MTFCA Forum

I've read the old post about the order of the radiator, shell, front plate, fender, etc order of assembly, but my question is once I have all the pieces in place and all the fender hardware snug, but not tight, is there a logical tightening order to keep everything in alighnment?
It seems I will have hardware at the brace to angled bracket at the front, some frame/shelf hardware, at least four bolts to the splash shield and two to the running boards in addition to the headlight bar.

Any order to snug these up?

Hi,
I consider the headlight bar as part of the frame since it hold the two fender supports in place. That is where I started. The only problem I had was getting to the bolts to tighten them, akin to getting into the driver's seat.

The radiator bolts need to be adjusted properly, and also the radiator to firewall brace. I'd oil the chassis springs and get all four tires at the same pressure and put the car on a level surface, then refer to the Ford Manual for assembly hints and procedures. There is a section in manual related to removing and replacing the parts on the '26 and '27 cars. I'd put the various parts on the car with the bolts a little loose and then adjust the radiator mount bolts, then set the hood on and see how it fits and lines up. With the hood fitted, adjust the radiator to firewall brace, then adjust the rest of the sheet metal for best fit and appearance, tightening bolts as you go. Then drive the car a few dozen miles and go over everything again with the car sitting level, checking alignment and bolt and fastener tightness. Don't over tighten the radiator mounts. You don't want the radiator in a bind or strain. Expect to spend some time adjusting the fit of the hood, etc. Headlights will need adjustment, too. It's normal for Model Ts to flex, so alignments need to be done with the car sitting on a level surface.

One of the things I find hardest to get right are the studs and springs at the front lower corners of the radiator. The one at the bottom has a flat metal piece with the spring above it and a cotter pin under it. I tighten that one first and then find something flat such as a block of wood or a flat tool which will fit inside the frame rail to hold it up while I put on the top spring with the cup at the top and tighten that one. They should be loose enough for the radiator to move a bit without actually straining the radiator core. The final adjustment will affect the tilt of the radiator. so you need the top hood support rod in place and place the hood on to be sure the hood fits correctly to the radiator and the body. once you get those adjustments made, you will need to adjust the body to get all the doors to fit. Shim to raise or even shave down a body block to lower. Start from front of body and work to rear. moving one side up will also affect the fit on the other side. So it will take quite a while to get it right. Of course, I didn't mention the first step before fitting anything is to be sure the frame is straight and measures the same diagonal from front to back at the same point o the frame.
Norm

The springs on the radiator mount studs allow the frame to twist without it causing the radiator cross bar to wrack and damage the radiator. The nuts are not mean to be snugged up.

Instead, screw the stud with its spring in place into the bottom plate and fit the split pin. Then wind the stud back out until it locks the split pin in place. This will give you the maximum length of the stud to play with during fitting. when all is fitted as it should be, screw the top castle nut down just enough to fit the split pin, no more. This will allow the radiator to ride on the springs with the required flexibility in the assembly.

Hope this helps,
Allan from down under.