MTFCA Forum

Don’t forget, Steve’s 1915 brass car was there a long while too!

The Old Car Festival registration opens June 2nd! Last year they filled up in a matter of days, so if you want to go, be sure to get ready with your photos and information! Two days of driving and displays at the historic Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Michigan!

The one my dad was waiting for was VJ Day! He was Navy, skipper of the landing craft tank, LCT 685, at Okinawa! He started in the New Hebrides, then to Biak, then Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, then Subic Bay and Manila, then to Okinawa, and then finally landing the initial lands in Japan. All that ...

Wayne, until I read your post, I hadn’t paid any attention to the utility pole, but looking at it I don’t see any evidence of wires which is odd also! It is a very tall pole as well, judging from the building next to it, it looks to be over 50 feet tall. I’ve seen pictures of utilities in India like...

All the more amazed that he survived! Thanks Dallas for taking care of it for him, and Dave for the effort to return it to him! Safe travels!

Looks like both guys are driving! Two drivers, one automobile!

If you don’t find one, a modern pitman arm puller is supposed to work but may require widening the slot to fit the hub.

Impulse mags like small engines and others run are useless in the current automotive world, where emissions are so strictly controlled. Timing has to be very precise.Even the wasted spark system of twenty years ago has gone by the wayside, due to emissions requirements. For its time, the T system wo...

It would seem that the lack of reliability in high tension magnetos of the day has been disregarded. In the early days of automotive history, the contact points were of very poor material for the needed amperage and constant beating they took. Coils failed regularly (and still do) due in part to hig...

The world war 2 airplane museum , located right on the airport is well worth a visit. They have 29 ww2 airplanes in flying condition, and you can visit the restoration hanger as well. They also have a mail plane that Charles Lindbergh flew. Very well displayed.

Please be sure to wear a good respirator when sandblasting using any media, but especially silica sand. When sand is used, it will fracture into glass like shards of dust that when inhaled do permanent lung damage and can kill you. The glass particles will cut your lungs, and cannot be coughed up or...

I went to the Old Car Festival registration page and see that registration is closed, at capacity. Since I was registering a bicycle through the Wheelmen, I hope as a member there to get to take a bike.

The bottom tool is a horse shoe nail set. After the nails are driven through the hoof and are sticking out, the nail is cut off and those pliers bend the remainder of the nail over, then the hammer part finishes setting the nail end in the hoof.

For those who like old tractors, steam and gas, Aumannauction.com has a listing located in Illinois that is selling lots of parts for vintage power applications. Lots of magnetos, oilers, tractor parts, gauges and stuff. None mine and no interest in it!

The Mackinac Bridge is about five miles in total length, and it was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it was built. The outer lanes are covered, the two inner lanes are open grate, which allows the wind to pass through, helping stabilize it. It also lets snow fall through, reducing wei...

Allan, by the time I’d get it ready to saw, it will have been dead on the stump for over a year. This will include some sub zero weather and temperatures over 100 degrees F. It should be fine if stacked properly for a while afterwards.

This is going to be full of maybe’s and possibilities, but the story is that I live in west central Indiana, and I have a large, maybe 30” butt size, ash tree in my front yard that died last summer. It has probably two good sized logs in it that should be reasonably clear, no knots I am guessing. I ...

If you are doing a base coat/clear coat finish, not allowing enough dry time for the base coat before doing the clear coat, can cause what is called pigment popping, where the base coat solvents come up thought the clear. They look just like fisheyes, but a totally different cause. Fisheye remover m...

Beautiful work, Mack! A whole lot of skill and patience shows in each engine! As far as fuel goes, 100ll avgas from your local airport will work well. It never goes bad, I’ve had some ten years and it’s as good as new. It has a very small amount of lead still in it for valves and seats. My airplane ...

