MTFCA Forum

Perhaps you will recall the article I wrote a few months ago for the Model T Times on valve stem hardware. Here is more data from my collection. The early round serrated rim nuts had a very thin gasket on top for the valve stem dust cover to seat against. I only have two examples of this. The gasket is the same O.D. as the bottom of the dust cover, and appears to be about .006" thick. It could be leather or paper. The other gasket is for the bottom of the rim nut, and is 11/16" O.D., and 7/16" I.D., and is about .100" thick.

Thanks Larry. I like this stuff.

Larry and I have discussed this before. If all model Tvars used these round rim nuts, then why are they so hard to find? The hex rim nuts are all over!

Kim: My answer to your question is: Tires and tubes were replaced so often, way back, the original hardware was discarded and replaced with the current variations at the time.
It's kind of like the hide'em welt tips on the 22-27 roadster and tourings. When a top was replaced, the trimmer tossed the original Ford tips, and replaced them with the generic ones. Therefore, you rarely find them.

Kim, I have one early round knurled one if you want it. I offered it to Larry but he declined.

Allan from down under.

If you look closely at one of my photos, you will see there is a gasket for the dust cover too. I only have two examples of this. I was able to duplicate this gasket from a very thin piece of patent leather I bought at Chickasha a few years ago. I.D. 7/16, O.D. 9/16".

Thanks Alan, sure I'd like to get it! Larry, your explanation makes sense, but there are quite a few early brass schrader dust covers still around. As well as Lots of straight sided champion plugs from the same time period.

Kim: Read my post above again! I've been onto this subject for years, and that is the conclusion I've arrived at. I have those rim nuts on all of my '13s and they are wonderful. They are hard to find, and that is why Dan McEachern is now making them. I don't think he has them in his catalog yet, but they are available from him at $18 each. I think he may be including the rim nut felloe washer with them, but I don't know for sure.

All the hex examples seem to have a 1917 patent date on them and the round ones by schroeder are patented 1907 or something really early. Thats why the hex ones are easy to find. They came later. It is my opinion that all examples were nickel plated. I have never found any without some trace of nickel on them. Since all these parts are just carryovers from bicycle hardware the nickel makes sense. They nickel plated everything on early bikes.

Hi Sheri,

That sounds reasonable

Thank You for posting


FJ

I have over a dozen of the rim nuts that are posted above. Some are brass, and some are brass, nickel plated, and all of them are authentic originals. I have them on both of my 13's too. I would like to believe Marks opinion, but I can't judging from the number of originals I have. What I would really like to know is if Schrader made a special tool for tightening them? Many of the examples I have, the knurl is pretty chewed up from the use of pliers.

I'm not a member of the MTFCI so I did not get the magazine so I apologize if the following was covered in your article.

The June 1917 "Rip Van Winkle" touring and my father's July 1917 touring had the dust cover and solid hex nut shown in the thread below. The solid nuts are hard to find.

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50 ... 1430686908

Both cars were most likely assembled at the Minneapolis plant because the Rip Van Winkle touring was originally owned by a gentleman in Center City, MN, 40 miles northeast of Minneapolis, and my father's touring was originally sold in and owned by a resident of Buffalo, MN, 40 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

I'll keep my eyes open for the cast rim nuts. I have a '17 coupelet that would use the same rim nut. If you look at the one pictured in a previous post, it clearly shows a recess in the bottom of the rim nut like the ones Dan is now making. That indicates to me, that it most likely uses the same leather washer between the rim nut and the felloe.

Here is a picture of the Rim nuts that we just completed a batch of. I have to thank Larry for the loan of his original.

We all owe Dan a huge thank you for making those. He spent hours doing this project for the hobby. He didn't do it for me either, because I have a lot of originals. He did it for those who have early Model T's, and other cars. He is asking $18 each for them.