MTFCA Forum

Ten Years ago I put together a Stag Tour and so I was the leader. Lee had his Coupe which he used to drive to high school (a few years ago). It has a Ruckstell. On the way home I was doing about 40 mph down hill when Wham! In my mirror it looked like Lee was trying to get me to go faster. I started...

Rich, It's been 15 years since I've been offered triple my purchase price to part with Rusty. Terrie thinks I am Daft to have passed on $15 cash U.S.

Rusty came to me at $5. I have never failed to beat the cost of the car when adding petrol!

: Rusty...$5!

: Rusty... over priced?

TH

David, I mentioned your old cars (Barney and one other T) so NOT OT!

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I just got an e-mail from David Dewey. I don't know if you were aware but he went to visit family in Dunsmuir, because his house was without power, about two weeks ago. Shortly after leaving Oroville he found out that his neighborhood was evacuated due to the fire approaching. He was not allowed bac...

Erik Barrett took his Dodge Brothers on a tour I was on about ten years ago.

Dick, I really like rough looking old trucks like that. Then I saw the painted door on that.... hey I lived in Webster Groves in 1976-1977! Terrie and I had just married and I was still in Dental school down the road. I didn’t see any old cars there then. I didn’t even see anywhere one could be hid...

Gary London Frequents this board. As he lives in Camarillo he is a member of the Ventura chapter. He posts under the name “modeltbarn”.

https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/memberlist.php ... ile&u=376
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Thanks Alan.

Don Jennings (author of “Three Pedals Down Main Street”) used to leave sage advice on the rear of his T using chalk. One I enjoyed was “Pass with care, driver chews terbaccee”.

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I don’t mind bumper stickers as long as they are dignified and tasteful. For my car “Rusty”: 56C2B76F-AAE0-4140-B4C1-4063A8E24EC0.jpeg I looked for a sticker which states: “This car has a two speed transmission. If you don’t like this speed you sure as hell won’t like the other!” Since I couldn’t f...

So the rumor was true! I bet you got a really cool oval speedster tank in that swap. It was dented when I got that tank in a swap meet deal! You will have to decide where to cut for the filler.

Hey, if Jennifer and Karen are driving I bet my daughter would love to crew!

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Steve, after 93 years I suspect neither belt is original (actually I am pretty sure as I bought both at the Grass Valley Napa store). However, Rusty may have some of the original air in the tires. Bill has not committed to band replacement just yet but he did spin a fable about a Salt truck changin...

I went out to visit with a friend and have donuts this morning. I drove there in "Rusty", my 1927 L.A.F.D. Mountain Patrol Vehicle, in hopes that it will spur Bill on to finally change out his worn out bands in his '23 touring. BTW, after looking at "Rusty" can you figure out how he earned his nick...

I think of Wile E. Coyote every time I see an “X” on the floor in a store or bank. I can’t help looking up for the anvil! Erik, don’t be prejudiced against ACME. My ACME is the best bicycle I’ve ever had! (Way better than the 1895 Rudge!) B6DE2D39-84AE-46D2-8E18-CE47E155CA06.jpeg 888A0B40-3D14-44A6...

Mark, I disagree. No material in use for bands can create more heat than Kevlar. Wooden bands will ablate if overheated. I did that once going down the grade from Iowa Hill (Long, steep, horrendously dangerous... first I lost my transmission brake, then low, then reverse... I like to think that my ...

Dennis, My first trip up to Oregon was really a trip to take my 1913 T and family up to Friday Harbor on a tour of the San Juan Islands and then up island from Victoria on Vancouver Island. We stopped by to visit Keith and Yvonne Townsend in Gresham near Portland. Then we went up the Historic Colum...

That boy is dressed well and is in quite an upscale neighborhood. The car for the masses seems right at home there as would a more pricey vehicle!

IMHO, TH

I was floored by the photo just posted by Dan Treace. It is from the Grand Central Auto Show, NYC, Jan. 6, 1909 and the line-up of new Fords. It clearly shows three of my favorite body styles: Town Car ($1,000), Runabout ($825) and Laundaulet ($950). My favorite is the Laundaulet. I have reposted D...

Mike, That is the automatic air valve set screw. All of my vaporizer carbs have one. Ford says the air valve purpose is to automatically control air supply for maximum acceleration. The screw limits the air valve opening. As near as I can figure it sets the maximum the air valve flapper can open. S...

