go for a low head you will need shorter head bolts too. In either case I would get new head bolts if the old ones show any signs of stretching.

Russ T Fender

Hibernia Restoration in NJ has what you need. They were able to match the lacquer I painted my car with in 1970 perfectly. They say they can ship to all 50 States.

Russ T Fender

Years ago I bought a T that had been sitting for years. I offered one price if I could hear it running and it sounded OK and a considerably lower price if it was not running. They agreed and spent 2 hours trying to get it to run before they finally agreed to accept the lower price. I loaded the car ...

Russ T Fender

Moth balls used to be an effective rodent deterrent but no more. The environmental police must have mandated a change in their composition because I found them in a nest last year. Dryer sheets seem to work better but they leave the garage smelling like a French whore house!

Russ T Fender

I have similar storage facilities (unheated with temperatures as low as minus 20). I also let 20 pounds of pressure out of the tires and keep them fully off the ground. I place dryer sheets around the interior and plug the tailpipe and carburetor openings to keep the critters out. I am not keen on c...

Russ T Fender

The early treatises call for 20 pounds per inch of tire on clincher rims. That's 60 front and 70 rear.

Russ T Fender

My '10 is a mid-March car. It did not have babbitt inner bearings but it did have straight, not tapered, axles. I just swapped axles using the gears off the old ones so the rest of the components were from the original 6 rivet rear.

Russ T Fender

I replaced the straight axles in my 6 rivet rear without issue. Of course I had to change hubs as well. It was many years ago but, as I recall, I used the rest of the innards from the original axle and replaced the thrust washers with brass and steel. Set up was difficult but it all worked.

Russ T Fender

I am a big advocate of seat belts and wear them religiously in my modern cars but after a lot of analysis I have concluded that seat belts in a Model T are not a good idea. You could span between the frame rails with angle iron to provide a location for anchoring seat belts but doing that has at lea...

Russ T Fender

Steve, they don't know but that does not stop them from rejecting a mint plate as restored. Those morons at the NYDMV are often wrong but never in doubt! I had a mint 1913 Plate they rejected. I had a trashed plate they approved and then I had it restored. Bottom line, their stupidity cost me the $1...

Russ T Fender

A lot of the local shows support great causes but do not have very sophisticated category designations. At this show I was in the Ford category. There were 35 Fords, only one Model T and two from the 30's. I ask not to be judged as I would rather see trophies going to the newcomers. Hopefully it wil...

Russ T Fender

Oops! Allan, obviously, I can't count. Six, not eight sides on the plug

Russ T Fender

I still can't figure out how you can tour as much as you do and still keep that '11 in immaculate condition!

Russ T Fender

I believe that smaller octagon is for the crankcase and differential plugs. The early plugs were slotted so the early wrench did not have it. After the change the later crankcase continued to use the octagonal plug but the later differentials used a plug with a recessed square. The later adjustable ...

Russ T Fender

Thanks Allan. I have 12 matching lugs that are on the car but one rim is a Hayes with fixed lugs. The spare is a Kelsey rim and I want to start using it in place of the Hayes so I just need 4 more matching lugs. Hopefully the ones I have will match. If not there's always Hershey! My problem is that ...

Russ T Fender

I have some Kelsey loose lugs that are unmarked and some identical Stone lugs marked 44 C. I understand that the Stone lugs are aftermarket. Does anyone know if these are correct for the Kelsey clincher rims on my '22 Centerdoor. The car is in Florida and I am heading down there next month so I am n...

Russ T Fender

It took me years to locate an annoying rattle. Timer rod. At idle with spark moderately advance no noise. On the road with the spark advanced for normal driving rattle. I would have never found it if I had not removed the timer for cleaning.

Russ T Fender

It can take a lot of work to get a car tour ready. You just have to run it and address issues as they come up. Eventually you will get it all sorted out and have a good, reliable, road worthy car you can drive and enjoy. Don't give up. For your current issue I would pull the rear with the radius rod...

Russ T Fender

Since your post was in part intended as a learning experience for newbies I would add that with rags stuffed around the transmission you don't want anyone turning the crank. Many years ago while changing bands I was called in to lunch by my wife so I left the garage and went inside. A friend stopped...

Russ T Fender

Chad that is a good question.That seems to vary. Where I am no one will fill a tank with a gauge. With the gauge removed and a plug in it's place they will take it for refill but only on exchange which doesn't work because you rarely find a tank where the valve is offset. Years ago there was a guy i...

Russ T Fender

I run straight 30wt oil in all my T's. One chatters, the others don't. They all have Kevlar bands. It might be that heavier oil helps but there has to be more to it than that!

Russ T Fender

My approach is to send them to Russ Furstnow. I have been running speedometers serviced by Russ without issue for more years than I care to admit.

Russ T Fender

Is the cam for the low speed pedal worn? Was it ever replaced? If not, that's what it might be. If that is the problem you can compensate for the wear by placing washers behind the band ears. Not the best solution but it is a temporary fix until you can pull the hogs head and replace the cam.

