MTFCA Forum

Wayne Sheldon

Google: "Ford model a speedster gas tank argentina". Then look for a facebook post. I figured they were some sort of modern re-creation, manufactured in small numbers for a specific niche market. I can only recall a very few era photos showing such a shape gasoline tank. I suspected they were not m...

Wayne Sheldon

Spencer made fatman steering wheels for almost any car, in a variety of styles and sizes. Some folded up and above for if the car's control levers were below the steering wheel. Others, dropped down surrounding the steering column for cars with control levers above the steering wheel. Yours is a spe...

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 sne...

Wayne Sheldon

I just looked more closely at the photo. The license plate is 1929 New York. Well within the time frame a lightning bolt could have been borrowed from a Marmon.

Wayne Sheldon

The lightning bolt on the T radiator is kinda cool in picture 13. Hadn’t seen that one before. Maybe kind of rare. I am not certain of it being genuine, could be some sort of after-market thing? However, Marmon automobiles for a couple years used a very similar lightning bolt on their radiators. Go...

Wayne Sheldon

Now zoom in to that photo Wayne. On the far left side of it there stands a large man in a white shirt and light colored pants. Then, on the other side of the car behind the man peering over the fender….. there’s a GHOST IMAGE of the Same large man….. Yeah, I spent some time looking at that man, bot...

Wayne Sheldon

Photo eleven is very interesting, and not necessarily immediately obvious. So, how many men does it take for a photograph? There are four men that clearly appear on both sides of the car. In addition, both sides of the car have an additional man. The right side of the car (your left) has a tall man ...

Wayne Sheldon

Just an FYI in case it may be helpful. I helped a friend many years ago do this. In his case the early engine already had a flywheel with the ring gear. So it was not necessary to pull the engine. The engine did NOT however have the field coil with a notch in it. He was getting all worked up over ha...

Wayne Sheldon

Not a master vibrator switch. It is a security key switch that covers over the late 1913 into about 1920 non-starter cars and trucks with the ignition switch mounted directly on the coil box. Those factory switches from the Ford factory used a single universal key. Anyone with a key could walk down ...

Wayne Sheldon

There is almost no difference in the front neck mounting position. There may be some variation due to heads having been milled, some variation to minor casting shifts from the factory, however, I have yet to see a significant variation based upon early low heads versus the more common high heads. Ab...

Wayne Sheldon

The car looks very good with the side curtains on it! I have had a few cars over the years that I used side curtains on them. I like driving with the side curtains on the car.

Wayne Sheldon

Wonderful photos!
I was wondering about you just a few days ago, I was hoping all was well for you over there. It is nice to see you posting here again.

The model T is looking wonderful!

Wayne Sheldon

The 1915, 1916, and early 1917 windshield frames were all riveted to the brackets attaching the windshield frame to the cowl. These all had the even folding hinges. In the mid 1917 model year, the hinges and upper frame were changed so that when the upper glass is folded all the way back and down, t...

Wayne Sheldon

I am certain that I have had and seen a lot more coil box metal bodies that did have both the switch and the reinforcement strip than I have seen ones that had had a switch but without the reinforcement strip.

Wayne Sheldon

Let me reiterate, those ridiculously high pan prices were a short time fluke, the timing of which was bad for me. Since then, because the prices had gone so high, I suspect literally hundreds of good pans have flooded the markets. Prices go too high, and many people turn loose of their stashes. Sinc...

Wayne Sheldon

Rather than write a single post way long on two different views of the tread subject (would I ever write an overly long post?)? I split this into two separate posts. My NOS replacement part story. Some years back, trying to put together my 1915 runabout, I wanted a correct 1915 pan/crankcase. I had ...

Wayne Sheldon

Along about 1921, Henry Ford hit upon a bit if hard times. He had spent a fortune on expanding and improving production facilities, some bank notes had become due (I do not recall the details?), and the postwar depression (lasted about a year) had hit temporarily reducing his sales and cash flow. Al...

