MTFCA Forum

Are Rootlieb not making speedster seats anymore??
Craig.

Absolutely do not think if a little is good more is better when it come to balance beads! IT IS NOT!!! Know someone!
Craig.

Hi Steve, How about get two new tires & put them on the front, put the two best on the rear & have the others for spares. I have not had to put a spare on for many years & never for a flat on the road. One because someone hit my car in a parking lot bent the wheel! & another became out of balance go...

I'm thinking floating hubs don't wobble have you tried checking the wheels on the front?
Craig.

I have been buying tools from harbor freight since 1976. Keep in mind they are a family owned Co. out of Cal. Most of my tools are Snap-On, Mac & Matco but a cheep correct tool beats not having the tool at all! I still have a 3/8 air drill I bought from HF in 1976 that still works great. Keep in min...

Lets try this one more time before I return them to the owner.

Please move to top. Thanks

Hi Travis, Makes all the sense in the world if your dad rebuilt it and insisted it be on by all means run it for that reason. Most water pumps for Ts are no more than a water circulators & should not impair cooling. If it circulates water to fast as in pushes water out the overflow just cut the impe...

Hi Jim, Are these what you are looking for? Most often referred to as a rim spreader even if their main function is compressing the rim to remove it from the tire & then push it back out to lock the rim. I would be willing to part with the lever action one ( left)as it is less fun to use but the scr...

Auxiliary brakes are a must with any Aux gearing. 3:1 with a Ruckstell will do the job. If you go with a Warford UDO & you dont have a strong engine overdrive is tuff to pull with stock gears. I would suggest a 10 tooth pinion as stated before. A Muncie has a reverse that is handy & you can use reve...

Hi Jeffry,
I have never heard anyone say anything bad about a Sherman head. Autolite #66 are my go-to 14mm plug. Not so much anymore but you used to
be able to get them at any auto parts store. The last time I picked some up they were on sale for under $2.00
Craig.

Good observation Steve I was going by the diameter which is hard to do without a drum.
Craig.

Thank You Jeff you are a gentleman & a schooler & your generosity is only exceeded by your good looks & fine personality. Really thanks.
Craig.

I grew up with the term Haywire which was a description for something going so wrong that the only way to solve it was holding it together with Haywire which was the term for the wire used in the bailing of hay ( straw, alfalfa, Bermuda or any cattle feed that was bailed) It has many uses in the aut...

I ran across these that an old friend had & his widow would like to sell them They are RM bands & hardware with flame cut mounts & improvised equalizer for what appears to be large drum brake setup there are no drums but the rest seems to be there. Everything appears to be new. If anyone knows more ...

Had the honor of having the Grand Marsal representing the Korean War Vets & his wife in the Phoenix Veteran's Day Parade. And participated in
a personation @ Reid Traditional School for their studies of the industrial revolution.

Craig.

My brother is a professional painter he has one bigger than that & loves it & he does pretty good size cars & trucks in his. Said the air &
filtration system is great! With his gas powered generator he can go anywhere & paint.
Craig.

Hi Lucas,
I have one of these I think it came off a Chevrolet with a Carter carb.

Craig.

I picked up one of the Speedway springs @ a swap meet hoping it would work! Found it to be about 5" to short. It is designed to be used with
the weld on spring mounts on a modern rear end.
Craig.

Much lower price

You are correct Karl I just looked @ the blades in the parts books. Thanks for the correction.
Craig.

Should have done that the other way

to the top one more time

To The Top one more time

Hi Dick, If you are running fenders & running boards the car will weigh in almost as heavy as a roadster. If the front spring does not have the eyes reversed you will not need to shorten # 2 leaf. I took the top 2 out of the front & had a lower arch spring made for the rear with I think 3 less leave...

Found a mate to the left one so have a pair to sell $55 + shipping.

Craig.

Windshield stanchions $ 45 + shipping

Craig.

Windshield frame mount spot light, Good glass, fare mirror, switch & bulb work. $60 + shipping

Craig.

16-20 steel fan hub, good barrel for belt tight rivets, bushings a little loose but serviceable. $55 + shipping.

Craig.

Had an issue with a club members T were when the block was cleaned out the recess for the plug was to large & out of round for a freeze plug or even a nickel. I ended up tapping & installing socket head pipe plugs then filling the socket with couching so you didn’t notice. If I remember correctly yo...

Hi Michael, Something to keep in mind weather Grant or Hastings rings the aluminum pistons you buy can use either 1/8" or 5/64" compression rings. I seem to recall that the 1/8" rings are getting harder to find ( that maybe the ones mentioned ) Small block Chevy 283 cu.in. engine has a standard bore...

