MTFCA Forum

Bryan,
Before you use the carbide I recommend you check your light system: gas light burners,
burner bases, hose and rear gas line with an acetylene MC or B tank. I would take the
mirrors out of the headlamps if you do it in the car outside your shop.

Once you get the proper flame and check for leaks, then put the mirrors back in and properly...

Dill valve stem covers with the sliding fit adjuster will fit any valve stem, small, thick, rubber, etc. Period correct and easy to use/fit.

Allan from down under.

I had many Model A's before I got into T's. In fact I was one of the charter members of the Model A Ford of America which Walt Rosenthal helped us get started.
My first car was a January 1929 A. It had many of the features of the 28. Probably registered as first sold in 1929. When I got it it had a Tillotson Carburetor. One day while I was driving...

Thank you for the responses. The tanks and lower apron are in very good shape so I might just have to get it recored and use it. Would make a neat conversation piece on my T.

I'm with Pat. Reserve power is a very good idea. Think of it as insurance against forgetting to put the thing on the charger some time. This is one case where bigger is better.

Allan from down under.

Cars built towards the end of a calendar year (starting in August) were marked s then next calendar year. Since you engine date is September 26th. 1914 that would imply that it was for a 1915 model.
That's mostly right for most model years . But the change from 1914 to 1915 was different: 1915: September 1914 (Sedan), October (Coupelet) and...

I am so glad I joined this forum! Thank you so much for all the insights.... I am excited that the carburetor parts arrived last night, just in time for the weekend! Hoping i hear her come to life this weekend.

Unfortunately my project was put on hold during the summer, but if you do a google Search for speedster there are some with fenders I do not think his body plan would interfere with any fender attachment

Didn’t make it.
Those will be good to make rings to rebuild timers.
What other treasures did you find. Dan

Those tires get better results for him on his car in the terrain that he travels.

I don't doubt it.

Mom's reasons for restoring the car was to put it in the local parade in 2022 and to give rides to friends and relatives. Art finished the restoration in time for my daughter's wedding in November '21, which was special because since she was young she would tease Dad about restoring the T for her wedding. Since the restoration I have given rides...

Thank you Ronald.

I have the problem solved, at least for now. I added a shortened piece of round felt packing, 3/8 and no leaks.

If you have a steep grade like that with a stop sign at the bottom, shifting to low gear or if you have it Ruckstell or other auxiliary transmission low range just before you start down the hill. when shifting down advance the throttle to speed up the engine then raise the throttle after shifting for extra braking from compression of the engine....

I have had good experiences with a company called
You Move Me.
I had a car moved from St. Louis to Dallas for about $900.00.
Great door to door service, I would use them any time. They have offices nationwide .

Scott

I have heard that the magneto lights were dimmer at idle than while driving.
To get magneto headlights bright enough to show you anything, you have to go so fast that you outrun them. I would drive my 1915 at night in a town or city where there are plenty of street lights. On an unfamiliar country road? Not me. Too scary and dangerous.

Photo number eight, the 1924 (I think?) roadster with the salesman's box on the back. Notice the square wood felloe non-demountable wheels. No oil sidelamps suggests that the car likely does have the starter option. A rather common choice at that time.

Thanks Keith for the removable trim idea. The header is 84 so the cars should fit without the trim. We have been considering replacing two trim boards with a piece of aluminum facia trim. The actual door is tall enough so it should not be noticeable from the street. Projects for next summer, flurries are swirling today.

Tappet wrenches are good to have, and a cheaper set can have the heads ground back if necessary. They are usually thin enough as they are made.

A Go-No Go situation.

If you get no sparks, that tells you the coil is bad.

It will not tell you the coil is doing misfires or is weak.

It's best to have a helper who can hold the torch to keep the rivet orange until you mash it.

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Jerry it’s a cast crankshaft. I’m a big fan of Scat, the issue is supply. We have 3 on back order which we just found out that the delivery is some time early next year. I bet it really puts a crimp on business’s trying to rebuild engines for customers.

