MTFCA Forum

I have an original 1925 engine that has the coil box on the head and all the 1926 items, except the vaporizer carburetor. Another friend has one made about the same time period that has all the same items with no holes drilled in the block for the transmission cover bolts. There must be many similar...

A friend got both the November - December 2020 Vintage Ford and the January February 2021 Model T Times on Saturday!

I do not have either one yet!

Not to Maryland yet.

Every day or so, I still get a Christmas card mailed in early December, but even the monthly utility bills are arriving late.

Just about all of those 1926 Model T Dash and Door screws were used on the 1928 Model A and are available form several Model A parts suppliers.

The 1926 gas shutoff handle was used on the early Model As and only requires the top bend over travel limiter tab to be cut off for use on a 1926 Model T.

Very neat and great work!

Thanks Bob and Ron for the basics.

My 1926 came with an 8 volt battery.

The starter Bendix spring broke a few months after I got it.

By then, I had been driving my 1927 for 20 years with a 6 volt battery and no starter problems.

Still waiting in Maryland.

My daughter in Maine got my Christmas card today that I mailed on December 9, 2020.

I got a Christmas card yesterday from 22 miles away in Maryland that was mailed December 22, 2020.

The post office may be caught up by Easter!

Another friend read this post and wrote me a note that his Model T Times was returned to sender with an insufficient address label. The address was confirmed to be correct and another copy or that copy was then sent to him again, with extra postage. This is the same magazine issue mailed to me Decem...

The 1928 Model T Parts Book lists a 3269C for 1911 to 1919 (which did not have a starter or need a ring gear) and to replace it with 3269G and 3268, which is the starter ring gear. The G suggests there were 7 flywheel variations, but all should be replaced with a starter ring gear type. That might b...

I just recently sent a note to the editor asking her the same question. Then, yesterday I received a note from her that she had got her copy that day. She confirmed they had all been mailed on schedule. There are a few people and events we can blame, Covid-19 is tops, the post office distribution bu...

This is a change from the earlier 15 %. MARCH 2, 1927 Letter GL1600 from the Fargo branch (Found id Bruce McCalley's book) For your information, the following is a comparative analysis of the babbitt in a connecting rod re-babbitted by an outside concern, and standard Ford babbitt: Outside Standard ...

The Babbitt formula had several options and included lead, but now new Babbitt is being advertised as lead free.

Henry Ford's official Babbitt was mostly tin and only 15 % lead.

My wife wasn't into Model Ts too much, other than enjoying the Model T Tours, but whenever the Vintage Ford arrived, I seldom go to read it first, as she always looked for Jay's page to read and see what he had been doing of interest.

The real problem is when you get a good grip on that ring to be able to turn it, it breaks and the glass also breaks, stabbing your hand with small shards.

Been there, done that, and then put the clock in the trash, the best place I could find for it.

The little indented areas on the valve top tell you they are original valves that were made in two separate pieces, and the tops were stamped in to attach the mushroom to the stem, using those two holes for that purpose.

The early new one will work. It is just a case of cut to specification, pound to fit, and paint to match. The top area has to be pounded in about 1/4 to 3/8th inch in line with the choke/ mixture rod (as Mark's photo shows), and the hole for the exhaust clamp has to be cut out more on the bottom or ...

I was recently asked if there were any Model T engine rebuilders in Virginia. I said I knew of four or more in Ohio, two that did rebuild them, and two that used to rebuild them, in Virginia, but I'm no sure if there are any left. A few years ago I went with a friend that had Mitch Sine rebuild two ...

I bought a 3/4th race cam about 30 years ago from a guy in New Hampshire.

I have no idea what that means or is different, but the T would easily do 55 mph on the level and could gain speed on most hills.

The negative battery post is a little smaller than the positive post.

If the switch size was designed for the negative post, some extra force might be required to put the connections together all the way.

I have one with an arrow and an S in a diamond and was wondering if that was a Sure Mike crankshaft.

I had a small order shipped by Priority Mail on December 11 finally notify me it was at my post office now and would be delivered some time tomorrow. I'm good at math, that is 13 days, not 3 days as advertised and no discount for the late delivery. A friend had an order shipped form the same place o...

I dropped some Model T stuff off at Kevin's garage yesterday and I was rather surprised to see him come to work. So I took a photo of him coming through the door. He probably didn't stay all day. He looked very good for someone that came through the ordeal he did. He said he was mentioned on the For...

So, did it sell for that price?

Only the tag says Holly NH, but the holy NH never had that screw in the side.

