Safety with Subtlety

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Jugster
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Safety with Subtlety

Post by Jugster » Sat Apr 17, 2021 5:04 pm

00 Tue Safety with Subtlety 1 the purchase.jpg

This will be a 10-part series with an an additional chapter each day, keeping within this thread. It's mostly about safety modifications made to my Model T. I hope you'll find it worthwhile or maybe just entertaining.

There are two primary levels of participation in the antique car hobby On one hand, there are those collectors in whose immaculate, climate-controlled garages slumber the pristine automotive gems which, by invitation only, compete at the more prestigious gatherings like Pebble Beach and Amelia Island. We're talking marques like Isotta-Fraschini, Talbot-Lago, Hispano-Suiza.

Through the ministrations of specialty restoration facilities staffed by master-craftsmen of arcane method, these rare automobiles of yore have been brought back to absolutely flawless, factory fresh condition. Now, the way to prevent such costly rejuvenation from gradually unraveling is to buff on a coat of hard wax, envelop the car in a satin-lined cover and store it in cool, dry darkness between worthy competitions. Hence, to avoid chipped paint and progressive wear-and-tear on things like pedals and upholstery, the owner sacrifices the enjoyment of actually driving his car. For all practical intents and purposes, it has ceased to exist as an automobile and has instead become a piece of rolling sculpture; a stunning work of art to be treasured and protected; its extreme level of excellence substantiated by an impressive collection of big-league trophies. These, along with the accolades of like-minded peers, comprise the payoff. Hey, if high-level competition is your bag, this aristocracy of the antique car hobby will fill it. Be it known, though, that the price of admission to such sport is breathtakingly high.

At the opposite end of the antique car hobby are the guys who, instead of wearing Ralph Lauren blazers and Italian shoes to the Concours d'Elegance, are most often seen in T-shirts and sneakers at the local cruise-in. These guys don't own automobiles; they have cars. And their cars are not "Hundred-Pointers," but "Twenty-Footers"—and more to the point, "Drivers." Put another way, the owner's ice-cream-dripping kids and their slobbering, claw-bearing dog are allowed in the car. Welcome to my world.

I've been a brass horseless-carriage enthusiast since the Kennedy administration, but for the usual reasons of raising a family and paying off a mortgage, buying one had to wait a half-century. Then, of course, the budget of a new retiree was not unlimited, so anything the caliber of a Pierce-Arrow or Stutz Bearcat was hilariously out of the question. No, my entry into the world of brass radiators, running-boards and wood-spoke wheels would come in the form of the brass-car hobby's least expensive admission ticket: Common as white bread, simple to maintain and adorable as a kitten sleeping in a teacup, we're talking the 1915 Ford Model T—which, as it happened, was my life-long favorite, anyway.

Of course, my car would be a "driver." Now, the thing about drivers is that you drive them. A lot. The more driving, the more fun. Problem is, Brass-Era cars are not the safest vehicles to operate in traffic, for they have no front brakes, no shoulder harnesses, no head restraints, no crumple zones, no collapsible steering columns—not even windshield wipers. So, when I settled on the purchase of a particular Tin Lizzie, I had already in mind certain safety modifications and ideas of how to incorporate them without grossly violating the car's basic historical integrity.

A lot of the safety equipment would be simple bolt-on stuff requiring neither drilling nor cutting. Anything that conservative would be fair game, for if I ever wanted to remove those things, it could be done easily and completely, without leaving a trace. Other things would have to be made permanent, but I hoped to make such changes with a reasonable level of finesse. Some items could be hidden behind or beneath something else and a few things could actually hide in plain sight—from anybody but an expert.

I had placed a classified ad on one of the online Model T forums and within two days, a gentleman by the name of Bill Clough phoned to tell me about the 1915 Ford Touring he had for sale. Next weekend, I and a friend took a ride from Long Island to the town of Knox, in Upstate New York, to see the car which, I knew in advance, was partly disassembled, as Bill was in the middle of overhauling the drive-train in preparation for sale.


01 Penelope apart w caption.jpg

Turned out Bill was the president of the Capital District Model T Club and a master mechanic with forty years of experience on the type. He had several brass Fords including a '14 Touring on which he would teach me to operate the Tin Lizzie's unique planetary transmission. By the smile of God, I'd happened upon one of those guys who was really, really good for the hobby.

As part of the deal to be negotiated, I asked Bill about whether I could avail myself of his professional skills to render modifications to the car for reliable touring and utility along with some mild engine updates to make the car perform well enough to safely mix it up with modern traffic.
He said, "Sure."
Well that was easy. From that point, we came up with a plan of action and a parts shopping list. The changes would primarily be about safety and they'd be carried out in ways that wouldn't change the warp and woof of what makes a Model T a Model T.

