MTFCA Forum

If a drill bit is allowed to turn in the work and not cut, it will harden the work, this is usually because the bit was not sharp in the first place and this will compound the effort and procedure.

Help ident this car

I can remember some years ago I bought one of those fuel assemblies from one of the vendors and it came with some test specs that said it was tested with 10lbs pressure using water. With normal gasoline pressure it leaked even when new. I had to devise an accessory shut off.

Here in B.C. in the early days the DMV used only engine numbers and then converted to the multi digit registration numbers. When I towed my 26 T to the motor vehicle office it had no engine and they used the body number. Vintage cars were filed in a separate vintage car file and later they discontin...

Rebuilding a T transmission isn't for everybody I have done four a 15, two 26s and one in between. Some care must be taken with the assembly clutch discs can be installed incorrectly, it is important to make a note or photos when disassembling. Some times in the life of a T transmission parts do get...

I would start with doubling your voltage up to 12 volts, a good mag can put out nearly 30 volts so 12 volts won't hurt anything and may improve your performance. At higher speeds a little more current will be needed to ignite the fuel and you may just gain and additional 5 mph. Small air craft opera...

In the early days in one of the local fire halls they had an engine that had to be cranked and to assist they would park it on a ramp in the fire hall and roll it down for starting and it worked well, it still had a crank if that failed. Some of the engine had pulse mags that gave a large spark even...

There is a little more risk to injury starting on battery where as on magneto it will not kick back. If you leave too much advance it can bite on battery but not on mag. The final procedure of pulling over center is the same for both power sources. Some people chose to "spin" the crank on mag but it...

When prying the discs out make a note of the last disc in the bottom so that it goes back together the correct way.

13 - 14, the 15 had curved rear fenders.

I would firstly assure that the commutator is clean, just a slight film of oil will prevent it from charging. The generator should be sealed from the crankcase but a slight vapor leak can contaminate the commutator.

A leak down test will only tell you that there is a leak greater in one cylinder than an other but not what is leaking. Compressed air in to each cylinder will determine what is leaking. An exhaust valve leak will sound at the exhaust, intake at the intake or carb and rings will sound through the cr...

Rubber tipped needle valves were introduced in the mid 50s. It was determined that the steel needles were becoming statically charged with the fuel passing them and causing small metallic debris to stick to the needle causing over fueling. The rubber tip would prevent the static charge.. If the tank...

I won't labor this point but I have said in numerous posts that T differential housings were never designed for oil, just grease.

The front and rear wood bows go in deeper than the center bows, I am using 26 bows as a reference.

In that era headlights were optional, most had them but not all. There was a number of suppliers so it is conceivable that there may be some slight differences between makers. Some were dealer supplied and some were aftermarket. It is also possible that two identical cars may have different headligh...

The car appears to be a Canadian model because of the functioning driver's door. Mainly Canadian models were exported, some with left or right hand drive depending on the country.

The car appears to be a marriage of parts, the hood louvers are not aligned correctly, they should be straight. Light bars were on as early as 1925. During this era of time headlights were optional and it is possible the headlights were installed later possibly by a dealer or previous owner. In the ...

Does it ever catch fire when You clean it. seems like You have all the requirements. Fuel. Oxygen. spark. There is one more important component fuel to air ratio, and no I have never had a fire. The paint brush is just dipped in the gas only about 1/8" of the tip and just touch the commutator for a...

I went in to my favorite parts store and ordered 6 Welch plugs and my friend behind the counter for 27 years had never seen them before.

You have to be somewhat vigilant with pipe plugs and threads some are running threads referred to as straight threads and some are interference or tapered. Many female threads are straight and usually a tapered plug is inserted to cause an interference fit. If you insert a straight thread plug in to...

With all the aeronautical engineering that went in to the Spruce Goose the engines were not mounted correctly and that caused extreme vibration and it had to be put back in to the water, otherwise it probably would have flown ok. When you look at the wing angle and the angle of attack of each engine...

There is more than one way to post pictures. I use a small camera and take pictures in email mode for best results ie the smallest number of bits and bites. When you click on post a reply at the bottom of the page there is "ATTACHMENTS" click on that, then "ADD FILES" your picture library will be di...

You could fabricate a metal plate over the return opening and solder a hose bib fitting for the hose and similar, fabricate a plate over the inlet with a valve to regulate the water flow. It should only take a trickle to keep it cool. As mentioned above assure means to shut it down in case a runaway...

The blocks go in between the frame at the rear engine mount so that you can tighten the rear engine mounts and not crush the frame. There will be a number stamped on the frame right under the passenger door that will tell you the year and month.

