A question about the first 2,500

[Rich P. Bingham]

I got to pondering this a while back after reading yet another post from a T driver complaining (and rightly so) that his size 16-EEEE feet run afoul of Model T pedal spacing.

Now most of us recall that the first cars produced used a hand lever to actuate the reverse gear, which, logically, would have provided ample spacing for the clutch and brake pedals. The trouble arose when Ford abandoned the reverse lever and crowded a reverse pedal in between the other two.

I don’t think I have ever seen a drawing or schematic that illustrates the reverse lever’s relationship to the control lever. How was the reverse lever supported in the frame ? What was its position relative to the control lever ?

Just curious at long last, about something that should have occurred to me to wonder about before now.

[John kuehn]

If there was a manual for those cars it might be in that BUT was there one would be the question. Here’s an earlier forum post that shows the early linkage. Ford had a better idea when he went to the later style. http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/41 ... 1405463308

Looking at the photos it’s kind of confusing as the others answers were on that post. Must have been something to get it adjusted until you figured it out!

[Rich P. Bingham]

John, thank you for that link. Very helpful ! Not crystal clear, but it helps one visualize the setup. The speedster just confuses the issue.