MTFCA Forum

Richard, I still haven't tackled the top as yet, if you were referring to my car. Getting close and looking for the right person in my area to install the top. I have some pretty serious back problems so it is hard to do the gymnastics associated with that work. Back surgery in the near future. I ha...

Here are a couple pictures of some original striped wheels. I think the color photo is of a pre-1912 and the black and white is of a 1912. I am going to get my wheels striped so I am interested in which is original for my late 1911/early 1912 Commercial Roadster. I personally prefer the striping in ...

I have also had Alchemymirrorresilvering.com resilver some mirrors for my 1912 head lamps. Be sure the front surface is in decent condition. He resilvers on the back of the glass, so whatever scratches, spots, or corrosion you have on the front surface of the mirror will still be there. Mine were in...

Like Hank, I probably have some in one of my coffee cans of odd sized rivets. Would need dimensions and type of rivet: Round Head (Dome Head): The most common type, featuring a dome-shaped head that sits above the material surface. Countersunk Head: Designed to sit flush with the material surface, o...

He is selling on one of the Model T Facebook page. No ebay fees!

What a beautiful car. Thanks to Kim Dobbins for being an excellent caretaker of this gem. If Kim Dobbins says it is going to a good home, it is going to a good home!

As others have noted, either get the radiator recored or get a new radiator. You will never be happy until you do. Trust me, been there done that. A new radiator is pricey but here in the US a recore is almost the cost of a new radiator, that is if you can find an old-timey radiator shop that will d...

Great job helping out a younger person with the affliction. This is the sort of action that will keep the love of Model T's and the hobby alive long after we are gone. Good on 'ya!

Ed-sent you an email.

Greg J

Ed-Sending you a message as I would like to purchase.

Karl-
I'm late to the party here. Do you have any of these early ones left?

Dan, your workplace looks like mine. A sign of a brilliant mind!

A few more photos from Luray. I found some good stuff once I started poking through boxes of stuff. A seriously good swap meet for Model T and Model A.

Yes I will need to find a left side lamp as a "spare." My Dad used to refer to light bulbs as "lamps" and buying this lamp (at a very attractive price) made me think of him.

Another view of the 15 Center Door.

I bought a spare lamp for my 1912 Commercial Roadster at Luray. My Dad always said to carry a spare lamp in case one burns out!

No problem, Steve. I don't care if I sell this piece or not, just trying to help. You are closer to him out in the great Pacific Northwest (God, I miss it!).

Looking for some Rands brass windshield parts, particularly the cross strips, the ones that are the bottom of the top window frame and the top of the bottom window frame for a 11-12. A fella has to ask......

FYI, if you don't get one from Steve, I do have a 23" long original.

I may have an original if you can tell me the length you need. Is it for your Fordoor? Somewhere on this site is a diagram showing what length rod is needed for the different body styles.

I will take them. Will call you today.

It's a great swap meet for Model T and some Model A stuff. Thank God we don't have to put up with tables of Barbie dolls and Beanie Babies. I will be there for sure, but not selling only buying new treasures with a focus on late 1911/early 1912. Maybe 1926 stuff. Then maybe next year I will get orga...

I bought a set of bows from Snyders where the ends were already formed, meaning tapered and grooved. Took some sanding and fitting but it beat carving the ends from a chunk of lumber. So I cheated and saved myself the aggravation of wood carving, which I ain't too good at. I am a welder/metal worker...

Fitting top bows on my 1912 Roadster.

Corporations being what they are, you can bet prices will go up. Prices will go up because they now have an "excuse" and can point to increased tariffs, even if the tariff didn't apply to the item you are buying. Never miss an opportunity to make a buck during times of chaos! But who can blame them ...

Ah, the Portland Swap Meet! I went every year when I lived in Montesano, Washington. I remember driving down I-5 on my way to the swap meet early morning in 1980 and I saw Mt. St. Helens blow off a small amount of black smoke. Looked kind of ominous to me. I had my camera with me and took a picture,...

Harold Hanson, I seem to remember Ken mentioning that name. I know Ken made a big deal about selecting the leather hide material for the upholstery. Whoever actually did the upholstery did a first-class job, one of the best jobs I have seen in a restoration.

