MTFCA Forum

I agree with distributor gears, the lower one on camshaft and the other on the dizzy.

I first met both Bruce and Howard at the Hamilton (Dust) Bowl in 1976 during the Long Beach club swap meet before I bought my first T, a 1924 Coupe. Bruce convinced Heather that I needed Rocky Mountain Brake’s and Howard convinced me that Model Ts were a great hobby and I should immediately get invo...

Looks like a right hand drive. I wonder if it was Canadian or English (Trafford Park)?

I went on a tour last Saturday with the Escondido club. We were about five miles along the road when there was a Big Bang followed by a slight tire “cherp”. Naturally I stopped and looked under the T, nothing looked amiss but I had lost all drive.... One friend took me to pick up my trailer and anot...

A friend contacted me with pictures of trim ends available from Macs. One looks very similar to the one I have previously seen on Ts.

: Trim end from Macs; EF62875C-4858-481A-86B6-D331E46F9FE2.jpeg (22.32 KiB) Viewed 645 times

Apparently Macs has several other styles in their catalog.

I have seen the style on the second picture on what I believe to be fairly original cars.
I don’t know a modern source.

The previous posts have covered just about everything that can cause your problems. But first please buy, beg or borrow the MTFCA booklet covering the rear axle. Just to go over the main points again. Make sure the axle gears are pushed all the way towards the center, the two C clips must be held ti...

Sorry the pictures are out of order and one duplicated, I tried to fixit and failed

On the Nodel T of Facebook site someone has shown a page from a twenties Sears Catalog. Wow those prices were a real shock compared to today. Just for comparison a reverse drum in the twenties Sears catalog is $1.95. The same item in the current Lang’s web site lists 3301 with a new drum and refurbi...

During the various Shoot Out tours we travelled on many of those roads

.
Happy memories

I was under the impression that on the early cars, say 1908 thru 1913 the body and wheels were pin striped at the factory. From 1914 onwards, any pin striping was done locally at the dealer by local artisans. I can hardly imagine that to speed up production the wheels were dip painted and then manua...

I think the first picture appears to be the door striker support on touring and or roadsters. Some scale would help

Yes.
I did quite successfully on the Town Car. It required a little more effort than an 11 tooth pinion but just a few shims.

I’m trying to determine what round bits 0.036” diameter could be..... That is about the diameter of the wire I use for locking nuts but the picture seems to show something solid rather than being flexible like wire. I can’t think of any pin used in the motor that is 0.036” diameter. I guess it could...

HCCA.org came up for me.
The Cars for sale appears to be down for maintenance

No one seems to be addressing the discrepancy between the original clearance was range of 0.025-0.032” and using modern materials the 0.011-0.015” clearance. The difference is in the “modern materials”. The original design used two piece valves, seats in the block and none precision camshafts. All t...

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Just before you hit “upload”, go back to your text and put the cursor exactly where you want the picture. Now go back to upload button and press. Your picture will be where you want it.
Can’t help on the captions

TT rear wheel.
I know the T is 2.114” or thereabouts

I use 0.032” wire from McMasters

Today was the first day of the San Diego Speedster Endurance Run and I measured the hubs on several Model Ts. They were all between 2.108” to 2.115” so now I know what I need to machine the custom hubs.

I figured out the photo that Adam is referring!
Clearly it’s a Model A block showing grinding in the valves.
Well on the lower right of the same page is an article FEATURED PHOTO and sure enough is mentions a home made tool for lapping in the valves. That’s the connection......

I heard he wanted to sell Model T Haven

I found an on-line program to convert the build sheets from *.pdf to *.jpg
The quality is poor but is as good as the original they sent me.

: 11150 Original Build sheet

I’m still working the 1909, today I managed to get all four wheels mounted. They still don’t have rubber and are still unpainted but now I know most things fit. Notice “most”. The rear hubs are too large for the hub caps. I tried later hub caps and they don’t fit and the 09 hub caps fit the later wh...

