MTFCA Forum

I haven't done much except move it from my shop up to the house garage so I can get it cleaned up and on the road. No spare time lately.

A friend took this picture out of a shop window and sent it to me in black & white. I like it.

I finally washed it up yesterday, and took it in a parade today. Then we went out to lunch and home. I am glad that things are finally opening up and we can get out and do things together again.
Norm

making a hay wagon out of it

Worked on the steering in the afternoon... My third hand is a leftover vise, some tubing, and a 20's Buick flywheel for stability.

Been driving mine....
Delivered a radiator shell to my buddy to haul to Homecoming for me and another fellow.
Found a nice looking wheel in my stash for my left front. The current wheel has a lot of runout, I will put this on and see how true it is. Looks nice but it’s natural. If it runs true, I’ll take it off and paint it and swap the bearings.

Bought another one

I’d post a photo, but can’t figure out how to do it here without the late lamented Photobucket.

I’d post a photo, but can’t figure out how to do it here without the late lamented Photobucket.

Like a lot of other things, it's easy when you know how. Here's how I do it.

Click Attachments below the composition box.
Click Add files.
Browse to the photo on your computer that you want to post and click on it.
Click Open.
The filename will appear below the composition box. Almost always there is a green check mark under Status. That means you can click Place inline and your image filename will appear in the composition box. The picture will appear in Preview and in your final post. You can include up to five photos in a single post.
Very rarely the status shows a yellow triangle. In that case I click Delete file, slightly shrink a copy of the file on my computer, and try again. So far that has always worked for me.

Got it!

THANKS!

I had to do some business at the Post Office and the bank. I took Lizzie [1926 touring] to go the five miles to town, and she didn't want to start. After coaching her she finally started. I found out why she didn't want to go, the clouds came up and started to drizzle, but she ran real good all the way. The first drive for this year.

I'm not a skilled machinist. Heck, I'm not even an unskilled machinist. But I did turn some 3/8" round stock down to 7/32" for a pair of windshield frame rivets. I'm replacing one of the frame uprights that rusted through and broke.

So far this month I gave a friend his first ride in a Model T when we went to breakfast Saturday morning, and I finished rebuilding four Ford built coils as spares. Nice cores can be found in decent shape on ebay if you are patient. One I got for just over $4. All were untested, so I won't bid too high as it is a gamble. Fortunately all four were in serviceable condition, so new capacitors and points were installed and each was tuned with my EECT from Mike Kosser.

We are fortunate that there are several competent coil rebuilders that service the hobby with very reasonable prices for rebuilding cores. However, it is a rewarding experience taking 100 year old coils that haven't been functioning in who knows how long and restore them to working condition. In addition to getting an ECCT a year ago, another great investment was a $12 hot pad and $6 sauce pan from Walmart so that I can remelt the tar in the garage instead of the kitchen. For some reason my wife doesn't appreciate the smell of melting tar in the house...

I got the front axle back in the runabout after a complete rebuild. Everything is smooth and tight with all new bushings and bolts. The first drive yesterday was awesome. Steering was precise. However, the crown I my driveway still caused a shimmy. Caster is OK but a have not measured camber.

I installed a second tail light with double contact sockets. Now I have two brake lights and turn signals. I just need to get used to turning off turn signals after turning.

I installed one of Scott Conger's float valves and it really made a difference taking the long hills near my home. The first time I opened the main gas valve after installing it, I didn't hear the normal tinkle sound of gas dribbling in the carb bowl. I thought I had an obstruction. I think it was just a heavier flow that was silent. By the way, I love using the right tool for a job. Scott's valve replacement tool is a pleasure to use and perfect for it's task.

I refurbed kerosene lights and coil box.

Fitted a tubular frame and canvas tilt. Both were purchased on Ebay 2 weeks ago. The tilt fits like a glove and really improves the "kerb appeal", but, maybe I'm a little bit biased!

Rebuilt the front end on the 14 Runabout. Also cleaned up and resealed the hogshead. While I was at it, I recharged the magnets in the car. Starts and runs perfectly on mag now for the first time since I've owned it! One happy T owner!

catfishunter99 wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 13, 2021 5:17 pm

Rebuilt the front end on the 14 Runabout. Also cleaned up and resealed the hogshead. While I was at it, I recharged the magnets in the car. Starts and runs perfectly on mag now for the first time since I've owned it! One happy T owner!

Nice looking car.

Went on 5 day VMCCA Nickel tour in Troy Ohio.

Replaced the bad delaminated wood in an early coil box for the current project T. Got this 1914 or so box and lid at Luray, the switch was in fine shape. The box and lid has the patina needed for my project T.

So, replaced the old laminated wood with a new oak kit.

New wood ready to install, used new brass terminal screws and new contacts, soldered them from best conductivity.
All that was needed to finish was threading in new wires to the coil box bottom strip, and the mag and bat posts.
Paper insulator is under the box, it goes behind the switch to prevent grounding, the switch is the early plastic or bakelite material.

Started picking the tack rails! I may end up replacing them but we shall see.

Brad

Brad, you wont have to worry about any pigeons landing on your car.

Now I’ve seen it all...

Luckily all I "have" to do is drive em and enjoy em. Here's "our Vagabond gang" ready to roll out on another of our picnic tours. Today we started at Art's and headed to a nice park right on the south shore of Lake Erie.. Fantastic day, nice tour, home by 3 pm. Just right. Champ, Jim Riedy's Golden, is our club mascot. He's patiently waiting for us to get going in front of my '13 touring

I backed mine out of the garage yesterday so it didn’t get crap all over it while I machined a couple brake rotors.

Went on tour!

