MTFCA Forum

Who was C.E. Phibbs? Doctor Phibbs, perhaps?

To repeat: "I'd call it.....". In both pics, the bodies and tanks look identical, which suggests they were manufactured. If so, finding out who made them would probably be revealing. If both pics are the same car, or from the same custom builder, the tank may be a one-off. Both frames appear to be M...

Sounds like dirt.

I wonder what they weigh....?

My car starts easily with the carb adjustment open 1 turn. After it runs for half a minute or so, I reduce the adjustment to about 3/4 to 7/8 turn. I haven't had the plugs out of the engine in the last several thousand miles.

Compression is OK. Fouled plugs will mis-fire under load. Cleaning them and gapping them should cure that. If the engine still runs irregularly under load, I'd check the timer and related wiring. It's not uncommon for the wiring at the timer to wear against the timer rod or the fan belt. Also be sur...

I'd call it a "suitcase tank".

I wouldn't be afraid of it if it is actual NOS and it hasn't been knocked around... and the price is reasonable.

It looks like the body and rear subframe are about where they should be, but the bed is too low. I'm not sure just where is the problem lies. The fenders seem to be in the right place relative to the running boards and the bed. Maybe all the wood blocks are too thin, including the running board bloc...

If the distributor is original equipment, I'd keep it.

Raise the bed, put the plate where it belongs, and oil the springs.

Excess cranking will heat up the cables, but they should not get extremely hot. With any electric starter on any vehicle, it's best not to engage the stater for more than 10 to 15 seconds at a time. Doing so can overheat the starter windings. If the engine doesn't start within a few seconds of crank...

It should have a vent hole. I'd put the new battery in, oil the timer, if it is a Ford roller timer, and start and drive the car. Then, if it needs parts, you can start making a list. Nearly everything on a Model T needs oil, including body parts like door hinges and control rods, a number of points...

It's long gone now. It was a '47 torpedo in two tone gray, 6 cylinder, with radio and heater. Those are excellent, durable cars. The radio sounded like a juke box, and the underseat heater with a separate coil for the defrost worked very well.

Re: The chicken house... The construction of the chimney doesn't match the construction of the house. I wonder if a "proper" house once stood there, and perhaps burned down, to be replaced by the log shanty. (Or is it made from railroad ties?) Not a few families who prospered in the 1920s were flat ...

The tragic result of riding a bicycle built for two without proper chain guards....

Some Ford literature shows a town car with fore doors. They look like tourer doors.

"Somehow the lean-rich mixture was set to 6 turns open...."

Running WAY TOO RICH. You can test compression using the hand crank.

There is a former Firestone building near here that I'm sure Firestone built, located on a downtown corner lot . It's ornate red brick with white trim and fancy multi-paned windows, 2-story, with a drive thru area in front. It has a wooden ramp leading up to second floor parking, which had a timber ...

A plug gap of .026 to .032 is fine. A smaller gap may give easier starting with a weak magneto. Your plugs show that the engine is running WAY TOO RICH and the plugs are heavily soot-fouled. Clean the plugs thoroughly and set the gaps to .028. Make sure the float level in the carburetor is correct, ...

OP's clutch is not stuck, but it may be dragging, either due to linkage adjustment or gummy oil.

Two of the best cars I ever owned cost me $15.00 and $20.00 respectively. One, a 1947 Pontiac Torpedo, was sitting on blocks in an old fellow's back yard, and the other, a 1950 Ford business coupe, was sitting in Buddy Swan's junkyard.

MMO is great stuff. It's also period correct and it smells pretty. It cleans like kerosene and lubricates like a quality 10W motor oil. It's less costly than many "additives", and if you add, say, 1 pint to crankcase oil, you save the considerable cost of 1 pint of quality motor oil, thus offsetting...

You can get much of the benefit of hot oil by changing out the old oil for 10W30 cut with MMO. Pouring some MMO directly into the transmission can be very helpful at cutting gum. I'd pour the MMO in the trans with the clutch in "neutral".

If the battery has sat around for 2 years, it is probably more dead than alive, even if it was new 2 years ago. I would NOT use 12 volts for jump starting. Get a good 6 volt battery, or have yours load tested after an overnight charge.

Free starts (usually) occur after the engine has been stopped for few minutes to a few hours. . I suggest draining ALL the old gas from the tank and carburetor, then adding 5 gallons of fresh gasoline with 2 ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil added. Drain the crankcase and refill with 3 quarts of 10W30 oi...

McNeal # 3 would probably be a lot easier to locate than Sam Smith or some such.

A 45 amp six volt generator from an old Cadillac might do for a starter-generator. A T engine doesn't have to crank fast to start.

A major operation! Perhaps obtaining a second Model T with a starter would be a better option....?

A shaved head and the overbores typical today would probably get you about the same compression increase. Modern rings would probably help gain some compression pressure by reason of better sealing over a wider operating range. Modern oil might help a little, too. Back in the day, many Ts ran with h...

Be sure the oil level is not too high, and use 20W oil or, better yet, 10W30 oil.

The low head would require shorter head bolts. Weren't the earlier head bolts smaller than the later ones?

