MTFCA Forum

Burger in Spokane

So many old car people consider "original" to be original to the time it was made. I see "original" as original to the first life of said vehicle, complete with period repairs, bumps, and warts. My goal is a vehicle that presents as a decently kept 10-15 year old car, not a showroom new example. I s...

Burger in Spokane

Supposed to snow again tonight. The Beast continues serving as the
firewood bin for the shop stove until nicer weather returns. I am tired
of winter by this time every year, but nothing too unusual here.

Burger in Spokane

When I showed up for police Academy, an instructor saw my ancient truck and later pulled me aside and asked "Do you have a less conspicuous vehicle ?" I informed him that all my vehicles were pretty conspicuous, and his simple reply was "GET ONE !". And thus began my only story of ever buying a vehi...

Burger in Spokane

My first TT was retired from licensed road use when the 1947 plate ran out. Owned by the man I bought it from since 1955. He said the truck was exactly as he bought it in 1955 when I bought it from him. It had one kerosene running light bracket present, and holes were there for the other. No tail li...

Burger in Spokane

Truth is, 26's are just Model A's, so the water pump is a moot point.
Best to just haul that hulk down to the dump and set it on fire. A new
KIA electric vehicle is far more efficient, and that is the only thing that
really matters. You're welcome.

Burger in Spokane

This kind of "accessory" is about as necessary to the enjoyment of a vehicle
as a screen door is to the operation of a submarine. Stuff like this is what
separates the genuine cars guys from the snoots in the hobby. No thanks.

Burger in Spokane

Weather dude said it is currently -17ºf, and with the wind, far colder to
be out in. A weird late season cold blast for us. I am SO done with winter
and ready for spring, but I would not trade the flats of Florida for my mountains
.... EVER !

Burger in Spokane

I have a Lincoln 3-speed for my TT, but have not installed
it yet. These period aix. transmissions have straight cut gears,
and are known to whine. I liked the idea of putting that noise
out back by the rear end, rather than up front by the cab. My
truck is loud enough already !

Burger in Spokane

I drove my TT the 60-70 feet out of the shop and in to the driveway, where I loaded up a cord or so of firewood, then backed it in to its winter slot in the shop, and shut it down. I don't expect to drive it much this year. Gotta finish my house. After that, I am free to drive the wheels off it agai...

Burger in Spokane

There was a fellow running around Seattle in the 90's in a "billet" style hotrod that was entirely arm-free. He built (or had his car built to be driven entirely with his feet. He used a normal steering wheel, but sat in a way as to be able to steer with his feet. He was quite flexible and had becom...

Burger in Spokane

What was the function of neatsfoot oil in the initial set up of
cotton bands ?

Burger in Spokane

It is quite an interesting experience to drive a TT with that kind of weight. [/size] It wouldn't surprise me if that truck had a broken leaf or two in its rear spring. That's very common in a TT. You don't see it until the spring is out of the frame. ======================== I did an inspection wh...

Burger in Spokane

I am very much an aesthetically minded person, and the look of pre-25 cars just strikes me as so much better looking than what came after. It is somehow wrapped around an Americana vision of the steam era, rural settings, Victorian architecture, etc., but I can't really place exactly why the fender ...

Burger in Spokane

When not taking LONG trips, I am taking hauling trips. A unit of plywood averages 2400lbs. Two = 4800lbs. It is quite an interesting experience to drive a TT with that kind of weight. From defensive driving, due to the limited brake potential of a T, to route choice and how to attack hills. Even wit...

Burger in Spokane

Summer before last, I took several long trips around the Palouse
and Scablands. With no odometer, but a decent sense of miles
between points, I reckon each trip was around 250 miles.

Burger in Spokane

Really bad luck when all you got is a two-dollar bill and you need three bucks !

Burger in Spokane

My observations would be that they must have had good sales
representation in the Seattle area, as I have stumbled across a
fair number of them over the last 50-some years. Port Angeles
was just a short hop across the Sound from Seattle.

Burger in Spokane

Port Angeles, Washington area shingle mill and Jumbo
truck getting loaded up with "clear" grade shingles. This
was one of 16 days during the 20th century when the sun
came out in P.A.

Burger in Spokane

3rd photo from top, .... is that a 15 with much later headlights fitted to it ?

Burger in Spokane

Kinda looks like a Rambler ....

