MTFCA Forum

The Movie “The Great Race” and the building of my yellow Speedster gave rise to the idea for some of the club members to build racers and compete on the dirt roads and trails in the hills East of Idaho Falls. I had accumulated enough parts to build one rather than tear up my Speedster. A year or so later several of the contraptions had been built with a 1930 or earlier stipulation.
Using a 30 Model A radiator suggested a high cowl and hood to be fabricated to match. I had access to some 18-gauge steel sheet and began the project. The result was what I thought was a fine-looking car for the rugged terrain.
Competing against Model A and Chevy based racers, the T was at a disadvantage. The pace for these trips was 30 or 40 mph depending on the terrain. A stubborn coil or flat tire put us far behind the others and driving fast was the only way to catch up. You can only appreciate what a Model T will do by pushing it to the limit over rough ground. We found we could bounce over logs and rocks surprisingly well. Streams and puddles at speed sometimes drenched us but on a hot day, it seemed refreshing. Youth and feeling invincible is a great thing. In the course of the racing, I broke an axle shaft, wiped out 3 ring gears and 2 rod bearings, and sheared of the crankcase drain plug. Straightening tie rods and plugging radiator leaks was routine service. I also seized a piston pin in it. We even did a couple Winter races. It may be unforgivable to abuse a car like this, but many junk parts were used that might otherwise have been scrapped. It was great fun and I learned a lot keeping it running. We got news paper coverage back in those days and here are two clippings that Mom had saved. Rich Bingham rode as co-pilot on several of the races. Note the pole for prying it out of holes. Also, we took the press for the first mile or two on one occasion.

There were some near disasters. One young fellow rolled his racer and ended up in the hospital. It was not on a race but on a car tour. In 1978, I married Joy and she happily became my co-pilot. After some close calls, I decided to quit racing. I had certainly pressed my luck. The maroon and black color combination was finally replaced with gray. We continued to drive the racer regularly to breakfast and club events. It had survived and preformed wonderfully over the years. In 1982, it seemed time to fit a different body on the chassis. I took the racer remains to our swap meet. Lewis Rector found the body delightful and purchased it. He didn’t ask its history so I didn’t want to disappoint him with the fact I had bult it. I was pleased it looked like an old original. I used the funds to buy enough pine to build a C-cab express body. The C-cab was painted green with black fenders. I put the number 28 on it to look like it was part of a fleet of some kind. It looked official enough that one old timer said he remembered those old telephone trucks. I drove it often to the salvage yard and picked up all kinds of T and other parts on weekends. We would pick up our Christmas tree each year in it. I often wondered if Mr. Rector ever did anything with it. Then in 2021, Stan Howe advertised it for sale in the Leonard Matteson Estate Action. It was good to see the old body gracing another chassis with the same Dash and new paint. It had now become a right-hand-drive car. Stan passed away before I could find out more of its history or who the new owner was. The racer now appears occasionally in the tales of Kalamity Dick in this forum’s Off Topic section. So, the image of it still lives on.
I miss it but it served me well.
Rich

Rich,
Great story, photos and history. Thank you for writing/posting this thread.

I considered it a great honor to come along on those races. The memories are priceless, and I, who seem never to take photos or keep documents, am very thankful for these glimpses of the fun we had. Thank you, Rich !!

My favorite memories include saving a late model 4WD pickup from a mud hole by using 28 as an "anchor". Of course the T couldn't pull him out, but by inching away as he used a winch and cable, he got out. Another trip required fitting #1 rod with a chunk of leather, and by removing the spark plug, we made it home on three cylinders.

Perhaps the best "race" was a spur of the moment $50 bet with the owner of a brand-new Bronco who was making fun of 28, and sneeringly proposed a race. He was surprised when Rich accepted - with the stipulation that Rich got to choose the course. He gestured to a wide circle in rough ground across the railroad tracks that fronted the old Lindsay Automotive garage (shown in photos above). It was strewn with large rocks mostly hidden by sagebrush growth. It was to be a timed challenge, Norm, the proprietor of the garage produced a stopwatch, I climbed in to navigate boulders from the passenger side, and we were off. When it was the challenger's turn, he struggled to put one wheel over a rail, and fearing his oil pan wouldn't clear, backed off and forfeited the race. A true sportsman, he also reneged paying the bet ! Shamed, he slunk off, grumbling "You guys are crazy." 28 gained prestige if not the $50.