Thanks, guys. Have a friend that has an A, will check with him to see if he needs this.
I sure don't.

When I decided to add turn signals, a phone charger, and other electric upgrades to my 1915, I considered what kind of LED for the signals would be best. I decided to forego six volts because 6v LED's are uncommon and might eventually become unobtainable. So I went with a 12 volt battery. That was fine for the signals, of course, and perfect to...

My 53 Chevy pick up with a 235 and a 4 speed pulls a T on a light trailer just fine, my concern is like a T it's not how fast you can go, it's how fast you can stop. I would rather not go than not stop.

John... Take a look at the website for Logolites at : www.logolites.com ........ I have both of these bulbs in both of the rear marker-license plate/ stop lights for on my 26 Runabout.... Yeah, I added another combination light on the rear passenger fender to match the combination on the driver rear fender.

Could also be worn lugs in your high speed clutch drum, (a.k.a. brake drum), not allowing clutch discs to release completely. This problem can be intermittent, depending on whether or not the clutch discs get caught up in the lug grooves, or to what extent they do. It might be interesting, and a good test, to rock the car back and forth, to see if...

Jerry, so true.... the closest you can get to a time machine.

Luke, I am almost without words. I so appreciate what you did to bring the photo to life. Thank you so much!

Allen,

I am aware. As I stated in the first message I am going to wire wheels this winter. I only got the car going this past summer and basically drove around dialing in things. The front end alignment is one thing that I really want to get right. The wheels on the car now wobble quite a bit and at this time they will not be the long term...

I don't think they wanted anything reflective on field ambulances.

Allan, I would like to buy one.

There probably is not one even left in Canada.

Three of our local club members have Made in Canada cars.

There may be others interested in Canada or the USA.

It's a CPC Balanced Pressure steering box. The adjustment at the back pulls all the slop out. I have one on my Mercury Speedster.DSC05534.jpegIMG025.jpeg2 merd dec 07 001.jpegDSC08565.jpeg

Wow! You also have a Phoenix 3 in 1 front plate!

I have 2 Kingston L 4s and neither one has this.

I think the problem is in the generator. I have one similar except that when I first start it I polarize it but if I stop for gas or elsewhere and start up again it doesn't need to be polarized. In fact sometimes if I start driving after about a mile, the ammeter will show a charge!
Norm

It is not a windshield weather guard. 1909 and possibly 1910 model year T's did not come standard with a top or windshield. Some tops had an integral roll up windscreen curtain attached in case there was no windshield, but if a windshield was also installed then there could be both.

1909s and up to early 1910s could have both the windshield...

A bit more info

The world war 2 airplane museum , located right on the airport is well worth a visit. They have 29 ww2 airplanes in flying condition, and you can visit the restoration hanger as well. They also have a mail plane that Charles Lindbergh flew. Very well displayed.

The pennant hanging by the windshield appears to say Lake George, however I can't see all of it well enough to be sure.
Whether that helps any or not?
The car appears to be a 1915 or 1916 with later front fenders, and well used. The clothing styles are unusual, and appear to be much later than 1916. The one fellow might be wearing a swim suit with...

I missed the hose clamp when I looked. It may well have been fitted to mask a problem. The L linkage between the clutch shaft and the pedal can cause unnecessary load, especially if the eyes have been rebuilt and drilled back to size to neatly fit a new linkage. The pedal needs to move sideways when operated. A neatly fitted L linkage will not...

Will
I have a Howells sheet metal catalog #55 that I used a few years ago to order some T body parts. Maybe yours is newer or? And no Brent in Tennessee I’m no parts changer and a lot of posters that build a T aren’t either. It must be nice to be a self appointed Genius T parts builder. I don’t have a diploma on the wall that I printed and wrote...

Thanks Dan - the closed cab TT's used a bit longer ones than the cars did - I had straps made for the TT.

Until I get the carcass of my 1915 home, I can't commit to anything else. I haven't seen it since the wreck, but I suspect some important pieces are still usable. I still need to clear some storage space. My shop and the rest of the place look like they were stirred with a stick.

