MTFCA Forum

Well after work and supper, I went to the shop and finished tightening bolts, installed wood blocks,cotter pins, saftey wire and all the little things that go with an engine swap. Tomorrow is start up day! The TT has a new heart. After breaking a rib a couple weeks ago, its about time. Installing the new wire harness and radiator it should be ready for a test drive but it will have to wait unless it stays cold. I dont need any mud on that new bed untill its painted.

Dallas Landers wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 01, 2019 9:45 pm

Installing the new wire harness and radiator it should be ready for a test drive but it will have to wait unless it stays cold. I dont need any mud on that new bed untill its painted.

Be very careful what you wish for! This is March in Indiana you know. Did you just move here?????

It came in like a lamb,sunny and 36. You know how it ends.

They're calling for single digits here, Monday and Tuesday night !! Probably be Sunday for you...
We get snow Sunday

Looks good buddy !!

Took my engine to Mike Bender and we spent the day digging in to see what it needs beside a new crank and rods.


I'll be looking for a better main shaft and brake drum. The cam, valves, and lifters are OK.



I shot a picture of this clutch drum puller so I can make one. The original Ford tool sometimes doesn't survive a really stubborn drum.

Steve, have your ears been burning? We were talking about you and your trip this morning. It is great seeing that you are making progress on the rebuild. We really appreciated you taking us along on that perilous journey. That was something!!! Thanks.

A step closer. Looks like you will ack on the road soon. We enjoy you travel photos.

Rebuild a few parts for a model t car out of the Den Hartog auction last year.
The car didn't run, I hope I can put it back on the road soon.

Andre
Belgium

Andre
Belgium

I am wondering why I cannot post all the photos in one message??
Andre
Belgium

I've changed the 1915 headlights to the 1913's. still thinking about the side lights.
As you can see, I've also been converting it into a fire chiefs car more on that later.

1915

Getting Wilma ready for a valve job.

Sorta kinda OT, but my current project is to replace every mild steel screw in my T's enclosed aluminum trailer with stainless steel. As of now I have replaced a little over 400 screws and have a couple of hundred more to go. Praise be to Allah for the cordless powered screwdriver!

I guess I am lazy! I have been waiting for the rain to stop. If I drive it on our road, the underside will get muddy. And the inside will get wet. Excuses! I live in Southern California and am not used to having it rain so much. I think the poles have shifted and Minnesota is now the north pole and San Diego is where the Oregon coast used to be!
Anyway, today I installed the renewal sticker on the license plate of one of my T's. Pretty big job, Huh! We do have a tour planned for April. "California Dreamin"
Before the tour, I hope to get all my T's out and drive around a bit. They are lazy too!
Norm

Besides driving Nelly-Bell The Raloo Rocket in all kinds of weather last week, doing some generator rebuilding and messing around with building a table for my American Flyer train empire. When the shop warms up, got some coils to rebuild and wood spokes to finish. In the mean time, need to start going thru stuff to get ready for the Portland Swap Meet in April.

The other day I noticed that the steering wheel in my 1923 touring was kind of floppy, so today I hunted up a pinion and cover with a better fit. Yes, it's a 24-27 cover, but it will do until I find a better correct one. The steering wheel free play is ¾" to ⁷⁄₈", which I think is pretty good.

Start the rebuild of a generator this afternoon.
Will continu tomorrow. Andre
Belgium

Toured in the ‘19 centerdoor around rural Fayette County TX with 7-8 other Model Ts and visited a few local museums too. Nice 82 degree weather, beautiful sunshine and very sparsely travelled paved roads.

Stormy weather today.
Good time to finish the generator.
First I set the armature on the growler. It passed all the tests.
Build a diode in the cutout.
Than, piece by piece , it came together again to make a good generator.

Some more photos.

Andre
Belgium

Scraped the right rear fender on the garage doorway. I have been overdue for many years. ;O(

Got the OF carburetor adjusted for the high end speed and installed the Air / Gas mixer up on the horn button. The cable goes under the dash and through the firewall down to the air horn valve ... the same disc as the choke but the mixer allows different fixed settings when starting and warming up on a cold day.

Hmmm,.....I thought that one of the advantages of an "OF" was that you didn't have any "adjustments" to fool with,....???

