MTFCA Forum

I have caller ID and I get a lot of spoofed calls with numbers that are supposedly from my town. I recently looked at the caller ID to discover that the call was from me! Someone spoofed my phone number and called me. I regret not answering that one.

The head on my car has a small crack in the top of the water jacket. I recently obtained a good replacement and will have it surfaced before installing it. I intend to use a silicone head gasket since I have two in the shop. I won't have the block's deck ground flat since the engine is in the car. W...

You installed cotter pins in engine pan bolts. There is no harm in doing that. The cotter pins were eliminated at some point but the castle nuts remained.

Is that picky enough for you?

I have not compared wishbones in person but this thread has a lot of measurements of wishbones and describes the different angles of the lugs that attach to perches. Early lugs are bent 13 degrees and '26-'27 are 11 degrees.

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/17 ... 1318687549

I noticed that the timer was fully retarded while the engine was idling and when the owner drove away. I suspect that he made non-standard adjustments to timer settings too.

What measurement will you use to set the caster? I find the published caster measurements confusing. In the MTFCA axle book the drawing shows placing a framing square against the axle, not the spindle bushings, and it shows a gap at the top of 1/8". But the text says 3/8". This book and the Ford Ser...

I cut 2 two-foot lengths of angle iron ( 1x1x1/8") and clamped them onto the axle with hose clamps. I protected the axles from scratches with duct tape. The angle iron doubled the critical buckling strength of the axle from 14,000 pounds to 28,000. I did that to keep them from buckling in the press....

This is from about 20 years ago with my uncle at the wheel.

That's the oil distribution tube. Oil splashed by the magnets into the funnel flows to the front of the engine.

30 degrees and a 10" run has a rise of close to 5 3/4".

Is any portion of the bolt sticking above the head surface? If it is, weld a large nut to it and try turning the nut. See a photo of the process in this thread.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13292

I replaced the worn-beyond-use front shackles on my Runabout. I was hoping that properly aligned perches and springs would bring the caster back to nominal. That did not work. I still have way too much caster and I need to study why before making a 4-ft bending iron.

Scott, when I made new floorboards for my '26 Runabout I measured the angle of the floorboard supports in the body. It measured exactly 30 degrees. I don't know for certain but I suspect that TT floorboards would have the same angle since pedal geometry is the same.

I have the site bookmarked and it worked this morning.

Ignacio, I bought the same bushing driver that you bought. It worked perfectly to replace my brake bushings.

Not a toolbox, but one year I opened my tackle box for the first time of the season and discovered that I forgot to toss the unused catfish bait. I haven't made that mistake since.

July 1926 build date makes it a '26 model, not '27. I know, my 'September '26 Runabout is a '27 but titled as a '26 to satisfy the state records.

I have a similar tool from my uncle's stash. It is in al "L" shape rather than "T" and was made with a sparkplug base. The L-bar is solid steel and was forged into shape rather than bent.

Here is mine.

I "borrowed" this photo that was posted by Duane from another thread . It shows the exhaust pipe with a dent to clear the hogshead. Duanes hogshead.JPG My pipe does not have a dent but it is really close to the hogshead. It is about 1/4" away and I'm concerned about what the heat would do to the hog...

Thanks so the replacement brass bushings are 1926-27 but the outer diameter seems big for the hole am I supposed to sand it down? I replaced my brake bushings a few months ago using a bushing driver and a big hammer. I did nothing to the outside diameter of the bushing. It was an easy job. This was...

I missed the threads in the nut on Martynn's drawing. Thank you for pointing that out. I'm working on the RH side and I'm aware of the thread direction.

One of my wheels has a little bit of in-out movement. This suggests that the nut is not on far enough to hold the outer bearing in place. My problem is that I cannot get the hub off the spindle because I can’t get the outer bearing off. First, I tried to tighten the nut to adjust the bearing. But I ...

I removed mine out of the car but I believe you can remove the bracket with the steering column in place. Remove the pin and timing lever below the bracket. If you find that you need to move the steering shaft up and out of the way, unscrew the steering gearbox cover and remove it and the steering w...

The rubber bumper looks like a turtle deck bumper for '26 & '27. They are 9486B on Lang's website.

I have a caliper accessory kit to extend the reach of my calipers. It extends the jaw's reach to 2 1/2".

Jim, with only 1" clearance I would suggest wedging a board between the ground and the open garage door to make sure that it is open as far as it can be and stays that way. You put too much into your truck to risk damage.

