MTFCA Forum

I can understand the need for dual horns. My wife definitely needs her own horn on her side!

Please check your numbers again. You posted that your number is 15104705 which would indicate that 88080 cars were built after the "last" one. That seems like a lot! However if your number is 15014705, then only 8080 cars were assembled after the last one, which seems plausible considering the numbe...

They weren't straight.

: Crooked Serial Number

Hi Tim, I sent you an email. I'd like to buy your casting.

I recently entrusted USPS with delivery of a small package with a few parts. Regular six-day-delivery was $11.60 or I could send next-day for; YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!, the parts aren't worth that much! Then I was given a third option, second day delivery, for $11.75. Only fifteen cents more t...

The original Model T starter does turn the engine slowly. It's OK, it will start the engine just fine. High speed cranking is not necessary.

It probably doesn't have to be too exact, but the roller on the end of the arm drops into the notch in the bottom wood piece when the glass is down. Put the roller in the notch and mount the arm where the bracket lands on the post. Can you find the screw holes in your old wood for reference?

Larry is a purist and is probably using original felt packings. The felt will absorb vibration and allow slight movement. He is also using "good" copper line from 60 years ago. Compression fittings hold the line rigid and vibration and movement will certainly cause work hardening and cracking. I hav...

If you decide to keep that gear, make sure that the cam nut is tight. I have had two fiber gear failures in T engines. Both were rebuilt in the '70s so probably newer gears and maybe the bad ones, but both were also loose and appeared to have been loose for some time. I'm sure the looseness contribu...

Dan, there may be nothing wrong with your old wood. I was just surprised to see it. As long as it hasn't developed a carbon track you are good to go. In my limited experience it seems that most of the coilbox problems are due to delaminating and carbon tracked wood and badly rusted terminal bolts wh...

Why does your "rebuilt" coil box have all that old wood in it? Often the old wood is the problem with poorly running cars.

The #4 car with the starter also appears to have fork mounted electric headlights. Late 14 or aftermarket conversion?

I like the deeper darker reds like 1, 2, 3, and 5. The others are too bright and orangy to me. Five looks especially nice but it may be because it is indoors.

Steam from the radiator cap tells me that you don't have gasket/seal under the cap. I see heavy jackets and snow so it's cold and you can probably see your breath too and you are only 98 degrees! Normal radiator temp will be around 190 degrees so you'll probably see some steam or condensation in you...

I don't think there is a spring in those regulators. There is a groove in each gear and the gears are timed so that the piece attached to the window passes from one gear to the next as the crank is turned. I have freed some up and gotten them to work better, but I haven't taken them completely apart...

Go slow. The larger the bit, the slower the speed. I have watched lots of guys run a 1/2 inch bit at full drill motor speed and cuss and swear as the bit smoked and turned blue as it overheated and dulled. Slower speed, cutting oil, and some pressure against it will cut many holes.

I suggest a slight trailer modification. My enclosed trailer has a door in the front making it very easy to stand between the tow hitch frame rails and secure the front of the car from outside the trailer. Barn doors in the back, right side door for easy in-out, and front door for access and tie dow...

Get a second 26 light and put it on the right fender and convert the sockets to double filament. Most people will not know or care that the second light did not come on the car. If you don't want to do that then put a plug behind the spare tire and use the U-Haul or Harbor Freight magnetic lights. A...

If the inside of the engine is clean, not a lot of rust scale, so that the heat can transfer from the iron to the water, and the radiator is in good condition with the fins soldered to the tubes, again so that the heat can transfer from the water to the tubes and then to the fins themselves, and the...

Ford did not make it's own bulbs as can be seen by the TUNG-SOL stamp on the base. However according to the "Service Bulletins" book, page 236, the bulbs were inspected at the factory before the Ford stamp was applied. "Ford inspection tests, both as to accuracy and alignment of filaments, and more ...