I have pulled up a video you might want to look at regarding a vaporizer problem. Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPfzFRipNkc . About 5 years ago I had a problem with the carburetor running badly. You can see the carburetor squirting fuel out at 1:36 on the video. This is leaking out th...

For the car to run well you need spark, compression and fuel mixture. If a car runs badly on one type of carburetor folks are prone to trying another type. If it runs well on one type you tend to stick with that type. Before playing with carbs you must make sure the car is running well spark and co...

Rich, been there, done that. Quite some time ago a good friend told me how he got stuff out of his first T's transmission. I know it has been a while since I heard this story, long before I attended his memorial service about 15 years ago. When George was a kid he rounded up three other young aspir...

Gary, I disagree about the 1922 Sedan idea. The number may be the same but the engine isn't. The 1918 had a very distinctive exposed valve and pushrod set in three groups of two cylinders. The 1922 had the more modern enclosed valve and pushrod train used for years to come. That exposed pushrod eng...

Gary, Neat chassis. It is a 1918 Buick series 45. It will make a really nice speedster! Wish I had the time and the money!

I think you will be convinced when you see this photo of the 1918 Buick:

Hope you are doing well, Terry

You can see how often I review old forum pages. I just saw the above message from Tim. Tim is a great guy who just gifted me with the upholstery he removed from his car... Rusty will proudly wear those seat covers...THANKS TIM!!! Tim requested spoke jack tool photos so I have dug some up. sj.jpg I ...

For further reading here is another of the old stories, this time by Charlie Cotterman about his visit with RD.

https://www.mtfca.com/members/cotterman/charlie.htm

I suggest you just get some modern float plalstic , make a float and be done with it!

This is from Langs, I assume most vendors have it.

: new float material

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William, I just replaced my heating plate on my ‘27... again. The new ones do look shiny like stainless. Stainless would be a good choice like the tube running through the stove. The problem I have with the reproduction heating plates is that the detailed stamping is too sharply delineated. IMG_722...

Memorial Day is a time we pause to remember and honor those who have lost their life in service to our country. I hope we can include all our military veterans and current members as well as those who are helping us cope with present conditions. On this vein I thought I would post a link to a story...

Here the happy new owner of my speedster gives her husband the first ride!

: 1918 speedster

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I think this is dangerously close to the actual Ford method. I love the prep work. The devil is in the details!

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I just saw an interesting video which just may have some application in achieving an authentic “black era” Model T paint job! https://youtu.be/sH4249-gQgY

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Don’t forget the blades afixed to the rear hubs like they had in the Ben Hur film!

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Rich, I recently went through this and posted some thoughts about how I did it. https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11807&p=90841#p9084 I eventually discovered a cool hint in a recent Vintage Ford magazine. You can leave the field coil mounting bolts loose after leveling the magnets allowi...

Another thing I am now doing which is great fun: After setting my timer I pulled the painters tape off of my quadrant and put fresh tape there. Then I cut a strip of paper to wrap around the pulley, marking TDC and degrees around the pulley. Next I transferred the marks to the quadrant tape. Set th...

Larry I would add the front stake pocket to your list of mistakes... you can't put the top down if you have anything in the front stake pocket. Ford fixed this for '26-'27 by moving the stake pocket a bit back.

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Ed, those Stearns-Knights were neat cars. Did that one have some of Art's sleeve valves or did it have original valve sleeves? Too bad it was all wrapped up... hard to see!

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Phil, it only works to have someone else do it if your timing gear cover is properly centered. So you need to get or make a centering fixture. Much less expensive, and very easy, is to just do it yourself. I changed my procedure for accomplishing this task this week to make it much easier (less rot...

FJ, good photo of Roger and Erik! Is that a Stearns-Knight in front of the Center door T on the trailer? ... pretty cool!

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Dave, I can just make out what your wonderful wife must have been saying:

"OOOH, Honey, it is way to cold for you out in that shop. Why don't you come in to the dining room and work on the dining table, that way I won't be lonely!"

: Nice workbench!

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Dan, You mentioned a later type of cover with a rolled edge... my car is from 3/1927. I am not sure it has the original Bendix cover, but it probably does. My cover has a rolled edge, however there is an area where the rolled edge has split and torn away, about 1/2" worth. The only reason to add a ...