Rich,

Thank you for sharing the pictures and background of your racer. I have always enjoyed when you have posted pictures of it over the years on the forum.

I always love the look that the Model A radiator gives it.

Great times! BTW, the WWII Army Air Corps Pilot's Powerplant Manual gave instructions for making an emergency connecting rod repair using leather from a boot or whatever was handy.

Thanks for remembering those stories, Rich. We were lucky to make those trips when we were younger. We made lots of repairs on the road. The broken axle shaft was changed in a campground one evening with an axle retrieved from home. Rear end disassembly and reassembly in the dirt and rear end grease up to my elbows. Dark came and flashlights were held to see. I drained some gas to wash with. I missed dinner that night. I caried a spare axle for trips after that but never needed it. No matter what parts we took, they were never what was needed. We wired broken radius rods and shimmed crankshaft pulleys with old cans. Used soap to stop gas leaks.
What I learned on those adventures has made my later restorations much better and the cars have less trouble due to it.
It is fun to sit here and look back.
Rich

Some of the competitors resorted to dirty tricks to stay ahead. One fellow would stick boards vertically in the rungs of a cattle guard. We approached one racer who had stopped, removed the boards, drove through and then replaced the boards for the next vehicle. As they took off, they looked back to see us speed up and crash through the lumber sending flying forward in all directions. The astonishment on their faces was priceless.
Another took glee in turning the direction markers another way sending us off in the wrong direction. We found ourselves sliding down a very steep trail meant for four-wheel-drive only. The brakes only slowed our descent. The road ended at a fishing spot on a river we could not begin to cross. The only way back was to try and climb the road we had just sild down. By getting a good run at it, we made some progress. Only by slipping low band could we gain any upward progress. The engine would kill after a few feet, and it became necessary to block one or both rear wheels with rocks and crank the engine back to life. This process took at least a half hour to get to level ground again. The bands had to be tightened at this point. We soon learned to stop and decipher tire tracks to find the correct direction.
Passing on narrow roads often required driving in the brush and rock. Then, the car being passed would speed up to make it impossible in the underpowered T. I'm not sure how my mechanics held on, but I never lost one.
Pumps spraying water on us or diesel in the exhaust pipe, leaving clouds of smoke behind, were only minor irritations and not worth the effort to install.
All was in fun but certainly could have ended poorly for someone.
This shows a couple of dilemmas we took time to photograph. We drove through some beautiful country but there wasn't much time for pictures.
Rich I should add that the local Search and Rescue volunteered to run the check points and use their communications in the event of any problems. We were making some effort to make things safe.

We attempted one Winter race to Taylor Mountain Ski area. A fellow adventurist caught me giving a front tire more air. Gloves and a coat were an incumbrance to pumping. We found the snow impassable, and the snowplows hadn't made it through yet. The other T racer at left was lowered which was a disadvantage for him. Both Ts were fitted with knobby 2.75 x 21" motorcycle tires which gave better traction and improved the gear ratio. Alas, the continual forward backward struggles wiped out the rear end and I was towed down the mountain road by a support jeep. At the higher elevation, snow would build up on my beard and somewhat insulate me from the cold. As we got lower, it would melt and become less comfortable. Without the rear end working, my bands would not stop the racer at speed downhill so my tires would crash into the jeeps rear bumper whenever he slowed up.
So much for racing in the snow.

I love those stories Rich. Back when men were men and you made do to get it done.

Wonderful photos, memories and experiences Rich ! It's so much fun to see them. These adventures made for a "complete" Model T experience in my opinion. Maybe rough on the cars, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. A quantum leap from a museum piece.

Thanks guys.
It is so nice we were inspired and had the opportunity to do these things 50 years ago and be able to enjoy the photos and memories of them now that we are wiser and older. We didn't take enough pictures but those that pop up are great to have. It did expand the knowledge of what a T can really do.
I plan to be kinder to them from now on.
Rich
These are some of the competition I managed to capture on 16mm film. Ther wasn't much time for taking pictures.

Great stuff Rich! Keep em coming!