The original instructions and parts illustration shows this. There is a choke wire that runs to the front of the car as usual. If you’re sitting in the drivers seat of a starter motor era T .. this is how you are suppoosed to choke the carburetor. In cold weather the carb runs better initialy with a slightly more rich mixture. This carb doesn’t have a needle valve .... so slightly closing the choke with this lever does the job until the engine warms up a little.

Thanks for the explanation Mark. So,....if you bought a brand new Stromberg "OF" accessory carburetor back in the day, did you also get the brass Air/Gas Mixer control & cable with the new carburetor?

Yes, the “set up” came with the carburetor, a throttle rod to replace the Ford rod, a special carburetor pre heater stove for the intake and the choke control. The choke control I used is actually from a Shebler carburetor, but it’s nicer looking and more substantial than the Stromberg control. The pre heater is not necessary with modern fuels.

Thanx again Mark,....guess there's more to know about the "OF" carburetor that what we normally hear about, huh? Wonder what "Unca' Stan" considers the complete and ideal set-up for the "OF"? I always thought it was just a simple matter of removal of your present carb and just bolt on the "OF", hook up the gas line & throttle linkage and you're "in business". And as good as that seems to be, you've apparently shown how to go a step further and make it better!

Guess our "discussion" here is kinda' "cluttering up" this "What Have You Done In March" thread, but it's sure good information, and maybe it'll lead more "OF" related info on this (or another) thread. Thanks again Mark,.....harold

I got this old speedster project back out that I started about 10 years ago. I installed the engine last week and now need to make time to get the rest of it done.

I pulled the motor out of my sedan yesterday. I will remove the transmission tommorow. I made it in Florida just fine with the broken tooth. I have to work outside but finally had a day to work on the T. I can put the motor inside, so the weather won't stop me know. You all have a good week. Will drive to Chickasha Thursday to shop.

Bought a new jar of "Blue Magic", looked in on Lizzie and patted a fender. The snowdrift blocking the shop door is almost gone, but I'll wait for the ankle-deep mud to dry off before cranking up and I'll try hard to miss the hydrant in the yard when I back out this time !
(Rich, I know how that works )

Still can’t do anything. But I have high hopes!

home made timer

Took transmission apart and found a very fatigued tranny. Will pick up one from Ross at Chickasha. I have a month to get Lulabell ready so will get her ready touring season. Will put a new head gasket on while I can get to back bolts to torque them. Have a good day.

Woke the RPU from its winter nest in the trailer. Turned on fuel, pulled the choke and it came to life. Its going to the shop for a compression check. Last year it had a miss and losing power. Im thinking valves may need attension. Last fall I checked plugs,timer,fuel,and air leaks so Im thinking valves need lapped. Test will tell.
Its the 1st time all winter Ive seen the old girl.

She looks great Dallas ! Good to see her out

Same here Dallas, gas on, pulled choke and she fired right up !!
Drove around the corner and put some fresh gas in, pretty chilly with the top down.
Waiting for dark to see how the LED bulbs work, before I tuck er to bed.

Dave, be sure to snap a pic. We want to see!
Rich, I had to smile after closing up the trailer. Thats when I took the photo.

LED headlights...
High (on), about 40' from the garage. Low (dim). A little downhill, but the treeline in the distance is about 80-100 yards. If you zoom in, you can barely see the bottom of the trees.

Went for a little longer ride this evening, first one since I replaced the radiator this winter. Happy happy !!
Ran cool and no leaking. Not bad for a few parts, 4 wire harnesses and $20 !!
She's running so good it's almost puzzling

Tested the home made timer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1tfZmqFWak

A little more touch-up on the touring before loading for Chickasha.

3 days in a row in March, glad the top was down today, pretty breezy !! 74 and rain is coming they say.
I went about 15 miles or so, would have went farther, but the sky changed my mind.
I think I have the Stromberg dialed in...smoooooth !!
If the rain holds out, maybe I can hit the ROAD after dark this time.

This week my son and I started the re-restoration of a 1915 runabout that I picked up last November. It is a very old restoration that looks good from about 20 feet, but is pretty rough up close.