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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Jem » Sun Apr 18, 2021 2:36 am

Looking forward to part 2. In 42 years of T driving, traffic density and speed has increased to the point where we feel very vulnerable now.

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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Jugster » Sun Apr 18, 2021 4:21 am

00 Wed Safety with Subtlety 2 Electrical flat.jpg

For most folks, the idea of installing an electric self-starter in a Brass-Era car borders on desecration. If you happen to be healthy and only reasonably fit, hand-cranked starting is no big deal—until you stall the car in heavy traffic, in which case you're going to have to set the brake, disembark your front-seat passenger, get out and start a wrestling match with the engine while irritated, hostile motorists go whizzing by at uncomfortably close quarters. If your engine doesn't happen to be in the mood to cooperate, this experience will be accompanied by a symphonic distraction of honking horns and perhaps the enchantment of shouted four-letter words. See, I live in Noo Yawk, where trucks, buses and performance-cars piloted by young, hat-backwards maniacs rule the boulevard. But if I accidentally stall my starter-equipped engine in traffic, I can have it up and running again almost instantly. In the land of the Noo Yawk Minute, that's a big safety enhancement.

Retrofitting a starter to a Brass Model T requires some serious surgery—and the kind of commitment associated with an intentional major assault on an historical artifact's originality. It's not something to be taken lightly. I justify the change with the increased safety factor and a crippled spine which left me absolutely no choice—that and the realization that there are so many 1915 Fords out there that putting a starter on one of them won't change recorded history. It's not the sort of thing I'd do to a Pierce-Arrow or Locomobile, though. Tough decision, that.

To accomplish such a modification, it's necessary to choose one of two avenues: that of mounting a ring-gear on the flywheel and switching the 1915 hogs-head out with that of a 1919 or subsequent model-year, or replacing out the entire transmission with a later, starter-compatible unit. Bill had a 1921 transmission on hand, so we went the latter option. It was gone though along with the engine and differential. New kevlar band-linings, new bushings, etc.


01 Starter b Combo w caption.jpg

Once having crossed the line by installing a starter, it became somewhat easier to complete the commitment to do to the rest of the car what was necessary to make it a reliable, very stable, more powerful traffic-jammer; a daily-driver on steroids (In for a penny, in for a pound). It would have been possible to support the starter with little more than an ordinary car battery, the sustenance of which to be maintained with a charger plugged into house-current, but with the need for brake-lights, turn-signals and rendering the anemic magneto-powered headlights usable for the kind of serious night-time as would be necessary to return home from evening cruise-ins, there wasn't much choice but to go with a full-blown electrical system.

02 Left Engine t Flat b.jpg

Well, now we had to decide to decide between a 6-volt system more in keeping with the vintage of the car, or figure that trying to historically justify putting ANY kind of self-sustaining electrical system in a Brass Model T was hopeless and just go with a modern 12-volt system (Again; in for a penny, in for a pound). We went with a bolt-on, belt-driven, 12-volt alternator and an Optima gel-battery mounted with the standard, Ford-type battery bracket intended for later-vintage Flivvers, beneath the rear floorboards. The alternator kit came with a very beefy bracket which mounts, with bank vault security, to the engine's head. While the alternator does a fair job of maintaining the battery, the car does sit idle in the garage for extended periods, particularly during winter, so now and then, I'll pull out the rear mat, lift up the floorboards and hook up a charger.

04 Open Floorboards b.jpg

With the driver-side of the hood closed, all the modern electrical equipment is nicely concealed—except for the later-vintage, Model T mini-panel in the cockpit, which holds the ammeter and a rotary headlight switch beefy enough to handle the heavier current-draw of 12-volt headlamps and tail-lights. The original, Lilliputian, tweezer-actuated headlight switch—which is capable of handling the amperage of a couple of flashlights—is now a non-functional, cosmetic dummy. It is adorable, though.

Also cute is the cigarette lighter outlet which provides power for my tire pump and GPS.
GPS? Yeah; in for a penny...

Another nice accessory is the heavy-duty battery cut-off switch under the front seat. Though some of the engineering experts I know disagree, I've read that most collector-car fires begin with electrical provocation. Either way, it's nice to be able to disable the system when spectators and their kids pose for photos in the car and accidentally step on the starter button. Also, as my bedroom is directly above the attached garage, I just sleep better knowing the car's electrical system is disconnected.


07 Cut Off Switch w caption.jpg


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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Don D » Sun Apr 18, 2021 7:49 am

Bob,

Thank you for sharing your quest, support, rational, photos and experience. The clear description and detail help anyone interested in the hobby and safety are most helpful. People like you and Bill are a blessing to the rest of us in this hobby.

