MTFCA Forum

Happy and relieved to report that after three weeks of covid illness, I teated negative this morning. It was a tough one requiring a short hospital stay. Although I still have symptoms, they are manageable. I'm so happy I took the antiviral Paxlovid starting the day I tested postive. I'd hate to imagine the outcome otherwise. As it was I was still...

My 12-04-23 post is getting long so I am starting a new post to provide an update.

I recently drove the coupe 20 more miles. I don't have a speedometer so I verified the miles by driving my F150 the distance. As mentioned in the original post, I had previously checked the mpg after a 12 mile run and found it was 7mpg. After that check, I removed...

I bought these jackstands years ago at a garage sale. Never saw anything like them, by their construction I would say pretty darn old. They look like they were orange. The bottom plate is cast. Anyone have any insight?

Thank you to Frank, Ron, and the other helpful folks who replied to my earlier posts in assisting me in getting it somewhat sorted out - I'm still working through a few things (and likely always will be!), but it was nice to get out on the snow a bit today. I'd hoped for more snow to get the skis on too, but we're a bit behind normal for snowfall...

I saw this on the America LeFrance factory photos site on Facebook.
This was among several colorized factory photos and was surprised to see the T’s. Did they build T ‘s for their uses too? I thought the coloring was really good. Expand the photo and the detail is really clear.
Check out what looks to be the beginning of a chiefs car in the...

Now that Steve has access to a computer again, I believe he would enjoy photos of the 2023 OCF, since he missed it. If you have any photos, please post them here for Steve.

Last week Michael Deichmann posted a photo of Ford crates/boxes offloaded in Copenhagen Denmark in the 1920's. They were to be then sent to the Ford factory for assembly. I have been looking at Fords' shipping methods and have a photo from a USA 1921 Ford News which shows similar crates on the docks in Havana Cuba. There are 150 Model T's in the...

I am probably the last to know this, as usual, but Snyder's has the white front floor mat for the early cars in stock. I would imagine the other vendors do too. Snyder's website picture makes the mat look yellowish but it actually is very white.

Just being a bit cute...but...it IS an actual Ford Model T item (reproduced) Part number T-1923

This actually completes the tool project for me (Nah...this stuff is never done :))

Most are probably not aware, Ford actually shipped a 'toolbox' with every car. Somewhere in the past there is a VF article about the 'toolbox'.

OK, so the...

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I was looking for a book at Barnes and Noble for an old car friend who has everything regarding old car paraphernalia. I thought, he has Carl Pates book on early Fords, as well as several others, I'll just see if theres a good coffee table book at the store. As I was browsing with Julie in the books with big pictures section, I saw this:...

Update from Steve’s cousin Robert, he asked me to post this:
Here you go…

Dear Family & Friends of Steve Jelf,

It was a LONG day yesterday but at 2 pm MST we pulled into Steve new digs and got him checked in. I've received a LOT of requests for his new mailing address so I'm just going to put it here for anyone that wants to send him a card:...

As of today, Steve Jelf has a new email address that can ALSO be used for video-conferencing with Steve via FaceTime!

dauntlessgeezer@gmail.com

I will be delivering Steve’s new MacBook to him with this email account up and working in a couple hours. I’ll show him how it works when I get there. I’ll also try to set up this email on his other...

Stephan, I need your address so I can ship your parts, I've emailed and tried to contact you through the forum. Kim Dobbins

IMG_0591.jpg IMG_0591.jpg I finally finished up my Model T starter bench tester. It took a bit but I was holding out for a 1000 amp shunt and found a supplier.

This tester allows the starter to be securely mounted on the rigid frame.

I have two voltage meters to measure the battery as well as the starter voltage, there is a Ford spec for this as...

Hello,

I have a 26 engine that has an original Bosch front plate 448 distributor. The car has always been very hard to start and I am trying to verify the basics. Could someone confirm install instructions on an original Bosch 448? I currently have TDC identified, points are open but the rotor is pointing to the passenger side fender. I read the...

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Today's update from Steve Jelf's Facebook page. I broke some of it up into individual paragraphs to make it easier to read.

Dear Family & Friends of Steve Jelf,

It was a LONG day yesterday but at 2 pm MST we pulled into Steve new digs (in Idaho) and got him checked in. I've received a LOT of requests for his new mailing address so I'm just going...

20231207_161201.jpg This Torpedo followed my F150 home yesterday

Ever see one of these before??

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I snagged this from AACA forum. It was posted by TerryB and is of his wife’s grandfather and his auto repair shop in Pinedale PA.
aacapersonal.jpg
It can be seen on this AACA thread:

I had forgotten Gould Batteries.
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Gouldad.jpg
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These old repair shop photos are a delight. '24-25 Tudor and lots of treasures.
Rich

I picked up this puller, which is missing the stand and handle/punch. Could anyone with a good one measure exact dimensions of the punch so that I get it right? Thank you.

