MTFCA Forum

Borrowed pic

Those are different than what i have on my original 12 touring?

That is a picture of my straps that I got when I purchased Ken Jones' 1912 Commercial Roadster. Indeed, those straps were used in early 1912 and then quickly dropped, probably because they were fairly heavy and flopped around a bit too much when the top was down. I have a copy of the Ford drawing for these straps that Ken Jones and Trent Boggess discovered in the Benson Archives. The drawing states that these were for the "Torpedo Runabout and the 1912 Roadster with Rumble Seat." This is part number T-3825 and the drawing was issued 2-6-1912, then revised 3-20-1912 and then again 4-3-1912. Scribbled across the drawing is a handwritten notation which is somewhat illegible, but it appears to say "Released-Changed" and I believe the date "4-3-12" is added to that notation. My guess is that these straps were used MAYBE only a couple of months and then dropped. FWIW, there is a picture of Henry Ford and family sitting in a new 1912 Touring that had these straps on the car, even though the drawing specifies for Torpedo and Roadster with Rumble Seat. If I can find that picture, I will post it.

Those top straps were also on a very original 1912 touring I bought in the chocolate field in Hershey a few years ago.

I have an early December 1911 engine number so i was trying to find as many parts as i could that would match my Torpedo.

Here is the picture of Henry in the 12 Touring with those types of straps.