What I have done a couple of times is dip a small paint brush in some gasoline and touch the commutator while it is running. If there is any hydrocarbon residue on the commutator it will dissolve it, it only takes about 2 seconds and I had instant charge.

Could be a movie prop.

I have a set of early dies made by the A.B. Jardine Co. in Hespeler Ontario now Cambridge. The Company was founded in 1870. There is a story in the VINTAGE MACHINERY site about the company and the family Jardine was from Perthshire Scotland. Perhaps he was influenced by Whitworth and therefore desig...

I ran across something I have never encountered. A standard 1/2" course thread bolt is 13 TPI, however today there are special 1/2" taps and dies that are 12 and 14 TPI. I have an old tap and die set that have the special threads 12 and 14 TPI. The set in the day appears to may have been a standard ...

I am missing something in your report you say "while running on 12 volts", if you are running on 12 volts the magneto is not in the circuit the switch on your control would be on battery. Also in 1915 they double stacked the coils to increase the AC output to accommodate the electric head lights tha...

I bent some oak pieces for fellows 1/4" pieces and I left them out in the rain on the lawn for about two weeks in the winter time. They did bend with some effort inside the rim, where they were left to dry for about a week. After they were dry the pieces were glued, shaped and painted and you can't ...

I watched a guy prep a tank for welding and he just put his torch right in the open spout and there was one good blue flame puff out the spout and that was it, then he went about welding it with no further issues. The prep took about 5 seconds or less and he welded right on the tank. He said he has ...

The engine number is also stamped on the frame just under the passenger door.

I feel so inept but but also enlightened I was so focused with the diameter that the length didn't enter my mind. The period in front of the description is there before all entries and I hadn't noticed that. It does say 2 25/32 X 24 tpi. All the mystery is now cleared up. For my collection I am goin...

Scott I must admit there are many errors in my report, I was reading from the wrong charts. I understand the screws are #14 24 I have an original screw and that is what it measures. 1/4 24 is somewhat larger and would not fit. Some time ago I had learned that the screws were 1/4 24 and I chased the ...

After crunching some numbers, charts, parts books and the famous blueprint I have come to this conclusion: All the parts books from the beginning call for a 1/4" screw displayed as .2 25/32 which converts to .206, a standard 1/4 24tpi would convert to .250. With the screws displayed in the parts boo...

When I adjusted my clutch fingers I just turned them out until there was just some slack and pinned them there, what could be simpler?

I read somewhere that the drawings were misinterpreted and 14 was misread as 1/4 or 1/4 was misread as 14, I don't know what the out come was. KBC Tools has them that is where I got mine.

Why can't the coils be shimmed to reduce the gap, there are variable thickness shims available that are inserted behind the three bolts holding the coils.

Sacrificial oil system lots of cars had them.

I replaced the brake band on my 26 and I fought with it for a couple of hours, after I finished I was wondering what that clasp was on top?

The obvious intent was to stiffen the running boards, the original rods may have been damaged or just weren't stiff enough, they appear to be remade somewhat stiffer than the originals. They may be better, except for the dip in the rear rod.

The radiator does look nickel plated.

If you guess the photo is about 1930 and the man in the photo is about 80 would place him back to about to 1850??

Looks like a 26 radiator.

I made a wood engine cradle that was designed so that I could turn the engine over and place it in upside down. I would put it on the floor and gingerly turn it over and pick it up replace it upside down. This is not as convenient as a fancy engine stand but it only takes a few minutes longer, and y...

You could not move the rim on the felloe unless the rivets are broken, if that is what happened you will Some time the rivets are hard to define in the rim because they are rusted and blend with the rim. With a Dremel tool you can grind the rust and define the rivet.

You have to do a thorough diagnosis firstly, just a wabbly wheel could be several things. Jack it up chalk and spin it and see what is untrue, the wheel on the axle, is the rim running true, is the tire running true, is the felloe misaligned. I made about a dozen wheels, turned the spokes and made t...

I think it has been mostly summed up I think generally your lights are not compatible with your power supply. My grandson installed some very expensive LED headlights in hid Ford Ranger and all they did was flash (very fast) and were excessively bright. He was forced to revert back to the stock ligh...

I sent them $750 for some panels they kept the money and I never got the panels. They continued to promise me for about 4 years and that was about 12 years ago. I finally gave up in total frustration and disgust.

I would suggest that you are running with spark retarded or too lean or both. I don't think the water level or the water pump has anything to do with it. The only time my 26 with a water pump gurgled over was when I want up a 2 mile grade in low gear and I had my licence plate attached to the light ...

