MTFCA Forum

Tim, I had a similar issue a few weeks after I bought Bonnie, my touring car.. I came home from a week-long vacation to find a hangar full of gas fumes and an empty tank on the T. I removed the tank and found a few pin holes around the outlet bung, which I (safely and successfully) soldered closed. ...

We’re planning to arrive in port Clinton around 8:30am.

I’d start with the chapter listings in both the MTFCI and MTFCA magazines, find the closest one to Sherman and get in contact with them. If the closest can’t help, work your way out.

We have tickets for the ferry. Do we need to notify the Yacht club specifically that we’re coming?

On my way to a Fourth of July celebration in a town 37 miles away, I went past 1000 miles of (mostly) trouble-free driving this calendar year, over 900 of which have been since late April.

On my way to a Fourth of July celebration in a town 37 miles away, I went past 1000 miles of (mostly) trouble-free driving this calendar year, over 900 of which have been since late April.

I’ve also read that the grooves in the gearcase to limit shaft rotation are different between the 4:1 and 5:1 units.

I renewed last week, and the only acknowledgement I got was from PayPal. If you’re concerned your application didn’t go through, call the MTFCA Office at (765) 373-3106.

The one in Dearborn celebrated the anniversary of the founding of the Ford Motor Company this past week by inviting owners to display their T’s in front of the restaurant in exchange for a free meal. I took my ‘24 touring over Thursday. It’s always fun to talk to patrons going in and out the restaur...

Jerry VanOoteghem wrote: ↑
Mon Jun 16, 2025 3:03 pm
Just got approvals a few minutes ago. I applied on 6/2. See ya' there!

Same here!

On the subject of ‘Blockley Tires, are they any good?’ I purchased a set of 5. Two to three months of driving, They began to develop cracks around the bead. This was not what I was expecting. Maybe all tires made now are like this. I hope not. I have nearly 3500 miles on a set of 21-month old Block...

Think about attending the MTFCI annual tour in Owatonna, MN. Would be a good reliability test prior to Yellowstone.

Nathon, It seems wrong to me to have the towing hitch BALL mounted on the trailer instead ol the towing vehicle. Is that an American idea ?, We down under have our ball on the vehicle....n In the the seller’s description, saying “2-5/16 ball” implies that the hitch on the trailer requires a 2-5/16 ...

I would be interested in one or two that are excess to Bruce’s needs.

JohnM wrote: ↑
Sun Jun 01, 2025 8:31 pm
Installed balance beads in my new Blockley tires. They are beefy, thick tires that I hope will last awhile. But I regret to say I didn't need balance beads in my fifty year old Wards Riversides.

I have about 3000 miles on a set of Blockleys, and haven’t seen a need to balance them.

I drove Bonnie to an open house at the Warbirds of Glory Museum, which is restoring a B-25J recovered from a sandbar in Alaska. There were several “Rosie the Riveters” in attendance and one graciously agreed to pose with the car.

The MTFCA service manuals are good supplements to the Ford service manual.

Keith, the second diagram you posted appears to show a solenoid type common in aircraft “master” relays, and sometimes starter solenoids. One side of the coil is is internally connected to the battery side of the main contact, and the other side of the coil goes to a simple on-off switch in the case...

My Vintage Ford and Model T Times came today in the same mail.

Along with 4 other Model T owners, I assisted Steve Shotwell with his Model T presentation to 4th graders at a local elementary school. The kids had some really good questions. I’m not sure who enjoyed it more, them or me! We’re doing the same presentation for third graders at a different school nex...

In my case, the wristpin floats within the piston & rod, (Model T pistons also). It has aluminum caps in the ends to prevent rubbing on the cylinder walls. I was a bit dubious about the arrangement, but was assured by the rebuilder, who had a lifetime on brass era engine rebuilding under his belt, ...

I’m old enough to have driven past stations advertising 33.9. I felt robbed the first time it cost $5 to fill up my ‘66 Mustang.

This discussion is causing me to run low on popcorn…

SurveyKing wrote: ↑
Thu May 08, 2025 5:54 pm
Yes Clint, I had originally ordered a 16 foot but found that they could not do the beavertail option unless it was a minimum of 18 feet.