I have a combination of 96% efficient propane furnace, 80,000 btu, and a 2-1/2 ton heat pump in my 30x48’ garage in central Indiana. The furnace uses a 2” exhaust plastic pipe, and if you need, the intake air for the furnace burner can also go to the outdoors. In my case, because the building is one...

My brother, who lives on the east side of Dayton Ohio, has two 54” high wheel bikes that he would sell. One is an 1888 or so English made Singer, that is what I would call a semi racer. It is light weight by the standards of the day, about 38 pounds if I remember right versus normal of upper forties...

Dallas, will it hold your ice cream?

In reference to my comment about the u-joint being disconnected or removed, I know the driveshaft was disconnected somehow from the engine, but I’m not sure how it was done. I was seven years old at the time, and remember my dad had to go underneath and connect something, but I don’t know what. I su...

In 1959, my dad moved us from Azalia In. To Utica Ny. We flat towed my late grandfathers 1925 Coupe behind a 1958 Plymouth the entire way. My dad and uncle designed and built a tow bar that attached to the front axle and radius wishbone. It allowed for up and down movement. The u-joint was disconnec...

Sold, $312,900 including buyers penalty!

Those of you interested in old fire trucks might be interested in a 1912 Christie listed for sale in the govdeals.com auction website, under automobiles custom classic. Price right now is at $56,000! Plus a percentage buyers penalty. Not mine and no interest in it! Located in Boston, Ma. The same li...

I’m in the Spencer Indiana area, and while my house and property are undamaged except for limbs down, the state park I work at was hit very badly. Our campgrounds are totally destroyed, and sadly, two campers lost their lives. The night security man got word early enough to get people out of their c...

Triumph TR 3A’s, mid fifties until 1963. They did pioneer collapsible steering columns. I’ve got a TR3B, and a TR4A, as well as the two T’s.

In Bloomington Indiana, until the early to mid 1990’s, the Ford dealership was in the same building from the model T era and it had high ceilings and a steep car ramp to the second floor. The ramp went up along the south wall, and had the winch that was used to pull the cars up it to get to the serv...

Greetings, Scott. I have a small collection of obscure taps and dies that I use in restoring antique bicycles, from the 1880’s and 90’s. There were few standard threads in use then, either in threads per inch or diameter. There were a number of manufacturers of bicycle t&d sets. Columbia high wheels...

Gee, I didn’t get the message! To whom do I complain! I work for the state of Indiana, and have one of their computers, so I have to take classes almost constantly on how to avoid scams, identity theft, phishing, and every other evil thing the bad guys can try!

In 1959, my dad flat towed our 25 coupe from Columbus Indiana to Utica NY. The universal joint was removed, or the pinon gear, not sure which. It was towed using a tow bar setup that clamped to the front axle and the wishbone. I still have it. We towed it with a 58 Plymouth. I don’t remember any tai...

I thought I remembered seeing rim repair metal strips being sold. They were/are a folded steel strip, formed into a circle that you were or are supposed to fit over the sharp lip of the rim, and then weld or braze it on. I have never seen it in use, but the idea seemed like it could work to save an ...

I have used MEK to soften and remove some sealers. Acetone will also work on some sealers. If you can get a chip out, try seeing what will soften it. When what works is found, seal the drains and pour in the remover. Let it soak, and pour the whole mess out. Ventilate the tank well, compressed air t...

Dallas, is that muffler your secret advantage when racing the Amish in the TT?! How’s the racing series going? Inquiring minds want to know!

Searched the web, found EPDM Coatings, liquid rubber roof sealer, in the five gallon pail they list red roof tile color. For some reason, they only list black and white in smaller amounts. No idea if this is what you are looking for, but it seems close! They sell direct to the customer, not thru sto...

I would guess them to be more modern than WW1, more like Ww2 instead. Night flight was pretty limited in World War One, and there was little need to avoid being seen from above. World War Two was a much different story, and oil lamps were used in the European theater quite a bit. Oil was much easier...