Build a going business.... and you'll attract unionists.

Concerning water pumps on Ts: I think one of the primary reasons for adding them was to prevent radiator freeze up in cold weather. Antifreeze was not highly developed in those days, and many people avoided antifreeze problems and expense by using water, and draining it when they parked the car. In ...

I don't think the open cars used any weatherstrip on the doors. The late open cars had some rubber parts around the windshield and the gas filler lid on the cowl. There were some small rubber bumpers at the upper rear of the doors near the latch. The closed cars may have had door weather stripping a...

Tariffs and shipping costs may be deductible if you have tax liability. I'd think a gunsmith somewhere in the USA might be interested in producing antique gun parts, if a market exists. A jeweler might be equipped to produce flints.

Flint is abundant in the USA.

Interesting garage... !

Most everything for sale in America today is literally shipped from China and elsewhere, most anywhere but from HERE. BUT, it is shipped in huge containers, by major concerns, in vast quantities. I don't think that small shipments, let alone individual customer shipments, fit into the modern day shi...

Shine a light up inside the cylinder and look for any evidence of trouble.

Neat solution.

A decal or vinyl stick-on could be made up to cover the metal plate.

Excellent! Looks period, too.

That's way too much heat for sheet brass.

Coil adjustment is critical to getting good engine performance. A Model T coil can "sound good" and throw a good spark and still be way out of adjustment. It's a good idea to have all 4 coils adjusted with an ECCT or an HCCT. The timer is another common source of difficulty. If it is an original For...

Your radiator shell may be putting pressure on the neck, which will contribute to issues. Solder won't bond to chrome, so be sure that there is no chrome on the area to be soldered. Silver Solder is stronger than typical solder, but I don't know if it can be used on brass.

Join a club, feel free to use this forum, and obtain an owner's manual and service manual. These are available in reprint and also online, along with service letters and advertisements and more. It takes a little getting used to to drive a Model T as it should be driven, but it's not difficult to be...

That is a very impressive bottom end!

A 12 volt garden tractor battery will do a good job of powering the ignition on a 6 volt T with stock ignition. It will NOT operate the starter. It would probably burn out 6 volt headlights, tail lights, and brake lights, so it would be advisable to see to it that 12 volt power could only reach the ...

A T will run on a near-dead battery if the ignition system is in good condition. However, it may not start using the starter if the battery is getting low on charge, since engaging the starter with a partially-discharged battery will drop the voltage severely, which is likely to render the ignition ...

In a case like the OP describes, I'd have a good, full size battery in the car dedicated to operating the starter only, especially if the car cannot be crank started. I'd have a separate battery for the ignition only, and I'd want it to be of substantial size and in good condition and fully charged....

That would depend on the size and condition of the battery, the battery's intitial state of charge, and the condition of the starter and the engine in general. Can the car be started with the crank? If so, I'd start with the crank to avoid issues with a depleted battery while on the road. OR, obtain...

Plug wires on wrong? (firing order) Gaps set improperly?

Check for loose motor mounts, loose generator, front spring clamp nuts loose, loose or cracked front cross member, etc.

"Some of the clutch discs can stick together only running it will fix it. My T sat for a short time..."

What are you using for motor oil? Have you removed the access plate on the oil pan to check for heavy sludge?

Yet another example of that curmudgeonly robber baron auto maker, Henry Ford, ordering changes aimed at gittin' the liddleman!

I did disinfect with "perhaps". A Model T with straight, concentric wheel/tire assemblies that are in balance will roll very smoothly on fair to good road surfaces at any rational speed, up to 50 MPH. Wheel/tire assemblies that are other than round and straight and in balance will degrade ride and h...

The left hubcap appears to be wobbling, perhaps indicating a bent axle or improperly seated hub. If the rims are rusty or bent, the tires may not seat evenly. If the car has been sitting a while, the tires can "flat spot". This is especially true of tires with nylon cord. Demountable rims need for t...

If bargains are to be had, maybe some young people will take advantage and get an affordable T.

Did you drain out all old fuel and replace it with fresh?

Clutch and band adjustments can affect how easily the engine cranks. Thick or dirty oil can make a huge difference in how much the clutch drags. Putting a little oil on the crank bearing can help. Use a light oil as Ford recommended. (5W20 or 10W30). It might be revealing to remove all 4 spark plugs...

The resumption of public school and college, plus the advent of indoor season for many, will assure the resurgence of colds and flu, just as it has for generations.

You want teddy bear, Joe? How many times you want, and where did your want him?

Somehow, businesses halfway around the world have, for several decades, been making money supplying American markets with everything from antique auto tires to track hoes, and everything in between.

These redundant and excess spaces are now vested with the Workers and Peoples!

I haven't heard of any cases around here, but I don't think it ever went away completely or that it ever will. From time to time, a new variant is announced, but the furor seems to die down quickly.

Drooping door handles are very common on cars with handles that rotate to open the door, whether the door structure is wood or all-steel, and the door latches usually work well regardless of the unsightly drooping. In most cases, a spring that returns the handle to its resting position is weak or br...