Hmmm… My 16-foot enclosed v-nose Dark Horse has a beaver tail.

Karen and I are planning on making it. We had to cancel last year due to engine issues with the T. I seem to remember trailer parking at a Walmart close to the docks?

I followed LarryWalla’s lead and used adhesive rubber magnet sheet and stuck it on the dash.

Hmmm… I didn’t know about the “free” part. I bought one for my ‘24 touring before the Cadillac, MI tour last year. Kenny, they are brass plated zinc. If you bought yours for $30 from someone on Facebook, they made $10 off of you. They are available for $20 on the MTFCI web store. https://model-t-for...

Jerry VanOoteghem wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 12, 2025 1:44 pm
Me too. If I refresh the page, I get a few more pics each time. Had to do it about 6 times to see all of Dollisdad's pictures.

Same here. If I refresh more than a few times I get a “FORBIDDEN” warning.

The price doubles ONLY if all four tariffs are charged on the original value of the part. If the second tariff is based on the original value plus the first tariff, by the time the fourth tariff is paid the cost will be nearly 2-1/2 times the original value (1.25 to the 4th power = 2.44), and that d...

I’ve only been in the hobby less than four years but my first T is an express wagon. I’m under the impression that a roadster pickup is a roadster with the turtleneck replaced by a pickup bed and would still retain the Model T seat, door, and top, whereas an express wagon would have an aftermarket b...

RajoRacer wrote: ↑
Tue Feb 04, 2025 1:29 pm
I have my E-Trak located in the tire/wheel tracking & use wheel nets.

Same here.

Sorry, it’s just something that triggers my OCD, nothing personal.

: IMG_5025.jpeg (26.59 KiB) Viewed 15394 times

Along similar lines but on a 1:43 scale I picked this up Saturday at a local model train show to donate to the youth fund auction at the MTFCI tour in Owatonna, MN this summer.

Humblej wrote: ↑
Mon Jan 27, 2025 9:58 am
Your a braver man than I am Miles.

Not really, I stayed on the airport (where salt is taboo) and drove a half mile across about 4 inches of virgin snow on grass to our weekly airport breakfast, then the long way home: one mile of packed snow on a gravel road and paved taxiways.

Drove it!

I thought about doing both the MTFCA and MTFCI tours this year, but getting from Calgary to Owatonna in two days then having the energy for another week of touring, while certainly doable, sounds a bit ambitious.

I don’t know the answer to your question, but you will get more responses if you repost in the General Discussion Forum. This forum section is more intended to address issues with the use of the forum software itself.

The view out my kitchen door until January 28.

I’ve been wrenching on everything from wind-up alarm clocks to airplanes for around 60 years and I’d never heard of a Place bolt until today. Dad used to say you should learn something new every day of your life; my lesson for today is Place bolts! As for water pumps, I have one I removed from my ‘2...

East Tennessee (Maryville, Knoxville) is my old stomping grounds, and I have family in Chattanooga, so it doesn’t take much to get me down that way. Icing on the cake would be to combine a tour with the clinic.

Scenes from the Polar Bear Tour that was held in conjunction with the MTFCI Annual Meeting in southwest Ohio this past January. The tour started at Ron’s Machine shop in Shandon, OH and covered 65 miles, about the first 1/3 of which the snow was still falling. That’s Bonnie, my ‘24 touring on the si...

The Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners just northeast of Kalamazoo would be a worthwhile visit too while you’re in the area. It’s about 2-1/4 hours west of Dearborn.

I put in a standard stroke balanced Skat crankshaft in my 26. Didn't have to cut or modify anything. I have the 4 dip inspection plate on the 26. Don't know how it would work with the 3 dip crankcase. Norm I’ve had a scat crankshaft on my ‘24 touring with a 3-dip pan since July 2023. 3100+ miles wi...

… I'm not sure that the Garmin power plug would properly reduce 6 volts to 5.... that might be out of its range. One advantage of using a power pack that is designed for a cell phone is that the output is 5 volts. A USB power cable with the appropriate plug for the GPS is all you need. It’s easy en...