Well done,

Dom

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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Oldav8tor » Sun Apr 18, 2021 8:26 am

I've done some of the things you mention to my '17, also for safety. While some may find the article to be blasphemy, I say "Let the man speak!" I'm sure many of us are looking forward to the remaining chapters.
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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by DHort » Sun Apr 18, 2021 1:25 pm

I would say you need to move to the spare bedroom. :)


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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by speedytinc » Sun Apr 18, 2021 1:52 pm

That appears to be a 12v starter. KUDOS for not using a stock t starter on 12 volts. As far as the "damage" done to your T, all that improvement can easily be reversed by or for the next caretaker. Besides, i have herd there are more 15's today than were originally manufactured. HA,HA.

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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Jugster » Sun Apr 18, 2021 8:12 pm

00 thur Safety with Subtlety 3 Steering FE flat.jpg

In 1919, Ford changed the Model T's original over-the-axle front radius rod (wishbone) setup to an under-the-axle type. Now, some people believe this was to save the production cost of a couple of fasteners. Others say it was the result of an accident involving Henry himself, the cascading cause of which was a loss of steering control, which was caused by the spindle caster going negative, which was caused by the overhand geometry of the front wishbone. Among the vintage, aftermarket accessories made ubiquitous by the sheer volume of Model T production was an auxiliary underhand wishbone which could be added to the already existing front end, up to the 1919 model-year changeover (the add-on wishbone costing an astronomical 89¢).

01 Radius rod ad flat g.jpg

That made me a little concerned about the possibility of a significant defect in the original wishbone design. I did a little more investigating through the online forums and elsewhere and found mixed opinions on the subject. So I asked Bill (the master mechanic who sold me the car), "Would switching the overhand wishbone to an underhand wishbone make the car safer?"
He replied, "Well, it sure would make it stronger."
"Can you make the changeover?"
"Yup."


In addition to the wishbone itself, this modification required new spring perches, spindle and tie-rod parts, but I believe the updated geometry knocked off one of the Model T's Achilles heels. As with everything else, Bill did a great job on the front-end and this would be the kind of modification only an expert would spot. Though a departure from original configuration, it still consisted of nothing but Model T parts.

02 wishbone cropped c flat.jpg

Along with the front-end update, we decided that swapping the original 4:1 steering gear ratio with the 1926 model-year's 5:1 ratio would eliminate the over-sensitive feel of the car's handling at the upper end of its speed envelope. That turned out to be a bear of a job.

03 Steering Case E.jpg

The commercially available 5:1 gears, advertised as a simple, drop-in replacement, stubbornly refused to rotate—either because they were too big or had been improperly machined. Bill came up with the idea of trying the fit of the gears in a 1926-vintage steering case he had on hand. That worked very well, but required sand-blasting the nickel plating off the '26 case, polishing the underlying solid brass to match the rest of the car, and then some very intricate riveting to mount it. A lot of work went into this modification, but it turned a car that handled comfortably at 35 mph into a car that handled beautifully at 45 mph.

Tomorrow: Engine modifications including an additional choke control in the cockpit and an outside oil-line. Stay tuned!


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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by speedytinc » Sun Apr 18, 2021 11:53 pm

I put 5:1 gear set & shaft from a 27 doner. No issues. Dropped right in to the original 14 gear case.

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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Jugster » Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:29 pm

00 Fri engine choke, oil line.jpg

At some point after January of 1912, the engine of the Model T was de-tuned and down-rated from 22.5 horsepower to an even 20 horsepower. This was accomplished, in part, by reducing the compression ratio.
Okay, but why?
Well, by that time, the prodigious production of Ford's Model T had increased the fuel consumption of America to the point where petroleum companies were forced to cut the octane of their gasoline in order to keep up with demand. Now, most car enthusiasts know that the combination of low octane and high compression can produce engine knocking, pinging, pre-ignition and in the case of some high-performance engines, detonation. Now, of course, the Tin Lizzie's low-output mill was never going to detonate no matter how low the octane, but it did produce an unpleasant knocking. And so, Ford, having created the nationwide problem to which it now had to respond, dropped the compression ratio of the Model T's engine from 4.5:1 to 4.1:1. That resulted in a power loss of 2.5 horsepower.

Now, in the 21st-Century world, where a Toyota Camry can come equipped with an engine of over 300 horsepower, 2.5 measly ponies sure don't sound like much. But in the case of the Model T, that represented a power loss of 11% (After 1916, Ford did it again and lowered the compression ratio even further to 3.98:1. At that point, the car could run on just about any liquid fuel from moonshine alcohol to kerosene).

To increase my engine's horsepower a bit, I decided on an NH carburetor, a high-volume intake manifold and a high-compression head. These popular, bolt-on modifications do produce a modest increase in power and our 1915 engine thus regained, more or less, the lost 2.5 horses.