Wayne Sheldon

A lot of cars in those listings are misidentified. SEVERAL 1926/'27 cars identified as anything from brass era years into the mid 1920s. I hope bidders know what they are bidding on and get what they think they are. A lot of nice basic model Ts in there as well as some very desirable models. I suspe...

Wayne Sheldon

Thank you Vern! That looks a lot better. I am still not certain about whether it might be a wide track chassis or not?
Anyone else want to speculate?

I sure like that speedster!

Wayne Sheldon

Is the speedster with the Livingstone radiator built on a wide track car running gear? Allan from down under. Which speedster with a Livingston radiator? How often do we get to ask that question? Me just being snarky. It can't be photo number two with the early Paco on a likely 1913 chassis. Note t...

Wayne Sheldon

Photo #10 - 1913 runabout is the same car as the one in photo #2 in the “Room for One More” thread ! Interesting !! Good eye! Same car, same tree, same house, same driver, the three visible valve stems in the same position. Also the Prestolite tank improperly rotated onto its side. The car appears ...

Wayne Sheldon

Those do look like Jaxon lugs and wheels. Most Chevrolet wooden spoke wheels I have seen that size also had fixed lugs on the rims. I have even had 21 inch Ford wheels drilled to accept the Chevrolet rims (drilled in both positions for the valve stem). Those may have been after-market wheels for ear...

Wayne Sheldon

. . . why they didn't buy a new TT truck chassis? . . . Maybe it’s a 1917, and the TT isn’t even a rumor yet ? Hey there Rich B! The horn button is not the early one used 1915 through most of 1917. I am not sure just when the combination horn/light switch began being put onto the cars. However, I t...

Wayne Sheldon

Photo number nine. Interesting chassis on its way to become what? Definitely a car chassis, extended about two feet, but I do not like the looks of that frame extension! It appears to be a second rear cross member cobbled onto behind the original cross member. It doesn't look very strong to me. I su...

Wayne Sheldon

Number thirteen is a 1908 model S roadster, note cowl and rumble seat.
I love it.

Wayne Sheldon

Photo number eight is a wire wheeled 1917 folding top couplet. Nice!

Wayne Sheldon

For whatever it is worth? I had one of those Fordson mag drives a long time ago. The drive gear with it seemed to fit the T's camshaft and line up okay with the mag drive. I was considering using it on a speedster I had at the time, but found a proper mag drive for it instead. I considered keeping i...

Wayne Sheldon

Photo eleven is a 1914 style touring with the 1914 style windshield. Photo number eight is a 1914 style touring car with a 1913 style windshield. The big, unanswerable question is whether the windshield is original to the car or a replacement at some point for some unknown reason.

Wayne Sheldon

just for the sake of conversation would a double wishbone have prevented the disaster? Craig. Maybe, maybe not. An added under axle wishbone would have helped stabilize the front axle somewhat. Would it have been enough? One of the heavier duty ones (like many of the modern versions) probably would...

Wayne Sheldon

That brand & design of front springs/shocks were pointed out as a factor in the fatal crash of Ken Meek. My apologies for bringing this up. I do not like sabotaging people's for sale items. However, on these style shock absorbers, it is very important to keep reminding that the fronts of these shou...

Wayne Sheldon

Added FYI. The iron hogsheads began showing up at the factory assembly lines around November of 1915. The assembly line photos of the one millionth engine early December 1915 show both aluminum and iron hogsheads going down the lines. Smooth and ribbed pedals on US built Ts were pretty consistent wi...

Wayne Sheldon

Are 16’s the same or is there a different rivet pattern? Front fenders, 1916s are the same as 1915s. The rears are different with a change made late in calendar 1915. The 1915 rears have a three rivet bracket with the rivets in a triangle pattern for the top fender iron from the body. The 1915 fend...

