MTFCA Forum

CatGuy

1927, with wood wheels and 30 x 3-1/2 tires. Not unheard of but interesting just the same. I was thinking it was a '26. (I have a '26 just like it, but with wire wheels) Teach me something here.....what are the differences in the '26 & '27? I was going simply by the "brand new" look of the car and ...

CatGuy

I was just thinking about this. It's not the question you would think. What I've been wondering is this: how long was the T considered a viable, sought after piece of transportation back in the day? When did they disappear from being seen regularly on city streets, parking lots, Used Car Dealers lot...

CatGuy

Jerry VanOoteghem wrote: ↑
Wed Jul 16, 2025 9:14 am
1927, with wood wheels and 30 x 3-1/2 tires. Not unheard of but interesting just the same.

I was thinking it was a '26. (I have a '26 just like it, but with wire wheels) Teach me something here.....what are the differences in the '26 & '27?

CatGuy

TXGOAT2 wrote: ↑
Tue Jul 01, 2025 2:17 pm
Don't use resistor-type spark plugs on a Model T.

This is something I hadn't heard of before. How can I tell the difference in spark plugs?

CatGuy

Sadly...nothing since June of '23. I just....can.....not....get the motivation to work on it or the 'A' anymore.....

CatGuy

Just wondering, for myself, is it possible to have a failure on the magneto itself? I know mine doesn't work, but I have a few things, as mentioned to check.

CatGuy

In picture #4 (DNA)....that sure looks like John Boy Walton to me! Also, I realize I don't know everything about these cars, but I didn't know they had 'Suicide Doors'. Was this a custom job?

CatGuy

Pretty dry up here in Iowa. This time last year we had two big blizzards come though in about two weeks time. Seems like the same pattern as last year just further south. If it wasn't for the salt on the roads, some pretty hardy folks could be driving their T's this month!

CatGuy

How often was there broken glass enough to warrant a truck just for it? Someday I'd like to own a TT......

CatGuy

Remember, there was a series which started with A before the Model T. Then there were at least 3 later on with the new series starting in 1928. Models A, B, C. Then V8. So it is not inconceivable that Ford could start a new series of electric cars with the letter T. Norm I've never heard of the 'C'...

CatGuy

The steering wheel looks like it's falling apart. I have to wonder if the owner thought how antiquated it was compared to the T.

CatGuy

Or....... He was sold a 23 model, but He was given a 22 manual? Close enough. The literature could have been lagging. Were there pictures of grandpa with his T? 22 would have had a straight, vertical windshield. A 23 would have a slanted windshield. Not to mention the different trunks & top hardwar...

CatGuy

I have mentioned before that my grandpa was 18 and bought a brand new 1923 Roadster in '23. However, this weekend my cousin gave me three of Grandpa's books and one of them was a 1922 Owner's manual. So, either grandpa forgot what year he bough the car (which is possible since it was nearly 70 years...

CatGuy

perry kete wrote: ↑
Tue Nov 26, 2024 7:09 pm
With the Model T on rollers do you have enough room to turn it sideways in the one bay?

That’s what we have now, but I’m trying to avoid doing that. It’s sits ahead of the A.

CatGuy

How wide is your garage? How big are the doors? I am able to fit 3 Model T’s and a Chevelle in a 32’ wide garage with only 3 overhead doors. I can get each one out without moving any of the others. It’s 24’ wide with one door. We’ve thought of that, too, but then we’d have a hard time getting into ...

CatGuy

My wife was able to get three cars in a 2 car garage. I have the '26 T, '28 A and the '55 Chevy truck. The T is on rollers and in front of the A. That works to save on storage, but it's such a hassle to get it out that the T hasn't been driven in over a year now. The garage is 24' long and the A & T...

CatGuy

"This is a car driven frequently after dark, and in reality, I'm probably the only person unhappy with the look of the LEDs." You are NOT alone. I have a set of the focused LED headlights sitting on the front seat of Ole Rough & Ready just waiting to be installed. A few weeks ago when coming home f...

