How Did the Model T Owners Do It?
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Topic author - Posts: 878
- Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2020 9:28 pm
- First Name: Bruce
- Last Name: Brakke
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1927 coupe
- Location: Ames, Iowa
- MTFCA Number: 31192
How Did the Model T Owners Do It?
I have watched a number of videos of coil restoration, and they show how the coils are adjusted using several different testing devices. " Back in the day", how did the typical Model T owner keep the coils adjusted without having these devices?
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- First Name: Brent
- Last Name: Burger
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1926 TT closed cab flatbed
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- Board Member Since: 2014
Re: How Did the Model T Owners Do It?
Coils, when dialed in well, typically stay dialed in for quite a while. One might presume
original owners had easy access to garages with the tools and used them as needed. I set
up my coils 5 years ago and have not messed with them since. I bought a HCCT tester a
couple years ago and have yet to use it.
original owners had easy access to garages with the tools and used them as needed. I set
up my coils 5 years ago and have not messed with them since. I bought a HCCT tester a
couple years ago and have yet to use it.
More people are doing it today than ever before !
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Re: How Did the Model T Owners Do It?
Took them to a dealer. They had the HCCT.
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- First Name: William
- Last Name: May
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1914 Runabout
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Re: How Did the Model T Owners Do It?
Also, it probably only cost them 25 cents to get it done. Ford Universal Service.
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- First Name: Mark
- Last Name: Gregush
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1925 cutdown PU, 1920 Dodge touring, 1948 F2 Ford flat head 6 pickup 3 speed
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Re: How Did the Model T Owners Do It?
Also because of the number of Ford on the road, there were many general repair shops that had the HCCT after they were introduced to the market. The HCCT was not just a Ford shop tool.
I know the voices aren't real but damn they have some good ideas!
1925 Cut down pickup
1920 Dodge touring
1948 Ford F2 pickup
1925 Cut down pickup
1920 Dodge touring
1948 Ford F2 pickup
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Re: How Did the Model T Owners Do It?
Nearly every auto repair shop (Ford and otherwise) had a HCCT.
It was a money maker.
A HCCT cost s little as $40.
It didn't take long to pay for it self.
It was a money maker.
A HCCT cost s little as $40.
It didn't take long to pay for it self.
Respectfully Submitted,
Be_Zero_Be
I drive a Model T ... Microseconds don't matter
For every Absolute Model T Fact there are at least three exceptions.
Be_Zero_Be
I drive a Model T ... Microseconds don't matter
For every Absolute Model T Fact there are at least three exceptions.
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- First Name: James
- Last Name: Fisher
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1924, 1925-ish
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Re: How Did the Model T Owners Do It?
My father would pop the lid off the coil box with the engine running and adjust them by sound. Ive watched him do this countless times while we were driving his Roadster around town. Now that I have inherited this T I've tried the same thing only to electrocute myself over and over. LOL
Just give me time to Rust and I'll be good as new. Wabi-Sabi
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- First Name: Rich
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Re: How Did the Model T Owners Do It?
Jim_PTC_GA wrote: ↑Sun Aug 30, 2020 6:19 am. . . pop the lid off the coil box with the engine running and adjust them by sound . . .
I expect this was probably more commonly practiced than paying a mechanic to use testing equipment. "Tuning by ear" was the method handed down to me by my granddad when I got my first T as a kid.
Not saying that it's better, mind. Grandma was fond of saying, "Poor people have poor ways !"
"Get a horse !"
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Re: How Did the Model T Owners Do It?
Back in the day, If you bought new FORD coil points and installed them per the book directions with the correct gap, odds would be very good that the coils would work properly. This would have been the result of FORDS very good quality control on the gap and spring tension of the follower spring on the upper point.
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Re: How Did the Model T Owners Do It?
It must have been nice to be able to walk into a Ford dealer, and buy a new Ford script coil. I suppose they still stocked them until WWII?
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- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1922 Coupe
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Re: How Did the Model T Owners Do It?
Of course if you lived a few miles from a dealer what would you do. No HCCT, no electronic device, no telephone or even internet. Just your owners manual. Maybe a copy of the Ford Owner. Well you buy or make a coil tester and set your coils to draw 2.5 amps.
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- Posts: 4957
- Joined: Sat Jan 05, 2019 1:57 pm
- First Name: Mark
- Last Name: Gregush
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1925 cutdown PU, 1920 Dodge touring, 1948 F2 Ford flat head 6 pickup 3 speed
- Location: Portland Or
- MTFCA Number: 52564
- Board Member Since: 1999
Re: How Did the Model T Owners Do It?
Adjusting by ear was how it was done before the 1914 style coils came out and seems the practice was carried on later. Unless the 2 nuts were replace by a knurled nut, not an easy task to do. A friend of mine who is in his 80's keeps wanting to do that, adjust by ear, I keep telling him not too. After he messes with them, he brings them to me to reset on the HCCT (which is his anyway).
I know the voices aren't real but damn they have some good ideas!
1925 Cut down pickup
1920 Dodge touring
1948 Ford F2 pickup
1925 Cut down pickup
1920 Dodge touring
1948 Ford F2 pickup
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- Posts: 1411
- Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 11:57 am
- First Name: Adam
- Last Name: Doleshal
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: ‘13 Touring, ‘24 Touring, ‘25 TT dump truck, ‘26 Tudor, ‘20 Theiman harvester T powerplant, ‘20 T Staude tractor
- Location: Wisconsin
- MTFCA Number: 23809
- MTFCI Number: 1
- Board Member Since: 2000
Re: How Did the Model T Owners Do It?
Actually, if you really know what you’re doing and know what a correctly set coil sounds like, then you could have very good success getting them real close If you set them by ear while running on magneto at a very low idle. There is a distinctive “clack” right around the sweet spot on most coils.