Wayne Sheldon

For anyone interested in these? Both of them are unusual model/style versions. Most Bauer wheels have straight spoke spiders instead of the unusual curved spokes. And the Spencer is a special version made specifically for the model T, a deep dish design meant to line the steering wheel rim close to ...

Wayne Sheldon

Black painted steel began being installed in the factories in July of 1915. Both all black and black and brass were being installed for about two months. By September 1915, all lamps were pretty much all black (except of course for glass and silvered reflectors).

Wayne Sheldon

James, Wheels for model Ts can be confusing. They changed in small ways often, and there were about ten significantly different variations from the factory over the nearly eighteen years of model T production. Then consider dozens of after-market offerings. "Demountable" is easy enough. It is short ...

Wayne Sheldon

Purely by eye, NOT exactly accurate or trustworthy, I see several that "appear" to be 30 X 3 which would be front wheels for US built non-demountable wheels. The 30 X 3 is a 24 inch rim size, measured diameter where the tire bead sits on the rim itself. This is inside the clincher rim, and easy enou...

Wayne Sheldon

RajoRacer wrote: ↑
Wed Aug 20, 2025 11:11 am
You mean "low" pedal ???

Criminy sakes! I was half asleep when I posted that!

If I had any pride, or wanted to not make a fool of myself? I would DELETE the post! Instead, I leave it here for all the world to see.

Wayne Sheldon

1919 had two style brake pedals! Starter car and non-starter car.

Wayne Sheldon

Thank you!

Wayne Sheldon

Thank you all for the comments. But I just can't be spending for parts I don't really need. All my current projects have good wheels, plus a few extras. I have a couple projects I won't live long enough to get to that I would like to get wheels for, but I cannot justify the cost at this time. It hur...

Wayne Sheldon

Are most of those non-demountable wheels? If so, I sure wish you/they were a lot closer to me. I would want the wood as well as a few rims, but cannot justify the cost of shipping for me.

Wayne Sheldon

The "F" most likely does mean Fisher Body Company, however, I seem to recall some other body supplier also began with an "F" for a very short time. I do not recall what year that may have been. The " 6 14 " is almost certainly the month and year the body was either ordered by Ford, or manufactured b...

Wayne Sheldon

When Kevlar bands were first being used for model Ts, there were a few tries made at getting a balance between a cushioning effect and harsh realities. Some of the earlier efforts were too harsh. However, I "think" most of those issues got worked out some time ago. There was also a change in manufac...

Wayne Sheldon

The SFV club was such a major force of the early MTFCA. So sad to hear of their dissolution.

Wayne Sheldon

Right and left are NOT the same. Kurt A is correct.

Wayne Sheldon

If I am not mistaken, that "threshold" is a 1911 or 1912 running board.

Wayne Sheldon

1912 was basically the only model year in which Ford offered the model T in a Ford factory supplied delivery car. However, literally hundreds of after-market coach builders offered locally built bodies for the model T all across the country and even around the world during all years of the model T. ...

Wayne Sheldon

Wonderful! I hope to see some pictures somewhere.

Wayne Sheldon

I had a 1924 coupe. As I recall, it had something similar to hold the deck lid up, but somewhat different. This may have been from some other car, or even a piece of furniture or tool box.

Wayne Sheldon

AC magneto versus DC battery timing change when starting? The DC battery is flowing and active all 360 degrees of engine rotation. The AC wave form is not. There are sixteen nulls per revolution. The length of each null depends somewhat on how strong the magneto is, however roughly, about one quarte...

Wayne Sheldon

Add me to the list of those making special size rivets from long shank bolts. Done it many times. How hard a steel bolt is best may depend upon what it is holding together and the stresses under use involved. Just some food for thought. To shape the head? After cutting the shank to the desired lengt...

Wayne Sheldon

They create wear marks on steering system components, such as the spindle arm and tie rod. Over time, they can create deep grooves. I think twice I have seen front axle assemblies that had grooves worn so deeply that the tie rod broke! I had a spindle arm that was worn a quarter of the way through ...

