MTFCA Forum

Please note that I inadvertently duplicated R V Anderson’s post titled We’ve lost another one.

Today my friend Bob Barrett went on to his final rest. He passed away on Sunday December 6 after a long illness. While Bob was often seen in other cars like Pierce Arrows, Buicks, and Stanleys; Bob also collected Fords. When I would visit him before various Christmases he would enjoy taking my son a...

The molding pictured is a two piece stamping with a steel tack strip and steel cover that snaps on. The design carried into the 28-29 Model A coupe. I talked to a 25 Coupe owner years ago at the Old Car Festival. He was able to separate and re-use his belt molding and said he did so by making a thin...

My daughter, son in law, and grandkids are commiserating in Tennessee right now. They come to Michigan for the Festival every year and can’t believe it’s gone. My daughter has yet to miss one since her birth and my grandkids can make the same claim.

Isn’t the Sarasota Classic Car Museum the former Bellm’s? I stopped there years ago and saw the split restoration as well as the Hannibal 8 car from the Great Race movie. A volunteer walked me though much of museum telling me his stories about the cars.

England’s Automobile Association was started in 1905.

Years ago, I went into one of their agencies to buy a road atlas. The lady asked me if I was an AA member. I replied that I was AAA, not AA. She was kind enough to give me the member discount.

There is V&S in Redford, Mi. Their website says they hot dip galvanize. I have not used their service yet.

12600 Arnold Street
Redford, MI 48239
Phone: (313) 535-2600
Fax: (313) 535-0862

Keith, Lovett Hall is alive and well. The Benson Ford is an annex tied to the south end of Lovett Hall. They still cater many events at the Lovett but not the Old Car Festival dinners that you and Jerry may remember. From memory I believe the dinner was discontinued around 1979 and a buffet at the o...

I also like to remember the stainless steel coffee urns and the doughnuts on Saturday morning. And also finally being allowed inside the chicken wire. I also remember the first Motor Muster where they staked out the lower field to OCF dimensions. When the gigantic fifties cars showed up we had to do...

Hard to believe tHat was 40 years ago Jerry, It took a while for them to fill in Miller’s Divot and my friends were fond of dragging me over to see it. A couple of years ago they tried to set up a another reverse race on the field. My wife ran over and educated the younger employees so there wouldn’...

Every year I miss a special dinner on the same weekend of the OCF. I have also used the OCF as a reason to be late for relatives' weddings. This year my wife has made it clear that excuses will not be tolerated and I will be taking her to the dinner. The cancellation of the Old Car Festival is reall...

Luke,

Thank you! That’s exactly what I need. Thanks for including the reference dimensions back to the mounts.

I appreciate you making the journey to measure your car.

Mark, thanks for the 25.4 reminder. I still have my metric scales from the Ford ERIKA project and speak millimeter fairly well.

Charlie restored my son’s touring body. I had conversed with him on the phone and by email and promised I would visit him. I never made it over there.

Rest In Peace Charlie.

Thanks Luke. I really appreciate it if you would measure yours.

Some replies to those who posted. Norman, My bows are curved at the ends where they mount. Dan, thanks for the touring print. I have a set of,26-7 Touring top irons and they appear to be different to the point where I would be more comfortable with reference dimensions off another roadster. I may al...

Short version: Can someone please provide me with the dimensional location of the sockets on the main bow? These are the ones that attach the sail panel and side curtains. Long Version: There are no '26 Runabouts at the T-Museum or the Henry Ford for me to take measurements; I checked. Five Mill.png...

I've had the grandkids staying with me for a little over a month and I let this topic go into the bowels of the Forum. Here is the photo of a broken piece. First, I have looked all over my shop for the rest of the broken pieces and I am concluding they are now in a landfill. What I did find is one h...

I believe the item in the right foreground is a steel folding chair.

Mine also came with a Fordwood kit. There is only one window in my shop and the body was stored out of direct sunlight. The furnace keeps the place at 50F minimum.

I will post photos eventually using my PC. I don’t like trying to use the iPad to post photos.

A few years ago I replaced the few pieces of wood in my '26 Runabout. At the time, I used spring clamps and an electric heat gun to form the black plastic tack strips in the wood kit for the eventual installation of upholstery. Other projects caught my attention and when I retrieved the body from it...