When I installed one of the magneto-located oilers, I had to re-bend the timer rod to clear the front bearing bolt. It took me 5-6 iterations to get the rod to clear the bolt AND have the timing correct.

7th picture: She must be one of those "Fast Women" I'm always reading about, but never seem to meet! The man in that photo looks a lot like my great grandfather, but the woman not so much like my great grandmother. The photo is at their 50th wedding anniversary celebration in 1958. IMG_0449.png

I was scheduled to drive the bride and groom in a friend’s wedding on October 26, so my wife got busy on Amazon and got me properly outfitted. Being so close to the end of October, the bride’s theme was Halloween and requested the skeleton (which I moved to the shotgun position for the actual drive)...

I too would like to see instructions. I have what I’m told is a Simmons carburetor on my ‘24 touring and it runs MIUCH better than either of the two NH’s I have. It gives easy cold starts and consistently gives me 20-21 mpg on tour. The only issue I’ve ever had was that the “low idle flap” stuck clo...

If you guys do this again next year, I’d like to join you!

… and the people who only wanted faster horses rolled their eyes at all three.

About 4500 miles on my ‘24 Touring since purchase in October of 2021, 2200 so far this calendar year, 1500+ since early July.

1925 Touring wrote: ↑
Sun Oct 06, 2024 9:51 pm
Driving my car while I can, before winter hits. Enjoying the great weather in Illinois. It's been 65 to 80 degrees for the past 3 weeks, more or less.
IMG_20241006_205001.jpg

Don’t let winter stop you!

: Northbound, September 20, 2024

: Southbound, September 21, 2024

I run regular gas (87 Octane) with my Z head and have never noticed any spark knock, regardless of spark setting. With no instrumentation, I adjust the spark to the point the engine runs smoothly. Same here, I’ve put 2400+ miles on my Z-head in the last year using regular 87-octane E10 pump gas, ti...

Installed the T-5001RK coil box upgrade kit (plastic terminal boards) from Snyder’s on my ‘24 Touring. The main reason was that I drive and/or park in the rain on almost every tour, and just wanted a little extra insurance against a wet coil box. Also, the engine had been running like a sewing machi...

I’ve been using the white spring grips from Home Depot (see my July 31 post) on the Michigan Jamboree tours to mount the inside mirror, and I have to say I’m impressed: minimal jiggle and no noticeable blockage of the view forward. They place the mirror slightly above the windshield frame but not so...

TWrenn wrote: ↑
Wed Jul 31, 2024 9:47 am
Sad part is they jiggle so much they're practically useless

True with the cheap stamped clamp-on outside mirror, but I drove this inside rear view mirror on some fairly rough grass about 20mph and it did pretty well.

I was in the hardware store yesterday. I wanted to fix the cord on my shop vacuum. It is a local store run by a friend of mine, we knew what I needed, I took it to the checkout counter. The lady at the cash register looked at my purchase and said, "What are those called." with a quizzical look on h...

Thank you Jerry. Using Dan’s measurements, the mirror looks too far to the right with the right hole nearly 2/3 of the way across the windshield frame. I found some “ spring grips ” at Home Depot that will let me try various positions without adhesives or drilling holes. Right now I have it dead cen...

How many times have you replaced the coil or condenser in any/all of your modern cars (or lawn mowers/tractors) in the last 30 years out of necessity? I helped a friend replace a coil on his distributor-equipped touring car a couple of weeks ago on the MTFCI tour. It failed suddenly and completely;...

When talking model Ts on the forum Ford's nomenclature of left/right side is often ignored in favour of driver's side/passenger side. I can remember one wanted ad for a passenger side rear fender for a sedan! Do rear seat passengers sit on a particular side in the USA? If there is no left or right ...

A model T coil fails and you have 3 more to get you to a good place to swap it out, or if you have a spare within arm’s reach, you might even be able to effect a repair without stopping. A coil on a distributor fails, and you’re dead where you stand until you replace it.