Wayne Sheldon

Those do not actually do very much to help with the steering. Mostly, what they do is if bushings and pins are loose, they reduce the intensity of the rattles. In some cases they might help steady things a little bit.

Bonjour.

Wayne Sheldon

There is quite a bit of misinformation "out there". Some letters were sent to the dealers from the factory and sales literature published regarding "standardizing" of the cars coming up. But the simple fact is that it never happened. Open body cars continued to be offered and sold with clincher demo...

Wayne Sheldon

I would guess 1911. The rear fender appears to be wider at the front whereas the 1909 and 1910 rear fenders were parallel lengthwise. Also, the engine pan appears to have the removable cover underneath.
Neat car regardless! In spite of the people in the way.

Wayne Sheldon

They do tend to be a tight fit. Otherwise, loose connections would be causing intermittent misfiring a lot more often. I have had a few that were really tight under deep cowl speedsters that were particularly difficult. Simply grabbing them with your fingers on the point's posts is the best way, but...

Wayne Sheldon

Number thirteen is a nice 1914 runabout with after-market fenders all around. Several companies made similar fenders to upgrade the outdated style of the Ford car. Most Ford owners were too practical for them sell in large numbers, but occasionally we can see them in era photos. I have seen only a f...

Wayne Sheldon

I know several people that run a good overdrive on top of three to one rear end gears, and they love it, in speedsters and racing cars with low wind resistance and lighter weight. I would NEVER recommend a significant overdrive over three to one gears for a stock-ish full body car. For a full-body c...

Wayne Sheldon

Link?
I "think" they used a special carburetor to burn kerosene and the double-back exhaust was used to heat the kerosene (or other fuel oil?) such that it would burn better in the engine.
I have seen one similar to that before.

Wayne Sheldon

Just another tidbit detail of model Ts having spot welds. The move to slowly updating the bodies and style of the model T, for 1915 Ford moved to a small cowling surrounding a smaller firewall than in previous years. Prototypes had been hand made in the summer of 1914. However, production problems s...

Wayne Sheldon

"AI" equals automated incompetence or automated idiocy. Google was always questionable in its quick answers, however, in the past year they have become laughably unreliable.
Yeah, Henry used electrical spot welding going way back.

Wayne Sheldon

One of the couplets that has been on eBay for many years was a later fixed roof removeable pillars coupe, likely a 1918 version. It was owned by a major collector in Montana that liked to "share" some of what he had by listing things on eBay at very high prices. Stan Howe personally knew the fellow,...

Wayne Sheldon

Cannot be certain without closer looks at the hood, hood sills, firewall, and radiator. However, it appears to be a 1923 roadster/runabout model T. What is special about 1923 is that for United States production (Canadian production on these details was actually before US production), 1923 was the f...

Wayne Sheldon

Bent pans are very common! But so are pans where the bushing is worn crooked. How much wear and how much crooked in what direction depends on what sort of use the hand crank has suffered from over the past hundred or so years. Fixing it properly depends upon first determining what is or is not bent ...

Wayne Sheldon

They were still pretty much transportation all through the 1930s depression years, and even beyond into the 1940s through the war years. Parts and tires were readily available in most small towns and all major cities. During the war years, many middle class high schoolers coming of age got a used mo...

Wayne Sheldon

The gasoline tank should reside under/inside the driver's seat, under the small cushion. It is a sort of square/ cube shape, with a slightly slanted top. It is accessed by removing the driver's seat bottom cushion. The seat needs to be unbolted from the floor to remove or install the gasoline tank. ...

Wayne Sheldon

I find it interesting that the publication was "Hawaii Territory" and the British word "bonnet" was used as the hood over the engine. A lot of newspaper articles in that era got mixed up with automotive nomenclature. The automobile was still so new, and evolving quickly, that things like how the cyl...