There is no 100% environmentally friendly method of disposal of a hydrocarbon, but to rid yourself of it I would just let it evaporate from an open container.

To check for a stuck valve all you have to do is pull it over center and feel it, you will feel some resistance at each TDC and nothing at the bad order, a gage is not needed for this. If a stuck valve is discovered remove the offending spark plug and tap it down with a wood dowel. If the situation ...

Firstly get the engine established, it appears that the two cylinders in the center have no reaction, one with no spark and one with spark but no reaction when shorted. Start with turning the engine with ignition on and confirm that all coils are buzzing, if one is not then trace the wiring from tha...

Find the Model T parts

By now the repairs have been done but there is a low heat brazing rod available that will melt with a propane torch. I bought a pack of them and they work well just like brazing, but very expensive.

I was in Reno one year and went to the museum where they had the Model T prop from Flubber and I noticed they had the steering wheel on upside down I mentioned it to the curator and he was adamant it was on correctly and I equally assured him it was not, he responded that it can't go on upside down,...

I dodged a very serious accident when my differential let go, I had it wound up peaking about 30 mph and a lady pulled right in front of me I only had time to hit the brake hard and the pinion stripped, there was no teeth left on it and no babbitt washers left in the housing.

Maybe there was a difference in models but my '26 touring came with wood spoke wheels, was black and with a light bar, however I have seen several photos of 26 models with no light bar and fitted with pedestal lights and some with no lights at all. It is conceivable that dealers may have modified so...

Some early 15s had carbide lights and no switch or hole, if somebody changed the lights over to electric later in its life the hole could be any where and any size. Some of these cars could be ordered with no head lights and some were installed by dealers after the fact. Many were used in the daytim...

In any case the pins should feel right when installed they shouldn't take any more than a three pound hammer and a block of hard wood to install, if they require tons of pressure something is wrong. Except for the last 1/2 - 5/8" they should press in through the flywheel with no effort.

Drilling holes anywhere in the tube will not fix the problem, if oil is getting down the tube there is a seal problem at the rear of the engine. In the early days when this would occur and oil would leak out the ends of the axles a quick fix was to stuff a wad of felts up into the axle housing to st...

You could have two leaking spark plugs causing a lean condition, before you adjust the mixture assure the plugs are not leaking, they are a pipe thread and don't seal that well.

The rear drive shaft assembly has no oil seal and oil will migrate back up the shaft, less oil or heavier oil may help. They were never designed for oil, only a non-flowing grease.

I have a 26 touring and when I first got it 60 years ago I had rebuilt the engine from quality parts and carefully assembled all the parts to assure no leaks vacuum or pressure. When I started the engine there was a very noticeable popping and puffing at the exhaust indicative of a vacuum leak, I re...

It wouldn't be that difficult to shorten the shaft, don't mess with the ends just cut it in the middle remove the section, taper it well and reweld it back together. This would have to be done in a jig to keep it straight then put in a lathe turned down and polished and you wouldn't see it. My steer...

In the day Dodge supplied flywheels for Fords who probably had one or two manufactures, also Ford had several suppliers of flywheels. Most manufactures work to a + - tolerance anything from .0005 - .0020 depending on the part, the very fine tolerances would be difficult to maintain and therefore may...

I can't see how you could crack your flywheel the pins are made to press through from the rear side and press out from the inside. The last 1/2" of the pin about .0015 larger than the working area, with the pin in place, you should be able to press it through by hand then the last 1/2" will require ...

I have put them on the ground and run over it with my car keeping the tire close to the rim, it may take two or three tries.

The issue of differential lubrication comes up from time to time, how much, method of measuring, type of oil and weight etc. All the documents and manuals I have read going back into the early teens have never mentioned oil as a lubricant for a T differential. Grease or a compound is mostly mentione...

I have found loose nuts with cotter pins, it is a hassle to remove the pins to recheck the torque so they don't get retightened and often get left until they rattle apart.

On my original brass radiator the hole is in the same place.

I think MEK will attack just about anything it is nasty stuff.

I am not suggesting that my spokes and fellows are an improvement, they would be an acceptable alternative and the probability of a wheel just falling apart and causing a serious accident to the level as described is negligible. Most broken wheels are a result of gross negligence, abuse and poor mai...

Some torque values are only addressed in the number of turns on a screw, not foot or inch pounds.
I assembled a Ford V6 with all the values in number of turns, no torque wrench was used. I checked the
assembly with a torque wrench and the values were exactly the same as with a torque wrench.