Rob, what’s the crankshaft condition as far as straight, and uncracked at the flange? Does it use through bolts and nuts? It’s hard to tell from the photos but it doesn’t look that bad. The dowel pins are worn, but reaming/boring the holes just slightly should work. Not unheard of to make a stepped ...

Is set up day on Monday instead of Tuesday this year? I like to go on set up day so I can ride a bicycle from field to field and check the venders as they unpack!

Yes, that’s it! I don’t know anything about it, just saw the listing and thought there might be people on this site who might be interested or know someone who is.

Listed on auction site Govdeals.com under automobiles classic/custom is a 1921 Mack truck. Not mine and no interest in it . Add says it runs. Nice looking truck if you need it!

Looking at the radar this morning, you are going to need the top today! Plus a wiper, or some rainx for the windshield!

Dave, sorry I missed your calls, as you went through Spencer! Sounds like a great trip! Have you considered going northwest to Ludington, Mi. and catching the ferry across the lake to Manitowoc, and then South? Less traffic than Chicago! Safe travels! I have been to the OCF many times, but always wi...

Dave, I live about thirty miles west of Bloomington. If you need help with anything, 812 821 8294 will reach me. If I don’t answer, leave a voicemail. Or text me.

Check Govdeals.com for auctions of machine tools and about anything else you might need. Some bargains, some not, but lots of lathes, and mills on most of the time. Every type from basic to cnc! This is an auction service for state and federal agencies that have surplus items. Be sure to check all r...

You can argue the need for either auxiliary brakes or at the very least good working emergency brakes, but I have lived it! In my 25 coupe, on a hilly state park road leading straight to a parking lot and water fall, it suffered a complete pinion bearing failure, losing two teeth from the pinion gea...

The old type grease, in use in the early part of the last century was a paraffin based grease that would or could under higher heat, melt and run into the bearing. Or at least that was the theory. It could also be of a fibrous type as well. In 1959, my parents, with four children, and our dog, were ...

My guess is an explosion that blew the car to pieces, and blowing the glass out of, and causing puncture damage to surrounding cars as well. No telling what blew up! Dynamite, a large boiler? Whatever it was, it had a lot of power!

If you want to experience the no car, horses and bicycles only lifestyle, go to Mackinac Island, Michigan in the summer. While they clean the poop up quickly during the day, and scrub the roads overnight, there is still essence of horse lingering along with the smell of fudge. Fun to visit!

A reminder, registration for the Old Car Festival closes July 15th, so if you are still making up your mind, do it soon!

After almost 4 years, I got my 27 depot hack started. Added fuel, a little coolant, pulled the plugs, oiled the cylinders and cranked it over a bit, checked the coils, replaced two, put the plugs back, turned the gas on, and it started pretty easily. Now to dig it out of the stuff surrounding it, ch...

Number 14 appears to be converted to a starter unit for the airplane behind it, using belts. I had seen the ww1 units that engage to the propeller but not a belt drive to the rear of the engine?

I buy 3M urethane windshield sealer at the local Napa for about $20.00 for a caulking tube size. It will glue the window in forever! Bad part is that the tube is hard to re seal so you need to use as much as you can all the same time. This is the heavy black goo that modern windshields are installed...

I went to the local rural king farm store, and bought yellow and white implement paint plus hardener for it. The wheels were sandblasted and primed. I mixed two parts yellow to one part white, plus the hardener, and they came out very well. The hardener makes it take a lot longer to dry hard, but th...

I went through most of the listings and saw lots of T parts, plus his 27 Coupe. There are lots of frames, engines and parts, rear axles, wheels etc. plus fenders, radiator, what appears to be a truck conversion frame.

I would like to know who, if anyone knows, draws up the specific manufacturing details on what the company in Vietnam makes? How do our everyday suppliers know what the specific information on design is? Does that company or companies just build whatever they want and put it up for sale, or does a w...

If you have an Amish harness maker they can sew it for you, like they do on a buggy dashboard.