Now, does that 11% gain in power make a noticeable difference? In practice, not really. Generally, it's unwise to push an antique engine hard and the reason for that is obvious enough. In particular, it's unwise open the throttle on a Model T engine any more than necessary, especially uphill, and the reason for that is its skinny, one-inch, unbalanced, century-old, Achilles heel of a crankshaft. It has been said that there are two kinds of Model T drivers: those who have broken a crankshaft and those who will. And so, I handle my throttle with the same wary caution as one might, a loaded bazooka.


01 Carb Choke G flat cropped lighter b.jpg

We needed to add a supplementary choke control in the cockpit for use with the electric starter and a simple L-bellcrank on the firewall made the setup of that linkage a fairly straightforward matter. The added choke control resides very discreetly next to the mixture knob.

03 Lower Dash c flat b.jpg

Yet another of the Flivver's Achilles Heels is the engine's splash-only oil "system" which allows the front main bearing to run dry on long, steep inclines. A retro-fitted external oil line picks up some of the oil slung off by the flywheel at the top of its housing, gravity-feeds it forward to the lower-front of the engine and drips it on the #1 bearing. It's diabolically simple. Nevertheless, climbing long hills will always be the bane of Model T drivers as low-gear is too low and slow—about 9 mph with the engine screaming—and high-gear is too high and disposed toward busting the aforementioned Achilles crankshaft. Yeah, there's a lot of Homer's hero in that car.

04 Outside Oil Line Kit w caption flat.jpg

Tomorrow: Supplementary brakes and horn. Stay tuned!

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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Duey_C » Tue Apr 20, 2021 1:05 am

;) :) :) :)
Since I lost my mind mind, I feel more liberated

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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Jugster » Tue Apr 20, 2021 3:25 pm

00 Radiator, Brakes, horn flat.jpg

When I bought my '15 Ford Flivver, it was already equipped with a few non-standard items; a flat-tube radiator, a set of Rocky Mountain Brakes and a nice, loud hand-Klaxon horn.

The original Model T radiator had a core made up of round tubes and even without a water pump, it worked acceptably well as long as the cooling system was kept free of the kind of clogging minerals usually found in the tap and well water of its day (Ford recommended using rain water). Available today from Brassworks are brass radiators with modern flat-tube cores. This type has a higher surface area relative to volume, so it cools more efficiently than the original round-tube Ford radiator. Mine works very well even during the summer and over the course of ten years, I've yet to see a wisp of steam.

My Rocky Mountain brakes are the second generation, self-energizing type which are satisfyingly powerful, in fact, quite capable of locking up the rear wheels. The down-side of the self-energizing feature is that the brakes don't work very well in reverse. Because of that, the original Ford drive-train brake must be retained and it stops the car just fine at the low speeds I use when backing up and positively keeps the car from creeping backward when I'm waiting on an incline at a traffic light.


01 RM Brake H flat.jpg

The Rocky Mountain Brake Company came out with their first version of wheel brakes for the Model T in 1917, which means they're more or less period-correct for this car. Some guys, for whose opinion I hold a lot of respect, swear by Henry's transmission brake and feel that it's plenty sufficient for a 1,500 pound car. I've driven Flivvers with both types and nevertheless feel that the extra authority of the big, eleven-inch Rocky-drums is a safety enhancement I'd rather not do without.

I was surprised to learn that Klaxon "Ahooga" horns had been marketed fairly early in the game—1908—which coincided with the very earliest production of Henry Ford's Model T, so these horns are at least "period-correct."


02 home made hand klaxon ad c.jpg

Contrary to the writings of some heavily credentialed automotive historians, Henry never offered Ahooga horns as Model T equipment. The erroneous belief that he did was conventionalized because hand-operated Klaxon horns were plain enough to see in most period photographs of 1915 and subsequent open-bodied Model T Fords. So how did all those Ahooga horns wind up on all those Flivvers if Henry didn't put 'em there? Well, when Ford moved the squeeze-bulb horn under the hood in 1915 to accommodate the car's new metal cowl, the volume of its already anemic bleat was further quieted even in spite of the louvers now cut into the hood to address this very problem. As a remedy, the electric horn—really just a doorbell buzzer—with which Ford equipped later cars of that same model-year, wasn't much better.

03 Horn flat.jpg

That's why innumerable original owners installed a hand-Klaxon on the false door. Ahooga horns are loud and raucous enough to be heard above the noise of modern traffic, so they increase safety in a big way. Oh—and car-show spectators just love them.

Tomorrow: Electric tail-lights, brake-lights, turn-signals and flashers. Stay tuned


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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by John Codman » Tue Apr 20, 2021 5:28 pm

Sorry. Great topic but way too wordy. This from a retired school teacher.