It was done years ago in the Pacific Northwest when Ken Jones was building the car. He was a well known guy but I forget his name. Steve Tomaso probably knows who he was.

Anyone have a decent resolution version of this drawing that they could share with me? This is the best version I have but some of the dimensions are a bit illegible.

Mike Francis-

Thanks for that info, I never thought to ask you that. I need to finish up fitting the bows to the sockets and setting them up on the car with the best information I have. I will contact you to nail down exactly what dimensions you need.

Classtique sells an interior kit for the 12 Roadster, but not a top except for the 1911-1912 Torpedo. I thought they made a top for the Roadster until I looked carefully at the catalogue along with talking to Mike Francis.

What catalog are you speaking of?

I am working towards getting a top on my 1912 Commercial Roadster. Classtique doesn't make a top specifically for the Commercial Roadster but they do make one for a 1912 Torpedo. Tony York modified a 1912 Torpedo top for his Commercial Roadster. Of course, his guy that did it is long retired and gon...

I'd be interested.

Pump it full of a high temp grease after you go through the aforementioned fixes. High temp grease will resist dilution from hot engine oil that invariably seems to leak past the 4th main.

The "black" , if I understand you correctly, is just discoloration from oil and carbon. So that is not a problem. However, the insulation on the mag coil winding shown in your picture has come off. I don't think that has an effect so I would not tear down the engine to put a new rebuilt mag coil rin...

If I remember correctly, one of the vendor catalogues (I'm thinking Snyders) had the statement that the Hastings rings have a "higher pre-load" than the Grant rings.

Seems like the high schools got rid of metal shop and wood shop, those "hands on" learning experiences that are so invaluable. Then our society adopted this mentality of "you need a college degree" or you will never amount to anything. Hogwash, I say. I have just as much respect for a machinist, ele...

"I also don't like the idea of the tube squeezing down between the edges of the clincher tire from the pressure (60-65 psi) It can't help but wear. The photo shows a cross-section of a clincher tire in a rim. Without the flap I think you'd see the tube bulging down." I agree and that is why I used f...

Be sure the contacts in your switch are maintaining contact. Some are kind of limp and can jiggle out of position intermittently. If they are "limp" it is pretty easy to pry the brass contacts up a little bit, and reassemble.

You need a small puller to get it off. If you don't have one, go to Harbor Freight and buy a cheap one. Make sure it is small enough to grip that piece.

Steve, if you still have it for sale I will take it. Will send you an email.

I think a lot of the Vintage Ford cover photos back in the day were taken by Glen Embree, a highly talented photographer. I am sure he used 4X5 film and they did often extravagant stagings. The photos were pin sharp, top notch compositons. He didn't have digital cameras in those days. Today, resolut...

Hmmm, now I have seen original cars with the tag on the outside of the windshield, and I have seen images of (supposedly) original cars with the tag on the inside. It makes me wonder if there actually was a standard convention which way it went, other than to make sure it didn't read upside down. I ...

That is one beautiful Model T!! I can only imagine how fragile the soft goods such as the top and maybe the seats have become. But they are original only once, as they say, and changing anything would certainly change the car's lovely character.

I have done that. Cranked till I was blue in the face. Was CERTAIN I had put gas in the tank! Makes you feel like a true expert mechanic!

I''d sure be interested in where that tag appears on that lovely original car!

I see you cleaned out the fuel system. Make sure the carb float needle valve is actually moving up and down. Some of those with a viton seat will stick, sometimes partially, so you will get SOME gas but not enough. This is especially true if the car has been sitting for a while.

Didn't see cleaning the timer on the list, although if you have good spark at the plugs it is probably OK. Make certain you actually have a good stream of fuel getting to the carb.

Ed, I will send you an email with my phone number.

My letter to the Holley Brothers is ready to drop in the mail! Inquiring minds and all....

Thanks, Dan, that answers the question as to whether it used a stove. Now I need to figure out how to make one up. The carb inlet throat is 1 and 3/8". Langs sells a pipe with 1 and 1/8" diameter. I will probably need to fabricate something. I have a casting that clamps to the exhaust manifold like ...