The wrong carb for that tag.

Those headlights look like the very rare early 1915 larger size style.

That should make the T very easy to spot.

The Museum sold Henry Ford's camp vehicle around 20 years ago with several features not yet on the 1926 Ford.

One of the magazines had an article on it at that time.

B & S is Briggs and Stratton. Crown is rare for Model Ts and may have made Model A keys. Yale made 1926 and 1927 Model T door keys and Model A door keys up to 1948 for pickup trucks and also ignition keys. It looks like the key would clamp in the middle and one side would set the depth of the igniti...

I just bought a set of Standard Aluminum pistons. Trying one without rings they seem to fit OK. The cylinder diameter was 3.77 and the piston measured 3.73 with my caliper. Trying a ring in the cylinder, it appears to have too much gap and is close to .100 so I may use the originals with the large r...

The HCCT does not tell you the capacitor is bad, but it is always bad with original coils.

That probably was not a problem 60 years ago when the HCCT was new and top driving speeds were 20 MPH.

Coils seem to operate with no capacitor, but the points don't seem to last very long.

The correct transmission cover for the wide brake drum also has two bolts front top to bolt it to the engine block.

The pedals can be interchanged, by removing a rivet inside the cover for the Clutch pedal.

The original owner could have been the U. S. Army and the whole ca would have been painted that color.

My copy does not have that page.

Copyright, 1936, by
G. P. Putnam's Sons

Third Impression

Printed in the United States
of America

Is all I have.

The back page has an add:

EITHER AND ME
or
"Just Relax"

The Last and Best Book written by Will Rogers

I have that copy too! It cost me $5.00 at Hershey about 20 years ago, with a good paper cover. Farewell My Lovely was written by Lee Strout White (pen name of E. B. White and Richard Lee Strout) and published May 16, 1936. They were both good friends and both received 1978 Pulitzer Prizes, but evide...

Those are great units, but they have not been manufactured or available for over a year.

You can than Birdhaven for that problem.

The back Main Bearing is also shorter by about 3/8th inch.

I don't recall the exact difference.

Are the beepers and StroboSpark Testers available again now?

I got mine!

They look kind of sloppy around the line of bolt holes on the valve side, but it should not affect the operation.

Do they have Made In China on them?

Are there any repair manuals available for the basic Frontenac Head with all the valves in a single row?

A friend that does not doo e-mail needs some help.

I have found noting!

Tim, you are on to something overlooked in all the above filters. The most important part of that original pipe is not clean air, it is hot air. Hot air is required to prevent the center area of that carburetor icing up from the venturi effect for using the air input to suck gas out of the carb bowl...

George, that looks like Army Tank Green to me.

There are at least 3 or more carb air pipes, depending on the year of manufacture.

You may order and receive the wrong pipe if you do not specify the year of your Model T and it has the correct engine.

That other small wrench is a Model A wrench, but useful.

I never was sure which type of transmission fluid was supposed to be added to the engine oil. A long time ago, I added just a full cup of Marvel Mystery Oil to my transmission. That oil made the bands so slick that Low and Reverse were somewhat still functional. The brake would not stop the T at all...

There are several opinions on the best way to start a Model T engine. Are there also several procedures for the best way to stop and store a Model T engine? I have collected Model T books for 40 years and have about 40 of them, but I have not found one! A local procedure in Maryland is to turn off t...

I just bought a Holly NH Full Bore from Russ that looks like a brand New Old Stock right out of the box.

I just wanted a spare as they were getting rare, but the one I bought from Russ a few years ago still works great.

Congratulations Andy! You have identified the Service Station Equipment Hand Crank Coil Tester displayed on Page 63, as an unknown manufacturer, in the HCCT Handbook , by Bob Cascisa and Ron Patterson and that was the one I had the most trouble with, at the time. I still have that heavy coil ring, a...

Here are the flat belts that Gates still makes. Part # Product # Description Top Width(in) Top Width(mm) Effective Length (in) Effective Length (mm) Notched Outside Circumference (in) Outside Circumference (mm) Section 811 87800811 811 VINTAGE BELT 1.13 29 22.5 572 false 23.03 585 FLAT 813 87800813 ...

The normal way for this scam to work is the check has included extra money for shipping.

You ship the item and deposit the check right away, as requested, and then send a check to return the extra shipping money.

A day or two later, the bank calls you and tells you the check was bogus.

Evidently the bolts are missing because the safety wire was missing, because someone did not know the importance of the safety wire or else did not install correct bolts with the drilled head for the wire.