Burger in Spokane

The 20" TT wheels are heftier and were a little more, but I recall the Stutzman bill was about $1100 for fronts and rears (4), with return shipping. Noah's got a better shipping rate than I got sending the parts to him ... I think that was about $400. Add in sandblasting and powdercoating, I figured...

Burger in Spokane

Further digging shows a similar radiator shell and exact match
of the emblem to the Elgin car - 1916-1923. The center grill bar
matches no photos I can find.

Burger in Spokane

OK, super sleuths .... the split grille reminds me of a 29-30
Oakland, but this is older.

Burger in Spokane

Almost looks showroom new !

Burger in Spokane

Only drive downhill. So, why is building the engine off the table ? Magic can be worked with these T's, if you know the right people and can follow some tips. I run with the same guys that race the Montana 500, so a number of their ideas have found their way onto my TT, making a 15mph truck into a 5...

Burger in Spokane

To me Improved cars ARE Model A's, so those are out of consideration. But then again, I am inclined to freight hauling trucks, so the "A" look just doesn't come into the equation. A reality check about 25 years ago had me pare down a stable of two dozen cars to just one ... my DeSoto. Then the numbe...

Burger in Spokane

In April of 1902, the first class began down at the Uvula League HQ (room 417, for those taking notes), for Level I training on the operation of Kalamity Dicks ill-fated Cheval Mechanique. Hiram Chittenden Locks is shown mounted on the trainer that first day. Hiram would go on to perfect the nasal s...

Burger in Spokane

Heinrich Fjord may have said a lot of things about faster horses, but his
heart was in perfecting the selsum-fueled woonsocket. Even Murla Marples
got a ride or two. She loved to pick juniper phalanxes along the road to
Humptulips Junction.

Burger in Spokane

FYI = the Caddy/covered bridge shot is said to be Marion, Indiana.

Burger in Spokane

I love all the stuff going on in this shot !

Caddy ?

Burger in Spokane

From a time when these beasts were known by their right and proper name - sleen. And yes, sleens were quite common across the Basin in both wild and domesticated versions. One of the few animals Kalamity Dick was not allergic to, his pet sleen "Phydeaux" was a gift to him by the French government fo...

Burger in Spokane

I find it hard to believe that Kalamity Dick never crossed paths with Heinrich Fjord and his proven system of selsum-fueled woonsocket power. He not only navigated the North Atlantic to reach the Maritime shores from Norway, but once modified for land, skelticated across the continent to settle in t...

Burger in Spokane

Need to see more photos of Henry's Chariot !!!

Burger in Spokane

Murla Marples made short work of the Biffle gang in the summer of 1902, when the group made the terminal mistake of trying to hoodwink Grunda of her woonsocket. Murla, always one to carry a pancake flipper, gave the hoodlums a taste of the old "Aunt Jemima Treatment", and Calhoun County saw the bunc...

Burger in Spokane

The Beast

Burger in Spokane

A regular occurrance at the ground floor restaurant inside the Larkvonnet Hotel after Raju Gopolan began serving his native Indian food on Thursday nights. The Chugwater Fire House crew did not miss the opportunity to drill under the simulated conditions of a major conflagration. Period commentary s...

Burger in Spokane

And no one ever accused the Fulpants sisters of being seen in
less-than-glamorous footwear.

Burger in Spokane

It states right there in the manual that you are supposed to
use nothing but water pump oil ! Don't you guys read ?

Burger in Spokane

I just returned from a trip to empty my Grandmother's house. She passed recently. Born in 1915, she made it in good condition almost to her 107th birthday. I was always a weird kid, who was fascinated by old things, old people, old places, old stories, etc. One thing that was very much present in pr...

Burger in Spokane

"Curled up in the fecal position" is a favorite of mine.

Burger in Spokane

Grunda's less-than-petite stature made her ideal as a firemen on the Chugwater & Northern steamers, tossing upwards of ten tons of coal in to those dirt burners in a single pass up the valley. No need for a gym membership to stay in top form with a job like that. More than one tough guy with a mouth...

Burger in Spokane

Heinrich provided this shot of the research team during the afternoon
luncheon. It is easy to understand how so many Basin residents personally
identified with the high quality potassium produced across the Tri-Burg area.

