MTFCA Forum

Rich Bingham

Nagging you, Seamus, thanks for your patience. I just reckon it's time for a monthly update, even if the news is "nuthin yet".

Rich Bingham

Since well before 1908 right up to the present moment, a vast array of automotive behemoths have been available for those desiring "a little more power" than what a Model T Ford can deliver. What is it that drives owner "tinkeritis" seeking ways to squeeze a tiny bit more power out of their Ts ?? In...

Rich Bingham

Spare tires on the tops. I'm thinking they were not carried that way, just temporarily assigned to the car ? The town car may be a model T as well, transverse rear spring. Thoughts ?

Rich Bingham

Yup. New Day is a dandy timer by any name when correctly made with materials that stand the gaff.

Rich Bingham

Few people understand that the novel intricacies of mechanical and scientific discoveries which were Kalamity Dick's bread and butter required a totally new terminological vocabulary to adequately describe them. A cunning linguist in his own right, Cuthbert was the prime mover in coining unique port...

Rich Bingham

What fun to see a rarity !

Rich Bingham

The girl in the second pic looks like she coulda been a handful for that guy, and the hood in the third pic looks kinda weird for a T, and so does the radiator cowl. :lol: Yup. That gal in the bloomers looks like trouble for sure. I hope she wasn't! :lol: Third pic, flat-top rear fender, front fend...

Rich Bingham

A wonderful photo of the outing ! Thanks, Rich. Looking toward the top of the photo you can see the effervescent fume cloud emanating from a freshly opened sauce canister. No wonder mosquitoes were dropping like flies ! Morris Lester Alberwode was arrested on several occasions for squinting through ...

Rich Bingham

Can you identify the float material ? If it's some kind of synthetic (plastic) it would be a latter-day replacement that has succumbed either to an unusual amount of heat or perhaps elements in the ever-changing brew that gasoline has become in recent years. The original floats were either cork or b...

Rich Bingham

Interesting ! Both look like tickets, especially the one with the serial number. My guess is they were given out at point of purchase, the idea being to encourage repeat business; the customer would save them up, then conceivably present them at some point for a "substantial" cash discount, ten cent...

Rich Bingham

That is suspicious, Rich. Especially as Pabbelfrath was the local fishmonger, and during that interval, the local alley-cats gave his delivery van wide berth, which was highly unusual. Merkley partnered with his cousin Herkimer Larkvonnet making sardine and anchovy flavored candies in capsule form. ...

Rich Bingham

Wouldn't it be great to have this photo explained ? A barrel ?!? A BARREL on top of the van ?!? :shock: My dad used to remark on accidents where a party ". . . wrapped their car around a lamp-post . . ." an expression that likely originated in this era. Photos like these show it happened not infrequ...

Rich Bingham

Yes, thanks Kevin ! I've yet to dismount a rear tire on my '13, the T-driver
30x3-1/2" tires are so generously oversized I'm dreading it. Practically no clearance at the fender lip. Looks like Blockleys will be a much better fit.

Rich Bingham

The proud driver's rig looks like one of a fleet ? I'd sure like to know the make and year. It's always amused me how many of the early trucks placed headlights high and on the cowl like this one. Perhaps to keep them out of harm's way in rough working situations ? The kerosene running lamps have a ...

Rich Bingham

Right you are, Rich ! Just pop the cap on any size gallium container to release the explosive flavor of Flim-flam Sauce. It's always on target with any meal, in any grouping, and inexpensive too ! Well within range of anyone's pocket-book. Side note: Abner Catamount is also credited with the develop...

Rich Bingham

I can still see tread on all four T-drivers. I have plenty of miles left ! Dirt roads are kinder to tires than pavement.

Rich Bingham

Double post. Sorry.

Rich Bingham

Are the Blockley 30x3-1/2" tyres "oversize" ??

I'm saving me pennies and awaiting a stateside connection with baited breath (just ate a sardine

)

Rich Bingham

Maybe the advantage was those nice upholstered seats ? Otherwise, I'd have to ask "Why ?!?" :lol: Years ago a fellow old car nut acquired a mid-20s Marmon roadster from a ranch in Star Valley. Lore that accompanied the car included tales of how the owner would load it on a sled in winter, and a team...

