MTFCA Forum

ewdysar

Original Smith wrote: ↑
Sat Nov 01, 2025 2:43 pm
Since when is there a Ruckstell low? You are either in Ruckstell or you are not! Now if you are in Ruckstell, and low pedal, then you are in Ruckstell low.

Larry,

Thank you for your guidance and expertise. I have edited my post accordingly.

Eric

ewdysar

Just starting this month’s thread.

And I swapped the trickle charger from the ‘27 to the ‘14.

Eric

ewdysar

Search "ball bearing 4th main" This debate has been had. Interesting take away - Herm Made a unit from modified original ball caps. No hacking of the DS ball.(Like) He only sold to reputable builders only. I understand. You cant buy one, slap it on & expect success AS DESIGNED. Anything but a diale...

ewdysar

The ball bearing 4th main offered by the vendors have sealed rollerbearing which not only seals the rear of the engine but also keeps the clean oil within the bearing and the dirty oil in the transmission/engine. To me, that sounds like a ball bearing 4th main is an improvement over the stock Babbi...

ewdysar

The pan MUST be straight. The bearing needs to be dialed in when the engine is on a stand VERTICAL. Cranks break when these two important steps are skipped. Agreed. This seems important for both types of ball caps. Is there any reason that this process is easier or less critical with a Babbitt ball...

ewdysar

I've have heard many times here that ball bearing 4th mains are bad, "it'll break your crank!". But why? Does a babbitt 4th main have more "give"? Is it more about alignment? If a babbitted ball cap is installed "cocked", does it just wear in with slightly less contact when done? When a pan flexes, ...

ewdysar

frontyboy wrote: ↑
Thu Oct 30, 2025 12:24 am
How much? still available?

frontyboy

You can contact Kevin Prus directly from the forum, his user id is racer_22. As of Hershey’s earlier this month, he had plenty.

Eric

ewdysar

Like these?

WorldChamp1914 wrote: ↑
Fri Oct 24, 2025 5:07 pm
Available at classtiqueupholstery.com……..150.00…..gray or black

ewdysar

Needs to remove the line after 54 and change ABCD to ABDC… And 10 needs to be changed from ATDC TO BTDC… While the 10 related to the intake opening looks to be BTDC in the data graphic, you can see in the specs that the intake opening is indeed 10 ATDC, the image is wrong for this cam. But I believ...

ewdysar

One might also look to see if Robertson screws were used elsewhere in the car.

ewdysar

Those damn Ruckstells can be a real pain at times, gong down hill. I well remember tailing a T down a long grade in New Zealand. He was in Rickstell, just coming down on compress I n I was in a borrowed car constantly, on and off the brakes to keep from running into him. Way too slow to go into bot...

ewdysar

This picture was discussed just a few days ago in Tom Rootlieb's post "Flying the flag", picture #15. https://www.mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=50318&p=378978#p378978 This was my response there: #15 - Looks to be travelling business (carnival, circus, revival, etc.), the colorful tent and ten...

ewdysar

blauvelt wrote: ↑
Wed Oct 29, 2025 9:52 am
3 degrees exhaust overlap?

Nope. Here is the same info in a more readable table format, from the "Model T Cam Project" on the Model T Ford Club of Tulsa webpage.

https://mtfctulsa.com/Cams/design_280.html

Keep crankin',
Eric

ewdysar

Have they been cleared by Calif DMV for use as YOM plates? The guy that sold my set of '14 CAL plates to me did that for most of his inventory. That info would make them more than just wall art. In California today, you can use Year of Manufacture (YOM) plates as your legal license plate (you need ...

ewdysar

Have they been cleared by Calif DMV for use as YOM plates? The guy that sold my set of '14 CAL plates to me did that for most of his inventory. That info would make them more than just wall art.

ewdysar

I rely on outside search engines to help me find automotive answers. Currently Bing and Google look into this forum and update their searches. Would limiting access to paid members prevent these updates? Yes, the search engine updates would stop. Without knowing the current capabilities of the foru...

ewdysar

Bryant, I lifted the photos from the "What Has Your Chapter Done in 2025?" thread, the pics were posted 10/12 with a description of the situation. Unfortunately, I think that most of us looking at a collection like this imagine ourselves looking through just a few types of items, for the 0.01% thing...