Then too, those people running the Montana 500 put a restriction in the engine to radiator hose to slow the water flow and give the radiator more time to remove the heat. I have not tried that yet, but it is reported as a functional improvement. I have removed the water pump from every Model T I hav...

The real problem is it takes 3 or 4 horsepower to operate it and you only have about 20 hp, with none to waste or share. The next problem is it will leak around the shaft and when the nut is tight enough so the leak is stopped the shaft will not turn. The next problem is the belt usually comes off t...

Buckeye electric in Ohio has been selected as a repair station for those starters.

I asked Generator Joe about them a few months ago.

He said they are an authorized repair station, and they have a complete set of spare parts, but none have went bad and needed any parts yet.

That new starter has been around for many years and was original equipment on some foreign cars. Only the Model T adapter plate is new. That gear appears to run on the flywheel all the time, with the Bendix hidden inside. I have only seen photos so far, but the one that has been installed that I kno...

with the ignition key in Bat, measure the voltage on the red and black wires going to the TrueFire Timer.

If it is not at least 11.5 volts, you may not be getting any sparks to the spark plugs as a 12 volt Ford coil is the heart of the system.

The usual problem is the steering to timer rod needs to be lengthened some to have the timing correct. When the timing happens too late, the waste spark cylinder has just started down to draw in some fuel. The waste spark ignites that fuel and causes a backfire through the carburetor, which sometime...

While watching the Weather Channel News this morning, it was suggested that Hurricane Sally is headed right toward Dustin, Florida and knocking on our new MTFCA Board member's front door.

I do hope and pray her home and Model Ts survive the high winds and water.

Maryland went to one plate for Historic vehicles about a year or more ago. You have to carry the plate with you and it is good as long as you own the vehicle. You can display period correct early plates, after they are inspected at the DMV and verified correct, then a lifetime registration is purcha...

All four cylinders should read about 100 psi with a Z head.

That engine must be too tired for the extra compression.

My rebuilt engine read 75 psi with just domed pistons.

Is there still a source for VW 009 distributor shaft bushings and a few other small parts?

The shaft bushings seems to wear the most and is the most difficult to find.

Maryland passed a law about 10 years ago that states, "any licensed vehicle is illegal to be driven on any road with a posted speed limit, if the vehicle cannot be driven at 5 mph above the posted speed limit." I researched the reason and intent of the law and was told it was passed primarily for mo...

Most of the new repros have smaller metric screws with smaller heads.

I re-tap them to the American size, but finding screws of the correct length is impossible.

So screws have to be trimmed enough to allow the switch contacts to fit the depressions.

Those holes were not there for valve grinding.

They were part of the manufacturing process to attach the cast valve to the machined stem.

Henry Ford (actually Edsel was in charge by then) switched the Model A to a Positive + Ground and the polarity remained that way for quite a few years.

No one has ever found or published a reason for the change.

In another story and word found on the Internet: Who invented the first Automotive Assembly Line? "Automotive pioneer Ransom Eli Olds deserves credit for patenting the first assembly line process , and for starting the automotive industry in the Detroit area. Henry Ford is usually given credit for i...

Does anyone know of a good source for a replacement VW 231 178 009 Industrial Distributor?

Are the Made in China look-alikes just as good?

The whole Model T kit appears easier to find and buy.

The bushing used to be available, but I lost the part number for that item.

When I was stationed in New Zealand in the late 1950 era, I was surprised at all the items they rebuilt, when they were just thrown away in the USA. One item was that little flasher can, that normally only needed the points polished. The can was crimped around the base and that metal was straightene...

Those lights stay on until the current heats a strip of metal in that little can. The metal is two different types fused together, so it bends when heated, due to a different coefficient of expansion for the two metal types. The switch points go through that strip, so when it gets hot and bends, the...

The actual engine temperature is a better gauge than the boiling point of Evans, which is about 40 degrees F above water.

Ask for Generator Joe at Buckeye Electric.

He knows all the answers.

One question I have never found an answer to in my 40 years of recent Model T ownership is, "why did Henry Ford change from a Negative Model T Ground to an Positive Model A Ground?"

Then too, what difference does it or could it possibly make?

Has anyone done any research on how many horsepower is taken from the engine to run the water pump?

That flasher works by current heating a metal strip that flips open to interrupt the current and turn the lights off momentarily. A 4 way flasher needing extra current would probably work normally. They make an electronic 12 volt flasher that will et you add extra lights, like towing a trailer will ...

Replace the frame too.

Dishwasher soap makes no bubbles.