Yikes, I haven't used lock washers on these in.... well ever! I wish I had seen this a few hours ago, I would have put lockers in there, a plain good idea. Access to the Bendix \screws is a bit difficult with the pedals, linkage, Horlick design slider Rocky Mountain interface connection, and brake ...

After installing my engine with repairs completed I discovered a good size oil leak from the area of the Bendix cover. I looked around and found the old gasket in my discard pile... I couldn't have installed the cover without a gasket, could I? with a quick glance I could confirm that I used a new ...

Dan, you just hit the reason I wanted to know about AC on the chuck. I wondered if someone was using a demagnetizer to hold a flywheel down.

TH

Last time I had my engine out I marked TDC, 15 degrees after TDC, BDC and 15 degrees after BDC on the aluminum pulley (TTP after market I think). So to find 15 ATDC I just turn the engine until the 15 mark lines up with the cast boss I use as a degree wheel pointer. 0C795BBF-FE85-437F-8C32-7ACACE90...

Pretty neat looking thing. I assume it is made to test the coil on a distributor ignition system and as such would be worthless on setting the coils on our model T cars.

TH

A quick question for the folks who surface grind their flywheel assembly. Back in the 1970's whilst I was awaiting the results of my dental board exams I worked in a machine shop which was surface grinding parts. The parts were held down with a magnetic chuck and ground under water coolant spray. D...

<<<The official magneto gap is .025" to .040". That's a range of .015". Does a variation of .002" or .003" within that range really have any appreciable effect on magneto output? Steve, it is possible for some folks to misunderstand your post. You are referring to two different measurements. Gap be...

Can anyone tell me the function of that elbow? I don't think it will change the size of bird able to be sucked up into the carburetor as it's lumen is the same size as the intake without the elbow. The only thing I can think of is perhaps pulling the air from the side instead of the bottom will cou...

Mark, it is now evident to me that the oft referred to vaporizer cut away view which I showed above is wrong. Hole A and R are not on the bottom of the casting. There is no R hole but rather a hole A passing horizontally through the casting and the choke rod. Also there is a small diameter vent hol...

Rob,

I just completed that job yesterday without the KW tool. (I am sheltering at home also). I suggest you look at my thread if you don’t find a tool to use.

Click this link:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11807

TH

It is now about 2 weeks past when I started this magnet job. I have discovered that my method of setting the magnets works but that the limits I chose to stick to based on suggestions caused great grief to me. A really good mechanic suggested that .010" on the magnets is about the limit. I translat...

Regarding broken Oak Spokes: The broken spoke guy was Ralph Ricks. I don't know where he got the oak spokes, but he did switch back to hickory. He used to tow his car by hooking it to the hitch on his Jaguar and then towing it on all fours. As I recall he got the steering turned and the sidewise fo...

Joe Bell !!!!!! Wow, I thought this was going to be a hard one. Joe hit it right on the elbow. image0 - Copy.jpg I have only seen two of these. One was an obscure photo in Bruce's encyclopeda. It was just a generic vaporizer photo which didn't mention the elbow. The other one is the one I found at ...

I'll jump in when someone hits it's function correctly.

Steve, that speed range might be reached solely due to the amount of weight which that hole eliminates.

Garland, I'm flabber-gassed by your guess!

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Ford Used the Ford Vaporizer (AKA Holley Vaporizer) starting in late 1925 for some Model T cars and 1917 for Fordson tractors. By late 1926 they used them on all model T cars. I have four of these carburetors plus more parts. I found that of four vaporizers two had the pictured hole and two did not...

I have mentioned this before, my May 1927 had a vaporizer carb. It is set up with the throttle bell crank up close to the firewall so that the control rod runs over the head to the throttle on the vaporizer. At one time I used to run a Stromberg go fast carburetor. I had to make a fancy linkage to ...

Steve, not a vaporizer car. Vaporizers use a throttle bell crank up near the firewall not down in the middle. My late ‘27 does it that way and has a vaporizer. Late production didn’t punch the web between cylinder 2&3 or drill the throttle hole in the valve cover. So it is possible he has the origi...

[size-130]James,

Thanks for the report on how you did this. When I am ready to top my car I will probably steal some of your ideas. I am very lucky, my roof is easily removable (by original design) so I will be doing this with the top sitting upon saw-horses.