We got the engine and rear axle removed today, and the next step is to bring them down to Mike Bender for rebuilding. Pulling the engine and rear axle went pretty smoothly. The 1915/1916 brass T engines are a bit of a pain to remove because the engine ears are trapped by the body. None of the old books or manuals describe this issue, but the tips that I've gotten from the MTFCA forum site and Steve Jelf in particular on dealing with this sure helped. Fortunately we have a 1921 touring to enjoy while we work on the runabout!

Oiled my timer.

This was actually covered in my "Major Transmission Goof" post just yesterday, and here's my decision....

Completed my 90% engine assembly, only to find that the bands don't line up with the drums.........arrgghh! Spend yesterday tearing the whole thing apart and have decided to add a .065 steel shim to the crankshaft flange in order to move the whole drum "pack" rearwards so it lines up. The bands may end up not perfectly centered, but at least they won't rub on the adjacent drum!

I also discovered that the 4th main bearing shaft is not uniform, so it has to be ground and the ball cap poured/bored to size. Again. That part's my fault though.

Another set of gaskets.......sigh.

Looks like March is going to be a busy month here. So far I have started assembly of the engine and finished my magnet charger. The original color for this engine I'm assuming was a grey but I didn't want that so I went with what was in stock. The magnet charger is a compact one, made from an old axle shaft , it draws 3 amps and runs on a 12 volt battery I had in stock. I'm hoping to get the transmission assembled this week but as with anything T, I'm expecting 2 steps forward one step back.

Finished a paying job and got it out of the way.
Got the T out, put the top up and relocated to the big garage. Put the wind wings back on and transferred the Ford script to the new radiator.

Maybe this weekend will be warm enough to give er a bath.

My wife and I went for about a 40 mile test drive after adding the KC Warford to see how it pulls in some of the different gears. It had a Ruckstell and I swapped out a Warford that was in another T, I really like all of the choices that I have for hill climbing and rolling down the road. It was a beautiful day in the high 40's. After 3 weeks of snow and cold 45 degrees feels warm.

That's a whole lot of stuff on the running boards.

It warmed up to 58°Today. I worked outside in a Tee-shirt. Cleaning plugs and the timer should have been done last Fall. I suspected moisture in the timer and there was a half teaspoon. Condensation or dripping in. I also oiled the fan and the front end. Steering was getting hard. It's nice to get my hands dirty while it is somewhat warm.
Rich

I re-registered my 27 depot hack as a regular car, not antique. I found that in Indiana you cannot do an online registration on antique plates, you have to take time and go to the BMV in person to buy the plates. You have to affirm the car is still an antique! It is only $20.00 more, and there are no driving restrictions on the car now with the normal plate. My 25 coupe already had the regular plates.

I finally got around to installing a vintage steering column brace on the ‘23 runabout. Boy does it make the steering system I rebuilt in the fall feel even tighter.

Does getting the future tow car for the speedster running count?

In October 2017 it started with the rebuild of an engine. In February 2018 I was asked to set the engine in the car, it seems to be a speedster.
Today I did the last corrections and made the first really test run.

André Belgium

andrefordt wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 21, 2019 11:42 am

In October 2017 it started with the rebuild of an engine. In February 2018 I was asked to set the engine in the car, it seems to be a speedster.
Today I did the last corrections and made the first really test run.

André Belgium

Beautiful car.

This block came out of a TT truck that looked like it was cobbled together at some time in the past, based on the mix of major pieces. My plan is to make a test stand using this engine to test carburetors, starters, and generators. It’s an Oct 1925 engine, in others words an early 1926 block. It looks nicer than most on the outside, but the water jacket is pitted and full of rust scale. I’ve tried running a splayed cable through the water openings and shot air through the passageways to get as much of the loose rust flakes out as I can. Now I’m trying to chemically convert the remaining rust using Rustoleum Rust Dissolver and will see how it does in a day or two.
Notice the sacrifice I had to make in order to plug the core holes. One slowly leaked for 30 minutes or so, but then expanded enough to seal the port. Perhaps the next time I’ll need to buy Chianti Classico Riserva instead of the lower Classico designation. The upside-down water inlet made for an excellent pour spout and allowed filling the water jacket almost to the brim.

Rich C.

I like that alot Dean!

