MTFCA Forum

John Codman

I agree with Steve Jelf.

John Codman

I wish all the best on the trip to Texas. Having said that, I am reminded of the following quotes: "What can go wrong, will go wrong." and "The improbability of disaster is of small comfort to it's victim."

John Codman

Ford actually gets credit for the first automated assembly line. Olds had an assembly line before Ford, but the workers had to manually haul the vehicle to the next workstation. Firearms manufacturers did the same as Olds years before the auto manufacturers adopted the assembly line method.

John Codman

What Susanne said. 70-75 is way too fast to tow a T on an open trailer. If you do a fantastic job of tying it down and cover it with a substantial (in capital letters) tarp , you might consider 60 mph. If you want to travel at or above the speed limit, you need an enclosed trailer. The T simply wasn...

John Codman

1.) If you do pull the head, look over the head bolts carefully. They have been there for about a century under a fair amount of tension. I found two that I wouldn't reinstall in my T. Lang's and Snyder's both have them. 2.) As wacky as it sounds, pickle juice is a very good cleaner. It is highly ac...

John Codman

Very Nice!

John Codman

I agree with frontyboy - it's repairable. Also - there is an outfit in Newton, MA called Trefler, phone #(617)965-3388. Their stated business is art restoration, but they can and will repaiir just about anything - for a price. Typically they will have you ship the item to them, and they will then gi...

John Codman

I didn't mean to imply that premium gasoline with or without ethanol is bad for the T, just that the cheapest Panther pee that you can buy today is way better then anything the Model T ran on when new. The only downside to ethanol is that it will absorb water in our vented fuel systems, and due to t...

John Codman

Not sure where you are, but premium gas for a T is overkill. There's nothing in a stock Model T fuel system that ethanol will hurt unless you don't drive it much (like me). I use ethanol-free 90 octane gas because it sits for weeks and even months. If I drove it weekly I wouldn't worry about ethanol...

John Codman

.... a bit pricey.

John Codman

Model Ts don't leak - they mark their territory.

John Codman

Chris's post is just about perfect. I totally agree with what he said. I would definitely drain the tank, saving the fuel in a clear clean container. If it's just a little dirty, clean the sediment bowl and drain the carburetor float bowl You didn't say whether it still has the vaporizer carb or if ...

John Codman

RustyFords - I did the same, and I would do it again. I also agree with John Warren. When I changed the pulley, I found a bad crack in the fan. Lang's had a new fan that is a perfect repro of the original.

John Codman

I'm a firm believer in "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I have been stuck in traffic in my T with the outside temperature at 90 plus and my waterpumpless T does not overheat. If everything is working as designed and in good shape, a flat-tubed Model T should not overheat under any normal circumstan...

John Codman

The photo of the wishbone attachment to the engine scares me. Those are bolts that could unscrew themselves from the engine. It is possible that someone has put Loc-tite (thread locker) on the capscrew threads, but there's a reason why Henry made the T with studs and castellated nuts. When installed...

John Codman

What John Kuehn said about radiators! Your T sounds just like mine as far as overheating. The flat tube from Berg's solved the problem. A safety tip that comes up here periodically - Check your front wishbone where it bolts to the bottom of the engine. There should be two studs with castellated nuts...

John Codman

In response to Norman's post - the biggest car show around when I lived in Massachusetts had a single class for 1920-1930. There was always a Duesenberg, Packard, or Bugatti present, so it wasn't possible for a T to win. Most T owners kept the hood closed to indicate that the car wasn't to be judged.

John Codman

The coils don't always buzz - it depends on the position of the rollers in the timer if that's what you are using. As to a Magneto tester - the best test is how well it runs on magneto. If it runs well you (obviously) don't have any magneto issues. My '27 runs better on the magneto then on the batte...

John Codman

I didn't need to see the video that Chris posted to know about too much weight on the rear of a trailer. Years ago we raced stock cars; one night we wrecked pretty good. The track tow truck loaded the car with the front end (and the engine) to the rear of the trailer as the race car wouldn't roll. O...