Thanks Dan, I hadn’t thought of using adhesives; I think I may have some good double-sided tape around here from a previous project.

I just purchased the repro inside mirror for open cars (T-7853-X) from Snyder’s. It came without mounting hardware or even so much as a picture or drawing of the installation. From my recollection of ones I’ve seen, the photo shows what I believe to be the correct orientation, which will also work w...

antenna.JPG Trying to be a smart Alec, I looked up "Antenna" on Google Maps, just in case there was such a place. What I found instead, was that there are still dozens of places that still sell and service residential, rooftop TV antennas! Going to look for buggy whip shops next... Many folks are “...

Does anyone still use a Simmons carburetor? I have one and a Super Simmons that Russ Potter rebuilt, but I have never tried them. They look like they are Full Bore. The carburetor that came on my ‘24 touring looks like an NH until you notice the flapper. I’m told it’s a Simmons, but I don’t know fo...

Getting the engine back installed just in time for the MTFCI tour in Cadillac, MI after the lower oil petcock loosened up and dumped the oil. A full tear down showed that the engine faired fairly well, only requiring the removal of a few shims. The transmission required replacement of triple gear pi...

Will we see it in Cadillac in a couple of weeks?

This is what happens when you check the oil and don’t notice that the lower petcock is easier to turn than it should be... Ouch! What about taking your Express Truck to Cadillac? When I check the oil, I always give the handle of the petcock a small whack with the plier to drive in the taper and "lo...

Mine looks just like the above photo that Frank posted from the old thread. To unscrew the cover you have to turn the set screw out about 3/8 to 1/2 inch until you can turn the cover a full turn. Pressing on any one of the fingers you see under the cover will activate the horn. If you’ve never had t...

This is what happens when you check the oil and don’t notice that the lower petcock is easier to turn than it should be, then go on an 83-mile drive. Though it did run slightly warmer coming home than earlier in the day, it never knocked, overheated, or seized, only an occasional “chirp” from the en...

Karen and I did a 93-mile round trip fom Brighton, MI to Owosso, MI for lunch with the top down this past Sunday. The most common question was “You drove THAT from WHERE?”

My bride and I in back, my Dad and her sister in the middle, September 4, 2004, Dexter, Michigan, in a depot hack her Dad hired. I wish I knew where it was…

Tim, thanks for posting a notice for this tour! Karen and I flew into Put-in Bay a few years back and have been looking forward to a good excuse to take our T over there ever since we've had it. I sent you an email stating our intention to attend.

My 24 touring turned 100 in February. I got the centennial badge, but I’m still looking for long #6(?) brass screws to attach it. Alternatively, I’m thinking about attaching it to the front license plate holder since Michigan doesn’t require a front plate.

babychadwick wrote: ↑
Fri May 24, 2024 6:47 am
... If memory serves there was a segment that was 20 percent for over 20 miles. …

A 20 percent grade for 20 miles would result in a climb of over 20,000 feet.

I remember riding in one of several White Tour Busses up the Going to the Sun Road to Glacier National Park in 1995. At that time they had just been retrofitted with modern running gear, but looked pretty much original from the outside. I seem to remember being told they were 1937 models.

dinosbunny wrote: ↑
Wed Apr 10, 2024 12:34 pm
Switch in pending sale to Miles, thank you....Miles please check your g-mail

Email answered, check will be in the mail tomorrow, April 11. Thank you Dino!

Jerry and others were right; the issue wasn’t carbon tracking. The orientation of the #3 terminal on the timer was such that it contacted the cam gear cover. Evidently I had done my isolation checks with the timer off. :roll: I corrected the #3 terminal and it runs fine now, but I am going to get th...

I’ll take it, I have two T’s I could use that on.

mbowen904 at gmail dot com

I drove down to Dundee Michigan on US 23 Sunday and stayed overnight, then headed south to Perrysburg Ohio early Monday morning. No traffic heading down, got a nice viewing spot in an old limestone quarry now a nature preserve with 3 hours to spare. Great group of people there, mostly from Michigan...

