MTFCA Forum

Over the years I have noticed a trend happening in my garage. 30 years ago my T's always seemed to get mild tweaks for better performance. I have been through a series of "upgrades", played with them, and eventually removed them. I am referring to stuff like Stromberg carburetors, high compression ...

I had my mag do the same thing several months ago. After trying all the regular things to no avail I just ran on battery for months. Eventually I had enough little things to fix so I pulled the engine and found the magneto problem. I fixed it and have a like new hot mag. I posted previously on how ...

Ben, You have a nice start on your Omnibus. At this point you have lots of options. Do you have more of this body? Have you a set of the 1959 plans? Is the wood in your body tub in salvageable condition? I am 77 miles due south from you, close enough to help each other out on these rare bodied Mode...

Art, great score on finding the car. It sounds like some good work and good parts were added to it. I hope you remembered those surviving the mechanic. Also, beautiful '11 in the background there.

TH

That did it !!! No more terrifying over center steering! With the 5.5" Pitman arm (see my measurement method above) steering goes stop to stop with no binding and no over-center! SHEZAMMM!!!!!!

TH

Keith, nice to hear from you!! Once I visit Jennifer and her clan with this bus I will be sure to visit in Gresham! I appreciate your numbers. I ran your numbers with the help of Mr. Pythagoris and boiled them down to "C" the hypotenuse... or more simply the dimension I measured. Here is how it wor...

TXGOAT2 I think the 5:1 you speak of was the new steering planetaries Ford Switched to. I seem to remember that the gear blok limited the number of turns possible thus preventing over-center from happening. Not everyone understands "over center". When you turn your steering the Pitman arm pivots fr...

Dan, There’s a Stanley Mountain Wagon in Lodi? I have to come and visit you! I loosely based the design of my 1913 Ford Mountain Wagon, named “Toady”, on the ’13 Stanley Mountain wagon in the National Automobile Museum in Reno. So it was a poor man’s version of your Mountain Wagon! A fellow came by...

I can't believe this. I just came in from my barn where I had pulled down an egg crate from on top of a high shelf whilst looking for some electric parts for my 1927 which I sort of hoped would be there... they weren't. But I did find something else I sorta wanted... image2.jpeg image1.jpg This "ne...

Brad, I guess I have the other good running vaporizer carburetor! It always seems to go 8-10 years before you need to fuss with it. The most sketchy part is the thin heat exchanger plate. Mine finally failed after about 20 years of use. Whenever you take one off and mess with it you may have to fidd...

The picture I absolutely love is number 19. It appears to be a Ford Laundalet. https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/download/file.php?id=144227&t=1 The seat support and floor riser seem to have very plain craftsmanship in contrast to the body. The rear fender looks to be home made also. The text on the buildin...

For the past 5 years I have been sitting on the collection of parts which will become my Ford English Station Omnibus. I have just shortened this to Omnibus, or Bus. My wife, Terrie, has had other names for it from time to time. It is now time to start work on the old Bus. I have pulled it out of t...

I had that happen to my 1927 last week. It was such a convincing knock that, combined with mag, starter and generator issues, I pulled the engine out. I quickly found that the lack of power and sudden knocking turned out to be a blown head gasket. It is worth either a compression test or pull the h...

I recently registered my Omnibus project in California. I filled out all the paperwork and was apprehensive about what year to register it as. The running gear was pieced together by the late Mel Miller. It has lots of interesting parts from various years on there. I had to come up with a year mode...

Allan, I hope you are wrong. I gave that a cursory thought whilst doing this and decided that the constant bathing in warm oil should protect this. If it does melt I think it may remain in place with a bit of sag. I’ll tell you what, if this fails I will dredge this post up and confess my folly! Me...

After running Rusty, my 1927 roadster pickup, on a mag expertly rebuilt by RV Anderson about 25 years ago he suddenly refused to run on mag. Generally when this happens my go to solution is an in-car mag recharge. This is actually a magnet recharge and when the problem is a short of Bat. to Mag. ca...

[image] FADE65F8-E8C1-4640-896F-C393575E5965.jpeg [/image] That is a famous photo here in Nevada County, CA. Each year there was a prize for the first one across the Sierras to a hotel in Tahoe (if my memory is correct). The 1910 Ford Tourabout owned and driven by a local mine owner (Foote if I reme...

Steve, thanks for he offer… SPLIT RIMS! Easy as long as I am out of observer’s ear shot!

TH

064FFB53-573F-4B3B-B9A3-8B5635DFE64F.jpeg After a brief wait (somewhere between 4-6 months) look at what arrived! After ordering from Lang’s and learning about the back order I called all the other vendors. I always prefer to go where the vendor is helpful and honest. In this case it is because Ste...

I have successfully repaired non-demountable wheels on several of my Model T’s. (By successful I mean the were not loose, wobbly, clicking, cracking paint, dribbling rust for as long as I have had the car in addition to no problems reported from the new owners. This in spite of heavy, often off road...