Burger in Spokane

I am ceaselessly amazed by people making science out of doing the wrong thing, just to be cheap. I know, bad stuff only happens to OTHER people ! :lol: Having a set of wheels rebuilt is not that expensive. Certainly not, when weighed against the cost of serious injuries, surgeries, rehab, or pushing...

Burger in Spokane

So much to take in there .... Heinrich Fjord was a friend of many, including Kid Shaleen. Fjord had come from Norway on his selsum-fueld woonsocket - the same one Grunda Fulpants used in her aforementioned circumnavigations - in 1896, and impressed Shaleen with his expert handling of the craft. Fjor...

Burger in Spokane

No one thought to ask, "What would the ancestors do ?"

I suspect burning clothes would not have been their answer.

Burger in Spokane

What is the best oil to use on your Model T water pump ?

Burger in Spokane

I even hear from knowledgeable T guys that TT trucks are slow.

Burger in Spokane

Before founding the Uvula League, Grunda thrice circumnavigated the Tri-Burg area on a selsum-fueled woonsocket. Saying she "got around" is like saying Happy Sally is appreciated most for its bouquet and after-palette. While the song we all know says "All the boys think she's a spy", Duke Fitzelwitz...

Burger in Spokane

Although never championship material, the Chugwater cabbage team
always placed well in regional events. Some say it was the bacon. Others
submit it was KD's ability to see that deeply into a cabbage that made
them that good. While others still, say it was the Happy Sally.

Burger in Spokane

I do a lot of restoration and renovation work on things from Victorian homes to tools to fences, barns, and decks. I probably burn through 500-1000 gallons of linseed oil a year. You can add colorants, thin with spirits, .... so many options to both preserve and make wood look awesome. My rebuilt TT...

Burger in Spokane

Kalamity Dick spent a lot of time working on his theory for
curing bacon, but even today, there really is no known cure.

Burger in Spokane

Expectations for early phone performance were on par with expectations for early automotive performance. When the last vehicle you had was a horse, that TT seems to move like lightning, and can do it all day long ! Single wire (ground return) phone circuits, or stuff run through fences *could* get t...

Burger in Spokane

Great pics again Tom! Thanks. I love pics that show the telephone poles...that one about third the way down is a big one!! Correct me if I'm wrong, but seems someone said each insulator is a separate phone line? Or maybe a "party line"? Like to have my memory refreshed! ============================...

Burger in Spokane

You got a kitchen in that truck of yours ???

Burger in Spokane

I always liked going down to the docks in Tucumcari and buying the
colossal shrimp straight off the incoming boats !

Burger in Spokane

A scene out back of Ernie's (just out of sight to the left), in the alley off of Pispacattiquattimauken Ave. Murla Marples had set up the retail and distribution shop for her moonlight and paisley business. Note on back of photos says they just loaded up another shipment, bound for Wombatsburgh. Mur...

Burger in Spokane

In the KCHG-produced documentary, KD was cited multiple times with having little interest in financial wealth. Just enough to keep future tinkering possible was all he ever really asked for. The kaphistulator alone made that happen. The Vestibule factory was only icing on the cake. KDwirehead.jpg

Burger in Spokane

Everyone of importance is at the Chugwater Regatta organizing
committee meeting.

Burger in Spokane

Like Steve, I live in a place where just about anywhere you point your T is awesome roadtripping. I moved here on purpose, for just this reason. For hundreds of miles in any direction, it is Model T driving heaven. fairfield2.jpg IMG_2379.jpg fullsizeoutput_9ed.jpeg IMG_1949.jpg fullsizeoutput_9ec.j...

Burger in Spokane

The concept of model years was not like it has come to be since the days of the Model T. The whole idea ran contrary to Henry's automobile philosophy of building simple, reliable, easy-to-work -on cars to change it up every year, just for the sake of changing it up. However, Henry DID have a keen se...

Burger in Spokane

Being in to early electrical hardware and history, I have read SO MANY
accounts of people thinking electricity would flow like water, requiring
all open circuits to be "plugged" to hold the juice in ! It was quite common.

Burger in Spokane

Schlomo's above photo captured State Revenue agent Whippleton Bockmeierschpeltenbier in a moment of fecularity, as State law did not address the taxation of spirits across state lines, when used as a preservative. Alerted to the shipment just hours before departure, by the time he arrived with rule ...

