MTFCA Forum

What is it, or what was it, that made people want to sit on the hood of a Model T? The warmth? Didn't anyone care about caving it in?

I think kids sitting on the hood was part of what you did in those days when taking family pictures. I can recall my Grandfather and my Dad getting every body outside for family pictures in front of the car. They were very proud of their cars and they were a big part of their lives. Same with most of this string of of family pictures; they are either sitting in the car, standing in front of it or sitting on the hood. Tradition. Now having said that, the guy sitting in his saddle on top of his hood may be pushing his luck a bit.

Sitting on the hood was a throwback from the days of horseback riding. it was like sitting on the horse with the radiator cap like the saddle horn.
Norm

Love the mobile ministries model T! Looks like a small piano on the back. Brothers and sisters gather around for some good news!

The Auto Parade photo 27 (fifth from the bottom) is in Polk Nebraska. It hasn't changed much except Main Street is now brick.

Bryant wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 21, 2022 11:25 am

Love the mobile ministries model T! Looks like a small piano on the back. Brothers and sisters gather around for some good news!

It's a melodian. A small, portable reed organ.

When i used to see pictures of model T cars in high school, I always thought the model T was a big car. It turns out, the people were just small. Funny thing about that. Love the pictures Tom, keep them coming.

Third photo is a rare, 1918 coupelet.

Eighth photos is a rare 1917 or 1918 sedan.

I think the "rare" sedan is a touring car fitted with an accessory California type top. It has more substantial side windows that the more usual side curtains.

Allan from down under.

Allan:

Count down to the eighth photo as that is one to which I am referring as indicated in my original post.

"All men with cooties stay out"

I believe that numbers five and six are of the same 1915/'16 fixed roof touring car? I had already decided five was a fixed roof '15/'16 in spite of the poor angle of the photo not showing much of the car, then scrolled down to the next photo and saw what I believed to be the same car. I also believe the photo is taken in the same location, with the brick/rock house carefully left out of view in photo six. It appears to be the same circular drive and lawn with white objects near the edge of the lawn seen from under the car.
This makes I think the fourth fixed roof touring car Tom has shared with us in a few months!

The eighth photo is a standard factory center-door sedan. The man's arm is hiding the sidelamps, however the non-demountable wheels indicate that the sedan is most likely a 1917 or 1918.(Thank you Erik J for pointing it out!)

Photo three is a rare 1918 couplet, and another era wire wheeled car! Love it!

Number 29 (man with a straw hat!) is a late 1917, with horn button on the top of the steering column, and the later style offset folding windshield. However, notice the body has the "rivet" (actually a carriage bolt!) just forward of the rear door.
Now, go back to photo number one, the little girl driving. It is also a 1917 touring car, however mid year. Note that its windshield was the short time mid year version with the earlier even fold hinges, but its windshield mounting brackets are held onto the frame by screws like the later one is, not the riveted brackets used in 1915/'16 and early 1917. I cannot be certain (due to contrast issues in the photo), however that body also appears to have the "rivet" (carriage bolt) just forward of the rear door.

Number thirteen is interesting. Is it an early 1912 with unusual foredoors? Or a 1911 with after-market foredoors? Is that a 1915 hood? Or an after-market louvered hood? It might be a Canadian production car, hinges on the driver's foredoor, and looks like 30 X 3 1/2 front wheels? However, hinges on the driver's foredoor could have been an after-market thing on a USA car. The headlamps are electrified, but I see an awful lot of 1912s with electrified headlamps!

So many wonderful photos! Several center-door sedans. A nice basic model T speedster at the gas pumps. A beautiful 1915 model T touring car.
Thank you again Tom R!
And a happy Thanksgiving to all.

I also wanted to mention number thirteen's radiator cap. Several items on the 1912ish car indicate that it has been updated quite a bit, and may in fact be several years old when the photo was taken. The radiator cap appears to be a "NEVA-LOST" cap. These were offered as both radiator and gasoline caps in several common sizes. I used to see lots of these at swap meets, although they seem to be few and far between anymore. I doubt that they were marketed much before 1920, but I could be wrong there. It could help to date the photo?
The car at a glance appears to have a rear view mirror. However, what at a glance appears to be an oval rear view mirror, is in fact an oval curtain light (rear window), an after-market accessory sometimes seen in era photos. But, zooming in close, shows what probably is a rectangular rear view mirror mounted on the windshield. It sort of gets lost in all the stuff in the photo, but there it is. The plated metal mounting bracket and dark backside of the mirror glass, looks a lot like the "Cop Spotter" rear view mirror I had on one of my cars years ago! The oversize reflective glass and heavy duty metal mounting was supposed to hold steady and show a wide view behind so that the driver could watch for the speed police as he went flying down the back road at a rip-roaring thirty miles per hour!
Great stuff!

Photo number ten, the 1915 touring car? As long as I have been in this hobby, I have seen a few originals, and probably a fifty remakes/reproductions as well as a hundred silly ideas for alternate designs of- - - -Whirly-gig radiator cap ornaments! I have seen drawings and even a few photos from era advertisements as well as modern advertisements for them. But I don't recall ever seeing a really good era photo of one on a car! Till now.

Look at the photo. go to full size, then zoom in!

Wayne, Interesting those headlights on that '12. Thanks again Tom for another great batch of pictures!