MTFCA Forum

Marshall V. Daut

If the Model T in the first picture drove by, I think we would be obliged to salute, wouldn't we?
M.

Marshall V. Daut

Great! That will give us old guys new fat to chew on.

'Looking forward to seeing more photos of that terrific T Coupe of yours!
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

Not to be a Debbie Downer on such a nice Coupe, but are you sure it's a 1924 and not a 1925 model? I ask because of the 21" wheels, which became optional only on 1925 Model T's later in 1925 after their introduction, as I recall. Sure, someone could have exchanged 30" wheels for these 21" wheels, po...

Marshall V. Daut

We had a nice discussion for about 20 minutes and he seems to be doing better these days than in the past few years. He mentioned that he will sell more of his Grand National Winner Show Model T's, including his Town Cars. He has sold only seven of his mighty collection and has about 20 brass T's le...

Marshall V. Daut

Since the car was stored for many years, check the exhaust pipe opening at the rear of the car. Mice and other critters like to crawl into this pipe and make nests, which will block air flow. That can make an engine difficult or impossible to start until the obstruction has been cleared. An old-time...

Marshall V. Daut

The headliner has now been officially sold. Thanks for all the responses. I wish I had a bunch more of these to go around to needy folks!

Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

Dropped from 22 to 2 HP.

I take the opposite viewpoint, George: That T ought to go faster now that it has 20 + 2 horsepower!
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

Terry -
Yes. I sent you a note by email to the address provided in the MTFCA message. Didn't you receive it? I'll send another private message.
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

New gray headliner for a 1926-27 Model T Coupe made by Elizabeth at Classtique Upholstery in 2004. If you remember Elizabeth, you KNOW the quality she put into this headliner. I ordered it for my Coupe back then, but never installed it before the car was sold. The headliner is still in its unopened...

Marshall V. Daut

Thanks for the replies so far. I'll try a couple tests and parts swaps before I turn to the "big guns" for advice (Ron Patterson). :) The ammeter returns to zero when the engine is shut off. Strangely, the ammeter shows a charge, but will not dip into the negative zone when the lights are turned on ...

Marshall V. Daut

I am continuing to straighten out a friend's newly-acquired 1925 Coupe's mechanical and electrical issues. The patient is finally on the road to recovery! One lingering problem concerns the generator. Even after installing a new wiring harness, unless I polarize the generator upon each start, the ge...

Marshall V. Daut

Thanks, Guys. Problem solved right under my nose.

M.

Marshall V. Daut

Looking for a reasonably-priced rim spreader for Model T rims.
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

Some success today to report! After disassembling the carb yesterday and finding nothing obviously wrong, I re-assembled it today exactly as I had done before and mounted it on the engine this afternoon. The engine still wouldn't stay running after the gas was used up that we had trickled in each cy...

Marshall V. Daut

Yes, thank you, Frank. That was the very first tutorial I studied a couple weeks ago when I first tackled this L-4 carb. Do you think it would have been helpful to describe which way the flapper valve goes back in? NO source I have studied specified the flapper's orientation, although intuitively th...

Marshall V. Daut

By the way, I am familiar with the Ford manual's carburetor overhaul pages. But the procedure deals overwhelmingly with the Holley NH carb, only obliquely referencing the Kingston. The L-4 is different enough internally that it needs its own overhaul instructions. The MTFCA carburetor manual is help...

Marshall V. Daut

Thanks for the links, info and photos, Frank. I have disassembled this L-4 again, but cannot find those two air bleed holes shown in the two photos posted by Corey Walker in 2022. I used a strong light and poked around with a bent safety wire piece. No holes. I have attached the Walker photos, showi...

Marshall V. Daut

...continues. 'Sorry, but more advice is requested. Thanks to MTFCA regular reader Frank Brandi, I have been supplied with a good float for this nightmare Kingston L-4 carb that I am trying to make work on this amateur restoration. I followed the information and photos in the MTFCA carburetor bookle...