ewdysar

I agree with the caretaker perspective, but we are often pretty free with suggestions concerning other people's money, time and space. For this discussion, the question is what to do with something like this? How much of this collection are you personally going to store for future generations? Me? N...

ewdysar

To my eye, it looks to be a closer match to the Model "C' in the advertisement. The louvered hood and the cowl to hood transition angle are very similar to the drawing. The car in the photo looks to have taken the suggestion in the advert to remove the stock Ford fenders, running boards and splash a...

ewdysar

#15 - Looks to be travelling business (carnival, circus, revival, etc.), the colorful tent and tent ropes are a clue, as are the photos of "satisfied customers" at the corner of the tent. The generator is mounted on a "litter" with handholds at the ends for a two man carry. That unit can be placed a...

ewdysar

#2 - “California Top” in common parlance - I’d guess “locally sourced” rather than manufactured. My question - how do you get in ? !? :lol: #11 - Wool !! It is my understanding that "California Tops" included a hard top shell and rigid back to emulate more of a closed car feel. So this looks to be ...

ewdysar

Hi Ben, It has been my experience that the Model T "death wobble" (probably a misnomer, due to the slow speeds when it happens, and I haven't heard of any fatalities that started with this) is fairly normal for a worn T. It usually starts with a bump or dip in the road and is a frequency thing and t...

ewdysar

Gary,

By steering knuckle, do you mean the spindle (part T-203 in this photo)?

: IMG_0192.jpeg (112.63 KiB) Viewed 497 times

Eric

ewdysar

Okay, so . . . a sophisticated system that was used on high-end marques, but not necessarily adaptable to a Model T Fords ? Twin ignition systems on obscure makes can be an endlessly fascinating study ! Well, I would say not useful for a stock ford engine, but highly desirable if upgrading a Model ...

ewdysar

A Burtz-type T engine might revive interest. Pat, I'm not clear how a newly engineered short block that costs $8000 would make Model Ts more desirable. I believe that most of the individual improved components are already available. And it wouldn't improve the overall Model T drivability constraint...

ewdysar

A period distributor based system for twin spark plug heads like the RAJO BBR. An alternative to to the twin spark high tension magnetos, like the Bosch ZR4 2Spark Dual, also rare and crazy expensive. In the pictures above, you can see the castellated drive off the right end and the spark advance is...

ewdysar

While not as fun or mysterious, it appears that Jeffery posted here at 2:12 this afternoon, decided that the post belonged in the general discussion forum, posted the same content there at 2:16, and edited his post here to read as nothing. At least, that is what it looks like to me. Keep crankin’, E...

ewdysar

I dealt with this all week at Hershey. Once heard a very knowledgeable person in our hobby say it best. “ If the cure for cancer was being sold at Hershey for $5, a T guy would bitch and say he will find it cheaper on the next row. ” Another example of where a "thumbs up" or "like" button would be ...

ewdysar

Finally starting the restoration of the “aftermarket” brake system on my ‘27 runabout. IMG_3872.jpeg the front brakes aren’t very visible. IMG_3866.jpeg “early” metropolitan nash backing plate welded to the spindle. IMG_3871.jpeg matching 8” metropolitan nash drum welded to the wire wheel T hub. IMG...

ewdysar

Or more specifically: (from the manufacturer) The outstanding all-purpose paint. Although 1201 was orginally developed as an insulating paint for electrical applications such as the treatment of coils and armatures , its outstanding resistance to corrosion, moisture, oil, acid, heat, dust and salt s...

ewdysar

You can loop the cable into the brake lever hole. Use cable crimp connectors or cable clamps. There is a common cable piece that is a u channel shaped like a tear drop. That can be used with the cable to protect the cable from wearing in the brake lever hole. Yep, those would be cable thimbles. Doe...

ewdysar

Back to Martynn's original post. Can anyone provide a decent image of what the early front cam bearings look like? It sounds like he is working on another of his excellent mechanical drawings of the Model T components, and he would like this drawing to be as accurate as possible. Keep crankin', Eric

ewdysar

Well done! Let Luke know that he is an inspiration to old duffers like myself. I am very impressed with the work that he has done and the dedication that he has shown in working towards his goals. Congratulations to Luke! And congratulations to the family support that has been provided. Good job, Da...

