MTFCA Forum

I didn't see one of these for April yet, so I'll start.

I installed a set of new rims, tires, and tubes on Betsy, my 1924 cut-off Touring (now a pickup). The new tubes have the rubber stems cut off and Schrader 777 hardware installed. I also installed flaps (gasp!).

Performed the factory recommended 105 year maintenance. Received a present with the oil change. (And no, I won’t mention what oil I’m using )

Looks to be a nut locking tab. About 3/16 wide and 1/16 thick. Broke off from the long end. Hopefully nothing serious……

Getting my 1912 MIL roadster ready for paint. Equipped with a dummy firewall and "rollers" for wheels. Hoping to br ready for a top come May. Best running T I've owned.

Very unique carb you have there. Care to explain?

Replacing the transmission drums before driving season for my 1925 Touring. Always good to have a spare Model T for when the project takes longer than expected.

New Firestones and white NON-SKIDs! You guys are rolling in style.

I started the new month finishing up the control panel for the new accessory lights in my 1915 runabout.
I had this setup sort of finished in February, but I recently decided to add a tail light indicator (bottom right) so maybe I'll remember not to leave them on and run down the battery, and a brake light indicator (bottom left) to let me know the switch is working. In this photo the tail lights are on and the emergency flasher is flashing, but I'm not stepping on the brake pedal.

Two outlets for a phone charger and a navigation device, a terminal board, four switches, a flasher, and all the wiring make for a pretty tightly packed panel.

David, the carb on the 12 MIL roadster is a 1911 Holley. Pretty rare bird. Found it on eBay years ago. The 1910 Holley is very similar. Here is an additional photo.

Finally got a dry warmish day to spray clear coat on the T. This will NOT be a restored shiny beautifully finished T. It was covered in rust, loaded with dings, cracks and rust-out areas. I simply don't have the time or finances to do a beautiful "restoration". I power washed a lot of the rust; then applied a rust reformer all over; then yesterday sprayed clear coat. What I will have is a T to drive and have fun with.
John
[image][/image]

Good for you John. Too many times they are torn completely apart , never to see the road again. You will be havin fun in no time.

Glad to see your doing you T up to like it pretty much was. I’ve always thought that Model T’s can be restored to the point of looking like they are molded black plastic. And yes if that’s what you want to do that’s fine. But doing that to a good and solid survivor T just doesn’t seem right. But that’s my opinion.

Body work takes forever! I could and did on a 42 GPW, but it took its toll. To have someone do all the work and have it professionally painted would bring me a beautiful car. I simply cannot afford it. My age is another factor. And having another tourer T to work on is another. But I'm in heaven with these pieces of history. Thanks.
John

It looks presentable. I'd want to stabilize or repair cracks and remedy things like loose body mounts, door adjustments, etc.

Separated cabfrom chassis

Absolutely nothing. The T is on the left and the Model A is on the right.


Everything ended very abruptly late last year when my wife fell and broke her hip and the T was put up for Winter, with an unfinished repair (unceremoniously shoved into a corner). If all goes well, it will be out from under cover and last years job will be finished by the end of the month. After that I can work on the list of things that has been growing over this Winter. Just a couple things from the list; A freshly rebuilt (Potter) Holley NH straight through, a fresh Ben Martin rebuilt cast handle switch and although not much to installing, a new Top Boot for the car. The thing that I am looking forward to the most, is getting rid of the wrong welting on the interior kick panels and installing the correct welting and woven door check strap (this is the only photo I could find that shows the current welting). The original interior was "covered-over" sometime in the '30s and is still under the current seat material with a sewn-in tag of the shop that did the work. The kick panels are in very good shape but they just have the fold-over, stitched on fabric welt that has to go.



Once I get the T back in order I am also hoping to get the Dodge Brothers back on the road this year. The Dodge Brothers is a 1929, this is me in the DA and the Buick up on the grass belongs to my eldest son. A 1931 Buick 8-87, original and unrestored, less than 12,000 original miles on it and a former AACA champion. He has always liked the bigger cars, has a thing for Packards, 700 and 800 Series, but he also has much deeper pockets than I ever did.