I will be back at NJ5 hopefully with some bits including stuff left over from the 09 which I sincerely hope will be running by March. I’m staying at the Budget motel which clean and convenient, well at least thats the way it’s been for the last couple of years. Are there any rumors about a similar s...

Many years ago I tried it on the coupe. I failed. After lying on my back for most of the weekend I decided it wasn’t fun. So the next weekend I pulled the motor and did a proper job of it. In retirement I help folks fix their T’s but I NEVER adjust rods with a three dip pan in the car. Just not fun....

On Thursday our local club did a school visit. The fourth and fifth grades are learning about Assembly Lines and Henry Ford, so we take a few cars to several schools and give some life to the stuff they learnt. I took the 1914 touring and it ran fine, as usual when just as we pulled into the lunch s...

I’ll try the copy method but the existing quality is very poor and it can only get worse.
By the way the date on my transmission shaft is “09 30 09” which corresponds to the build dates noted in the Build Sheets

I use two C clamps, one at each end of the pole pieces so there is room to get to the new screw. Cheap and effective.

I bought a set of wood plans from Mel Miller when I rebuilt the 1917 Touring in the late 1980’s. It was quite successful though I did end up with pile of sawdust about 12” high. So they were NOT drop in. Later I contacted Mel to see if wanted to sell his business and received a not interested reply....

I finally located the build sheet for my 1909, I knew I had it somewhere. Indeed there was some confusioin as to whether the number was 11150 or 11750. The latter was shiped to London Eng so its quite unlikely that is was my car which was in Michigan area in the 1950's. Some interesting reading from...

I called at 4:30 this afternoon (thursday Oct 17) and spoke to Dave as usual.

I have one on my 1909, I had never seen one previously so I thought it was special. Now I see they are being reproduced, in brass no less, mine is cast iron.
All my other Ts have a cup and leather strap

KeithG wrote: ↑
Mon Oct 14, 2019 10:40 pm

Is that Tony Bowker kneeling down in front next to Seamus Knat? Tony, you have to confirm your id.

You guys have to help me with the others....

Keith

Unfortunately it was not me, I’m still in Ramona struggling to start the 1909

No offense taken. I have seen several 1909 Model Ts over the years but I only have a couple of pictures of the door leather and only one has the light such that the cross pattern is visible. 501C3E18-AFE8-4B89-8853-7041CB87104E.jpeg When I first took the picture I couldn’t see the pattern but my eag...

I used cardboard under the door leather. A close friend had a large sheet about 0.080” thick so I used that , cut to slightly smaller than the leather. I also painted the edges black so it would not be visible from the edge. I tacked the cardboard in place, then used a little glue on the cardboard b...

That triangle piece of insulation has been on every apparently original I have ever seen. So I believe it to be part of the original design. I bought a couple of sheets of 0.015” thick insulation on the web a number of years ago and cut it to shape on the starters I re-build.

WTB a '26 -'27 with wire wheels, solid body, OK paint and interior, everything working, along with excellent mechanicals including recently rebuilt and balanced engine and transmission with a Scat Stroker crank, stipe 280 cam, high compression head, new babbit and pistons, etc. plus a Ruckstell in ...

The regular Model T bodies are held by the brackets as mentioned above but on a custom body you have other options. Our speedster body is bolted directly to the chassis. I think we used the six brackets that are riveted to the chassis so it gives a slightly lower look. Of course several items are in...

Some years ago I decided to make a set of spoke for demountable wheels. Finding the wood in the west coast was tough and quite expensive. I make the first out of pine as it was easy to work and I could add a little where necessary. After I had the pattern I started and by the fifth I was getting pre...

For what it’s worth I add my vote to eliminating the well meaning but quite unnecessary ban.

It’s a great subject. I just learned “Poe’s Law” which states “Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is utterly impossible to parody a Creationist in such a way that someone won't mistake for the genuine article.”. So we can make any assumption we want The simple answer is N...

I sold an early pan using the MTFCA site back in June with promised delivery later this month in Austin. Naturally I forgot who purchased the item. So I had to go through my phone and email logs to find likely candidates. I was lucky, I found the buyer with my second email😊😊 Take heart, you are not ...

