MTFCA Forum

Happy Halloween from the Franko Family!

I didn’t put a skeleton filled T on the lawn this year. I figured I would use some cues from the Wednesday Addams series that’s popular now. Instead of a ‘38 Pontiac, I used my ‘41 Ford. “Wednesday” is in the back seat with a wig and a doll on her lap. Thing is perched on the front seat.

I used fifty feet of LED strip lights and a light bar under...

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, does the babbitt just wear at the edges during the...

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I have this old Craftsman toolbox and I plan on drilling four holes in the bottom of it to bolt down onto the running boards on the same 4 bolts near the front on the driver side. Should I put something under the box so it doesn't mess up the running boards or would it be fine metal on metal? Amd any other tips for mounting this tool box to the...

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Since I had to remove the choke rod in order to address the freeze plug issue...it's time to fix the carburetor universal joint binding that happens when ever I adjust the mixture while in cab. I can see that lower part of the universal joint is in a U shape but the choke rod part is in...

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I have a 26 Fordor drivers door window regulator that I’m needing the hand crank assembly for. Mine has a badly worn 6 tooth gear on the end. It causes the window to jump when this gear doesn’t mesh with the larger gear. Any help or direction would be appreciated!

These were in the mix of model T parts.
I realize that they are not Model T but thought they may have been used on a Farm. The top end looks like it would hold a wood handle clamp around, large hole in the middle, end piece ?

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Is it running an electric motor or is that an electric motor running it?

Getting my thoughts and parts together to start a TT restoration. Since I do not plan on actually carrying a load anywhere near one ton, would the ride improve if I left out a few leaves of the rear springs?

1) The head on my '20 has a casting mark of 'P' for Prus. So does my '24. My '23 has a casting mark of 'X'. Is there any significance to this mark? 2) The head on the '23 also features a copper outlet gasket at the top where the outlet goes to the radiator. It looks like Snyders and Langs only feature paper gaskets for this. What was it...

After reading several discussions on 4th main bearings on this forum, I wanted to pose a question.
My 24 roadster came with a ball bearing 4th main as well as a needle bearing drive shaft bushing. I have had no trouble with either, and have put approximately 10000 miles on the car with those in it. Both of the bearings do not seem to be sloppy or...

Was driving down the road when the engine began to stutter. Looked out the back window and saw steam billowing out the back. Turn the idle down, engine off, and placed in neutral, coasting to side of road all about the same instant. Opened the hood and saw liquid coming out the right side of the engine, toward the rear. Saw a missing freeze plug...

My T was invited to a armature painting group

I use the grease on my Anderson timer that Langs sells. Just a light coat works good. I clean and replace the grease before every trip as part of my pre trip maintenance. Iv been using it for years. I'm still using the same timer for the last 15 years and it shows very little wear. My question is now that I'm running low on it just what kind of...

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In the process of dealing with the freeze plug, I noticed that the hold down was contacting the side of the new exhaust manifold. I considered grinding away part of the cast iron to fix the problem and then realized that the witness mark was only a symptom of the real problem. When I screwed the hold down and...

What year did Ford change from the SQUARE shank to the ROUND shank screwdriver in tool kits?

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I found this as I was doing an oil change. The oil pan plug washer is there for scale. Any idea where these might have originated from? Most of them are copper, one small one looks like polished steel and one looks like a charred bit of... something. Should I be alarmed and not run the engine at all? Engine Oil Pieces.jpg

Hi all,

I have a 1922 Canadian T. My spark plugs are champion X’s and they say Canada on them. How hard are these to find? I have two extra and I’d like to find two more so I have a spare set.

Thanks for your information and interest!

-Alex

I have a brass one here. When the shut off lever is open, it only exposes half the port. Are the tapered arms on the brass units different than the iron units?
Also, does anyone know if the taper is 6* or 7*?

I am helping a friend with a Model T huckster and am perplexed by the timer pull rod lever at the end of the steering column. The car is a 1927 has a stock frame, cowl, (supposedely) stock steering column and engine and I am perplexed by what I am seeing. Can someone please post a good photo of (an original) timer pull lever at the end of the...

Had a good time at the Helping Seniors trunk or treat benefit.

I have two depot hack fenders to mount. They appear to be sourced from Rootleib and have no mounting hardware. I could use some input on how to purchase or fabricate the two mounting rods that usually are mounted to the wood body and extend out through a hole in the side of the fenders. Also, there is no mounting hardware attached to the fenders...

I’m wondering if anyone has the turtle deck bolts to mount to the seat back and the roadster body. I have a few, they are mushroom head, slotted with large square nuts. The ones in the sear back are in cage nuts and are a bit longer. I don’t know if anyone reproduces them, haven’t seen. You make reach me here or call me 330-858-2880

Top saddles on what I would call late13-17 body brackets. Are they Ford or?