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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Steve Jelf » Wed Apr 21, 2021 1:00 am

This old teacher thinks it's fine. But I taught grade school, so what do I know? :D


I will pick one little nit, though. Just as not all tissues are Kleenex and not all cameras are Kodaks, not all mechanical horns are Klaxons. There are several brands, including my Stewart. I expect all of them are every bit as raucous as a Klaxon.
The inevitable often happens.
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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by gldavis » Wed Apr 21, 2021 6:21 am

I'm enjoying this thread. It's a fun read of whimsy, wit, and wisdom. Thank you for the free entertainment. ;)
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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by speedytinc » Wed Apr 21, 2021 8:09 am

That style of oiler(mag) doesnt move much oil as you describe. At hi speed you get some. At idle & hill chug speeds it moves near nothing.
Try disconnecting it @ the motor & watch. Dont put your hopes on it.

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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Oldav8tor » Wed Apr 21, 2021 10:45 am

Another old teacher - I'm enjoying your installments and urge you when finished to combine them into a downloadable PDF, perhaps including some of the comments you receive. The information is just the kind of thing a new (or old) Model T owner might want to consider.

Two comments:
1.) Henry's accident that lead to the change in position of the wishbone from top to bottom of the axle took place only a few miles from where I live. I chose to retain the original top mounted wishbone on my '17 and added a suplementary wishbone attached to the underside. That along with tightening up the front end with a Stephens tool and new spindle bolts means I have never experienced any loss of control or "Death Wobble" issues.

2.) I'm a great believer in suplementary brakes that don't rely on the transmission brake. Although not period, the Disc Brakes that are available are an excellent alternative that preserve the function of the transmission and parking brakes as well. They're worthy of at least a mention.
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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Jugster » Wed Apr 21, 2021 11:30 am

Safety with Subtlety 6 lots of lights flat (1).jpg

For obvious reasons, a Brass-Era car which is frequently driven in modern traffic needs a lot of lights. We're talking brake-lights, turn-signals and 4-way flashers; and then for night time driving, head-lights and tail-lights. My headlights, which had originally been powered by the engine's magneto, were now wired into the retrofitted 12-volt system and of course, the original type sockets and bulbs were changed to the 12-volt type.

For front turn-signals, the two kerosene lanterns on the cowl would be wired up with sockets and bulbs, but for directional-signals on the tail end of the car, I'd need to add an additional pair of lights. A simple pair of tuna-can lights with red lenses was available from Lang's Old Car Parts and they attach to the top saddle-arms with purpose-made brackets.


All Tail Lights Combo.jpg

To electrify the three kerosene lanterns, I used commercially available bulb-socket adapters made specifically for the rounded lanterns of the 1915 and subsequent model-year Flivver. Unfortunately, that very nice accessory is no longer being manufactured, but it's a simple matter to cobble together a home-made electrical adapter using a store-bought automotive socket and a piece of wire coat-hanger which can be bent into a perfect circle around an appropriately sized can of creamed corn. A small, screw-band type hose-clamp holds the two pieces together very nicely.

04 Lantern and adapter combo.jpg

The turn-signal/4-way flasher "brain-box," from Tickin' Through Time went into a ventilated plastic container which was fastened with velcro to the bottom of the rear under-seat storage compartment.

08 Brain Box C b with caption.jpg

I didn't use the turn-signal switch that came with the kit because it was too large to hide, so instead, found a very small on-off-on switch online, drilled a small hole in the Klaxon horn's mount and hid it there.

The first brake-light switch I installed was the cheapie type that mounts to the bendix housing of the starter, but the darned thing needed constant adjustment and didn't take long to fail completely. That was replaced with the Fun Projects heavy-duty type which mounts to the transmission (Anything Fun Projects makes is good).


11 Brake Light  Switch w caption.jpg

With everything wired up, the car had nice, bright headlights, turn signals in the cowl lanterns and upper tail-lamps, and brake lights and night-time tail-lights in all three tail positions. The button for the 4-way flashers was mounted on the same mini-panel that houses the ammeter and headlight switch.

Tomorrow; Easy little details. Stay tuned!

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Duey_C
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First Name: Duane
Last Name: Cooley
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 18 Runabout, 24 Runabout for 20yrs, 25 TT, late Center Door project, open express pickup
Location: central MN
MTFCA Number: 32488
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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Duey_C » Thu Apr 22, 2021 12:53 am

Bob, over the long term, please let us know if that cole-hersee (mexico or china) switch messes up on you.
Out in the elements they don't do that well but this is a nicer enviro.
Neat thread!
Since I lost my mind mind, I feel more liberated

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Jugster
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First Name: Bob
Last Name: Coiro
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1915 Touring
Location: Commack, NY
Board Member Since: 2009

Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Jugster » Thu Apr 22, 2021 2:49 am

Duey,

I'm concerned with two switches on my Model T. First is the starter switch. Mine failed after about five years and luckily, it did so in the open position. I need to keep my eye on that thing and think of it as a limited-life part which needs replacement on schedule.

