MTFCA Forum

Hi I am seeking advice on how to clean these. I bought my used Toyota Sienna a few years ago. It has these clear probably plastic door edge guards that are dirty under the plastic. I would like to clean them for a special occasion. Is there a way? Should I just take them off and start over? If so wh...

And the rest of the tools to finish out my tool pack.

1915-1916 Hood and wood firewall hood former.

Hi I will be attending Chickasha arriving Thursday night March 18th, at the meet the day of Friday March 19th, departing Friday afternoon/evening. Things that I am looking for to continue Hay Wagon to Speedster Project: https://www.mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13134&hilit=hay+wagon . 1915-19...

Oops! Ignacio, I just saw your photos posted on Feb.23. One of the photos show the wheel without the disck. Your spokes are upside down on the hub. The cut off part of the spokes should be turned to the hub flensh. I think you should start over the build for this wheel and use furniture wax too. Jus...

Finished with one sort-of. I have some slight misalignments of the spokes. I will use wax on the adjacent faces next time so they slide. Are the gaps shown especially in the last photo not acceptable? I may be able to improve on them with more tightening. Unfortunately my arbor press is just slightl...

Last week in Texas was a mess. Houston Texas nearly never stays below freezing for more than a day. It was in the teens for about 5 days -- highly unusual for Texas. I know of nearly no one who didn't lose power for significant periods of time and then the pipe breaks began with loss of water pressu...

Further progress. The bolt holes are drilled. Two brake hubs for a drill guide seemed to work well. While walking the dog I found a non-functioning old but lightly used Ryobi drill someone put on the curb. I cleaned the contacts and took it apart a bit and it worked. I get a lasting bang out of gett...

$11.50/spoke x 12 per wheel = $138/wheel x 4 = $552 per car. They look great and will last a long time but that's a spicy meatball on spokes. I tell my non-model T diseased friends and acquaintances on how it is very easy to spend $400+ on a model T wheel.

Here is 11, sanded and stained, ready to clear coat. The twelfth is in the mail.

The story is that I didn't get to the project until recently. The spokes were bought new 2 years ago then stored. This is only 1 out of 24 that was cracked. All the others are fine. Vendor is replacing it no problem. Apparently they should not be stored that long without a coating of some kind.

Negative, I have the diagram, built my own out of scrap wood and am using it.

varmint wrote: ↑
Sun Feb 14, 2021 5:19 pm
Ignacio,
Were you needing the spoke press diagram?

One of my new spokes has a crack in it pictured. When is a spoke too crack too cracked to use? I've ordered a new one. $12 per spoke x 12 = $144 per wheel, wow.

I thought some rest and maybe Viagra was the proper back up?

John Warren wrote: ↑
Sun Feb 14, 2021 10:00 pm
I used a brass back up plate during the wedding process...

Wheel balancer is a great solution. I found it for less on ebay than HF. Glad I asked!

TRDxB2 wrote: ↑
Sat Feb 13, 2021 12:15 pm
From a previous discussion http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50 ... 1230312819

Maybe a lazy susan? There are many kinds: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=lazy+susan&ia ... a=shopping

What happened to fun projects website? I was on it a few weeks ago now there is a place holder... http://www.funprojects.com/

Thanks for the reply, these are all wood spoked. In this video they use a turntable approach which may be quite a bit easier to achieve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRCDYCRCEek What are you working on? Wood? Welded wire? Aftermarket wire wheels? This is the trueing fixture I built 100_1855.JPG I...

I am building or refurbishing 11 wheels so I am thinking about building a trueing stand to detect and fix rotational defects. I have some worn out spindles that I might be able to use for this purpose. Search turns up various designs. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=trueing+stand&iax=images&ia=images Idea...

Andre thank you for the ideas and pictures. I will use wax on the next one. I did remove the clear coat before pressing the spokes. I will try to use the 2 drum method making building a drilling jig not necessary. I use Steves way to make my wheels but: After painting the parts I drill the holes whe...

Here it goes. The hub turned a bit so now the holes are slightly off the seams. I am unsure how to turn it back into place given the forces involved.

The tolerance is very small. I had to file all of the powder coat off to get it to go on.

At 4:50 in this video he has a wood cylinder dome then pounds the spokes in to the rim holes. Mine are new spokes so I am going to need to improvise something similar. I do not know what. Right now the spoke ends do not easily go into the rim holes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRCDYCRCEek here a...

After another thread for hanging, painting, and clear coating spokes: https://www.mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18771 The big problem now is my powder coated hub top plate is stuck and won't go down to its proper depth. I read a warning about this phenomenon in the past with powder coating hu...