Does it make the car go slower?
Does it make the car burn gas faster?
Does it make the car harder to start?
Does it affect the amount of advance you can do with the spark lever?

The world wants to know.

I was asked by a local High School play technical director to display my 1922 Touring Shirley in the theater lobby for the High School performance of the play The Great Gatsby . Of course, I said yes. The kids were super excited when it arrived Friday night. My wife and I attended the final performance in period dress Monday night and to bring it...

Pretty much as the title says. I have been cleaning my springs for my 24 roadster pickup build and have been uncovering a LOT of ford script. Some of the smaller springs had one stamping, a a few had two stampings. I got to the main spring on the bottom of the rear stack and uncovered 3 scripts on one leaf!
My question is why? Why so many? I can...

I'm looking for anyone who has an original FLOOR REAR CROSS MEMBER HOUSING for the 26-27 T Pickup Bed. This is the center pan that is located over the rear crossmember. I'd like to get some profile photos of the pan out of the bed, but in the bed would be ok too. Also, does anyone have the T part number for this piece?

Anyone installed a Fordson cross drive mag system on a model t? I have all the parts and pieces just wanting to know if anyone had done one and what issues you ran up against? I have a 2 spark mag and a 8 plug overhead. Thought it would look interesting on my Speedster(under construction)

thnx
frontyboy (brasscarguy@comcast.net) or text...

Hi All,

Looking at trim options for speedsters.
In the Orange field at Hershey were two 1922 Mercers. On the semi restored Mercer was a 1/2 oval steel trim riveted along the edge of the cowl. Looks like brass or copper rivets. See photos. This was typical for a 1920's era car and used on one of my original speedster bodies.
I anyone aware where...

I have read that if the Model T is pulled by its front axle, the wishbone ball socket can be pulled from the crankcase.

Those of you who have had your T pulled up onto a flatbed tow truck, where was the winch line attached to the car?

October 1924 Ford Service Bulletin Page 76, shows the new rib, or oil deflector cast into the transmission cover. I recently bought an earlier version transmission cover, by mistake, relying on another persons judgement.

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lOOKING TO EQUIP A RIGHT HAND DRIVE NON STARTER CAR TO A RIGHT HAND DRIVE STARTER CAR USING JUST A STRIPPED (BARE) HOGSHEAD CASTING. DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THERE ARE PEDAL INTERFACE DIFFERENCES SUCH THAT THE PEDALS WOULD NOT FIT?

A client sent me this picture of a speedster his grandfather built. The client would like to know if the body is factory or homemade? I think it looks close to the Champion model A body, but I invite your opinions.

Chris

Was in Silverton CO recently. Old mining town in the Rockies. Most of the streets are still all dirt. Narrow gauge railroad with steam engines still in operation. Saloon's. Was like stepping back in time. Walking out of one of the Saloon's, I heard an unmistakable putputput. There chugging down the street it was. Wasn't able to talk with them,...

Welcome all to our tent in the North Chocolate field, C4Q 38-39. We have a transmission display and a demonstration of re-spoking wheels using the Reagan spoke press by George Akins at 10:00. Information on front end alignment will be done through the day. Come for coffee and donuts in the morning. Meet our Board and spouses, Cari, and Michael our...

Anyone making new laminated wood top bows these days?

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I’m trying to adjust my horn, it has stopped blowing.
In the past, a simple turning of the screw in the rear , would bring it back.
Not this time,
Please note the horn manufacturer, in the photos.

George
Elkhorn, Nebraska

Toay my 1926 Touring turned 100 years old. Well at least her engine is, when the cat itself was built we will never know. She is a fine car and I enjoy driving her and I hope to drive her many more years.

It is the 100th birthday of my 1926 Model T Ford Coupe. Well, the 100th anniversary of the engine assembly anyway, serial number 12546822.

This car was owned by my grandfather in Frankfort, South Dakota and he used it as his fishing car. He drove it up until 1953 and parked it out behind the barn where it sat out in the weather for several...

I just picked up two of the two cap distributors at Hershey. I will try to load pictures but often have trouble with that excerise. Also have the caps, rotors and point sets for these units available. 20251014_091003.jpg 20251014_090836.jpg

I am working on a 26 that will start but turns over pretty slow but the starter will only drag if tried again a second time and the starter switch gets red hot. The cable to the battery gets hot also. I cleaned all the connections, same thing. The starter does not feel hot. Bad starter? Art

I am confused. I am buying new tires and tubes for my 1916 Touring with wooden wheels. Do i want rim flaps between the inner tube and the wheel? Lang's says yes and others say no.
Thanks for the input.
Campbell Tellman II
Beaufort, NC

Found my bendix cover screw but that is minor. Removed the starter this evening and found problems.
Both locks were in place on the bendix bolts but both bolts were loose. With the drive collar bolt loose it allowed for wear on the woodruff key and in time would have sheared the key and bolt tip.
The inside of the starter is very oiled soaked....