Good point Dodge, I have a old tap that I cut off so it takes the thread all the way to the bottom. The leading & trailing edge have been removed & the sharp O. D. on a coarse wire wheel so it will not cut any metal. I have had it since the 70s when I rebuilt skinny block Chevys. A new sharp tap wil...

Hi Art, Try doing a volt drop test to isolate the issue. You will need help with someone to push the switch. Set your multimeter to DC volts & test along the circuit. Battery to cable, cable to switch, across the switch, switch to starter. When you put the test leads on each section you will get no ...

Sent email
Craig.

Hi Andre,
Do I understand correctly that the teeth broke when you tightened up the bolts not when the starter drive contacted them????
Craig.

Hi Dick, The great race about or bearcat styling of the teens between Stutz & Mercer was legendary ( there is nothing worser than a Mercer & You have to be nuts to drive a Stutz) Yellow was a flashy color of the time but red or red with black fenders was also very popular. Brite white with any color...

HI William,
Vinegar can be purchased in concentrations of from 4% to 80% acetic acid. It goes to say that that the more acetic acid the greater the rust
removal also the cost.
Craig.

Hi Murry, Using a drill extension may get you up high enough to clear the firewall. I keep old junk heads just for this. if the insert drill is larger that the hole in the head then drill it out & use it for a guide to drill the block. use plenty of bolts the hold the head secure & aligned. Cut the ...

Hi Dennis, My garage has a black hole in it too. Every once in a while a part will get spit out of it but for the most part when it does I cant remember what it went to. It may be possible that it belongs in a alternate universe with some guy trying to figure out were my parts came from & what the h...

Hi William, Search the forum ( flushing engine) Steve Jelf has some videos showing his water & air flush system for the engine. I have used it for modern radiators before & would not use a lot of air on the radiator if you have questions about it's structural integrity. I use a Zepp product instead ...

When taking up the rods in my speedster I found some silicone in the trans screen. So I blew out all three oil lines ( I'm a little anal about getting oil flow in my Ts) Put oil in & ran till warmed up, then @ medium speed for a while& re-drained to check for more silicone. You can check the outside...

I just checked the rods in my speedster because it sounded a little rattley with a load on it. Took some shims out & sounds great now. Anyway I made a plate to fit in the pan to catch anything dropped when removing # 4 rod cap, good thing because I dropped both cotter pins. Wont help in the trans. I...

Hi Dennis,
I put mine on the ground cable @ the frame. Use a good switch like a Cole Hersey that has a positive detent. Yes hard to get to but shuts of
everything.
Craig.

Hi Lucas, I'm thinking you are referring to axle felts? When I use axle felts I oil or grease them, same for the front crank felt. The hogshead felts are done with sealer of some kind if you use the felt. ( I use a heavy bead of silicone between the block & hogshead with a thin layer of grease on on...

Hi Matthew,
Have you considered building a metal box in the shape you desire & putting a tank inside of it like a 10 gal. aluminum sand rail tank or a
rectangular hot rod tank? That would be less chance of leaking & safer to assemble. And may be less cost?
Craig.

I have one in the rafters with my prized non rusted Cheby 60s front fenders.
Craig.

Absolutely jealous I am. beautiful Firetruck.
Craig.

Hi Jens, If I understand your interest is in getting parts to maintain this distributor? I have a old Standard Ignition book & it shows that set of points as GB-3161 & they fit 1237013000, 001, 060 Bosch Saab 7819733, Volvo 75846, 240149, 870421 Distributors In 63-69 Alfa Romeo, 59-67 Porsche, 56-67...

Hi Scott, Those are for the small drum rear end, those drums go on over the small drums so they would be correct for your 14.
Craig.

Most likely super rare but once tried to ream guides to install oversized valves ( Chevy valves ) The reamer went halfway down & seized up would not back up & trying to back it up it snapped off in the guide. I had to make a punch & drive the broken reamer out! I found the reamer wrapped in brass wh...

Please move back to the top

Cleaning up the block to install the Ricardo head. Fast food cup lids from one of them are 3 3/4" + & work great for keeping things from getting in the cylinders. Vacuum out the carbon & use the nozzle to pull the lid out. Or just turn the engine over & push them out. IMG_3751.jpg IMG_3752.jpg Craig.

Hi John,
Are you sure those are not the valve chamber drain holes?
Craig.

Free starts require T coils & fuel in the cylinder that sparks. Sometimes cranking to achieve the correct piston to spark timing. I have dabbled with the idea of setting up a system for making it easier to accomplish this ( purchased the parts) but time has not been allocated to complete & test. Usi...

Hi Mike, Mark has good advice but I don't remember any of the venders selling the plug or guide so you may have to make it yourself. I have never made one & tried the steady hand method & have had trouble getting the seat cut to give a complete seat in the block. I now have a Thor valve seat grindin...

