MTFCA Forum

I acquired my 1916 coupelet in June, 2021. Owning a coupelet had been a dream of mine since I first learned of them in 1962, when I bought my first Model T and Clymers book, Henrys Wonderful Model T.
I am now 80 years old and suffering from compression fractures in my back and can no longer crank the car to start it. It has been a great driving car and I have been very happy to have owned a coupelet but the time is coming when I am going to have to sell it.
I had hoped that time would be another couple of years, but it is not going to happen.

Keith

Sorry to hear that …

If you live in or around the Tacoma, WA
area - that is a good market to sell it.


FJ

If the couplet is a 100 point restoration, it would be a shame to modify it, but if it isn't, why not consider having someone change it over to having an electric starter and save all original parts for the next owner in case he wants to change it back?

Keith, that’s a shame. My first Couplet, now owned by the Tagerts, had a starter installed before I got it. Only thing visible is a starter hogshead and a battery. It still has the original engine, and appears very original. I agree that it would be a good option. Best of luck to you.

I vote for a starter - I'll go one step farther and vote for a 12 volt WOSP geared starter from Snyders. Totally trouble free (no bendix issues) and you can use a smaller sealed AGM battey tucked away somewhere. You will have to pull the engine and install a flywheel with a ring gear and a coil ring compatible with a starter but it's doable. I did that with my '17 and have no regrets. I did save the original hogshead if someone down the road wants to put it back.

Good luck!

It sounds as though you have enjoyed the hobby for as long as I have. It gets to be a different ballgame after so many years. I too have reached a point where I can't crank the bigger ones. Putting a starter on the Bus is on the list. I hope the fun of having the coupelet has outweighed the current disappointments.
I wish you the best and a satisfactory solution.
Rich

Any youngsters in your neighborhood who could lend a hand from time to time? Could be an enjoyable experience for the right person to learn how to start a car that doesn't have a key fob or the need to turn off an alarm. Just brainstorming here.
Gerrit[/size]

If changing to a starter would make the difference? I am all for it! That car is so very fine and special that keeping it AND USING IT should add to the quality of your life!
Just to be clear, I favor keeping the correct engine and most other parts. A decent battery should be able to start the car a dozen times at least between full charges. I have known several people to manage two day tours without a recharge. A generator, and therefore the generator block is NOT required.
A starter, the accompanying hogshead, a discretely placed battery, cabling and switch? And maybe the early pan changed to a later three dip which might even be correct for a 1916?
The biggest part of the whole project is if you have to pull the engine to change the flywheel to a starter gear type. Maybe it already has one? And once done, the starter gear flywheel hurts nothing if one decides to make it appear all 1916 correct. Everything else can pretty much be changed back easily!

In the conclusion? You must do what is best for you and your situation. And I hope you have many more happy years however you go.

A decent battery should be able to start the car a dozen times at least between full charges. I have known several people to manage two day tours without a recharge. A generator, and therefore the generator block is NOT required.

That's true, and you can arrange for the magneto to charge the battery. I think the stuff to make a magneto battery charger totals less than $20.

I agree on installing a starter, however, even if you were able to start it, would driving it, with the primitive suspension and excessive vibration, be too much for the compression fractures in your back? I hope you find a solution and are able to keep and enjoy your beautiful T for a long time to come, but before selling, give it a lot of thought. The regret of selling a beloved object that is a big part of your life can be overwhelming…almost like a death in the family, especially if it is almost considered a part of the family. I know. In 1996, I sold my 1926 Model T coupe that I had since I was 16 in 1970 and immediately regretted it. The buyer died 5 years later in 2001 and I contacted his widow and bought it back for what he paid me for it. I had to drive to Maine from Florida to pick it up, but having it back was worth it. Perhaps you can rent it to the local Ford dealership to display in their showroom for a monthly rate. That way others can enjoy it, it would be well taken care of, you could make a little income on it and, best of all, if, after being without it for awhile, you could easily get it back if you had second thoughts (which I am certain you would). Good luck. Jim Patrick

PS. Can you get a custom fitted back brace to help your back? I had a friend that fell from a tall mast of a sailboat and badly broke his back. He was in constant pain and could not work for years until he got a portable TENS unit that relieved the pain in his lower back so much that he was able to go back to work as a welder and steelworker. A portable TENS unit uses strategically placed electrodes that stimulate the nerves in the muscles that block the pain going to the brain. The power unit that provides an adjustable series (pulse and intensity) of electrical shocks is battery operated and is strapped on your belt. They have them with individual adhesive backed electrodes for custom placements, as well as belts with imbedded electrodes which are easier to strap on and use if the electrodes are in the right place. You can get them on Amazon but It will be best to see a back specialist for tests to determine the most advantageous positions to locate the electrodes for maximum relief and how to use and adjust it. Please research it and give it a try. There is a solution…you just need to find it. Again. Good luck

Hi Keith,
Sorry to hear of your back issues. I'm going to assume that you have tryed a TENS device. If you have not tryed a TENS device take James's
suggestion. I got mine after some foot surgery 10 years ago and still use it for back & neck pain. Some people do not tollerate them well.
Craig.