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I wrote single lever because after thing it was two I decided that what looked like a second lever was the release rod in front of the lever and the release handle at top behind the lever. _lever.jpg It could be a two lever car, though. Another error was that the photo is in the Library of Congress ...

I spotted this one in the National Library. I don't know if it has been featured in this forum previously.

: 1909 Touring single lever

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Allan, very clever solution. Probably way past the precision needed for a T Model!

Terry

I determined that my original cast aluminum magnet spools were damaged by my last effort at leveling (that means I was over zealous with my hammer after the last engine rebuild). I am now setting up my magnets on my flywheel and am trying an alternate method. I do not have a KW magnet setting tool....

The weather is great so after doing some lawn mower repair and some mowing I finally found some time to work on Rusty (1927 roadster pickup L.A.F.D. Mountain Patrol Vehicle). This morning I installed and reamed new triple gear bushings. 1FD3BC7A-F0A1-46A7-B07C-7AA5DDACE97F.jpeg Then I replaced all ...

Les,

That is interesting... wow that casting has some pretty thin areas milled into it. Those plates are pretty much one position one side up. Can you show us some photos of the unit when you get it off of your mill? Perhaps photos of it disassembled with the parts shown.

Thanks, TH

>Can they be installed through the hogshead opening, or must the hogshead be removed? (I'm talking a later T.) Jerry, Yes they can, but I prefer to do it with the transmission cover off. Pushing them into place can be done with much effort. If you get the cracking sound you have broken the band or p...

This mag is wonderful. R.V. built it up and gifted it to me about 20 years ago and it has been in continuous service ever since. I have had the engine in and out through probably over 50,000 miles and what David is noticing is a little bit of insulation frayed here and there on the outside edges. A...

Since I am sheltering at home and saw a speck of dust on my '27 T pickup and decided it was time brush it off. One thing led to another and I've almost got the car clean. I decided to post some photos of what I found under that speck of dust. IMG_3021.JPG I finally got the speck of dust off and thi...

Jim, The above posts are correct. Gus Stangeland started the MTFCA website as well as the forum. When he put out a request for help in running it I volunteered some time and worked behind the scenes. I used to administer the photos and for a while ran a member's story section (which is still hidden ...

Thomas, I don’t understand your title “Transmission disaster avoided”. It seems you have hit the all to frequent Kevlar disaster. Once you’ve replaced the low drum and flushed out the Kevlar remnants do you plan on installing a different lining material?

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I just got my January/February 2020 Vintage Ford. The cover is another fantastic Rich Eagle painting... Nice Job Rich!

: Jan/Feb?VF; Eagle.jpg (47.19 KiB) Viewed 2234 times

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Frank, That's a photo of "Toady". I sure wish I still had that car. After I sold it Terrie told me that was the only car I had that she liked! You may be interested in the car I have sitting in the garage awaiting restoration. I wanted one which can carry Terrie's friends or lots of kids. I hope sh...

Gene, I have considered small drain holes for mine in the past but I don't find that they are needed nor advisable. The reason I chose not to drill them is that they will not accomplish anything on any of the dips in a 4 dip pan. In a three dip pan they will allow the #4 dip to drain when I add a da...

Keith, I sure hope Spencer is holding that tree tightly, and the car even more so! He is one snappy dresser! That touring car seems to have side curtains on the rear compartment and there is snow on the wiper. What is the vertical divider on the lower windshield which is also collecting snow? All t...

If our snow arrives tonight I will put my chains onto my ‘27 pickup. The snow will probably be gone by Thanksgiving.

I made my chains from discarded modern tire chains aboit 15 years ago... Work great. If the snow comes I will pst chain photos

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Stan is selective on jobs he will do now. He did a wonderful job on an OF Stromberg for me years ago. I pulled the following from his web site.

: S. Howe information

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That's right Wayne. 15 degrees after dead center. In Steve’s article he calls 15 degrees after top dead center 15 “past” TDC.

TH

: TDC and 15 degrees before TDC

I find that my back starts protesting after an insignificant amount of T work. This presents me with the choice of stopping for the day with the job unfinished or just pushing through to the end and then being forced to sit it out for one to three weeks before tackling the next job. So I am stoppin...

Thomas, thanks. I used to hang an old model T magneto magnet below my differential with a bit of bailing wire. It was amazing how many folks accepted my explanation that it was to catch parts which had fallen off! I took it off when I discovered that it slowed Rusty down whenever we crossed railroa...

