MTFCA Forum

i set the body on the frame the other night and used 1/2 inch bolts to secure to the 6 frame mounts and everything seemed to line up but I see the front fourdoors seem to be above the firewall so I'm guessing the firewall was not raised up to where it should be. My question is am i overlooking something as when i picked up the car the firewall was on and I assumed they had it where it belongs. Should I measure and raise the dash or is it going to be a pain as the steering is attached and I’ll shave to adjust the hood support on the firewall. I am also missing the fender to splash apron braces so I need to figure out what they look like. Any other suggestions on things I should be doing to get the body and doors all Alined. I do have a retired buddy that used to do body work his whole career and is going to help me out with the rear seat sheet metal and any alignment then paint the car. I have 4 of the top irons and think the front ones are not correct as I need to mount them and then clean up the top irons and line all this up. This is a labor of love for this early Brass era T and i want it to look nice but not a show car.

May be prudent to recheck the dash height for correct 1912. The sketch is for a 1913 dash, but the '12 should be 1 1/2" taller.......as mentioned if you read all the way thru this older post on '12 dash.


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The 1912 Fords were a firewall transition year.
The earliest cars used a 1911 style firewall
Then they added the strip to make the 2 piece firewall
Then they made the firewall taller and one piece.

The front side pieces (if they had them) were either stepped or straight across to match the firewall heights.
Depending upon the body maker and exactly when it was made tells you what it might have been.
It's confusing but I don't think your firewall and body sides match.

See
https://www.mtfca.com/model_t_encyclopedia/1912/
https://www.mtfca.com/encyclo/C-D.htm#dash

The paper (or CD) copy of the Encyclopedia has more information regarding this.
Perhaps you could look at a local 1912 car to get a better understanding.
Mike

It appears to be a "slab-side" body, so it requires the later/taller firewall. I can't really tell from your photos, but it looks like you may have the earlier 1912 and earlier style (shorter) firewall.
You will also likely run into some fitting issues with the windshield.

Once the firewall is sorted out, fitting the hood former comes next. Forget measurements/drawings and heights and fit the radiator in its final resting place first. Then put the hood and all its cushion pieces on and move the hood support around until you have it in the position which gives you the best fit for the hood. It is not uncommon for the former to be offset somewhat, and a little higher/lower than plans suggest it should be, but it is rarely noticed as you can't see both sides of the car at once.
You can get a better fit by off setting a little the hole in the former through which the centre hinge rod fits. It is a good time to bronze weld a sleeve to the back side of the former to spread the wear surface on the hood rod rather than rely on just the thickness of the sheet metal. From memory, I used a 3/8" hex nut with the thread drilled out for the sleeve. That soft aluminium hood will appreciate your efforts.

Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.

Thanks for the information as it has helped me , I did grab the extra Dash they had at the estate when I picked up the car and anything related to it. The extra dash is the correct height (23 in) and seeing that most of the holes are drilled all ready I may use the one on the car as a template but ill drill the body mount holes first as other than the height it seems to match up. When im all done I may keep the old dash as I put some effort into cleaning and staining it. If any other advice or photos of any wood or top iron brackets would be very helpful. I love the challange of this car but it’s 2 steps forward and 1 step back. ( dash was done and looks nice but too short,

This is my 12 you are definitely short from coil box to windshield

Having an almost blank dash to start with is a bonus. It is far easier to drill a new bolt hole half an hole out of line with a plan than it is lo align the body to a pre drilled hole. There may never be another 1912 T model just like yours, but who could tell.
On the hood fit and the hood shelf position, my 1912 van hood shelf is 1/2" offset to one side and 3/8" lower on one side than the other, but the hood fits nicely.

Allan from down under.

Yup, the joys of the 1912 when Mr. Ford decided to stop making horseless carriages and started producing automobiles. The pre-ordered bodies had to have afterthought front doors affixed, the leather strap holding down the top moved from a hook beside the radiator bottom to the windshield hinge, several different coils and coil box manufacturers, ditto carburettors. Getting your 1912 "right" can be perplexing, but on the other side, so many different items seem to be OK, and nobody can really fault you for whatever appears on your car.