MTFCA Forum

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 2499 times

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).

I know where your pins are, Steve. They're in that box with your speedometer. In fact, I think one of my lug nuts that disappeared a few years ago is in there too. My apologies. I'm not helping the conversation.

Don't expect dimensional lumber to fit. For my '26 Runabout I had to plane the boards to 9/16" to fit into the body's flanges and under the front board hold-down. The white panel in the photo is a piece of 1/4" hardboard that I used as a template for the upper board.

I will be following this thread, if it gets any responses. I don't have a magneto, just a 6V battery. I am planning to buy an E-Timer after I get a few miles on the car. Next week will be my 2-year anniversary of owning my Runabout and I still have not driven it past the end of my driveway. It shoul...

Click on the banner at the top of this page, "Model T Ford Club Of America". Click "Forums" and you will have the option to go to the older forums.

I continued preparations for reassembly of my rear end and torque tube. I can't put ugly hardware back on my car. I spent yesterday gathering the best from my pile and cleaning and painting them. They'll get another final coat of paint after assembly.

Brassworks shipped my radiator yesterday. Woot Woot!

I just received my new Brassworks radiator ordered through Birdhaven Auto Parts. It took FOUR weeks and fit perfectly. Yes, it was expensive but that is the price of admission today. Four weeks? I ordered mine 6 weeks ago and I'm still waiting. Of course, Brassworks charged my credit card on day 1.

Scott C. wrote: ↑
Fri Mar 06, 2020 1:01 pm
It did take a long time to get, like maybe 3 months?

3 Months!? I've been waiting for 6 weeks for a Brassworks radiator. That's crazy.

When dealing with the motor vehicle NEVER EVER TELL THEM A VEHICLE WAS BUILT FROM PARTS. That does not apply to all states. The only way I could get a Nebraska title was to apply under the "Assembled Classic Vehicle" statute. The law states that the parts must come from various vehicles, not just o...

Kiln drying hardens the lignin in wood and that makes it hard to steam bend. If you can, use air-dried wood with an open grain. Open grain woods are easier to steam bend than closed grain.

Thank you for the replies. I had considered using a hoist I made to go on the back of my tractor to lift the rear assembly and lay it down. I dismissed that idea since the tractor doesn't have the finesse that is required. I will assemble on jack stands.

I’ve done all of the rebuilding work on my rear end with the housings set vertically into a notched slab of hickory that’s attached to my workbench. All of it has gone very well. Now it’s time for final assembly of the rear, torque tube and rods. Here is my concern. I’m a scrawny old guy with two bu...

FYI, the u-joints that are sold by Lang's, and probably others, come from Snyder's. They have them made by someone else. My point is that new u-joints are probably all from the same manufacturer.

Is anyone besides me still waiting for their Jan/Feb issue to arrive?

Welcome aboard, Mark. Where is Wadley?

I replaced my leaking head gasket with a new one. I hope I used enough copper coat. Steve, can you share the details of your head lifting hooks? I have an "L" shaped lifter from my uncle's stash that uses the lower portion of a two-piece sparkplug to thread into a hole. Did you do something similar...

Comments about coils working better or worse depending on whether the car is running on battery or magneto has me wondering. Is there a different coil calibration for cars running solely on 6V battery? I don't have a magneto and I don't want a distributor. When I have my coils calibrated later this ...

I’m on the reassembly side of rebuilding my rear end and torque tube. This logo is engraved on the end of my new axles. I’m not thrilled with that and was concerned that this would cause premature wear on the fiber spacer. I spent some quality time with a buffing wheel to smooth out the surface. Axl...

Skip the low end shackles. There are photos of them on the forum showing how they can come apart.

All, this is a TT. Pushing it with a worm drive rear will be difficult whether the transmission is in "neutral" or not. It may be better to get the rear wheels on a dolly for loading and unloading.

As Larry mentioned, the carriage bolts are different than current hardware store variety. I chucked carriage bolts in a drill press and reshaped and smoothed the heads with a file. They are not perfectly accurate but I'm fine with it. If you don't have a manual yet you can view one on Cimorelli's we...

I can't help with the spare tire, but good call on the new body. It looks awesome.

Joe Bell wrote: ↑
Fri Feb 14, 2020 6:32 pm
... It is a quick and inexpensive fix that will work to get your mag back in clearance.

Controlling end play also reduces damaging movement in connecting rod bushings.

It's a good thing that I don't have a magneto because I have .045" of end play. I bought one of the shims to get me through the summer and I will address the rear main in the fall. I have not machined my shim yet but I have access to a Bridgeport mill for that purpose.

I’m replacing rear shackles and bushings. This isn’t a good sign. The only spare perches in my stash aren’t for improved cars. I put new bushings in and they seem to be ok but I’ll be on the lookout for better perches in the future.