ewdysar

I would like to convert my reproduction AC brakes to cables instead of the reproduction Rocky Mountain rods that were already on the car when I changed to the small drum ACs. I do want to retain the emergency brake actuation from the Rocky Mountain system, so I'm figuring to merely replace the swive...

ewdysar

They do seem to be called a variety of things, but I believe that you are describing a "rim washer" as seen in this drawing. And yes, they do seem like more of a nut than a washer to me. Model T inner tube section.jpg Coker Tire refers to them as "reducer nut - wire wheel". The ones that they (and S...

ewdysar

This whole conversation was finished over a year ago and was resurrected by an inconsequential comment last week. Please stop adding comments and it should fade away to rest in peace.

ewdysar

John, I can vouch for the Harbor Freight switches. I've used mine on 6volt systems for a couple of years now and have had NO problems with either one. I am unable to find an amperage spec. on the Harbor Freight unit, but similar units are rated at 300 amps. NOTE TO ALL: DO NOT BUY OR USE THE BATTER...

ewdysar

As explained above, if the extension is at 90 deg to the torque wrench, the wrench should be within normal accuracy. This is a expected thing when using crows foot wrench or adapter. As copied from the interwebs "A crowfoot (or crows foot) torque wrench is a specialized attachment for a standard tor...

ewdysar

To repeat: "I'd call it.....". In both pics, the bodies and tanks look identical, which suggests they were manufactured. If so, finding out who made them would probably be revealing. If both pics are the same car, or from the same custom builder, the tank may be a one-off. Both frames appear to be ...

ewdysar

James, you have a good point. Approximately 2 million T’s were delivered with low heads, more than 13 million with high heads. Since these aftermarket heads were sold as “bolt on” upgrades, high heads are a direct replacement for 85% of Model T’s made. Personally, I think that it’s easier to fit a l...

ewdysar

So are we saying that they couldn't lower the compression using the low head casting? It seems to me that they didn't need to add that much extra material to the head just to lower the compression, simply adding 1/8" to the block side of the casting (adds 22cc/cylinder) would lower the compression e...

ewdysar

If you think about it, the difference between a high and low head, from a functional standpoint, is the size of the water jacket/cooling passages. As your engine produces more power, it has more heat to get rid of, so a high head makes more sense from a reliability perspective. That's probably why ...

ewdysar

Those Eckler seals are $11.99 on the Eckler website, but I am not sure that is what he is looking for. Daktarirp Are you looking to replace the seals on this housing? 101s.jpg Dave, This conversation ended almost a year ago, until it was resurrected with a random comment. Hopefully Daktarirp figure...

ewdysar

If you think about it, the difference between a high and low head, from a functional standpoint, is the size of the water jacket/cooling passages. As your engine produces more power, it has more heat to get rid of, so a high head makes more sense from a reliability perspective. That's probably why y...

ewdysar

I just received a new choke horn assembly from Kevin to go on my SBU that has been converted to side draft for my Roof 8 speedster build. The parts fit great and look just like the original bits on my ‘27 Runabout with an iron RAJO and a SBD. IMG_3862.jpeg IMG_3863.jpeg Thank you Kevin for making th...

ewdysar

Were these squared hide-em welt caps used on the late roadsters? They would look right in place at the front end of the welt where the top is tacked onto the body. welt cap.jpg Does anybody have the square hide-em welt caps (picture appears previously on this post) on their 26-27 open car? I have l...

ewdysar

My "modern" Rocky Mountain brakes have rods with the associated equalizer. If I were to convert "back" to cables, two questions: Did the originals interact with the parking brake, and if so, how? Or since I already have the equalizer installed and linked to the brake pedal and parking brake, should ...

ewdysar

email sent

ewdysar

Since he joined, I have looked forward to WillyR's posts, the joy that his T brought to him was always apparent. He will be sorely missed.

