MTFCA Forum

Allan

Dang me RV. now I know why spell checker rejected my spelling of maneouvre. You guys have dropped the o and reversed the re on the end.

Allan from down under

Allan

I build my own trailers, and some for others. They have full floors to make them more useful. The 12' bed is 3 sheets of steel with the sides and railing along the top folded in each sheet and the three are seam welded to make the whole just one piece. This in turn is welded to an RHS perimeter fram...

Allan

The "soak them in water" trick is at best a very temporary trick which may lead to a false sense of security. Timber shrinks as it dries, so the spokes get loose. Swelling them up again by soaking them will tighten them somewhat, but keeping them in that swollen state is the problem. Repeated drying...

Allan

We don't have the same problem here in Australia. Many of the bodies built by the various maker in each of the states used canvas instead of black top material. Even some Ford factory bodies were fitted with "Colonial tops" of the same material. Today's 'light sand' colour is a very close match, and...

Allan

To make room at the driveshaft end, I hook a tiedown strap around the front of a radius rod and loop the other end around the rear cross member. When tension is applied, this has the effect of hauling the driveshaft ball end back as the load is applied to the spring and shackles. That little bit gai...

Allan

With no oil holes, and no relief at the parting lines, I wonder whether those roughly cut X groove in both cap and rod would ever get much oil. Contrast that effort with the beautiful job Herm used to do.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Why not Bud?

Allan from down under.

Allan

Willie, if you can hear the spokes talking to you, they are saying it is time for a rebuild with new spokes. Once they have begun to chatter, they have been loose for a while, and there is no safe way to go with a patch up.
Others may differ.
Allan from down under.

Allan

Jim, one can never be sure with model T's, on anything! State a fact and someone will have evidence/proof that the fact is wrong. It is the nature of the beast. That said, the Echlin logo on your cutout cover is evidence that it is indeed an aftermarlet item. Most genuine Ford ones I have seen have ...

Allan

Dan, the cracks in the back panel were at the ends where the panel meets the body side. Ford began manufacturing in the new Geelong plant in 1926. For your reference, Australian built 26-7 models had a complete wooden sub frame and considerably more timber in the body than those built in the USA. My...

Allan

Brazing is the better option. While welding may be the easier option, you are dealing with dissimilar materials, and the weld is likely to crack at the interface between the two.

Allan from down under.

Allan

The newish looking cut out on the generator looks like n A model item, having the output terminal screwed to the side of the unit. On most T's, there is a flat terminal protruding from the base of the cutout, and the wire is screwed to this terminal. Easily fixed later if you are so inclined. That i...

Allan

If I bought a rod like that, I would be asking for an exchange. Even if those are not cracks, it shows sub-standard work which the vendor needs to know about.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Good keyways are the first point in any inspection I make. If they are OK, I bolt likely candidates to the same axle, and select the ones which go on least. They should be less worn in the taper. Then they need careful scrutiny of the inner flange, looking for cracking around the hub centre. If you ...

Allan

George noted the manifold clamps. They are indeed the correct clamps but they are on backwards. On the 26-7 cars a shorter manifold stud with a shoulder was introduced, so the clamps were redesigned so they would go on either way and still be interchangable with early items. You need the shorter stu...

Allan

Even if you get a bubble in oil/fuel around the base of the plug, it really is not worth fritzing over. Just get on with driving fun.

Allan from down under.

Allan

George, with the multiplicity of tyre sizes and profiles these days, there are likely to be other combinations which will work. Take your 30 x 3.5 tyre with you and try it on against whatever you can find. The higher the tyre profile the better, as this will expand more when you inflate it, so you g...

Allan

Susan, you need a spanner. :D Put the spanner on that 6 sided thingo on the bottom, and if it fits closely, you can wind that spanner in counter clockwise direction and the thingo will wind off.Then you can turn the bottom half of the housing in the same direction and it will come off too. Seriously...

Allan

Tom, on a car I have since sold, I fitted both the outer case and inner cable of a modern car inside the original housing.
Allan from down under.

Allan

Joe's photo raises questions for me. On wooden firewalls with the rain gutter fitted, the hood clip is riveted in place. This means the welting terminates either side of the clip, being held in place by the closest rivet. In Joe's photo the welting appears to continue on under the clip. This has the...