I've driven it! With e Easter coming up, the chocolate company has me out and about jogging people's memories. Each day is about 65 miles of mainly city driving. I used to enjoy it, but three days in a row gets to be a bit much. Allan from down under.

That's a beautiful van Allan. I am glad to finally see a photo of it.

YOU GET PAID TO DRIVE A T?!?!? Tough gig.

Still trying to finalize drawings for my Center Door. No one around me has ash, so I'm going to have to order it.

Since I just bought my '26 Runabout at the end of March.....this month I registered / insured it, fixed the battery cables so it would start, and drove it nearly 2 miles! My first 'T' and many, many questions......

Will_Vanderburg wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 06, 2022 9:54 am

Still trying to finalize drawings for my Center Door. No one around me has ash, so I'm going to have to order it.

Try Baird Brothers over in Ohio. They have ash. I got a load of oak last fall. Quality wood.

Hello Scott,

Welcome and congratulations on your achievement. I love hearing great success stories, and yours is one of them.

Thank You for joining us.

Terry

Rear end is back together on my TT Clarabelle. Also installed Rocky Mtn Brakes while the rear end was out. Just need the new axle sleeves currently being drilled and :dimpled”at my local machine shop. Then I can finally get her back together before the car show season really starts. Also got the wheels painted the proper American Railway Express red as well as dealing with an irritating dent in the hood..

PDGx wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 06, 2022 1:24 pm

Will_Vanderburg wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 06, 2022 9:54 am

Still trying to finalize drawings for my Center Door. No one around me has ash, so I'm going to have to order it.

Try Baird Brothers over in Ohio. They have ash. I got a load of oak last fall. Quality wood.

Their Ash 5/4 and 6/4 lumber must be ordered at a minimum of 50 board feet. I don't need that much I only need 21 to 22 board feet. And it comes in a random width. I need a specific width. There's a place in Arizona that seasonally carries it.

Wible U Pick Hardwoods in south Milford Indiana.
260-351-2441
Give them a call. I buy most of my trim from them for my business. All the lumber for my TT rebuild came from there. I used 2 inch x 8inch Ash for runners for the bed. They do custom sizes like that.

mtntee20 wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 06, 2022 3:21 pm

Hello Scott,

Welcome and congratulations on your achievement. I love hearing great success stories, and yours is one of them.

Thank You for joining us.

Terry

Thanks!

l had it shipped to my Florida home! Yippee![/size]

Very nice! Now for a drive!

Workin' on getting up the courage to mount the 4 tires I bought 18 months years ago.

John, let them warm up in the sun while you are waiting.

This project is nearing the finish line for me. If you haven't taken a moment to watch an episode, I encourage you to enjoy one of the 9 videos I created during the process of bringing this car back to running condition.
Thanks to everyone who has taken a moment to follow the progress! https://youtu.be/64XMfDjt4RQ

What have I done in April.... got the sun visor on and completed the project.
Booked in for registration roadworthy certificate in two days , then drive the wheels off it !!!!!

I bought this Aermore exhaust whistle at a swap meet yesterday. I hooked it up to my compressor to test it and suspect the neighbors a mile away heard it. My next test will be to remove the cutout from my Runabout and try it in the exhaust pipe.
Update... A friend of mine lives two miles from me as the crow flies. His kids heard my whistle test! Now I can't wait to install it.

