MTFCA Forum

Gotta love the rattle of a Model T on a country road on a Monday morning.

This is the Mossberg tool for that job. You see it (or one like it) being used in Ford factory films. IMG_5022 copy.JPG IMG_5019 copy.JPG I've always had to use the tie-it-up method. Sometimes that has been easy and sometimes it's been an ordeal taking approximately forever. I was delighted to find...

I probably could have gotten through the day without reading of hitler’s perceived good attributes.

Agreed. He was an evil, demented SOB. I should have left him out.

No news is no news. Saturday was windy, as sometimes happens in Kansas, and a strong gust caught the south door of my shop and wrecked it, and I do mean wrecked. For now it's bolted back in the frame and I'm using the north (back) door. Before I replace the door I'm building a porch roof that will ...

I agree that measuring distance applies only to the Ford timer, and even there you don't need it. Here's how to time your New Day and most other timers:

http://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG97.html

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. ~ Saint Paul [/size] Nobody's perfect. ~ Joe E. Brown in Some Like It Hot [/size] The best of people have their flaws, and the worst of people have their virtues. George Washington is widely admired for his honesty and selfless service. But he...

I haven't been at it that long. I was already an old bald guy.

2009

2011

Dave knows. (951) 735-4791.

I would call and ask. I expect internet, phone, and mail orders are going on as usual.

I delight in telling them it's for a 1915 Ford runabout. I also enjoy spending two dollar bills, dollar coins, and halves to watch the panic and confusion.

Here's a home made pedal extension using two inch square tubing.

If you have welding equipment it's easy to make.

Pictures being jpg files is not the problem. I post JPEGs here all the time.

Usually I don't have to do any editing, but occasionally the site will tell me the file is too big. In that case I just make a slightly smaller copy and proceed.

Keep it simple. Skip Photobucket. Post directly from your computer. A JPEG is fine. Like this:

I don't care if it's in the Bible, I hate the idea of whacking magnets with a hammer. I make shims and put them under the low ones. That brings them up to where all are within two or three thou. Close enough for gummint work.

Hey, there's an actual magneto bulb (Dan's fourth picture). I found a few of those at Hershey for 50¢ each. I suspect the guy didn't know what they were, but you can often find bulbs cheap at swap meets.

Chris, from what I can see from your picture, your rim looks to be very useable.

I agree. If you have a full set of rims no worse than that, I would blast them clean and have them hot dip galvanzed.

Yes, just barely. Length, front tire to rear fender = 138", so you have only 6" to spare. Width, hubcap to hubcap = 68", leaving 2" on each side. You would need to move the car in and out very slowly and carefully with a winch. I would go a little wider and longer with the trailer.

...painting the rims won't prevent them from rusting. [/size] I can attest to that. At last year's midwinter clinic I was supposed to do a presentation on installing metal valve stems. I took along a clincher rim with a tire on it, thinking I'd dismount the tire and put a metal stem in the tube as ...

I like many of the set-ups shown so far, but I like Dean's the best. I can imagine a trailer, even a small one, being an encumbrance in some circumstances. The light camper provides a place to lie down and sleep but doesn't add much weight for the car to deal with.

Peter, as you add photo files they stack up with the first on the bottom and the last on top. Note the numbers here:

To post them in order start with the bottom one.

1915 runabout. Kansas didn't put the year on plates until 1919.

: IMG_5349_2.JPG (34.8 KiB) Viewed 1488 times

A closer look.

1923 Touring. It shows the year, but they haven't started showing counties yet.

My kind of road, Rich.

These other guys know a lot more about the subject than I do, but experience tells me you should ditch that fiber gear, especially in a 1924 which presumably has a generator.

I don't intend to drive at night, but if I do it will probably be in city areas with ample ambient light.

That's my policy. To make mag lights become almost adequate you have to go fast enough to outrun them.

The bottom line is that excessive gather, as the Bible calls it, can eat up your tires PDQ. Not having enough will do the same.

I use bluing from the local gun shop on Champion X plugs. It works very nicely.

Good decision. The Universe isn't worrying about you.

I switched to the other set of bulbs and everything worked properly.

Have you tried driving with them at night?

My first choice would be Jeff's suggestion. Second, Ignacio's. When it's down to bare metal I prep with 50/50 phosphoric acid. Wet the part then wipe dry with paper towels (wear surgical gloves), then let it air dry thoroughly. On chassis parts I use rattle can Rustoleulm satin black. I think gloss...

Without seeing any pictures I can't tell you anything about the Bear tool.
Bit I can show you how I do mine: http://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG104.html.

Peter, how thick?

IMG_4990 copy.JPG Even pins, two contacts. These are pretty common at swap meets. They're not specifically for mag lights, but they work. Despite being marked 6-8V they last pretty well for me. A problem with bulbs a hundred years old is that sometimes when you put them into the socket and try to t...

For a few days I've been taking a vacation from working on the car. Soon I'll turn on the air and do the leak-down test. The coolant loss may have done some damage, or not, as I have no idea if it happened just before I discovered it in the parking lot or sometime the day before. If it had any effe...