They are done and so far look gorgeous. The big problem now is my powder coated hub top plate is stuck and won't go down to its proper depth. I was warned about this phenomenon with powder coat. I've tried sanding off some powder coat but so far no go. Other than that I am ready to press the wheel.

I had no idea that those battery boxes or lids existed until now. Mine didn't come with one for a 1922 body. I just put a piece of plywood down cut to fit according to a plan someone on the forum gave me and dropped the battery in. Here is the battery box and lid in my 23 runabout. One before the bo...

They are now sanded with 400 grit and razor bladed the first coat off of the adjacent faces. The first coat raised what felt like hair stubble in some places. It sanded off easily. I am going to let them sit for a day before I do coat number 2.

Good idea. A belt sander sands very rapidly and there is the very real danger of removing too much or sanding at an angle that might make your spokes loose. Instead, please consider scraping the paint from the faces with the flat side of razor blade, perpendicular to the flat surface of the wood. Ji...

My carburetor connection was leaking too so I used the fuel proof grease on those connections. Dry carburetor now!

My battery hold downs kept corroding so I plasti-dip'ed them. See the result?

Gorgeous. I wonder how they did the two tone wood running board? Is it 3 pieces of wood or just a dark walnut stain stripe down the middle? I assembled the engine on this speedster pickup some years ago. The owner likes to fiddle around with it having modified the body several time and tried several...

I've decided to not mask the adjacent faces and just sand them a bit afterwards on a belt sander. Here goes. The coat hanger clamp method worked well. Just make a little box with a linesman plier and they clamp well. Great idea. This is coat 1.

I wish there was a way to easily mask off the adjacent faces that should not be painted. It is an irregular shape to cut out of masking tape 24 times. I wonder if there is a quick way to do it?

I ended up using Minwax cherry stain and matching putty because I think the originals would look very pale like in the first picture. So here they are stained with a brush then wiped with a paper towel. I am going to be using PPG Shopline (Omni) clear coat automotive 2 coats after this sanding betwe...

'Redwood natural tone' so the original factory natural wood stain was somewhat red?

I am not seeing that color at local Lowes. I am thinking Sedona Red...

So they are tight at the bottom of the diamond and somewhat loose at the top when I just lay them out. I assume when I press them that the bottom of the diamond will compress?

What wood stain/stain color is generally used for wood look spokes? Here are samples: http://tinyurl.com/2gg4xh8n

CudaMan wrote: ↑
Thu Jan 28, 2021 8:50 am
I cut up a couple of coat hangers and bent the pieces into a "V" shape. I sharpened the ends so that they would bite into the spoke a bit.

I took the petcock apart and slathered it with fuel-proof lube -- one tube lasts a lifetime! -- and it seems to be dry now.

no leaks that I can tell!

Interested but unsure where to get the fender brackets. I have this pair of fronts,no rears. They are very straight,surface rust,minor pitting,couple edge cracks on the inner apron,no rustout,no fender iron clamps. $300 for the pair plus shipping if they can't be picked up or I can't deliver them to...

Good to know. I am looking for right and left front 1916 style with the beak.

Hi, I have a used brass windshield frame and am wondering how to polish it and take the dings out? It is numbered MT-5133 which might be a 1909-1912 window frame?

Hi, my sediment bulb outlet petcock seeps gas when the sediment bulb valve is turned on. I wrapped the threads for the petcock with teflon tape but it still seeps. What might be the cause and how can I fix it?

My mighty home-built Reagan spoke press http://www.funprojects.com/techinfo comes out of the shadowy recesses of my garage and awakes!

Also a Ilco X1010S key blank which is discontinued. If anyone has a blank?

Hi, my locksmith says for my Perry Auto Lock I need a Ilco Key blank 997GR. If you have one or know where I can find one please let me know. Internet search shows nothing right now. It looks like the attached.

That seems like a good approach. Can I foam brush the first coat? I always get brush stroke issues with a regular brush. Modern 2 part clear as used on cars these days is far superior to any of the old varnishes or enamels. On wood it is important to brush the first coat onto the spokes thinned down...

That is a good guide but it doesn't name names with regard to specific product to use...

DHort wrote: ↑
Thu Jan 28, 2021 11:40 pm
https://www.woodenboat.com/varnishing-basics

Here is a good discussion. If anyone knows how to varnish wood, it is a boat builder.

Every time I try a brush it is brush stroke city. Foam brushes are better but still not as good as spray. I did not mask the faces that were unpainted, but I used a brush, so I didn't have a problem with over spray. I if I felt a ridge of paint at the edges after the spokes were dry, I lightly sande...