I really doubt Henry Ford said “ any color as long as it’s black “ in 1909 or 1910 indeed until maybe 1915 as the cars from 1908 to 1914 were rarely painted black. My 1909 left the factory as Brewster Green. Trent Bloggs suggested with compelling evidence that Ford switched to black paint not becaus...

I forgot to add pictures of the door leather being cut. I used Heathers sewing room, first time it's been used since 2017

: Door patterns

: More cutting

I even used her scissors, that’s a first in 57 years

I have reached a critical point on the restoration of the 09 as I completed the upholstery and that was the last item which required new materials. I used the original (1955?) seat covering which were leather over foam and horse hair. I had to use new trim and upholstery nail and new leather on the ...

From the research in building the six 1914 replicas, the radius between the bearing surface and the side of the crank is specified as 0.125”.

Don’t run it with a washer in the motor because this is the result when a customer did that for 30 minutes

: Notice the missing magnets

The pan had to welded and the hogs head had two cracks

Many years ago i tried to change the model year of my coupe. It was a royal pain. Eventually the State of California decided in their wisdom that the Model year was manufacturers nonsense and cars are now registered as the year of manufacture (YOM). My 2013 Prius was manufactured in November 2013, i...

Our local babbitt company, Antique Engines in Escondido currently recommend against using newly babbitted rods if the crank is out of round by more that half a thou.

Tell us more or have you become preoccupied with some young ladies

Then tell us more now autumn has arrived

There will be no problem with a wheel puller as the wheel uses the regular hub cap and from the one trial run, the regular puller appeared to work. Your idea of drilling a large hole to access the split pin is excellent. I assume the pin in the axle shaft is in a fixed relation to the keyway so the ...

The new wheels came as part of the kit of parts. The wheels were assembled and spokes provided by Stutzman. However the hubs are quite custom and were made by a friend of the previous owner. Externally they look exactly like the 1909 5.5” hubs. Internally however. the front are suppose to house tape...

It depends what you mean by “what year is it”.... I was built in 1923, no argument about that. Generally the next years Ford Model were introduced towards the end of August. So it could be a 1924 Model. However many cars were assembled at Ford Branches throughout the country and they would use up as...

I had another pleasant surprise when I returned from England. My daughter has made bags for all five brass lamps and a radiator cover.

: Radiator cover

I believe it is a Baudette body as the number stamped on the body and both doors is B7264

: Body number under front seat

Today my grandson came to the shop and we worked on the seats. I tried to do it alone yesterday and failed as my fingers were hardly strong enough and it took two hands to hold it all in place. I needed my third had for the tacking. My objective was to get them tacked in with as much padding as we c...

That broken triple gear is the first tooth problem I have ever seen on a triple gear. I agree that most restorers make the triple gears too tight on the pins causing all kinds of problems. I have seen many with the bearing loose in the gear and many where the face has worn such that the gear touches...

Looks correct😊 The connections from the MTFCA Electrical booklet shows: The field coil connects to the little brush. The external terminal goes to the ungrounded big brush. The other end of the field coil goes to the grounded big brush. There is an extra complication in that wires from the field coi...

It appears to be a bunch of parts which has been modified to look similar to an 1909 Model T. From a casual inspection of the pictures, it does not appear to have any original 1909 parts. Incidentally the serial number 9110 was stamped about August 1909 and the two lever was dropped after about seri...

Recently a respected Model T dealer offered his successful ongoing business for $800,000. I asked my son in law if he was interested as he is close to retirement from his teaching career. First if he had $800k on hand he wouldn’t need a retirement job. So we considered a bank loan which we suspected...

I have model B exhaust manifold with a model A intake and rebuilt carburetor setup. Had it running on my T but decided to put it back to stock. The setup comes with a new muffler and exhaust pipe professionally bent to make sure it does not hit the frame since it is larger than a stock T. The carbur...