Not to start another argument on filament arrangement and positioning, but here I go anyway. Note the two different filaments in that bulb, and that the base is clearly marked THIS SIDE UP. When properly installed, only one filament is in the focal center of the reflector, and that is the one that i...

There was no such thing as leaded gasoline in Model T days. The lower operating temperature, low RPM, and low valve spring pressure of a Model T engine should have no problem with unleaded gas now any more than it did 100 years ago.

Definitely a front passenger door, it has the hole for the keylock. I just checked my '25 coupe door and it is only 24 inches wide and the window regulator is nearly centered like Joe's Fordor door. The door in question is wider and the regulator is farther forward. My guess is it's for a Tudor. By ...

I don't know if they are made from crates, but the original appearing floorboards in my 1925 coupe certainly look like they are made from scrap. The upper boards consist of eight pieces dovetailed together, one id even tapered from about 3/4" to a little over 1" over its length. The side edges are d...

I also have a 1925 T Coupe that has been in The Long Beach Model T Club since about 1958. I have tried to piece together it's history, but the guys "who were there" are mostly gone or their memories are fading. The man who bought it in 1958 just turned 100! The story seems to go that he bought the c...

I remember seeing Model T's, Model A's and other 20's and 30's cars in the early sixties. I always was excited to see an "Old Timer" driving down the street. In my neighborhood there were two '46 Dodge trucks well into the mid to late seventies. A '26 or '27 T was less than 15 years old by the begin...

You will find that most people will use their right hand mainly because most people are right handed and it comes naturally. The argument is that there is less risk of a broken arm when cranking with the left hand. There are many stories of old timers who have "always cranked right handed," "never h...

As you said, the heavy rotating mass stores energy. My touring with a high mileage but good running engine has no magnets. It is pretty easy to stall this engine when starting from a stop, especially when I have a full compliment of passengers. The low pedal needs to be somewhat feathered to get the...

Could be a fun truck for somebody. I can't quite get past the yellow paint and the "dingleballs" though. The steering column looks extra long from the firewall to the steering wheel. Is there an extra long column or is this just an illusion of the bright yellow paint?

We are so lucky to have so much support as far as replacement, parts both old originals, and new reproductions. That and the fact that so many were made. We can drive them and enjoy them, use them as Henry envisioned, a car for the common man. As frail and spindly as they appear, they were, and even...

I have a "dual duty" adjustable or Crescent style wrench (I had a Boss who called them "fitzall" wrenches.) Anyway, on one side it gives the maximun opening in inches, 7/8 as I recall, but flip it over and it is 22mm. So it is both a standard and a metric "fitzall."

Steve's right. Before torque wrenches the books would specify something like a "strong pull on an eight inch wrench" of course, a ten or twelve inch wrench would provide more leverage or "torque."

Love the compressor drive on the rear wheel.

I have been experimenting with some of the 74475 style lights that were given to me. Headlight adjustment and focus are very important and hard to obtain.I set up my car in a dark area with marks on the wall according to the service manual. Note that there are two variations of these dimensions in t...

In the picture of Dallas' coupe on the yellow trailer, The cars engine is over the front axle of the trailer and the rest of the car's weight is forward of the axles. This probably towed nicely, and may have actually had a little too much tongue weight. It appears to be about a 20 foot trailer with ...

You're going to get a lot of opinions here for sure. Loading the car backwards moves the engine weight back on the trailer and lightens the tongue weight on the hitch. Depending on how long the trailer is, the weight could end up being behind the axle of the trailer making for a very poor towing and...

My '25 coupe with all-steel doors has a regulator that looks just like the ones for sale in the catalogs for 26-27 and Model A's except it is bigger in every dimension. It had a potmetal roller on the arm that was seized and had been for many years and there was a groove worn in it. I first purchase...

I've seen some pretty ugly cobbled together bracketry on many other auxiliary transmission installations too. Using an old Borg-Warner, Ford, Rambler, etc. overdrive also requires wiring, cables, shift levers, and home-made adaptations that are often complicated and ugly. I don't quite understand th...

