MTFCA Forum

FWIW, I'm a proud owner of an early Ford generator cutout, as well.

: Cutout 1sm.jpg (35.1 KiB) Viewed 1563 times

Rich C.

I have two 1919 engine blocks that are close... List 3,231,066 built on July 11, 1919 Mine 3,237,121 built on July 14, 1819 List 3,534,732 built on November 8, 1919 Mine 3,532,477 built on November 4, 1919 It was fun looking to see if I had hit a jackpot - but nope. Thanks for the listing! Rich C.

Here is my Model N engine number 365. It might be that inventory was on a last in first out system. If so, an early engine that was placed in inventory might not get pulled out for some extended period of time, when inventory got low. It would then be stamped with a current engine number. Number365a...

Actually, the woodruff key that anchors the pinion gear on the driveshaft is all that keeps you from having motion and brakes! The 20HP engine in a Model T can only provide so much torque for acceleration, however, stomping on the brake pedal can put more stain on the driveshaft and that little key....

Many thanks to all the responses concerning my request for solutions to bringing out a nice black finish to my original hard rubber ignition switch body. As a follow up, I took the suggestions of Brent T and Larry S and used a wax polish and it worked just fine! The question of when this type of swi...

I need some advice on bringing out the black color on this original 1914-18 ignition switch body. I sanded the outside to even out the surface imperfections by wet sanding all the way through to 2000 grit. The surface is smooth, but alas, not ending up black. The hard rubber up to this point is not ...

I was happy to find this NOS Reeder low head. Okay, it's not actually that old, but it is in new unused condition. It was on Joe Bell's table.

Rich C.

The 1922 Ford NH also had the "Ford" script in the body casting.

Rich C.

Gentlemen – thank you for the suggestions on my front radius rod dilemma. I too had considered that I made the mistake of having the spring perches swapped and I actually disconnected the shackles on one side and withdrew the perch and made sure the angle tipped the axle forward. It did. In the end ...

I’m building up a 1918 TT chassis and have the front end done with the wheels attached. Now I’m at the point of being ready to installing the rear end assembly and look forward to having a chassis that I can roll around. With the long driveshaft tube of the TT, I placed an oil pan with transmission ...

I believe the pre-1926 gas tank mounting holes on the frame remained into the 1926-27 models. I see them on my two 1926-27 frames. Remember, Ford still offered a chassis, as shown in the picture below.

: Factory Chassis.jpeg (71.75 KiB) Viewed 945 times

Rich C.

Hi Dan - I sent you an email for the brackets.

Rich C.

Karl,

I sent you an email regarding your roadster body.

Thanks,

Rich C.

Steve,
I bought and mounted the Blockley 760x90 inner tubes on 30x3 clincher wheels and they worked fine. For the 30x3-1/2" tubes, they're on the Blockley website as 30x3.5 inner tubes.

: Blockley 30x3+half.jpg (13.79 KiB) Viewed 1041 times

Hope this helps...
The stem hardware from the vendors works fine.
Rich C.

Steve, I have a pair of shortened TT rear radius rods that I won't be using. The rods themselves are not in great shape, one is bent and the other is split open at one end. However, if it is just the after-market riveted fork pieces that you are looking for, I can help. I could saw off the rods clos...

I guess this stash of mine would be considered a hoard...

Cheers,
Rich C.

Back in May this year I bought four 440/450x21 tires from Blockley. The price was £596 (£149 each). The conversion rate at that time was 1.21 dollars per pound making the cost $721. Shipping was $408, however the cost of shipping was not included as part of the $800 duty free limit. I did ask Blockl...

Here is the nickel tour of using the Lock-N-Stitch pins to fix a crack as I have done it. I am not an expert and will welcome any tips or corrections from those who are better experienced. First drill a series of holes along the length of the crack using the Lock-N-Stitch spacer. This first set of h...

A weekend road trip up to MN sounds like fun. I'll bring a small collection of engine blocks, from 1916-1926 with no visible cracks. Priced at $30-45. each.