Allan

Dan's post re fitting the plastic strips to an improved car body shows the body panels are formed with a considerable step at the top of the panel. This will make for a far more rigid panel, and a plastic tack strip may suffice. That said, a recent rebuild of a 26 tourer here revealed the front seat...

Allan

Once the plastic strips are moulded to the body panel shape, how flexible are they if taken off? On my 1915 body, there was a strip either side of the seat back panels to make the panels rigid. These timbers were more than tack strips, they were structural. The only 'stiffener' in the 15 body was th...

Allan

My Sept, 12 assembled B series motor has the reinforcements at the trans cover bolt holes. Somewhere in my reading a photo of an alloy trans cover with a hand engraved 1912 casting date, showed the reinforcing ribs, so they did start early on.

Allan from down under.

Allan

The type of pedal installed is imaterial in the scheme of things. Both do the same job. It is the location of the shafts which is varied, to account for the different applications. Why someone would change the wider pedals for the diamond shaped earlier ones is something I cannot fathom. Allan from ...

Allan

I did not ask which trans cover you have. A 3 dip pan needs a cover with the 3 diamond shaped pedals. The 26-7 covers with the wide brake and first gear pedals have the brake pedal shaft further to the rear to line up with the wider brake band.
Allan from down under.

Allan

Restricting the power to the bulbs will result in less output, but it will not allow any better focus/aiming. Basically, the parabolic reflector is incompatible with any of the replacement LED bulbs I have seen. Sure, you can get a whole heap more light down the road, but that is just what it is, a ...

Allan

All three bands on a 25 TT are the same width. If you have a wider one, it is incompatible with a 3 dip pan. If the brake drum is wider, you have a 26-7 trans
That will still fit, but you must use a narrow band.
Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.

Allan

Ignacio, on our Canadian sourced cars there is one extra leaf which you do not show. It goes directly on top of the main leaf, and is almost as long. It has clipped ends like the later springs, but most I have seen are a little thinner, as though they had clipped a tapered leaf. Hope this helps. All...

Allan

The 1913 is a Stewart part number for the assembly rather than a year number. Over their production some things changed Earlier versions had a steel shaft through the centre and a round steel collar was pressed on to it to hold the two halves together. Later versions used a threaded nut to do the sa...

Allan

The less sure are brighter! So much so that you are likely to upset oncoming drivers. I have yet to hear of an led conversion which can satisfactorily be focussed. Aiming is just part of the deal. You can aim a focussed beam, but not a bib blob.

Allan from down under.

Allan

I sanded mine to remove loose material and primed it with grey acrylic primer surfacer. Then two heavy coats of black acrylic lacquer. It still looks good after 30 years. On Henrietta, she sheds material especially in humid conditions. I live with it to avoid having to alter anything. It's slippery,...

Allan

So it wasn't made in bronze so they could delete the bushing. I can't see any other reason to go to a casting of material which is more expensive.

Alln fron down under.

Allan

Kevin, how can a can opener dated 1956 be authentic for any T model?

Allan from down under.

Allan

In my youth I went a different route, and it worked a treat! The steering box was way loose in the column tube, and it had been for quite some time. To buy some time until I could do a proper repair, I ground a taper across an all-hard hacksaw blade until it was a tight fit between the case and the ...

Allan

Jeff, does it have a separate babbit bush for the driveshaft or does the shaft run directly in the bronze housing?

Allan from down under.

Allan

Going on the appearance of that rear cross member, I think that is a TT frame. Is that what you were expecting?

Allan from down under.

Allan

Not part of the problem, but on our RHD units the first gear band is the internally adjusted one. Rather than run the risk of dropping washers ans adjusting nuts once the hogshead is in place, I fit the washer and run the nut on two or three turns before I fit the hogshead. Is that not possible on L...

Allan

An electronic cutoff to solve a sticking needle and seat is weird. As Scott says, just fix the problem at the root, and fit a tap at the carb if you must have insurance.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Further to Frank's post re insurance her in Australia, all my cars are insured for an agreed value, and the premiums calculated accordingly. My modern cars are on the same policy, and I get a considerable multi car discount. I have yet to have a claim on an old car, but a friend had his 27 tourer T ...

Allan

Without the valve, there is no chance of the solenoid burning out or the engine cutting out at low revs. If that is the worry, just throw the thing away. I wonder why it was necessary in the first place.

Allan from down under.

