MTFCA Forum

5 WoodenWheels

Back in October a nice couple from Illinois bought the car. It is an ideal place for a Model T—with long, straight roads slicing through vast cornfields. They’d had a Model T before, and missed taking the grandkids out for rides. They are somewhere in their seventies. There was no follow-up on the p...

5 WoodenWheels

For anyone interested in colourising old photographs you'd find that colorize.cc also does quite a good job on this image, but it comes at a cost (along with the terribly miss-spelt website name :mrgreen: Really nice job cleaning up the photo and colorizing. With your skill level, seems like you co...

5 WoodenWheels

Those were tough times. Our family lost the house they rented when the landlord died and had to find a different place to live. We lived for a few months in a cabin in the woods where we had to walk about one mile from the nearest road to the cabin. Got our water from a stream in a bucket and cooke...

5 WoodenWheels

Very nice, authentic photo. Lots of detail, looks like the owner is ready for just about anything the road may throw at him. Both "survivors," the car and its owner.

5 WoodenWheels

I certainly remember the Cola wars. I was so angry with Coca Cola dropping original Coke in favor of the sweeter "new Coke" that I quit buying their products for several years, even after they brought back the "Original Coke" product. [/quote] Ha! I was actually upset about the New Coke now that I ...

5 WoodenWheels

Great stuff! I love the stories. Thank you Gerrit. I remember a school field trip to a local Coca Cola bottling plant nearly six decades ago. Fascinating to watch as hundreds of bottles got filled one by one! You’re welcome! I would have enjoyed the Coca-Cola tour—I like anything that involves some...

5 WoodenWheels

Great photo, it seems like I’ve seen old photos of unfortunate incidents involving bottles that somehow became unrestrained. Probably weren’t wearing their seat belts. At one point, actually an extended point in time, I was obsessed with Coke and anything related to it. Drank a lot of Coke. Had a fe...

5 WoodenWheels

Very sorry to hear this. He sounds like a real force in the hobby and unfortunately I'm just getting to know about him through this discussion. I would suggest not sharing the extent of damage to his car at this time as it can be demoralizing and the mind can affect overall healing no matter one's a...

5 WoodenWheels

I have it on good authority that Mr. Ford directed an effort to reclaim used paper clips to be used as cotter pins. It was the summer of 1923—a beautiful day by all accounts. The office windows were open to allow a breeze from the street. The office cat, Smoky, lazed by the window. One of the office...

5 WoodenWheels

Thanks for all the information, going to hold off on this for now. Top is in beautiful condition, don't want to risk damaging it.
Gerrit

5 WoodenWheels

One man top showing top straps.jpg Loosen the top clamps on the stanchions, un-snap the rear gypsy curtains on each side of the rear irons,, so the snaps don't tear the top material, then climb in the rear, and lift and fold down the irons. Be sure to place the top bow saddles first, as the lowered...

5 WoodenWheels

On my '23 Touring I've always driven with the top closed. I like the sun protection. I also think the car looks better. Just in case, I'd like to know how to open the top properly. It's in like-new condition, would like to keep it that way. There are two thumbscrews up front by the windshield. I ima...

5 WoodenWheels

I saw it when I got up this morning about 2 AM. That was right after Gunsmoke and just before Chatty Cathy ran off with Robbie The Robot. It could be The Perfect Horror. The dance continues, with fierce drumming night and day ... but still no rain. Dessicated cows blowing about like tumbleweeds in ...

5 WoodenWheels

Looks straight out of the Grapes of Wrath. Great photos.

5 WoodenWheels

Interesting post. My '23 Touring came with meticulous documentation, all mechanical systems had been gone through and the receipts for related parts were included in a thick binder. Maybe the work hadn't been done yesterday, but driving and listening to the car supported the documented repairs. It's...

5 WoodenWheels

How did your wheel fare? Nice looking touring car, I'm sure you'll get past this speed bump. Best of luck.
Gerrit

5 WoodenWheels

Selling at Hershey now requires a PA Sales Tax number and collecting the tax for anything sold. That is a fair amount for an automobile sale! I don't believe a private seller could collect tax for a vehicle sale. In Maryland, the sales tax is collected when the new owner goes to register their car ...