I didn't know that EZ Turn acts as a thread sealant too. I have a new sediment bulb for my Runabout and I need to find a sealant. I don't have EZ Turn on hand.

The service manual shows removing the gear and using compressed air to blow out the distribution tube. Maybe I could fish a wire through or behind the gear and into the tube to check for obstructions. I need to remove the timing cover anyway. My timer is not centered very well and I have an alignmen...

I decided to check, and if need be, clean my oil distribution tube. I’m taking the opportunity to do this while my radiator is out and I wait for my new one. The service manual shows the use of a gear puller to remove the timing gear from the cam. It engages into slots in the gear. I have not taken ...

Another source with no minimum order quantity is

boltdepot.com

There was a photo, I think on the old forum, where someone put a toggle switch for turn signals in a standard horn button housing. Mounted on the steering column, it didn't look out of place.

I have not found a reference for how far the contact surfaces of these drums can be machined. Mine are a little pitted but are, otherwise, in very good shape. Most of my local shops will not touch them. But I did find someone who will turn them if I can provide a maximum diameter. Since these are pa...

I saved my old sleeve after I removed it to install a FP pinion bearing. I had a short piece of 1" shaft stock (.995" diameter) and I pressed the old sleeve over the shaft. That became my driver to install the new driveshaft bushing. The bushing driver that is sold by the vendors is not too expensiv...

Where is the Sac Museum? There is a SAC (Strategic Air Command) Museum in Nebraska but that has military aircraft.

How do we place orders? Robbie Dave had me send an email to support@chaffinsgarage.com with my part list in a pdf format. He said other attached file types would be blocked by a spam filter. I sent my list Monday and I'm still waiting for his reply. When I talked to Dave he was VERY busy trying to ...

Is the problem you're having with getting the gears off the old axles? If yes, you can shorten them with a chop saw to fit your press. I am in the same boat at the moment and will go through the same process when my axles arrive.

Hello Steve here, I have started to rebuild my 1926 rear axle. New sleeves, new axles, new brass thrust washers, new pins. Now I'm looking at the drive shaft. I have a new brass bushing but I don't have the tool to remove the old one. I hate buying these expensive tools when I plan to use then once...

I'm disassembling two rear ends to make a good one for my car. It looks like this bearing sleeve is probably original. The upper surface is worn through and the "V" split is closed. My sleeve removal tool was not useful in this case. It took a hammer, chisel and vice grips to get this out. outer axl...

Some vendors who sell thrust washers say they are brass and some say bronze. Are there two or more different washers or are they the same with different descriptions?

My point is that I need to order washers and I don't know if I should get brass or bronze.

I disassembled two rear ends this month to try and make one good one. Only one of the Babbitt bearings made it out in a single piece. The rest were crumbs. Some Babbitt flakes embedded themselves in gear teeth, which took a lot of wire brushing to remove without damaging anything. The best news was ...

I tried one of these strobe light tachometers once and was disappointed at the performance. Who is the developer of the app you are using? I could not find one with a screen like yours. I assume it is for I-Phone only with no Android version.

I need to replace my brake cam bushings and need to decide if I need to replace the cams too. Does anyone know what the thickness of the cam head should be? I can measure the shafts for wear but I don't have a reference for cam thickness.

: Inkedbrake cam_LI.gif (112.31 KiB) Viewed 218 times

You get more manouverability in the reflector if you use the adjustment screw to pull the socket as far back as possible. It can go back enough to clear the back of the reflector.

If you just need something to squish between the glass and rim without sticking semi-permanently, silicone will make a suitable gasket. But don't apply it to the lens or rim. Instead, use a scrap of glass and run a bead of silicone in a straight line on the glass. Make it as long as the gasket you w...

My wife spotted this car when we were driving by on Christmas Eve. I got a good look at it on Christmas and it looks legit. I suggested that my wife needs her own Model T and this would be a good candidate. Unfortunately, she's holding out for a '67 Camaro.

In Chaffin's axle book, he mentions using shim stock around bearing sleeves when the axle housing bore is oversized. It occurred to me that this could work to reduce the sleeve diameter to fit an undersized Hyatt bearing in a standard-bore axle housing. Have any of you tried this? I have not mic'd m...

I removed the torque tube from my '26 yesterday. It has a tapered tube like yours, Scott. However, the rear flange on mine is different. Mine is thicker than on a stepped torque tube that I have. The flange also has machined pockets where the bolt heads sit. I don't know if mine is correct for a '26...

