MTFCA Forum

Anybody out there that has a “correct early 1919 electric start T” with the leather covered wooden instrument panel board in it. It was only available for a short time before the metal instrument panel became standard for starter equipped cars. Would like to see one.

I don't know if this is the original dash or some replacement but it is what I could find. http://classicvehicleslist.com/ford/205 ... -1919.html
I'm assuming imitation leather was only used on the closed cars that year.
Rich

I'd think the interim wooden panels were probably covered with the same "leatherette" that was used to upholster the open cars; Ford had abandoned even vestigial use of genuine leather by 1914. This is mighty interesting, sparking in me dim "rememberies" from 55+ years back of such a panel in the remains of a coupe body somewhere out in the sagebrush south of Blue Dome.

Here is a photo of one I saved from several years ago of a different car.

John,

The three (3) photos attached are of my 1919 Touring with an engine # 3,612,4XX which according to Bruce McCalley was produced on 12/09/1919. I am the 4th owner of this car and it has always been registered as a 1919. The cover material is stapled to the underside of the wood and screwed on each end to metal tabs that are held into position by the windshield rear bracket bolts. I added the cowel lamps after buying the car to add to the look of the vehicle. Please note the "Period Correct" GPS.

Have a great day,
Dom

Thanks for the update for me at least! I have a 1919 Runabout and I asked the question about the early 1919’s a few days ago about this.
Evidently some of the early 1919’s with leatherette covers have survived. I’ll bet over time the 1919’s that got restored used the later steel dash because of their availability. When I restored mine years ago all I had was the body shell and a frame that didn’t come with the body but one I had picked up somewhere. I bought a garage full of all kind of T parts and there were some steel instrument panels that would fit so I used one of them. I kept the car as correct as I could so I guess it’s OK, It’s 95% percent or so correct for a cobbled together car.
At the time I didn’t know about the leatherette covered instrument panels. I do believe though that the fabric, leatherette or whatever was some type of leatherette that was used for covering the wood and not leather. The encyclopedia uses the word leather for the covering but in reality it probably was leatherette.

Dom Denio wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 25, 2021 4:34 pm

John,

The three (3) photos attached are of my 1919 Touring with an engine # 3,612,4XX which according to Bruce McCalley was produced on 12/09/1919. I am the 4th owner of this car and it has always been registered as a 1919. The cover material is stapled to the underside of the wood and screwed on each end to metal tabs that are held into position by the windshield rear bracket bolts. I added the cowel lamps after buying the car to add to the look of the vehicle. Please note the "Period Correct" GPS.

Have a great day,
Dom


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Its interesting that the instrument panel is not centered & has the rectangular mounting plate. Also interesting the separate switch/ammeter
without the plate on pix above. More learned oddities about the 1919 model. Love it.

January 1920 Canadian Touring, Electric start. There were bits of leatherette under the trim.

What I would like real information on is when did Ford start offering starters and generators for 1919 open cars. The public isn't stupid, and there must have been a desire to get starters and generators on open cars when the debut was made. Of course, if you had the early style block and hogshead in your car, the change would be time consuming and expensive. Also, when did Ford start offering a genuine dashboard to bolt on, and was it wood, or metal?