I also did a lot of fussing to make sure my brake shoes were round and concentric with the drums. I placed a lined shoe in each drum on the bench and shaped the metal shoes to fit evenly. My car had no linings when I got it so my shoes were out-of-round. When the cam spreads the shoe at its opening,...

I had the same problem with my '26 this spring when I put new linings on. I used soapstone to mark high spots on the linings. I coated the inside of my drums with soapstone, put the drum on and spun it with the brake lever pulled very slightly. Soapstone transferred to the linings to show high spots...

My wishbone looked like this when I got it. I fixed the ugliness but still had a misalignment problem, which I have not resolved yet. I'll get to that next project. Wishbone socket-2.gif I used a ratchet strap attached to the front axle and rear frame to gently pull the wishbone into alignment. Then...

I took a quick bath in LA’s Totally Awesome Cleaner. That’s the end of this story. It started when I removed the inspection cover to adjust connecting rods. It was the first time I’ve done that and wasn’t prepared for the ensuing mess. I made a jig for my floor jack like the one many of you have see...

My 1926 Runabout vibrates a lot over 25 miles per hour. Do you have the wood blocks between your pan ears and frame? I installed the blocks but the new bolts were too short and they are too tight. I bought longer bolts to fix this but I have not installed them yet. Another solution I have read about...

Grainger's website shows 5/8" x 10" bolts in UNF, UNC and various grades.

Is the sole purpose of a belly sling to offer added support and insurance? Or do they help reduce vibration and side-to-side movement? My '26 did not have wood blocks behind the pan ears when I got it. There is evidence that the left pan ear had been pounding against the frame for a long time. I ins...

A skunk got into my barn through a cat door. My dutiful barn cat chased him out but not before said skunk had released his full arsenal. It was nasty in that barn and on the cat. My solution to getting rid of the smell was to boil a quart of vinegar on the wood stove. My stove had a flat cooktop mak...

This has windshield glass. http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/708324/742573.html?1491408220 Edit. Sorry, that link does not have closed car glass. This has door and side window glass. http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/411944/490599.html?1414967608 Here is a better link. http://www.cimorelli.com...

We took our first drive yesterday since bringing Tilley home two and a half years ago. The drive was a short 7 miles and was a combination shakedown cruise and stress test. I was stressed and Tilley was shaking like she was going to fly apart. I enjoyed every short minute. My wife chose the name Til...

Fordors from '26-'27 did not have cowl gas tanks. That can't be from a Fordor.

My understanding of the L4 flapper is it directs air flow through an idle circuit until airflow increases. Increased air flow opens the flapper to allow full air movement.

If push comes to shove, mark the wires and remove the coil box. Good point Mark. Rather than wrestle stuck coils out of the coil box, just swap two wires from the commutator. Mark them first so you know which wire goes where. You will know if it's a bad coil if the problem moves to a different cyli...

George, is the teacup lens in one piece? I recently converted my tail light to include a brake light and I'm considering adding a right side light for future turn signals. I'll send an email.

Ok,so I will need to make that little bolted on peice,Best I can tell the coiumn is just loose in the hole? It appears the curved portion of that hole for the column has a lip turned to the inside for strength best I can tell from the pic. The column in my '26 Runabout passes through the hole and d...

Ok, my car doesn't make the banging sound when stationary, and also doesn't make the sound when in low either, but as soon as you go to direct drive (hi), the banging starts, as you reach cruising speed it goes away, until you decelerate, then it starts up again. My car had the exact symptoms as de...

If you use vinegar, I found concentrated, 30% vs. standard 5%, at Home Depot. It's in their cleaning section.

This has '24 closed body glass dimensions.

Hank is right. Swamp coolers work by heat absorption as the water evaporates. The effectiveness of the cooler depends on relative humidity in the ambient air. In the dry air of Henderson NV, you would get a cooling effect. However, the high-humidity conditions of Florida allows much less evaporation...

There is subtle differences in the '26 and the later '27. Here is the '27 version, easy to spot with the clipped top corner. This one has hole for the upholstery nail socket, for the trim board on the door and the latch tucks into the door panel opening. Dan, maybe you explained this in another thr...

The rubber seal on my windshield post has worked its way out of the groove. It's strange since the car has mostly sat in the barn for months. I'm having a hard time getting it back into the groove and I could use some guidance. The seal is the one shown in the photo (arrow). Windshield seal.gif Shou...

Frames were made thicker for '26 due to the heavier bodies of improved cars. My '26 measures .200" thick.

Where did you get, or how did you make the front wheels?