Eric

ewdysar

Can’t believe I’m reading this right now, he just made a custom YouTube video for me a week ago so I could rebuild a seat frame for my coupe. Very sorry to hear of his passing. He will be missed dearly, a huge loss to the model t community. My condolences to his family and friends. Ed, could you po...

ewdysar

Hi James,

Murphy fasteners are also know as "common sense turn button" fasteners. There are many different versions from our regular T vendors, in both brass and nickel finishes.

Keep crankin',
Eric

ewdysar

email sent

ewdysar

Hi Ben, Looking at the photo that you posted of your gas tank connection, it raises a few questions. It appears that the tank outlet is too small for the stock sediment bowl. It also appears that the tank outlet is almost directly above the exhaust pipe. I would not expect to find either if it was a...

ewdysar

James, I'm not trying to derail your request, however... While you may be focused on functionality, I believe that the original boots from the factory fit better and were better secured than the reproductions available today. Here's a couple of earlier threads discussing those original boots and the...

ewdysar

Hey guys, Keep in mind that this video, and the entire "Jay Leno's Garage" series, is created for it's entertainment value. These are not really intended as instructional videos. As referenced by previous posters, there are better instructional videos available for those that are trying to learn. Th...

ewdysar

Sorry to hear that. However, Model T's don't require Motometers! Model Ts may not require a temperature gauge. Model Ts don't require flags on the radiator fill neck for a parade, but some folks like them. ;) Just for reference, my family went on multiple 1000 mi. tours in the '60's (Pasadena to/fr...

ewdysar

That's right Pat, you need more Ts!

ewdysar

Please excuse my lack of understanding, I am not aware of the term "lost leader" Could someone please explain; Thank you. Hi Michael, The term "loss leader" describes a product made to be sold at minimal profit to sell to the folks that can barely afford your product. This increases sales and brand...

ewdysar

Allan and Steve, Great work with the bolt based “rivets”. I do believe that the axle tube will need to be separated from the pumpkin casting to get a decent seal. I guess that before rebuilding the original axle, I’ll disassemble, clean, and bolt-rivet the both axle housings to reduce the chance of ...

ewdysar

I went through this scenario in my '14 Touring years ago - complete disassembly, drilled out all the rivets to separate the pieces, hot tanked (was still available years ago), can't recall what I used for a sealer but sealed it with some goop, used button head bolts for reassembly, Loktite the thre...

ewdysar

Number one, those housings like leak on the best of days. 2. What oil are you using in the rear end? Ruckstell need lighter oil than the grease in a standard rear end. Lighter oil equals more leaks. You are fighting an uphill battle. Best answer change to later rear end. Thanks Dan and Keith. I'll ...

ewdysar

Right Pat. That brings us right back to the first post in this thread. Two questions to the broader group: how does one effectively seal the pumpkin to axle tube seam on a 12 rivet axle housing? And for durability, would a regular 6 rivet axle housing be better or just different on a Driver's T? Kee...

ewdysar

I bought Hartford brass stem 30x3 tubes from Coker a few months ago. Their website currently shows them as orderable. They seem to be pretty good at showing out of stock when they are.

https://cokertire.com/accessories/30x3- ... -stem.html

Keep crankin',
Eric

ewdysar

TXGOAT2 wrote: ↑
Wed Aug 06, 2025 5:09 pm
Is there any chance that water got into the axle?

Not really.

ewdysar

After driving my ‘14 Touring 100+ miles this summer, she appears to have developed a new leak. When I added the small drum ruxtell a few years back, I swapped out the right hand axle housing with the original 12 rivet one, just to keep the “correct” look. But over the last few weeks in my shop… IMG_...

ewdysar

Hey Mike, This might be old news to you, Ford Wood in Utah still makes and sells Model T wood kits and the door kits are sold separately from the rest of the body. https://fordwood.com/ Pick your body style, then year, and misc. wood kits. The "n" kits have no fasteners, the "F" kits include fastene...

ewdysar

Should have wire spoke wheels and hubs. Are they available with the car? From the 1927 section of the MTFCA Encyclopedia "WHEELS: 21' demountable wheels were standard, wire wheels optional on all models. Late in the model year, black wire wheels became standard on closed cars." Since this is an ope...

ewdysar

The car was last titled as a 1923, with a hand written note by my grandfather that it has a 1916 engine. aha...the plot starts to unwind...thats an April of '26 engine block in there with that serial number if we agree the second digit is a '3'! Perhaps the handwritten note meant to say that it's a...

ewdysar

John Codman wrote: ↑
Fri Jul 18, 2025 12:56 pm
What year is the T touring? It's nice!

