MTFCA Forum

I have a 1927 T coupe. I have 1 sill plate. The plate is 9.75 long and 1.5 wide. I'm either looking for another to match or a pair of to replace them both.

The original sill plates on my 1926 coupe do not look like that. They are square, 3 sided aluminum pieces as long as the door is wide that slide down over and conform to the door thresholds. Jim Patrick

As Jim points out there are at least a couple different sill plates for the coupe. I have the same 9.75 x 1.5 oval plates on my mid year 1926 canadian coupe. Took me some time to find some nice ones to replace my beat up sill plates, but they do turn up. Keep looking as there are no reproductions.

Jeff
Your comment is interesting to me. I have a early 26 Canadian coupe with the long sill plates. This car has the post mounted head lights and has never been restored

A sill plate is a relatively unimportant piece on a car, so that it is confusing to me, as to why Ford would offer a choice between two types. With the cost of manufacturing, retaining inventory, installation labor and storage space on the assembly line, it seems unlikely that there would be two types of sill plates randomly installed on the 1926 Model T on the assembly line. When I purchased my T in 1970, it was unrestored, with all the original parts, so I know that the long aluminum sill plate was original to the 1926 T. The question is, why are the two types of sill plates found on the 1926 T. While the smaller original oval sill plates are hard to find, the long original ones are virtually impossible to find, so, I would guess that, over the years, a prior owner may have installed the smaller oval sill plates when they were unable to find the original, correct long ones. It is also possible that, in an effort to get rid of left over inventory of earlier oval sill plates, Ford decreed that they be gradually depleted by installing them on random cars passing down the assembly line. Jim Patrick

If we want to guess, then perhaps the shorter sill plate started on coupes and the longer sill plates started on toudors, then production simplified by using the long sill plate on both coupe and toudor. Any toudor owners want to check your sill plates and give us the size for comparison?

The short sill plates are not aluminum, some kind of grey metal that never really polishes up like nickel or stainless or aluminum, it is ugly dull grey all the way through.

The ugly grey metal is zinc, same stuff mason jar lids were made of. My coupe, 13,60x,xxx build date may 1926, has the long type Jim P mentions. These cover the outside, top and inner surfaces of the sill. These are secured with tabs which go thru the body, and break off when you try to remove the plate. The 'short' versions require far less material, and probably were a lot quicker to assemble.

I am curious, would those with the different types of sill plates mind giving the approximate date of manufacture or serial number? thanks, jb

Since at least some of the Model A sill plates are 8" oval, I would guess the long (20 inch) ones were produced first and discontinued.

I’m not sure when the changeover occurred, but I have seen a number of improved car coupe and tudor bodies that had provisions for both style sill plates.

My 1926 coupe, equipped with the long type, 3 sided sill, was manufactured in March, 1926. My 1926 Fordor, manufactured in February, has a 2 sided L shaped sill that is as long as the door is wide. The Fordor sill does not extend down the outside of the threshold like the coupe, but only covers the inside and the top of the threshold. Jim Patrick

I just went to examine the old sub-frame and found witness marks of 8-1/4" on-center holes, indicating a short sill plate on each side. (coupe 10-26-1926 date)

My canadian coupe manufactured July 1926, has the short sill.

My '27 Tudor had the plates described by Jab35. Don't know if they were correct but they fit well. Covered the top & both sides. Almost from front to rear of the sill. They were still in the parts books at that time. About 14 or so years back.