Model t and anything with drum front brakes, the bearings run loose compared to anything with disc brakes. Model t and drum are allowed to run loose to the point of having slight movement when the wheel is moved top to bottom or side to side-not much but a little. Disc brakes can’t because movement ...

Wadda yah know, your cars are at least a hundred years advanced, being self driving! Maybe ya need to rope and hogtie them or chain ‘‘em to a tree to keep ‘‘em home? Have they sent yah the gasoline bills for all these travels? That’ll hurt your hip pocket!!!

I wonder how many of these great photographs were taken with Kodak box brownie cameras, that made home photography affordable and easy enough for any amateur to take good pictures? Our future generations are going to lose most of their photo history when their digital records are lost, formats chang...

As I said, the wishbone prevents side to side movement. Through triangulation, the axle can’t move side to side, just pivot at the pan mount. If you mount the panhard bar parallel to the axle, it minimizes any induced movement. Dodge 4x4 trucks with solid axles and coil springs have used them for ye...

I don’t think that front suspension is going to be as poor handling as has been suggested. The wishbone will keep it centered and prevent side to side movement, the other springs appear heavy enough to not have that much bounce and rebound with a light weight T body and engine. There is not that muc...

Fairly modern rebuilders tag that tells them if the engine or head has been too hot, voiding the warranty. The center of the tab melts out at a specific temperature, so they can tell at a glance if it’s been hotter than it should have been. Used a lot in the nineties and up, maybe earlier.

I would think a marine service that makes boat side curtains could make something like that without too much trouble. Materials are available on greed-bay. I have been studying them for an enclosure for my depot hack. Moss motors British car parts used to have the lift a dot parts, but I have not lo...

It will work for either, just reverse the terminals. As long as current goes from the generator to the battery when the generator is turning, and none goes back into it when it is stopped, life is good! A diode is simply an electronic device that only lets current go through in one direction. No mov...

Timing gear?

It has been my experience as one who did front end alignment for forty five years, including the era when radials took over from bias tires, that it takes a good bit more caster in the front end to make radials handle right on a car designed for bias tires. Unfortunately, model T’s have limited cast...

Easy way to find a short that has worked for me for 45 years is to disconnect one battery cable, it doesn't matter which one, connect a test light between the cable and the battery terminal. Replace any bad fuses. If the light comes on, there is a draw on the battery, so you disconnect one circuit a...

Looks like a bare rim would fit in the slot with the center bolt fitting through the valve stem hole on the rim and wheel.

I would worry about boiler condition and owner/operator knowledge about it. A friend who was a state of Indiana boiler inspector said he wouldn't go near one that was operating for that reason. He said there are no inspections done on those boilers, and many had not had tubes replaced in years if ev...

Looks like three kerosene road flare safety burner?

The single stage, acrylic enamel is the simplest and cheaper way to go. If you want, you can add an acrylic hardener to it, that slows how fast it dries, adding flow out time, but more "dust collecting" time, and it hardens the paint, adding gloss and chip resistance to it. You must wear a good resp...

I take the rim and tire to a tire shop that has the type changer that squeezes the bead against the side of the machine to break it down. I have him break both sides down all the way around. Then lay the tire out in the sun to soften it as much as it will, before starting the removal. I lube the rim...

From what my wife looked up, masks will be required inside and out, and social distancing is to be maintained at all times while in the village. Masks are not to be removed, even for photos! So bring your masks, and be prepared to wear them!

Califunyland may not have enough water left to fill the boiler and tender!

The OCF sent me two acceptance emails and in the second one there was a link to click on that takes you to a sign up page where you select what time you want to get there. The email was titled OCF 2021 check in. You enter your name as it is on your registration and your email address for that specif...

Is that the same type engine that they have in the Henry Ford museum? Looking at any of them, and remembering they were made before the days of computer design and were done on drawing boards one page at a time is amazing and humbling!

