MTFCA Forum

Hi All,

I have a 22/23 centre door body in storage and just wondering should it run a high or low radiator/firewall ?

I found a good bonnet/hood but its a low one.

Cheers

Andrew

Andrew

you have not provided any information as to how to answer your question.

Measure across the width of the firewall/front of the body, report that number, and you will get your answer

Scott,...Aren’t all center doors low radiator ? You’re smarter than me but a much different ‘Tudor’ came out in 1924 model year and I thought that began the high radiator, 5 ‘ribbed’ firewall et al.

A '22 would be a low radiator car.

Thank you all I was pretty sure it was a low radiator but as the body is in storage I could not check it at present
Thank you

George, you are absolutely right!

color me red...

Darn, Andrew! I need a low hood. I was hoping you'd get a different answer.

Allan from down under.

The center-door sedan body style had been used by several significant auto makers before Ford introduced his for 1915. It was a carryover from the carriage days, relatively strong with its significant structure front and rear, but not quite so practical for the automotive age. Most other manufacturers dropped the style before 1919, and Ford's continuation beyond that made them seem archaic. The new four-door sedans came about for 1922, and the remaining production of center-door sedans became difficult to sell. The 1923 center-door sedans were mostly leftovers from 1922, so continued with the low hood and radiator (which the 'real' 1923 Ts still had anyway.

A few years back, I did read a small piece about a high radiator early style coupe. It was a Canadian built car, and had a custom built cowl however apparently from new, or at least nearly so. At the time, the car appeared to be unique, and probably the only one ever built. So the likelihood of another is slim. Since your Australian center-door is likely from Canada, it could be remotely possible for it to be another high cowl variation, still very unlikely. The speculation at the time was that the coupe body was left over unused at the Canadian factory in 1924, and altered to use the stock hood and radiator on hand.

I thought Fordoors came out in 1923. I have a low radiator 23.

See the attachment

https://mtfca.com/encyclo/1923.htm

According to the encyclopedia they did come out in 1923. Whenever dating Model T’s comes up it not always clear cut how to date them. Especially when in the crossover and transition years.
When I think of which year is which it’s always good to go to the encyclopedia for reference about the details. It’s kind of like the idea that all Model T’s were black but that’s not so!