MTFCA Forum

Great batch of pics as usual!
I'm thinking in the next to last pic of that nice '14 the acetylene tank is mounted upside down...that offset valve needs to be at the top.
Could make for interesting headlamp blaze!

And what in the world is on that ladies hat in the backseat? Looks like a baby! (Next to last pic again)

TWrenn wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 05, 2024 11:49 am

And what in the world is on that ladies hat in the backseat? Looks like a baby! (Next to last pic again)

Yes. Spooky looking, like the little girl next to the driver. Yikes!

The starter crank in the last photo has some sort of disk-shaped device. Would that be an anti-kickback accessory?

Jerry VanOoteghem wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 05, 2024 12:08 pm

TWrenn wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 05, 2024 11:49 am

And what in the world is on that ladies hat in the backseat? Looks like a baby! (Next to last pic again)

Yes. Spooky looking, like the little girl next to the driver. Yikes!

OMG Jerry you're right! Wow...looks like the devil himself! I know you can't or shouldn't judge a book by its cover but I'd love to know that persons background as she grew up! Might be fodder for a Lifetime movie! Ha ha

Yes, anti-kick device - Jay B. posted one on "Accessory of the Day".

Those 26 fenders are built like a tank, they can take the weight of that little fellow no problem. "At least he's not on the hood!"

The first pic shows what I believe is an early 1926 improved car with the fender mounted headlights. But, it looks to have 30" clincher tyres. I have seen a few of these on our Canadian sourced cars, along with the large brake drum rear axle.

Allan from down under.

#7 Is the bucket lengthened or the frame shortened?

Dennis_Brown wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 07, 2024 3:06 pm

#7 Is the bucket lengthened or the frame shortened?

It isn't a USA Ford factory body. Although similar to the 1926/'27 open car cowl, the fenders indicate the car should be earlier than that. It could possibly be an Australian bodied T (photo flipped?)? Or an after-market speedster/roadster type body?
The cowl, although similar to the 1926/'27 American open car cowl, does appear to have a slightly different slope and up-sweep than the stock cowl had. So again, likely either speedster or Australian.

A sort of "speedster-pickup"?

Denis, the running board and valance panels look to be standard length. Going by the seating position, I'm sure he is sitting well back from the standard position.
Wayne, I doubt it is Australian, purely on the appearance of the mature tree trunks in the background. They look like softwoods, the likes of which we do not have in Australia except in plantation forests. Perhaps it started out as an Ames body or something similar.

Allan from down under.

Thank you Allan B for those details. I had wondered if the trees might offer a clue.

I wanted to expand a bit on the notion of the "speedster pickup". While not a commonly seen thing, over the years I have seen a fair number of era photos of what amount to "speedster pickups". They are an interesting curiosity. Part sporty roadster, part practical service vehicle. It is tough to see a lot of details in this particular photo (bad lighting and shadows), however it appears to not be much of a pickup in this case. With stuff tied on and around the box on the back, it may be simply a case of going camping in a speedster! Ever done that before? I have, minimal gear, a sleeping bag and not much more. I did that probably eight times nearly fifty years ago with my first speedster. I would actually do it again if I can.
Anyway. the photo reminds me of several others I have of speedster pickups. A long time ago, a fellow in the Santa Clara Valley Model T Ford Club actually had the remains of an original speedster pickup! I was at his home a few times, it was shoved between the driveway and the kitchen window alongside his home. Such a neat car it was. I actually inquired about buying it, but he wasn't interested in selling it at that time.
It was a custom (probably craftsman home built?) nice framework covered in nicely formed sheet metal on a model T frame. It had a really nice cowl, step over sides, and neatly transitioned into an open pickup box (also sheet metal covered!) behind the bench seat. I don't recall a gasoline tank.

Obviously, that photo brought back some memories.

A couple speedster pickups;