MTFCA Forum

How many of you have built a Model T from parts? I mean every single part, including nuts and bolts? That includes building a complete engine and transmission, rear end and everything! How many know the difference between an original Ford bolt and nut and the Home Depot variety. The new replacement bolts that Lang's sells are an exception.

Both built from scratch.

Ah...the Bitsa! Long live recycling!!
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/70 ... 1512690810

Built this including the hand formed steel body near 30 years ago now, I guess - I'll attempt to fine a photo of my wife's '15 Fire Chief's rig - a works still in progress ! I "farmed out" the paint & leather.

Merry Christmas !

Built my first T, a 25 touring from scratch nearly 50 years ago. Learned a lot in the process.I don't still have it, I sold it in1975 to help with the purchase and restoration my 1912 Cadillac which I do still own. I am now building a 1910 T touring which is probably kinda foolish at my age but maybe I'll live long enough to finish it

every little bit’sa

There are more 1915 Fords today than there were in 1915.

My runabout is one of those ersatz 1915's referred to in the old gag, but I wasn't the one who assembled it. I believe that was done about 45 years ago. The chap who did it used mostly correct parts, with a few glaring exceptions (frame, rear spring, drive shaft tube, steering column, dash shield). I'll keep the frame, but I've corrected all those other things except the steering column I still have to do. I didn't find any Phillips screws or other blatantly wrong fasteners. Where I've had to use modern bolts I grind and buff away the modern markings, strip off the cad plating, and paint. At the Model T Haven sale last month I acquired two boxes of hardware I hope will contain enough Model T bolts to replace the modern ones on my cars.

Sometimes it’s easier to list the parts that were NOT hand made or modified...

1922 parts and papers.
Body was toooooo bad and dicided to make one.

Andre
Belgium

Collected period speed parts and original parts for 10 years for my 13 speedster.
Took the frame apart and put in new hot rivets. Don't think they were Ford rivets but they were old.
Poured my main, rod and cam bearings and bored them.
Did my body, front and rear end including machining the lowering brackets after having them cast in manganese bronze.
I didn't tan the leather but had the upholstery done by a professional. The only work done by someone else.
Paint and body work was done here in my garage.
I believe I can say that I built this one from scratch.
Harry

There are more pictures. You get the idea. I bought this car on Easter Sunday, but it took about 10 years to resurrect. I was retired when I bought it and it would have been a retirement project, but about a week later the phone rang and I worked another 15 years.
Norm

Having the original nuts/bolts is great, but tell you what, if I do not, sure will not sweat it if they come from ACE or out of my bolt collection. With screws, I try to stay with slotted, but does not happen all the time.

I have been collecting old bolts and nuts since about 1953 so have many from either Model A'a or Model T's. If I don't find one I can use, I do ACE or other hardware store. I use slotted head screws and bolts where they are appropriate. Possibly a Phillips in a place where it does not show.
Norm

Wife wanted a speedster so the parts I had been collecting for 20+ years became one.

Having built several vehicles from scratch let me give you one word of advice when registering it. NEVER TELL THEM IT WAS BUILT FROM PARTS.

TOO MANY!!!!!

Kind of a drift, but I always keep the original nuts and bolts that have come with piles I’ve purchased over the years. The hardware from the suppliers has drastically improved over the last several years. I wish more young people were doing it. ( assembling vehicles) I give as much big stuff away as I can, and have offered in the past complete piles to younger people with no takers. Assembling cars from parts often lead to finer appreciation of the specie, and later when they have more scratch, they often buy more assembled vehicles. That’s if the bug bites. This was my first, about 1970. Cost me $25 of hard earned paper route money, and I still have it.
I also think people that use Phillips screws on model Ts should be shot. OR, at least hanged! …….uh, maybe just their fingernails pulled out. Robertson’s are appreciated in the right spots, though…….at least by me.

Built from scratch is about the only way I can afford one. The fire truck started as a frame bought at the swapmeet for $35.00
Craig

Built from swap meet parts & mostly all from Lang’s & Snyders. An experience too be sure, would do it again in a minute.
John Monticciolo
Oscoda Michigan

This was all scratch build on a chassis I had scratch built previously as a racer. These chassis parts came out of a pile. The body built from scratch and Rootlieb fenders, running boards and splash aprons. A Brassworks radiator and new top irons and bows. The sheetmetal was mostly all from the same car. Everything else was acquired one piece at a time. Many items are more correct than a lot of pristine restorations. This body was constructed with new wood and sheet metal from 3 bodies plus additional pieces. Having duplicate panels one can choose between rusted out, bent to heck or full of bullet holes. However the chassis had been a complete 1925 Runabout. The Runabout was the only complete Model T I ever was able to buy.