Rich C.

I have these two 1917 Towncar photos in my library, both of which you might already have seen. Nonetheless, here they are...
Rich C.

: Town Car2.jpeg (65.93 KiB) Viewed 1491 times

Mark and Ralph,

I sent you emails via the forum regarding Type 3 roofing tar for coil rebuilding. I'm ready to send some and need your shipping addresses.

Rich C.

Mark, I can help you. I have more of that Type 3 roofing tar than I will ever use. It might be a few days, but I'll be happy to ship you more than enough for a set of coils. The stuff is somewhat difficult to chip pieces off the block in warm temperatures, but flakes off fairly easily when cold. Non...

I'd be in for 2 of the rectangular TW timer brushes.

Thank you, Tim.

Rich C.

Scott – here are some pics of a Reeder low head I purchased at a swap meet recently. The seller had bead blasted the head and unfortunately sprayed it with gloss black paint, which made photographing a little trickier. Pictured are the head and close-ups of the various numbers. Don’t know if this is...

Steven,

Email sent for purchase. Thanks.

Rich C.

I posted a similar question not that long ago and the consensus was that the intake elbow was used on the early vaporizers, but dropped later on. The pic below shows the elbow for both Holley and Ford versions (left) and the Holley and Ford non elbow versions (right). You’ll notice the elbow vaporiz...

Steve, have you had any luck securing a Prus head? If not, I can help. I bought this one from Kevin Prus in Hershey last October and it'll be several more months before I will need it.

Rich C.

Jacob,
This won't really help get you the TT Ruckstell shift lever you want since I plan on using this one on my 1926 Closed Cab TT. However, here is what a TT lever looks like.

Rich C.

I have several 1926 style blocks with 1925 serial numbers available. I'm already half way to California to visit family and attend the Auburn swap meet.

Rich C.

Hello everyone. I’m building a 1918 TT truck from pieces. I have most every item I need for the chassis, including an early frame with the shorter rear cross member, the rear axle housings with the raised ring on the cast section, the rear axle housing access plate without the filler plug, a parking...

I’m posting another data point, or experience if you will, on ordering tires from Blockley. Last Thursday I ordered four 21” x 440/450 tires and they arrived on my doorstep in Tulsa on Wednesday. The cost for the tires was $745, based on the currency exchange rate of $1.25 per British Pound. The shi...

That would be Claude Jockman. I'll email you his contact information.

Rich C.

Casting dates disappeared in early 1922 for US production. Most people figure that when the change from two piece valve covers to the one piece cover, which occurred from late 1921 into early 1922, that with the change in the casting mold at that time was also when the casting date was dropped. Howe...

The NIGHT hogshead is not mine, but I discovered it in this thread: https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/3 ... 84103.html

Rich C.

Being curious minded paid off! My original post, above, showed a 1912 hogshead where part of the date said DAY and my whimsical question was does this mean there are contemporary covers that say NIGHT? It turns out that the answer is yes!

: NIGHT 1912 Cover 1.jpg (60.02 KiB) Viewed 1730 times

Rich C.

Bruce, email sent.

Rich C.

I stay active. Here I am competing in a half marathon distance trail run in Page AZ.

The Ford Models NRS that preceded the Model T had a belly pan under the engine crankcase. I don’t, however, think its purpose was to provide better cooling. In the sales brochures where it describes the components of the car it states: “Dust Pan – protects all machinery from mud and grit”. Since mos...

The Model T Judging Guidelines tell us the 1919 and 1920 starter switches were of this style, having the cable contacts at a 45 deg angle.

Rich C.

I am #12. Thanks for the gathering!

Rich Chillingworth

I’ve seen a few vaporizer carburetors that have a 90 deg scoop attacked to the air inlet, as shown in the photo below. Air Intake Scoop_s.jpg Looking at several vaporizer inlets I see some are made with a hole to attach this air scoop and others are not. In the photo below the lower pair are the For...