Steve, Seamus accessory is a bit hard to see. it is interesting indeed!

: Seamus accesory crank holder.; crankacc.jpg (49.8 KiB) Viewed 1577 times

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Steve, Does Seamus have the driving light on the front axle in case he runs out of carbide? We have a stretch of state highway between Grass Valley and Auburn which is posted "Daylight Safety Section". Theoretically you must run headlights or risk being cited unless you are female with suggestive c...

Here you see a close-up of the complete modification. My bolt was a broken 1/4" AN bolt from my junk pile. After threading the bolt and running it in so it is flush at the top side of the crank the bolt head will rest just above the outer surface of the bushing I need to grind about 1/8" off of thi...

Rusty is ready and waiting for his engine so I am preparing to assemble and install same. eng1.jpg I once read of someone doing a hand crank mod and thought that might be fun someday. Well, today is the day and although he is getting his original engine back, he is also getting this radical modific...

I am having the same problem Donald (fordorgalore) had. I used to post just fine with the current software and without any changes on my part it stopped accepting my photos. The error was one saying it cannot read the size of the photos. I have tried a large number of changes much as Donald did and ...

Gary, I see no reason you shouldn't replace your spokes yourself. Others reading, you can do wood felloe spokes yourself also. It just takes the willingness to learn how and to do it. It has been discussed here before. Here are two threads to peruse to get you started. https://www.mtfca.com/phpBB3/...

I've been running on a Z head for over 15 years. I had no problem with hitting my aluminum pistons until about the second time I had the head decked (due to warping when it ran low on water due to a gasket leak). I found that if you put the head in place without tightening the head bolts and withou...

I appologize as the photos I tried to post with this refuse to show unless listed afterwards as attachments. The forum error says they cannot read image dimensions. I am finally starting work on the Omnibus. Up first is the Ruckstell I bought for it (see first attachment). Examining this all seems w...

Mark,

Whak kind of truck is that... and why would they put a little three cylinder engine in there? I don't think the cool factor would count for much when horsepower was needed!

TH

John, It looks like that tonneau is for lead counter weights to make the wheelie easy to produce. I love the extra springs on the front to ease the landings and probably start the next wheelie on the rebound. I've heard the term "Clown Car" around here, but the pejorative "Shriner's Car" is much mo...

Steve, your idea of a piece of tubing for a sight gauge is interesting and indeed you can stay safe by shutting off the stopcocks when not in use. I had always assumed a sight gauge was designed so you could lean over and take a look at the gauge thereby determining oil level without having to lay ...

one of my favorite videos on YouTube was posted by Robert Metz. I suggest you view it!

https://youtu.be/0U31vL8s-uE

TH

I love seeing those hinges on the left front passenger door!

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Dick, I always know when I'm talking to Terrie, if I'm talking to Terry then I'm talking to myself. If my hearing aids are off can I even hear when I'm talking to myself? Terrie is the Horlick with the higher voice and more pleasing visage. Duane, FJ didn't let me post the photo, I failed to ask. H...

I had the honor of meeting FJ today when we rendezvoused so he could load up the speedster for the trip to Chicago. That car is going to a nice lady who has dreamed of owning a T for more than the last 20 years. She is really excited, preparing to join clubs and take driving lessons... just the sor...

My car finds it much easier to exact his revenge upon me!

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I was just searching for an old file for a friend and came across this article. Around 1997 when I was assisting Gus Stangeland in administering the MTFCA forums one of the jobs I undertook was posting stories from members. I jump started submissions by posting a few stories of my own. This ondetail...

My favorite on a "T":

"I have two speeds, if you don't like this one you sure as hell won't like the other!"

TH

Great! Good report.

How did you do all that brass plating on your car?

TH

I have rebuilt wood wheels on both my steel and wood felloe wheels. It is not difficult to do either. Whilst some feel they would not do wood felloe wheels themselves, if you know how to do them there is no reason not to go for it. The rebuilders are regular humans just like you and so if they can ...

I know someone who needs a mentor to learn driving and maintenance on her T. She is located near downtown Chicago. This lady has acquired a T she has longed after for 20 years and is starting from ground zero. The closest club, closest tours, etc. would be great also. If you can, please send me nam...

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