Rich Bingham

But bib overalls haven't changed very much in over a century !

Rich Bingham

1913 runabout. Maybe it's mine in its former life ?
Coincidentally I'm tearing out a section of net wire fence today.

Rich Bingham

Sharp eyes, Wayne! I mistook two carriage bolts for a hinge. I'm sure you're right, "just" another common ol' U.S. '14. Sigh.

Rich Bingham

Dennis Prince wrote: ↑
Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:17 pm
My great grand Father worked for the 101 Ranch around that time but he worked for the ranch and not the Wild West Show.

When a good friend of many years was a small boy, he met Geronimo in person. We are still fairly close to those "old days".

Rich Bingham

What a great photo ! The Lizzie is smiling too !

Rich Bingham

Terry, always a fun puzzle as to whether the photo is reversed or not. Horn and generator appear to be on the left side of the car, but the door has hinges ! I think I can tell the buttons on the vest of the gent at left indicates the photo is not reversed ?

Rich Bingham

speedytinc wrote: ↑
Wed Sep 22, 2021 10:38 am

Rich Bingham wrote: ↑
Wed Sep 22, 2021 10:05 am

speedytinc wrote: ↑
Wed Sep 22, 2021 8:40 am
Nobody has just one.
I only have one !
You, sir an exceptional person. Perhaps there is a fertility issue in your garage.

Lizzie went menopausal in 1951 !!

Rich Bingham

Also hard to find, the mechanical "pull-from-the-seat" accessories. Perhaps that wouldn't do ?

Rich Bingham

speedytinc wrote: ↑
Wed Sep 22, 2021 8:40 am
Nobody has just one.

I only have one !

Rich Bingham

Another 1914, definitely right hand drive. Happy Canadians ?? Or elsewhere ?? Nice smiles !

Rich Bingham

Jay, thanks for these wonderful era photos you have been posting ! I hope there are a lot more !!

Rich Bingham

1914. The owner has (wisely ?) replaced the factory turtle deck with a covered compartment large enough to be actually useful !

Rich Bingham

. . . was a 1904 Locomobile Model C. :lol: That really is Geronimo in the silk hat driving the car on the Miller Bros. 101 Ranch north of Ponca City, Oklahoma on June 11, 1904. Ponca chief Ed LeClair in the full headdress. The occasion was a special performance for members of the press by the 101 wi...

Rich Bingham

Winter eyes ?? (Your goggles fog up !)
Why not just drive all winter ?

Rich Bingham

Car ?? The car, guys ?? Looks early, maybe 1910 ?
Carbide lamps converted to electric, what else ??

(some of those quail have very long ears and fur)

Rich Bingham

Creative ! (But ugly IMHO)

Rich Bingham

Lots of questions ! Photo reversed ? Or Canadian ? A 1914 Model, but what's up with the windshield arrangement ?!? Nasty dent just behind the dash board. For the era, that's not much mud at all. As a family conveyance, the auty-mobile replaced the buggy, surrey or spring wagon which were pretty much...

Rich Bingham

IMHO 10mph is top speed in low. I drive a lot of rough roads where 10mph is too fast; needing throttle flexibility from 6-9mph, the motor lugs in high. Scott's advice is spot on for cruising in high over better roads.

Rich Bingham

Few people know that the tubular confabulator ducts and the underslung tramworth rockers were designed by Kalamity Dick. After 1919 KD was a regular at the soup kitchen. When requesting chicken noodle, an inadvertent nervous tic (result of his allergy to horses) was construed by the Le Fleur sisters...

Rich Bingham

That was a rough neighborhood as evidenced by the metal gratings over the windows. A curious bit of trivia, originally the street was named "Porkland Av. " after the beanery, but city fathers changed it, objecting to the lack of refinement. During Prohibition, the "hot soup day and night" sign becam...