John Codman

I'm past the two-million miles driven mark and I think that I have a pretty good feel for my T. Most cars have a "sweet spot" where they run the absolute best; for my 2005 Dodge Magnum RT that speed is 79 mph. Unfortunately, there are certain individuals - usually dressed in blue, who do not approve...

John Codman

This seems to be a discussion on a par with what oil to use, or do you believe in Marvel Mystery Oil. I really wish that I knew what band material to use in my T. I like the concept of Kevlar, but the troops seem to be seriously divided as to whether it is the ultimate solution or not.

John Codman

My personal feeling is that if the spokes failed during a trailer trip they probably needed to be replaced before the trip.

John Codman

I am very happy with my Integrity trailer. As to fire chief's comment, your T will not bounce if you tie it down properly. I use two straps in front; one over each side of the front crossmember anchored diagonally outward towards the sides of the trailer. I use and two more straps over each side of ...

John Codman

As was said before, Closed cars (With the possible exception of the centerdoor sedan) usually bring less money then open. One reason for this is that the closed cars are not great parade cars whereas open cars are. If the T is equipped with a distributor, be careful about hand cranking the engine. U...

John Codman

My 16-footer advertises 84" height, and it is if you are stacking boxes, but the minimum loading door clearance is 81 inches. I have a '27 Touring car and it does measure 75 inches at it's highest point; earlier Ts are two to four inches taller but would still fit. I have a friend who has a '24 Tour...

John Codman

I don't leave the key in my T because I'm afraid that some a*****e will steal the key, not the car.
I hope that the Ts owner gets it back in one piece.

John Codman

Buy it some flowers and ask it nicely.

John Codman

John Kuehn mentioned the horn; my '27 came to me with an anemic but period correct AOOGA horn which soon died. I replaced it with a Fun Projects reproduction of the original. If I can ever find someone who will repair the AOOGA unit, (I think the armature needs to be rewound) I will reinstall it. Th...

John Codman

Nice engine! I see that your '27 still has the vaporizer. The only thing that I see as incorrect is the harness from the timer to the coils. The harness runs across the front of the engine under the fan bracket. There is a clip (use 2 back to back) that holds the harness to the left side water outle...

John Codman

You could make a model T sofa for the man-cave out of it.

John Codman

Sock 'em down until they snap, then back them off 1/2 turn!

John Codman

I have seen the cranking videos before and they are great, but my T has "free started" twice in the last two weeks without being cranked at all. As to 12V - if my magneto had a major failure I might be tempted to go the distributor route, and if I was going to make a major departure from stock I mig...

John Codman

To Twrenn - Those '29 American LaFrance pumpers must have been really good - the town of Millis, Massachusetts had one up to about 20 years ago and they had no plans to retire it - it was still in regular use. The state finally made them get rid of it because it didn't come anywhere close to modern ...

John Codman

If I was looking for another T touring car I'd look into it. I get a kick out of the ad where it says Transmission: Automatic. The Massachusetts registry of Motor Vehicles decided that the planetary transmission in my '27 was an automatic as well.

John Codman

As to the rear-end grease mentioned in the OP - I know that the poster was joking, but in about 1964 a guy pulled into our gas station and said that the engine in his 1950 Plymouth was knocking and he wanted us to put three quarts of 90 gear oil in it's engine. We told him that most of the Chrysler-...

John Codman

To Hpetrino - Good eye! The flag belonged to my bride's grandfather and predates WW2. You can't see it, but the flags on the T are 48-star as well. The T flags are modern replicas, and I had a bit of a time finding them.
The photo was taken July 4, 2020.

John Codman

Here ya go! Got an eye for detail?

John Codman

New car prices are still FOB the plant of manufacture for North American vehicles. Shipping an automobile is expensive; thge manufacturer isn't going to absorb that cost.

John Codman

Congratulations!

John Codman

I'll bet that there's an easy $3,000 in parts there if you decide to part it out. See what it will take to buy it back from the insurance company - if you can get it for $2,000 or less it's a money maker, or you can take it on as a long-term repair project. I'll bet that you can find all or most of ...