From the look of the fenders, cowl lights, hood, and radiator, I would say that it's a 1915 model year.

Keep crankin',
Eric

ewdysar

Original Smith wrote: ↑
Wed Jul 16, 2025 4:20 pm
What is a claw?
Never drive out the old bushing unless the front of the pan is held in it's proper location. and use plenty of WD-40.

I believe that the "claw" was a reference to the crank ratchet at the engine end of the starting crank.

Keep crankin',
Eric

ewdysar

Did anyone notice the date on the 1912 sheet? Hi D, what caught your eye about the date? If you're calling out April 15th (Tax Day), because it's the modern due date for filing US Federal Income tax, the 16th amendment was not ratified until 1913. The 16th amendment allowed Congress to enact a nati...

ewdysar

Hi Jim, Pay attention to your PT regimen. My sister had her left knee done 20 years ago at age 47. She figured that she could do better by pushing harder and doing “extra” PT. She ended up damaging the repair work, resulting in more damage to her knee than where she started. Since the first fix didn...

ewdysar

Terry,

Email sent.

Eric

ewdysar

Hey Steve. After seeing the terms like "wobble" and "true-ness" mentioned, can you clarify what kind of runout you are seeing/measuring? Axial runout (measured parallel to the axle) will show up as the rim or tread moving side to side relative to the hub while spinning the wheel. I believe that axia...

ewdysar

Weston wrote: ↑
Mon Jul 07, 2025 7:53 pm
From selecting the right materials to the final installation, Genix Flooring handled everything smoothly. Their attention to detail and quality of work really impressed me. Highly recommend!

Apparently, this guy has a 2019 Model T. Very impressive.

ewdysar

Regarding your cooling experience when going in reverse, remember a '14 hood has no louvers to help with air flow, and that may well be why you heated up a bit. If you have engine pans, they add to the issue. In reverse, your fan is actually reducing the air flow - Try popping the hood off and sett...

ewdysar

… Of course, had I known then what I know now, my tank would have been full before I started and the whole tour would have been much more uneventful. Another case of live and learn (hopefully). Eric Hi Charlie, You are correct. I posted that earlier. But the obvious answers are easier after the fac...

ewdysar

Thanks George, I had 5 gallons on the stick before I started, which would have been fine for the planned 40 miles if on the flat lands that I am used to. But with the hills and the unplanned detour later in the day before the real adventure started, things just didn’t turn out as I had expected when...

ewdysar

Could it be that when you go forward there is a natural flow of air through the radiator. In reverse, not so much. Mike That was my first thought too, Mike. And I’m sure that having to rely on the fan alone for airflow didn’t make things better. But the effect of tilting the entire thermo-siphon sy...

ewdysar

Steve, Trust me, it was not my first choice. That was my biggest concern, getting squirrelly in reverse. Surprisingly, that was not an issue. But I was pretty focused and even in ruxtell high, the backing up speed was manageable. I do have a set of running board cans, but all of the gas falls out of...

ewdysar

I guess that I should have mentioned that my ‘14 is running a stock Holley G carb. I do have a high-flow SC float valve on my shelf, but haven’t got around to putting one of those new-fangled NH carbs on the car. ;) Maybe there is a similar option for the earlier carbs. My fuel might have been a lit...

ewdysar

Yesterday, I went on a HCCA tour with my ‘14 touring that had more hills than I expected, and while I had plenty of fuel to cover the distance, there were a number of long, steep hills that caused some issues. The first long hill resulted in a couple of surges as the carb almost went dry, but then t...

ewdysar

Frank, I agree that your pics are pretty much a perfect match to the motor that Andre posted. I like the spare sparkplug rack on the firewall of the race car in your photos. I knew that my photos were not nearly as close of a match, but wanted to share what I have seen in person. The link that I sha...