Years of bad policy have driven most manufacturing out of the USA. Attempts are currently being made, against considerable resistance, to begin to correct that situation.

Stick-on weights will cure that.

Cities and airports are typically the warmest places in a given area. Look up "Urban heat Island". It's not unusual for a major metropolitan area to be several degrees warmer than the surrounding rural areas, especially in calm, sunny weather. Besides air conditioning, there are many very prolific a...

Tire expense ought to be considered on a cost per mile of service basis. A quality tire that performs well over a long service life is a bargain, even at nearly twice the initial cost of an inferior tire.

Six volt systems work just fine when they are in good order. Actually, when the car is running, the T system will show 7 to 8 volts most of the time, and when running on magneto, the ignition system sees from around 7 volts at cranking speed to as much as 30 volts at road speeds. When the starter is...

Why did you replace all that stuff? What was the original issue?

First thing that comes to mind is a dead battery. Second thing, is the engine properly grounded to the frame? Every connection in the entire starter circuit must be clean and tight, and that includes a good engine to chassis ground.

Too many Chicago-style hot dogs?

At noon a few days ago, it was 101 F here and 59 F in Dalhart. If air conditioning were to become unavailable, half the people in Texas would go back home. PS: W. T. Sherman was an arsonist!

First, determine if the problem is in the wheels, or elsewhere, such as bent axles or problems with the hub to axle fit.
Be sure the tires are seated properly on the rims.

When installing any accessory oil level indicator, drain all the oil out, then install the device, and then level the car and add 2 1/2 quarts of oil and see what the indicators shows. That's LOW. Then add 1 quart and mark that point. That's where Ford advised maintaining the oil level. Then add 1 m...

Mt guess: They issued the disc as proof of yearly renewal instead of issuing a new set of tags every year. Texas did that during WWII. Now you just get a windshield sticker, if your papers are in order, and it costs as much as 3 used Model Ts used to cost.

If there are no leaks, and no gravity anomalies or severe jouncing, it has to be air turbulence. Towing fast is very expensive, both in fuel and in wear and tear on equipment. It's best to leave early and keep speeds moderate.

Oil or other liquid leaking from a vehicle being towed on an open trailer at highway speed can blow in any direction. Turbulence behind a moving tow vehicle and around a trailered vehicle is very high. Higher road speeds, headwinds, or crosswinds can make turbulence much worse. Oil doesn't weigh muc...

It cold be a linkage wear or linkage adjustment issue, among others. It's not a good idea to apply steady pressure to the Model T transmission brake for more than a few seconds at a time without briefly releasing the pedal and then re-applying pressure. Regardless of that, the axle gears should not ...

There isn't much to positively hold the sides of the shell in alignment.

... Or a head gasket leak... Or water pump sucking air at the seal...

Could it be a head gasket backwards issue?

If your engine is actually boiling and the lower radiator tank is cool, you either have a very clogged radiator or a water pump that isn't working. Other possibilities are a lower radiator hose that is collapsing under suction, or a thermostat, if one is present, that is not opening. If there is a t...

Maybe the splash plates have rivets through the shell to secure them, or maybe a dimple in the shell for the same purpose.

Nice thing to own. It would probably service 9N / 2N/ 8/N ford tractors, too. Adapters could be machined to service other bore sizes.

Yep... gettin' all uppity with a brick main street...

Do those tanks have an internal baffle of any kind?

Looking at the modern pic of the brick building, it looks like there is some irregularity in the brickwork at about the same level as where the cornice used to be. Most likely the same building. As is usually the case with "remodels", it looked better as it used to be.

I'd guess that is a 1930s accessory. (Emphasis on guess)

Excessive and often punitive federal, state, and local regulation, plus wildly excessive government spending, much of it non-productive and even counter-productive, make us less competitive in the global economy.
The Founders of this nation were pro-tariff, for a number of very good reasons.

Nice drive, nice video. Works great on my full screen.

I would do exactly as Ford recommended when putting a new car into service.

If you need to remove the starter, read up on the correct procedure to follow when removing it. It's easy to damage the magneto coils if you don't do it right, and you DO NOT want to do that. It would be best to send the starter to one of the starter rebuilders who do Model T starters and who have t...

Things are WAY out of balance.

Temperature here is 101 F at 1:15 PM, per the NWS. Forecast is 102 F. Looks like we may beat that. However, the heat index is only 98F. The reason for the heat, paradoxicaly, is an approaching cold front, downslope winds, and very dry air in place, with the relative humidity below 20%.

If the radius rod is bent, the driveshaft is probably bent, and maybe the axle housing. I'd look for trouble around the rear engine mounts and u joint housing. If the frame is not bent severely, it can be straightened. It may not be bent at all. You might want to take the rear radius rod loose where...

Many parts suppliers certainly are. Old line name brands mean little anymore, unless the product is 50+ years old.

Bad plug wires, or wires that are touching one another or metal objects can cause jerking and bucking and general poor performance. Coil box insulators can look good and yet be bad. Coils that are loose in the coil box or that have broken or dirty contact strips can cause all sorts of trouble.

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