This had been a complete car but restored several times with different bodies and various parts changed out. The chassis was basically from a 1920 touring car. The body was my first homemade one. I build this from parts and sold the body. The chassis was what I built the C-cab at the top of the previous post from. Of course it was patterned much after Kalamity Dicks Raceabout.
Like many others I grew up on model cars in the '60s. Building vehicles from left over parts and discarded models influenced what we could do with real cars later in life. With little cash and a wealth of junk cars in fields, dumps and from farmers glad to get rid of them we made do. Finding complete cars to restore wasn't an option. I did made us resourceful though. I have finally reached an age where there are some great complete cars out there at reasonable prices but I don't have room to put them.
Rich

Back in the 90’s I had acquired a Canadian 13 block, a era correct RHD hogshead, 13-14 rear axle. Converted a mid teens frame to the 13 rear corners. Ordered a Canadian (4 door) touring body. Found a 13 windshield frame at Hershey. Found one of the 13 rear body stiffeners at a local swap meet, so made the mate. Converted a steering column and the parking brake lever to RHD. And on!!
By 2000 had it on the road

Before my dad passed, he wanted a 1914 runabout. He began to collect parts, but never got too far in the process. Fast forward 24 years and I completed the 1914 runabout dad always wanted. The car was built with original 1914 parts and the car is named "Morgan" which was my dad's middle name. The car is a great driver and was finished just in time to attend the Canyonlands IV tour in Kanab, UT where it took a "Gold Award" from the MTFCI judging crew.

Although it doesn't look like it, each half of this body is from two different cars; but both are the same year. I didn't go so far as to not use modern bolts and screws, as the car is supposed to be one that appears to have been maintained throughout it's existence.

The building of this car was documented on this forum in several posts starting back in 2010

I guess I did forget my 1914 touring. After years of gathering parts and letting the good ones go to other restorations I realized some body parts and a frame were to the same '14. Again, not good enough to restore I pieced together a "FAKE" barn find. Again, many pieces are painfully remade and assembled more correctly than some nice restorations. Pride in ownership. http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/82 ... 1524658887

I built this up from a chassis with drive train back in 1978. The back panel with the tool box came off and a folding stage was put in its place for performing traveling medicine shows. I wrecked this in 2001 and rebuilt it as a speedster.

I bought a 1927 roadster in 1978 while working with George Moir Parts and Restoration in Edmonton. I have picked the best pieces of about twenty cars. Literally every part, bolt, nut, and washer is being filed, trued, patched, and fitted. The entire car will be built before anything is painted. This can be seen in my post: "Improved Open Car Surgery And Build" Oct 26 2021. There are 36 photos posted so far, more to come.
Ken Buhler

Personally I like building rather than restoring. When you restore a car you end up with 3 of everything, when you build a car, you get the right amount of just what you need to put the car together and you get the best parts available too.
And of course you can have a little fun with it too....the old girl makes for a pretty snazzy looking reindeer.

Everyone’s favorite Bitsa, Carston’s nuthin’ special. Starting in January we are rebuilding a new engine and transmissiofor her. Also adding Rocky Mountain brakes and iron vase Warford.
and my favorite my dad’s 1919 touring Tin Tillie we drove her on the national in Spokane last summer Carston and I had so much fun with our Bitsas.

A couple of other bitsas you might remember

I think my speedster would qualify as “built from scratch.” My dad and I started building it when I was in 7th grade and finished it my Senior year of high school.

My speedster came to me as an '18 chassis with an unloved plywood pickup body, a brass radiator and repro '14 fenders back in the early '90s. The engine, fenders, running boars, brackets and wood wheels moved to another car and while I used the brass radiator for several years it now lives on another car as well. I kept the frame, rear axle, steering, fuel tank and headlights while the rest of the junk went to a land fill. I found most of the pieces for a 26 engine and transmission that is still in the car. Then came a Chicago aux transmission. I built the body from scratch with a wood structure and plywood skin. After enjoying the car for several years I opted to build an improved body - still a wood structure but a cedar strip skin. Various updates have happened over the years to steering, brakes, suspension and the engine that now has a Fronty head. There is nothing on the car that I haven't touched and massaged, much of it multiple times since it first hit the road in '94. I've had more fun with this car building, maintaining, updating and did I mention driving that any other car I have owned.

I have built a number of cars from parts collections. !916 Depot Hack,1911 Torpedo, 1914 Delivery Van, and the latest one, a 1916 Pickup.
I am very fussy about ensuring I have the correct parts for the designated model years. Books such as the Model T Encyclopaedia and The MTFCI guidelines are a great help for reference. I don't like to see early cars advertised as such, with obviously the wrong year engine and parts attached. Complete original cars a rare find in Australia, so many of our cars are built/restored from piles of parts.

Every nut and bolt - still working on it, but at least it is going

How do I tell the nuts and bolts? With care, comparing to other Ts, with advice from more experienced Ters and by carefully keeping each bit when a part is dismantled.

Not built from parts by me, but by my Uncle LaVar. He restored several Model T's over the years. The last one started with a 25 running gear he put together, then intended to put together a runabout. On mocking up the body he decided midstream he had enough shiny T's and shifted direction mid project. He pieced together a roadster pickup with home-made bed, leaving it rusty. He got much more attention with this one and the kids could climb all over it without worries about scratching it. It became his favorite T, and when he was no longer able to drive the T's, Rusty was passed on to me. The picture is of Rusty when pulled out of the shed to be loaded up for the trip to Washington where it continues to be loved, maintained as is and driven often.

My dad and I built this 1919 as I was growing up..

Just about finished with my tribute "1909" touring. Body by Ray Wells and upholstery and top by Ernie Romero.

Only a few comments that I was expecting to see. I was meaning, how many people actually built a T that is like Ford built it, completely out of parts? That doesn't include speedsters or commercial vehicles that Ford never built. This has a lot of interesting comments though.

I have a 1926 roaster build from pats in 1993 that won First Junior and Senior that next year. Still have it and it’s currently on its third set of tires and second crank shaft.

Correction Parts. Phone is just too hard to see these day.

and to beat it all it works