I restored a rusty straight through carb I’ve had for a few years. Using a torch to remove the needle seat and float valves, multiple sessions with a wire wheel and my Dremel for tight spots, with multiple day soaks in a bucket of EvapoRust. Then drilling out the brass plugs, running a steel wire through the passages, then cleaning with acetone and finally painting with DupliColor engine paint. I found the parts I needed at Langs and Snyder’s.
Before I went for a test drive I needed to get some nonethonal gas. $75 for 13 gallons was a shock.
It ran rough so I checked my fuel bulb filter and had to take the valve apart (again) to clean out flakes of liner. So I decided to also swap out my weepy copper line with some steel brake line. I used a tube bender I inherited from my dad and the viton rubber seals which work very well.
It was still running rough which turned out to be because I had tightened the new needle valve nut before seating the needle so too much fuel was getting through. This caused bubbling at my first two spark plugs which is something I had not noticed before. When I got around to reassembly I used tin foil to seal the threads on the first two plugs.
When I pulled the carb to adjust the needle nut and also check the float setting I noticed my exhaust manifold nut was loosen and when tightening it was stripped at the end.
So…
I decided to replace the manifold with a new one I had bought from Chaffins for a 1921 motor I’m assembling.
While I had that off I decided to clean the rusty spark plug sockets and flaking paint off the head so I could give it a fresh paint job using DupliColor engine paint (satin instead of gloss so I could see oil leaks).
While I was doing that I decided to pull the valve cover to fix an oil leak that’s been there since I’ve owned the RPU. Since I was addressing that oil leak I decided to pull the rear axle and address the fourth main leak which was leaking oil into my universal joint and washing out the grease.
So I measured the transmission shaft and ordered a rebabbitted cap from Gene French. My old cap had a 0.005” gap.
While I was waiting for the cap I decided to replace my reverse cotton band with Kevlar. I had changed the brake and low speed linings to Kevlar three years ago. I reviewed old posts regarding sequence of band removals and I still find it easier to go in reverse order. Removing brake, low, then reverse bands. Removing the bands, relining and reinstalling bands was a three day ordeal for me. I also bruised my rib cage from lying across the seat box while working on the tranny.
I cleaned up and painted the bendix cover, and the pedals while I had them off.
The rebabbitted cap was delivered within the week and was a nice fit. I reassembled everything then went on a test drive the next day to make final band adjustments.
During final assembly I noticed my YOM plate was getting bent so I cut a piece of 1/4” plywood to fit my plate and painting it black to use as a backer.
I’ll use the Holley carb on my 1921 motor and reinstall one of my Kingston L4s on the RPU. Eventually I’ll pull this motor and rebuild the hogshead to address the leaks I couldn’t fix during this work session. For now I’ll try to refocus on my other motor and continue driving my pickup around town honking at people.

...satin instead of gloss so I could see oil leaks...

...and it looks better.


I blasted the new stand I made for my MIG welder. While I was at it I blasted the remains of old corn bread out of a pan. What's the Model T connection? I'll use the welder for some Model T repairs of course, and corn bread will give me lots of cowboy energy, like Tom Mix, to spring out of bed in the morning and do my Model T work.

Due to a loose lower crank pulley, I removed the radiator and fan on my '20 roadster. The cotter had broken holding the pulley pin and the pulley was loose. Since I had a leak from the front anyway, I cleaned the block face with diesel fuel followed by brake cleaner and made a "belt and suspenders" seal from a 12458 30mm-50mm-4mm seal. A 'Dremel was used to petal the seal. I glued it in place with Ultra Black. When cured tomorrow, I'll put a strip of old thickness gauge over the crankshaft, replace the pulley, fan, and radiator and hopefully be ready to tour.

Replaced the linkage from the High-Low pedal to the bands. Adjusted the clutch forks inside the hogshead. Took the '27 for it's first drive in close to three months. It ran great.

resurfacing mag fields

I woke up the 26. Its been in the trailer since October. After going over my check list I gave it two priming pulls , turned the key to battery and it would have been a free start but somebody left the choke out after priming pulls. I had to run it to a buddies house to stretch its legs. Still loaded from corn school parade last fall.

Exchanged coolant to less anti-freeze, adjusted low gear, oiled, greased, washed and polished - and off we got for the 2022 season with a first 10 mile tour

Took the 26 to the Early Ford V8 Museum today for their spring swapmeet. My buddy went with me in his 30 A. About 60 mile round trip. Almost 80 degrees today. Finally! Not much T stuff but its about seeing friends and the adventure.

I helped my son take up the rod bearings on my tourer so he can take the grandkids on our annual T club Rally. He started on the back one on a 3 dip pan, figuring on getting the worst one out of the way. He managed that, including a dropped nut, located with a camera on his cell phone. After that, it was a breeze.

Allan from down under.

