MTFCA Forum

A now deceased member of the San Fernando chapter, Morrie Ekwall, related this story to me. In about 1940 he was a teenager working for a Ford dealer in rural Nebraska. A local man brought his T in for service and it was titled as a 1936 Model T Ford. The story was that the gentleman wanted a new ca...

One more. This, as many of you will recognize is "Otis". I bought Otis from John Mays about four years ago. John named him and I don't remember why.

This is Old Charley, my '22 touring. Sold new at the Stapp Ford Agency in Newport, KY August 2, 1922. Purchased new by Charles Braun of Melbourne, KY. Purchased in April of '82 from Charles son Carl by my good friend Bud Scudder and so named by Bud in remembrance of Charles. Old Charley2.JPG Old Cha...

When I lived in Thousand Oaks I used to drive the Santa Monica Mountains regularly and Pacific Coast Highway into Santa Monica as well. Lots of beautiful scenery and actually not that heavily traveled. Not much in the way of level ground. Pretty much all uphill and downhill. A Ruckstell is certainly...

Daniel, your post doesn't state whether or not the 10 post box has the switch on the front. If it does not, then whoever rebuilt that box used the wrong wood kit and posts. To use that box you will have to determine which of the two lower posts is connected to the power strip in the box bottom. If i...

Considering that my dad traded a set of horns for this chopped off T sedan, I'd say this would be a cheaper route to go. He used it on frozen lakes around St. Paul.

Tom,
I absolutely enjoy your photo posts. Thank you so much for taking the time to upload them. I can't help but be curious as to just how many photographs you possess, how long you've been collecting them, and how in the world and by what means have you been able to collect so many??????

Erik, Yes, Grandma and Grandpa were born and raised in Saint Paul. Grandpa, actually, on a farm in Maplewood on Edgerton St. Frank, I guess you could say it started with Grandpa. He traded the '16 in for a coupelet in 1917. Then a '21 runabout, and finally a '25 touring. I caught the bug from my dad...

In reading John's post about the shortcomings of the early over the axle wishbone, I thought some of you might enjoy reading this. My grandfather, Ben Ostergren (Sr.), bought a new T runabout in 1915 ( a 1916 model) when he was courting my grandmother Agnes Wernstrom. Grandma kept a diary and also w...

Darin, Your grandparents accident did occur on the '76 Fulton tour. I was on that tour and very much remember when it happened. My recollection is that the rivets holding the steering gear case together sheared thus causing them to lose the ability to steer.

And here's my Oops! On a camping trip outside Minden Nevada I was teaching a 20 year old to drive the TT on a back road that turned out to be just a tad too sandy. The left front wheel caught some deep sand and a couple of fishtails later....No one hurt. Broke all the spokes in the right front wheel...

I have a set identical to the ones Norm describes. They were the first version of '26-'27 brakes that Jack Sunderlin made before he started calling them Rocky Mountain. That's what you have. Regarding the similar bracket, it could be an original but doesn't match the one shown in the original ad. br...

Well...oops again. In rereading my original post I did thank you. Save the extra one for the next time.

Oops! I forgot to say thank you.

Tom, you have provided us with the most amazing collection of pictures of Model Ts. I've enjoyed looking at and analyzing each and every one of them. Thank you. I do hope that the topic of your post doesn't mean that you are now down to the end of your collection.

Neil, The coupe could be anywhere from a 1919 to a 1923. Enlarging the pictures shows the license plate to be 1923. The paint looks shiny enough to be new, so, likely a '22 or '23 I'd think.

Whatever you decide to value your car, consider "over-insuring" your T as to what you consider the value to be. Through Haggerty or one of the other collector insurance companies the comp and collision insurance is quite reasonable. In the event of a total loss, and if you wished to replace the car ...

Must be a time traveling 1916 T runabout!

It's a very informal club. Ken Walkey, who started the chapter is no longer involved. The current leader of the group is Dennis Mattock of Thousand Oaks. His phone # is (805) 217-3437

Hi Allan! The car that you're thinking about was the transitional '17 coupelet with the padded, rounded top. The style that Wayne referenced. The one that Pop owned was the one that was featured in the Vintage Ford sometime during the '80s and that article was reprinted in Bruce's "Big Black Book". ...

I love the top photo of the '13 cut-off touring/pickup. The added top definitely came off of something other than another Model T. That's one long front top bow!

Changing the bands had to have been fun!

Allan, the T in question looks to be a '12 with a '13 windshield mounted vertically. Note the support rods. they look to be '13 style but mounted more upright on this car than they would be on a '13.

Rajo also made the Model C35 to fit the '26 cowl without cutting into it. I have one, and the rear of the cover doesn't fit well enough to seal worth a darn.

I've been able to get bands out that were in backwards. They may get tweeked a bit but it's easy enough to form them back to round.

Larry, I wasn't suggesting that they be hammered flat (and I'd object to buggering up something original!). And you're right, it would throw off the spacing for the holes. Going by pictures of Gary Hoonsbeen's original '11 and two other '11s pictured in Bruce's book, these are correct for 1911. Or a...