CatGuy

Is there any symptoms that would show up before the thrust washers go bad? Or do they just crumble and you’re coasting? I thought last time I had mine out that the left rear hub was warm. Could be parking brake. We’re going to be moving soon, 15 miles away, and I’m wondering about driving it or find...

CatGuy

Sadly I haven't driven mine since June of last year. It's just not in a good place in the garage to get it out quick and easy. May just have to sell it......

CatGuy

Well, you got me beat! When I was your age I was driving a 32 year old Chevy truck to school. Just looking at the engine picture, I can see that the clear glass fuel bowl isn't correct, there appears to be a modern dipstick off to the side for oil and the splash pans are missing. Easy stuff to corre...

CatGuy

My first 2 Model T's were purchased within months of each other. One shifted between low and high smooth as silk. The other shifted hard with a bump and if I tried to shift by "slipping the clutch" it would not slip- it would just go bump-bump-bump (bouncing). After meeting an experienced T owner i...

CatGuy

With the emergency handbrake engaged, when you are cranking the car you are fighting to break the clutch discs loose. That is why it is better to jack up a rear wheel, and allow the transmission to drive that wheel until the oil is heated up a bit. Shuddering shifting from low to high may be a func...

CatGuy

'One tip that is mentioned here from time to time here, is that when you install the wishbone ball cap, the studs must be safety wired together. Do not use cotter pins. The pins will keep the nuts on the studs, but they will not prevent the studs from unscrewing themselves.' Now that is something I ...

CatGuy

We have a very similar show going on in Mt Pleasant, IA this weekend. Last year there were a number of T's and they even had the timed T build.

CatGuy

Reading about these trips make me want to get my T on the road and go for a tour! Looks like fun!

CatGuy

Just curious as to how far most of you travel to attend a club. I've thought about joining a Model A or Model T club, but with my schedule I couldn't be very involved since the clubs are all an hour or more away.

CatGuy

So, does anyone rotate their car tires? Was that a maintenance thing back in the day? Would it make sense these days?

CatGuy

I wonder what would cause one tire to wear more than the others? I have a Model A that has one worn tire on the right front. Odd.

CatGuy

Be sure to look him up on Youtube. He's 16 years old and about to restore his first Model T! I can't share the link, but he has 'Part 1' up.

CatGuy

Ever heard of this young guy? I just found him on youtube. He's hot a couple Model T's and appears to be into other sorts of antiques. Nice to see another young person getting into the hobby!

CatGuy

Very interesting comparison!

CatGuy

And knowing my grandpa as I did, he was very good and very careful with his money! He would not have splurged.....unless it was for a $1.00 taillight....

CatGuy

Doing more reading.....'Don said in 1923 he bought a brand new Model T Roadster. The asking price was $323.00 and he paid $1.00 more to get an electric tail light, which was better than the kerosene tail light that came with it. The electric headlights came from a magneto built into the flywheel and...

CatGuy

Sorry, no pictures. I was reading what my grandma had written about grandpa buying a Model T. He was 18 in 1923 and bought a brand new '23 Runabout. Not much was written about the car except how to drive it. He did splurge and buy an electric taillight. Is that to say that he most likely had owned a...

CatGuy

The brake pedal appears to be from a '26 or '27.

CatGuy

Very interesting reading. I've struggled with this on my '26 Roadster ever since I got it 2 years ago. I'll have to try backing off the Spark next time I have it out. I'm also planing to go through EVERYTHING on the car to make sure all the components are functioning as Henry planned.

CatGuy

Looks like fun! There's some abandoned roads near me like that that I'll have to try out someday. I subscribed!

CatGuy

OK, Thanks! I'd better check everything over........

CatGuy

I was going to add a license plate bracket to the front the other day and when I looked I saw this. A lock washer, a washer and no cotter key. That’s not right, is it? Do I need to reinstall any washers? Just the bracket, nuts and cotter key?

It won’t let me add a picture….

CatGuy

I hope they write a book about this experience and the other times they've made the trip.

CatGuy

On the way back from a car show yesterday, the generator on my 27 quit charging. Stock generator and diode type cut-out. Tested with a test lamp and no voktage at generator post when car is running. There is power coming to cut-out from battery. Generatotr had new 3rd brush insulators and new brush...

