Get by with a little help from my friends.

[Dollisdad]

[Dollisdad]

[Dollisdad]

[Dollisdad]

[Norman Kling]

Can anyone tell whether the license plate is California? In 1926 my grandfather and my uncle drove from Los Angeles on the "new" route 66 and the Lincoln highway to Plymouth rock. Then they went to northern New York and to Sterling Ontario, Canada and back. Somewhere along the way they went off the road. People came around and helped them get back on the road. Another place they broke the crankshaft and got towed into a Ford Dealer who replaced it overnight. And they were along there way. They carried a tent on the running board and slept by the side of the road wherever they were when it got dark. I have their tent in the rafters of my garage. We used to use it ourselves when I was much younger around the 1960's.
Norm

[TRDxB2]

Can anyone tell whether the license plate is California? In 1926 my grandfather and my uncle drove from Los Angeles on the "new" route 66 and the Lincoln highway to Plymouth rock. Then they went to northern New York and to Sterling Ontario, Canada and back. Somewhere along the way they went off the road. People came around and helped them get back on the road. Another place they broke the crankshaft and got towed into a Ford Dealer who replaced it overnight. And they were along there way. They carried a tent on the running board and slept by the side of the road wherever they were when it got dark. I have their tent in the rafters of my garage. We used to use it ourselves when I was much younger around the 1960's.
Norm

I assume you are referring to the off the road photo. Its not a California Plate. One of the photo has a California 1918 plate with the 1919 validation star

[Hudson29]

The thing I notice about the last couple of batches of these wonderful photos is how cheerful everyone looks. I see a lot of smiles, some quite captivating rather than the often glum look so often seen in period photos.

Paul

[John kuehn]

The 10th picture from the top is very interesting!

The abandoned house and 17-21 Model T Touring show the effects of weather, being just let go and forgotten. Could be from the 40’s I think.

The fireplace that’s crumbling and the farm house that’s deteriorating must have been in that state for many years before it was torn down and the T was thrown in a ditch or sold for junk.

You don’t see many original pictures like this that were taken of old cars and farm houses found in untouched condition.
I wonder where it was taken. Maybe it’s a dust bowl days photo or a mountain and forest area but wherever it was taken the old house and Model T have a story to tell! Thanks for a neat untouched historical photo!
It looks like the base of a kerosene lamp laying behind the T besides the chicken on the porch that’s still hanging around!

[TFan]

#10 It looks to me like a small child standing in the open doorway, probably wondering where his next meal is coming from. Jim

[Harley_97]

Maybe the house is being used for a chicken coop, appears to be a young child in the doorway of the log portion of the house.

[John kuehn]

I was wondering if it was child too and now that you mention the house being used as a chicken coop it looks like there is another chicken sitting on the fence on the right side.

[KWTownsend]

In picture 3, the five big boys behind the skinny tree, are in/on a Torpedo.

[TXGOAT2]

Re: The chicken house...
The construction of the chimney doesn't match the construction of the house. I wonder if a "proper" house once stood there, and perhaps burned down, to be replaced by the log shanty. (Or is it made from railroad ties?) Not a few families who prospered in the 1920s were flat broke in the early 1930s.

[ModelT46]

picture number 3 is off a 1910 Touring, not a torpedo. There is a BIG difference beween the two.

[WayneJ]

I look forward to Wayne Shelton's comments on picture 11. A lot going on.

[KWTownsend]

Darel,
I was looking at the brass plated side lamp brackets. I thought thatcwas Torpedo...
Keith

[Wayne Sheldon]

W Jorgensen, Yeah, there is a lot going on in that photo! Not the least of which is that it appears someone was careless in handling the roll film. The slightly angled somewhat straight washout along the bottom might have been caused by roll film not being kept tight enough and allowing light to sneak in along the end of the roll. The larger blob of washout obscuring much of the radiator could have been caused by a larger looser adge allowing more light to enter and over expose a larger area.
All that is of course pure speculation. However, I always wonder about such things.