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Hi,
Can somebody please describe the timing of the valves for the 280 camshaft from Snyders ?
Thanks
Willi

At what point did ford change from the brass oilers to the flip top oilers? 17 mid 17?

Russell Sabadosa is the new owner of a very large model T truck that was used to sell popcorn and peanuts to folks. He lives in Belcher Massachusetts and needs help getting the truck started. The truck ran fine on Wednesday when we loaded it up from Richmond, Indiana. He also could use a little instruction on driving the truck. We are hoping...

Hi all. The rivets have failed between the tail shaft /output shaft to the driving plate of my 1921 Touring.

I heard strange pinging noises from inside my transmission and was very lucky to have made it home with ONE very loose rivet still in place. The rest had sheared off and caught up in my aftermarket transmission oil screen.

Can anyone tell...

Can someone tell me if the front bow on a 26 Touring is the same shape as the other 3? I know the lengths are a bit different depending on location. Is there a drawing showing dimensions?

I've been gong back and forth on some stain colors for my Delivery Car and was hoping to get some opinions on color choice.
The car's exterior, interior Panels and seat and front floorboard section will be painted Midnight Blue
Black fenders/splash aprons/running boards
French gray striping

All the framing interior is exposed wood along with the...

Hi All,
I just put back together the window regulator with a new repair kit on my 27 Tudor. The pinion gear does not fit very well and I had to file every tooth of the regulator bar. It now cranks much better, but the window does not stay closed. It keeps dropping. My question is: could the regulator spring be too weak to hold the glass up? Has...

This may have, probably has come up before, but I just started thinking about this last night. Whatever happened to Henry's personal Model T or Model T's? In a museum somewhere?

From Steve's Facebook page this evening:

Dear Family & Friends of Steve.

This is Robert Parker - a relative of Steve's. I wanted to share some info with you about what Steve's future looks like.

I just got a call from the facility Steve's in informing me that they've found a different facility here in the Boise, Idaho area that will accept...

I might be missing them but I can’t find the ammeters for the switch plates that have 5-10-15-20 range on both sides for discharge & charge. Thanks John

I would like to hear from model T owners or others who collect and / or actually run with a Master carburetor in their cars. In particular it would be interesting to see the different variations of intake horns, manifolds, air/gas mixers and distributer bars.

Mark Osterman

markosterman@icloud.com

Want to buy a 1923 Engine Block or complete engine.

314-287-1901

Located in St.Louis Missouri.

I keep getting notices from OReilly on FB for 20 percent off. You need to use a code they supply to get the 20 percent off. Usually it never works for the Optima battery, but this time it did. They never go on sale..And it states I can return the core to the local store. So I got the battery for $200 instead of $249. My last Optima lasted 11...

I’m having generator issues and don’t really know where to start as I figure out what’s happening. Is there a book or YouTube video that y’all can recommend that’ll educate me on the generator and cutout?

Ford Bodies Clayton MO.JPG

Clayton MO.

Does that look like a Ford chassis?

I have this Wilmo Manifold. Anyone have any info on these?
Plan on using my NH carb and a HC Head and was wondering about the performance of these if anyone knows the info.

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I have a chance to buy what are said to be a set of “T” wire wheels. A friend is traveling and offered to pick them up for me. My concern is that the seller might be selling “A” wheels without knowing the difference. I have a set of 28/29 wheels and measured the center hub opening, where the cap goes. It measured 2-13/16. A fellow club member...

From the Horseless Carriage Club of America:

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Have set of top irons forsale that they where late style but seems they are earlier had lots inquiries
If they would even ot correct ???

What is this little clip(?) for; something to do with curtains maybe? I was wondering if the screw could be used to secure a mirror like in the second photo?

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Hi Guys,
I'm getting ready to make up a set of 21 steel felloe wheels. I have watched the videos using the Regon spoke press. But concidering I have 2
large hydraulic presses and only intend to ever do one set I'm thinking it would be counter productive to make a Regon press. I looked for a
video for using a hydraulic press. The ones I found are...

** UPDATE - can anyone with the skills figure out the casting mark on the engine (above the water inlet)? that would have a date. (See picture added below)

A friend of mine is constructing a child sized pedal car of the Noel Bullock 1922 Pikes Peak race car. His interest in building the racer is to make the complete drive train shaft and gear...