Allan

In Gilltraps Auto museum in the 1960's they had a car with T type ignition. For the crowd, they'd go through the hand crank BS for starting. First with no switch on and no choke. He'd crank away , get no reaction and feign frustration. Then he'd fiddle the switch, have a few goes, this time with the...

Allan

Thanks John.
Allan from down under

Allan

Any tyre which lasts only 200 miles is clearly not fit for purpose and the seller should be held responsible. If he/she cannot get satisfaction from the supplier, that is a problem for him/her. It should not be a problem for the user. At least, that is how consumer law protects us in Australia. My q...

Allan

It depends on what is meant by a reverse eye and how it is achieved. If the main leaf is simply re-arched to match the spring pack, with the eyes to the top, The spring will have the same arch as before. Only the position of the eyes has changed. If the main leaf is not re-set, just refitted up side...

Allan

Not all T's were made that way. On RHD cars, the pipe is well away from the hogshead, as it has to get around the reverse pedal. There is a unique set of bends required to get the pipe past the pedals and clear of the foot starter switch. When doing up the packnut I jam a flat tyre lever between the...

Allan

Canadian mufflers had a deflector riveted in place as standard. I make these for the mufflers I reproduce. Sorry, no photos until I can work out how to post same from my Phone.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Ignatio, I think the concerns about the fit of your pins centres around that shoulder in the pin. That shoulder must be level, or even a bit below, the surface into which they are fitted. Otherwise the steel washers will not sit on that surface and your bronze thrust washers will not be able to perf...

Allan

You can leave the hacksaw blade in its frame. Undo the blade from the frame, thread it through the hols and re-attach it to the frame. Now you can apply the usual load. If the old bush is a split steel bush, make your cut opposite the split. If it is a bronze bush, you can make two cuts. Allan from ...

Allan

They are still on Henrietta, which I too take to mean she has had a sheltered life. When I removed her carburetor for cleaning during her re-commissioning, there was 1/2" thick layer of grease/grit/straw etc accumulated on that side. It is still there, in keeping with her unmolested look. I have the...

Allan

Mark, the RH bearing should have a LEFT hand thread. Before you pull the hub, try adjusting the bearing first to get rid of the play you found. You will need to turn the bearing counter clockwise to screw it further in. Setting the running clearance on the bearings taks a bit of trial and error adju...

Allan

Bill, you have done well. That kind of work fits well with doing the best you can with limited resources. Even if you are a bit off, it's going back on a worn shaft, so you couldn't have done much better.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Chris, I have one photo of a 3 - 25 rim on my new phone, but I need you to take me through the upload process again! :D The dates are just like the ones posted in your felloe photos. The No 88 and 30 x 3 1/2 is set out in the same way. Having the stampings in a rim is a reasonable indication that th...

Allan

Chris, I have never taken notice of dates stamped in felloes before. Next time I have the rims off Henrietta I will take a look. I did note the rim dates. Four were dated 3 25 and the fifth was 2 25.
Allan from down under.

Allan

Stick on rubber valve stems will work as replacements, but modern types are too short/fat to use on clincher rim/felloe combinations.Truck tyre repair shops may have longer stick on stems. They may have to order them in, but they were available last time I needed some. They are about 3.5" long, whic...

Allan

Rich's first response re cork disappearing from wine bottles due to shortages is correct in part. Any shortages would only have only had the effect of hastening the change-over to plastic seals, because the plastic seals are a far more consistent seal. Even high end wines now come that way, as spoil...

Allan

Early wishbones I have had varied considerably in weight. I put it down to internal rust. Some do have seams, but the majority are bronzed up. Sometime later in production, the tubes were shortened and the later ball end Y forging with the longer legs was used. I do not know when this change was mad...

Allan

Well, that IS interesting! One company, two different plants, two different methods of manufacture. Who'd have thunk it? Thanks Dan.

Allan from down under.

Allan

They were deleted on our Canadian sourced cars during 1921.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Dan, can you recall if the spokes at the hub were tapered front to back alternately, as well as the usual taper radially? Other US wheels did not have that characteristic, so spokes could be assembled in any order.

Allan from down under.

Allan

When I ever have to pull the rear axle from Henrietta, it will be interesting to see what I find. When getting her ready for a return to the road, I pulled the drain plug to check the oil level, as the amount of gunk I had removed from inside the brake drums was considerable. The filler hole was cak...