About 20 years ago Bud and I locked horns over a post we disagreed about. Even though I sometimes go a year or more between posts I always look forward to chatting with him in a pm. Still haven’t been to an OCF , always wanted to get there to visit with Bud and Diane. Our thoughts and prayers are wi...

Yes, you are correct. I use a compass which will indicate every other pole. C1F36A97-A569-42CB-B2ED-4D64BAD16605.gif There are two things wrong with this method as posted: 1) the measurements indicate the center axle of the compass, not the compass card 2) once the flywheel position is set remove t...

Rob and Wayne, I was taken with that Man Cave garage. Every square inch was pasted with modest photos of young women… except for two photos of Theodore Roosevelt, a portrait and one on horseback charging up a hill. I am most taken with the gorgeous model A! If I have one word of advice to the owner...

I posted this technique on this forum many years ago. I have been using my DC welder to recharge magnets for about 20 years now with no problems. My welder puts out 50VDC and I just set it to the maximum amps it will flow. Be sure to just flash the connection. Charging only happens in the micro sec...

all you notice is the wrong rear windows!

: Wrong rear windows

Sunday I drove to meet some friends to go for donuts and a ride on my 1969 Honda CT90 (whatever that is!). Of course I had to show up with the bike in my pickup... Rusty, my oxidation enhanced 1927 pickup... having loaded the bike into the bed the previous evening. It turns out that before departing...

Tim, assuming the photo is not reversed, for the woman to be the pilot this would have to be RHD. I assume a RHD car would have to have the generator on the right side also. Therefore I think the driver is a male (assuming clothing norms for that period!).

Respectfully, TH

FJ, Hey, I restored that first car pictured and sold it to the lady in the photo. It is very much HER car not her husband's. He is who is in the passenger seat. I Bought the car from a fellow who occasionally posts here and it had previously come from friends in California. It has a Signal Hill raci...

Erik, Thanks for the unearned praise. Also a huge thanks for some of the parts I needed to resurect Rusty. Erik kindly provided a replacement drive shaft, a wooden wheel '26-'27 drum, and a handful of ring gear bolts! Without Erik's help I never could have served as a target for that Z car! On a ki...

Rich,

Perhaps an oil drain plug left it's mark there. Alternatively it is just possible that cars other than Model T Fords may have used the road.

IMHO, TH

This is an interesting photo. If he isn't stuck then this is an action photo. The photographer happened to be there standing in this road to get that photo? I doubt it. I suppose he is stuck. He is wearing a coat and tie but I can't tell if he has been wallowing in the mud to try and get free... ye...

Jim,

What car is that on? Do you have a photo of the whole car?

TH

John, I'm not sure if you would consider that rear end "unknown". I completely went through it when I built it up about 25 years ago and then a second time about 20 years ago after I destroyed the set of needle bearing thrust washers, replacing them with bronze thrusts. Then again about ten years a...

Paul, I am using all the parts from a popular aftermarket manufacturer except for their interlock which I have found inadequate. The brake lever has a pivoting yoke on it which actuates an equalizer pulling the accessory brakes when the parking brakes are pulled. The service brake pedal works the t...

FJ,

Ask Erik about his T dump truck!

TH

Bob, come on man! Of course there is a reason not to do this. It is the vintage model T experience. If something is easier then you are whimping out on the period experience! That period experience is only one of the reasons I always hand crank my 1927 car.... another reason is the 6V battery and "s...

I have been enjoying my 1927 roadster pickup between rain days. Rusty sat for about 4 months after the driveline blew up whilst my daughter was teaching a young gentleman how to drive a T. I knew all signs pointed towards a major problem so I let it sit for over 3 months. That didn't seem to cure t...

If someone had asked me about a T axle this is what I would envision:

: Key

This week when I actually looked a bit closer at my axle I spotted the following:

: Script

I didn't know that was there. At least I know it is a genuine Ford part!

TH

Rob, I love your posts. I have “sprained” my back before. My disc damage never happened whilst treating my dental patients. The worst was whilst operating a shovel in my yard. Terrie will confirm that I have NEVER blamed a car... ESPECIALLY A MODEL T for injuring my back! (I am creative enough and ...

Steve, I have to wait to get a manifold cooker to decide on that. Art, you pegged the stage of assembly exactly. On engine stand with freshly mounted hogshead. I tried through the transmission cover access without luck and then found that little drain slot on the bottom (where else would a drain be...

I went fishing today. Since it is out of season (and I haven't a fishing license) please do not alert the warden! fishing1.jpg fishing2.jpg fishing3.jpg fishing4.jpg BTW, this can (and did) happen even when most precautions are taken. That driven shaft and the fourth main have a long story attached...