A couple of thoughts here. I had a 70's era 18 foot boat on a single axle trailer with no brakes that weighed about 3600 lbs. Towing it behind my 1 ton pickup was never an issue, but when I hooked it to the back of the wife's Astro van (rated to tow 6000 lbs but with load leveling and brakes) it was...

As Squirrel said, you are probably not drawing enough amperage with the small front bulbs. A 535 is a thermal flasher meaning that it has a bi-metal spring that curls as it heats and pulls away from the contact. The interval between flashes is determined by the time it takes the spring to cool and s...

You are near Las Vegas, you should definitely seek out the Southern Nevada Model T Club. southernnevadamodeltclub.org You will find friendship, advice, and quite possibly a nice Model T.

I'm happy with them. I know that they are all made in the same factory out of the same rubber, but something must have changed in the last several years. My last tires were Universal T Drivers and they seemed to dry out and crack very within a short time after purchase, especially sidewall cracking....

Even Snap-On black handles will begin to "sweat" and shrink and finally craze and disintegrate. If they are in a drawer or toolbox the gasses given off will rust and corrode other tools nearby. I have had several nice tools ruined by disintegrating screwdriver handles of many different makes.

If the car is insured for a certain amount, or if it is an agreed value policy, and the repair estimate is near or exceeding that amount or value, then the insurance company will pay the agreed value and request the title. They are essentially buying the car from you for the agreed value. If you the...

Mike, I sent you a PM back in January with pictures of what I have. Check your PM folder and let me know if anything I have is useful to you.

I love the gas/oil/grease odor in an old garage or shop. However old stale rotten gasoline stinks and the smell will permeate your clothing. If you get some on your hands, they will stink for days and almost nothing will wash it off. If you have old rotten gas in a car and are able to start it, the ...

Many may not know that the '13 roadster pickup that Ralph often posted pictures of, was that same Great Race car with a different body but the same Frontenac engine and all. It was his daily driver and it wasn't babied at all. It was a 70MPH freeway flyer. Shortly after joining the Long Beach Model ...

In the video above there is lots of oil flowing over the brake drum. If you watch carefully you will see oil dripping from the spring onto the drum, it just appears that the drum is not getting oil because it is being swept into the band lining but you can see it running out of the lining, and when ...

The Long Beach Model T Club Vintage and Classic Parts Exchange has been cancelled. Although we had hoped that the current virus restrictions would be eased by mid July, we have been informed that the Long Beach City College campus, which includes the stadium parking lot where we hold our meet, will ...

A stethoscope won't do it. a piece of vacuum or fuel line will help. Put one end in your ear and hold the other near the carb, muffler outlet, oil filler, radiator filler, and other spark plug holes. With a piston on TDC compression, air out the carb is intake valve, out the exhaust is exhaust valve...

Don't use CHEAP JUNK cotter pins sold in CHEAP JUNK stores in plastic assortment boxes!!!! I have had some of these break when I bent them over, and almost all of them will break when you straighten them to remove them. A GOOD cotter pin will be able to be bent and straightened several times althoug...

I agree with Allen and Frank! Parts should not be able to move in the box! I just received some parts today that were rattling around in the box and a sharp edge had poked through the box. Heavy parts, especially those with sharp edges and corners need extra protection. Choose a box large enough to ...

: Late afternoon in the California Desert near Goffs, CA. October 2015

Also note that the little bead on the wheel rim pulls up tight to the edge of the felloe, but the lug does not always contact the edge of the felloe. There may be a small space between them. Yours is tightened so far that the lug has been pulled to an angle and pulled loose from the rim. Notice how ...

"You only live once, but if you live right, once is enough." "Be what you is, 'cause if you be what you ain't, you ain't what you is." My Great Grandmother had what looked like a page from a book (appears to be a page number in the corner) in a frame. I think it is part of a poem, but there is no au...