I drilled holes slightly undersized when I installed the door panels on my Runabout. I found it easiest to start at the top and do the bottom row of fasteners last.

I think it was a matter of sales volume versus cost. There were improvements in the ‘26 Fordor; the all steel Budd doors is one. But as you say, the basic design was similar to earlier years. If you look to the Model A, the Fordor bodies continued to be wood intensive up until 1931 with Briggs and M...

1926-7 Fordor also use the oval tank.

If it is indeed the hog ring tool, I suggest he wait until the kit arrives. The kit for my Runabout included the tool and the hog rings.

I Installed the wiring harnesses on my '26 Roadster. Engine runs but no generator or magneto. After I scrub up I will polarize the generator and inspect the magneto post. I also made a mental note to give this car to my grandson when the battery needs to be replaced. While contorting and hooking up ...

You do nice work. I've used my sockets on occasion for light press work but never a fabrication like that.

Thanks Mario.

This is my first go at painting with Summit Racing paint. I was surprised and delighted at the results. I'm also glad my wife wasn't here to witness the smell.

My wife is spending the month in the south with my daughter and grandkids. I couldn't think of a better opportunity to stink up the garage. Since my favorite DuPont Centari is long gone, I tried Acrylic Urethane and am happy with the results.

I measured 40.38”. (102.5 cm) at that point on mine. It has Cubel replacement wood and is a ‘26. If that seems large, Remember there are two steel filler pieces that go between the frame and the posts.

The on on the left looks like what’s on my 26.

The one on the right is for a 1928 Model A and was used prior to the introduction of outside handles.

I should also mention that if you haven’t looked on Amazon for parts, you really should. My kid’s Christmas present was new windshield stanchions for his Model A. The ones I found on a Amazon were identical to the ones at our favorite supplier and cost less. And they’re still good at books. I bought...

It’s a half cent on every dollar spent and Amazon says it doesn’t affect what we pay. If we all did it,it would add up for the organization. As of February 2020, Amazon has donated $298.58 to the MTFCA. My donation over the years is now at $38.24. If we all did this, the organization would really be...

What you are describing is exactly what happens when you put a battery type headlight bulb into a magneto wired socket. If you have an ohmmeter, you will find continuity between either solder button on the bottom and the brass shell of the bulb. When the sockets are out of the car, the current goes ...

You have the wrong bulb. The correct magneto headlight bulb will only have continuity across the two contacts on the base.

Pep,

I may need some time to sort this.

I believe my starter is 5/8” shaft. It has the square switch with the cable to the rear but it isn’t Abell. The flywheel is multi disk and not stepped. Gas tank date is 10/5, a Twin Cities build.

Ron, Your comment about both springs being left hand wound makes me think that the T spring may have been released for service as A-11380-R later in 1928. My car was built approximately 450 units before A492511 on October 1. After that time, the multi-disk flywheel was revised by adding a step to cl...

Fortunately my local True Value hardware has two aisles devoted to inch and metric fasteners including many slotted screws. Every time I go there, I thank them for stocking the old stuff. They tell me I’m not the only one saying this. In the rare cases where they don’t have what I need, there’s also...

My sill plates were 12-24 and the latch may be as well.

Try McMaster.com

I own a NOS set of these as well. The guy who sold them to me some 40 years ago called them Grey Ghosts. My front pair is slightly different in that the “U” extends further horizontally. The way they are supposed to work is by providing a different natural frequency of the two Ford springs. The two ...

The door on the right has a curtain fastener that appeared in 1927.

Yes, that’s where they go. Mine are held in place with two wood screws on the forward edge of the vertical channel. They are not structural and are there to tack the upholstery panel in place

Mark G. Has it right. In the industry, the plugs are often called Welch plugs or less often, core plugs.

In production casting work, efforts are taken in design to avoid using chaplets and plugs.

I believe it was Floyd Clymer who detailed the plugs out rationale in one of his books. When a T is towed in neutral, the flywheel is not spinning and the steel clutch plates lack lubrication as they rotate. Towing in high gear makes the clutch spin as a solid assembly and allows the flywheel to spi...

When the cars at the Village aren't running, they are towed short distances with the front wheels up and transmission set to the neutral position. They also have an Auto Ambulance that can be placed under either axle allowing the whole car to be raised for towing if necessary. Most towing is done wi...