I have always wanted to try that in the radiator with plain water for cleaning.

The simple part is the temperature of a cotton band will cause a burned up band and relieve the pressure on the drum at a much lower temperature than Kevlar. It is kind of rocket science as Kevlar was used as the exhaust part of the rocket, because it did not burn up and survived much higher tempera...

That would be for Model MP1

Wanted TruCut Utility Press Parts or Parts List.

Jim Golden, Bowie, Maryand

That company was in my hometown, Clayton, New York.

It went out with the depression!

I have more information and photos about the company.

The boat museum there has two or three different make Model T engines in boats.

When you get that all figured out, the can markings, grading and contents are soon all going to change again.

I read someplace that the early engine oil was not much thicker than kerosene or automatic transmission fluid.

That would not work well today, as any drip is frowned on!

I just repaired a 1924 with the same or very similar symptoms.

They were most notable at higher speeds with either the Bat or Mag selected.

The fix was a new timer with a smoother cover and a stronger roller spring.

Dan, I made a key for a switch that looked like yours that was correct for a totally restored (about a 1935 Chris Craft) wood boat for a guy in Texas. I never saw the boat, but the key was smaller than the Model T keys and other wise the same. A few early cars also had a larger key and a similar Mod...

Yesterday, I helped a guy rewire his 1924 T Pickup that had a wiring fire and ammeter melt down. Naturally I suspected the usual problem and found another ammeter for him, not an easy task now days. He had the small upgrade and I found an original. I had previously tested the ammeter by running 6 vo...

When I bought my T, in 1980, it came with a new box of those Scandinavia band lining that were closer to a yellow color. They were purchased about 1960, according to the previous owner. I installed them, and was ready for a tour, around 1990. I was stopping about every 10 miles to adjust low again a...

That is not a Model T Part.

In the old days, firemen were taught the center third of those gauges was the most accurate area to set and run the water pumps.

The 100 psi max gauge puts most Model T stock engines right in the center area.

Wanted To By - A Model T Generator Pole Screw Removing Tool.

Jim Golden, Bowie, MD

There used to be another aluminum High Compression Head available, made by Ralph G. Reeder, in Dickinson, Texas. I have always wondered if he was friends with Ralph Zajicek or if they worked together to design those heads. It had Ford years cast in it, on the driver's side in back and I have one in ...

Would someone please explain the purpose of that Kingston L4 small cork above the flapper valve?

What is the purpose of the Flapper Valve?

Would there be any noticeable effect if that cork was missing and the flapper valve was there in good condition??

I have that Yellow Fuse Holder (that I got from John) in the proper place and that has not been any problem at all! I also had that Electronic Cutout that I got from John, but it went bad and they are very hard to get now. They are not too hard to convert to a just plain diode. That is still working...

Some of the blocks that I have disassembled have a groove cut for the smaller or thinner lock washers and also cotter pins.

I have only found those thinner lock washers on house and garage electrical fittings in fuse boxes.

Then you have to measure the hub hole where you are trying to install the hubcap. The 1926/1927 rims have a hubcap with FORD Made IN USA on it. The 1928 rims are identical, except the 1928 rim has a 3/8th inch larger hole with a hubcap that only has FORD on it. The 1928 tabs all have to be bent slig...

The only problem with the fuse plan is that if your engine is running on Magneto and the fuse blows for some other reason, the engine will continue to run and the generator will consume all the current generated and burn itself out.

The common scenario is that the cardboard ammeter terminal insulators shrink and allow the terminal to drop down, short to the case and draw maximum current from the battery and generator, which usually starts a fire and destroys the generator.

I have one of those wrenches and have been wondering what it was supposed to be used to fix, etc.

I hope someone finds the real answer.

Ford jumped the gun with that 1926 engine and started installing the new engine in all vehicles about July 1, 1925, making the official 1926 start date August 1, 1925. I recently opened up a July 20, 1925 original engine and found all the 1926 changes had been made, including those screw head bolts ...

There is a note in one of the publications about Henry Ford having two radiator types available for the Model Ts. One was for cold countries that needed les cooling. The Flat tube and Round tube radiators made today are supposed to be exact copies, but one kind has 4 rows and the other type has 5 ro...

Buckeye will sell you the parts and let you do it yourself, if you know what you are doing.

Wanted to buy a Model T Generator Field Coils No-Go Gauge.

These are very helpful in getting a perfect alignment of the pole pieces.

Jim Golden, Bowie, Maryland

T generator field coil Go-No Go gauge.
Jim Golden, Bowie, MD

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