Marshall V. Daut

The float in this carb was and still is a mess, despite best efforts to resuscitate the cadaver : it still leaks and the adjusting tang broke in two and fell off. The rest of the carb is pretty good, however. Because of the broken tang, buying a repo modern material float won't help. I would gladly ...

Marshall V. Daut

I have soldered a couple questionable spots on the Kingston L-4 carb's float that I have been trying to save. I would like to seal the entire float, encase it, as it were. Is there a gas-resistant sealer that will do this, such as a marine spar varnish? If I cannot save this float - which sinks like...

Marshall V. Daut

"If you don't run splash pans, then the position of the drain isn't as important." That's a good point, CudaMan. The driver's side of the engine has a ratty, rusty old splash pan (water pump leakage caused the ugliness there), but nothing on the side with the carburetor. Just gaping nothingness. Yo...

Marshall V. Daut

I have assembled the cleaned L-4 brass body Kingston L-4 carburetor that I mentioned in last week's posting and have yet three questions. This is my first Kingston L-4 and the MTFCA carburetor booklet left a lot of unanswered questions. (1) In various sources, the drain assembly is shown under the t...

Marshall V. Daut

Thanks for the information and photos, Mark. Most helpful. The Centerdoor's owner called in the order yesterday and was going to ask the vendor which adjusting rod is correct for his model and year. Either one will work, so we'll rely on their expertise. I like the simplicity of your arrangement. We...

Marshall V. Daut

I am helping a local friend straighten out a few mechanical problems with his newly-acquired 1919 Centerdoor. One area is the Kingston carburetor and its adjusting needle and adjusting rod. It's a brass bodied L-4, which should be an L-2 for this year, according to my research. We're staying with th...

Marshall V. Daut

Did you re-adjust the bands recently? I adjusted the Kevlar bands prior to a local Model T tour years ago to achieve better braking and after 1/2 hour or so on the way to the tour, the car began to slow down and lose power. It finally locked up and stopped in the middle of the road. It was early on ...

Marshall V. Daut

Thanks, Guys. I knew something was wrong. I wish I had seen these photos and read this advice before starting what seemed to be a simple installation. Don't you think it would have been helpful if the manufacturer had put note in the package accompanying the parts, giving installation guidelines and...

Marshall V. Daut

Guys - We have purchased the inner rear axle neoprene seals and have encountered a problem installing them. I have never installed these before, so I am a neoprene seal virgin. Be gentle with me. :) There were no instructions or diagram included with the seals indicating the direction the rubber sea...

Marshall V. Daut

Thanks for everyone's replies. I double checked the battery orientation today and it is correctly hooked up with the negative cable grounded to the frame. The ammeter is the smaller Model A style that has been glued inside the larger outer ring that originally held a larger Model T ammeter. Because ...

Marshall V. Daut

O.K. Progress is being made on this 1920 Touring's re-birthing, mostly concerning sorting out electrical issues that a previous owner blew off. A new or used horn switch seems to be the way to go to solve this past weekend's problem. See previous posting about that. New problem encountered, although...

Marshall V. Daut

Here are photos of the Frankenstein suspected mismatched horn button assembly from my friend's 1920 Touring (with starter/generator). As you can see, one mounting bracket is broken off (circled in yellow) the contact piece and the other parts cannot be assembled without a coil spring and C-clip. Or ...

Marshall V. Daut

The horn button is definitely the one on top in the vertical row to the right, T-8028E for an electric horn. I'll check the backside of the center piece (what the heck is it called?) tomorrow and report back.
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

In response to an off-line message: Yes, thank you, Scott. I found that diagram on-line, but dismissed it because a couple details varied from the configuration I am working on. Our button doesn't have serrated edges, there is no spring between the button and the assembly's center piece, no "C" clip...