John Codman

I agree with humblej. Stop-leak is a Band-Aid at best. If your radiator is leaking, the car will have cooling issues until the radiator is repaired or replaced. If your car is going to be a driver (as opposed to a show car), get a flat-tube radiator. Mine came from Berg's and it's great - perhaps th...

John Codman

My '27 came to me with an NH. Obviously sometime during the last 93 years there was an owner who didn't like the vaporizer. I have no vaporizer experience, so I have no opinion to offer, but my T runs great with it's NH.

John Codman

My T didn't come with them, and frankly I didn't know that it was supposed to have them until I joined this forum. If somebody decides to give me a mint set, I'll put them on, but otherwise it's staying naked.

John Codman

A little off topic, but '26 and '27 gas tanks are made of unobtainium. In your travels, if you should run across a decent tank for a reasonable price, I would buy it as a spare. I hope that you never have to use it, but I believe that the gas tank was the first part placed on the assembly line, and ...

John Codman

I'm glad that you are OK, Richard. I agree that you should work it out through your insurance company. I have Hagerty on my T with an agreed-value policy. If you have an agreed-value policy, that's what they will pay you for a total loss, and they will not spend over the agreed value. Please note th...

John Codman

It is possible, but as was said above you will have to disconnect the spark timing rod and remove the spark control lever from the spark lever rod. This involves driving out the pin that holds the lever to the rod. This is in a confined area and most likely will not be as easy as it sounds. If you d...

John Codman

It is possible, but as was said above you will have to disconnect the spark timing rod and remove the spark control lever from the spark lever rod. This involves driving out the pin that holds the lever to the rod. This is in a confined area and most likely will not be as easy as it sounds. If you d...

John Codman

Thanks for the fuse tip, Cudaman.

John Codman

I believe that Snyder's has a much better quality mirror, but although the arm is bright metal, the mirror head is black. I have the same mirror as the OP and it vibrates so badly that it is all but unusable. I wish the head was Chrome (or even better, Nickle), but I'm about to order one anyway.

John Codman

A previous post suggested that there are mechanics making $125 per hour. There are shops that charge $125 per hour, but I know of no auto mechanics
that make anything like that. Running an auto repair facility is expensive.

John Codman

I had my '27 tank cleaned after which the repair shop "sloshed" it with some sort of a red coating. Other then having a bad gasoline issue which was my own fault, I have had no tank issues. And yes - those cowl tanks are a bear to service.

John Codman

Replaced the dashboard wiring harness in my '27. A couple of the wires were deteriorating and although I am insured, I would hate to lose my T to a fire.

John Codman

I will admit that I have not read all of the above posts. I don't think that I am callous, unfeeling, or reckless. Any time that I have a person in the T for their first ride I tell them that the T was designed to be a replacement for a horse and wagon more then 100 years ago. Virtually no thought w...

John Codman

There were more then 15,000,000 cylinder heads built for Model Ts. I would find one that isn't cracked. I agree that JB Weld will work, but if I were buying any car that had a cracked head, number one on my priority list would be finding a non-cracked head.

John Codman

Hi Burger, I did know that electricity and telephones were slow to be widely adopted in less-populated areas; my comment was simply referring to when they were invented. Some modern convieniences are still being adopted slowly in rural areas. We still have a land-line due to the lousy cell phone sig...

John Codman

Sorry Richard G - Edison invented the lightbulb in 1876; the same year that Bell invented the telephone.

John Codman

My '27 left the factory in green and it is still green. For '26 and '27 there were four color choices plus black. Green, blue, gray, and a reddish maroon. The '26 in the OP is a true red and isn't correct, but it looks great and as was said earlier, unless you are planning to show the car, Just driv...

John Codman

I don't believe that the Nickle-plated radiator shell was standard in 1927. My March-built '27 has a steel, painted shell and I have no reason to believe that it isn't original.

John Codman

I have a more current photo, but for some reason it wouldn't attach.

John Codman

I installed some fresh gas in the T. I then started it and it ran horribly until it had used up the stale gas in the carburetor and the line from the sediment bowl to the carburetor. Then it was as if someone had snapped a switch - when the fresh gas reached the engine it went back to being it's nor...