The other one, of course, is the master battery-disconnect switch. This one is ten years old and so far, I don't feel any play in the unit, and it doesn't sound like it arcing or popping when I operate it. My impression is that it is a decent product that does what it's supposed to do. Maybe next year I'll replace it just to be on the safe side. That's easy enough to do.

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Oldav8tor
Posts: 1929
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First Name: Tim
Last Name: Juhl
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1917 Touring
Location: Thumb of Michigan
MTFCA Number: 50297
MTFCI Number: 24810
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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Oldav8tor » Thu Apr 22, 2021 7:36 am

I had a Fun Projects brake switch that worked fine. When I installed my disc brakes I removed it since the discs came with their own switch that is operated by hydraulic pressure...very reliable.
1917 Touring
1946 Aeronca Champ
1952 Willys M38a1 Jeep (sold 2023)
1953 Ford Jubilee Tractor


Jeff Hood
Posts: 186
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First Name: Jeff
Last Name: Hood
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1915 Touring, 1923 Fordor, 1924 Martin Parry Canopy Express, 1925 Coupe
Location: Long Beach, CA.
MTFCA Number: 25636

Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Jeff Hood » Thu Apr 22, 2021 12:37 pm

Oldav8tor wrote:
Thu Apr 22, 2021 7:36 am
I had a Fun Projects brake switch that worked fine. When I installed my disc brakes I removed it since the discs came with their own switch that is operated by hydraulic pressure...very reliable.
Tim, just FYI, I have found that on my more modern "old cars" that use a hydraulic pressure switch, the available replacements don't last very long. Sometimes they leak, but most often they require a good amount of pressure to operate the brake lights even when new. I'll get people flagging me down to tell me that I don't have any brake lights, but of course when I then stomp the pedal down - they light up! The problem is that in normal driving you may not be pushing that hard on the brake pedal to slow or stop, especially if you are downshifting and using the engine to slow the car. For this reason I have removed the hydraulic switch from my old cars and fabricated a bracket to mount an electric brake light switch.

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Oldav8tor
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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Oldav8tor » Thu Apr 22, 2021 2:42 pm

Huh.... good to know. I'll keep an eye on it. This is the setup with my disc brakes. The pressure switch is on the Tee after the master cylinder.
brake.jpeg
1917 Touring
1946 Aeronca Champ
1952 Willys M38a1 Jeep (sold 2023)
1953 Ford Jubilee Tractor

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Jugster
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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Jugster » Thu Apr 22, 2021 3:52 pm

00 2nd Mon Safety with Subtlety 7 easy things flat.jpg

Bill Clough, the gentleman from whom I bought my Model T, did all the heavy lifting and I did the embarrassingly easy stuff like wiring up the turn-signals and bolting on a running-board tool box. Here's some more of the easy-peasie stuff:

My car came with an original Ford roller-timer which needs to be cleaned on schedule, otherwise the engine starts to skip fire when idling. This works out to a frequency of every three gas tank fill-ups. Of course, the Model T is a tinkerer's dream-car and cleaning the timer is one of those pleasant, therapeutic tasks that settles down frazzled nerves and calms the mind. The only problem I had with it was bending and unbending the little cotter-pin on the tip of the timer's actuating rod. Repeatedly trying to fold the tiny cotter-pin in the dark, with a pair of long-nose pliers, where there was room for only one hand, became a little tedious after a while.


01 Timer Lighter N flat.jpg

The great big modification I made in response to that was to replace the cotter-pin with a hitch-pin clip. It slips on easily, holds nicely, and is easily removed when it comes time to clean the timer. Did I mention that Bill did the heavy lifting?

Apparently, Henry Ford was not a big proponent of rear-view mirrors, but of course, a traffic-jamming daily driver needs them. The round, brass side-view mirror with the stamped sheet-metal mounting arm—the one with which we're all familiar—is an absolutely worthless piece of junk that won't stay put and vibrates badly enough to blur the image into uselessness. I took that abomination off the car and replaced it with a pair (I like symmetry) of weighted, round mirrors—which, unfortunately, only came in black. They worked out okay and, as advertised, didn't vibrate, but just did not look right on a brass car. I wound up giving them away to someone who owned a black-steel Model T.


02 Mirror Strip flat d.jpg

Okay, so I needed brass. At the time, two extremely high-quality brass side-view mirrors were available: one rectangular and the other, oval-shaped. I figured the rectangular mirror would look good on an angular car with lots of square corners— one with cube-shaped cowl lamps, a flat, wooden dashboard and a stepped, wooden body. My '15 Touring isn't like that. It has a smooth, swoopy cowl, rounded cowl lamps and a few other voluptuous curves, so in keeping with that look, I decided on the oval shape and bought two such mirrors. At $140 each, they weren't exactly cheap, but at least I saved the shipping cost by buying them from a vendor at Hershey. Besides looking fabulous, they stay put and don't vibrate. I also bought a small brass interior mirror with beveled edges for the top of the windshield. It vibrates a lot, but redeems itself with a very nice antique appearance.