It is true, - "to each his own"....

BUT

I surely would not do this:
"Any youngsters in your neighborhood who could lend a hand from time to time? Could be an enjoyable experience for the right person to learn how to start a car that doesn't have a key fob or the need to turn off an alarm. Just brainstorming here."

I've seen several pictures of broken human body parts on this Forum that make me say "NO" when even an adult wants to crank my T.
Maybe in days gone by teaching a youngster how to crank was acceptable, but in today's litigious society I would not allow that on my auto.

Yes - I agree to the electric starter mod....I just had that done to mine - best thing since Moose Tracks ice cream !

All the best to you.

Dave

David. Good point. Liability is the first thing I thought of when it was suggested to get a neighborhood kid to help start it. It would be nice to be able to teach a kid to start a Model T, but unfortunately, the world has changed dramatically since we were kids so that things like this need to be considered in order to protect ourselves from legal action. Jim Patrick

I wouldn't want to be a kid today.

Jim

I for one can attest to the near-miraculous work a TENS can do. I crushed my leg in a motorcycle accident and after a year in a cast, pain in my ankle was horrific as I tried to walk. Put someone in enough unrelenting pain and dark thoughts can percolate up. The TENS got me over the hump, though pain persisted for another 30 years and still occasionally flares up. Rest is now the ticket.

Pat

it's never too late to have a happy childhood

Maybe not, but it sure is expensive these days.

I'm on my way to pay a "sales tax" on an old used car that comes to just about twice what the car cost new.

How the world has changed. There was a time when all the neighborhood kids would take their turn at cranking the old car. One of Scott Bailey's books ('50s or '60s) mentions the best was to find an old car in a strange neighborhood, is to stop and ask youngsters where one is. They know every nook and cranny. Now days you would be hunted down by the police for talking to one of them. I did let the grandkids pull up on an easy starting T but can't let the start the others as much as it would help me. My shoulder has suffered several kicks over the years and has limited use now. For me, it's part of the game but I don't want others to be injured.
We can share a lot with the young folks but must error on the side of coution.
Rich
Older and Wiser? Maybe not.

Keith
I remember reading in the HCCA magazine about a guy that was using a battery operated drill motor to start his car! It was a simple and ingenious method that worked with a small torque multiplier attached to the drill motor and adapted to the crankshaft ratchet.
The whole setup cost was less than $200 minus the drill motor and was very compact and hardly noticeable.

Just another option to consider
Good Luck

A lot of food for thought here, I suppose at some point we all must come to terms with physical limitations as they impose on the things we like to do. I wish for good health for all, and solutions that may "keep us keeping on" !

Hi Keith,
Have you sold your car? Your dillema is not at all uncommon & Genes comment about the cordless drill sent me down a rabbit hole train of
thought. I once worked on a 1912 Packard that had a ignion start system that you primed the cylinders & sparked the plugs to start. I probably
didn't have the right combination but could not make it work on a Model T. Anyway the priming issue on a Model T had me pulling all the plugs
& dribbling gas into each cylinder then trying to spark the plugs. Even if it worked it was alot of work. Scotts comment had me thinking if you
could releave the compression it would be easier to crank with a small motor. That lead me to how do you do that. Over the years I have delt
with high powered chain saws & high performence Harley Davidsons that require a auto reset compresion releases to start. Something that is
machined to fit into the head. Not easy to do on a Model T. Then I seen a ad for a explosion whistle adapter and the light bulb went off, they
could be put in all 4 cylinders with compression releases and make it easyer to crank by hand or with a gear reduced cordless drill. Do you or
anyone esle on the forum think this is worth persuing or have any ideas on making it work?
Thanks.
Craig.

I would get some help to put a starter on it and DRIVE.
The stuff bolts on and can be unbolted,not like it is non recoverable .if it will give you some more years in the T you wanted, why not? don't be the fly in vasoline until you have to be.
Besides,if the world didn't suck, we would fall off, "gravity"

My concern is that if Keith cannot crank the engine, he likely can't pull it and the hogshead either. I don't know if he has Model T friends who live nearby ho could do the heavy lifting or not, but if not, this will be an expensive proposition.

There are a few competent folks around Keith's area that could do a conversion - I've done several for folks that can't hand crank any longer.

I would like to thank everyone who responded to my post.
Right now, the Model T is on the back burner as my wife has been doing chemo for a year now, we are preparing to sell our house, which is a large tri level with a lot of going up and down stairs, and get a smaller one story house, and I have been working on getting my 1936 Packard convertible sedan finished.
It now has all the rust repaired, a new black leather interior, a new Stayfast top and new paint. I did the interior, top and paint. All that is left to do is paint the wheels and put the new tires on them.
I had a lot of help putting the car back together because of my back. Without the help the car would still be apart.
Pictures of how it looked when bought and how it looks now.