Thanks, Richard. On the Kingston 6 ball, the inlet does not have clamp like some carbs, just an open throat. Seems like it would need an adapter at that end. That is one of the things I am trying to figure out what was used originally. I will probably just have to fabricate something that works and ...

Don, do you have a part number? I can't seem to find it on the Lang's web site.

Can anyone tell me definitively if the 1911-12 Kingston 6 Ball carb used a stove/hot air pipe? I can't seem to find much of any information about these carbs.

I am told they are rare. I have two of them that have been rebuilt with new floats, etc.

Whoops, posted in wrong place.

Can anyone tell me definitively if the 1911-12 Kingston 6 Ball carb used a stove/hot air pipe? I can't seem to find much of any information about these carbs.

I am told they are rare. I have two of them that have been rebuilt with new floats, etc.

Maybe you can try those paint codes in the Bruce McCalley book posted above, maybe talk to a Sherwin Williams paint shop (do they do auto paint??). Maybe print that out and take it to various paint dealers. Be prepared to be frustrated, but you never know.... My personal advice is make sure the colo...

Autocolor/TCP Global library does sell it in quarts, although it is $130-150'ish a quart.

Here is an old thread on the 26/27 Green paint that might be of interest to you.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42967

Take a look at these guys: https://www.autocolorlibrary.com/pages/1926-Ford.html#modal-close The problem with using the original Ditzler lacquer or enamel codes (DDL, etc.) is that nary a paint shop that I have dealt with can cross reference it to anything in their system. Even PPG paint suppliers t...

John, if it turns out that you don't buy the Heinz box (and coils too, apparently) I am interested.

I had a similar wreck in a Model A where a guy suddenly pulled out in front of me. He told the police that he thought he could beat "that old car." I was doing 50 mph on a highway. Fortunately, upon impact I was thrown from the car (yeah, no seat belts). If I hadn't been, I wouldn't be writing this ...

Nice job, Corey! Those happen to be my carburators! Did these 6 ball carbs use a stove/hot air pipe? I know the 5 Ball and others did but I have not seen anything about a stove/hot air pipe for these 6 Ball Kingstons.

I have a set of Ron's rebuilt coils in my 26 Coupe, and the rebuilt coils made an enormous improvement in the car's performance. I also own an ECCT for my 1912 Heinz coils too. Kind of a "best of both worlds" for me anyway. We are lucky to be in a position to even have this discussion, meaning that ...

Photo #14, looking at the pinstriping on the hood, it looks like the pinstriping is "boxed" on the hood, contrary to conventional wisdom.

Those of us who are restoring early cars obsess over these kinds of details, you know!

Ah, for the good old days when all auto mechanics wore bow ties!

The whole situation is horrible. I feel for all who have been affected by this. Let's put politics aside and simply pray for our fellow man.

Or download service manual here.

https://cimorelli.com/mtdl/servicemanual/default.htm

Every Model T owner should have this tool. I bought one from Gene and believe me it is an absolutely essential tool.

Regardless of what you think of any of the presidents-past, present, or future-they deserve some modicum of respect for taking that hellish job. They are the Commander-in-Chief, as well.

To make this vaguely Model T related, it occurred to me that I restored my 26 Coupe when Carter was president.

Well said, Tim. Let the man rest in peace.

Speaking of getting younger folks involved in Model T's, maybe we should consider willing our Model T's to a deserving and interested young person. Just give the car to 'em. After all, these old contraptions are not Duesenbergs or V16 Cadillacs. I know when I was 14 and wanting to restore my grandfa...

Photo #11 of the boys either removing or putting in that engine, you can imagine that they took great care in making sure the pan was straight and everything aligned properly. Absolutely no doubt!

Looking darn good.

Photo #3, it looks like the mother-in-law seat is being put to the use it was intended!

Correct bendix spring is essential. I seem to recall someone in the past posted a comparison picture of a Model T and a Model A bendix spring. For those like me who have both a T and an A, it is helpful to know the difference.

Seems high to me, but I don't want a TT. YMMV, of course.

I presume you have talked to Mike at Classtique about your question. If not, call him as he is most helpful.