The car of course is one of the later 1912 touring car models. The sometimes referred to as the "slab side" 1912 touring cars changed throughout the model year. All standard production (there may have been a few specials without them?) 1912 "model" year touring cars left the factory with the fore door on the passenger side and a fake door on the driver's side. These doors were removable, however there is very little evidence that more than a very few people ever did remove them back when the cars were nearly new. Restoring the 1912 touring cars without the fore doors is almost entirely a post WW2 thing. The 1912 model year began late in 1911 calendar year, with the 1912 bodies very much like the 1911 bodies, except that the touring cars had the fore doors installed. The earliest 1912 model year cars had the same lower firewall with the spacer board between the firewall and the windshield. The fore doors had a dip-down on the front corner panel to line up with the lower firewall in case anyone did want to remove their windshield for any reason.
Around December of 1911, the firewall was changed to a single, taller, piece, to eliminate the filler board. At that point, they also eliminated the "dip-down" in the fore doors. At this time, the basic design of the body, sometimes referred to as the "step-side", continued like the 1911 had been with the seats overhanging outside the lower body section.

What followed was a major redesign of the body. I have never gotten it straight in my head the actual timeline or order of the three significant variations of the slab-side bodies. I always enjoy and would encourage anyone knowing more than I do to add to or correct any of my shortcomings.

What I know, is that late in January 1912, the early variant of the slab-side touring car began showing up. Typical for Ford, both step-side and slab-side cars were being produced for some amount of time. I "think" that by March (maybe even mid February?), the step-side touring cars were well on their way out.

Three basic variations were produced in significant numbers. The variation centered on the rear door. Slab-side touring cars were produced with rear doors having an outside door handle, some were hinged at the front, some were hinged at the rear. Whether this was a Ford ordered change or a variation of different body suppliers I do not know (still willing to learn!).
Somewhere around June of 1912, the final significant variant of the 1912 model year "slab-side" body came about. The rear door's outside handle was eliminated, and only the simple lever inside the door was used to open the door for both entrance or egress.
There is some photographic evidence to suggest that some of the very late 1912 model cars were being treated to 1913's coming changes. A fair number of late 1912 model year touring cars have been seen in era photographs with a windshield resembling the 1913 style, and top anchored to the windshield hinge as in a 1913. Late 1912s are often seen with black and brass lamps, and surprisingly, early 1913s are sometimes seen with all brass lamps.
Of course, some of that can be explained away as post production alterations. But after seeing several such cars in era photos, one may begin to wonder?

A bit of a detour perhaps? However, all that to lead into I "think" the car is a late 1912 model. I "think" I can see enough of the door that IF there was a door handle there, I should be able to see it? SOME late 1912 touring cars without the outside handle have an inside lever tall enough that it can be seen in good photos sticking up on the inside of the door. However, SOME era photos that clearly do not have an outside handle are clear enough to know the inside lever is not tall enough to be seen. I suspect that is likely a body supplier difference?
On the other hand, maybe the car does have an outside handle hiding behind the lady's shoulder? Anyone else care to speculate?

Onto other stuff. It certainly is one of the most accessorized 1912 Ford touring cars I have ever seen! Oh but where to begin?
The headlamps clearly are electric. Whether they were changed later using the factory 1915 lamps? Or more likely a very similar looking after-market version is anybody's guess. The washout of the photo sure doesn't help any. That is a good size battery and/or tool box on the running board.
The sidelamps look similar to the 1915 Ford style oil sidelamps. A few companies were manufacturing similar lamps well before Ford settled on those for 1915. I cannot be certain, but it appears to me that the driver's side sidelamp likely has an inside side spade mounting to what may be the standard Ford sidelamp mount. Even before Ford settled on the lamps for 1915, after-market suppliers were providing this style in either spade mount (side or back of lamp spade) or rear bolt mount versions.

The windshield and cowl enhancement might be practical, however, I myself have never cared for the look of them. I do however appreciate seeing them on a car from time to time.

The upgraded fenders do look good. Several companies made similar after-market fenders for model Ts.

The demountable rim wheels are nice, and practical. Can't really tell much about them due to the washout of the photo, but they are probably Perlman/Firestone type. The design was originally Perlman's, although Firestones seem to have been more common.


The people look happy. I wonder if it is one family or two? It looks like two young men in the rear seat, alongside a middle-age gentleman (we hope?). Another middle-age man is apparently standing on the far side running board. One woman sitting in the passenger side front seat and another sitting on the near running board using the battery box as an arm rest. I can't tell id anyone is sitting in the driver's seat or not?

Neat photo! Thanks again Tom R!

[WayneJ]

Wayne Shelton, you do not dissapoint!