Rich, I would assemble first then paint but I have a set that are powder coated felloe and hub and am going to do the varnished spokes. So I think that puts me in the category of have to varnish first. I have another assembled set that I am just going to strip and paint the 'normal' way all at once....

I am about to do a set of wheels natural wood color spokes. Anyone with a varnishing recipe for that?

Do you put masking tape on the faces that are not supposed to be painted?

Steve Jelf wrote: ↑
Thu Jan 28, 2021 1:10 am
I don't know how efficient it was, but I tied wire around the tenons.

IMG_3952 copy 2.JPG

Hello all, Having just finished painting a whole set of wheels https://www.mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13134&start=100 I am moving on to doing some more. This time the spokes are not mounted yet individual spokes in a box. I recall possibly Steve Jelf showing a picture of how to hang indivi...

And the wheels are finally painted. Wow that was a lot of work. I will let them sit for a week to cure.

Private message sent.

I took a chance on this horn off of ebay. I don't know what it is. It might be a faux reproduction brass horn. I tried 6 volts and 12 volts on it and it hums. I don't actually think it is brass, I think it is a kind of paint that looks like brass since when I open it up it looks shiny steel. Can any...

Great car, gorgeous brass. The wheels are 1926-27 'buffalo' wheels.

After lots of picking, filling imperfections with Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty, sanding, Putty, and sanding again the wheels are now primed, hopefully top coating tomorrow. I did the oil based wood primer but I don't think I will do that again in the future. Some of it gets on the rim and hub and th...

Hi, See picture, is this a aftermarket T steering wheel? It says Sargent G5-33 lock? I will try https://www.lostakey.net/ to see if I can get a key for this.

Dan, what's the best way to strip the nickel off to reveal the brass? I think I will go with the gold and clear coat rather than take it apart. How do I know if it is a '21 or later column? I obtained my column from Dave Huson's hoard but that is all I know about it. For just bling you can strip the...

Hi For my planned Speedster I have a somewhat cruddy but otherwise ok steering gear cover, controls, and quadrant. Any suggestions on improving the appearance of these? I suppose I can paint the whole thing white which is going to be the speedster color. I do have a brass quadrant. How hard is it to...

CAD drawing is cool. It makes me wonder if a composite single mold equivalent to the bunch of spokes can be manufactured?

A paint can opener broke off easily so the answer is no you can't use a paint can opener. So I obtained an old screwdriver and curled it using heat. That one also broke off on the fender bead. I see that the screwdriver in the picture has 'vanadium' printed on it so it would seem that I need one of ...

Welcome to the family. :D Looking for a brass era Model T Ford (16 and prior) or early Ford (N, R, S, ext) for my first vehicle. Located in FL, but willing to travel for the right vehicle... Don’t have a huge budget, but young and very motivated to get into it... Thank you for any leads and good luc...

No beat up fenders to practice on. That modified, but interesting, vise grip is going to be difficult to reproduce in my garage. Have you got any old beat up fenders you can use to practice unrolling the bead before trying it on your good fenders? Might give you you an idea how to do it if you do.

I wonder if a paint can opener is pretty much the same thing as the screwdriver? https://tinyurl.com/y2os945s

I spoke to Rootlieb. They use the 2 tools pictured which I now have to make. The screwdriver undoes the round bead, the modified vise-grip crimps it. Heat and somehow bend the screwdriver end into a circle. The vise-grip crimper looks ground and brazed I think. The trick will be making the circular ...

Trying out Zinnser outdoor wood oil-based primer and Penetrol for the spokes. The plan is to sand it with 220 then prime again.

If you cannot tell from the outside much then other years are ok. I don’t have a model 1915-1916 to look at. I am trying to stay close to 1916 theme for speedster but I am not militant.

Wanted 1915-1916 headlights with support. I have nothing right now so any/all of the assembly is wanted. -- IV

Wheels are sanded and in position to paint. Will do some small void filling and begin painting.

As the title says Wanted: 1915-16 set of fenders. Rears would be 'Touring and Roadster' not depot hack. Buy or can trade a set of used early straight style fenders.

Hi, I have superficial voids on a few spokes on different wheels. I am planning to fill them with this Bondo for wood product for 'hard to stick surfaces' I already bought. Good? Hey the label says 'Professional' that means it has to be.

Any reviews or suggestions welcome.

I don’t have lights or the stalk they stand on. Am wondering about a good source?