I have a 1926 chassis I purchased. It came with an engine mounted coil box I am rebuilding. Did they use longer bolts for the coil box mounting or are they all the same size?

Cannot find my T electrical book. Have taken 2 starters apart the last couple of days and found differences as to how the field coil To brush terminal brushes were hooked up.
On the first one , one field lead was hooked up to a insulated brush and the other lead was hooked up to the next brush holder which is 90 degrees apart.
On the other...

Recently purchased a 1914 model t speedster. Flat fendered, bucket seats oval gas tank. flat Rootlieb wood dash, no windshield. Was painted typical yellow. :evil:
When finished it will have the new rounded Rootlieb speedster fenders , 26-27 wire wheels with rear mounted spare. Lots of brass including a brass vee radiator and E&J brass lamps. Lots...

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Should the springs be tighter like in the first picture or looser
like in the second picture, or should they be tightened all the way?

Do not know why the first pic is shown twice.

I'm considering to replace the cast iron pistons with aluminium pistons. I can see I can choose between Grant and Hastings rings of which the Grant rings are considerably cheaper than Hastings.
What are the difference apart from price? And what are the recommendations?

Recently I bought a hand wiper off of the MTFCA classifieds. With shipping it came to $17.98. I asked if PayPal was okay and it was. I sent him $20.00 friends and family. I received my package today. PXL_20251020_202932514.jpg PXL_20251020_202801963.jpg
I had to smile!!! I got $2.02 change. Made my day!
Thanks Vernon and thanks to the MTFCA....

I have a horn manufactured by E A Laboratory and need help with the sound adjustment.
Per the photos attached. My adjustment screw looks to have been replaced and a lock nut put in its place.
1. Is this an after market addition.
2. Any ideas how to adjust.

The horn has worked perfectly for years.

Hello, my cylinders are bored at .060, aluminum pistons, top ring gapped at. 010, I have driven about 30 miles. Im terrified because I misinterpreted the paper that came with the rings. It said do not file top ring. Apparently they meant do not file off the top coating of the top ring. I did file ring 2 nd three to gaps of 15 nd 18. Do it need to...

This one day parade/ event is held annually, driving from a beachside city suburb into the Adelaide Hills for a gigantic car show, vintage fashion parade and judging classes. There were 1554 entries this year.
I took Henrietta and Henry was my passenger.
We were part of he Preservation class for judging.

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We were fortunate...

Hello all,
I recently bought this 1917 Touring. I got it running after having last ran 2+ years ago. It’s very cold blooded, but once it starts, it runs very well.

Current plans are to disassemble the body over the winter, do a mechanical restoration, fix some minor rust issues, and then repaint it in the spring.

I look forward to being a part...

Would anyone know the Factory Number for a 1912 Front Wheel Hub or know how to tell the difference from the earlier and later Front Hubs.

Curious if anyone has one of the wrap around headlight rim removal tools for sale? I have attached photos of what I mean. I do not know if they are reproduced or only made 70ish years ago. You can call me 330-858-2880 or respond on here. Brad

I have a model T with three tires with the same problem a leak in the valve stem where the rubber joins the brass threaded top section with the Schrader valve. The tubes are about five years old rubber on valve stems looks good on all of them. not cracked. last one started leaking after I aired it up to pressure. Had gone down over the last few...

Hey all,

On 09/10/2025 I post a new post about a knock during start up.
This afternoon I started to install the new ring gear with new right bolts.
Here is what happened.
During the tied up of the bolts two teeth of the brand new ring gear just gest loss.
I looked to the brake surface. Here is what I found.

A new ring gear is ordered. Hope this...

Hello from the UK,

I am new to Model Ts and am 6 weeks into owning a 1924 Tourer. Although should I say Touring, since it was imported from the US? It was 're-built' 20 odd years ago (no real history...) to 12V alternator, starter, indicators etc to make it an every day car rather than a show car. Perfect for me.

Anyway, I am working around it...

fitting things together on my two current projects. IMG_4459.jpeg IMG_4460.jpeg IMG_4466.jpeg IMG_4464.jpeg IMG_4465.jpeg

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You know those special screws for the bendix cover, well I dropped one today.
I was bent over the door frame and unscrewed the left side screw and went to get it and it fell and hit the creeper under the car and disappeared. Found the washer that was on it but not the screw. Had a good lite to use while looking for it but no luck. Next time I get...

