Last Model TT serial number/date

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Matt in California
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Last Model TT serial number/date

Post by Matt in California » Wed Jul 06, 2022 1:48 am

A friend mentioned today that Ton Trucks were produced after the last T cars. In researching it seems that there is mentioned that TT did not end until AA started. It seems that AA didn't start until December 1927. That would mean there were TT's with serial a number 15,068,957+...

Anyone have records on the last TT produced?

Thanks,
Matt

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Re: Last Model TT serial number/date

Post by Steve Jelf » Wed Jul 06, 2022 10:59 am

From the Encyclopedia:

A car bearing the engine number of 15,007,033 is reputed to be the last Model T Ford produced. Engine production, for the most part listed as "truck" continued through the year. Ford branches apparently continued assembling cars until stocks of parts were depleted. 69,198 engines were built in 1927 between May and December of 1927 (15,007,034 to 15,076,231).
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Re: Last Model TT serial number/date

Post by KeithG » Wed Jul 06, 2022 2:07 pm

Matt, I've wondered about when the last T's and last TT's were produced also but haven't been able to find anything specific.
I once read that T's were made in England and Europe much later than the well publicized end of T production with #15,007,033 in May, 1927. I also heard that TT's were made longer in the US than T cars, but again, nothing specific or reliable.

I'd be interested to hear from others on this topic also.

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Re: Last Model TT serial number/date

Post by DanTreace » Wed Jul 06, 2022 9:47 pm

While nothing more about the TT final dates for assembly, this earlier post by Hap had some good info:


By Hap Tucker in Sumter SC on Saturday, December 31, 2016 - 10:23 pm:
For John Zibell the article has the correct month and day (Dec 31) but it has the incorrect year. Accoring to page 76 in Robert C. Kreipkes Ford Motor company the first 100 Years he has Dec 31, 1927. And on page 231 of The English Model T Ford by Martin Riley, Bruce Lilleker & Neil Tuckett they have the same date as Robert Kreipke.

Note Robert Kreipke on page 76 same book also commented that Henry Ford and son Edsel drove the 15,000,000 Model T off the assembly line. The photos show Edsel driving and Henry in the front passenger seat.

For John Codman I agree with you that the photo of the left hand drive 1926-27 style Tudor would not have been the way the last T left the Irish assembly line. I assume they used a file photo for the article.

Gary I only know of the final assembly dates for a few locations. And in some cases the date for the last Ford assembled at a plant is listed as several different dates depending on the source of the information. For example, some sources list May 25, 1927 the date the 15,000,000 Model T was driven off the assembly line at the Highland Park Plant as the last day. Others such as Robert Kreipke list May 26, 1927 as the date the Model T assembly plants shut down (ref page 143). Bruce McCalley on page 536 of his book Model T Ford records that A car bearing the engine number of 15,007,032 is reputed to be the last Model T Ford produced [implied at the Highland Park Plant]. From the engine log entry on the same page 536 we know the engine number was listed on the engine log for Jun 1, 1927.

From Dave Henrys posting at: http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/41 ... 1419940213 we know that the last Model T assembled at the Louisville KY assembly plant was a Tudor (motor number 14,987,899 ) on Jul 3 1927.

Im 90% sure I have a date for the last Model T assembled at the Gee Long Plant in Australia but I looked for that data and did not find it. I may be on my older computer as not all of the files made it to the newer computer. Or I may have remembered it wrong.

In general, there was not any overlap at the same factory or branch when both the Model T cars and Model A cars were produced. Of the very few assembly plants I have dates on there was always a gap. Why, because it was a major retooling to switch from the Model T to the Model A production. And also Henry Ford had not made a plan to switch over gracefully. In the USA where he was producing the Model T Fords at the Highland Park Plant and would begin production of the Model A Fords at the newly constructed River Rouge Plant, he probably could have continued Model T car production [he apparently did continue Model T Truck production -- implied by the notes on the Engine Production logs that the 69,198 engines assembled between May and Dec 1927 were usually marked "truck" ref page 536 McCalley] at the Highland Park Plant while the Model A tooling was installed at the River Rouge. At the branch plants, he would not normally have had the extra space.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off
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Re: Last Model TT serial number/date

Post by Matt in California » Fri Jul 08, 2022 3:48 am

Good to hear the responses. There seems to be agreement that truck production continued beyond the car production and accounts for a good number of the 70k engines beyond 15 million.

Maybe I should ask another way. What is the highest known production stamped frame? (This avoids the question of if a engine was a replacement engine...)

Matt

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Re: Last Model TT serial number/date

Post by Steve Jelf » Fri Jul 08, 2022 8:48 am

What is the highest known production stamped frame?

If Ford didn't keep a record of it, I think it would be impossible to find out now.
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Re: Last Model TT serial number/date

Post by Bryant » Fri Jul 08, 2022 3:05 pm

So is there someone somewhere out there that has a stamped frame number over 15 million? Speak now or forever hold your peace….
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Re: Last Model TT serial number/date

Post by DanTreace » Fri Jul 08, 2022 3:26 pm

Here is an older post on those 'high' number engines. Only a completed and tested factory assembled engine block got stamped with a number, so these are real engines, perhaps replacements, perhaps installed in a chassis at the factory or branch. One is a Sept 1927, there has to be more later ones too.

https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/8 ... 1525877827
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Matt in California
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Re: Last Model TT serial number/date

Post by Matt in California » Fri Jul 08, 2022 8:22 pm

Bryant wrote:
Fri Jul 08, 2022 3:05 pm
So is there someone somewhere out there that has a stamped frame number over 15 million? Speak now or forever hold your peace….
Looking forward to someone stepping forward!

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Matt in California
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Re: Last Model TT serial number/date

Post by Matt in California » Sat Jul 09, 2022 5:29 pm

Making some basic observations...

According to the Ford production numbers:
https://www.mtfca.com/encyclo/fdprod.htm
325,390 Model Ts were made in 1927
74,335 Model TT were made 1927 calendar year.
399,725 total Model T (and TTs) were made 1927 calendar year.

According to the recorded serial numbers:
https://www.mtfca.com/encyclo/sernos.htm
14,619,255 was the first serial number in 1927
15,076,231 was the last serial number in 1927
456,958 Total engines produced in 1927
Bruce McCalley on page 536 of his book Model T Ford records that A car bearing the engine number of 15,007,032 is reputed to be the last Model T Ford produced [implied at the Highland Park Plant]. From the engine log entry on the same page 536 we know the engine number was listed on the engine log for Jun 1, 1927.
Therefore the day last Model T was produced the total production for the year was:
15,007,032 - 14,619,255 = 387,777

The remaining number of Model Ts built after the last one recorded at highland park would be:
399,725 - 387,777 = 11,948
*Among this last 12K some Model T cars could have been assembled, but not at Highland Park.
**Not included is serial numbers from other locations like Canada. How would that impact things? Also presumably various production locations may have received engines manufactured in 1926, but assembled car count would be recorded 1927.
***any extra replacement engines made during this time are not included in the count. It is safe to assume 5-10k extra engines were made monthly, so it is likely the 12 K would be closer to 24k.

There is evidence a good of TT being made after the last car

Feel free to let me know if I am missing anything. I would love to hear from anyone who has a frame stamped with a number higher than 15,007,032.

Matt

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