Heated it, longer pipe, tried again. It is still a little off but I am wondering if I am at diminishing returns. Is this good enough? I've included the other side which I think is straight.

One of my front fender hangers is bent. I put a big pipe wrench and extended it with a pipe for more leverage. That straightened it a bit but it still remains somewhat bent. Is there a better way? -- IV

Nice work. Does anyone have plans for a 1916 style that will have a brass square windshield?

According to this article https://tinyurl.com/y4ppe2n7 you can add an 'entrainer' like benzene to break the water bonds and distill the alcohol all the way to 100%. Not for food use. Close. Everclear is as far as you can get with distillation to get the water out. That's is about 190 proof or approx...

Close. Everclear is as far as you can get with distillation to get the water out. That's is about 190 proof or approximately 90% alcohol. It forms a low-boiling azeotrope. The last 10% of water can only be removed by chemical means.

Philip wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 04, 2021 12:00 pm
everclear is 200 proof white liquor

Another difference. The U bolt on the left is slightly different and shorter than the U bolt on the right. I wonder why? I also found yet another early motor mount in my stash of old parts! I have a total of 3 early motor mounts and 2 late. The 2 late's are apparently for TT. These things must multi...

So I worked it down a bit at a time through the bottom bracket and it worked. The issue is that when it finally seats it spreads out some so you have to put the bottom bracket on right when the bolt clears the crossmember hole and gradually work it down.

Hi, These are the original rear spring pack brackets and parts but the lower retainer which is original does not seem to reach slightly. See red circle. I tried a c-clamp to compress it a bit so that I can get it on but it isn't going all the way. The other side is fine. Any suggestions on how to co...

Coming back together again. If I get the wheels painted I may have a roller soon.

Allan I used the curved edge of the paint tool in the picture to good effect on the round spokes. It fits the curve of the spoke well enough. The quickest/safest/easiest/best way I found was to hand scrape the spokes, along the grain, using 1"wide strips of window pane glass. Paint strippers soften ...

Further examination reveals creative use of JB-Weld or similar to fill in the lug holes. The bolt hole pattern that was looks identical to the Bimel wheel in the picture so I can only assume that I somehow am the proud owner of a Bimel wheel.

Wheel paint has been stripped with 3 treatments of Citrus-Strip and lots of wire brushing. The wheels are hung up ready to paint. Treated the residual rust that was resistant to wire brush with phosphoric acid metal prep. Painting will commence soon.

Front running gear is painted. More little parts including rear brake hubs.

Jonah, here is a good follow-along of putting on a two-man top. https://www.mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3803&p=47227&hilit=top#p28833 The Classtique videos help but Royce Peterson's article was the most helpful: https://modeltfordfix.com/installing-a-replacement-top-on-your-model-t/ I was o...

Build or borrow a Reagan spoke press. http://www.funprojects.com/techinfo and choose 'Wheel Assembly Press Plans' from the drop down. Also Steve Jelf's video is great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKZ7WrfHdf8 I've used it to assemble wheels but also to change a front hub to a rear and vise versa....

I have 2 early style mounts as well. I am not sure how I ended up with so many motor mounts. The brackets look quite a bit more of a tight fit than the later mounts. I have 3 matching brackets and one mismatch pictured that's how they came to me. I wonder why the difference? One of the early mounts ...

Differential is nearly ready to install. It was heavy getting out of the painting cave.

The white one has Ford script the other does not. I am not sure where I obtained either one of these. They are slightly different sizes. I wonder where it came from?

The one on the right painted black does not have a hole. On second measurement the one on the right painted black is only slightly shorter bolt than the one on the left painted white. You can see in the picture the two mounts superimposed, placed face to face, the black painted mount bolt is only sl...

Nice Touring. Is there a toe out on the front wheels? Also how does the engine hand crank stay up like that? Mine doesn't but I am getting older.

And I just happened to have another one and the bolts are noticeably shorter than the other.

I seem to be missing some spacers on this late motor mount bolt between the spring retainer and the nut. For comparison on my 1922 Touring parts salad there is a big biscuit washer on the front bolt, the back bolt has a mish mash of two nuts. What spacers/washers is supposed to go on this motor moun...

More paint stripping. I treated the rust pits under the paint on the brake hubs with phosphoric acid after wire brushing to bare metal. The spokes are a pain to get the paint off of. Citrus strip starting on my 3rd round.

New Years T candy.

Thanks, that would explain the filled-in extra lug holes. So they must have been the same size as a model T. Crazy. This particular rim is in great condition.

What is a Bimel wheel? I have one. See the picture stamped into the wheel it says Bimel 2-25.

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