Are you replacing an ORIGINAL top, or is it possible that you had an earlier replacement top on the car?

Here is the picture of Henry in the 12 Touring with those types of straps.

My arthritic hands would take kindly to such a gizmo. Might have to get myself one. Which pad did you use? I see you can buy a "kit" containing various pads, although surely you wouldn't want to use some of them on brass.

https://www.amazon.com/SYNOSHI-Electric ... B0CTMJNG43

Cleaned up the rear lamp on my 1912. It was really kind of nasty, lots of "brown spots" rather than a nice overall patina. I am learning the joys of having a brass Model T!

Here is Ken's other car, a 1912 Commercial Roadster. I know there are Otis Clinton parts in that car. Pictures show the car when I got it, and how it looks now. The "before" picture was after Ken had embarked on a re-restoration, having changed out a frame damaged in shipment. Unfortunately, health ...

EZ Turn is great stuff, but be cautious about where you put it so that you don't wind up getting a blob of it blocking your fuel flow. It really is impervious to gasoline. Don't ask me how I know this.

Kim, Ken showed me the Central Park location (your grandparents) where the work on the 15 was done. The original firewall was still there along with miscellaneous other parts. Of course this was many years ago. Small world.

Keith, I wound up with the 12 Commercial Roadster that Ken was working on. Bought it in Minnesota and it is now in South Carolina, a long way from where it started.

It's great to hear these memories of the Clintons. I was introduced to Otis in 1977 or thereabouts by Ken Jones of Aberdeen, Washington. I lived in Montesano, Washington and was a young lad starting the restoration of a 1926 Coupe. Ken and I took a trip to Otis' place and I explained to Otis that I ...

I'd be in for it!

I agree go with a very thin pinstripe. I have a couple original pieces that have the pinstriping on them, and it is quite thin.

I don't think I will stripe the wheels, as I don't like the look. It can always be added by the next owner.

While on the subject of "Midnight Blue," does anyone have a MODERN paint code for the correct French Gray used in pinstriping. Preferably PPG but will accept all input.

Some fascinating discussion on "Midnight Blue."

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=29256&p=226125&hili ... ue#p226125

Brent, I don't know if this helps but here is the label for my Midnight Blue as I used on my 1912 Roadster. It's got OEM codes, but no formula and it was done in OMNI single stage. Picture of my roadster although you can't tell much due to the lighting. But it is a dark blue. The fluorescent lightin...

Yep, I knew you all would recognize Otis and his wife, not to mention his 13 Touring. Otis was a first rate machinist and made a lot of good stuff for the Model T. I recently found a box with a set of pedal shafts that he machined. I bought a lot of NOS bits from him for my 26 Model T that I was res...

Anyone out there in the great Pacific Northwest recognize this fellow? I bought a LOT of Model T parts from him about 50 years ago.

Thanks, Keith. Yeah, I misused the "boxed" term as what I was really referring to was the stripe at the hinge. So without a stripe at the bottom, it's not a box. Thanks for the clarification.

That is a picture of my straps that I got when I purchased Ken Jones' 1912 Commercial Roadster. Indeed, those straps were used in early 1912 and then quickly dropped, probably because they were fairly heavy and flopped around a bit too much when the top was down. I have a copy of the Ford drawing fo...

Picture #4, look at the pinstriping on the hood. Everything I have seen says that the pinstriping on the hood was never "boxed" but only had one stripe in the front of the hood and one in the back. Yet here it is boxed. My car is a 1912 similar vintage to the one in Photo #4.

Kim, will take the ring gear and the #1 pinion gear. And the aluminum timer. Will send email.

Well you have to buy a calendar for about $10.95 so they aren't giving them away. Like a lot of companies nowadays, they have their catalog on their website available for download. So you bear the printing cost. I sometimes will print out a catalog of a company just because it is easier for an old f...

I got my 2025 Lang's calendar and it is really nice. Lots of great pictures of Model T's. I submitted a photo of my 26 Coupe and lo and behold it was selected. Great photos of all cars, especially Steve Jelf's 15 Runabout in Kansas. Seeing that picture from Steve takes me back to when I lived on the...

I'll take one. Sending you an email.

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