Broke down!

I lost high when doing my spring shakedown run.... Long story, but had a failed Watts clutch disk set. They may have been compromised after a failed transmission rebuild 'I' did, last year.

Anyways, I pulled the engine/trans, built a crate, and drove it 350 miles to Joe Bell to see what was up. He found the inside 3 Watts clutch plates had their outside surface sheared off to the bottom of the notches. He replace with Ford steel ones, and rinsed everything down and blew out with air and buttoned back up, and off I went on the 350 mile return trip. .... All in one day.

The engine is back in, awaiting a new head gasket.

Dennis....ya can't beat Joe Bell's help and well, just everything! As a former employee of mine used to say "words can't explain it"!
I had a similar "one day experience" there with Joe too, when the rivets in my Fordor's trans. shaft let go. He had me do some of the work for experience learning, and off I went home the same day. Just not nearly as long of a drive each way. I didn't have the zero on the end of my distance miles!.

Tim.... That's for sure... He was always been very helpful with helping me diagnose ... And repair stuff on my own as well. Great guy and a wonderful asset to theodel T community!

I have to say, Randall Anderson (re: Watts Clutch source) was very helpful on the diagnosis path of this issue, as well.!!

I've taken a little detour on my runabout. I noticed that the timer control arm was pretty loose and floppy, so I'm taking time to fix that. The holes in the arm were wallowed out, and the hole in the rod was even worse, and the "pin" was a cut-off nail.

So I went to the parts stash and found a steering column with a better arm. I filled one side of the hole in the rod, turned it over and drilled it to 5/64", filled the second side, and drilled back through it to 5/64". I painted the "new" arm, and it will bake overnight. Tomorrow I'll put on the new arm, enlarge the hole to 3/32", and put in a new 3/32"pin.

Got the rear running/brake Logo lights wired up, will get the turns signals next.The LED headlight are super nice.

It will be nice not having to use hand signals...I don't think many people even know what the heck they are anymore.

I am almost afraid to use hand signals.
It might incite road rage in one of the barbarians

Reinstalled brake and rear wheel, did a tets ride.
Brake works, wheel still knocking and now on hills the T lacks power as a new trouble - seems it decided to become a troublemaker, the second year with more repair attempts then driving.
I am not amused !
As temperatures are tropic already early in the morning here in Germany the planned tours with the T during my vacation weeks are not happening anyway.

After driving it for a month, I was unhappy with a high speed "stumble".
Much poking and prodding was done to both the spark and carb side, but
all checked good. Turned out to be a manifold ring not fully seating and
causing a leak. Pulled the manifold, ground out the seats, reset new rings
and glands, but have been too busy in the shop to go give it a test run this
week.

The touring had a leaking rear seal on the drivers side so I pulled everything apart on both sides and installed new inner seals, wheel bearings, packed everything with grease and new outer seals. While I had it apart I also put new brake bands and brake linings on. Noticed the muffler needed attention so I fixed that too. Just as I was letting it down off the jack stands to give it a test run we got a major downpour so now I may as well pull the plugs and clean them and grease the front end. Maybe just maybe I'll get a chance to get it out on the road this summer!
This photo is 2 years old as I drove it down to visit my friend Alex while he was at his camp.

I bought a 25 Touring last July that had sat unused for the last 30 years. The cotton band linings and cork gaskets the last guy used decided they’d had enough. I spent most of the day on Saturday installing a new set of Kevlar lining and news gaskets. Having already done a set in my previous car, this go around went much smoother than the last time. FYI Lang’s recently got a shipment of them in and they look pretty good.

I'll get this thread back to the top by just bragging about only "needing" to drive it. Wife and I went to the next town South of here for lunch with 5 of my former employee "Queens". Had a great time since we couldn't do it last year. And a great ride in Isabel, the Torpedo. Man she loves to do 34 mph!!

I got the rebuilt engine setting back down in the 26 Coupe.

After 7 years and 10,000 miles, I decided to take a look at the Edison 14 spark plugs in my 1924. The electrodes looked great, a nice light grey color. The gaps had opened up from the original 0.030 to over 0.040, so I re-gapped and re-installed them. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures!

My 1924 came to me missing its magneto and running a Truefire ignition, so your results may vary.

Re-bushed, aligned reamed, then face reamed the spindle bushings. Fitting to axle that was ‘Dan Hatch’ ‘ed with Stevens inserts.

Nice insert to replace the yoke thread, and the cone insert fixes wobbled out upper yoke hole in worn out axles, great repair.

As you wrench tight the spindle bolt, the tapered cone self centers the bolt in the aligned reamed bushings.

Smooth turning spindle body now, no slop, or wiggle.

I noticed the tubing was broken where it goes to the horn. I thought it would be a good time to replace the 1915 bracket with a 1914 one. The tubing was slid inside and soldered to the 1915 bracket, when I tried to slide it into the 1914 bracket the O.D.s were the same.
Maybe this bracket which I bought off eBay looks like the 1914 bracket but fits some other car but I made a little stepped brass adapter, soldered it together and it sounds fine and looks ok.

New attempt yesterday to get the T run properly and it was an easy fix fortunately !
As all cylinders showed a good spark the next step to find out about the problem of not having enough power when going uphill was fuel supply.
Just let some fuel running out of the bowl and the carburetor and the test drive showed regular performance again.
Must have been some dirt in the carb or too much condensing water in the bowl.

Started the rebuild in the first week of June and get it running this morning. Real test run will be done tomorrow morning.

Andre
Belgium

Got to change a low band in the motel parking lot in Great Falls, MT. Luckily I had a lot of know how and help so it went pretty quick.