I won't use a motometer if you give it to me. I drive on country roads a lot, and I don't want that extra weight bouncing along on my radiator neck. Maybe that's why the thing was an aftermarket accessory.

Wow, thanks for the picture.

I’ve run grooved belts for years. I ran them grove side in and out. Does seem to make any difference on the smooth pulleys on a T. I run them fairly loose with great success. And the width doesn’t seem to matter either. Just my experience.

I am very pleased to see you add a few reminiscences Susanne! I enjoyed getting to know your dad way back then. He was really good with the announcing banter, and very supportive of our brand of lunacy.
The water truck, Lincoln tow truck, and motorcycle service-cycle he brought to the shows also added another layer of ambiance to the show.
I...

Looking at some larger or heavier parts on eBay and some sellers are charging more for s/h than the cost of the actual part. In some cases, over $100 for s/h. Wondering if this trend continues the smaller, regional swap meets might see some renewed interst? If the price of gas comes down a little, the shippers will not lower their rates and...

I think that's where the blue laws came from... :shock: :lol:

I had a progression I would use. Sometimes wiggle would work it free. Someone told me to put some synthetic motor oil on it, my car at the time ran 0W20 which (I found outlater) had anti-rust properties, so I mixed a batch of 50/50 0w20 synthetic and WDro in a spray bottle. If THAT...

#6 that driver is very short and possibly a couple of soldiers

I ended up with Poplar as that was the only wood of appropriate size at the local dimensional wood supplier. I’m sure it will stain up nice and I will use my West System coating. I used it on the painted side racks and worked well.

It’s less than 3 months away, March 01, u

Drats...did I loose 2 months again? I hate when that happens.

And, the Henry Ford museum is open year round. But, yes Edison's lab is on the grounds of the village. Wonder if that darn light bulb is still burning?

I don't know if this would work or not. Put in a TT cross shaft. Fab a spacer where it bolts to the frame, this would compensate for the difference in the height of the cam. In my mind it would lower the shaft between 1 and1 1/2 .

I would advise fabricating brackets near both ends. These engines vibrate so much, fatigue breaks will occur if you do not. Been there, done that.

Got it .. Thanks Bob and Allan. I fashioned 2 curved ribs to fit and already had some trim to tack to them. Looks better already :D

Thanks for the info.

Yes, that would make them bolts.

Paul

Okay then...

Some people object to Blockley tyres because they think the tread is incorrect for the Model T era.

Goodyear 1922 copy.png
1922 Goodyear

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2023 Blockley (with a bad tube)

They are both real. The one on the left is later.

How are you aligning the bearing? Its a press fit to the housing just like the brass bushing, correct? The bushing can be pressed in enough to get the right axial shaft clearance and if its too tight, the bushing can be turned while in the housing. If the shaft end is greased, it should be fine for years. In the mean time, 100 things will fail on...

Our '14 has all matching JNO. Brown lights and the headlamps have the hinges outboard - I'm the 3rd owner but can't verify if the lamps were ever swapped.

Jonathan - I've been running an RF on my 1919 Rajo Speedster for several years now and it generally runs pretty well. Mine's in need of a rebuild, but as far as I can find, no one wants to work on these due to the materials used. I'm having an OF worked on for me now, as the RF is leaking a bit.

Hello,
I have always wondered why I could not use a rectifier/regulator from a riding lawn mower in my 1914 Model T. My riding mower engine puts out 30 volts AC and it goes into this little box and comes out 12V DC and it keeps the battery charged. My riding lawn mower has a lot more vibration and is a lot dustier than my car also. Why wouldn't...

Tom Moorehead,
In order to use dental floss, I drilled a hole in the washers and in the nuts before installation. Removal prior to drilling requires rags and and a lot of care.