Here is my block pressure testing setup. I fill the block with water using the head inlet to as high as it will let me. This assures the block water jacket is completely flooded. Next I attach the air supply to the head inlet and pressure it up. Then look for water seepage. Needless to say before fi...

Have you tried backing off the brake shoe support bolt a bit so it isn't pulling the shoe towards the axle backing plate? It might help the alignment of the shoes.

Rich C.

As Pat suggested patience and penetrating oil are essential. The photos below are from a 1927 block of mine that a previous owner apparently tried some heavy brute force to free the pistons and valve. All four pistons had their tops punched through and four of the valve heads were broken off. The co...

I have three 1913 Holley S carburetors, as well. All have the valve needle guide.

Rich C.

Steve, as Scott C. mentioned above, Type 3 steep roofing tar can be purchased from a local roofing company. I bought this 50lb bag for about $25 a number of years ago. I still have plenty left! Small bits don't chip off so easily in warm weather, but I'd be glad to send you a few lbs if you would li...

Put new linings on a set of 1926-27 brake shoes. Not a biggie, but glad to get it done. My process consisted of C-clamping the lining to the shoes and squaring everything up before drilling the first hole through the lining. A screw (#8) was installed to keep anything from moving while I drilled and...

The 7th photo from the top appears to be a 1916 touring, however, it has a 1917-22 three window top. Is this unusual or do we think the top got replaced a few years into the car's life.

Rich C.

When the box containing four 1914 Heinze coils arrived at my place I couldn’t wait to open it and see what I got. It was a word of mouth purchase. This style of coil units were made to conform to Ford’s specifications to fit their new steel coil box dimensions and contact post placement. These boxes...

Below is a transmission hogshead I bought at Tulare this year. It’s a 1911-12 style where the clutch release forks are attached to the high speed clutch shaft using Woodruff keys and clamps. The cover was complete with DB pedals and all the other internals when I bought it, but have since removed th...

Interestingly, this 1913 block was for sale at Tulare this past weekend. Given that the casting date is one day after the block featured in this thread, it should be a valid example of what the Ford factory was producing at that time.

Rich C.

Mike,
I'll be driving from Tulsa to Tulare for the swap meet and could bring the top bows back with me. After that we could plan a rendezvous somewhere between us to get the bows in your hands.

Rich Chillingworth
918.640.2318

The short timing between the cast date and assembly is very typical for 1917. Same day and next day examples are common as well for that year. The foundry must have been having a hard time keeping up with the production line.

Rich C.

Your serial number 2,217,841 shows the assembly date is Sept 25, 1917. I have the digital version of the Encyclopedia on my PC and find it a very valuable resource.
Regards,
Rich C.

In mid-April 1919 Ford started making the change in the front radius rod from mounting above the front axle to below. This required a new design of the front spring perches and initially this change was only for the TT truck. Perhaps this was a way for the workers to know that this axle was destined...

Pictured below is my 1917 Canadian engine block. The casting date is 11-1-17, and as you notice, is in a unique position. The engine number is C138960. I don't see any evidence of a Ford script or Made in U.S.A. having been ground off. I've seen pictures of two other blocks in the same style having ...

Looking through my stash of water inlet and outlet connections, I found two that had green paint on them. I cannot guarantee these have not been re-painted at some time in the past, however I doubt many engines in use in the day got freshened up with new paint. And if it was part of a restoration pr...

As mentioned above, the engine number boss on the block in question is of a later style, beginning in late 1915 or early 1916. When the serial numbers hit the one million mark the extra digit made for a tight fit for the the guy stamping in the numbers. You can see what an original 1913 number boss ...

Chickasha block left side s.jpg When I picked up this early 1922 engine block at Chickasha it had a fair amount of dirt adhering to it. Once home a quick cleaning with a drill mounted wire brush revealed a “What do we have here?” blemish. Needless to say the next thing I did was flip the block over...