There were probably several radiator manufactures that paced the hole slightly different. I have two 15 brass radiators, one I believe to be original and the hole is through the brass trim and the other I have restored with new brass trim and I chose to place the choke pull beside the brass trim in ...

I don't think Rock Maple is as bad as some believe, I have made spokes from Oak and Walnut and they haven't fallen apart yet. We baby these cars and they rarely get over 20 MPH and yes some can do over 40 but not on a regular basis. In the day these cars were driven on rutty gravel and dirt roads, u...

I believe there is more than one factor here, the original cast iron pistons were fitted with brass/bronze bushings and the bushings extended inside the piston to allow greater surface area for the bushing. The normal splash oiling system was sufficient to lube the pins. With aluminum pistons today ...

I have 15 rear wood strips and they are made of four unique pieces of 3/4" material, inside, outside left and right. These are salvaged pieces and I plan to design a mold and make myself a set.....

This time of the year humidity can be high and carb ice can form in the throat of the carb, usually only after a few minutes of running. All the adjustments in the world won't fix it, just time and temperature.

I had a wheel with loose tenons and I drilled the tenon out in place and drilled about an inch into the spoke and inserted a dowel size for size and glued it in place. I believe I turned the dowel on my lathe to assure a tight tap in fit. Because of the tight fit and the glue it will be necessary to...

The simple terms are single filament with double contact to wire them in series. In the day they were 9 volt bulbs but they are not available any more. 6 volts are at high risk of burning out and 12 volts are too dim. What can be done to reduce the risk of burning out 6 volt lamps is to wire a third...

I think that the different body manufacturers may account for some of the subtile differences as opposed to a manufactured difference in the years. There are 1925 models with light bars and pedestal lights, the same with 1926. My 1926 has a light bar, however I have seen 1926 models with pedestal li...

Now I am going to have to look all over the country for seat springs with retention prongs, can't wait for the swap meets to open again.

I think you have your answer but here is what my 26 looks like. In my earlier post I mentioned two additional boards but I had fabricated a temporary seat for a wedding. I don't know what the large hole is for in the seat frame?

My 26 touring has three boards 3/4" material one narrow and two wider, the car was never finished but it runs I have owned it for 56 years. I have done about 60% restoration, I replaced all the wood that was originally in the car and the boards were under the rear seat. I cut the new wood the same a...

I think the duplicating manufacturers found a warn perch and then made them that way.

I bent my own top wood some years ago and it was a very challenging experience. I was told by the "experts" that steamed oak will bend like spaghetti, not true. I made a steam box and steamed the oak pieces (originally they were two pieces fitted in the clasps) to make it easier I made it a three pi...

Make an adapter to the spark plug to fit an air hose and pump compressed air in to each cylinder while at TDC, not high pressure just 20 - 30 lbs and listen at he carb, crankcase and exhaust, you will hear where the air is escaping.

The perches have part numbers on them. The odd numbered perch is left. 3818 right and 3819 is left.

I experienced the same thing and the vendor claimed it was OK when it left the store therefore the fault is between here and your door, try to find out who is the culprit is it will be classic royal runaround. I would suggest just keep it and order another one, it will save months of frustration. I ...

The crank is probably on the side, I wonder if those are Michelin Mudders ?

The pins should be pressed out the opposite way they were pressed in. You should able to be pushed in with limited pressure until the enlarged end enters the flywheel then the pressure is somewhat increased. I would not recommend pressing them through from the rear, only press them in from the rear....

Your nuts are under by .007, option A) redrill to 5/8 and re tap, or B) try another supplier. Also they could be metric by error. The 16 and 17 mm are very close and easily mixed up. And there are possibly 10 sizes in between. Some metric sizes are supplied as 16.1, 16.2, 16.3 etc. Some will go on 3...

Some early 1915 models still had the carbide lamps hence no hole for a switch. The 1915 parts book does not list any lighting components.

I have read material from reliable sources and it indicates 1915 was the transitional year for factory headlights. I have a 1915 parts book and headlights are not listed. It is conceivable that on some early 1915 models headlights were still optional?

I would say they were not drilled if headlights were not ordered because they were accessories. I dug my '15 out of a mud filled ditch in Saskatchewan about 40 years ago where it sat discarded for 40 years. All that was sticking out of the mud was the front fenders and the wood firewall. It did have...

There was masters available at some vendors key nos. 51 - 56, 57 - 62, 63 - 68 and 69 - 74 all in a crimped set.

12 volts is not too much, the mag can put out 18 volts so there is lots to spare, I use dry cells.

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