Was this on Facebook? The spring can be replaced but in my opinion is a bigger pain than removing the engine. Basically you remove the rear axle Then remove the hogs head Next remove all the block to pan bolts except the front four which are just loosened. Now lift the block and transmission. After ...

Darrel, the plate on the firewall was on the vehicle when I bought it. The writing is embossed but doesn’t show well in a photo. I may try to do a rubbing at some point and make a photo at that time. Only then can I decide if I want to remove it from the firewall. I didn’t put a Patent Plate on afte...

About eight years ago Lee told me he had welded an axle in a Tudor. I must admit I assumed he meant the axle shaft, of course I was wrong, it was the housing. Some month later I saw the car and indeed Lee had welded the axle housing with it all still in the car. Personally I would not have attempted...

Odd that one of the pictures was rotated. Even stranger is if you touch it, you get the full size picture AND ITS IN THE CORRECT ORIENRATION.

In spite of my travels and tours, I’m still getting bits done. This last week was on the windscreen mount, one of which was broken and been welded solid in the incorrect position. With the encouragement of Art Wilson I spent a couple of days on the lathe and mill with bits of brass and now it works....

I would suspect it’s because of the restrictions on users of the “Vehicles for Sale” portion of the forum. I believe you have to be a member of the MTFCA to register for that Board.

I’m still confused.... I guess you have the complete wheel off the axle. Now you remove the six nuts that hold the face plate, hub and drum together. If necessary cut the nuts off with a grinder. Next remove the six bolts. The drum will now come off the hub. It may require a few taps with a hammer. ...

This was taken in Yellowstone by the Gibbon River. In spite of the excessive traffic later in the day, the early morning was almost perfect.

: 1914 T by Gibbon River

I remember that when Milt Webb first proposed using a neoprene seal on the camshaft, he mentioned that it needed a little squeeze between two bits of wood in the vice to swell the outer circumference. I usually do that and add a little black silicone seal. It may not be perfect but it’s worked for m...

Steve, rather than the felt oil seals at the axle ends I would recommend the proper neoprene seal 2510NB, available from Lang’s among others. Yes and you know where with original smith

, he is certainly allowed his opinion but it’s YOUR car.

Arrived home safely after 2750 miles in the truck and about 650 miles on the T

I stopped by Promontory Golden Spike site on the way home. Just made it in time for the re-enactment of the original ceremony. I can’t post a video but here is a picture. 90F65C04-CF48-4B59-9AF4-40934AB8C314.jpeg One interesting thought when the idea was first mooted in 1830, it was thought as impos...

John, what the first car built on an assembly line?

I remember reading that the assembly line was invented for the flywheel assembly as the ladies who assembled it could not manage the weight so they used a conveyer. Then things developed from that.

I decided to give Yellowstone another try. Entered about 6:30am, believe it or not but there was still a line, much shorter than yesterday. Traffic was much more manageable and saw no bad behavior. I wanted to see Gibbon falls so that’s where I made for. 8F414DFF-3E3B-43D3-A896-03D3B514090F.jpeg 163...

I made Yellowstone but must admit I’m a little disappointed with all the traffic, double yellow lines which folks ignore and high speed. I did what I thought would be easy from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful. I stopped at virtually test stop along the way and even though the speed limit was 35 or ...

The final day was just a run around Billings for a car show and then farewell dinner at the hotel. It was preceded by the local pops orchestra playing a melody of popular pieces and then an excellent meal. Looking back I only bought one evening meal, the rest were part of the tour. John Barber as to...

Thanks Jeff and Chris for all you do regarding the web site and especially the forum. It’s a great resource and we would really miss it without you guys.
Special thanks to Chris who helped me with my password problem, he fixed using my phone at the Billings car show.

The final Touring day was a run out to the Little Bighorn battle field west of Hamlin. Again we were on very quiet roads with minimal traffic. We had a stop in Hamlin and caught up with a few other Ts, the on some dirt roads to avoid going on the freeway to the battle site. 3DE3865B-AE4E-402C-824B-C...