John Codman

Drained the gas tank. Here in SW Florida the roads are flat and straight and I'm afraid of being rear-ended at 50 mph when I am doing 35. I don't drive it much. I made the stupid mistake of filling the tank before I moved here from Massachusetts, and with about three gallons left the gas went bad. T...

John Codman

My '27, serial number 14,832,783 had a round-tube radiator. It now has a flat-tube radiator that actually cools it well. It is also nearly the twin of the 15,000,000th T.

John Codman

Scott - Glad to hear that. If the video was posted by the owner of the work, there's no problem. Thanks for the clarification.

John Codman

Whether you feel that the spokes were not done correctly or not, it was an interesting video. I watch How It's Made regularly, and have not seen that clip before. BTW: Recording that video and posting it online without written permission is almost certainly a copyright violation.

John Codman

I remember from my ASE-certified days that if you are trying to torque a number of capscrews to an even torque, you must use exactly the same torque wrench hookup on all of the fasteners. That means that if you are using a six-inch extension on any capscrew, you must use it on all of the capscrews. ...

John Codman

A couple of comments based on experience - Have a contingency budget of at least $1,000. More is better. I have yet to see my first T for sale that wasn't a fresh total restoration from a reputable shop, that didn't need something. Some things won't show up for a while. If the radiator isn't recent,...

John Codman

My '27 touring car spare tire carrier appears identical to the Fordor carriers in the various photos, and mine came with wood wheels.

John Codman

I have found that on some occasions, Amazon Smile prices are a hair higher then Amazon Prime.

John Codman

My '27 was built about 60 days from the end of production. Norman is correct - the headlights bolt to the bar. Mine came with black painted wood wheels.

John Codman

I tried to start the '27 and not even the slightest sign of it wanting to run. The coils were buzzing happily, the battery new and fully charged. I have had fuel issues before, so I opened the sediment bulb drain and had plenty of fuel. I did the same with the carburetor drain and not a drop. I disc...

John Codman

I'm on another forum that has what are called "sticky" threads; they are permanent announcements made by the moderators and posted with the permission of the website owner. The forum has been going for over 17 years now, and we are up to six sticky threads. As tdump said, if scrolling down through f...

John Codman

As I recall, I install the flat floorboard first, then the under-pedal board, and finally the over-pedal board. My '27 is a touring car, but both Snyder's and Lang's list the same floorboards for "open cars." I have had no real problems installing the board with the deflector, but there is only one ...

John Codman

Removed and disassembled carburetor after a no-start and found no fuel at the bowl drain. The float valve is stuck, big-time. I'm trying to free it up. If I don't succeed by tomorrow, I'll order a new valve from Lang's.

John Codman

My NH 2-ball float valve is stuck closed. I have removed the carburetor and attempted without success to get the top ball to move freely. No luck. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good cleaning fluid that I can soak the valve in? I can buy a new valve - and I will if necessary, but I hate pit...

John Codman

I have a Berg's radiator and it id excellent. I have no experience with Brassworks, but if I need another T radiator I will call Berg's. I agree with Steve Jelf.

John Codman

Two comments - FWIW almost all John Deere lawn tractors have a small vacuum-operated pump for the fuel. It is common for the fuel level to be below the carburetor float bowl. Second, it has been my experience that the screen in the sediment bowl will plug up before the carburetor cruds up. Ask me ho...

John Codman

I am not pretending to be an expert on this, but my understanding of Ohm's law is that if you double the voltage, you halve the amount of current required to do the same amount of work. In one of the early posts in this thread, someone said that converting to 12V would double the amount of current. ...

John Codman

A question - Are the brighy plated windshield posts accurate? I don't remember seeing those on a later Model T.

John Codman

As to the OP, it is almost universal that someone who has assumed ownership of a Model T without really knowing much about them, will price the vehicle well above what it is actually worth. When I made the initial offer on my '27 Touring car, the owner also became angry, A couple of weeks later he c...