Marshall V. Daut

It's not this one, which is WAY simpler than what I am working with.
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

I am helping a local friend straighten out a very poorly "restored" 1920 Touring. Virtually NOTHING works. I have slowly brought this creature back to something akin to life, mostly centering around electrical problems that a previous owner completely skipped over, including a non-functioning starte...

Marshall V. Daut

Knowing that Model T's run just barely below boiling over anyway (and some PAST that point!), why would someone design an aftermarket "speedster" radiator shell that blocks almost 1/3 of the radiator's core? The pictured speedster has sacrificed that much of its radiator core up top. Wouldn't blocki...

Marshall V. Daut

"Any progress?" Unfortunately not. Other Model A and T repair work will have to take precedence and be attended to first. I think this rusty horn project will have to be an "as time allows" kind of deal now, especially since it will require so much tedious cleaning of tight and delicate areas on th...

Marshall V. Daut

Yup! Right you both are! I just went down to the basement and looked at the mounting bracket again - it is the pre-1926 style. 'Don't know how I messed that one up! My mistake. So, the horn AND bracket are the earlier design. Thanks.
Moving forward...
M.

Marshall V. Daut

"Horn shown in the pictures is a pre 1926-27 horn."
It appears then that someone put a '26-27 bracket on the horn to mount it underneath the coil box on the engine, where it was moved in 1926. Even being an earlier horn, I assume the operating principles are the same my friend's horn?
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

Thanks to youse guys, the friend's 1925 horn under discussion in the last few days has been fixed and mounted back on the engine. The horn sounds great! To my pleasant surprise, the horn button on the steering column is functional! I was expecting a bare knuckles fist fight there, too. Whew! One les...

Marshall V. Daut

Update - I tried all suggestions and guess what! The horn now honks like a ruptured goose! I'm not sure which of the suggestions did the trick because I tried them all. I think, though, that as suggested, I backed the adjusting stud out a couple more turns. Hooking up the horn to a battery again, th...

Marshall V. Daut

Good input, Chris. Thank you for taking the time write up such excellent advice.. Here are four photos of the ELECTRIC horn in question. Do you see anything obviously wrong? Is the "drum" with the yellow arrow supposed to spin freely? It is sluggish and difficult to turn with my fingers. Could this ...

Marshall V. Daut

"A magneto horn has an adjusting screw in the center of the diaphragm." As stated, the adjusting screw/bolt is inside the cover that I attempted to adjust for sound. I wouldn't think this horn has an adjustment inside the bell and inside the cover. I'll check when I get the horn later today. "...cl...

Marshall V. Daut

I was born 60 years too late. Sigh...

Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

"Any chance it could be a magneto horn? They only work on Alternating Current." Mmmm. Well, the horn looks like the other electric horns I have seen (and have owned) and the innards match the photo in the Service Manual with the coil, points block and all. Shouldn't the magneto horn look different ...

Marshall V. Daut

"Bad ground?" I used two wires directly from the battery to the horn, with the cover in place and without it, on the engine, on the workbench. No improvement. "Cleaned the oxidation off the points?" Yes, as stated, I used 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper between the points. No sound. "Checked continuity,...

Marshall V. Daut

Ha, ha, ha! I am helping a friend sort out a 1925 Coupe he recently bought and we've fixed all the electrical bugaboos left in it by a previous owner - except for the horn. It's the last thing to be fixed. So that we're all on the same page, it's a typical Model T electric horn, not some other off-b...

Marshall V. Daut

Update: I replaced the needle and seat, which seems to have stopped the overflowing bowl. But this engine is still a hard-starter, even with the coils buzzing away merrily and the spark plugs cleaned and gapped at 0.025". I'm sure it's fuel-related, because the engine will catch and run for a second...

Marshall V. Daut

It's a 1930-31 Model A two-tooth steering column, a big improvement when this design came out in mid-1929 to replace the virtually wear non-adjustable 1928-29 seven-tooth gear box.
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

Thanks, Scott. I'll adjust the tang tomorrow and hope the leaking stops. Maybe I should tap the needle to "seat" it?
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

Yes, it has the thicker float. I'll keep fiddling around with the float height. For starters, should it be close to parallel with the upper casting when inverted?
M.