One of my cars has bonded linings. I don't have any idea when they were installed, but the car was built in the mid 1950's and was driven extensively and I have driven it thousands of miles in the nearly 15 years I have owned it. I hardly ever have to make any adjustments.They do chatter some, but s...

Antique T Motorsports sells the brake lever extensions through their ebay store.

I suspect that you either have the wrong bulb or a bad socket. A standard 6V or 12V bulb grounds the filaments through the base. A magneto bulb is not grounded through the base, the filament is connected to the two contacts only. Old sockets often have had the little springs between the thimble cont...

I agree with Rich on the rocks. That dump box is only five or six feet long, and with the depth of the forms in the pictures, each load probably only makes five or six feet of progress.

Check everything in the engine! One of our club members had a cracked drum with Kevlar and in addition to the fuzz there was a sandy/gritty substance everywhere, in all the bearings, and even in the rings. Had to completely disassemble and clean the engine.

Tony, before you pull the engine, I think you need to figure out what is causing the bind. It sounds like the u-joint/driveshaft is pushing everything forward causing a bind in the transmission or maybe even pushing everything forward binding the crankshaft against the thrust bearing. With everythin...

Welcome Jim! You've come to the right place, Great Story! The best thing you can do for yourself and the truck is to find a local club and get active. You are much more likely to drive it and enjoy it with a group of like minded hobbyists and an active club that tours. It's fun to see, and be, in a ...

It won't turn the starter if that's what you're asking, but it will power the coils for crank starting, then switch to mag. You could probably do a full days touring with it running on battery even. The coils don't draw that much.

There is a little hole in the frame above those felt pads, but it is usually plugged with dirt and rust.

Seems like adding the floor would collect dirt and water leading to rust.

I have been running a converted starter for many years and am quite happy with it. I bought a car that had been changed to 12V with an early 60's Ford Falcon generator and regulator and also had some 12V accessories. Rather than change everything back to 6V, I rewired the starter to slow it down and...

Most likely some sort of a road draft tube that hung below the engine in the stream of air under the vehicle to create a slight vacuum and keep the crankcase fumes out of the car.

E-mail sent

Both cones should be oriented in the same direction. The bearing gets greased and you can see that the grease has gone all the way through. You don't have to take it apart to see the bearing. Also uses less grease.

Frank, that's my point! 12V is not required. What is required is good current flow, ie no resistance. You can't get good current flow through 90 year old wires and rusty ground connections. Even the 21cp bulbs will be much improved if they are getting a full 6+V with good grounds. LEDs aren't necess...

My 1923 Fordor has nice bright 6V lights. I get asked all the time how I have such good lights on 6V. Most can't believe that it really is a 6V system. Here is what I did: (1)Rebuilt generator and installed Fun Projects 6V voltage regulator -this is a real voltage regulator, not a cutout. (2)Cleaned...

I'm afraid that the drill may still turn too fast. Even if it is slow enough, I would not use it to start the engine. I think you should leave the spark plugs out and use the drill to "run it in" until it turns easy enough to hand crank it. You definitely do not want to have it start and not properl...

Put me on the list if there are any left. Thanks, Jeff

As Alan Long pointed out, modern wheels are dynamically balanced which means that weights are placed on both the inside and outside edges of the rim, sometimes in different locations. This is important with todays wide tires, however on a narrow "T" tire where the weight will be placed on the flat o...

Loose bearing method with stick-on weights, use tape to put weights on felloe at the top, opposite the heavy spot. Keep adding weights until the wheel stays put no matter where you stop it. Sometimes you may need to move the weight a little one way or the other, but you should never need to put weig...

Mike, P.M. sent. Jeff

This one is on my '25 coupe dash. 95 years later the car is still in Long Beach.

Cleaning up a differential casting and found block letters instead of usual Ford script. Has anyone seen this or is this a "spurious" part?

Saw this on the local Craigslist. Guy only wants 80 bucks for it

Pictures of your cab and doors would help. Model T bodies and frames are very flexible. Is your cab mounted on a frame now? Make sure the frame is level, flat, and square and the cab mounts are level and square. If it is not on a frame now, you still need to have the mounting pads or brackets level,...