CatGuy

When I was younger I would listen to my grandfather tell about his Model T's and always thought it would be neat to drive one someday. He had a '23 Runabout that he bought new when he was 18 and an unknown year TT. In High School once when they got to the era of the 20's, the question was asked "why...

CatGuy

Will_Vanderburg wrote: ↑
Mon May 27, 2024 3:46 pm
Well at least they’re not deliberately destroying cars.

Exactly! They are out having fun, promoting the 'T Hobby' and aren't destroying the car. I enjoy watching their videos. I hope they do more!

CatGuy

Anytime I get frustrated, discouraged and want to get rid of my T, these videos are a pick me up! I like how they are having fun, learning and have a genuine respect for these cars. I sure hope they make more videos!

CatGuy

I wish there was a Swap Meet like this in Iowa. We have one in Greenfield, but it's just not very good anymore and nothing really old. Lots of knick-knack stuff. I wonder if everything is just changing. I just do my shopping online or on Facebook Marketplace. I would rather do in-person buying, but ...

CatGuy

I would love to live in a town like that! (as long as it's crime free) I'm at the stage in my life where I just work all day and come home too exhausted to care about hobbies or anything so I don't need any nightlife or entertainment in town. Having that garage would be a wonderful place to store an...

CatGuy

In photo 3 are the cars standing up on end? I didn't know that was a storage option.......

CatGuy

This makes me want to try it someday! Looks like fun.

CatGuy

As I type this we are getting our first really 'good' snow of the season. As I glanced out at the snow this morning it really made me want to get my '26 Roadster out and play in the snow! I didn't because it just isn't ready, the top isn't good and it's still coming down. It got me thinking, for tho...

CatGuy

Looks great! I really like the looks of the black wheels. I have the straw yellow ones and would like to get them painted black someday.

CatGuy

I know that there was a couplet custom made for him and edsel. They were modified cosmeticly as years went by. Henry's car was destroyed in an accident. Edsel's car went to the Henry Ford Museum and was sold off to fund a project and is now in possession of our chapter president and he drives it. T...

CatGuy

This may have, probably has come up before, but I just started thinking about this last night. Whatever happened to Henry's personal Model T or Model T's? In a museum somewhere?

CatGuy

Thanks to a friend coming over last night and braving the cold, I was able to get the throttle linkage sorted out and finally the carb can go to full closed and full open! Little steps to hopefully having a better running T next year!

CatGuy

My bad. I forgot to say that they are wire wheels.

CatGuy

I'd like to change the color of wire wheels on my '26 from pale yellow to black. Is that something that I can do by cleaning and prepping the wheel and using either spray paint or brush on Rustoleum.....or is it better to have them sandblasted & powder coated?

CatGuy

And spark lever was only down 3-4 notches for most of their trip and that did add to the overheating along with the water pump and no radiator cap on. Easy starting , ignition sounded great. Are you saying that the water pump could cause overheating? Not to start a whole other long thread on water-...

CatGuy

This would be fun to be involved in in some way. I'm about an hour south of Highway 30. We could have a caravan like they do for RAGBRAI!

CatGuy

That's very interesting! I live not far away and have never heard of it. Maybe there will be time for me to go Saturday afternoon for a bit and then maybe next year get a car in it.

CatGuy

1946 Chevrolet stylemaster sedan. Not a particularly exciting or valuable car. I bought in 1979 with 41xxx miles. Very well kept by an older gentleman, no rust, dealer installed seat covers, kept in a garage. At that time, original unrestored cars didn't draw quite the attention they do now. I enjo...

CatGuy

My 1947 Chevy Fleetmaster. I restored it and had it looking like a Police Car. I would love to have another one. It's the one car that I would trade my T for.

CatGuy

Definitely worth watching! I even subscribed to see what they do with it next.

CatGuy

I’ve been trying, along with the help of you folks on here, to get my ‘26 Roadster in good running shape. It’s come a long ways. Still, there are things to be done. I doubt that it’ll be ‘tour ready’ for quite awhile. What I need most of all, and it’s been suggested, is someone to drive my car or to...