Burger in Spokane

Chugwater & Northern bills of lading still survive in the files at the new Foundation. Heinrich was only too happy to answer questions. Yes, to cut costs and preserve the bodies for transport, a single box car was LTL'd as express freight and the Steinberg Gang was fitted to a matching number of bar...

Burger in Spokane

Murla's own writing on the back of that last photo says the tubs held fresh batches of moonlight and paisleys, which she provided to Regatta-goers at modest cost. Many photos and period newspaper stories cover her popular stand there on the midway. Only with the coming of the mushroom stands in the ...

Burger in Spokane

Kalamity Dick's Mother, Murla Marples. Born 31 June, 1848, in Sniggersville, NY. She is best remembered for inventing moonlight and paisleys, both of which she is seen mixing up pots of before the Regatta street fair in 1884. Both concoctions left her financially comfortable and able to live the lif...

Burger in Spokane

I have a number of photos of the Eatonville dealership. Sure would like
to have that sign !

Burger in Spokane

TT attraction and ownership has been linked to mental illness, and
those stricken are kept at the dark fringes of regular T society. Best
if you embrace the shunning looks and quiet snickering.

Burger in Spokane

Did you collect insulators, Norm ?

Burger in Spokane

Looks like a close match on the phone sign.

Burger in Spokane

I would sure like to see a clearer shot of the Rhododendron Store.
Clear enough to read the Telephone Pay Station sign.

Burger in Spokane

We have lots of members with trucks. Post pix, and get the conversation started.

Burger in Spokane

This comment has little to do with seatbelts, but seems relevant to the discussion of safety in a T era vehicle ... When I got serious about acquiring a T, I applied my usual "listen to the oldtimers" approach, to size up the group wisdom on the subject. One thing consistently stated by many was "dr...

Burger in Spokane

A 1919 photo of a youthful Günther Hootzpah with his younger brother Euclid. The pair ran a scam "dog breeding" program, selling wild-caught suckweasels (Suckweaselius Americanus) as pets to unsuspecting city folks through the mail. Much hullaballoo resulted at the receiving end of these transaction...

Burger in Spokane

Heinrich happened by this snowy day to relate some details of the recent kerfuffle with the Institute Board of Directors. It seems the ill intents of Schlep Spadaford has led the Board down a dark path, and driven four of the Board members and their benefactors to leave and form The Foundation, ment...

Burger in Spokane

Were the springs ever lubricated back in the day, or is this some
nuevothink for how to create a fix for a problem that doesn't exist ?

I have never lubed my windshield or seat springs either. Is this a
problem ?

Burger in Spokane

Ford quit making Model T cars after 1925.

Burger in Spokane

These pix had me run out to my shop to check a jar in my collection, thinking it had the same name. Alas, the jar bears the name McGrew Grocery Co. Jar dates to pre-automobile days, but is new enough to wear numbers for that new telephonic communication wizardry of the day. fullsizeoutput_ae8.jpeg

Burger in Spokane

Heinrich seems to have struck gold on the subject of the Vacuum Project. More farkling through the trunk of values produced this gem, showing Buck Futz and his brother Elmer filling vats on the Chugwater & Northern's mobile vacuum car with raw vacuum pellets. The pair had discovered a high concentra...

Burger in Spokane

The last trip out was to get a unit of 3/4" T&G plywood to deck my attic, before framing the roof. The latter has kept me occupied 16- 18 hours a day since. No time to do anything but walk by the truck as I go about my work. IMG_2982.jpg Burger, I love the fact that you use your truck for actual ha...

Burger in Spokane

"Modern" is right ! When Ford started putting bright work on their
vehicles, I lost interest. That racey, rounded body styling is just too
high falootin' and uppity for this acolyte of telephone booth aerodynamics !

Burger in Spokane

Popular wisdom was probably the largest single factor of the Great Potato War. Even the great minds of the Basin agreed, so much as to issue the Basin Proclamation of Support. A caveat of that support was, of course, the wonton disregard for vacuum amongst the many. But the war was won, vacuum preva...

Burger in Spokane

Heinrich came by on the surrey to share this photo from the trunk of values, showing the collaborative team of Major Bungalo and others setting the vacuum pole behind the philandering shed on Pispacattiquauttimawken Ave. with Sir William Wormgear's borrowed White truck. Residents had complained of a...

Burger in Spokane

Burger, I hope that lumber yard is close to your home! The TT would be very slow on the road. Norm ==================== Badger Lumber, Post Falls, Idaho. I live in Spokane, Wa. The product was better, the price far better, .... and this is what I own the truck for. I can drive 35-40 all day with th...