03 Mirror b flat cropped.jpg

Not all the mods on my Model T were about safety and performance. As it happened, when I purchased the car, it had non-standard inner-tubes up front. These had rubber air-valve stems which, of course, looked very wrong. Rather than go to the considerable physical hassle of installing correct, metal-stem inner-tubes, I bought a couple of replica brass dust-covers to hide the rubber stems.

04 Valve in Wheel combo flat.jpg

When it eventually came time to mount new tires, it seemed silly to discard tried-and-true inner-tubes which had never leaked, so I kept them and the replica dust covers.

Tomorrow: Cockpit, plugs and filter. Stay tuned!

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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Jugster » Fri Apr 23, 2021 9:55 am

00 2nd tue Safety with Subtlety 8 cockpit, plugs, filter flat.jpg


Motometer combo.jpg

My Model T has three gauges, none of which were original equipment. Bill Clough installed the ammeter when he put in the electrical system and I added a winged motometer. Ford had problems supplying speedometers in 1915, so my car came off the line without one.

03 Dashboard Instruments w caption b.jpg

Eventually, I picked up a GPS speedometer, mostly because it would be so easy to install, and cobbled together a steering column mount for it. The antenna for the unit sits, more or less unobtrusively, between the hood and the left front fender. The unit is not particularly reliable and I regret not getting a mechanical unit.

After my fourth spine surgery, leaning forward to operate the up-shift lever became difficult. The solution to that problem came in the form of a very vintage-looking handle-extension with a nice ball-grip.


06 Lever w pedals green b.jpg

Installation was straightforward and it works great. Unfortunately, it has to be unbolted and removed when it comes time to lift out the front floorboard to lube the chassis. Small price to pay for the good it does.

My Model T came with Motorcraft F11 spark-plugs. They worked very well, but original equipment was the famous Champion-X plug with the conspicuous, knurled-brass thumb-nuts on top. So I bought a set of Champions, gapped and installed them. On those, the engine ran okay, but was a little less smooth and had lost a little power. I don't know why the Champion-X plugs weren't an improvement or at least equal to the Motorcraft plugs; maybe it had something to do with the retrofitted high-compression head. In any case, the degradation of smoothness and power wasn't worth the correct appearance of the antique plugs. The Motorcraft plugs went back in and to disguise them, I bought a set of brass thumb-nuts which were manufactured for this very purpose. Though they wouldn't fool an expert, the plugs now have a nice antique look and the engine runs great. Good enough.


Carb Filter Combo.jpg

Ford's Flivver never did leave the factory with any kind of air-cleaner for the carburetor. I purchased a foam-type air filter, the installation of which was accomplished by the ridiculously simple expedient of popping it onto the carburetor throat. The filter is held in place by the hogs-head. Every Model T should have one.

Tomorrow: Safety-wire, etc. Stay tuned!

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Jugster
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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Jugster » Sat Apr 24, 2021 2:20 pm

00 2nd Wed Safety with Subtlety 9 safety wire flat.jpg

Back in the days when I flew airplanes, I learned about how safety-wire was good for holding such things together as the FAA and I would rather not have vibrate loose and come apart. And so, it wasn't long after buying my Tin Lizzie that the carburetor bowl and drain were safety-wired.

Then, after owning the car a few years and unbolting the ignition timer every two-hundred miles to clean it, the thought occurred to me that repeatedly tightening down on the timer's retaining bolt might not be too good for the century-old threads. So I drilled the head of the bolt for safety-wire and now, don't have to tighten it down quite so hard.


Safety wire complete combo flat.jpg

Same deal with the motor-oil drain-plug (which I replaced with a magnetic type). Drilling the oil-plug required considerable care so as not to cause a leak.

02 safety wire pliers w caption d (1).jpg

Keeping the safety-wire looking neat requires a pair of special safety-wire pliers. Harbor Freight has them for $13.

04 Surgical Tubing E smaller.jpg

The decorative cotter-pins that secure the car's top irons have sharp edges which can snag and tear the clothing of car-show spectators. A few short pieces of soft latex surgical tubing, available from hobby shops and online, keeps such a mortifying event from occurring.

Tomorrow: Spectators and Funny Hats—and the conclusion. Stay tuned!


