MTFCA Forum

THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN ON THE DAY BEN BROUGHT #220 HOME. iT SURE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THIS NOW. iT WAS RESTORED BY AL VIVIAN IN SAN BERNARDINO, CAL. WHO WORKED FOR BILL HARRAH FOR A SHORT TIME. I HAVE THE ORIGINAL STEERING COLUMN OUT OF THIS CAR.

Ok, you hooked me, why was the original steering column replaced? Was the replacement column period correct?

Looks like an '11 Torpedo in that picture.

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50 ... 1445266021
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50 ... 1445695354
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50 ... 1439509779

This is # 220 as Ben Snyder purchased it . I saw it at Bens place very soon after he bought it.
At that time my dad owned # 714 and was good friends with Ben .
Ben invited my dad & I to come see the car just as he purchased it , & before any restoration was done .

Glen , I believe the picture you posted is the Torpedo that Ben restored .

I think you are correct Pete. I have a friend in Missouri who knew Ed Hausgen, the owner of 220 who sold it to Ben. That pic of the cut off touring is the same one he sent me.

Glen ?

Is that you who started this thread ?

If so - it would appear you are actually starting to enjoy retirement

Perish The Thought


FJ

It has been many years since Ben bought #220. But I was there when he brought it home. He invited us over to see #220 not some torpedo. The pictures of #220 and Mr. Hausgen, the original owner are older pictures of the car taken in 1951 and do not show the modifications shown in my picture. But who knows what was done to the car in the interm years. The condition of the car as purchased by Ben Snyder was in much rougher condition than that shown in Mr Hausgen pictures. . It is my opinion that the car was modified with a replacement radiator, demountable wheels shock absorbers and torpedo fenders by some unknown person. Ben had at least one of every brass era car and a lot of early parts. I believe Ben replaced the incorrect parts and shock absorbers in order to make the car look more original for the Vintage Ford article being written about the car. Vintage Ford Volume 2 #1, page 17.

Glen , you and I will have to agree, to disagree .
I saw it too when Ben brought it home .
again , here is # 220 as Ben purchased it

Herb, I believe you can confirm that this is the picture of 220 when it was sold to Ben Snyder?

Kim the photo you are referring to, right above this matches the description that Ed Hausgen told me about the car when he had it. I'm not sure but did I send you some pictures from a magazine article that talked about the car when Ed Hausgen had it? I got that magazine from a flea market in Ed's home town.
They might be the same pictures Pete Eastwood put on here earlier. I think they were from a car show in St. Louis in the early 1950's. Ed told me his uncle spotted the car in Illinois and told him and his brother about it. They went and bought it. He told me it was missing the rear seat, but was in good enough condition otherwise. I think that might be Ed shown driving it. I don't know but perhaps that magazine article is how Ben Snyder found out about the cars existence? I think Ed said the car was sold in 1956 for a good price. He wished he would have kept it but his brother wanted to sell it so they let it go.
I would have to say that the car pictured at the beginning of this thread is a Torpedo Roadster and not NO. 220. I wasn't there and only know what I was told by MR. Hausgen.

Could someone zoom in on the first picture and see if the front spindles and axle are one piece or two piece?

Could someone zoom in on the first picture...

Not much you can see by zooming in.

Thank you Steve.
No. 220 would have had one piece spindles.
From looking at the close up I can't really say one way or the other about the spindle. Mr. Hausgen did say that the car was missing the rear seat, he did not say it was converted to a Torpedo Roadster.

Definatelly one piece spindle. Note the narrow gap between the axle and spindle and the absence of a boss and nut at the lower left hand side of the spindle.

Definatelly one piece spindle. Note the narrow gap between the axle and spindle and the absence of a boss and nut at the lower left hand side of the spindle.

I agree. Although the detail from that photo being blown up is lousy, the angles between the spindle and axle definitely appear to be that of an early one-piece spindle.

I have no irons in this discussion except what I know and can see.
The wheels on the picture provided by Glen which is said to be as 220 was purchased has demountable wheels. To me they look like 6” hubs and I can’t tell if they are one piece spindles.

The picture below as provided by Pete clearly has none demountable wheels and I suspect they are 5 1/2” hubs. I rather suspect they are one piece spindles as I can’t see the nut on the front side Clearly the second picture has different front fenders, nicer radiator as a minimum. So it is likely that the second picture was taken later after some more appropriate parts had been replaced. This is also in Vol2#1 Vintage Ford.

Judging from the picture I remember of 220, it was rebuilt at least one more time. This is copied from the Encyclopedia, I’m sure there is a better color picture somewhere.

The first picture also has a 2-piece firewall and what appears to be the longer Torpedo hood.

I agree it has 1-piece spindles, but arguably, some of the earliest '11 Torpedos should have had them.

There are several era photos of early Torpedos / Open Runabouts that have one-piece spindles (as well as other early features).

The fenders on the car in the first photo are certainly T/OR fenders, as well as other parts.

Model T 220 has a pretty well known history back to the late 40’s and early 50’s. There is a lot of photographic evidence that the cutoff touring Pete posted is 220. For 220 to deteriorate into a well used torpedo a few years later just doesn’t make sense. I met Ed Hausgen years ago and we discussed the missing back seat and what he thought happened to it. Pete saw the car shortly after Ben bought it and so did Bruce McCalley. Bruce told the story in the early issues of the Vintage Ford.