Marshall V. Daut

One other thing to comment on: Fuel would drip out of the bowl when the sediment bulb lever was opened. Upon disassembly to clean the plate and inner surfaces last night, I noticed that the float was set for a low level - yet fuel ran past the bowl gasket and down the sides of the bowl. The bowl was...

Marshall V. Daut

Thanks, RajoRacer. Did I screw up by placing a bead of sealant on either side of the plate? I wonder why there had been a form-fitted gasket there when I disassembled the carb last night? It didn't look homemade. The edges were too precisely cut or stamped to have been made with scissors on the kitc...

Marshall V. Daut

Yes, thank you all for your input. I had viewed the suggested thread many times and studied the drawings, as well as other past threads posted on this website. Once again I ask, should there be a gasket on the plate? I don't see such a gasket on the drawing, but there were remains of one in our carb...

Marshall V. Daut

Could some kind soul please post a picture or two of a properly restored 1926-27 Holley Vaporizer? We are attempting to detail such a unit on a car my friend bought and we are unsure of the intake manifold color. The exhaust manifold will go cast iron grey high heat spray, right? But what color is t...

Marshall V. Daut

He'll never join a Model T club because he says he wouldn't want to belong to any club that would have someone like him as a member. (That's a slight mangling of an actual Groucho quote) There's only one Groucho Marx! Of the many versions I have read why Julius Marx took the moniker "Groucho", the m...

Marshall V. Daut

Not to split hairs here, but the pictured Model A is actually a Town Sedan. That's Town SEDAN , not Town CAR, as so many misinformed people call it. The Town CAR is a whole 'nother animal, as it is in the Model T line. Ford didn't refer to the Town Sedan with "Deluxe" in its name. There were "Deluxe...

Marshall V. Daut

Of course, find the source of the wobble. Good information posted so far. A Model A or T is no fun to drive when you are constantly worried about a potential death wobble occurring. But in the meantime before you fix the problem, should you drive the T again and it begins to wobble, you don't need t...

Marshall V. Daut

Too bad you're not closer to Davenport!

Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

"What happens if two cars follow you home, instead of one?" That's a good idea! Tell the wife that you are sorry and she is right. (That's all that matters to most wives anyway) To make up for your transgression, you'll sell one of the cars. Then she will think she has won - and you'll get to keep t...

Marshall V. Daut

"Wyoming ARE bust"???? "ARE"??? Well, we can be pretty sure they're not unemployed grammar school teachers looking for work...
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

I restored a 1925 Touring in the late 1980's for a friend. It always started hard, though. Years later, I was asked to see why the car was so hard to start and seemed to lack power - even for a Model T. I drilled out the passageway way plugs in the Holley NH (which I hadn't done 20 years prior. Bad ...

Marshall V. Daut

My experience echoes the posted advice so far. Nothing new to add. Study the guys' advice and take it all to heart. The one thing I'd stress, however, is not so much what you need to learn when first driving a Model T, as it is something you need to UN -learn. I came into the Model T world in 1978 a...

Marshall V. Daut

To think that one day that was a brand-new, shiny black car sitting in a Ford dealership's showroom, waiting for someone willing to pay $10 a month to buy it. And look at it now! Actually, I've dragged home cars worse than that! Most of us probably have at one time or another.
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

Why wasn't I born 125 years ago??? Sigh...
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

This gives a whole new meaning to the contemporary advertising slogan: "Watch the Fords go by!" Now even Ford dealerships "go by"!

Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

I think I see the makings of a joke here about four traveling salesmen, whose Model T ran out of gas down the road from a farmer, who had 20 daughters. And all the daughters like to...Well, you can make up the rest of the joke to suit your sense of humor - or lack of it.

Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

The T's must be interbreeding! It's more crowded in there than when I last visited Craig two years ago. How come his T's multiply, while mine diminish in number?
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

Thanks to all for your quick and informative responses. I have contacted Kevin Pharis and because his hex nut caps are out of stock, we will decide soon whether to put our names on his waiting list. In the meantime, however, as the general consensus seems to think the hex nut caps on my friend's new...

Marshall V. Daut

Well, I now see from my friend's photos that there IS a left and right side. See? I told you I know nothing about these wheels except that they are dynamite looking!
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

A friend just bought a Model T speedster with buffalo wheels. He feels the caps are in bad condition, so he would like to replace these with better ones. Does anyone repop these or do we need to advertise for originals? I don't see them in any of my catalogs. What is a fair price? Are there left and...

Marshall V. Daut

Was there ever really such a time???

'Born 50 years too late...

M.

Marshall V. Daut

Coupe photos are always welcome here. A while back, I posted photos of a tin toy my father owned as a child. It was a centerdoor with "witty" sayings written all over it. One was: "Chickens, here's your Coupe.". Maybe that was why my first Model T was a "coupe"???
M.

Marshall V. Daut

Hmmmm. I don't know... I'm not so sure I'd walk away from this car quite yet just because the $1000 offer was turned down. Unless you want a "project" that will require many expensive replacement parts (fortunately fairly available for '26-27 models), consider this car a donor for guys who need part...

Marshall V. Daut

Although it appears that your proposed route will take you through the southern part of Illinois, you should detour up north in the state a bit and visit Craig Beek's all brass Model T museum in Moline. I haven't been there in about two years, but I believe he has about 20-25 show-winning brass T's ...

Marshall V. Daut

"Yeah! the worst will be behind us eventually."

Is that akin to putting 2020 in the "rear" view mirror? N'yuk, n'yuk, n'yuk!!!
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

Oops! You may be correct! Good grief! All these years I have been telling people this Model T cache was in Idaho! I sure hope no one took off looking for those T's based upon my story! Now you know why I flunked Geography in high school.

Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

I wish I could give credit to the person who photographed this Covid testing sign and posted it on the Web. I'm sure he/she/it won't mind if I post it here. I know it has absolutely nothing to do with Model T's, but it DOES pretty well sum up 2020, doesn't it? Jeez, what a lousy year!!! PLEASE tell ...

Marshall V. Daut

Hap - Are you SURE that photo wasn't taken in my backyard in Phoenix? ?? That's what it looked like until a neighbor's realtor selling his house complained to the City that my backyard was stifling any sale. It "turned off potential buyers", so read the formal complaint. I had to clean everything ou...

Marshall V. Daut

In 1969 I drove from Iowa to California to visit my grandmother in Santa Ana. I followed I-80 to Denver and then instead of heading south - as I should have done - I drove west from Denver through the mountains. The journey took me through Idaho and LOTS of winding mountainous roads. Beautiful, but ...

Marshall V. Daut

..put our exterior Christmas light strands on the front porch, which I had resisted doing for the past 15 years. This year I finally gave in and honored her wishes. See what you think.
Marshall

Well, I DID put the Xmas lights out on the porch, didn't I ???

Marshall V. Daut

Just to be clear, I have no intention of trying to return the horn for a refund or exchange. I don't think my previous postings in this thread even hinted at that course of action. I bought the horn around 2009 from Snyder's, but due to other projects pulling me away from my T Coupe restoration in t...

Marshall V. Daut

Les - I suppose it's possible that the wrong voltage horn was sent to me, even though I am positive I ordered a 6 volt version. I have no 12 volt Model T's or A's, so unless I ordered a 12 volt by mistake or the vendor shipped the wrong one, the horn should be 6 volt. I guess the only way to test th...

