MTFCA Forum

We, two of my grandsons and I, rode in the local parade again today. Now my low gear pedal goes almost to the floor. The linings are very low hour/mileage so I hope it will adjust and work a while longer. All else went well until I got back in my driveway headed for the garage. Then the radiator blew. It now has a split about 3" long at the top tank. I'd post a pic of I could.

“the radiator blew” ?? It’s not a pressurized system. Do you have an overflow pipe ? Do you still have 4 fan blades ? Your low band will probably adjust acceptably.

Unless you overflow pipe is plugged and you have a good gasket under the radiator cap, the cooling system is not pressurised, so it cannot "blow." Perhaps it failed, with a poor/suspect solder joint letting go. You usually get some advance warning of this, with a coolant leak/water staining/scale deposit at the joint.

Allan from down under.

The band may need adjustment, especially if it has low miles. The pedal should go near the floor when pressed firmly, but not touch it. It is normal for all 3 Model T pedals to go within about an inch to an inch and a half of the floorboard when pressed firmly. Both band and linkage adjustments need to be correct for good results. You do NOT want the bands adjusted too tight!

Mud dobber wasps & other insects can do a pretty good job of plugging a overflow tube. I watched the guy in front me blow the top seem on a
1914 re-cored radiator because the shop painted over the plug on the overflow for testing & the owner didn't catch it. He J-B Welded it & made
it through the rest of the tour but the shop would not repair it because the J-B is so hard to get off.
Craig.

The best way to save the band in parades is to put the parking lever into the neutral position. Then when you stop for a while you will not need the foot on the pedal. To start out jam the pedal all the way and hold it there. If you are getting too close to the entrant in front of you, jam the pedal again until you get the proper distance from those in front of you then let it up into neutral. Slipping the low or trying to hold the pedal in neutral for long periods, will usually end up slipping the band or the high speed clutch.
I have Ruckstell in my cars and usually the low pedal with low Ruckstell is about right for continuous movement in a parade on flat or slight grades. If it goes too fast just let the pedal back and the parking lever cam will keep it in the right place. For the radiator, it should not overheat unless the radiator is blocked with sediment and or the block is blocked. If the parade causes it to overheat, you need some radiator work or the coolant was too low before you started.
Norm

I beg to differ. I was driving down the road and the radiator blew and I was covered in antifreeze. Semantics be damned. If I get all wet, it blew. It did not just leak. I forget where the crack was, but the upper tank had to be resoldered.

Not passing the buck but there was an older lady just in front of me driving a '55 Chevy, having some difficulty. She continually stopped, allowing the vehicles in front of her to put quite a bit of space between them and her. It would have been nice if we could have kept moving. My buddies were in line behind me in a '23 Dodge sedan and behind him a Model A panel truck. The only other antique car in the parade was a friend's 1923 Cadillac touring.

Allan wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 07, 2024 6:24 pm

Unless you overflow pipe is plugged and you have a good gasket under the radiator cap, the cooling system is not pressurised, so it cannot "blow." Perhaps it failed, with a poor/suspect solder joint letting go. You usually get some advance warning of this, with a coolant leak/water staining/scale deposit at the joint.

Allan from down under.

Maybe I used the wrong word "blew", maybe exploded would be better. Regardless of the terminology there was a sudden, loud bang and a large cloud of steam. When I opened the hood I can see a 3-4 inch split in the seam of the top tank.

I actually had a pressurized radiator on my first T. It was there when I got it. The top where the neck is soldered on was solid and inside under the hood there was a pressure cap like on a modern car. That radiator must have been made for some type of hot rod. It didn't work for me and I bought a Brassworks radiator made for a Model T and have had no problems with it since.
Norm