It is convenient to use a 7/16" drill bit, if you have one. Also, make sure the float is level with the machined surface at that gap. If the float is angled in any way, the setting will be off.

I was shocked by the improvement. The Kingston L4 in my Runabout was leaking due to a sticky float valve. Even when it didn't leak, the engine never ran well. I installed a Ford NH that I rebuilt last year. Right out of the box with startup settings the engine idled smoothly. Really smooth! I made a...

I installed my new radiator this week and restored the shell. I ditched the MotoMeter in favor of a simple cap from my stash. The probe on the MotoMeter didn't go deep enough to touch the coolant. The top of the overflow tube was lower. I don't want to damage the radiator neck with a heavy MotoMeter...

The top panel is not dimpled for the neck. It has a hole that's 1 1/4" diameter. The hole in the bottom of the neck is 1 3/4". This neck would be easy to move.

Mark, I have the same concerns about the hole being dished and whether the front panel is pushed in far enough. I wish I had a bore scope to look inside. I sent photos to Brassworks and will call later to talk to Lee. He had suggested on Friday that I have a local shop move the neck. I have a shop b...

I took better photos today of the critical measurements, which I will share with Brassworks. I told Lee that my shell's hole was 3/8" from the inside surface and he said his was 9/16". I didn't have a photo to share and don't know if he was measuring the same way. I'll send photos tomorrow so he und...

James, my original is a little over 3/8 (13/32"). I can't post photos from my phone. I'll reformat them and post tonight. I recommend checking fit of your shell if possible.

Bob McDaniel wrote: ↑
Sun May 03, 2020 12:42 pm
Mark,

Check your E-mail, I sent you a possible fix for this problem that worked very well for me.

Thank you Bob.

Did the thin radiator use a thin shell? I'll get out to measure my shell after lunch.

Magnificent is an insufficient description. Wow.

RajoRacer wrote: ↑
Sun May 03, 2020 11:51 am
And who's "new" radiator did you purchase ? I have a couple original radiators - I'll measure after breakfast !

Brassworks

These are a few more photos.

I bought a new radiator since my old one was not repairable. Much to my dismay, the radiator shell on my '26 does not fit over the new radiator. The hole in the shell is too far forward or the radiator neck is too far back. These are photos of my new and old rads. The neck on the new one is 1/2" bac...

This is very sad news, indeed. Herm's impact on this community cannot be ignored. Thank you for sharing this with us, Tom.

dhosh wrote: ↑
Tue Apr 28, 2020 9:10 am
Very good. And the carburetor and timing rods didn't need to come out, then, just to get the shaft itself out?

Correct. I think that procedure is in the service manual.

I replaced my shaft since the gear pin holes were wallowed out. I had the same problem getting the shaft out. I discovered that the portion of shaft that is inside the steering column housing was rusted. I just kept pounding until the rusty portion went past the gearbox. The new shaft dropped right ...

Dennis, remove the steering gears and lower the top. I assume you are working on your RPU. The shaft can be pulled out from above if the pitman arm is removed.

Steve Jelf wrote: ↑
Mon Apr 27, 2020 11:06 am

OK How about the Ford F carburetor?

That's the name used on Ford's version of the NH.

Steve, the brass tag on my carburetor says Ford NH.

Oil distribution tube clean? Check. Replace fiber timing gear with aluminum? Check. Timing cover on? Check. Rebuilt fan pulley on new water outlet from Hank? Check. I checked the timing before installing the fan belt and fan. It all looks good so now it's time for the new radiator to go on. Timing c...

Rob, these are not great photos of the 1909 Lozier. They are in a locked glass room and the lights over the cars were not on. I did get into the room and up close but that was 25 years ago and I did not take pictures then. I mention "they" because there is also a 1916 HAL V12 Roadster. It was the on...

I installed a new standard aluminum timing gear and it's time to check generator gear clearance. My new problem is the gear is slightly loose on the generator. Does anyone have advice or solutions to tightening the gear? Is there an undersized gen gear? The pin through the gear isn't set very well. ...

I was wondering what that set screw was for. I saw it when I replaced my gas valve last week. Apparently, my overflow tube has a plug in it.

I was wondering if a Lozier would be added to the list. There is a 1909 Lozier Sport Touring in the office building where I work. It's quite magnificent and was owned by Winthrop Rockefeller.

Search "metro brake conversion" for Nash Metropolitan discussions. I believe that is what Charlie is referring to.

Steve, I was thinking about using anti-seize on the cam surfaces that contact the aluminum gear. That would be the gear bore and in the two locating holes. I am concerned about corrosion between the steel cam and aluminum gear.