Bill, I have these that I believe came off of a 1911 T. They appear to be originals but I can't say for sure. The small hump in the middle is to clear the dash moulding. You're welcome to them for $20 if you'd like them. Bryan Ostergren. (818) 321-5360 or planetaryman@msn.com 20200713_064836.jpg 202...

I found this postcard years ago. It certainly looks as though it could be the fourth of July.

A couple more thoughts. Powder coating a wire wheel might make it difficult to turn a spoke nipple to true up a wheel in the future if the coating is too thick. Also, a friend had his Buffalos powder coated and found the coating to be slippery enough that the clincher tires slipped on the rim. He ha...

And Walt Rosenthal is smiling down upon Tim.

I have to agree with Adam. I had the same chirping problem. Head gasket leak at the rear cornier of #4 due to corrosion on the block around the little water hole. Changed head gaskets multiple times and tried to "repair" the corrosion with JB Weld. Worked only temporarily. Finally had to tear the en...

Perhaps I missed someone's response, but what about a blown exhaust gasket between the manifold and block? Not what I would call a puffing sound, but, maybe? Where exactly is the noise coming from?

Hi Bill, I have a set for you. I'll send you an email with a couple of pictures

Quite a mixture. The windshield hinges are offset, so '17-'22 windshield. Check out the way that the hood fits. It looks to me as though it could be home made. It rides high on the cowl and I can't make out a hinge on it. Plus, the radiator looks as though it might be pushed back a bit at the top. A...

Sold to Chris in CA. Thanks Chris and MTFCA

Complete rear figure 8 shackle set. Reproduction from Chaffin's Garage. includes bushings and oilers. I bought them to use on my '14 but found a pair of good originals before I installed these. I'm asking $60.00. Call me at (818) 321-5360 or email to planetaryman@msn.com Thanks. Bryan WIN_20200425_1...

I've found that a liberal dusting of corn starch works well. On the plus side, you can lick your fingers clean.

Mark, I know what you mean. I was listening to the Red Sox game at the same time!

Obsessive compulsive disorder. This hobby is full of us!

Darel, I just have to say, Your picture and your story are terrific. To have caught the bug at such a young age and kept your T for all these years... I love it. Glad you're still with us. Stick around for a bit longer, O.K.?

First picture is me in 1975. '22 touring. I paid $2,500 for it. I don't have that one anymore. The second picture is my of my dad, Ben Ostergren (that's him at the crank), and his first. It was taken in 1936 when he was 16 years old. He told me that he traded a set of horns for it. He had a lot of f...

Whether or not Tim likes it, I sure do! Thank you, Stan, for posting the picture.

Yeah, Henry, that's one helluva claim. I hauled one yard of crushed rock in my TT dump truck once and that needed low pedal, low Ruckstell, and Warford underdrive to get rolling!

While looking through my Ford Owner and dealer magazines for more Gould ads I found these for the Van Dorn two speed axle for The Model TTs. This one is interesting in that their 2-speed unit fits inside the factory rear axle housings. This is another one that I've never heard of before and never se...

While perusing my Ford Dealer and Owner magazines I came across ads for the Gould double reduction axle for Model Ts and Model TTs. The earliest ad is in the May 1925 issue and the last is in the January 1926 issue. Interestingly there are no ads in the June through September issues or the December ...

Interesting car with gas headlamps, but also '14 style cowl lamps. Then there are what certainly appear to be '17 and later Ford fenders.

My '22 was originally a no starter/generator car. I ran with the mag lights for years until I decided to install a generator for the better lights. I also had a problem burning out bulbs occasionally as my magneto was putting out close to 30 volts. It's a nuisance when wired in series. One bulb goes...

For my turn signals I wanted something that looked reasonably period correct. I found my rear lights on Ebay and the fronts at a swap meet. For the fronts I mounted them under the headlights and used the plates from shackles as brackets. For the rears I bent some bar stock and clamped it to the spar...

Larry, I'm glad you weren't hurt. Did your wheel collapse and cause the accident or did the accident destroy the wheel? If the latter, for what my opinion is worth, have your original hub and rim re-wooded. Stay true to your name and keep things as original as possible. "Mostly Original Smith" just ...

I'll call the car a '14 due to the bowed windshield support rods. Maybe the owner decided to update the look and put later fenders on.

Interesting thought about the rear fenders, Rich. The photo isn't clear enough for me to be able to tell if the fenders are flat across or crowned. Given that the '15 sedans and couplelets were built while the tourings and roadsters were still of the '14 style, I would think it possible that a '14 b...

Dennis, The front cross member on the '26 and '27 Ts are different from the '25 and earlier frames. They are made to accommodate the '26-'27 front fender irons. I don't have a picture to show you. But, if you take a close look at the one on your '27 and compare with an earlier one you'll see the obv...

Thanks for the picture. I love to see these homemade repairs that kept Ts on the road. Here's a photo of the patch on my '14, "Otis", that I bought from John Mays three years ago.

A few years ago I worked on a friends newly acquired '13 chassis that he purchased with a "rebuilt" engine and transmission. The engine was so tight that standing on the crank would barely turn the engine over. I found the problem to be that the genius that replaced the pedal cams on the aluminum ho...