70º yesterday, 35º at noon today, and the forecast says 27º in the morning. Then back to 76º by Wednesday. It's the spring roller coaster.

...did you take along cans of pork and beans and Vienna sausage? [/size] On my last trip I dined mostly on cucumbers, tomatoes, jalapeño cheese, dry roasted peanuts, bananas, and a few fig bars for dessert. Breakfast was wheat thins and a banana. By cutting out restaurant meals I cut my food bill t...

...the wire goes to one headlight and then to the second one and then back to the switch, so like with old fashioned christmas tree lights if one bulb burns out, all lights go out, same happens on your T... [/size] As Norm says, that's on MAG lights. Battery lights are wired in parallel. March 1922...

Drain it and use it for washing parts.

Like Dennis, I sleep out but carry a tent. So far the only time I've used it was when I stayed in the same camp spot more than one day. For sleeping when it rains I put a large tarp over the car and sleep inside. I eat food that doesn't require cooking.

IMG_4095 copy.JPG I've been taking a web chair that rides on top of the trunk. Anytime I wanted to take anything out or put anything in I had to hook or unhook half a dozen bungees. That got pretty old. IMG_4127 copy.JPG So after last fall's trip I bought a backpacking chair for $21.98 at the local...

...the engine and trans has never been touched...

How do you know? It's possible, but 90+ years is a long time.

are parts available for a one ton ruxtull?

Ruckstell parts come from Chaffin's, but I don't know how many are for the truck version. I'd call and ask.

Orignal BOYCO lid. 1.5" x .5".

Mine just slide in like that. I don't know if it's correct, but that's the way they are.

I thought I would look for a source with a Google search of steel can manufacturers. I am always amazed by how many big companies have websites that range from user-unfriendly to downright dysfunctional. I submitted inquiries where I could. I'll report if there are any responses.

I took a Boyco lid when I went to town today, so I could compare lids on various products. Oatey PVC stuff is a no-go. Their lids are all too big or too small. The same goes for all the thinners and paint removers I saw. At the hardware store, the only place in town that I know of with chafing fuel...

I would check with the other parts dealers to see if anybody still has one in stock.

Sterno now comes in a can with a press-in lid, but that Chafer looks like it might work.

don't use too much pressure.

I haven't done this before.10 psi enough, or more?

If all fails go back to the basics.
1) fire/spark
2) fuel
3) compression

The tester says it's compression.

Frustrated with my engine troubles, I took on a different job I figured I could handle. IMG_4979.JPG Last year my three gallon running board can suffered a parking lot crunch. IMG_4980.JPG So I stuck in a rubber stopper with a hole drilled through it and blew up the can with compressed air. IMG_498...

I asked about this a few years ago and got several suggestions. None of them turned out to fit. One of my cans was leaking around the spout, so I emptied it, put water in it and tried to solder the leak. It turned out that the spout was aluminum and melted! I thought I would solder on a steel spout...

Your gauges could be messed up. Are you using a screw in gauge or a gauge that is pushed into the plug hole and held in place while cranking? [/size] Screw-in, good and tight. Wondering about the accuracy, I screwed it into the spark plug tester and checked it with the regulator. IMG_4984 copy.JPG ...

I would even chance the question, “Did you put all the valve keeper pins in?”

Yes, at least I got that right.

I thought I was following the book, but obviously not. Starting the 1915 was iffy at best, requiring lots of choking and crank pulling with a wheel off the floor. Compression tests got 36, 20, 13, 16. Squirting oil in the cylinders changed those readings to 20?!?, 32, 18, 26. I pulled the head and ...

Here's the applicable encyclopedia page.

If you aim to be correct, wheels will be painted body color.

Some people believe that the more oil costs, the better it is. I believe as long as it meets the API standards and has that symbol on the container, there's no need to subsidize expensive advertising.

http://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG103.html

I would worry that my forgetfulness is a sign of age, but I've always been this way.

It wasn't me, but I wouldn't mind seeing a picture so I can see if the ones I have are close to correct.

While1889 is possible (three years after the Benz motorwagen), 1898 or 1899 is much more likely, especially if the car is a known make like Loco.

If the country's reactions to Pearl Harbor and 9/11 represent our finest hours, our country's reaction to this represents the opposite. [/size] While the military and terrorist attacks and a pandemic call for different responses, we were unprepared for all three. The way South Korea has handled thi...

Weather at Chickasha in March has always been a gamble. Looks like we're very lucky this time.

The survivors will always remember the Great Toilet Paper Panic of 2020. Like Appomattox, Pearl Harbor, Tiny Tim's wedding... Fortunately I have enough TP to last several months, and didn't have to join the TP frenzy. It seems the madness was confined mostly to paper products, though I did find som...

So the mouse nest is a starter/generator type. That makes it 1919 or later. The original two-piece valves suggest it was never rebuilt before it went into retirement.

... It may be that the "V" stands for "Volunteer"...

I didn't think of that. There are lots of W towns in Iowa. There's probably at least one with a volunteer FD.

Reinstalled the head. Again. I should have it all back together tomorrow and find out if it runs.