5 WoodenWheels

There is currently a post about attending Hershey and selling parts. This brought to mind my experience many years ago when I loaded up my '67 Mercury pickup and headed to Carlisle, PA where another large car show takes place. I was very much into mid-60s Ford pickups and had amassed quite a collect...

5 WoodenWheels

Thanks for the replies. My only knowledge of this young man is that he seems very enthusiastic, has a job in a food warehouse and thinks Model T Fords are cool. And he is fairly local to where I live. I'm happy to donate some of my time to give him a taste of what riding in and owning a Model T is l...

5 WoodenWheels

Been casually advertising my car for sale. Interesting variety of potential buyers out there. Recently a 21 year old contacted me, very enthusiastic about seeing the car, and very little knowledge of Model T Fords. Sure, I'll take you for a drive and share what I know---which may or may not convince...

5 WoodenWheels

I forgot the topic when you said you've owned your car for 77 years. If that's not a record, it should be. I'm impressed. My '23 Touring is fine, it's the model I wanted when I went searching. I've always liked the more plain-Jane, pedestrian looking cars so you could say I have my favorite Model T.

5 WoodenWheels

Neat photo. Wonder if any of those cars passed into the hands of current owners.

5 WoodenWheels

DanTreace wrote: ↑
Mon Jun 26, 2023 2:13 pm
Lots of info on the adventures of the Wanderwell Expedtions.

There is a FB site by her grandchild full of info posted weekly.

Thanks for the links, I'll do some an additional reading. Sounds like a fascinating person.

5 WoodenWheels

Everyone aware of this young woman? Started around the world tour in a Model T at the age of 16. Born in 1906 in Winnipeg. Recently became acquainted with her story, plan to do more reading. t/ https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/aloha-wanderwell-traveled-around-the-world-in-a-model-t/[...

5 WoodenWheels

No current pictures at this time but here are a couple as I ran it 50 + years ago. Great photos, going for the moonshiner look? Or were you in fact a moonshiner back then? I like the stoneware jug. Rear wheel looks similar to vintage VW but probably not. Thanks for posting the pics, here's one for ...

5 WoodenWheels

Meant to ask, can you post a photo of the whole car?

5 WoodenWheels

I like it, it's the kind of car I'm drawn to wherever there's a collection of old automobiles. Lots of visual interest. The museum-quality restorations are lost on me--makes my head hurt thinking of all the time and money that went into them.
Gerrit

5 WoodenWheels

Gerrit.. original style Ford switches can be taken apart cleaned and reused.,.. opening up that switch you'll find why it wasn't working properly, due from dirt, corrosion, contact wear, and other surprises. Hold on to your starter switch. Thank you but the switch was already a replacement. The car...

5 WoodenWheels

Good morning, A little while ago I posted about my car suddenly not starting on a tour. One positive side effect of this is that I'd gotten pretty good at crank-starting it, something I was reluctant to try in the past. The starter was non-responsive when I pushed the floor switch. With the help of...

5 WoodenWheels

Make sure your tool is of sufficient quality that it wont come apart while using it. Retrieving the magnet adds another layer to the issue you dont need. Good advice, bears repeating. A cheap magnetic pickup tool will come apart. One example of a cheap tool would be the red one available from Harbo...

5 WoodenWheels

Brief update: A member of my club kindly came over and helped diagnose the issue. We've narrowed it down to a worn-out starter switch. I'll be ordering a new one tomorrow along with another part I need. I'll check back with the status when I have it all back together again. As always, thanks for th...

5 WoodenWheels

Thank you for the replies. I'm checking things over now, but also have some non model-T related activities today so I'm not sure I'll get to the bottom of it by the end of the day. Some additional information: car has been converted to 12V and this is the first long drive after rebuilding the start...

5 WoodenWheels

The terminal post on the starter may be loose at the internal connection inside the starter. That condition can make a poor connection or no connection between the starter and battery, even if the switch, battery, ground(s) and all cable connections are clean and tight and the battery is good and f...

5 WoodenWheels

Howdy from Maryland1 Beautiful tour today, just outstanding. Sixty-some miles through the countryside. At one of the stops I lost my electric start. We got the car going again with the help of another club member crank-starting. No sound at all when I step on the starter switch. No spinning starter ...