I finally extracted my rear assembly for a rebuild. The idiot who put the chassis together didn't seem bothered to use cotter pins or safety wire. I was able to remove both nuts from one shackle with just my fingers. No tools! And, three of the bolts holding the torque tube spool to the rear assembl...

I read somewhere that the 1 3/4" dimension should be to the center of the compass, not to the side of it. That eliminates differences between large and small compasses. Is that correct or would the way shown be good enough that the first jolt aligns magnets as Mark described.

Mark Osterman wrote: ↑
Tue Dec 17, 2019 12:46 pm
A little while ago someone posted a craigslist listing in Iowa for me that had two front fenders for sale. Now I can’t find it. Can someone please repost that link or send it to my email mosterman@eastman.org

Email sent.

Internet searching the "Goof-off" product (be careful around paint & plastic) sold in CA from earth911.com Vinegar Heavy-duty varnish remover, soap-scum and rust hero, sunburn soother We could write one vinegar tip a day for the whole year and still have leftover uses! According to Heinz, a whoppin...

I'm not sure what year these are for but they look similar to yours. They have been on Craigslist for most of this year. It looks like the only possible original paint is on the bottom. Tops have primer. https://desmoines.craigslist.org/pts/d/pella-model-front-fenders-all-steel-nice/7008592464.html ...

I discovered why my parking brake doesn't work.

There are tachometers for outdoor power equipment that have a digital readout. I bought one about 25 years ago and used it on my mower and 9N tractor. They have a pickup wire that wraps around a spark plug wire to get a signal to determine rpm. They are all over Amazon and many are less than $30.

Can you share any details about the Discovery Channel show? Is it a secret?

I've posted this before but since this is an old camping scene, I will post again.

My Great Grandfather borrowed my grandparent’s Model T “for a few days” to drive from his home in Missouri to Arkansas. That’s where there was gambling and drinking. The Model T was the only car he could borrow that he knew could make the trip. He returned home two weeks later to my very angry grand...

Don, whatever you do, don't use those saws hanging on the wall to make parts. It looked like your car's previous owner used them.

Allan, I did send a picture and note to the vendor about this concern.

My rivets aren't loose but there isn't much of a head on one side. I put the U-joint in a vice and there was no movement between halves. If I use this part I will definitely peen the rivets. I just have not decided if I will use it or send it back. It appears that mine is not unique with the questio...

I looked at my new Taiwan-made u-joint and the rivets are barely peened over. I'm afraid to use it as-is. The heads on 3 rivets are not seated completely. I can insert a feeler gauge of .011" under some. Is this what is being made these days? I will probably send it back unless I can find a way to s...

I don't see a way to attach a draw bar. Would the farmer create his own or were they offered by the manufacturer?

You might find instructions in the reference library at antiquespeedometer.com.

Will this work on the Ford NH too? I built one but have not installed it yet. My car is many months away from being roadworthy. No testing has been done with my NH.

Pairs of plates do get split up all the time. Go to any swap meet and you will find singles everywhere. Matching pairs are harder to find. I bought this plate from a collector, who had years-worth of plates with this same registration number. He acquired them from the original owner's estate where t...

Steve, when I click on your photos, the sideways photo stay sideways when using Internet Explorer. If I use Google Chrome, they rotate to the correct orientation.

Do you have any photos to post?

I would put some old shoes on those running board brackets. You don't want to find those brackets "the hard way".

Thank you for the write-up Rich. One of the windshield panels in my '26 Runabout appears to be laminated but I cannot tell what the other one is. I plan to replace that one just to be safe.

I used this method with 1/2" iron pipe parts.

https://modeltfordfix.com/rebuilding-the-drive-shaft/

I'm not going to admit to how many times I've ordered the same part multiple times because I didn't remember that I already had it. :oops: I sometimes order parts months before starting a project to spread out the costs. I keep spreadsheets for both of my cars where I list parts or services purchas...

Manifold cooker?

Steve, was it beside the speedometer you were looking for?

I put mine in a small tin box under the seat. I used tin just in case a little critter gained entry. Truth is that I have a very good barn cat to keep them away so I'm not too worried about that.

Try searching the data in antiquespeedometer.com. They have a lot of information on their site.

In the movie "Goldfinger", they put an entire crushed Lincoln in the back of a Ranchero and it didn't even bulge the tires. Rich isn't breaking new ground here.

This is "Model T era" but not Model T. This post may be booted because of that. This is a charcoal drawing that I did 30 years ago. This was a local '24 Dodge Brothers Business Coupe that I almost bought.

Test the parking brakes BEFORE removing the axle keys to ensure they work. When I got my car I also waited until I was at home to start the engine since the car sat about 15 years. The car moved easily as my dad and uncle pushed and I steered it toward the trailer. That is when I realized my parking...

From March of this year.

https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=1793

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