CatGuy

About 20 members of the Redwood Empire Model T Club met at a charter members house for a tour in the wine country. Ok, yeah, all our tours are in the wine country. About 65 miles round trip with mild weather. AndyB0A62844-F335-4B54-A886-42C6D3E54130.jpegADB10E39-56EA-4BDB-AECC-1BAD8BD59070.jpegA4FC...

CatGuy

Hard to watch. BUT... you can see how well the T seems to handle major damage. Until the end. The plate was from Tennessee. The 26-27 looked in good condition. Did they actually destroy more than one? The guy is kind of a sicko though. John They went through 7 poor T's.....seven. My coworker had me...

CatGuy

Free Neutral.jpgThere are several possibilities. One is that the idle is set a bit too slow. Another is that it runs fine in neutral with the parking brake position in neutral but the adjustment of neutral with the low pedal does not give you as free a neutral as the parking brake. See attachment a...

CatGuy

speedytinc wrote: ↑
Thu Jun 15, 2023 11:10 am
Drain some fuel into a glass jar from the bowl drain.

Will do.

CatGuy

I dont smell a carb issue. When you are established in high does the car run good? Its a transition issue only? Could it be your operation? How long you been driving a T? Is it possible your rear end has 3-1 gears? To directly answer your carb question. There are specific steps in a restored carb. ...

CatGuy

Moxie26 wrote: ↑
Thu Jun 15, 2023 9:43 am
Check carburetor mount on manifold for tightness, may need a new gasket, and also manifold tightness at the block.

Will do that. I replaced the manifold and carb gaskets last year, but maybe I didn't get things tightened down. Maybe. I've been meaning to check the timing via the crankshaft end.

CatGuy

I'm considering rebuilding the carb on my '26 Roadster. The car starts well, idles well and runs good in low, but when shifting to high it almost wants to die and loses all power briefly. It will come out of it and continue in high. (Yes, I have newly rebuilt coils) Is it worth buying a rebuilt one ...

CatGuy

I don't know why I even turned it on, but as soon as I saw that opening scene I nearly lost my breakfast!

It makes me want to go out and rescue another one....soon!

CatGuy

Adam wrote: ↑
Thu Jun 08, 2023 10:48 pm
A stock ‘26 roadster at wide open throttle should be able to hit a hair over 55 mph on a flat straightaway if everything is in good shape…

I managed about 28. Something is definitely off just haven't tracked it down yet......

CatGuy

It was a drag race. A short one. Honestly the T isn’t running the best.

CatGuy

Just now on my boss's retirement party day, we had a race between my '26 Roadster and his 2022 Electric Bike. He won by at least 5 or 6 car lengths! It makes me wonder what Henry would have thought about today's technology.......

CatGuy

The girl on the running board in #10 just looks so exhausted and ready to be done with traveling through the depression.......

CatGuy

I noticed that the left rear drum on my '26 Roadster felt warm after a short drive. I took things apart yesterday and noticed that the previous owner goofed when he put the shoes on and of them was riding on the outside of one of the little tabs. While I was removing the spring it broke. Ordering n...

CatGuy

One method is using the modern brake plier. Hooked end attaches ti the spring. Sharp end sits on a rivet. You can collapse the shoe bypassing the contact flats. Put the spring in place & expand the shoe back to the cam flats touching. Place on the upper tabs & pry apart to get over the cam & lower ...

CatGuy

I noticed that the left rear drum on my '26 Roadster felt warm after a short drive. I took things apart yesterday and noticed that the previous owner goofed when he put the shoes on and of them was riding on the outside of one of the little tabs. While I was removing the spring it broke. Ordering ne...

CatGuy

Here it is with the throttle lever all the way down, throttle plate fully open.

CatGuy

When you push the throttle lever all the way up, is the valve in the carburetor all the way closed to idle? is the idle screw against the stop at the carburetor and when the engine is running does it idle at a very slow speed as it should? That is the point at which it should be correct. Next, with...