I'm getting ready to install an aluminum timing gear. Should I use anti-seize? I will have the engine rebuilt at some point and I don't want to creat a problem that can be avoided.

Here is an old timey process that I never tried. With the engine running, dust some Bom-Ami into the carb to seat rings. It is said to work in down draft carb situations. Side draft, who knows. I mention it because some other old timers may remember it.

Ron, Would the 93Thou include the big end and little end bearing clearance? Just thinking, though I don't think it will make much difference to a back fire...N. Technically, the .093 varies with connecting rod clearances but not much. The .093 dimension is for a stock 4" stroke and 7" connecting ro...

Regarding a compression test, yes the spark plugs are 1/2" pipe thread. If your tester does not have that size, the vendors noted above sell an inexpensive adapter to let you use what you have. Also, click the "Model T Club of America" banner at the top of this page. Click on "Suppliers" on the righ...

One thing I did to prevent bending new axles was to reinforce them with angle iron before pressing the gears on. I cut 1x1 x 1/8" angles to about 22". I wrapped the axles with tape to protect surfaces and then clamped two pieces of angles onto axles with a few hose clamps. Doing this increased the c...

I replaced my pinion gear with a new one. I measured the bottom of the pinion gear, where it fits into the steering shaft. It was .434 at the worn tip and .447" next to the gear where there was little to no wear. I did not measure the upper shaft that fits into the steering gear cover. My pinion and...

Thank you for the great input. The fiber gear in my photo has a different shape than the damaged gear Steve Jelf showed in an older post. Mine also has "FORD" in raised letters that I have not seen in older photos. That may support a previous thread that suggested there were different types and qual...

I discovered when I removed my timing cover that the engine in my ’26 has a fiber timing gear. While its teeth show little wear, I really don’t want to use it since I have a generator. I have seen enough ugly photos in past threads of destroyed fiber gears. At least my crankshaft gear looks new. I w...

Steve, I googled Burnside baseball and found a photo of the whole team. I didn't post since there were no cars in it.

J.G. Bruce & Son Merchantile. Burnside Michigan

I think of this as a positive, "when the going gets tough..." statement. "The sight of the gallows wonderfully concentrates the mind." Samuel Johnson ca.1750

Mark, I did the same thing. Bob Gibson was my idol. He lived just a few blocks from us.

I don't trust the 1920 date either. The source lists the date as "ca. 1920". The "ca." is an abbreviation of "circa", which means approximately. Those who dated the photo have no idea of the real date.

She came home as a roller that was missing part of her Kingston. Following the carb rebuild, this photo of us was taken moments before the first time I started her. That was two years ago.

I finally reinstalled my rear assembly after a total rebuild and repaint. It was out for three months and I had to wait for warmer weather to paint. Otherwise, it would have been back in sooner.

1904 Franklin

I can imagine there being a "dashtank" or "gastank" up front. If the racer was on a road course or flat track, the rear tank would supply fuel. However, when running in steep hill climb events, they may have needed a tank high up front to provide fuel. That's total speculation on my part.

With a bearing rather than Babbitt, how do you keep oil from migrating into the torque tube?

My plate is off the car at the moment while I attend to some fixeruppery.

: Plate - small.gif (78.81 KiB) Viewed 5204 times

1926 Nebraska license plate

Tony, the lock washer goes against the rear nut, not the castle nut. The castle nut has a cotter pin to keep it from loosening. The other nut needs a lock washer.

I've posted this photo in Bryce Canyon before. I found several high-quality images like this in University of Utah's Digital Library. They have a great search feature. Being a man-in-the-know, I'm sure you are aware of their photo archive. Others may not know about this. I spent many hours looking a...

I practiced social distancing today. That means I lit a nice fire in the stove in the barn and worked on the reassembly of my rear end. The nearest human was several hundred yards away. My only visitor was the neighbor's dog. She's always welcome.

I'm not looking for an accurate temperature reading. There was no angle where I could see the fluid from the front. I bought a new radiator and I'm removing the water pump. I'm going back to stock.

I tested my Boyce MotoMeter today in a pan of hot water. I have never gotten my engine hot enough to see if it works. One curious thing I noticed is that the red fluid can only be seen on the back face. With the red fluid within the range of the circle, I can't see it from the front. Is this normal ...

That reminds me, I need a new shed.

I took a refresher course last week and reread the form rules. That's something that many of us should do once a year or so. I read the rules after a political comment was posted last Tuesday (and is still there today).

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