John Codman

Here in SW Florida the roads are flat and almost all are straight (the road that I live on is totally straight for seven miles). Most through roads are posted at 45 or 50 MPH. Most drivers go 50 or 55 MPH; out of fear of being rear-ended by a car or truck traveling 20 MPH faster then I am, I have ma...

John Codman

The present value of $25 in 1925 is $367.44
If there is any skilled re-builder out there who will rebuild my T's engine (even though it doesn't need it) for $367.44, I will hire you.

John Codman

Steve, there were three underhood photos in the original post.

John Codman

To George N Lake Ozark - Having removed the tank from my '27 open car twice, you are correct; it is a horrible job. We have been down this road before, but in my '27 touring, you will remove the gauge cluster (such as it is) and the steering column or the tank will stay in place. That's not what the...

John Codman

What you need to remember is that (in the OP) they were making parts for millions of cars and sold them in huge quantity. There are economies of scale. Today these parts are made in tiny quantities by what are essentially cottage industries that cannot operate on the profit margin of a large corpora...

John Codman

My T has a sealed bearing fan pulley to keep the pulley from slinging grease all over the engine compartment. I think Henry would have used it if it were available in 1927. I also have a modern, Berg's flat-tube radiator so that it cools beautifully. It also has Snyder's repro stainless spark and th...

John Codman

Here's mine from a couple of years ago.

John Codman

My '27 had the same issue and the problem wasn't just one thing. The tie rod ends were loose, the drag link was loose at the Pittman arm, and the column was loose at the block that mounts the column to the frame. The sun gear shaft that attaches to the steering wheel was also loose in the steering b...

John Codman

Thanks, guys.

John Codman

Any response to the OP will be just a guess, but I doubt that the tube was the cause. As was said earlier, any tube will fail if the tire slips off the rim when inflated. The issue has to be with either the rim or the tire bead. If you are positive that the rim is in good shape and reasonably clean ...

John Codman

Welcome aboard!

John Codman

I have the Ford "Bible" but it only outlines the procedure to adjust the clutch fingers if the clutch is slipping. I have the opposite issue- the "free clutch" isn't. Iwould like to do a clutch adjustment starting at the fingers - then move on to the linkage. Is there a specification for adjusting t...

John Codman

It turns out that my optimism was justified. I pulled the NH float bowl and the top gasket looked as though it had seen better days. I replaced it, and the O-ring on the bowl drain ans now the fuel is staying in the carburetor instead of pouring onto the floor. The gas smells bad though. I have the ...

John Codman

I hope that it is the shake-free mirror. If it is, I will order one.

John Codman

Nothing, but tomorrow I will crawl under to look at the carburetor. I was going to take the T for a quick spin, but when I turned on the gas, it poured out of the carburetor. The engine ran beautifully the last time I drove it, so I don't think it's a sticking float. My guess is a float bowl gasket....

John Codman

Due to salt, I would put my T away for the wintah when I lived in Massachusetts. The T was the first of three cars to go into the barn each winter, and putting it away was a bit of a hassle. I would back it into the barn, jack it up and put plates with wheels under the tires and push it sideways und...

John Codman

I wish you the best of luck on your purchase. I must say that I have have only once in my life purchased a used car that was as good as it was represented to be. As Freighter Jim mentioned, the misrepresentation was not always intentional, but only in rare cases will the seller of his/own free will ...

John Codman

I have the registration card plastic laminated at Staples, then keep them under the rear floor mat of my touring car.

John Codman

I definitely see why you are replacing the wood!

John Codman

I'm sure that the top on my '27 is not original - it has plastic instead of the isinglass, but the dimensions are 7" by 17 1/2". The top is in pretty good shape and I don't anticipate changing it anytime soon, but if I ever I do, the window will be larger and still plastic. The T is blind as a bat i...

John Codman

Hi Tom, I bought my first used car in 1959. I have purchased and eventually sold about 75 "pre-owned" cars. Exactly one of them was exactly as advertised. With the exception of a '62 Chrysler which I bought used from a Chrysler dealer, every one of them had something amiss that the seller knew or sh...

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