Russ T Fender

While a shut off at the carburetor is a good idea and most convenient it is not ideal unless you also have a shut off that does not require the hood to be raised. If you have an engine fire, and that's most likely the place a fire will occur, you may not be able to get to the shut off. In addition, ...

Russ T Fender

I guess I should have mentioned that I took a light radius cut on the nut when I used the later wishbones. I did not contour the nut to be flush with the concave contour of the wishbone however, just enough to seat it in the contour a bit. I have not had any movement on any of the ones that I did an...

Russ T Fender

I was able to add the lower wishbone to all my early cars using a '26/'27 wishbone and the thinner drive shaft pinion nut. No modification required other than removal of the wishbone ball.

Russ T Fender

I got one to expand the tour groups I could drive with. It was the only pre 1915 car I could afford at the time and it made a great reliable vehicle for touring with the HCCA. It also made it possible to tour with the numerous Model T groups. But, be careful! I have one 2 cylinder car to tour with t...

Russ T Fender

Don't know about anyone else but I have found that a patch kit is no longer worth carrying. For some reason these new tubes just won't hold a patch. I don't know if its the tube, the patch or the glue but I never had any problem patching a tube until recently and I am still running tubes with 3 or m...

Russ T Fender

Started my '14 after a nap since October and moved it into the summer shed. Two pulls with full choke, turned on the switch and got a free start! The road is still too muddy for a drive but I'm looking forward to it!

Russ T Fender

Cuts in the stem almost always come from under inflation. I run both metal stems and rubber stems on my cars and have never had a problem with either style stem. I run 60 pounds in the front and 70 in the rear on my clinchers. I use flaps and have found that removing the tube is easier if you break ...

Russ T Fender

Mark, I have 7 Model T's and all have Kevlar bands. One chatters at the end when braking but none of the others do that. I doubt it is the Kevlar lining causing the chatter but sure would like to know what is causing it.

Russ T Fender

I removed the tank from my '10 Touring without lifting the body years ago. As I recall it seemed impossible but with enough jiggling there was just one spot where it could be done with a little brute force. Not so lucky with my Chalmers-Detroit. 07D587AC-360C-4171-8A7D-B9D73A0D92C4.jpeg 9619873C-DB5...

Russ T Fender

I made the change on my '14 speedster and love the results. I was able to work the gears into the '14 steering column using time saver and a lot of patience but the results were well worth the effort. I replaced the steering shaft as part of the process.

Russ T Fender

Been there done that! I finally moved to Florida. First pull cold starts.

Russ T Fender

Nice Centerdoor! Looks like a '22 to me as it has the ratchet window risers and no visor. My unmolested '22 has Kelsey rims. Someone added side lamps at some point and an after market cowel vent as well. Lots of cars were modified like that. I like the look! 28640EDA-596A-445C-A2F8-19027525E91A.jpeg

Russ T Fender

Great shots. Wish I had roads like that to run on. Cold starts are hard on the back but jacking up a rear wheel makes them a little easier.

Russ T Fender

If you run 12 volts you will find the coils perform almost as well as they do on Mag. To some extent it is a matter of how the coils are adjusted. I ran one car for a year on 6 volts until I rebuilt the mag and adjusted the coils for maximum performance running it that way. Once the mag was redone I...

Russ T Fender

For what it's worth I had a similar issue with my '14 and it turned out to be the switch. Even after cleaning the contacts and not seeing anything unusual the problem persisted. As a last resort I swapped it out for an old switch and the problem went away.

Russ T Fender

I rarely use WD 40 anymore in the shop but my wife uses it on stainless steel appliances and I now use it on the gas barbecue grill. Works great for that.

Russ T Fender

I rarely use WD 40 anymore in the shop but my wife uses it on stainless steel appliances and I now use it on the gas barbecue grill. Works great for that.

Russ T Fender

I used Clastique for my '14 runabout and was very satisfied.

Russ T Fender

Sounds like it might be a wrist pin. Does the knock get softer or go away when you retard the spark while the engine is still cold?

Russ T Fender

A little bit of noise is a small price to pay for reliability. I don't know about everone elses T's but mine make enough noise from other places to more than cover up any noise from the timing gear!

Russ T Fender

That is a good point you make about the non skid design. The high relief of the lettering puts less rubber on the road and probably causes accelerated wear as opposed to a full profile tread design but the new ones still wore very fast compared to the old ones. I attribute the difference to the mate...

Russ T Fender

I non skids on the front wheels of my car for almost 20 years before they wore out. I replaced them with the non skids available today and they didn't last a year! They might be good for a looker but they stink for a driver!

Russ T Fender

When I went from an original Heinze wood coil box to a repro box that uses the later coils it did not require any modifcation of the dash and In my opinion the difference in size is not noticeable unless the have the two side by side or take a measuring tape to it! Others may be more observant but m...

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