I took my girls out for a ride. Olivia, my oldest has been begging me to teach her to drive. She just turned 12 so I figured close enough. She's a natural. Here they are on the return trip. For obvious reasons I didn't attempt to photograph her while she learned to drive.

It's been a busy month. Working on my late friend's Delivery truck. Was able to dimension and mount a block of wood for the tail light/license plate bracket. Mounted the bracket. I needed the block to lower the light so the rear door would open all the way.

Moved on to the throttle and spark linkages. I found my late friend was not the T mechanic I thought he was. I had to re-bend both connecting rods so they were not rubbing on anything. A close friend and fellow club member gave me a timing tool. When I checked the timing, I found I was just 1/4" off and easily corrected that. When doing the throttle linkage, I pulled the carb. off to check the float level. It was off a bit so I adjusted it to specs.

When I tried to start the engine, I had the spark FULL advanced, throttle FULL open, carb. adjustment 8 turns open and had to hold the choke shut just to get it to barely run. My first thoughts were directed toward the carb. Not knowing where the carb. came from, I had no clue as to its viability. Upon checking the bowl drain, found no gas coming out. Moved on to the sediment bowl - no gas coming out. Well, that explains why I couldn't get it to run. Pulled the screen. You will NOT believe what I found. There was green mung over most everything but the larger problem was the brown greasy mung completely plugging the screen. Took over 30 minutes to clean everything up. Had to use acetone to get the greasy stuff off. I do not know what that stuff was/is but I do know it doesn't dissolve easily. There is a new fuel tank, new sediment bowl, and a new fuel line to the carb. That stuff must have come out of the fuel tank.

When it was all cleaned and assembled, the old girl started up. After a short episode of asphyxiating exhaust smoke, the engine smoothed out and ran extremely smooth. Things are definitely looking up. The next step is to get her on a trailer and take her to the State Patrol for a VIN inspection. Being as this is a new build, even a Bill of Sale will not be good enough for a title. I'll be sure to get photos when we do this. There's not much to see in the tent garage she's in right now.

Received delivery today of a relatively new-to-me C Cab TT with a Lilleker rebuilt engine and transmission. Before I take it for a drive I need to install the larger TT radiator bottom apron skirt and replace a dripping radiator petcock.

Finished our "1909" Ford touring, Anastasia, in time for our local spring car show. The car was assembled from parts of various years and has a Ray Wells body, Ernie Romero upholstery, and Lilleker rebuilt engine and drive train.

What I did TO it was empty the bed of cab-high firewood, check the oil
and water levels, open the gas line, and fire it up. What I did WITH it was
haul in several ton-and-a-half loads of crushed basalt (and some chicken
supplies).

Mine started right up after sitting all winter.
I did start it a couple months ago on a fair day.
Got it cleaned up a week or so ago, checked tires, oil and coolant and filled up the tank Saturday.
Actually found gas for $3.48 !!
While at the station a guy pulled out in a Challenger and burned the tires flying up the road...guy at the pump beside me says “I’d rather be riding in that” (my T) ! I replied, I bet I get better mileage and get more looks ! Then he said “yeah, he has to act like a jackass to get attention” And I said nobody looks at me when I act like a jackass !!!

Installed a brand new acetylene generator.

Just got two ash boards for my sills to the Center Door. Now to carefully "carve" them into the correct dimensions. LOL

Cracked open two more coils and swapped in modern bits, new point sets,
and tuned them up nicely. Dug out the E-Timer parts to make up a set of
coils for that too.

Finished refurbishing a coil box.
I reused the porcelains and copper contacts. New bolts and wood from Langs. I painted the wood with insulating varnish after reviewing previous posts. I also figured out why the box only had nine porcelains and why the other example I have had ten but two are disconnected by reviewing this old post.
https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/5 ... 1466246279

Beginning the engine swap…just a few more parts to remove before the lift.

‘23 Touring got turn signals front and back. Wired to headlight circuit, running lights in rear also double as blinkers. Very pleased, bought the parts from Lang’s.