Some more pics

These wood rails and corners were in a bunch of stuff I aquired. It was a mix of parts from Model T, Model A, and ?? Does anybody recognize them?

I mistakenly had this posted as a Kelsey rim, but it is the one identified as Hayes in the chart on another thread on the forum. 30 X 3 1/2 Hayes rim with two broken lugs. This is the rim that fits the notched felloe. Got this rim with a bunch of parts, it had a rock hard petrified tire on it and I ...

CORRECTION. This is a Hayes rim that fits the notched felloe. I'm going to repost it.

Those hubcaps look like accessory ones that came with hub covers that covered the hub and bolts like these. http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/59 ... 1460498107

This is a Kelsey rim that fits the notched fellows.

30 X 3 1/2 Kelsey rim with two broken lugs. Got this rim with a bunch of parts, it had a rock hard petrified tire on it and I thought it was probably junk. I cut the tire off and found it's not too bad at all. The bead edges are thick and not at all sharp, and though there is some rust it's not bad....

I use one of those cheap plastic ones that hook over the edge of a car door. It's easily removed and hidden although I rarely remember to do it. A swiveling or gimbal mount one for a boat would be better and some are removable leaving only a small bracket. I believe I read somewhere that Ford was th...

Saw Pit Mercantile is still there but building looks completely different now. Here is a link, click on the history tab and see the same picture as posted above plus a neat story.
http://sawpitmercantile.com/

Ford felt that his car provided everything that anyone would ever need. It was simple, reliable, economic transportation that anyone could afford. He said that he would "build a car for the masses" and he did, and he sold 15 million of them. He also said that as long as a Ford car was on the road, a...

As far as the car not having a drivers door, it was probably considered unnecessary due to the brake lever, pedals, and steering wheel interference. There was drivers side access on earlier cars without doors, and there was a left rear door on later touring bodies too. Also as mentioned, if driving ...

Couple of thoughts: A tube properly inside a tire generally doesn't fail unless pinched, cut, or punctured. The tire and rim contain the tube and allow the high PSI. An unconfined tube just continues to expand until it is stretched so thin that it fails. Depending on how heavy the rubber is, it may ...

Hap, if you look at the first link in your post (General Hillclimb Info) and scroll way down toward the bottom where I posted more info, there are two pictures (1971) of the car when it was orange and had the huge megaphone exhaust. Just below that is a picture of it in orange with the megaphone, an...

It looks like a demountable conversion. Spare tire is already mounted and filled with air. I would guess that there would be a hub on the car with six holes that the pins locate in, and a single center nut holds it on, like a modern "Knockoff" hub.

It's called a Boston Starter. The cast-in number B S 1 identifies it. Check Jay's post at this link with information on it.
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50 ... 1439219302
The pictures at the bottom of the post are of my Boston Starter.

Model T's have rolled over and people have died whether they were strapped in or thrown out. Others have survived whether they were strapped in or thrown out. In a crash at 70 mph a 200 pound object (body) can generate over 10,000 pounds of force against the restraints. This can easily tear out most...

You will not regret having the pedal extender. It makes reversing so much easier. Additionally, when backing up, I always pull the handbrake lever to neutral and use the left foot for reverse and keep the right foot on the brake. You can quickly apply the brake if necessary without the delay of movi...

I see maybe three different things going on here. 1) That ring gear shows obvious signs of skipping over pinion gear teeth. It is beyond any further use. This is the cause of the terrible noise in the original post -SKIPPING TEETH. The noise sounds and even feels like it is right under the floorboar...

How do you rotate them when they post sideways? They were upright on the computer, but posted sideways.

A lot of guys seem to think that they need to really jerk the crank and generate some speed, this isn't the case! I learned watching a 90+ year old who made a couple of priming pulls, and then turned on the key and gently pulled 7 to 11 two times and his T started right up. I have been at shows wher...

Search found 137 matches