Burger in Spokane

Oh God, NO ! Say it ain't so !

Burger in Spokane

The last trip out was to get a unit of 3/4" T&G plywood to deck my
attic, before framing the roof. The latter has kept me occupied 16-
18 hours a day since. No time to do anything but walk by the truck
as I go about my work.

Burger in Spokane

While Heinrich is out on sabbatical leave, he said he intended to prove or disprove whether Diagram and Bungalow's vacuum ploy would have worked, or if it was all just a bluff. The vacuum plentilator still resides in working condition in the Saddlestring Central Auditorium. Who here isn't excited to...

Burger in Spokane

It was Gen. Diagram's order to Maj. Bungalo to commence the vacuum that led to all parties involved to come to the table to end the Nutmeg Incident. Then, as now, no one knew exactly what quantified a vacuum, nor what results would come of it. The quick thinking General and his dutiful Major saved t...

Burger in Spokane

Let no one forget that it was General Diagram that led the troops
that brought about the end of the Nutmeg Incident. Major Bungalo
was third in command.

Burger in Spokane

Is it possible that Van Bockle and Pründip Wongelschnurtz were the
same person ? The question was raised at the Tuesday meeting in August,
and in the intervening time, neither Heinrich or the staff could produce
a single photo of these two together in the same room. Their likeness
is uncanny.

Burger in Spokane

Tying loose ends together, in his interview with Horror & Consternation
staff writer Pründip Wongelschnurtz, published in their June, 1942 edition,
Kalamity Dick said that his greatest creative regret was creating the fabric
that would later be used to make yoga pants.

Burger in Spokane

At the Tuesday night meeting, Heinrich gave a repeat discertation
on the perils of ruined bottoms, complete with slideshow. The original
presentation followed Heinrich's trip to the big city and the shock over
what he encountered.

Burger in Spokane

I passed the point of NEEDING more stuff about 50 years ago. I struggle with this A LOT. It disturbs me deeply to have old stuff go to the dump or be destroyed. Much of it is cool to SOMEONE out there. I plex a lot, trying to find connections between those with stuff and those who would cherish it. ...

Burger in Spokane

Heinrich came by on his surrey and left this recent photo of Dr. Pogue's pickle plucker. Completed in 1921, under the guidance of Kalamity Dick and Major Bungalo, it was modified after the collapse of the pickled chicken lips market to harvest pickles directly from the pickle quarry fields. Calhoun ...

Burger in Spokane

Reports in the early 20's editions of Glassblower & Inktender's Weekly indicated another obstacle to producing authentic pickled chicken lips was replicating the pickling process. The shortages, as a fallout of the Nutmeg Incident, left Tri-Burg area picklers in a real bind for seasonings. Those acc...

Burger in Spokane

That Packard !!!

Burger in Spokane

This karaoke night promises to be a wing-ding. It will be a tribute to Major Bungalo (you remember Major Bungalo, right ?), and feature a Dionne Warwick impersonator, along with the Solid Mold Dancers. In Major Bungalo's day, the Solid Mold Dancers were tops in their class, touring the mushroom stan...

Burger in Spokane

Aldo the mule lived during the period when mushroom stands were a common sight across the Basin. Ephraim noted that Aldo both liked the mushrooms, and got greatly improved mileage, ... even if the exhaust was a tad odiferous. Emmaline knitted Aldo some winter socks from the stray mushroom moss commo...

Burger in Spokane

Stemcastle was admired by Kalamity Dick, largely because of his intellect for all things mechanical and strategic sense of fashion, but even moreso for his keen business sense that tied it all together. Looked upon as a vital link in Dr. Pepper's cog railway operations, on account of the smokeless a...

Burger in Spokane

Ah, the cog-driven hrududu that Dr. Pepper operated to access the alien hives, deep in the Rocky Mountains. Few photos are known of the early version (shown here). Kalamity Dick provided much theory and oversight in the development of the craft, and fabricated both the eileel drive gears and the pen...

Burger in Spokane

As an employer, this conversation is one I am immersed in constantly. I truly believe we are doomed, running on our present course, and now fully understand my Grandmother's comments about looking forward to not being around anymore. This bus is going over a cliff. Given my age and what appears to b...

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