Hi Travis, I have found that some rims have been twisted & need straightened to spread out round. I think this has to do with the rim tool pulls the rim from one side pulling the rim in a conical direction. I find this more common on Chevrolet rims ( the rims may have been all made by the same Maker...

I don't think anyone is complaining about Brassworks cost for a quality product. I have talked to a major radiator company that can make Model T cores & they would need $600 - $800 for a core & $200-$300 to install ( this would be a core with the steel plate ) Flat tube only. This would be a re-core...

Decided on ford engine red for the Ricardo head.

Craig.

Hi Jason, I doff my hat to you. I tried this with a Speedway T bucket radiator but gave up because of the labor involved in making it fit in a low shell. It would have been a pretty EZ operation for a tall :( The Speedway radiator has a large tank, it's a two core but the cores are 1" long making it...

I guess I didn't give the correct info for that question. I have a Ricardo head not a Waukesha Ricardo. Sorry don't know if it makes a difference?

Craig.

Anyone know if Ricardo heads were painted any particular color? I just got mine back from the machine shop & getting ready to install it. It is completely bare so id needs painting & the only pic I have found with paint on one is red?
Thanks, Craig.

The last pic I seen of the Jackrabbit clutch discs they looked like the Turbo 400s but still had the full square lugs.
Craig.

Hi Austin, Sure glad you didn't get hurt bad. Covid had people staying at home not driving & staring at screens & I think they can't put down the screens or drive now! Driving now is like a demolition derby for retarded people. I had to run some errands the other day & had to ice my middle finger to...

Hi Doug,
Are you giving up on a speedster all together the M & B looks like it needed a lot of restoration why no make it wider while you are at it?
Craig.

I recently installed a set of the ATMS seals in a rear of a car I'm building. I like them very much, but I think Bill is looking to sell ATMS?
Craig.

Please move to the top. Thanks.

Hi Wayne, Accessories that have dire consequences is a good reason why Henry disliked so many of the aftermarket things for the T. besides the others. Sounds like as they say. " a good idea with the best of intentions what could possibly go wrong" Or cheer up things could worse. That is a terrible p...

As I understand when the shock broke the axle twisted causing the car to turn uncontrollably. just for the sake of conversation would a double wishbone have prevented the disaster? Some of the accessories made for model T's had some questionable unintended consequences. just for instance how many pe...

There are some interested in the perfecto rear end on the east coast. Any chance there is someone going to Hershey from California or Arizona
that would like some fuel money for giving it a lift?
Craig.

Hi Mike, To help lets get more info, have you had the car running? are you charging the battery with a charger or with the generator? any chance the cables accidently were switched? The battery should have a group # on it. Do you have ready access to 6 volt batteries? How are you testing the battery...

Hi Rich, As I see & understand one of the genius of the T design is the flexibility of the frame enhances the suspension. Having the engine pan act as a crossmember allows the frame to twist the same as the suspension, notice everything is mounted on three points so it can pivot in a arc. The front ...

Contact spaamfaa.org they are a national fire apparatus restoration club. You may try locating Pat Mackon in Prescott Az. & Karl Hartmetz in
Parker Az. they may be of help. I don't have contact info for them anymore sorry.
Craig.

TINKERIN TIPS volume II page 1 preventing crank case arm failure. The shear number of aftermarket parts that clamed to prevent the breakage of model T pan ears or repairing them when broken speaks volumes to this issue. And yes installing a ground wire from engine to frame or battery is a great idea...

Hi Robert, I assume you found a older set of Grant 2 piece oil rings with the flat springs? As stated above be careful to not get the gap to small! If you have a acceptable gap on the ring the spring should be OK but if you have to grind the gap one would think that you would remove the same from th...

Thanks Paul I got your email. Dan, Yes I believe they are Y block pistons. As of now I know of two A crank T engines with this same flat top piston issue. One I think will work with a high compression head because the pistons do come up out of the block some & this one comes just to the top of the b...

In my introduction to the beloved Model T I may have collected all of the misinformation possible but I was lead to believe that there was a Ford update that called for eliminating the blocks & side bolts to prevent breaking the ears off of the pan & installing bolts in the top only with heavy sprin...

frontyboy, My BIL will disagree with you, if running a distributer the addition of a older MSD box will make a noticeable improvement especially under heavy load & it has a chip in it. ( it mimics the T coils by firing the plug multiple times but with the precision of a single point ignition. ) OOPS...

Selling for a friend Perfecto two speed rear end, NO SHIFTER has had work done on it but have no info as to what was done. there is writing on it that seem to be instructions for installer. Has noticeable new parts. and is clean as it has not been run. Has 3.25:1 ring & pinion, drive shaft that seem...