Rich Bingham

Right, Jeff ! Having come in on the rim a time or two in my T (nearly 60 years ago) I'd question whether the solid rubber tires rode any harder than the stock high-pressure pneumatic tires. On the rim I expected it to be really rough, couldn't tell much difference!

Rich Bingham

Orchards near Nampa, Idaho. Photo note said 1920. Perhaps ? The 1920 plate had a dark background, but so did other prior years. Looks well maintained for a 10-11 year old car in that era. Just for speculation, how long did folks keep their cars back then, anyhow ? Thanks Rich. I must have White in t...

Rich Bingham

Another to identify. White-looking radiator and hood. Year ? Looks pre-1912.

Rich Bingham

Dr. Pogge briefly surfaced in Blackfoot, Idaho before the turn of the century in the guise of an entrepreneur who established an unusually short-lived electroplating concern. Apparently obsessed with developing a "blue chrome" decorative finish, an unusually lengthy run of heavily overcast weather b...

Rich Bingham

Rapidly improving eyesight as I grow ever younger prompts me to thank Steve for his larger-type posts. Reckon I'll do likewise from now on, too.

Rich Bingham

Dave, from the pictures, your carb is a Holley G (rhymes with "golly gee !") The MTFCA carburetor manual has good instructions on its care and feeding, and if you can search this forum, there have been several posts discussing this carb recently. I believe it is "correct" for your TT from the standp...

Rich Bingham

Pardon my ignorance, but to this wool producer and handcraft supplier, a rollag is a lightly carded roll of fibre ready to be spun into yarn. Obviously, yours is something different! Allan from down under. Doubtless, Rollag was named after the Norwegian village of the same name. The steam show star...

Rich Bingham

Brass becomes brittle at low red heat. Some alloys work well cold, others need to be annealed to work cold, sometimes several times depending on what you're trying to do. Good info here on this particular problem ! Good luck, we learn by doing !

Rich Bingham

Shorty's "Juggernaut" was a remarkable conveyance produced by the Steel Elephant Tractor Co. of Silver Plume. Their "Earthworm Series 50" was popular with Basin mushroom ranchers after accumulator noise was effectively eliminated in the improved model. Absolute silence was necessary in cultivating t...

Rich Bingham

A side note, KD's bakelite pocket protectors were popular with the workers in the alphabet mines, as their sturdy construction prevented the inadvertent crushing of the canaries miners took with them to signal deadly foul air in the deeper shafts. An adit which followed a rich vein of amalgamated BR...

Rich Bingham

I'm always amazed to see photos of any number of brass-era (and before) cars in our area. They certainly were plentiful enough. I guess we didn't find the right junk piles on our hunting trips back when ? Perhaps it's a question of advanced decay ? We were finding 40 year old relics, perhaps the old...

Rich Bingham

Thanks, Rich !! (makes me thirsty !

)

Rich Bingham

A photo posted in "This Was Trucking" deserves some scholarly discussion here, where detailed facts will be appreciated: I regret not having the ability to reproduce the image of Geo. Muehlebach's beer truck. In the other thread, Rich E. correctly assumed the load was very likely destined for Ernie'...

Rich Bingham

St. Anthony, Idaho, photo dated 1909.

Rich Bingham

The MTFCA carburetor book covers the Holley "G". It's worth the trouble to set up the test fixture shown in that manual, as setting the float level and resulting "puddle" can be done much more easily on the bench with a fixture than on the car. Safer, too, if you use parts wash solvent instead of ga...

Rich Bingham

Looks like fun !! Tell us more about it Bob, please ? Which UPRR steam locomotive is that ?? Magnificent. (Your T aint bad either !

)

Rich Bingham

Rich, was that Nash Quad the one John D. discovered near the tracks behind the stockyards about 1964 or 5 ? Neat truck with four wheel steering !

Rich Bingham

Now I see ! Thanks for the detail Allan. Much appreciated !!

Rich Bingham

Self-driving tractor ? Or "remote control" ?
We've seen some of these "long distance" arrangements before. I think these engineers of yore were a little too used to horsepower that would listen to a "whoa !". The iron monsters are pretty much deaf !

