MTFCA Forum

I have used Caswell for several years. They have good products, good customer support, and it works really well. It is not fool proof, as it is somewhat of a skill, just like painting. But with practice you get better. You will need a good buffer and supplies to get good results. As mentioned earlie...

I don't know the situation with Birdhaven, but I can say that my experience has always been very good. I do know that in our pool business, the supply chain is "broken". My vendors can't get the raw materials to make anything. Circuit boards, plastics for hot tubs, liners for pools, pumps, filters, ...

I installed disc brakes on my 25 coupe in 2008. I had just finished restoring the car, a two year project. The Florida Winter Tour was my first tour. Luckily some folks took me under their wing and got me through. We are now life long friends. But, more than once, some modern driver pulled out in fr...

Contact Powder Buy The Pound. They have a stripper that will take the powder off in a matter of minutes. Put some on a rag and just rub the part you want to remove. Very safe to use. Can be flushed down the drain when you are finished. Will remove powder coat and paint. I really like it.

I used just Tung oil on my spokes. About 3 coats as I recall. Did not touch them for about 10 years, and finally decided to give them another coat. They still look good. Everyone thinks they are varnished with something. Formby's was the brand I could find. Tung oil was used by the Chinese to seal t...

I am president of the local Ford car club. We will be having our 36th annual Ford Powered Car show in August. We were able to secure 120 masks made by Ford with a small Ford logo in a corner of the mask. Got them through a local Ford dealer. I haven't seen one yet, but have been told they were prett...

Good advice about building trailers here. The best advice comes from those that have had problems or even accidents. No disrespect for those that say they have pulled for thousands of miles with no problem, but I learn more from those that have had close calls and issues. You are not building the tr...

I had the honor of having dinner with Ralph's widow one night. We talked at great length about her husband and his rather significant contribution to the Model T world. She said that he was very proud of his work on the high compression head, but she also said that he was a tool and die maker by tra...

Rather than look for a replacement head, I would put a high compression head on it. Especially if you are going to do all that other work. One of the cheapest things you can do for a T to take advantage of gas we have now as compared to when the T was built.

I found that it is pretty hard to improve on 100 years of good results. Especially given the fact that you are going to ride on these things. Have you seen what happens when the spokes give out on a Model T wheel? Pretty scary ride until things stop, and then you can have another ride, either the am...

Clean the bulb, add flux, use a torch to heat the bulb, and get the solder to stick to the flange. Get a little bead of solder stuck there. Let things cool. Lay the screen on the bulb and heat the bulb from underneath. If you get the flame/heat too close to the screen it will melt. Just heat the bul...

I also used Tung oil on my spokes. After 10 years I wiped them down and gave them another two coats. Takes about 5 minutes per wheel, no scraping, sanding or masking, and they look great!

If you decide to powder coat, ask your powder guy for some extra powder, a cup would be a lot. Keep the powder in a cool dry place in a jar with a tight fitting lid. That way you can touch the wheels up later if need be. Just add a little powder to some clear finger nail polish and touch it up. Lear...

I live in Southern Iowa. Does anyone know of a shop that does this kind of repair?

I looked back at my first post. I made a mistake in thinking it was between intake and exhaust. As stated above, the cracks are between intake valves.

The crack is between intake valves on cylinders 1 & 2, and then again between intake valves 3 & 4.

Hopefully I can get these pictures posted. Cracks do not extend in the valve seat.

I have found cracks between the intake and exhaust valves in two places on my engine. The valve seats are not cracked, just the block. Engine seemed to run fine before teardown to replace the Babbitt in number one rod. Is this something to be concerned about?

All vinyl shrinks with age. There is a chemical added to it called a "plasticizer" that keeps it soft and supple. That plasticizer leaches out at a given rate, no matter what you treat it with. Only real solution is to replace the top. Now, that being said, when you install the new top, keep that in...

I live about 1.5 hours away. 3 hours round trip.

Yes, rattle cans, and HF paint guns will put paint on, and you may be very satisfied with the results. How are we to know what you will be happy with? The price of $3500 seemed like a very good price for a quality job. The advice to go get a gun and practice on some flat pieces is good advice, but h...

Dan, I think they missed the point of your post...

I don't think I could borrow money to finance my hobby. This situation might be considered an investment opportunity, then borrowing might be considered.

I think Caswell offers this type of finish. I have used their other products and have been very satisfied.

I call these things "The Michael Jackson Syndrome". Someone gets so rich or so famous, and surrounds themselves with people that would never tell them "no" about anything. If no one is telling you "no", you can get pretty weird. That is what happens to a lot of people, they begin to think they can d...

I broke what I call the regulator handle on the side window on my 1925 coupe. Looked for several years, and seemed I would never find one. One day, I decided I would make one. Took three pieces, welded them up, and nickel plated it. I thought it turned out pretty good.