MTFCA Forum

A pal of mine recently had some dipsticks for sale that mounted on the oil drain and had a simple length of tubing up into the engine compartment. The handle of the dipstick was a simple metal loop painted black. I bought one for the '23 and really like it. It is not vintage but looks unintrusive, almost hidden at the back of the motor near the firewall. It allows easy oil level checks and oil condition checks. I can pull the dipstick and make sure no water has gotten in some place.

I have seen some with a modern plastic handle, I could not get those past my eyes.

I would like to fit one on the new T but my pal is no longer selling them. Any ideas where they can be found?

Advantage Dipstick

Antique Auto Ranch Inc.
2225 N. Dollar Rd.
Spokane Valley, WA 99212

Tuesdays and Wednesdays 509-535-7789

Super popular and the best dipstick out there, yet none of the vendors but me carry them.

Any photos Tom?

Andy Loso wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:12 am

Any photos Tom?

Picked this up sometime ago with a bunch of T parts. The stick level markings don't matter, just score a line at the full mark etc

Andy Loso wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:12 am

Any photos Tom?

Tom sold the hell outta these at
The 2019 Bakersfield Swap Meet


FJ

I have had one on my 21 touring for several years, really like it.makes checking oil easy.

What's wrong with the Henry method? I have one of those oil check rods that makes opening the petcock easy. Why screw up a perfectly good crankcase to install one of those things?

Original Smith wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 20, 2021 10:35 am

What's wrong with the Henry method? I have one of those oil check rods that makes opening the petcock easy. Why screw up a perfectly good crankcase to install one of those things?

Larry

Tom Carnegie has a good idea and a good product.

He sold several of these at Bakersfield Swap Meet
in 2018.

There’s nothing wrong with choices.


FJ

They work great. I have 2 of them. I talked Garrett out of one and Tom and Stormo had them at the Winter Clinic.

I have one and am very happy with it. I believe the version they sell now is updated from the one pictured. The tube attaches to a fitting screwed into the bottom of the oil pan and the oil is drained by turning out a plug with an allen wrench. Easily installed, easily removed. Easy to use, especially for an old guy with bad knees. It has the advantage of reading from the bottom of the oil pan which tells you exactly how much oil you have, even when the level is below the lower petcock.

I know Original Smith takes the "original" in his username very seriously and that is fine. It is good that some of us preserve our cars the way they were built. That said, I have modified my car (1917) with a starter, LED headlights, disc brakes, demoutable tires and dipstick... all to make my car safer and more reliable on tours. I've also kept the original parts in case a future custodian wishes to return the car to original. Looking at old Sears catalogs and such, it is obvious that "back in the day" the Model T was one of the most owner-modified cars in history. Some of us are simply continuing that tradition

The dipstick pictured above is not an Advantage dipstick.

Larry asks "What's wrong with the Henry method?"

At the risk of looking like an advertisement, I will attempt to answer the question.

The answer is: nothing, and plenty, depending on what you are trying to do. If you don't drive your car too much and don't really need to know your actual oil level and you don't mind getting down on your prayer-bones and don't mind dumping oil onto the ground and you don't care if your petcocks rattle open and you lose your oil, Henry's method is just fine.

But, some people would like to know what their oil level is when it is above or below to petcocks. This dipstick does not alter the pan in any permanent way. It is easily installed or removed, if so desired for a show e.g. The fine threaded oil plug is no longer used. Instead a pipe plug is used to drain the oil. This saves wear and tear on the pan, plus it can sometimes allow a pan with dodgy threads to be used.

Oldav8tor said it, good knees are a big help with the "Henry" method. I find that the knee pain of checking the oil made my checks less frequent before the dipstick was fitted than they have been since. Also, its much easier to see & feel the oil with a dipstick to check the health of the engine. The "Henry" method involves inspecting drips in the dirt or trying to collect a sample.

Thanks Tom, this is exactly what I'm looking for. How can I get in touch with you about purchasing one?

I was going to ask how would one change the oil after this conversion, but I see that's been addressed...

I have modified the car so I don't have to crawl under it every time I want to shut the gas off... Tho it's always a good idea to inspect the car's undersides every so often, being older it really IS a PITA to get down on your knees to check the oil (and worse getting back up on those old knees!)...

I wonder why Henry didn't go to this idea himself... seems like it would be cheap and easy enough...

I want one too

I got one of these and installed it in my 26 Touring and couldn't be happier. My bottom petcock threads are a bit sketchy and when indexed so I could use the petcock tool, the threads of the petcock leaks a bit. Add that I don't like getting down on my knees, this just made sense to me. Next oil change will allow me to remove the lower petcock and install a brass plug. I'll keep the upper petcock in case I over fill.

How much is an "Advantage Dipstick"?

I was hoping to see a link to the website in the "Services" section of the forum...

Susanne wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 21, 2021 5:56 pm

I was hoping to see a link to the website in the "Services" section of the forum...

Excellent Idea


FJ

Michael makes a valid point. How many petcocks tighten at just the right point to enable the petcock tool to open it? Nice if it works, but it doesn't work for me on two of my cars.
Allan from down under.

OilyBill wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 21, 2021 12:10 pm

How much is an "Advantage Dipstick"?

I couldn't find anything about an "Advantage Dipstick" but did find some options

I had one of the ones that Mac's sells with the modern plastic handle. It looked like it would probably work, but the load plastic handle just screams "modern" to me. I gave it away without ever installing it.

Advantage dip stick: $65.00 plus shipping.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays 509-535-7789

Thanks Tom, I'll call them in the morning.

These were from another post; not on my 26 Touring. Thought I'd add for completeness. If someone needs pics of the dipstick on my 26 Touring, let me know and I can go out to the garage and snap a few. Only concern is the slight decrease of ground clearance which I was told might come into play when loading or unloading on a trailer. I have no trailer so I guess I'm OK.