Rich Bingham

. . . a technique in which he bends the felloe sections under compression. The outside radius of the bed is maintained and the inside radius is compressed. Timber benders in other spheres make their bends by stretching the outside diameter while the inside diameter Is maintained . . . Allan, I'm ha...

Rich Bingham

Ouch !! Yes ! Check your wheels, but how ?? What for ? Definitely going to be different considerations for wood felloe non-demountables than for steel felloe wheels. Age ? (Who knows for sure ?) provenance of rebuilt wheels ?? Which rebuilders are reliable ? If re-built, how do you know if a sub-sta...

Rich Bingham

Sage advice, Scott Conger, that should be seriously taken to heart! Sadly, it will likely be generally dismissed. For some time, the general consensus on these boards has been mostly supportive of notions that the venerable Model T is something that requires to be updated, enhanced, modified and re-...

Rich Bingham

Wayne, I never thought about that before ! There sure were a lot of movie cars with "glassless" windshields

I expect eliminating glare for photography was the reason. In this case the top frame would have interfered with the action.

Rich Bingham

. . . why did Cuthbert not just load the grey gelding on the trolley, and skip all the magnetized shoes and trestle walking nonsense ? Why, you ask ? For one, the Tri-burg Inter-urban Trolley & Railway had strict rules prohibiting pets that could not be carried on a patron's lap. The grey was willi...

Rich Bingham

Thanks, Rich ! I'm partial to the Maxwell, seems to have the most similarities, and being a more well-known make, odds would favor it. What do you think ?

Rich Bingham

Cuthbert had a grey gelding named "Lobo" who could walk along atop a single railroad rail. Shoes made the footing slippery and precarious, however. Now a trunk line of the Denver, Chugwater & Saddlestring RR ran on a trestle bridge that spanned the ravine over Mudge Creek between Medicine Bow and th...

Rich Bingham

Date unknown, so is the car. Identify, please ?

Rich Bingham

According to the inflation calculator, the price asked is equivalent to the price it sold for in 1935

You wouldn't own it - it would own you !!

Rich Bingham

No interest ?

Rich Bingham

From the photo, it looks like the car may have begun as a chassis and the body purpose built for station use . . . Thanks for that, Allan, I thought so too. Dane, thanks for those, Saunders did a fine job ! :D Kelpie in that first photo, and a near identical hat like the photo I posted. Dang sheeph...

Rich Bingham

A sheep station manager in his T. Like most dogs, the Kelpie loves the ride !

Rich Bingham

Even better, that's Dad Clay hisself standing in front of the White. I had a mile or more farther than Rich to get downtown. One day I lost a nut off one of my bike pedals. Walking my "cripple" past the garage, a mechanic in the open doorway saw my predicament and fixed it for me. Fun memory. The li...

Rich Bingham

Trying to help a history project identify some of these obscure makes.
Thank you very much, fellows, for your help !

Rich Bingham

Caption states Frank Gedeney driving his 1907 model 21 Rambler. Frank luved in Elko, Nevada and re-located to Mountain Home, Idaho.

Rich Bingham

Pocatello, Idaho in the mid-teens, East Center location of the Ford dealership, but that's not a Ford in front. What is it ?

Rich Bingham

Note that the opposed sparking plugs on the combustion de-fribrillators have no high-tension leads. KD was able to apply Tesla's principles of wireless energy transmission to provide exactly 9,408 volts at 16 ohms resistance at spasmodic intervals. The idea came to him after he observed Finster Wors...

Rich Bingham

Why it's Felicia Pantera Catamount, Kalamity Dick's second cousin once removed on his mother's side ! The relationship is rather tenuous, as it goes something like this: When Felicia's father, Leo Catamount was a young man, he married a widow with a grownup daughter. His widowed father Abner Catamou...

Rich Bingham

For my '13, hot weather is the most difficult as to how to reckon with a "cold" start. No choke at all to re-start once she's warmed up. It's all done by braille ! :lol: :lol: I realize this is no help at all for those who are frustrated. Misery loves company, I'm pretty sure every single T owner th...