5 WoodenWheels

Gerrit - the Citroen 2CV may not be a Model T, but the 1923 5CV comes close… check out the front axle. Chuck-- Beautiful car. Yours? I see the similarity in the front end, had to look at my '23 Touring for comparison. Citroën made some very classy cars prior to and after the 2CV. The deux chevaux w...

5 WoodenWheels

Gamla Bakaríið in Ísafjörður? I think that's one of those UK built Model Ts. I'm not sure if the front disc brakes were a factory option. 2871139169_efb5335c37_b.jpg Yes, that's it! You know the place? It's your photo? Excellent kleinur and hot coffee with free refill but only if you ask. They won'...

5 WoodenWheels

All this talk about France. Well, since someone was brave enough to introduce a non Model T into the discussion, I'll use this opportunity to showcase the French car that's on my wish list. It's the iconic Citroën 2 CV. Not exactly the Model T of France, but pretty close. I had the chance to drive o...

5 WoodenWheels

At a guess M3RD3-B01T3, or worse? ;) [/quote] It was years ago and I wish I remember. It wasn't that, however. It was definitely idiomatic French, and I remember looking at it trying to decipher what the plate meant before realizing it was something in French. Do New Zealanders go in for personalize...

5 WoodenWheels

J'aime la deuxième photo, petite famille devant la boulangerie. Just dusting off my rusty French. Gerrit I was quite taken by that photo, pity there's no apparent source for it. Despite that, and from various sites on French number plates (and a paper, Une petite histoire des plaques d’immatriculat...

5 WoodenWheels

Any youngsters in your neighborhood who could lend a hand from time to time? Could be an enjoyable experience for the right person to learn how to start a car that doesn't have a key fob or the need to turn off an alarm. Just brainstorming here.
Gerrit[/size]

5 WoodenWheels

J'aime la deuxième photo, petite famille devant la boulangerie. Just dusting off my rusty French.
Gerrit

5 WoodenWheels

One more detail with the original photo, I don't think string ties were a thing in the 1920s. On the film front, Kodak Tri-X was 400 ASA and Plus-X was 125 ASA. [/b] Yes, that rings a bell. Plus-X. I think during a certain period having a darkroom at home was a fairly common hobby. It's what it mea...

5 WoodenWheels

Thank you for starting this thread Gerrit ! It's a lot of fun, and I hope it will keep going ! Rich, you're welcome. I had fun with the photo and especially seeing its transformation. I'm finding that I'm also learning about mostly lost film processes because I haven't heard of many of the films me...

5 WoodenWheels

Here's one to dissect. New ? Old ? Why ? I'm going to say modern. Period dress looks correct, can't speak to the authenticity of the car since I'm by no means an expert or even that knowledgeable about Model Tees. For that matter, I don't even know if that IS a Model T. My knowledge of the cars can...

5 WoodenWheels

PK4.jpg This is the wrong kind of car (it's what I had at the time), but the photo illustrates the short depth of field achievable with a large format camera. In this case that was a 4 x 5 Speed Graphic (think news photographers in old movies). The subject is in focus and the background is blurred....

5 WoodenWheels

Me and the Tee.jpg I had fun with this, glad it started a discussion. I’d like to see more photos from others. I’d also like to give a “shout-out” to Luke in New Zealand who improved on my original effort by at least 150%. Very nice job. I’m re-posting his effort here because I like it so much. As ...

5 WoodenWheels

Good morning all, that includes you too Gerrit. :) Sorry you are having a difficult time getting through to us. Like some have stated, we are a two man operation. Dave works the phone and counter while I chase the book keeping and parts manufacturing. Thank you, Mark. I wanted to emphasize that my ...

5 WoodenWheels

Update: Just got off the phone with Dave, part is on its way.
Thanks for the replies.

Gerrit

5 WoodenWheels

Luke wrote: ↑
Mon May 01, 2023 11:23 pm
Probably gave it a little too much noise, but....