Just started a little transmission repair: Because the flywheel has a bad triple gear pin I am balancing up my spare until parts arrive. IMG_8787.JPG Recheck balance after drilling: IMG_8790.JPG Low drum shows a bit of damage: IMG_8759.JPG D.D. does the sniff test to select the replacement transmis...

Things you might want to watch out for when buying parts: Check your prospective purchase over carefully looking for cracks: IMG_8758.JPG IMG_8768.JPG IMG_8767.JPG Check that your teeth are full size and not pointed, compare this good and bad gear. IMG_8772.JPG If you have parts like these I just r...

Tim,

I believe that gets fastened by a screw inserted into the hole beneath the wire.

: Bosch DU4

TH

Norman, I have received the suggestion that I set my triple gears at .005” from both Erik Barrett and John Kuehn. So I want to acknowledge your correct assessment. I rely heavily on the Ford Service manual whilst working on my T. The fact that we have different lubricants and different bushing allo...

I enjoyed visiting the Sacramento Towe Ford Museum several times. Then I went down and got a bidding number and attended the auction. It was painful to watch. The best cars seemed to go to internet bidders, many in Japan. As I remember it the tax men had Ed down front at the table to field question...

Norman the Ford Service Manual calls for a running fit of .002” on triple gear bushings. If fit is .005” the bushing should be replaced. Following those instructions I reamed to .003” wanting to be sure to avoid seizing bushings. I used a piloted adjustable hand reamer. So you don’t like .003” and ...

Adam, You said That broken tooth obviously didn’t DESTROY your transmission. Frankly I can’t imagine having any better luck! Right now I am looking for a geiger counter. It is the only way I can assess the nuclear bomb that went off inside Rusty! Some of it can be seen in this little instructional ...

Perry,

Two Terrys?

: NOT toothless!

TH

Adam, Some parts are 100 some not so much. About a year ago I went through the transmission. The ancient riveted triples got new bushings, two got the new expensive alloy bushings. The third got an old reproduction bushing I had on the shelf, I suspect old alloy formula. I drive the car a lot and h...

My granddaughter was excited to find a 50 cent piece under her pillow yesterday following the loss of an incisor. This got me motivated to start repairs on Rusty my 1927 roadster pickup. My daughter had taken a nice young man out to teach him to drive the T. The fact that things went south when he ...

Susanne, I have only seen a few of these big oil sumps on model Ts. They have all had drilled cranks and pumps (usually a VW oil pump on the back end of the camshaft, I think). I agree that if you don't have a tray like the inspection plate or an inspection plate with dams in place you are risking ...

Darin, I suggest you go look at the parade route. Here we alternate the Independence Day parades between neighboring towns. Nevada City’s route is all downhill, Grass Valley’s all uphill. In the downhill years the cars do fine. If you stall you can even coast downhill the rest of the way, but the c...

Tod, I have all the materials he sent me a few years ago. The body is an exact match for the plans which will be vital to the restoration! You both did a wonderful job building your Omnibus. I hope Bob is doing well and enjoying your family! Thanks for the offer, keep watching this web site for my ...

George, I assume it can go as far as I care to pull the trailer. This being the first time I have pulled it on the trailer I noticed termite lightened wood scraps flew off of several places. It's next trip will be to the CHP and DMV offices to get "VIN verification" then registration. Then back hom...

I just got back from a “Fall Festival” celebration my wife’s church presented. Every year they ask me to help out in their festival which is a big Halloween party for families which keeps kids from the old door to door, dodge cars affairs I participated in as a child. I generally show up with a T a...

Rant removed...I used to help monitor the forum in the early days of this website and have now self edited! It was my job to remove offensive posts. I must admit I have jumped to an eroneous conclusion. I would like to apologize you all and especially to Stan. I no longer monitor the forum closely ...

Larry,

I braze the dams into my mountain pans.

Respectfully, TH

Rob,

There used to be an engine from (for?) one of those tanks up on the Ponderosa Ranch at Lake Tahoe in Nevada. You might have called it “engines“ as there were two model T engines mated together. If one engine stalls all you can do is drive in circles!

imho, TH

Dustin, I have not seen that RNAS armored car before. It seems to have been a real thing used by the British Royal Naval Air Service In Eastern Europe. I found several period photos on line: 79030138-C3F3-4A71-A867-1F613F05F350.jpeg BDB01349-A4DB-45D3-9E27-A9D328A49A74.jpeg 9337447C-F228-4406-B78C-...

“This Kevlar lining (damaged by a bad drum) has turned light gray in oil.“

Steve you really gave me a chuckle with that one... generally the Kevlar causes damage to the drum first, which then causes collateral damage to the band lining!

IMHO and experience, TH

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!

TH

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...

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
TH

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”.

TH

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!

TH

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

TH

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

TH

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

TH

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

TH

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

TH

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!

TH

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!

TH

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 ...

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