Couple of nice T's in affordable condition. I would go, but I've got a lot on my plate at the moment

I am rebuilding a 1915 T runabout. I have acquired a very nice frame but am having to install the supports for the running boards. The will each need some adjustments as they are used parts out of a pile of parts. I looked up earlier discussions and found some that are over ten years old. There is reference to factory drawings that detail the...

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I’m trying to help a long distance newby friend with removing a Delco gear driven Texas T alternator that needs checked out. While for the most parts it works pretty darn good, periodically it has charging issues. Texas T used to have some nice downloads for their stuff, but I can’t seem to find a downloadable installation and removing...

I am convinced that the points are not 'hard' throughout their thickness. When they are less than about half their original thickness, they burn out very quickly.
Can anyone confirm this? How thick is the 'hard' part?

Today’s project is get the Tobin Arp line boring machine operating. With the operating instructions in hand, most of the steps are pretty self explanatory. Untill it gets to the section on securing the block to the parallels,
It says to clamp to a stud at each end of the block. Move the parallels out such that it pulls the stud into the V of the...

What are the different ways of making a combination throttle control on a Model T? I'm looking for one that uses the standard lever on the steering column and also a foot-feed on a pre-1926 engine with the standard NH carb. A System that gives you the same combination as a model A. I've got one idea of how to do it but there may be better/simpler...

Can anyone explain why Ford located the valve very close to the split line where it is in danger of being damaged by the 'joiner' as you push the rim out?

Greetings Fellow Model T-er's!!!

I have a question for those out there who like to design dash plaques, club logos, letterheads, etc. About 20 years ago, the company I worked for switched from Lotus to Microsoft. Lotus has a program called Freelance. It was a drawing program which allowed folks to draw things like were aforementioned. The...

I'm pleased to inform everyone that my dedicated website has been given a much needed upgrade, since it was sadly neglected for a number of years... How time gets away from us! :o

One of the most major upgrades is the website's ability to adjust itself to multiple screen sizes, so it should work better on your phone too.

I will continue to make...

I have a question about the body mounting brackets on a 1914 and later roadster body. Do the rear brackets have round or square holes to mount them to the main sills? If square holes them the carriage bolts go from the underside of the body out through the brackets and the rear fender irons with the nuts on the outside. Is this correct? If the...

I just replaced a bad rubber stem on a model A tube with a new metal stem. My question is, do you need to put cement on the stem base ? I aired up the tube partially and did not see any bubbles around the washer. Was not sure how it would be with the proper air pressure.

Did Kelsey ever make a steel wheel that accepted fixed-lug rims? If so, were they a little bit narrower than the Fords and Hayes felloes? By any chance, were such wheels (if they existed) often used on Canadian-built Model T's?

Time to restore this Bridgeport pump..... It's a Bridgeport No. 5 I need to get it apart.. Although it's a double barrel Bridgeport pump, I don't believe Ford used the No. 5. This isn't for a show car, so good enough for what I need. Anyway, how are the brass tubes attached to the base? Threaded, pressed in?

In a group on Facebook about Old Copenhagen this picture showed up:
Knocked down Ford T i kasser i Frihavnen.jpg

It is from 1923 and a pier in the Copenhagen Free Habour. A handy probebly steamdriven crane can be moved around on the rails in the pier.
A lot of boxes has probably just been unloaded from a ship with that crane and the ship has...

I have the privilege to be recommissioning a mercury speeder for a forum member and he has decided to add a ruxtell rear end. my question is where have you fine owners put the shift handle? we have a side shift handle but I cannot figure out how to mount it. being the floor is at the same level as the top of the frame, you cannot install it on the...

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Canadian made Motometer that I thought was neat and wanted to share. Show off your odd-ball radiator gauges and/or Canadian made gizmoes, maybe a thread this specific could turn up some interesting stuff?

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I picked up my rims from the plater recently and was very pleased with the results. I am usually underwhelmed by some of the businesses that will take on a small job like model T parts, do it in a reasonable time and for a reasonable price. Gone are so many of the small businesses like radiator shops that will do a one-off something. When I went...

I have a shortened drive shaft tube that fits a unique set of lowering brackets and I need to have the driveshaft cut down to fit it. I don’t have a stock tube that’s not in a car to measure the overall length, to determine how much shorter this tube is from stock. I am calculating the number from the placement of the spring perches but it would...

Has anything been decided as to whether or not a Model T project will be pursued for Steve Jelf? It sounds as if he is coming out of the fog and it would be nice if there was a functional or restorable Model T waiting for him when he got home. I’m sure he would want the same year and style he had. Is the Model T he was driving salvageable? If so,...

With saddened heart I learned today that Racing legend and engine builder from Columbiana, Dick McKee passed away this morning peacefuly. He was known as the masked marvel in the Antique Auto Racing Association. He was famous for his McKee Rutherford and Riley race cars he restored for years. He was a extraordinary man. My son and I both learned...