Allan

Chris, somewhere in these posts reference was made to how the rims contact the felloes on the outside and the inside edges. In my observations of Kelsey loose lug rims and later fixed lug rims used on our 1925 models, neither type binds on both edges of the felloe. On sound Kelsey loose lug felloes,...

Allan

Excellent work Bob. I have had no such problems with Universal T Drivers on standard clincher rims. It may be due to my use of rim liners rather than flaps. I cut a 2.5" wide strip from the outside diameter of a used 13" inner tube. This band is a snap fit on a 23" rim. It extends under the foot of ...

Allan

Rich, I believe your 4 pronged split rivets are indeed tubular rivets. The setting tool splits the hollow and starts the 'legs' bending outwards. The legs will be random widths, random spaces and not necessarily 4 legged. Many brake linings are fixed to the shoes with similar rivets, but these are o...

Allan

Jon, there is very little clearance between the bendix cover and the spring retaining bolt. The bolts need to be the special type with the head just half the thickness of usual bolts. Check the inside of the cover for any register marks where things may have come together. Occasionally, I come acros...

Allan

Only the early round and tapered end springs had a leaf with the turned up ends. The chopped end types had a clamp with a separate bolt which passed under the spring pack.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Steve, I don't wish to rain on your parade, but your photo of the piece of wood that is almost too nice to cover highlights a problem with wood kits. Those corner pieces are cut from flat boards, and that means that they have very short grained sections that will crack and break under nailing/body f...

Allan

Bill, I love your faith that you will just remove the pin and then the timing lever. Best wishes with that. Getting that little pin out is about the most trying thing in the whole job. First, you need to accurately identify what is pin and what is surrounding lever. Then you need to grind off any su...

Allan

Charlie, I don't think that route would be any cheaper than a babbit job. First, the block and whatever caps are used will have to be accurately machined to accept the bronze liners. Then the liners would have to be machined to fit on their outside diameter. Then each liner needs to be locked in usi...

Allan

Ignatio, you will not need that many leaves in the rear spring of a speedster. Because there are three bends in all but the top two leaves, they have to nest together properly to be effective. You should decide which leaves are required and bolt them together first. If there are gaps anywhere, ideal...

Allan

Dan, the Blockley tread pattern is very similar to the diamond tread pattern on Goodyear clinchers. I took 3 of these off Henrietta when I got her roadworthy. It certainly is more period correct looking than some of the present offering.

Allan from down under.

Allan

The wide doors will be a boon for easy access. If it is not too difficult, an extra foot length in the tray will have it looking in better proportion, and make it more useful. Nice score!

Allan from down under.

Allan

Precisely Chris! If the Blockley's give better mileage and don't crack up while they stand, we are way ahead. Given the small price differential, it just reinforces my opinion that the junk we have had foisted on us is a deliberate strategy by the current suppliers. I'd be peprared to pay a few doll...

Allan

That spindle thread is past being usable. It looks like it has had model A type front outer bearings rather than the threaded, more expensive T model items.

Allan from down under.

Allan

It's different, longer.

Allan from down under

Allan

In Steve's initial post he stated that his riversides were 19% cheaper than Blockleys, which in turn were less than most other Viet Nam sourced clinchers. Blockley tyres are made in Viet Nam, to Blockley's specifications. If they prove to be of superior quality, and that improvement is starting from...

Allan

Rather than year specific, I believe they are firewall specific. They were part of the wooden firewall installation. My known original 22 model tourer had them. Once the steel firewall was introduced, there was no need for them. So, when was the steel firewall introduced?

Allan from down under.

Allan

On my brother-in-law's 25 tourer, that same head stud gave us grief. It came out easily for the first 1/4", and then seemed to lock up. It wouldn't go back down either. Lots of penetrant later, it finally broke about half way through the head. Now that meant the motor had to come out. Once we had it...

Allan

On our Canadian sourced cars those trim strips are made of very thin material, not much heavier than the tinplate used in food containers. The folded over edges are only 1/8 - 3/16" wide. I had an idea they were not nailed on separately before the hood welting was fitted. Rather, the hood welting na...

Allan

The single curve in a front spring means any longer leaf can be cut down to the length required. I use a chop saw for this.The arch in the spring can be beaten to the correct profile using a heavy ball pein hammer over a lump of channel steel.

Allan from down under.