Rich Bingham

I posted that title kind of tongue in cheek, realizing the '09-'10 catalogues showed coupe bodies on Model Ts. I'm not sure when they re-appeared, but I know for a fact there was no 1913 Ford coupe available for the good doctor to purchase, had he actually wanted one. I really don't know how the "do...

Rich Bingham

Doctors drove runabouts ?

Rich Bingham

Doctors drove runsbouts ?

Rich Bingham

What a beauty ! I'll guess American Underslung ??

Rich Bingham

Helping the thread to wander

somewhere I acquired a "factoid" that posited one hurdle in the development of electric lighting for automobiles was the lack of a filament design that would withstand a lot of vibration - true or false ??

Rich Bingham

Oops ! Double post

Rich Bingham

I'm sorry the photo quality isn't better. I pirate "fun" pix from history sites, and many are posted at fair to poor resolution. We could probably tell the shape of the hood for sure from the original. My two cents' - it looks to me like the curve of the hood former is round "over center", so I'm go...

Rich Bingham

"Picking huckleberries at Grimes Pass (Idaho) 1913"
Like as not the car is older.

Rich Bingham

There's a Sandy Creek, New York, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. This is most likely New York, Oswego County. Apparently there was a significant lumber industry in the area. That appears to be a young lady driving the yoke of oxen.

Rich Bingham

Interesting ! A tractor is certainly a different beast from a motorcar; more like a stationary engine in terms of cooling, not enough "speed" to improve air flow, but heavier load, like plowing deep in heavy soil can sure lead to overheating. I note that the Fordsons pack a relatively huge radiator ...

Rich Bingham

Thanks Rich. I'm learning some from the identifications on this forum, thanks largely to you ! The driver is bundled up, so it's cold weather. One form above the sideboard looks like a pumpkin, but I can't really tell. I find the loads being hauled in these old photos almost as interesting as the tr...

Rich Bingham

It looks to be in exceptional condition. Here's another way to look at it - suppose it's 1962, and you had found a 1909 Model T in that condition ?

Another thought about relative values - that pickup probably sold new for about $3200. Adjusted for inflation, about $25,000. today.

Rich Bingham

International ?

Rich Bingham

. . . I have a T with a modern type temperature gauge on the water outlet. It routinely shows 210 to 230 on the gauge, but there is never any sign of boiling or coolant loss or any other sign of overheating . . . Probably an optimal temp for thermosyphon function. It would be instructive to read th...

Rich Bingham

Or $10 fishing car ?

Rich Bingham

Try a leather or fiber gasket ?

What you are seeing is how much the motion and vibration is acting on the filler neck with the weight of the dog bone cap and motometer.

Rich Bingham

Lots of fun here ! The '13 gambit didn't go the whole nine yards for me. The "representative" apologized he couldn't find a 2013 model T, asked if it was a 2013, I had to tell him it was 1913. "Very sorry, sir, your car doesn't qualify. Do you have another car that might ?" I replied, "Nope. Only ga...

Rich Bingham

"Kid" Fiddlestein was a born performer. In his younger days he would ride a bass viol across the stage like a pogo stick to open the show while playing a few bars of "Stars and Stripes Forever" in pizzicato style. Referring to the instrument as his "Straddle-various", he gave over that performance a...

Rich Bingham

Sounds like Burke, Idaho, but there may have been other mining towns similarly trammeled.

Rich Bingham

Bannack and Virginia are about 80 miles apart. Should be a great tour ! Much has changed in both places through the past 50 years. Bannack is now a state park, and much has been done to conserve existing buildings. Virginia, not so much. The hotel was constructed as the county courthouse in 1875, an...

Rich Bingham

Wiley always claimed he sought the "high ground" in his practice. Having achieved many acquittals in his career owing to a hung jury, his retirement was seen as poetic justice by most of the tri-burgs population.

Rich Bingham

Thermonuclear ?!?

Rich Bingham

International ? Caption says one ton, load is nine wool sacks. Could be almost a two ton load.

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