There’s a funny thing about many of the engines and vehicles that are in the Museum. Over the years, Ford had opportunities to help. My former manager was one of a team who helped get one of the first Model A cars running for the 75th anniversary celebration. Another man who worked in our files told...

26-7 Runabout, Coupe, and Pickup

Since I am left handed, a lot of my cell phone photos are upside down.

I'll be there with my 1941 Super Deluxe Fordor. This year it has new brakes on all four corners and a new radiator so I'm hoping for a nice weekend.

This '26 is a project I've had for several years. I rescued it from a previous owner who was attempting to graft it to a shortened Model A chassis. Paint is temporarily on hold until my wife takes a separate vacation. One of these days I will research the change notices and try to figure out when th...

This was my first year for Luray and I'll probably go back next year. I had a few specific items on my want list and I found them there. My friend John, a Model A guy, was somewhat disappointed that there wasn't more A-Stuff available. But, he did find a few good items and even instructed me to buy ...

Dan, Your ‘27 door photos highlight another difference. I have yet to find earlier doors drilled for curtain fasteners. I do see it often on ‘27 doors and they also are on the 15 Millionth as it came off the line. I am out of town right now and will try to post some trapezoidal block photos and the ...

Many ‘26 bodies also have the fourth hole as a drain on the windshield stanchion mounts as it was added in later production. The 26 body has a separate steel rocker panel under the doors with a zinc plate screwed on top of it. In ‘27 the rockers had the Ford script added to the steel stamping. Canad...

Lehman’s Hardware in Kidron Ohio and KarstSports.com have it. You have to purchase it in five one quart cans to justify the hazmat fee. Read the Karst description otherwise it looks like $130 for only one can.

One caveat. Regardless of who you order your cushion kit from, you need to specify if you want the factory crimping rope sewn into the bottom cushion hem. I received one kit where it was assumed I would hog ring the vinyl under the cushion.

The 26-7 bodies have integral firewalls attached to the cowl. The floorboard risers attach to the firewall with two rivets on each side. The later brackets with these notches clear these rivets.

The DTW airport has a bus stop on the lower level. It takes you up Middlebelt Road and connects to Warren Avenue. That will get you to Dearborn. I’m not sure if it’s the M-39 Southfield bus or the Warren Avenue bus that goes through Fairlane Mall. That bus takes you to the Henry Ford. For Piquette, ...

If you pry on the distributor body, it can brake off inside the head. Try lifting the head off the engine with the distributor still installed. Then use a pipe larger than the shaft to tap it out. This will also allow you better access for penetrating oil.

If it’s the Arthur F. Tapert at 3900 Gladwin, he was born in 1896 and was 44 in the 1940 census. He probably didn’t show his car much by the time I was entering the hobby in the seventies. Arthur’s son (Junior) was born in 1919 and would be 100 if he’s still around.

My wife and I stopped on I-75 near Picqua Ohio yesterday to use the restrooms. While I waited for my wife to reassemble the grandkids I read the warning signs. Sure enough, some clod stopped me in the parking lot to tell me about his wife with a collapsed lung. I asked him if he read any of the sign...

If I wasn’t 550 miles away from my ‘26, I would be happy to share photos. The Z shaped pieces are easy. I secured them with one screw. The 1/2 diameter post of the rubber bumper fits in the end of the wood. My car has wide perforated steel strips that the hip panel nails pass through. The vertical w...

I wonder if Toyota will fare any better with its all white tires....

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/forget-whi ... hite-tires

These books were published by the Lincoln Extension Service and are generic descriptions of manufacturing. They don’t appear to be affiliated with companies like Lincoln Motors or Lincoln welding. They show up on Amazon in sets or volumes from time to time.

www.pwsm.com is the host website. The meet is officially March 15 &16. I may go there this year but I haven't received a firm response yet from the other guys who wanted to drive down with me.

It was June 21-National Selfie Day. I, a left hander, was goaded into taking a selfie. I'm glad it wasn't International Selfie Day because many of you were spared.

While I'm playing nurse during my wife's third knee replacement, I'll give the new improved forum a try. I spent New Years reading the paper... Bay1.JPG I found this is Mr. Ford's favorite photo: Bay2.JPG Our friends in England are exercising their old cars in a town called Brighton. Bay3.JPG

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