Very nice job retouching the photo, I like it.
Gerrit

5 WoodenWheels

As some of you clever observers have figured out, this is a photo of me and my '23 Touring. Although I made no effort to de-modernize the car, I'm happy with the overall composition. A local woman wanted the car at her great grandfather's 100th birthday party, which was very local to where I live, ...

5 WoodenWheels

A man and his model T. From yesteryear--or yesterday?
What say ye?

Gerrit

5 WoodenWheels

Hi Gerrit, Keep trying Dave is the parts guy, He is busy as all get out. I like to buy from Chaffins garage because I get to talk to Dave someone that knows T parts way better than I do and will take the time to make sure I get the part I need. It is hard to get through sometimes. But I think you w...

5 WoodenWheels

Chaffins does not have an online ordering system as you have found out. Yes, sometimes it is hard to get through on the phone too. Call around the time they open and just keep trying. They are good folks and very helpful. They are not deliberately ignoring you! Thank you, that's what I wanted to kn...

5 WoodenWheels

Good evening, I need a part from Chaffin's. Anything special I need to know about ordering? I see a phone number which I tried several times. Busy signal. Haven't heard one of those in quite a while. There is also a customer support email which I also tried and in all fairness that was just today so...

5 WoodenWheels

I like ABBA, and they're considered a pretty old band by now.

5 WoodenWheels

Return the water pump, they are trouble. If the Burger King outings are the main concern, why not park and go inside? Other customers would enjoy admiring your car out in the parking lot.

5 WoodenWheels

Thanks for the replies. I do have a TSC store nearby and they get a lot of my business. From what I remember, when I checked their wheels and tires they didn't have my size in stock. I'll look into ordering online and having it sent there. My trailer is a dovetail style, sixteen-foot, very happy wit...

5 WoodenWheels

Mike Fortney wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 22, 2023 9:54 pm
Redneck trailer

Thank you, I checked their website. Looks like a good outfit that knows trailers.

5 WoodenWheels

Amazon trailer tires.png I'm in need of a spare tire and rim for my trailer. Will eventually be replacing all four tires since they're old but in good shape. I'm fairly new to trailering, have attached a screenshot of an offering from Amazon. Price seems reasonable. Any opinion on quality and/or pr...

5 WoodenWheels

But I was struck by an opening scene that showed the effect of the mined material on all the living things--the trees, grass and so on were all like concrete. Everyone was breathing this stuff--including, no doubt, the filmmakers. Wish I could remember the name of the movie. [/quote] The movies was ...

5 WoodenWheels

I was intrigued by this post, have never heard of a "go-job." There are references to early mods to Model Ts and other cars, and the term "Gow-job" comes up from time to time. The following article treats the evolution of home-built cars in some detail. https://www.classicspeedsters.com/blog/2020/1/...

5 WoodenWheels

this was my first home purchased in 1979...mortgage on it was $196. The squirrels planted the acorns in the flowerbed and I transplanted the sprouts 6 months later...those are the oaks. I painted the darn thing blue and as you can see, the next owners (who also still own it) apparently liked the co...

5 WoodenWheels

Garrit my first house had cement/asbestos shingles on it as new That's interesting. I too owned a house that was clad in asbestos shingles but it was built in 1921 and later the shingles were installed over the original cedar shakes. That house, and all the others I've known with asbestos siding we...

5 WoodenWheels

Well, there you go... We were all concerned over nothing. Hooray for asbestos! [/quote] Hahaha, Hilarious! Asbestos is nasty stuff. So long as it's not in a "friable" state you should be ok. But start chipping away at it and gulping in huge breaths of asbestos dust, your lungs will not thank you. T...

5 WoodenWheels

Use the new ones.

5 WoodenWheels

The best part is the lengthy bloviation by a salesman who has looked up a few Model T facts and stirred them into his baloney pie. It’s always a good day when I can see the word “bloviation” used. After the long preamble, the writer could have simply said, …as for this example, it’s a real wreck. B...

5 WoodenWheels

it appears to be from some type of motorized vehicle. Can't wait for #2.

5 WoodenWheels

Gerrit if this is your first Ruckstell you need to know the the swing to engage & disengage is a very short stroke not like a manual transmission. If you already know that please disregard. Best John Yes, first Ruckstell. That's helpful to know about the throw to engage/disengage. I'll get someone ...