I was somewhat delayed posting due to the forum problems, so we’ll have to rely on my feeble memory. Tuesday was sign in day and opening banquet. Wednesday was the first Touring day and we drove about 100 miles out to Pompey’s Pillar. It is located about 50 miles east of the town on the Yellowstone ...

Testing pictures

: Tony and 1914 at 9180 feet near Red Lodge

I too had to get a new password, pain in the butt.
Now.all we need are pictures, then I can tell you all about the Billings tour

Believe it or not but I was in the USA at that time, I haven’t just fallen off the boat as some imagine. Actually I was at a conference on computer aided electronic design at the University of Michigan summer course. We watched both the take off and moon landing on a small 9 or 12” black and white T...

I have installed three of the extension in the picture, one in my daughters speedster as she was complaining about reaching the level with the seat moved back to accommodate the lowered steering column. We both love it. The other two have been in customers cars and again only compliments and no comp...

The hood rod on my 24 Coupe is hollow and the rod on the 09 is solid. Incidentally the hood on the 09 is steel

At last I remembered to take the phone to the barn and take a picture of the fan mounting on my October 1909 Model T Ford. My memory was correct (for once), the plate has a pin to hold the lower end of the fan tension spring. You can see the pin through the coils of the spring. F610BBCA-9DC5-46F6-82...

I can’t log into the main MTFCA site, I wanted the Encyclopedia.... Also the previous forum (2018) is not to be responding. It appears it’s been down for about 24 hours. I imagine Chris and Adam know so we will just have to wait patiently

I’m not sure the method of holding the spring on the drawing it correct. I think my 09 has a pin to locate the spring where it attaches to the front plate. Of course I could be wrong or I may have forgotten. I can’t quite tell if the drawing of the front plate is for the one piece timer which seems ...

I rather doubt it will be on a rough desert track like we saw on the Borrego Springs tour.

: Borrego Springs tour

Maybe from an enclosed trailer in a parking lot to a veteran car show.

I have decided to paint the wheels the body color. Later they will be pin striped, hopefully by a local artisan. The sheet metal is now back from the shop and today was a trial fit. Those with eagle eyes will notice the bolts have not yet been painted, be patient😊😊 BD32D28F-A0E6-4056-BA8A-665F35DC5E...

Sorry to go against the grain on this one but once a starter is added to an early car it is no longer “correct”.... So why not make it convenient and easy to drive and maintain. When customer come to me asking to add a starter, convenience is what they really want. So I add the ring gear on the flyw...

I used the West System on the 1909 I am restoring. I had many cracks and some complete loss of wood especially around the rear fenders. The only problem I found was that it works better if it’s horizontal, that’s why some of pictures show the body balanced on its nose... I refrained from responding ...

It preforms a similar function to the Ruckstell but the low ratio is fixed at 50% of the input shaft. The Ruckstell is geared to about 60%. It is remarkable because of its simplicity, it uses mainly Ford gears which of course were quite inexpensive. I think one is a special gear, but similar to the ...

I watch the video each day. They are very well done videos and are a great advertisement for the hobby. The cars do seem to be holding up quite well.

I will be with the San Diego club on the Coronado Parade. It is usually a huge event with close to half a million people on the island and a parade that lasts about 3 1/2 hours. Fortunately they put the Model Ts in the 26th in the first group, there are ten groups. We occasionally loose one to overh...

I usually get all the babbitt work done by Antique Engine and valves etc by Mesa machine shop in Escondido. Then final assembly can take 10-20 hours but I find setting up the magneto can add another 4-8 if it’s difficult. Much easier with a distributor. All depends if the bands need work or if the t...

I realize that the whole recording is for amusement but I never heard of Model Ts being sold through a catalog. Now I am sure the high wheelers such as the Sears where in catalogs.
Anyone know anything different?

I bought a set of Rootlieb fenders for a customers Roadster. I was nervous about shipment so I drove up to pick them from Turlock. They fitted just fine and the customer was very pleased. I suspect the fenders on the 1909 were repro from Rootlieb when it was first restored in the 1950’s. They are st...

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