Allan

That is a 26-7 spindle. The spindle is closer to the top of the spindle body, Thus lowering the car approx 1/2". a flatter front spring was used to drop it even further.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Shane, I would not mount the forward end of the rod to the radius rods in the manner you have. All radius rods are prone to internal rust, especially the later split seam ones, and the worst rust is at the downhill end at the rear. The bolt hole drilled through the rod at that point only compounds t...

Allan

Ignatio, the photos of the spindles do not allow me to tell if they are the later 26-7 lowered type. You are looking to see if the actual spindle on the spindle body is closer to the top, rather than at about the centre. The frame is 26-7, the rear axle is 26-7, but there is a wide variety of bits w...

Allan

Just don't rely on an EE crank not being cracked. It should still be tested, and discarded if it fails the test. I had two put away for future use. When tested, both were cracked, either side of third rod journal.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Frank has the simple solution. Even simpler is to use a decent battery and charge it each time you get home. Unless you plan on heaps of stop-start driving, a well maintained battery will serve the purpose. And, you can always use the hand crank if the battery does die.

Allan from down under.

Allan

William, those rivets need to be pounded home as Scott suggests. The tangs need to be well below the band surface. The fact they are not may well be why you cannot close the gap at the ears enough to fit the tool. The zip ties are a very good alternative clamp.

Allan from down under.

Allan

Steve, my recollection is the nuts do go on top as you show. I could be wrong. If the depth of the machining around the hole is a concern, put a spring washer under the nut. You have plenty of length to still be able to insert a split pin.

Allan from down under.

Allan

The real answer is new pedal shafts, bronze bushes in the hogshead, especially in alloy covers, and lipped oil seals on the outer sides of the cover. Anything else is asking for divine intervention.

Allan from down under.

Allan

That spring has been cobbled together from multiple sources. Some of the leaves are tapered end items from a pre 1917 T, and no doubt somebody could use those. Rather than mess with what you have, it may be a better idea to look for another complete spring.

Allan from down under.

Allan

This reminds me of an experience I had in New Zealand. I was driving a loaned model T on a tour, for the first time, and she performed valiantly up a long pull before we started down hill. A few seconds after cresting the rise I heard an unearthly squeal and instantly killed the motor and pulled ove...

Allan

In 58 years of T ownership and driving, I have never found the need for a belly support. What am I not doing correctly?

Allan from down under.

Allan

If a car is fitted with a Livingstone V radiator, it needs that longer crank.

Alan from down under.

Allan

Mine was 1922 flatbed pickup that was used to haul crab nets out to the waterline at a local beach, so it was pretty rugged. I built a rough turtle deck and fitted a top, with fringe, and, at 16 years old, it was the first car I ever registered for road use. That was back in 1962. I sold it to purch...

Allan

I agree with Dan. The Shep's pickup body wastes a lot of space and does not line up well with the body. there is no reason why the sides cannot be angled outwards to follow the line of the body. If those sides are made with substantial boards, a straight mounting rod can be used from the fender to t...

Allan

They are not like the Canadian lights that came with my 1915 tourer. They were single globe, centrally mounted just like the later lights.

Allan from down under

Allan

Mark, our Canadian sourced 1915 cars often had forked electric headlights as standard. The car on the left is a Ford body, and the forked headlights would make it a 1915 model.

Allan from down under.

Allan

It needs to be just as well packed to send within the USA as it does to send overseas. If you have something to sell, why cut the rest of the world out of the deal by restricting the sale to the continental USA? The buyer pays shipping in most cases.

Allan from down under.

Allan

He'll need to do his sums Frank! $10 000 plus $3-4000 to get it here makes around AU$21 500 plus 10% GST. , for a converted tourer buckboard?

Allan from down under.

Allan

Chris, I presume both ave the stamped in rests on which the loose lugs engage. Is the inside land on the felloe the same width? Are they exactly the same diameter? The fixed lug felloes on US wheels are slightly smaller diameter on the inside, which means the spokes the vendors sell are too short to...

Allan

Dan, Bergs do make good quality black radiators. However, Brassworks also make them and theirs are more authentic looking, if you get one over which the shell will fit.

Allan from down under.

Allan

William, I am in total agreement with you. The tyres we have are those made to the specifications of the dealer/supplier. With competition from another supplier prepared to have tyres made to higher specifications, we might finally get something of merchantable quality. I just hope that those presen...

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