Something of interest for you on the AACA What is it? forum:

Is there anyone currently doing these coils since we lost RV Anderson? Seems like I recall someone has picked up that service and mentioned it here. Mike

I bought new rims and a set of blockly tires and tubes and have them all mounted up. The tubes have metal stems and my question is, do I need another nut to lock the stem to rim, or leave it float like a rubber stem?

Hey All,
I lost the contact info for a man who will make a license plate period correct for my 1916 Touring. Can you remind me of his name?
Thanks,
Campbell Tellman
Beaufort< NC

My wheels are out getting new spokes. In the meantime my friend has leant me 3 wooden wheels (fouth is bored for rear, not front so I’m short one front). He also had 2 older Hayes metal spoke and 2 newer Hayes spoke wheels to use with my rim and tire. Issue is when I try to match them up the spacing from the tire valve hole to the mounting bolt is...

I stumbled across this video today, I didn’t see if it had been previously posted. I guess the author goes around to different museums.

Andy

Hello! I’ve noticed my fan belt is rubbing on my timer and has created a small groove. I know that part of the problem may be the belt, which I plan on replacing. But I’ve noticed there’s a slight wobble in the fan and shaft itself. I’d like to rebuild it so that it doesn’t have play and so that I know it’s good to go. Can someone help guide me...

Given a slow revving, low compression engine like a model T, what difference would an extra .005 in the ring gap make. What may be the manifestations of this? In the past I was concerned with too tight clearance but thought little of a bit wider ring gap.

Allan from down under.

I am not certain how to present this question and not feel dumb.

Dwell is defined as - Dwell angle is the amount of time, measured as degrees of rotation, that contact breakers close in a distributor. Unless dwell angle is accurate, ignition timing won't be accurate.

The discussion on the benefits of setting the dwell of an induction coil with...

Saw the new ad for Chickasha with NO Thursday line up. Vendors get in on Friday at 7.

I recently joined the MTFCA and now i get the magazine! :D
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Past posts have lamented the lack of decent reproduction bridge washers, there being a lack of raised ridge around the hole to more securely crush the tube.

I removed these two assemblies from junk tubes from the barn fresh car I am working on. 20231124_181640.jpg

These are the two Schraeder bridge waters from those stems. The one on the left...

Given a slow revving, low compression engine like a model T, what difference would an extra .005 in the ring gap make. What may be the manifestations of this? In the past I was concerned with too tight clearance but thought little of a bit wider ring gap.

Allan from down under.

The suppliers sell radiator hose kits. However, I've heard a lot of people say that the hoses in those kits are barely long enough, at best. I've looked at buying bulk straight hose, 2 and 1.75 diameter. Most options are 36 long, and would cost anywhere from $50 - $80 for the pair. I've noticed in my search however, that there are some molded...

Hi all,
In looking at period photos of T's, so many have a dull paint finish. Few are really shiny. Is this something with the paint chemistry? Or just dust and dirt? Or lack of car wax? Or time to use the wax?
Just curious.
John

Here's the latest from Steve's Facebook page:

Selah Wayseer is with Steve Jelf.

🛞🛞🛞🛞 UPDATE ON Steve Jelf 🛞🛞🛞🛞

Sorry I've been missing in action with this vertigo for 3 weeks, but it's all sorted out now and I'm fine.

Spoke with Steve on the phone just now and his voice sounds very strong. However, he mentioned some things that gave me the...

I am making a new post so more will see it.

Registration is now open. Register before June 1st and save $25 on your registration.

Hope to see you there.

i recently bought a set of 21 inch wire wheels. the tires are in good shape 440-450-21
the outer dia is 28 inches the ones i have now are 31 outer dia. i have 4 of them i guess
they will look ok any thoughts on why the difference. philip

SOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I have this axle that Ive been told is for a Ford performance chassis. The spring perch pads are adjustable by loosening a through bolt and slid them in or out for different width frames. Also the Camber is adjustable as the lower bushing seems to have a off center hole . There is a segmented adjustment washer...

I noticed some squealing last night at the holiday parade. I assumed it was just the 0 degree temps making my 1919 Touring ache and moan a little bit. Today I jacked up the car and ran it. I shifted it to high (my ruckstell was in low) and noticed the ruckstell side was very slow to start moving. The otherside was turning very fast. I just wanted...

I plan to be replacing the existing top on my ‘26 Touring soon and had intended to fill all of the old tack holes with toothpicks dipped in glue. However, the rear seat is still fine and I don’t want to mess with it. That seat-back is tacked into the same wood strip that I was going to use the toothpicks on. How have you guys dealt with this issue...