Erik Johnson
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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Erik Johnson » Sat Apr 24, 2021 2:34 pm

RE: top bow keys

Suggest you do the following:

Purchase the correct pins for your top bows. The factory pins are substantially shorter than the cotter key shown in in your picture. Contact RV Anderson for the correct pins. Otherwise, cut what you have as it is unnecessarily too long. (Also, the factory pins have a "T-head," not round head as shown in your photo.)

Shorten the leather straps that holds the keys. They only need to be long enough to reach. You don't need all that excess leather and subsequently sagging straps.

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Jugster
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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Jugster » Sat Apr 24, 2021 5:54 pm

Thanks, Eric. Will do.

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Jugster
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Re: Safety with Subtlety

Post by Jugster » Sun Apr 25, 2021 1:57 pm

00 2nd thur Safety with Subtlety 10 Spectators flat.jpg

Well, this is the last installment of Safety with Subtlety and now is the part when you, the reader, get to decide whether the modifications made to this horseless-carriage were justified, or whether I, as its custodian, did something terrible to a precious historical artifact. Back in the fifties and sixties, when young enthusiast bought a car, he'd "doll it up" with twin swept-back radio antennas on the quarter-panels, sproingy curb-feelers, chrome door-lock buttons, a necker-knob for the steering wheel, stainless-steel eyelids over the top half of the headlights, and maybe an aluminum, bare-foot-shaped gas pedal. Though I went with the practical utility of a running-board toolbox and an accordion rack with a wicker basket, I stayed away from cosmetic stuff like a brass robe-rail and step-plates because this wasn't about "dolling it up;" it was about making the car safer and more functional in the modern traffic environment where it would be operating.

02 Side of Car with Wood wheels combo.jpg

Oh, wait... There was one cosmetic modification. A few years ago, one of my artillery wheels developed some loose spokes so we got it rebuilt by Noah Stutzman's wheel shop, in Baltic, Ohio. When it came back in natural bare wood, the wheel looked so nice, I didn't have the heart to cover it in black paint—which would have been historically correct—but instead, stained it and applied nine coats of varnish. We've been rebuilding and refinishing one wheel per year since then and still have one left to go. Spectators ask questions like "How come only three of your wheels are made of wood?" Yeah, it's a conversation-starter. For the purposes of tour reliability, I suppose we could have replaced the wheels with the de-mountable type, but in ten years, we've only had to deal with one flat tire, so it was a good decision to keep the original wheels, if not their original black finish.

03 Penelope at Oheka Parking w caption.jpg

Well, no question about it; "Penelope," as my family came to know her, became a solid daily-driver—accent on the "daily" part because up until last year's spine surgery (my fourth) and this stupid pandemic (her second) we'd been going out to lunch together just about every day. Speaking of lunch, we also did some nice lunch-runs in caravan with the Long Island Chapter of the Horseless Carriage Club to places like the world famous Oheka Castle.

https://www.oheka.com/

Then, of course, over the last ten years, we've been to lots of car shows and neighborhood cruise-ins. That involves dressing spectators up in costumes, shooting photos of them and then, through the magic of Photoshop, "antiqueing" the pictures and providing them via e-mail to the nice families who then make charitable donations to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

https://www.stjude.org/donate/pm.html?c ... lsrc=aw.ds

And when any of our charitable donators return to the weekly cruise-in, they're offered a ride in a century-old horseless carriage. On one memorable occasion, a very elderly couple showed up, did a walk-around inspection, and then the gentleman told us, "Back when me and Martha, here, were courting, I'd take her out in a Model T Ford just like this one." Well, of course, I had to give that nice couple a ride—and by the time we left the parking lot, those two were smooching it up in the back seat like a couple of high-school kids. Can't begin to tell you how that warmed my heart.

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/59 ... 1474407429

We also take the Tin Lizzie to private parties and public events (no political organizations, please—we don't do that), some middle school appearances, and my personal favorite, the annual bash on the last day of summer-vacation Bible school at Grace Church. It's a great occasion for an antique car owner to get stuffed full of free hot-dogs and hamburgers—aside from the more significant nourishment regularly available at that institution (Pastor Rich was my inerrant navigator and the undisputed king of Long Island back-roads until he recently "retired" to Florida).

06 Grace Church kids b.jpg

When car-show spectators ask me, "Is that car original?", I respond by saying, "Well, it's still got the same engine it had when it was built a hundred years ago, if that's what you mean." That's usually what they mean. To your average car-show attendee, nothing on the car seems out of place. Oh, the nit-pickers can critique to their hearts' content—and some do (Funny thing is, most of those opinionated speechmakers don't own an antique car). We've tried to keep the changes subtle and I hope we succeeded in that endeavor. And I assure you, when I hit the horn, it does not play "La Cucaracha."

05 at the Old Dock H w caption.jpg

Walk-around video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSO_oj_FRj0&t=36s

And that's about it. I hope you enjoyed the presentation.

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