Wayne Sheldon

I think his snarky attitude and cluelessly self-centered nature are what makes much of his life difficult in ways he does not understand. I don't let people like that bother me very much (I don't know if it is because I am "thick skinned" or "thick headed", but I just care much what people like that...

Wayne Sheldon

It was a long time ago, but if I recall correctly? These can be easily adapted to fit and work on a model T car. The biggest problem is that the magneto sits out somewhat beyond the outside of the frame rail. Not much of a problem for some speedsters, however a stock bodied car with stock hood has a...

Wayne Sheldon

"Weston"/Joshua Harington and the flooring appears to be an obvious spam posting.
Nice though to see this old thread again.

Wayne Sheldon

Pure speculation. Probably, someone in the past wanted to try to pass this later 1909/1910 block as being a much earlier engine as an early 1909, while not understanding that a "15XX" serial number would have only been on a water-pump engine, NOT the typical open valve engine. Many years ago, in som...

Wayne Sheldon

Ed and Karen are two of the most wonderful people I have ever known! And their kids and grandkids are pretty great also. So many times, I have seen that wonderful car going down the road on Endurance Runs and other tours. I have seen videos of it at the Monterey Historic Races, I never get tired of ...

Wayne Sheldon

Ford did not offer a tourabout body in 1912. I agree with advice you already received, forget about making it correct, fix it up as is and enjoy it. Absolutely TRUE! However, a few were likely put together after-market by replacing the mother-in-law seat on the rear of the roadster with an acquired...

Wayne Sheldon

Unless already personally known? ALL brass era Ts are suspect for authenticity until at least somewhat verified by someone really familiar with the hundreds of minute detail pieces. Few, if any, are a hundred percent correct. Most, of any brass era year, are more fake than authentic. While a 1914, 1...

Wayne Sheldon

Oh, WOW! Wonderful to see.

(Further comments withheld as an incentive for others to click in and see it for themselves first!) (Probably will add later)

Wayne Sheldon

Hey there Martynn! I have very little real hands on experience with the very early model Ts. So most of what I know of them is from reading the books and forums over many years. So many details about them I am not familiar with. Also, common or accepted "knowledge" about the early Ts has changed con...

Wayne Sheldon

Not wanting to cause any significant thread drift. Just pointing out a statement error and giving its correction. "The 1909 Water Pump Engine! The first 2500 or so cars had this configuration which changed somewhere around 1911, to Thermosyphon - " The last of the "water pump" engines was installed ...

Wayne Sheldon

I believe an about 1906/'07 Cadillac runabout with a pickup box added onto the rear. That round thing above the hood is an acetylene gas (large) spot lamp. An after-market accessory that some people in the early days would choose over two headlamps for night driving. More common on automobiles and t...

Wayne Sheldon

Photo number six appears to be a model S from 1908, but not the S roadster (which today is often called the SR, but that is not historically correct?). It appears to be a couple years old and has been modified a bit making identification questionable. Number thirteen is another fine 1915 runabout! T...

Wayne Sheldon

Photo number five is probably one of the earliest TT trucks you will find a photo of! Non-demountable wheels, square wooden felloe fronts, solid tire rears. I am almost certain it has an over axle wishbone with an added under axle brace, although I cannot see enough details of any of it to actually ...

Wayne Sheldon

Been a long time since I had one of those Ford Faithful oilers. However I do really like them. As I recall, that little weep hole often plugs up with the myriad bits of debris and band lining material. I usually packed some paper towels behind the FF oiler before removing it. Usually, I could catch ...

Wayne Sheldon

Especially with the earlier. late brass and late 1910s cars? "More or less" is a rather loose term. From about 1919 or 1920, I "think" the doors are pretty close to the same sheet metal through 1925. I could be wrong about that, having worked on so few post 1921 model Ts myself. I know there are min...

Wayne Sheldon

Those late brass/teens bodies can be tricky? My early 1915 runabout body (original body tag dates it as a February 1915) was missing its door. I had to try five doors to find two that were close to a fit. One was an unknown year, but 1915 or later front door. The fit wasn't great, but close enough I...