5 WoodenWheels

JTT3 wrote: ↑
Tue Mar 07, 2023 10:49 pm
Gerrit sent you an email. Here’s the part you need From Chaffin’s. Best John

Thank you, John. Very helpful as I thought I’d have to buy the whole shifter assembly from Lang’s. That’s how they sell it. My shifter is fine so that didn’t make any sense.
Thanks again

Gerrit

5 WoodenWheels

I came for the alliteration. Glad you resolved the problem although I can't say I know what it was.

5 WoodenWheels

I recently experienced something similar when driving on the Ohio Jamboree where the Ruckstell shift lock arm lever suddenly would not come out of Hi-range. Once I got it back to the shop, I disassembled the shifter assembly from the axle housing and found the inside of housing assembly was covered...

5 WoodenWheels

Humorous read, well done. I find the content here is generally penned by a more erudite crowd than some of the other forums I frequent. I also use Hagerty, hope I don't have to avail myself of the velvet-clad tow chains. My '23 Touring has a spare and all the tire-changing gear that goes with. In th...

5 WoodenWheels

I agree with the pleasant lack of a center shifter. Unless you have a foot throttle, its more difficult to throttle & shift as required. I see guys reaching around the steering wheel with their left hand to throttle, hugging the wheel. Never liked it. Makes shifting more clunky. Consider a left sid...

5 WoodenWheels

Norman Kling wrote: ↑
Mon Mar 06, 2023 9:34 pm
What happened to your shift lever? Why is it missing? it will probably stay in Ford but you lose the advantage of a Ruckstell unless you can shift while driving.
Norm

Should be covered here:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=34520&p=268220#p268220

5 WoodenWheels

Glad to hear you had success. I'm not really surprised that it shifted, but that you previously could not get it to do so with the advice you received prior...to John's suggestion, you really must educate yourself to how it operates, and don't be tempted to take that advice as criticism. It is not ...

5 WoodenWheels

A short while ago I posted about my Ruckstell being engaged all the time. Due to a series of events only a Model T owner could experience, I was left with no shifter but instead had the shift lock on the axle to reckon with. Nothing was working to get the Ruckstell disengaged so I could take a joy r...

5 WoodenWheels

The early T's did feature cushion styles of the day, mostly leather, diamond pleat, stuffed with curled hair. 19909 1910 runabout .jpgScan0718 (2).jpg And tastes changed, and Ford's volume made change also in material, and trim style. The animal hair went away, replaced with cotton flax padding, an...

5 WoodenWheels

Yes, Victorian era sounds right. Glad the cars were small so they couldn’t load them up with more accents from that time. Not a fan of Victorian deco.

5 WoodenWheels

An admirer of my car recently told me he felt that the seats looked like they belonged in a "lounge," to use his word. My '23 Touring certainly has seats that bear no resemblance to anything in a modern car and I was wondering if they were perhaps modeled on upholstery you'd see in some of the nicer...

5 WoodenWheels

"Cheap and reliable" certainly come to mind first, as has been amply pointed out. However, there may be other, more intangible factors that led to the car's huge success. Although the T would never be considered a "status" car, it was nevertheless a symbol of the buying power of the emerging working...

5 WoodenWheels

I turned on a late night movie and caught a scene where these four lads left their car with an attendant at a high-rise parking garage. A fully automatic system grabbed the car, pulled it onto a lift where it was raised to an upper level and put into its slot. Obviously the filmmaker was impressed e...

5 WoodenWheels

Gerrit - I've rebuilt many Bendix drives as in replacing the counterbalance gear - I use Red Loktite on the sleeve AND stake it. Thanks, I believe he did use Loktite as well. One other tip for the OP if he’s still around: when putting the bendix cover back on the starter, you’ll save time by starti...

5 WoodenWheels

I recently rebuilt the starter bendix with new parts from Lang’s. I had help from an experienced Model T owner and good thing I did. There are some special operations like “staking” one part onto the threaded end of the shaft. Anyway, all this to say you’ll have trouble finding a complete, assembled...