Richard,
Absolutely beautiful. I marvel at your artistic talents. Thanks for a great VF cover.

Robert, I sent you an email.
Bryan

Steve, Given your description, you're most likely correct that the low drum developed a crack across the face and that's what chewed up the band lining. Given the heat discoloration, please do consider the likelihood that a dragging band and the resulting heat is what caused the drum to crack in the...

Steve, Sorry to see of your disaster. That definitely looks to me like heat caused the discoloration around your drum and that also looks like Kevlar lining material. I think the Kevlar is the real source of your problem. Perhaps your low pedal technique as well but it doesn't sound like it from you...

Larry and Gary,
If you click on Scott's name in his post it will take you to his profile. Where it says "contact scott_conger" click on send email.

Hello Jay,
I'd like the shackles. Sent you an email. Thanks.
Bryan Ostergren

Looks to be the clutch disc drum from the turbo 400 clutch disc setup in Lang's catalog

O.K. Don't know what happened to the second picture. Let's try again.

Here are a couple of pics of the shell on my unrestored '22 touring, built July 26th. I'm the third owner and have no reason to think that this isn't the original shell to the car. It has the round holes for the lacing. One pic shows what I am guessing is what you are referring to as a skirt. This i...

I can't remember when I first got acquainted with Humble Howard but certainly remember him when I was a kid from the old Long Beach Hill Climb. I hadn't seen Howard in several years but always enjoyed visiting with him. Great guy. Always happy, always smiling. In 1998 I found a magazine ad from 1916...

How long does your T run before stopping? If only for a few seconds, it could simply be that your carb fuel mixture has become set too lean. Try readjusting the fuel mixture a bit richer.

Jeff, Glad to see you have the T out and about even with the fire troubles. In over 40 years of knowing George and the T, I'd never seen it with the top down until this morning!

I've done the #4 rod on a 3 dip pan a number of times. I find that cutting a piece of stiff cardboard about 7" wide, slid back to the flywheel and then trimmed to the opening works great. It has caught a nut or shim or two several times. I always remove the wishbone as well. It only takes a couple o...

I have maybe 20,000 miles on one of Chaffin's bearings with no trouble whatsoever

Give BJ Miller a call at Ron's Machine Shop. They're located in Shandon, Ohio. (513) 738-7353. Their work is first rate.

A friend of mine bought a new radiator for his '26, installed it and it overheated almost immediately. Turned out there was a plug in the water outlet that he failed to notice. It had quite the detrimental effect on coolant circulation!

I would have to agree with Norman. I had the same issue a few years ago. I tried all the fuel related issues and none of them solved the problem. At a friends suggestion I swapped out my spark plugs. Problem solved. One plug was misfiring under load. Very frustrating problem with a simple solution.

Cleaning??? I take pride in how much grease and road grime I can collect before it falls off from its own weight!

As I recall from meeting him in 2001, Bill had three dogs over the years. All named Buddy, I believe. He would sit in the T at just enough of an angle to reach the pedals while Buddy was "driving" and hold the bottom of the steering wheel with his left hand. He had Buddy trained to turn and look bac...

John, Thank you but the PM didn't come through.

I am in need of a good useable late, short, '24-'27 front camshaft bearing. New ones are not available from the parts vendors. Any help will be greatly appreciated. You can PM or contact me at 818 321-5360 or planetaryman@msn.com
Thank you in advance.
Bryan Ostergren

If you're checking the voltage at the contacts on the socket plug, try taking the plug off and take voltage readings on the bare wires. If it reads 6 volts and 0 volts I'd say you have a short in the plug. Easy to replace. If you still have the same readings try disconnecting the wires at the termin...

The clutch release arm has been bent inward at some point in time. I've run across this several times. Simply put some heat to the arm and bend it outward until the bolt lines up properly.

I am in need of a decent small drum Ruckstell housing. I have the guts but if need be I am willing to buy a partial or complete Ruckstell as well. I can be reached at (818) 321-5360 or planetaryman@msn.com Thanks in advance.
Bryan Ostergren

Hap, I dug out the old Vintage Ford and found you are correct. It's a different car. There are too many differences. Certainly the car would not have been converted back to gas headlamps. It's still interesting to me. Two blacked out '12 Torpedos.

Very interesting picture Jay. It's interesting that almost all of the brass has apparently been painted black. A number of years ago, sometime during the '80s the Vintage Ford published an article on an unrestored '12 Torpedo that was found on which all of the brass had been painted black. It had be...

What does this suggest?
A: Too many cars
B: Not enough garage space.
I'm voting for B

Hi Tom. Yes, I have brakes on the TT. I'm running the repro Rocky Mountain brakes that Bud Williams used to sell. They work quite well (going forward) for such a heavy vehicle. I have them adjusted so that the stock parking brake will grab first if I yank the handle.

Here are a couple of pics of my TT dump truck. Ruckstell with 5:1 gears and a Warford. I've had it for about 26 years now. It's a good runner. I can run along on flat ground at 40 m.p.h. It takes a while to get up to that speed though. At about 3000 pounds It doesn't take much of a grade to suck the...

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