Thank you Jerry. I did the checks with the timer installed, so I’m pretty sure all the terminals are isolated. I did only check on the 20-ohm scale, so if there was a higher resistance path to ground I would have missed it. There is a horizontal track on the wood between the #3 and #4 primaries, but...

Thank you Steve, I’ll do a visual check, but my ohmmeter (on a 20-ohm setting) showed an open circuit from all primary terminals to ground.

Today I awoke Clyde, my 1925 Express Wagon from an 8-month slumber. It started easily, though I did get a backfire as it was starting. It seemed to run fine for a few minutes then got rough and lost power. I had just reinstalled the timer, so the first thing I did was check the wiring - all as it sh...

RVA23T wrote: ↑
Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:59 am
df768d2e03954d8a.png

IMG_3594.png (559.42 KiB) Viewed 137003 times

Model T’s aren’t stick stick shift vehicles…

… And those hi-flow needle and seats seem like they'll take things up another notch. I got a new needle and seat from Scott while I was at it, but it’s hopefully a fix an NH that “bucks” at low throttle settings. The carb in the photo is a Simmons (or whatever brand it is that has the “floating” pl...

:| I got tired of the leaky stem on the right angle brass shutoff valve at the carburetor, so I splurged on one of Scott Conger’s ball valves. Installation was pretty much a snap, the hardest part (which wasn’t very hard at all) was cutting about 2-3/4” off of the fuel line (shown on the hood shelf)...

Anything (or nothing) would be better than what my ‘24 touring came to me with. The far right side of the passenger floorboard had been modified to easily access the pictured valve which in hindsight I’m not even sure was intended for liquid fuel. A few months after I bought Bonnie I came home from ...

May or may not be Model T related.

I found Clyde near Pontiac, IL in late June 2021. I got him just to get around the airport I live on, and wanted something less “common” than a golf cart. IMG_0509.jpeg Then, Tim Juhl invited me to the Michigan Jamboree in Bad Axe that August. I was in the middle of rebuilding Clyde’s front axle, bu...

Did the floorboards (‘24 touring) originally have cleats on the bottom, or are these part of a repair?

I hope you aren’t planning on driving your grandkids around on that tire in the fifth photo…

Using interpolation on the monthly motor numbers, the estimated date for my ‘24 touring (9323453) comes out to February 14, 1924. That’s a couple of months earlier than I thought I remembered looking up once before, so I’m hoping it won’t be TOO cold that day to take Bonnie out for a drive on her 1...

No oil or grease on the ground or around the break seems to indicate it was run dry?

My and my neighbor’s schedules finally meshed today and got Bonnie’s floorboard squared up, cut to size, planed to thickness, rabbetted, and the slot cut for the brake handle. I’m very pleased with the quality of his work; he went at it as though it was his own. He even put a slight chamfer on the b...

... On the old car I am working on at the moment, this Australian bodied car has 5/8" floorboards. These are softwoods, usually knot free. Finding the same timber will be a challenge. Allan from down under. Check with whoever sells wood for marine or aviation purposes in your area. In the US the fi...

I could be mistaken and anybody correct me if I’m wrong, but, I believe 3/4” is slightly too thick for the clamps on each side to hold the floor down. I made my floor a long time ago for my 1926 coupe and I seem to recall that I had to plane down the edges so the clamps would twist over the floorin...

I have no idea if the floorboards in my ‘24 touring are original or replacements, but a shade tree modification to access a makeshift fuel valve, and the failure of a previous repair, both by previous owner(s), has necessitated replacement of the flat section just forward of the front seat. I have s...

I couldn’t get the above link to open, but was able to find it easily by searching on YouTube directly. https://youtu.be/p_RrG9rDaGI?si=LKm1KvkfB7FIUIZM Coming from Michigan, we stayed at the meeting hotel in Miamisbutg Thursday evening. Trailering down to Shandon early Friday morning in the still-f...

There was plenty of salt on the Polar Bear Tour. Fortunately we had a day in the high 30’s (F) about a week after we got back and I was able to give Bonnie a good flushing inside and out, and underneath, even the engine. To make it a little more comfortable for me I was able to run a water hose from...

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