Thanks Mike, those pics will indeed helpful to many. I have this dipstick on the '23 and it drove up into the trailer & out again with no issues. It didn't occur to me to even watch for clearance. The '39 Caddie did drag the undercarriage getting in and out, it has both a longer wheelbase & is lower to the ground.

Wonder where one could get that size banjo fitting and Banjo bolt ?

"Wonder where one could get that size banjo fitting and Banjo bolt ?"

You can get one of each in an Advantage dipstick kit. I paid a machine shop a whole gang of money to tool up and make these for me.

I just ordered one from Tom at Antique Auto Ranch. I'm very glad to have another one of these dipsticks on the way. The one on the '23 has been very useful and makes a painful job completely painless. I'll install it with the next oil change.

Note there is an Allen plug in the banjo bolt so you don't wear out your original pan threads nor mess up your seals of the banjo fitting! Brilliant!

I bought one of these when they were being developed. What a brilliant
idea that looks like a period part, so as not to distract from the vintage
appearance of our T's. Why do some T people always try to "go around" a
good product and not support those who do good things for the hobby ?

There is one word that describes the above product. LAZY! I checked my oil yesterday the old fashioned way, and it took me 15 seconds.

Tom_Carnegie wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 19, 2021 8:08 pm

Advantage Dipstick

Antique Auto Ranch Inc.
2225 N. Dollar Rd.
Spokane Valley, WA 99212

Tuesdays and Wednesdays 509-535-7789

Super popular and the best dipstick out there, yet none of the vendors but me carry them.

I bought one of these from tom in Mcpherson winter workshop quality part well made love them.

Original Smith wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 26, 2021 7:46 am

There is one word that describes the above product. LAZY! I checked my oil yesterday the old fashioned way, and it took me 15 seconds.

Simple answer don't buy one.

I just put one on for my dad. Not because he is "lazy", but because he is 90.

Smith, there is a word for folks that think like yourself, and it isn't "lazy", but like you, that's just my opinion.

My knees are shot, to the point I have an extension on the gas shut off so I don't have to get on my knees and then spend a painful 5 minutes getting back to my feet. Not that I *can't*, but it takes the enjoyment of working under my car. And callling me "lazy" would get you 2 words from me, the second one being "you" but the first one definitely not "thank".

Susanne wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 26, 2021 11:31 am

My knees are shot, to the point I have an extension on the gas shut off so I don't have to get on my knees and then spend a painful 5 minutes getting back to my feet. Not that I *can't*, but it takes the enjoyment of working under my car. And callling me "lazy" would get you 2 words from me, the second one being "you" but the first one definitely not "thank".

No more excuses... my knees are shot too. Here is a new tool to facilitate lubricating, checking oil, gas shut off/on and etc. You really need to watch the video link
Video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh6z5BW_meE
and there are several others https://www.google.com/search?q=automot ... d&hl=en-US

Come on kiddees, let's play nice! Nothing is being harmed here, its all easily reversible. There is no reason to abuse each other.

My dipstick kit arrived this morning safe & sound. I just ordered it Tuesday. It is EXACTLY what I was looking for, the same kit that I installed on the '23 a year or so again. Thanks Tom for making this kit available to help some of us solve a painful problem.

Thanks, hudson... I'm going to put in an order as soon as Tuesday comes back around (I wanted to wait because I figured Tom would have been flooded with orders...).

And I agree 110% - This is our fun, our release, and our hobby, please don't let it become a way to kick each other, treat each other like, well, "chevy rear axles" and tell each other how how good you are and how bad someone else is. I've heard the "your lazy" comment before to someone who put a ring gear flywheel, field coil ring, and starter on their Pre-18 T because starting their car could give them a coronary.

Calling someone who loves the hobby and their cars "lazy" because they can't physically crawl under their car(s) without undergoing painful contortions every time is pretty, um, "ungentlemanly". And being someone who destroyed their knees climbing bridges to talk suicidal people off of them, crawling around on hands and knees on broken concrete under a 1.4 million pound bridge after a major earthquake to make sure the bridge might hold up, or around a concrete rubble strewn collapsed freeway to look for survivors, well... I'm sorry if being beat up and broken like that "offends" you enough to call *me* lazy.

That's why I think the dipstick is an awesome idea, no less than the adaptive controls people came up with to drive their T's after coming back missing parts after the great war. And if my response offends someone, I apoligize...

I'm just glad it's Friday, and I have a baby that's in the garage begging my attention!

What I would like to know is how the part at the bottom stops at the right spot? With my luck the fitting for the tube would be facing the starter. Or do you put a correct size washer under it so that it points in the correct orientation?

...ya mean like this ?

_________

(phone call a few short years ago... from a place a few miles down the road... )

"Hello, this is Susanne, whassup?"
"Honey, the car is making a funny sound."
"What's it sound like?"
"Kind of a ticking sound... here, listen..."
(Sound of 2 shot rods a shot main, all combining in their evil percussion section)



"SHUT IT OFF NOW!!!!"
(sounds of dying engine shutting off)
"Did you check the oil like I showed you before you left?"
"No, I thought you maintained the cars..."

G-r-r-r-r-r...

"Pull the dipstick." Pause. "What's it say?"
"There's nothing on it. That's not good, is it?"

Well, I wanted a new car anyway...

David asked: "What I would like to know is how the part at the bottom stops at the right spot?"

The "banjo" fitting will mount in any position. It is clamped between two washers by the banjo bolt. Indeed, some people have mounted the dipstick on the starter side, as there were obstacles on the non-starter side. This can happen on cars with modifications, such as speedsters.