I would measure the shackle and measure the hole in the perch. I bet both of them will be a standard size, like 9/16 and 11/16 or 5/8 and 3/4, and the bushings would match. I hope somebody seeing this will have a bushing to measure.

1784629 = Wednesday, March 21, 1917 3594772 = Wednesday, December 3, 1919 The reason for two numbers is a mystery to me too. Is the engine pre-starter, or post-starter? If you're not sure, post pictures of it from both sides. Some states keep old vehicle registration records, but most do not. You c...

A few words of caution about tubes. There was a run of Custom Classic tubes (India) that were prone to cracking. I don't know if any of them are still in the supply chain. So far I've had no trouble with Hartfords (China). When ordering tubes I would ask what brand they are, and if the answer is Cu...

I'm a bit surprised by that link. I believe all the clincher tires come from the same source, and that the only differences among them are name and appearance, not quality, and that if one wears better than any others it's due to tread design. (I'm thinking of NON SKID tread, which I've heard wears...

1 Failure to refill the bowl can be due to a stuck float needle, or it can be due to debris clogging the inlet. Neither one requires buying another carburetor. 2 If all your compression readings were close to that 35 psi the car might not have the power it should, but it would start and run. But th...

...very badly needed and very much overdue maintenance, streamlining, and re-organizing.

I need to do that too, but I'm retired and don't have anything to shut down.

When I went out to the road to fetch the mail this afternoon I found this in the box. I approve.

I made a pin by just cutting a piece off the top end of a 7/64" drill bit. Today I stopped at the Fastenal store to order a 36" piece of drill rod, priced at $3.13 on the Fastenal website, just to have the material on hand for future use. The manager informed me that it would come from the manufact...

Oh dear!

As Cubs fans said for a hundred years, wait til next year.

You can go, Dave. I'll sit here in my heated office and watch the video.

...could i possibly use J B weld to fix it temporarily? [/size] I agree with Dan, but I would put it this way: NO! :o This rim is too far gone to be worth fixing. I wouldn't try serious metal work on it, and JB Weld would be useless for this. The only realistic way I see that you'll be able to use ...

The deuce & 1/2 takes me back to Korea.

I agree that the pictured rim is toast. Too dangerous to use. Maybe somebody in your local club has a rim (or rims) they can lend you for the weekend. Then you can take some time to find good replacements. New rims cost $255 each, but you can often find good originals at swap meets for about $60 or...

Now here's another question. How good (or bad) are the current reproductions from the parts dealers? Several years ago some folks posted that they would use only original pins because the new ones wore out quickly. Are the current pins any better? At 25¢ each they should be perfect.

It's very likely I have some originals somewhere, but it will probably be weeks or months before I find them. For now I'll go with a piece of drill bit.

Yes, I can get it from Lang's or any of the parts dealers. But I want to use the car this weekend. I'm sure a nail would be too soft. That's why I asked about drill stock.

It is maddening when that one little part vanishes from the planet and you don't have a spare. In this case the part in question is the little valve spring seat pin (#3057). In my 3000 parts drawer I found plenty of seats, but not one pin. So I'm wondering if a piece of the same diameter drill bit ...

Danny, it's Friday-Saturday. Friday is the big day. There will be some stragglers Saturday morning.

I didn't have a suitable tool for installing valve springs, so I set about making one. IMG_4943 copy.JPG It needs a little tweaking, but most of the time the springs don't pop out of it and go flying across the shop. IMG_4941.JPG I finished it today and installed four springs before I ran out of ti...

The pre-1919 engine is not built to accept a generator, but you can charge the battery off the magneto if you want.
http://dauntlessgeezer.com/DG102.html

I didn't see what prompted this, but given experiences in years past I can imagine. Thanks to Chris and Jeff for being there when some folks yield to their baser temptations.

Dean, your first trip in the new car?

...if you have rebuildable carburetor cores, we will purchase those at the show as well.

How much? Whole/mostly whole carbs acceptable?

The last two trips to Chickasha, it's been ugly getting through Dallas on Thursday morning. [/size] Years ago when I had the sign business I went to a lot of swap meets, and before I had a trailer I took a helper to assist with setting up. On one trip to Conroe the helper was a young guy who had al...

If it works well, just reset the timing. That's pretty simple.

Wayne, if you Google galvanizing in california you'll find several companies. When I had my rims hot dipped the minimum price made them about $33.50 each. The weight limit for that minimum would have allowed me to have about 60 rims done for the price if I'd had that many, which would have been und...

...Oshkosh Plating Technologies zinc coated 5 rims for me for $125...

That's not a bad price. Hot dip, or electroplate?

Here is the man.

Glen with George Clipner at Bakersfield.

Dallas, I love the early Sunday morning shot. That kind of early or late sunlight makes for some great pictures.

I've always thought it was funny when dairy guys said the time change confuses the cows. It doesn't confuse them a bit. They know what time it really is.

...can we still get a catalog?

You can get it in PDF here: http://chaffinsgarage.com/

...did any of the valves or seats show signs of not sealing properly prior to grinding?

Yes, they did. None of the valves needed grinding, but several valves and seats were ready for a touch-up. I also invested $45 in making sure the head is flat.

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