I received my acceptance emails for the Old Car Festival, and in the fine print, there is a link to choose your arrival sign up time. They are very time specific, so you need to check when you can be there and sign up soon. They have, by my count, 1100 slots to choose from, starting Thursday and goi...

You might try turning the belt inside out and running the flat side on the pulleys, not the multi groves, and not running it too tight.

One question, how true are the tires and wheels? When you jack up each wheel and spin it, how much side to side runout is there? If there is much at all, it can sure change the apparent toe on the front end. You need to find the true center of the tire front and rear before you measure toe. You can ...

Set up day, Tuesday, riding a bike is allowed, so I have brought one to cruise the place and buy from venders as they set up. Even if they are not selling right then, knowing where to go the next morning helps. The claim was that there are almost thirty miles of venders if you walk both sides of eve...

So, what is the fee structure? Do you charge by the person, or the pound? If by the pound, is it before or after ice cream?

Darn, I thought that would work! Maybe you will have to increase the bait to T-bone steaks, and a case of cold beer! You might also think about mentioning it to the target people? Make sure you have enuff parking!

Dennis, have you considered setting out a couple of bags of M&M's and boxes of twinkies to see if you can attract help?

Rob, Just curious, you said the cylinders had scoring. Did you have to bore them or sleeve them? Did the lower ports contribute to the overheating by running hot exhaust down and out the bottom of the cylinders instead of out the valves where there is presumably more cooling? It would seem to me tha...

Bottom one in the last photo appears to have thrown a commutator segment out, which would ruin it?

Dallas, a squirt of dishwashing soap in a gallon milk jug, and poured over the tube helps. A fuzz is bubbles from the soap is easier to see. I've repaired tires for 45 years.

Horse shoe nails?

Dallas, looking at your door, have your racing opposition started getting rough?!! Reminds me of the old joke: What goes clip clop, clip clop, clip clop, bang bang, clip clop, clip clop, clip clop? An Amish drive by shooting!

As Steve said, use a large set of dyke type wire cutters, grab the key by the sides of the end, clamp tight on it and lever the dyke's up and the key will come out, usually without much of a fight. I've been doing that for years!

Steve, you expressed your opinion, as you are fully entitled to do. The other readers have the right to disagree, but that does not make you wrong. If your opinion makes them mad, so be it. Nowhere did I see you trying to make a ruling that only you were correct! I saw what appeared to me to be an o...

Dave, did you give Dallas any TT racing advice? Photo looks like maybe you were? Just curious!

Actually, most modern autos' electronics are very well shielded from outside electronic noise because they have to be to operate in the environment surrounding them! Got a car that has back up alarm, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise? That radar based with electronic emissions that could interf...

To expand on what John said, roll film, and mail in or local film developing made photography easy and affordable to the masses. The famed box brownie camera became the standard and were used up through the sixties, before newer designs finally slowed their use! There are millions of them still out ...

Bud, I would suspect that with a milk trailer, hauling whole milk, if they put baffles in, it would churn the butter out on the way to the dairy plant! Might be a bit hard to drain!

Great trailer! You can still see the mark of where the fender had been when the bed was on a regular frame! If I had it, I'd think about a camping trailer with fold down sides, pull out floor extension, and canvas tenting.

I suspect that in this covid environment, many are afraid it will be cancelled at the last moment, and don't want to get their hopes up! $3.00 gas isn't helping either! Add in recent winter weather for most of the country, and the fact that many are now used to staying home and it all adds up!

Photo 6, they must have some HUGE flies or skeeters, based on the size of the window screen wire! Not sure I want to meet them!

Soak them in water and stretch them?

One thing that helps slow the sealant from sealing the tube opening is to use the long pointed applicator that comes with the tube, making sure it is on tight, clip the end open. Then squeeze the sealant until the applicator is full and a half inch or so is squirting out the end. Set the whole thing...

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