MTFCA Forum

Newbie from NC, in my late, late 50's. Been a vintage Honda Motorcycle guy for a few years so I'm moderately metrically mechanical. I'm about to be thrust into the caretaker's role of my Aunt's 26 (I think) Speedster. My uncle passed in '08 so the last time it ran was before then. I would like to know what I need to do to get her started again. Will gladly answer any late '70s Goldwing questions in exchange.

It looks good! Unless the fuel system was completely drained, that is the most likely place for a problem. Old gas tends to set up like shellac and will plug the bottom of the tank, the fuel line and the carburetor. If you have a starter and a battery, you will need a new one. I would also recommend changing the oil and coolant and check oil level in rear axle and lube all grease cups, fittings, and oil all oilers. The engine will probably start right up if you have a good battery and get fuel, to the carburetor. You might want to put about a teaspoon of oil in each cylinder before you turn over the engine to oil the rings. It is possible that one or more valves could be stuck, but not necessarily so. Also air up all tires and pack front wheel bearings before you take it for a drive.
Norm

Norman Kling wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 12, 2020 8:55 pm

It looks good! Unless the fuel system was completely drained, that is the most likely place for a problem. Old gas tends to set up like shellac and will plug the bottom of the tank, the fuel line and the carburetor. If you have a starter and a battery, you will need a new one. I would also recommend changing the oil and coolant and check oil level in rear axle and lube all grease cups, fittings, and oil all oilers. The engine will probably start right up if you have a good battery and get fuel, to the carburetor. You might want to put about a teaspoon of oil in each cylinder before you turn over the engine to oil the rings. It is possible that one or more valves could be stuck, but not necessarily so. Also air up all tires and pack front wheel bearings before you take it for a drive.
Norm

Are there how to's on here for each of those operations? Is there a manual available on the innertube? I know Henry would have done that if he could have. The tires are > 12 years old. Will they need to be replaced? Will our rotund hero ever stop asking questions?

Fenders and pedals are wrong for a ‘26. It is earlier. Maybe ‘24 or ‘25. Look under the hood at the drivers side of the engine above the water inlet. You should see an 8 digit number. This number will tell you the year, month and day the engine was made by comparing it with the numbers in the encyclopedia section of the forum. If the engine is original to the car, that is the year of your T. Jim Patrick.

Scott,

To reply directly to your statement, "I would like to know what I need to do to get her started again." See the Removing a T from Mothballs document below for a complete step by step proceedure. Welcome to the hobby and best of luck with this beautiful T.

Have a great day,
Dom

Thanks folks. Look forward to getting started on her.

To check to see if it gets fuel to the carburetor, first take a stick like a yardstick, or if you have a stick sold by the parts vendors with the number of gallons printed on it. Put that stick down into the gas tank all the way to the bottom. Note, your gas tank is not stock, so the readings will not be accurate, but it will let you if you have gas in the tank or if it is still liquid.
At the bottom of the tank on the outside, there should be a sediment bulb with the fuel line coming out the sediment bulb. There should also be a handle to turn a valve right above the bulb. If the handle is vertical the valve is open and if the handle is horizontal the gas flow is off. There also might be another valve under the hood next to the carburetor. This valve is not stock, but many owners install one in that location. The second valve would be open with the handle parallel to the fuel line. With both valves open you can pour a small amount of gas into the tank and see if it flows all the way to the carburetor. You can open the petcock at the bottom of the carburetor to see if gas flows out. If it does, you have gas flow in the line and through the needle valve.
Next thing pull out the spark plugs and put about a teaspoon of oil into each cylinder and then try turning over the engine. If it has not seized, it should turn in neutral. Note this should be done with the parking brake pulled back. If it won't turn over jack up one or both rear wheels. If it turns with the wheels jacked up, the clutch disks might be sticking . If it still won't turn over, something is seized up With the spark plugs back in place, and the spark lever up, turn over the engine with the choke pulled. Do this several times and if gas drips out the bottom of the carburetor, you are getting gas to the carburetor. The fuel system is free of clogs and should be working. Next try starting the car. If you still have the original ignition system the coils should buzz as the engine is turned over with the key turned to battery. If so, you are getting spark. Now try starting the engine.
I could keep on writing a book, but the club has several in print with very good do it yourself instructions. The books are: "Electrical System", "Engine", Front and Rear Axles", "Ruckstell Axle", "Carburetor","Transmission". If you don't have the owners manual and those booklets, you need to get them.
Your car is not stock. It is a "speedster". These were creations made aftermarket and many times have non-stock parts, and or parts from various year cars fitted together. So you can only tell by the engine number what year the engine was manufactrued, and even then, some previous owner might have ground off the original number and stamped in the registered number when the engine was changed. You can get an idea when the block was manufactured by the numbers molded into the metal.
If I have left out something, now is time for other posters to add or correct what I have said.
Norm

It will help to get an experienced Model T person to help. Search for a local club and ask for help. A barbeque will help attract help. You will find lots of guys and gals that will love to help.

Where in NC are you? I live in Wilkesboro and my club, the Tar Heal T's is centered in the Greensboro area.

You have come to the right place for info. I am in Angier NC which is about an hour away and I would like to invite you to join our HCCA. A great resource near you is Clyde Menges who is well known for Model T repairs. Clyde-910.263.2736

GrandpaFord wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 13, 2020 9:24 pm

Where in NC are you? I live in Wilkesboro and my club, the Tar Heal T's is centered in the Greensboro area.

Neil, that was my first thought as well. The poster's location is in the summary to the right of the screen. He is in Hope Mills NC. It's good to see these helpful responses from people in the area. Nothing beats knowledgeable help with a T.

P.S. I was born in Wilmington, but I refer to that as an accident of war. My dad was recalled to active duty in January 1941 and was stationed at Camp Davis. That's how my parents happened to be in Wilmington six weeks before Pearl Harbor.

Wow! Thanks for all the offers to help. I was at my aunt's picking it up, the innerweb is spotty at best there. I'm at work, now, I'll reply more this evening. Thanks!!!!

Here's what I think and have observed. There is no plate on the firewall as the firewall is part of the speedster kit as was noted above. I will check the engine per Jim. I looked down in the tank, it is completely empty, no gummy lacquer. I will check the rest of the fuel system as noted above and in the excellent articles linked. Did I mention you guys are great?! My Aunt and Uncle lived in Hampstead, near Wilmington, in the Summer and Sackett's Harbor, NY in the Winter (backwards in my opinion.) I believe he winterized the T in the Fall of 07 and fell ill in Hampstead in the Spring before he had a chance to get this toy going. We'll see. Definitely needs tires, although they seem to be holding ~40 lbs of pressure. I know they are supposed to hold 60 but I was hesitant to put that much in them for the flatbed tow home. We pushed her about 40 ft. altogether. I will perform the maintenance recommended, may seek out local help as needed and available.

Does joining the Club give me access to the literature or just the ability to purchase it? Again, I really appreciate the welcome and the pointers. I have rebuilt motorcycle carbs, I would hope this carb is less complicated. Is there a risk to using gas with ethanol-are the gaskets all cork? I'm tired, I'm blathering. Thanks.

The literature is sold by the dealers. The black service manual will be your bible. Keep it with you at all times. The booklets on engine, transmission, axles, carburetors, and electrical systems are sold by dealers, but were written by MTFCA members. Then you might want a copy of Bruce McCalleys encyclopedia - just loaded with information.

Dealers like I knew in High School?

Ts and vintage Honda bikes? Sounds like me with the 1970s CL125S next to my 21 pickup.