Finally applied for my title now that my correct paperwork arrived in the mail. Got to work on tidying everything up. New glands and copper rings on both manifolds. Ended up having to replace the exhaust one due to the typical warp. Found that it had an original ford one on it. Next thing is to tackle the fuel tank.

We have got out our 1925 Touting to wake her up for this year, and I have finally began to learn to drive on it! YAY!!!!! I think I ate a few bugs I was smiling so big. We have also been replacing the original 99 year old wiring on our 23 TT firetruck, in attempt to get it running.

I finally found the time to pull the engine out of the '22 Coupe. It's been sitting for several years as I had to move and spent time converting a pole barn to a workshop. Looks like #4 piston was slapping due to a bent connecting rod. I also am tearing down the magneto to get it working. Coil ring needs replaced. Triple gears and pins look very good and have no slop, clutch plates look good. My goal is to have everything back together and running before July 18 it's 100th birthday.

Finished making a spacer for my 3 hole gas generator and mounted everything to the running board. The problem was the flange of the generator base was too wide to fit inside the running board rails. The spacer raised the generator just enough to clear the rails. The spacing of the generator bolt holes required me to place the generator in a different position. The outlet extends toward the back rather than the side. I like the way it came together.

RGould1910 wrote: ↑

Thu May 05, 2022 3:53 pm

Finished making a spacer for my 3 hole gas generator and mounted everything to the running board. The problem was the flange of the generator base was too wide to fit inside the running board rails. The spacer raised the generator just enough to clear the rails. The spacing of the generator bolt holes required me to place the generator in a different position. The outlet extends toward the back rather than the side. I like the way it came together.

Were all of the generators like that? If not, do you know why you had that problem?

Many if not most generators had 4 bolt holes, 2 of which doubled with the holes for the running board bracket bolts. Mine is a repro purchased from Gilbert Metals in southern Calif

Thank you for the clarification.

FJ

You pee'd on his one foot in that other thread...You aiming for his other foot now, too?

I have been working on the steering for my 22 runabout pickup. I replaced the bushing in the lower bracket, discovered some issues in the gearing that led to me buying a 5-1 conversion, got a new pitman arm and tie rod ball, cleaned up and painted the drag link, got Apco drag link ends, and ordered a steering column brace. I also got the correct Kelsey rims (along with a full set of felloes, clips, and nuts) in preparation for rebuilding the wheels over the winter.

On the 26 speedster project, I got my Rajo BB head back and am working on making a new set of pushrods. I also modified a set of model A steering arms to fit the T spindles in preparation for assembling the front end and installing a modified A steering box. I would love to have an original aftermarket steering box (Ross etc) for it but I have never found one and doubt it could be rebuilt for use. When I am done modifying it, it should not be immediately identifiable as an A box. Still lots to do, but I hope to have a rolling chassis (running?) over the winter. It will be a great day when the body goes on the frame as I will have more room in the shop!

I am about done for the month as I have to go out to work at a mine for a couple of weeks.

I poured the caps for my 1925 that has been off the road for way too long last week. The block was poured, crank ground, cylinders bored, and valve seats were done months ago. I modified Gene's mold so I can pour vertically. Still waiting on the rods. Got the NOS replacement pan radius rod mount but have yet to install, thank you Bob.

To quote Will Smith's character in Men In Black: "Hey old guys", this is the April 2022 thread!

RVA23T wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 14, 2022 4:57 am

To quote Will Smith's character in Men In Black: "Hey old guys", this is the April 2022 thread!

I saw that too, but don't think anyone has started one in the last few months or have missed it.

RVA23T wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 14, 2022 4:57 am

To quote Will Smith's character in Men In Black: "Hey old guys", this is the April 2022 thread!

Harsh…. But fair….

September thread !

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=31538&p=242955&hili ... er#p242955

Thanks Steve! Guess it has been pushed way down or off the first page and was missed.

Reno Speedster wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 14, 2022 11:35 am

RVA23T wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 14, 2022 4:57 am

To quote Will Smith's character in Men In Black: "Hey old guys", this is the April 2022 thread!

Harsh…. But fair….

Not meant so much to be Ageist, more of the visual of them talking to each other and not seeing the big picture!!