Hi Greg, Been watching this thread with great interest. I have done a tour from Prescott to Peach Springs & back, and put on a tour from Laughlin to Oatman through Needles & Laughlin to Kingman through Oatman to the Route 66 museums returning to Laughlin each day. Was in November so much cooler time...

Hi Jim,
If it is that same as a Muncie it would be 2 5/8" long. I make the Muncie ones out of a Spicer 7/8" square PTO slip yoke. The number escapes me
but is in a older post on Muncie couplings.
Craig.

I understand wanting to use a generator for period correctness but I'm stumped on the ratio that setup will turn the generator. A T generator is driven @ 150% of crank speed & that appears to be 100% or less? Jeff can you get a T generator to put out enough @ the reduced speed? If anyone can I'm thi...

Hi Jeff,
There is a vender on eBay that sells a alternator kit for Model T, maybe the same goes by burnzoil
Craig.

OK it is a sure bet that only a Perfecto shifter will fit a Perfecto. So he has a Perfecto rear axle assembly missing the shifter for sale with the driveshaft. They both look to have been worked on ( you can see by how clean they are & have new parts) but have no idea what was done. is marked as hav...

Looking for a High compression head that has been milled so much that the pistons hit the head. Helping a friend with a A crank engine that has Ford V8 pistons that just come to the top of the block. So even a HC head will only make 4.5:1 or 5:1 @ best. He would like to make a little more than that....

Early in my ongoing education of the care & feeding of the beloved Model T while some of us where discussing auxiliary brakes a gentleman of many of life's experience's interjected saying that the problem we where having with brakes was we where trying to stop the T with them. On questioning him abo...

Hi Ben, That is a very nice specimen although it may not be totally correct it has the memory of your grandfather in it. I would think that keeping it as it is would be a tribute to him. I also think that he had a reason for what he chose when building it. Leave it as he built it & keep his memory w...

Hi John, I absolutely love the manifold, dual carbs, vaporizer exhaust. What is that casting? Allan with all that going on you noticed the
cutout?
Craig.

Michael, I'm thinking she was the only women in the line of sight, correct?
Craig.

Welcome aboard Ben.

Hanging from a wire & tapping is a good indication, If it (crank, drum or other) rings test it, if it goes thud you save the time & effort of further testing. Mag-N-Flux is falling out of favor these days for the dry & liquid penetrant methods. I picked up a Mag-N-Flux yoke @ a swap meet for $20 It ...

IMG_3695.jpg I think this was intended as a dampener for a Model T or maybe just a anti-rattle. Some times we forget that the band-aid, bubble gum & hay wire fixes for model T fords was what blossomed into the aftermarket industry that we have now & that's the reason we can buy the parts we need to...

Now days it's called carjacking & they look for a car with a driver just in case it has a manual transmission that they can't drive! That's why you can leave the key in your T & it won't be stolen but the Motometer will!
Craig.

Hi Chad,
Good to hear that some 26/27 hogsheads will fit the early blocks I just haven't had that kind if luck with that combination.

Craig.

Hi Chad, My experience has been that the bulge in the back of the earlier block collides with the ears on the 26/27 hogshead. I just barrowed a 27 block to mock up a speedster ( the engine going in it will have a 26/27 hogshead on a early block with the ears cut down) so I want the pedals to fit. My...

Hi Steve, The RM drums are advertised as 11 3/4" and the one in your pic looks to be 12" ( the larger drum) I have no idea the width of the cast drums. Have you giver any thought to having a metal fab shop roll a ring the correct width of 1/8" or 3/16" cold or hot rolled steel that can be heated to ...

Hi John, You should be able to fit the 26/27 trans in your 3 dip pan & use the 23 hogs head, you just can't use the wide band as it will not be centered on the drum & you can't use the 26/27 hogs head because the ears collide with the back of the block. Scott is correct everything is turning togethe...

Hi Mark, email sent.
Craig.

Hi Will, I'm may have missed what car you are dealing with but a 3:1 gear will give you good top end & the Ruckstell will give you a good hill gear. A Warford in overdrive with a 4:1 gear will give you a 3:1 & direct will give you a good hill gear in direct. I know many with both & they like them I ...

Hi Gerald, Oscar Mike Golf. Look what you started! Just joking. Depending on your skill set you have a lot of options. You can put the 24 engine in & make floor boards to fit the pedals, change the pedal trim, install the water neck & fan, find a belt that fits & install the coil box. I assume if yo...

You are most welcome Bryant. If you don't find a original trans support I think you will find Gary London's a close match.
Craig.

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