Marshall V. Daut

The color-coded wire to the horn is part of the wire loom purchased for the '24 Coupe. It's the same size as the other wires in the harness, so it must be correct.
What kind of relay would I need to purchase to boost the volume? Brand name? Store? Part number?
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

Thanks, Dan. I tried the horn not only on my '24 Coupe, also recently on my friend's Coupe, both with new "Z" heads. Same results = low volume. The horn is now on my friend's car for the winter. In the spring, I'll check your two suggestions.
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

2020 continues to be a year we all need to forget. One sharp stick in the eye after another all year long. NOTHING good has happened this year. Jay's passing is the last straw.

Very sad news, indeed.

Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

Maybe my repo horn was defective from Day One? It DOES operate; just not very loud. As I wrote, I purchased this horn a number of years ago from a vendor, not directly from the manufacturer. Additionally, at the time I was collecting parts for a Model T under restoration. By the time the horn was fi...

Marshall V. Daut

I did! Two of them in various states of cosmetic condition, although both are good and loud. They are awaiting their restoration. In the meantime, that doesn't solve the problem with the virtually new repo horn that I bought for more than the cost of the two original horns combined. I know there is ...

Marshall V. Daut

A few years ago I bought a new repo 6 volt Model T electric horn from a reputable vendor. It looks beautiful, all powder-coated black. But - I'm VERY disappointed in its operation - and it wasn't cheap even back then! Does it operate? Yes. Can it be heard with the engine running unless your ear is n...

Marshall V. Daut

In a 1969 MTFCI issue, there is a short story with photos about the Ford cars Henry owned and drove, one being the already-cited 1919 Coupe. As I recall from the article, Henry DID update the car as years went along, most noticeably by installing '26-27 wire wheels and hubs. The photo in the article...

Marshall V. Daut

I was born 50 years too late. These pictures speak to me 100000000 times more than ANY photo taken today. * SIGH *
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

'Gotta go along with those who suggest leaving the steering column in the car, but disconnected at the dash and moved to the side in the engine compartment. 'Just installed an engine this way in a '24 Coupe three weeks ago. This was the same as your '25 Coupe will be. The main problem you will encou...

Marshall V. Daut

If you do decide to back up the driveway, save your left leg and pull the handbrake lever midway back so that it locks there. This pulls the clutch pedal down about half way = neutral. This way, you don't have to hold the clutch pedal down halfway with your left leg while pushing down the reverse pe...

Marshall V. Daut

I am experimenting with a friend's '26-27 Holley NH carb to tweak a little more performance out of it, if possible. I have checked the MTFCA carburetor booklet, the Ford service black/green manual, Ted Aschman's "Tinkering Tips", Bruce's BIG "bible", this website's search function and referred to th...

Marshall V. Daut

Nice to see lots of Model A parts, too! Maybe they keep the T parts from becoming lonely?
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

I believe we are seeing a '26-27 Tudor with wire wheels. The dropped center portion of the wire wheels makes it appear as though they are brake drums.
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

Please contact me. A local fellow has two big buckets full of non-Model T or A horns he wants to sell. There may be some you can use. Lots of odd carburetors, too.
Marshall V. Daut
Davenport, Iowa

Marshall V. Daut

Thanks, guys! That's JUST what I wanted to hear!

I can sleep easy again.
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

I am putting the drive plate assembly back together in our '26-27 T engine/transmission project, which is in my friend's 1924 Coupe.. There is a minor concern on my part. When I disassembled the clutch two months ago, I put all the pieces from the drive plate assembly in a box to keep them together....

Marshall V. Daut

Well, at least your hacksaw blade didn't do what MINE did to me last weekend! I just KNEW I should have put on an extra heavy pair of gloves while hacksawing a bolt held in my vise. Kiss the use of the left thumb good-bye for a couple weeks! 'Good thing I'm right handed. OUCH!!!
Marshall

Marshall V. Daut

I seem to recall years ago people complaining that the felt strip that was available through vendors is too thick and that causes broken transmission covers when doubled over at the ends. Has that situation changed? It looks the same to me. Are they now the correct thickness that will allow doubling...

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