I lifted the cover and it was still there ,another month should do it Cheers from the not so frozen north

I fixed the muffler with a spot weld on the center threaded bolt, reasembled and placed it back on tailpipe. I broke it last Oct. going over the dirt and rocky 11,200 ft. Cordova pass in Southern Colorado. Charged the battery, jacked up a back wheel, as the 30 wt oil and 37 temp.,made for slow cranking. I pulled the choke and after flooding it a bit, it came to life! I dusted it off and drove it to the Mile High Chapter Kick Off Breakfast. It was a balmy 46 degrees by the time I left so I left the top down. Looking forward to another year of touring.

Got out for a little toodle today before the drizzle. Back to one of my favorite roads nearby.
I have only seen 2-3 cars on the road in many trips back or forth. She pulled the oncoming hill at 38mph effortlessly. Enjoyably smooth road also. Better pics of the Ford script radiator and wind wings.

Beautiful Dave....sounds like it's ready for a season of driving.

Rebuilt a '13 rear axle to put in my '13. Ready to install!

I removed and disassembled my steering column and steering bracket. The gear case has four teeth that were held in place by grease and faith. The replacement is ready to install. The pinion has good teeth but has a lot of wear on the pin that goes into the shaft. The rest of the gears had good teeth but one had a bore that was too small. It was stuck on one of the pins and the pin spun in the shaft’s hole. The shaft is too far gone to attempt salvage. It looks like I will be replacing all of the internals.

Finally warmed up and I am feeling better so today I spent the day in the pole barn moving all the stuff I put in front of the cars last fall and over the winter. Then I pulled the 09 out to get a picture of the top irons in the up position and then I put a battery in my wife's car we had parked behind the 09 for winter so I could move it to get to her 31 Model A that was parked in front of my 26. I had parts, engines, and just stuff in the way but made it to back of the barn. The Mustang needed some corrosion cleaned off the battery clamps but the Model A gave me the most trouble. When I turned the gas on it ran out of the carb onto the floor so I had to open it up and work on the needle and seat but after putting the carb back on it still dumped on the floor. I pulled the carb off again and opened it up but this time I noticed the float was full of gas so I poked a small hole in it and drained it out and then sealed it and put in back together. This will hold it till I get a new float and made it possible to drive the Model A out so I could get to the 26. The battery was dead on the 26 so I put the charger on it and found my half empty gas jug from mowing the yard last fall and dumped the last gallon in the tank. By now I was wanting to get this one started so I turned the key to battery and the coils started buzzing so I turned the key off and went to the hand crank and pulled the choke wire while I spun the engine over and then hit the key. After a couple times doing this it fired up and I was able to switch to mag and unhook the charger and drove it outside. The battery held enough charge to fire it up later after I took some pictures so it might be OK for one more year with a good charge. If not, its got a hand crank and starts easy.


Maybe some day I will get a shot of all of the T's together.

Finally got my original 1910 hood back from the painters - I think it turned out pretty darn nice!

Found another one.

Building a front axle right now.

Last weekend change the transmission bands of a 1912 runabout.

Andre
Belgium

Andre
Belgium

I renewed the registration this week.
$572, yup. Five hundred seventy two dollars!

With the Rajo where will the coil box go?

4 months, 5 used parts sellers, Langs, allot of sweat and some blood. Engine and Transmission rebuilt. I was beginning to think I'd never make it to this point.

Went to lunch then drove to the beach.

Aarongriffey wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 29, 2019 7:49 pm

I renewed the registration this week.
$572, yup. Five hundred seventy two dollars!

Wow that is a lot, why so much?

Mark Bailey

answer to your question: California

Boy, March has been a busy month for everyone! I got my '13 rear end rebuilt and installed. Works like new, and safe! Went for a test ride today.

Worked all day in shop on the 8in1. Its been raining for about 24 hrs and now its snowing. Good day for working inside.

rarebike wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 29, 2019 7:31 pm

I added some extra parts to my roadster pickup, a Ruckstell in the rear and a Rajo in the front. Removed the original firewall and cut up a spare while trying to save the bead details. Tim in OmahaIMG_0211.JPGIMG_0209.JPGIMG_0207.JPG

Hey Tim, yesterday I finally finished rebuilding and updating that Ford NH carb that I got from you a few months ago. I'll put it on after I get my steering column back together.

After much vacillating, I finally committed to painting the natural finish wheels to Red paint.

Last thing I did on my T, pulled two wood wheels. Removed the old loose spokes, stripped the paint and repainted the iron.

This week, press the new spokes in.