It is correct that Made in Canada Model T engine blocks used casting dates until the end. The block in question is a Made in USA block - you will see the entire left side of the block in my Part 2 in a few days. Remember, Canadian block serial numbers start with a "C". While briefly on the subject o...

I bought a 1922 engine block at Chickasha this year entirely because it had two rather interesting features. This post will cover the first point of interest – it has a casting date. The CD version of Bruce McCauley’s “Model T Ford Encyclopedia” has a list of engine numbers and their corresponding c...

I remembering you telling me the story of how you acquired the screening from the warehouse that was about to be demolished while we were visiting at the Hershey the last time we were there. I hope to see your work on a TT express bed soon.

Rich C.

Does your Ruckstell shifter with the double clamp look like this? It may provide a clue as to its origin.

Rich C.

I decided to try the Lock-n-Stitch method to repair a freeze crack in a 1918 block. This crack was an easy fix as the parent material was thick enough to catch plenty of threads on the pins. Here are the before and after pics. I still have to grind the heads of the pins down to the surface of the bl...

I'm a little late to the party, however here are pics showing the high speed shaft and yoke assembly on my 1911-12 hogshead. Note the brass yoke has on oil groove - at least that's what I'm guessing it is.

Rich C.

I hope this will help you...

Rich C.

As Steven pointed out, a new Ruckstell fiber thrust washer is inexpensive and can easily be sanded to the needed thickness where the differential neither wiggles side to side nor locks up when the casing bolts are drawn down. I secured my fiber washer on a workbench, as shown, making sure the screws...

My Reeder head...

Rich C.

Pictured below is a 1918 block I’m taking apart and am down to one stuck piston to complete the task. Now the reason for this post is to point your attention to the extra oblong water hole opposite the usual one, both in the center section of the deck. Has anyone come across this modification - I as...

Sometimes you're lucky!

Rich C.

I came home with 10 or 11 different items, but this 5Z-210 flywheel cap screw wrench is my favorite find.

Rich C.

From the parts catalog...

: Rear Springs.jpg (28.11 KiB) Viewed 1689 times

Although the top leaf is very short, they are often found broken.

Rich C.

Looks like I will be hunting for a 1911-18 straight spindle arm. I didn't notice the crack until after sandblasting this piece.

Rich C.

I installed the exhaust pipe and muffler on my 1926 TT chassis. The exhaust pipe is one of Larry Smith's fine reproductions and the muffler ends are originals. The two outer shell pieces are from a reproduction muffler while the inner shell is part of the exhaust pipe. The fit was great, making for ...

I did what Larry S. suggested regarding filling in the worn segment of the rods before re-plating, and it worked out great.

Rich C.

I enjoy collecting and studying Model T engine blocks and seeing if I can find something interesting. It is especially fun when I discover one that is different from the normal expectations. I recently found and bought this 1916 block and I thought I'd share the find. At first glance you might be wo...

I have a 1914-16 frame that had the opposite of a bulge - it apparently had been bumped in at one place on the side rail. I know a '14-16 frame is worth a bit more making it worthy of a repair if possible, but it was pretty easy to fix.

Rich C.

For filling the TT rear axle through the filler plug on the housing I used the procedure pictured below.

Rich C.

My original 1924 C-Cab TT stake bed truck.

Rich C.

Thanks to everyone for posting their soldering advice. I learned some good ideas. It didn't do the pre-tinning, but still ended with satisfactory results. Remember when soldering, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness."

Rich C.

The Canadian engine blocks used casting dates through to the end of production whereas these dates were discontinued in USA production starting in 1922. For whatever reason, the Canadian blocks revised their casting dates around 1923 using an alphabet letter to designate the year. “A” for 1923, “B” ...

I have at late 1917 Canadian engine block with the same casting date location, with serial number C138960. I believe you have an authentic Canadian Ford block. Bakersfield buy Pic1.JPG BTW, the changeover from the inline casting date to circular casting date on the Canadian blocks appears to have ta...

Wouldn’t loosening the spring perches at the rear axle housing allow you to swivel the entire rear end assembly forward the required ¼”?