Wayne Sheldon

I have missed you Scott, and your informative posts! A lot of high end expensive automobiles of the 1910s used exhaust pressure to pressurize the fuel tank and deliver gasoline from far back and/or low level gasoline tanks up to the front. I do not think I have ever heard of one exploding or causing...

Wayne Sheldon

I believe that is a driver's side. Those mount to the front of the firewall, flat side back onto the firewall. They offset inwards from the frame. They have to! If they offset out from the frame? The hood hooks could NOT be mounted in the frame, they would have to be about an inch outside the frame....

Wayne Sheldon

Also depends on whether or not there is any added restriction in the fuel routing, either by design (like an added fuel filter?) or by material failure (kink in the tubing, Shellac build up due to old gasoline, rust flakes, or any of a hundred other things?). On level roads, any standard model T sho...

Wayne Sheldon

Many years ago, the prevailing wisdom (wrong!) was that Ford factory started using steel firewalls much earlier on many cars. This was due to so many late 1910s and early 1920s surviving Ts had steel firewalls. I even saw a 1915/'16 with a steel firewall. They must have had fun cutting the drain cha...

Wayne Sheldon

The steel felloe with integral clincher rim (I believe actually made from two steel pieces?)? 30 X 3 1/2 or 30 X 3? I know that some literature indicates that that style rim was used in 30 X 3 1/2 only for all four wheels? However, surviving front wheels, and era photographs indicate that many Fords...

Wayne Sheldon

We all miss Bud. I think of him, and so many others from years ago, often.
You I am sure miss Bud more than anyone.
W2

Wayne Sheldon

Bill D, Most of the insulators are also hiding in the haze of the photo, probably bad lighting among other things. I can see about fifteen or twenty insulators, and suspect there are a whole lot more! The phone wires in those days were usually single pair of wires to a party line for local service. ...

Wayne Sheldon

I knew that several model Ks, both touring cars and roadsters, had had windshields back in the day, and that a couple touring cars have them now. But I also like the "wind in my face" feel of open speedsters and other cars early enough to have had no windshield when new. Just had to razz you a littl...

Wayne Sheldon

A windshield now? Oh - - Rob?

I guess it looks okay.

Wayne Sheldon

That is a neat one Herb I!
I think you are right. It appears to be a 1912 open roadster with the seat base removed, and maybe the standard seat remounted low and tilted back, firewall modified with cowl added, steering lowered, and no tool box. Makes a darn nice speed car!

Wayne Sheldon

Your T is looking great in the more recent photos!

Wayne Sheldon

Always nice to see you posting here Eric S! For newer regulars on this forum Eric used to live in the United States, and was very active with the model T hobby, participating on this forum often. Then family and circumstances had him moving to Spain, and he took his model T with him! I am glad to se...

Wayne Sheldon

One point to add?
The three speed progressives and the two speed under or direct transmissions used different housings.
The TT ad that Dan T posted is for the TT three speed progressive shift version.

Wayne Sheldon

Universal made several variations of driveshaft mounted auxiliary transmissions for model Ts and TTs. I have had several of them over the years, and really like them. The underdrives are desirable to some people in the HCCA crowd for early model Ts where they want the advantages of a Ruckstell for h...

Wayne Sheldon

I am sure that you must have enrichened her final days immeasurably!

Wayne Sheldon

(PS - Wayne, did you get my email of Apr. 28 ?) :D I found it just yesterday. Was hoping to respond soon! I have been having fits with yahoo lately, all their BS game playing the past half year has been disgusting. I opened my account and have had the same email address since the late 1990s. They p...

Wayne Sheldon

I really don't know the answer? Personally, I have seen so very few original low crown steering wheel nuts? I am not even sure how close they are to the available reproductions. I "think" they went from low crown brass to high crown brass around 1913? I "know" that the prevailing opinion forty or mo...

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