Art Mirtes

Apparently that Eureka Country Club is still there, on Country Club Road, the area is much more wooded now and Streetview won't let me get up the drive :roll:

Herb I, I am fairly sure that your bracket was intended for use on TTs with no starter and therefore oil side and tail lamps. For what years? Certainly earlier than the Ford O tail lamps that began about 1925.
Were they Ford factory or aftermarket? Past discussions have argued both ways, and I don't recall any definitive decisions. As unusual as...

That is what I like! Nice catch on the spindles. Makes it an early 1911.
I am really hoping for someone familiar with the radiators to comment on whether it might be a Livingston or not? I cannot see the oval name badge on the radiator that a lot of Livingston radiators did have? However I don't think all of them had that?

Thank you Dan. The one in your picture is outside thread, as this one is internal, so there are at least two variations.
Always something new( to me).

You may only need to dry the box in an oven for an hour or so.

Replacing the wood with all the contacts on with a plastic one is still your lowest cost option.

Y’all are amazing. Thanks, I’ll let my friend know.
Kevin I don’t know if there are hubs but I’ll ask if he has some pictures.

Best John

Back to top. Been getting questions about this again.

I’m guessing a ‘17-‘22 roadster Vernon… Thanks for the video.

Yes, I got replacement 2 inch spring from Menards today for around $1 each. Much better

Chris, I feel for you. We had a similar escape from a rapidly traveling grass/crop/stubble fire heading straight for our farm and the native vegetation sanctuary we have spent years fencing and protecting. The fire was on a 3km front until a 90 degree wind change converted that to a 40km front which ran away from us.

Allan from down under.

Front thrusting this ground cam is a must. If not, the cam moves in & out.
The cam lobe eats away @ the cam bearing halves making a louder knock over time.

Thank you Pete,
Terry

That first photo is an interesting model T.
While the hood could have been easily replaced for any of a hundred reasons, it is also possible that the car might have left the factory that way.
It is generally believed that the factories generally tried to keep the two styles of cars separated and use the appropriate pieces for whatever was being...

The front cam bearing usually wears faster than the middle bearing or the rear bushing. If in doubt just replace with new babbited bearing shell.

Neal, you can make it yourself. If an electronic dummy like me can do it... :D

I imagine that I could Steve, but I really like now nice one that Fun Projects used to make looks. Within reason, I'd rather pay someone to make a nice one than make one myself!

Did you get your 21 demountable rim repaired with that part that I sent you?

I don't recall if my son used that or not. The wheel is done and on the car though.

No one here is a kid anymore...
It's all too common to be reminded of that by all the things I can't do anymore.
An old friend tells me the word I need to learn is acceptance .
I think a better term for it is resignation . :(

Steve, you are 100% correct. Had I listened to the dr's and people that thought they were so smart, I would be 350...

Thanks Dan, hex it will be. Jim

That's worth rubies...priceless...

Love the artwork on the 40's pic!

Very interesting! Thanks for the pictures

You really do not need a muffler. I have a friend and he and his son run straight pipes. Model T's do not make much noise.

A couple of years ago when I drove to Dearborn my muffler broke free. The bracket on the muffler where it connects to the frame snapped off. The exhaust pipe banging on the rear axle housing alerted me to the problem. The...

William, that is not supposed to be a thrust face. It just happens to wear that way Yours is worse than many i have seen. I have remedied the problem by fitting a washer between the can and the backing plate before fitting the arm. On another occasion I machined a spindle bolt bushing to fit the backing plate hole, leaving a shoulder on the bush...

I had to mill the sides of the extension until it was really thin in order to pull it off, but I got it!

Norman,
Thanks for sharing your experience. It is always important to hear the sacrifice that people made in war times. And hopefully we can avoid war in a more diplomatic way in the future. And to the point of cars, WWII caused a lot of Model T to be repurposed and recycled.

Matthew

Was the original glass and wood still in the car when you acquired it? Maybe use as a guide.

unfortunately I ripped it apart a year ago and thought I took pictures.... well I did not.

Elliptical spring conversion

And the T also had accessory elliptical front spring set for those who want the buggy bounce :D

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