Rich C.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and offers. I’ve been playing with my rear perch & nut pieces this morning. What I did was lightly file the tops of the treads on the perch and nuts to remove any burrs and slightly reduce the height of the threads. Then, using some valve grinding compound, littl...

I have a few rear spring perches with good threads, some with their original nuts and some without. The nut thread size is 11/16” – 16 tpi. Having bought a couple of new perch nuts from the vendors, I find these replacement nuts cannot be threaded on the perches. Some rudimentary measurements are as...

Mark, your piece is from an early TT rear spring perch. Those early perches had a narrow casting with a collar on each end to make up the width. Later, the perch castings were full length and didn't have the collars anymore. This picture is not the best, but it shows where your collar sits. TT Haul ...

February 2nd and it’s sunny and 76 degrees in Tulsa! Seemed like an opportune time for the inaugural test drive of my 1924 TT chassis. I had started the engine half a dozen times or so letting it run 20 or 30 minutes over the past several weeks - even got it to start hand cranking it off the magneto...

Size: OD 1.00" ID 11/16" OAL 3.00". Best to confirm just to make sure, however. I got my TT shackle bushings from Bronzebushings.com. Looking through their site I don't see the 3 inch length listed anymore, but I would imagine they would still make them if requested. Hope this helps, Rich C.

Wayne – both my 1918 circular casting date blocks, plus the other one I saw, were all pre-generator blocks. For 1919 blocks there are four different styles, if I may call them that. They are inline casting dates with and w/o generator provision and circular casting dates with and w/o generator provi...

Although the circular casting date is generally considered introduced in 1919, they actually started showing up early as mid 1918. I have two 1918 blocks with a circular casting date, the earlier one (June) shown below, and have seen one other. Block with Circ casting.JPG On the flip side of this th...

I replaced the bushing in my steering bracket which will eventually get bolted to a 1914 roadster chassis. The original bushing was the long one piece style and it wasn’t wanting to let loose of its host. A bushing driver didn’t budge it nor did tapping one end of the bushing with a ½” NPT tap and i...

My 1922 Coupe had a locking steering wheel with the original key (which works) when I bought it. It's still on the car today.

Rich C.

As Jeff said, this back panel with the Ford script was used on the earliest AA trucks, until February 1928.

Rich C.

Among the treasures I found at Hershey was the mate to my 1913 Victor “1” cowl lamp. Now I have a matching set. RSC Differences1.jpg Nope, not so fast! A close inspection revealed the spade mounting brackets were different. RSC Differences2.jpg I find the details to be interesting and know nobody wo...

One other indicator of an early TT is the rear cross member. The early ones are shorter and have only one hole for mounting a bed instead of two. Your photo field of view didn't quite cover this area of the frame. Pictured below is what I'm describing.

: TT Haul2.jpg (72.95 KiB) Viewed 3305 times

Rich C.

I’m not trying to change the purpose of Matt G’s original post about his great Model T buzz saw – I love it. However, there was some interest regarding the aluminum hogshead on his late 1915 / early 1916 engine assembly. From an earlier post by Hap Tucker in July 2012 we get this mention of 1916 alu...

It looks like the transmission hogshead is aluminum. During early 1916 a few aluminum transmission covers were used alongside the newly introduced cast iron covers. These 1916 aluminum covers were more like the 1911-12 style covers in that did not have the reinforcing gussets at the bolts holes. Alu...

Actually a TT in progress...

Rich C.

The Arkansas River through Tulsa looked more like the Mississippi River for several days – wide and fast moving. It flooded numerous areas along its course as the waters rose due to increased output flow from the upstream Keystone Lake Dam. The river is now below flood stage and cleanup is going wel...

This block came out of a TT truck that looked like it was cobbled together at some time in the past, based on the mix of major pieces. My plan is to make a test stand using this engine to test carburetors, starters, and generators. It’s an Oct 1925 engine, in others words an early 1926 block. It loo...

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