5 WoodenWheels

It will make a fine adornment on top of the scrap pile. Junk it. The 10,000 “trailer queens” taken out once a year for the Fourth of July parade will not cry for it. Or advertise it for sale here. Sounds like someone will buy it.
That’s my contribution to the internet today.
Gerrit

5 WoodenWheels

Sparse turnout. Looks like the driver had to shift his driving stance to allow for the slide trombone!

5 WoodenWheels

Thanks for the additional info. I’ll study the exploded diagrams and the parts I see in front of me and make some sense of all that. I’ll check back with any progress.

Gerrit

5 WoodenWheels

Looks like I may have dragged a red herring through the discussion by mentioning “detents.” Goal is still to disengage the Ruckstell. I welcome any thoughts on how to accomplish that. I’ll study the problem on my own as well. BTW yes I cleaned the assy up to get a better look at parts I’m totally un...

5 WoodenWheels

Thanks for the replies. Now that I’m on a more intimate basis with the Ruckstell, is there a way for me to manually get it out of underdrive? You know, in case I’m itching for a wild night on the town and want to go faster than 15 mph? For those reading this far, you get another photo. I see there a...

5 WoodenWheels

Mark Gregush wrote: ↑
Mon Feb 13, 2023 2:55 pm

A Whiteman wrote: ↑
Mon Feb 13, 2023 2:13 pm

The sliding clutch gear (the thing you are looking at in the hole) slides towards the passenger side to engage the underdrive, to drivers side to disengage.
Or the other way around for RIGHT Hand Drive cars
You are right of course.

5 WoodenWheels

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I’ll have more time tomorrow to investigate further. Quick question: should I be looking for the mechanism to be moving outward towards the road wheel to disengage the Ruckstell? Guess I should have been more clear: the Ruckstell disengages towards the left r...

5 WoodenWheels

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I’ll have more time tomorrow to investigate further. Quick question: should I be looking for the mechanism to be moving outward towards the road wheel to disengage the Ruckstell? To reiterate, it’s now stuck in Ruckstell. At the moment I’d be happy with direct...

5 WoodenWheels

Brief update with visuals. The shift lock assy came off easily. The shift rod and fork appear to move as one with no slop or play. I’m also able to slide what I call the shift collar or bushing back and forth on the axle. Still not going into direct drive, though. Feel free to ask anything that migh...

5 WoodenWheels

Not much of an update, just looking for a window where I can devote some time to the car. Tomorrow looks good. Possibly as early as this evening. I read among the comments that the Ruckstell shares no oil with the differential. Does this mean I should not expect any oil to drain out when I remove th...

5 WoodenWheels

I’ve heard several people refer to a winch as a “wench.”
They’ll ask if I have a wench.
I have to reply, “sadly, no.”

5 WoodenWheels

I’ll have time Thursday to dig deeper, looking forward to seeing how the shift mechanism works. I’ll provide visuals on what I find.

As always, thanks for the help.

Gerrit

5 WoodenWheels

Thanks everyone for your input. Here are a couple visuals. Are there any unusual precautions I should take when removing the shift housing to look inside and clean? Springy things ready to fly out? Still in my first year of Model T ownership so I’m treading very softly here, don’t want to damage any...

5 WoodenWheels

Thanks, I will take a photo of the housing and also where the shifter broke at the casting. I agree this is probably an unusual problem and I have seen an experienced model T driver struggling to shift my rear axle. He was not, however, familiar with the Ruckstell. I’ll check back, want to resolve t...

5 WoodenWheels

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. Still working on it. This Ruckstell has been hard to shift since I've owned the car and I suspect that's why the shifter mount at the transmission broke and was welded in the first place. Then broke again. I don't have any other Ruckstell to compare it to, how...

5 WoodenWheels

Only about an 80 mile tour last summer with my local club. It was, however, the first time I’d really “soloed,” other than a few short test drives to get the feel of my car which I’d recently purchased. My goals were pretty simple: To have a good time, not crash my car or worse yet crash into other ...

5 WoodenWheels

I think touch-up paint will just bring more attention to any imperfections. Very hard to match an established color. I’m ok with some dings and scratches, just adds to the character of the car. Very nice Tudor, BTW. Looks like you’ll have a great time with it.
Gerrit

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