CatGuy

There is an early(long) throttle lever & a late (short) The length of the throttle lever on the rod & carb should be about the same length. You may have put an early, long throttle lever on. Is your throttle rod going thru the motor or did you put an aftermarket throttle adapter over engine setup o...

CatGuy

With your throttle lever down as far as it will go, is the "eyelet" hitting the steering shaft? What is stopping movement at that position? My "eyelet" hits the steering shaft with the throttle lever at the bottom of the quadrant. I have a '26 with a Ford NH. My throttle valve never opens completel...

CatGuy

The throttle lever should have full movement on the quadrant. If your carb has full movement then I would suspect the "eyelet" is too long for your nh setup. Did they make different 'eyelets' (and what is that called?). It's the same one that I started with. Even with it disconnected, I can't get t...

CatGuy

I replaced the steering column on my '26 Roadster with a column that was for a '26 - '27, however the throttle linkage on the column was for the Vaporizer Carburetor and I have the NH Holley. I was very careful to line up the eyelet (for lack of a better word) on the steering column in the proper pl...

CatGuy

When I was a kid I would listen to my grandpa talk about his Model T's and was fascinated by them. When I was in High School History class the teacher asked why they had to back the Model T up hills and I was the only one who could answer that. Fast forward to last year and I was finally able to buy...

CatGuy

su8pack1 wrote: ↑
Tue Apr 25, 2023 8:07 pm
I just removed the water pump from my 25 Roadster and went back to factory.

How has that worked? I've thought about doing the same myself. Is the car fully restored? Has it overheated?

CatGuy

I've never been to this museum and it sounds interesting. I also see they have a Homecoming on June 3rd. Is it a fairly big event? Worth the 8 hour drive?

CatGuy

We are not moving, but will need to expand the garage! I'm hoping someday to get a '26 TT that needs to be restored (it's painted, but not assembled). In trying to figure out the dimensions, I have that they are approximately 65" wide and 155" long. What is the height of one? It has the enclosed cab.

CatGuy

We decided to pass on that house. I'm still a Model T owner!

CatGuy

Where do you live now? If you're talking about moving to the country I'd have to think that the traffic on both the paved and gravel roads would be less. I live on a gravel road about a mile and a half off a rural paved road. I'm two miles from a state highway along the Lake Huron shoreline and fee...

CatGuy

I'd hate to think such a major decision would preclude your ability to enjoy a Model T, Scott. Perhaps an alternative would be trailering to areas where you could take pleasant drives ? Not as much fun as being able to drive any old time for sure, but not unlike how roads and traffic have shaped my...

CatGuy

Lots of great advice and it lines up with what I was thinking. Thanks. Either I’ll have to find us a different house or not have a T.

CatGuy

We are considering moving onto the country. There would be two ways to access the house. We could take 7 miles of gravel and a 55mph highway. The other way would be a divided highway at 65mph. I’m not sure I feel to comfortable with either option. How much highway driving do you all do? How safe is ...

CatGuy

I have one now. Thanks.

CatGuy

Well said Scott. A lot of really experienced T guys on this very special site have taken time out of their lives to offer thoughtful advice,opinions, information, and pictures to help this fellow and after his last question, I'm wondering now if he has taken the time to read any of them...............

CatGuy

Chickasha Swap Meet is March 17-18 in Oklahoma. Good chance you can fine stuff there. Bob's in Rockford, IL is not far from you. Bob will walk you through the back and show you where stuff is. Lots of used parts. I’ve thought about the swap meet, but it is quite a ways away. I have called Bob and h...

CatGuy

Well said Scott. A lot of really experienced T guys on this very special site have taken time out of their lives to offer thoughtful advice,opinions, information, and pictures to help this fellow and after his last question, I'm wondering now if he has taken the time to read any of them...............

CatGuy

If I find a good steering gear case, and it happens to be a slightly earlier one, can I just change out the gears? Would ‘26 gears work in a ‘25 and earlier case?

CatGuy

How do you find the Vice Channel?

CatGuy

I could watch that all day!!

CatGuy

I'm looking for a steering column for a '26.

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