Hello all,

I’ve been a frequent lurker and infrequent poster for a long while now. Months ago, I made the choice to pull the engine on my car. The initial plan was finish the body, drive it for a “bit”, then do all of my mechanical work later. And I simply don’t work that way. If it means another year or two off the road to do it right, so be it....

does a 1922 center door have a outside mirror option????

Wondering if anyone has found or built custom depot-hack seats?

I have a Pleasantville body on my 1926 Depot Hack that came with a single seat; I’m looking to add two jumper seats and a rear bench like in the attached photos. Ideally the upholstery would be tan. We (My Dad and I) can do basic blacksmithing and could fabricate wrought-iron parts,...

I have an old radiator and likely rust-choked engine that I want to flush. The helpful Australian Youtuber recommends 'Nulon R40', an alkaline solution. This doesn't seem to be available in Tidewater Virginia. What is the best widely-available product?

Wait- wait- I have another question: I have several gallons of generic 'pre-diluted 50/50...

Once again we will host a free swap event at our farm on October 18th. Everyone’s a vendor so bring a few items to swap. 5894 Lemond rd, owatonna, mn. Starts at 9am. Lunch by noon.

Would anyone have a 26/27 fuel cap laying around. I guess I missed placed it. I cant find it anywhere.

Hey everyone.

I pulled these tires off a '13 that I bought about six months ago. This is what I found after cleaning decades of gunk off of them.
They're definitely OLD. They both have Monkey Wards Riverside tread but no brand name on them. They both have raised 30 x 31/2, 4 PLY, OVERSIZE MADE IN U.S.A. AND TRADE MARK markings on both sides....

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My clutch was kinda slipping a bit, so I decided to adjust the clutch fingers, the gap between the collar and the plate is supposed to be 13/16 the gap was much larger, I put the gap to said measurement, I adjust my free neutral after as well. Now I'm slipping and also the arm the clutch bolt is, almost hits the cam and the bolt has to almost be...

Does anybody know who was selling these vintage gas pumps at Hershey this year?

I found the best aerosol clearcoat to protect polished brass that I have ever used in “Mohawk Gloss Lacquer for Brass” that can be purchased from Amazon. It goes on perfectly clear without fogging up or developing bubbles.

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Does anyone know the amount of arc the front taper leaf spring had from the factory? Thank you... Craig

A few weeks ago it was discovered that the laurel mountain forge stain supply could no longer be available.

I did a search for possible gun refinishing supplies that had it in stock. This is the only one that I found. They have it in stock except for maple. I just ordered a bottle since I still have a dash to do. I have no connection with the...

I have an assortment of frame brackets for my 12. These are the ones that are riveted with two rivets to the sides of the frame that the body to frame brackets would mount to. Some the steel is thicker than the others.
Anyone know if the earlier brackets were thinner or thicker than later ones?
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Thanks!
Mike

Does anyone have experience with what the rate of incline may be in order to starve the carburetor and cause my T to stall? Also can this be helped or abated with high gear and / or timing or throttle changes. Lastly, I replaced my Holley NH with a completely rebuilt (new) carb but for the life of me I cannot get it to stop leaking out of the...

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 oil lines by taking them loose to see their...

Looks like my new 13 Roadster has Leather seats. They need cleaning, got some sticky stuff on them. What do you guys with leather seats use? Thanks Dan

Asking for a recommendation: does anyone know where I can get roller shades restored with period correct fabric material for a '17 Towncar?

The 23 coupe I recently acquired had a cut off switch under the driver's seat that had failed from a load when the plastic base melted, it is also going to be a pain having to lift the seat or reach into the trunk to get to it to operate it .
I have a good quality switch to replace it but was thinking about putting it behind the left splash apron...

I have a Hubbard service crane on my tt truck. It's been kinda hard to find anything out on it.
Also does anyone have pictures of a period correct towbar for a vintage tow truck.
Here is the link to my tow truck in action. Search model t tow truck in action if you don't trust links.

The magneto on top you can see that the coating is broken off a little. Should I put something on it? Also while I'm here fishing out an aluminum cotter pin from the bottom what else should I do while the hogs head is off?

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It is summertime & the weather is hot, time for me to stretch some older 30 x 3 1/2 tires to mount for a roller chassis. I am looking for the mounted size car tire to use to stretch the old tire I had seen it in years back on the Forum but have not found it today. I believe it was like 165/75/14 or maybe 175/75/14?

Is there a Model T forum in Australia?

.... Who wants to be first?