ewdysar

IMG_0973.jpeg IMG_0974.jpeg My vote is for a giant Fiat 6 cylinder engine too. Jay Leno brought a similar 1917 Fiat racer, the Botafogo Special from his collection to the SoCal HCCA Holiday Motor Excursion on Dec 30, 2012. He always brings something interesting and it always gets lots of attention....

ewdysar

I just sent a PM.

ewdysar

... My USA supplier makes me buy 5000 feet of material, since my specs are different from what he normally weaves. He has to re-calibrate the machines just for me... Frank Earlier in this thread, Frank did say that the material for his kevlar bands was a custom order, not "off the shelf" product. I...

ewdysar

In the early ‘60s, my dad was using a square, dry cell 6v lantern battery with bare wire ends wrapped around the spring terminals. There was an old dead one still attached to the ignition when I pulled our grey ‘16 touring from 20+ years of storage in the ‘90s.

Keep crankin’,
Eric

ewdysar

This weekend I was able to go for a ride in my friend's well sorted '15 Runabout. Afterwards, while driving my '14 Touring around town, the additional rattles in my car became more obvious. I know that the Rocky Mountain brake rods and the regular parking brake rods are close and bang together every...

ewdysar

With any luck at all, I might have finished the fabrication and re-assembly needed to get the Pharis #32, "Frogari", road worthy again before next year's run. Coming back down to California to do this event is now on my bucket list, so if not next year, then another.

Keep crankin',
Eric

ewdysar

And remember, when the tool was made, there were no tires that had petrified on the rim for 30+ years. Using tires that were made in the same decade as when they are being removed or installed, is probably a more reasonable use case to determine the efficacy of the tool. Given road conditions at the...

ewdysar

Massachusetts does love their DMV code book. I think that most other states are a bit more relaxed (maybe not California). Since I just swapped a new set of the focused LEDs into my '27 runabout headlights, my first thought is to keep the old bulbs in my "road kit", so that if an officer wanted to d...

ewdysar

are balance beads a new thing I seem to have only heard of them in the last couple years. my shimmy doesn't start until about 80-85 It depends on what you mean by “new”. The motorcycle community has been discussing the pros and cons since at least 2008. And while I take your “80-85” comment as jest...

ewdysar

Hi Steve, My 30x3 1/2 T383 Hartford tube from Coker with the vulcanized brass metal stem for wood wheels, as shown in one of my posts above, is Shrader 12V1 which is almost 1/2" (apparently 12.2mm). This stem is threaded almost its entire length. From the Coker website "TR383 stem is brass stem 3 1/...

ewdysar

I've been told that all Schrader stems and hardware are not a standard thread size, which is discussed in more detail in the following discussion: https://www.mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=36089&p=279598&hilit=12V1#p279598 While my measurement of M12-1.25 apparently falls within the manufactu...

ewdysar

I’ve got a new Hartford 30x3 1/2 TR383 tube here in my office with me. The stem is vulcanized to the tube. The bridge washer and lock nut were included in the box when received from Coker. The stem is unmarked, the bridge washer is marked “himile” and B5. I checked the thread of the lock nut which t...

ewdysar

Hey Craig, I recently took my 10-15 year old HF click-type torque wrenches to have them re-calibrated. Surprisingly, both wrenches (3/8 and 1/2") were tested, confirmed to be spot on, and returned to me "as found". Additionally, the company chose not to charge me for the testing, I believe the charg...

ewdysar

The tires are not ruined. I've seen worse hack jobs on tires that I have removed. But those tires worked well as modified, well enough to wear out the tread before any other failure. I have also notched that edge for clearance around the valve stem (as told to by my dad), but I was a bit more carefu...

ewdysar

That looks great, Michael! Great job!

Keep crankin',
Eric

ewdysar

OK, I am used to running with the oil-soaked felt pad in the valve cover with my iron Rajo head, but as I am setting up my new (to me) iron Roof 8 head, I am considering routing some of the oil pressure up there. At the business end of things, I know that one runs pressure to a hollow rocker arm sha...

ewdysar

In one of the threads that Shannon posted, the Patterson version of the transmission drive speedometer had various combinations of gearing to suit different Ford configurations as noted here: Patterson speedometer notes.jpg In the same thread, the original Patterson documentation shows what speedome...

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