MTFCA Forum

I received the wood kit to rewood Susie's T.
Well as it turns out a lot of the wood is missing.
Here is the first of many pictures and questions.

Here is the picture of the puzzle pieces. The pieces were sorted.

These pieces go into the rear seat side. Here is were they are show to go.
I'm thinking the top pivot point needs to come out.
Please help with the placements of these first few pieces.

Wouldn't need to remove any of the metal pieces, including that top post in the rear seat.

The wood kits come with extra pieces, because some of the early bodies needed some more tack strip wood. The wood in the all-metal Improved Open cars is only for tacks to hold upholstery panels, in just some places, depending. The longer wood pieces are seat and backrest supports. And longer curved ones for the top of the backrests to tack the upper upholstery and top, and the runabout and touring.

Your touring rear seat area has the later all metal 'crimp channels'' that are open and you slide the hip panels into those strips, so that no tacks are needed. So just think of where the wood would be needed for tacks. Generally these cars used less round headed tacks, and of course the door panels used small head special gripping nails.


Original upholstery showing no tacks in the hip panel, just the sewn edges are secured by the metal crimp channels.

Similar view of rear seat door, showing the only wood used. The upper crimp channel has been pulled out of shape.


If you are missing the crimp channel, or have an early body that didn't have them, then of course you need a piece of wood there, this body being re-wooded shows use for the trapezoid wood part.

Left out this photo, showing the hip panel in the kit being retained by the metal crimp channel, no tacks. Just smooth, tacks of course on the out side of the upper hip panel into the upper outside belt wood strip.

The car was built September 1st 1926. But it has all characteristics of a’27.
I’m thinking of putting the two smaller blocks and leaving the bigger top block off.
Do you’ll see the big block necessary because it has the rail clamps?

The topic of sealing the wood is almost as bad as asking “What oil”. I’m still studying this part of rewooding.

Here is the old wood that came out of the car.
Seems to be missing some.
seems to be a big difference.

Hope this helps - don't know what Susies' T is

Sorry, I should have mentioned her T is a ‘27.

I have all the wood out. That was not a bit job.
The new pieces have been test fitted.
There is a lot more sheet metal work that needs to be done that I had thought.
I have an appointment with a son of a club member that does nothing but custom work on older cars.
With luck it should be in and out of the shop in a couple of weeks.

Here is a picture just one piece of wood. It is almost too pretty to cover up. Now for the questions.
Here are the pictures of the rear door jams. One has what seems to be a rubber plug the other does not.
What is the purpose of the plug and what is it called so I can look it up.
Now what is the hole just behind the top pivot point?
Is this for side curtians? Also there are two plugs on the panel between the rear and front door.
What are these for? I am thinking they are for side curtains.

Thank You

Here is the website with the wood diagrams https://fordwood.com/tourings.htm

I'd call those plugs an anti squeak plug or something but I'll be darned to guess what the factory would call them Steve.
I looked at 2166 (the three pieces) and 2168 (the red rear door jam where I think they go) then showed them to my 8 year old grandson.
He's a lot like me... "See the three pieces? See where they go?" "Ya, I see!" as he's cruising thru the office to go back outside.
Pretty cool. Other than that, I'm lost and hope you keep taking pics.
Puzzle is right! Neat project.

The guy doing the sheet metal work just called and the car is ready to pick up.
Saturday is the pick up day.
Look for pics soon.

The rubber bumper looks like a turtle deck bumper for '26 & '27. They are 9486B on Lang's website.

Steve, I don't wish to rain on your parade, but your photo of the piece of wood that is almost too nice to cover highlights a problem with wood kits. Those corner pieces are cut from flat boards, and that means that they have very short grained sections that will crack and break under nailing/body flexing. They should be steam bent so that there is continuing grain around the whole curve. The originals were, as this added rigidity to the somewhat flimsy panelwork on the seatbacks. I like to replace these with laminated pieces of plywood, built up until they are of the correct thickness. These are strong and take flexing and tacks/nails/staples well .

Allan from down under.

Allan's right, and his solution works well.

Plus, when you're done, you won't mind covering it up...

The springs arrived this week.
One the many videos talked to mentioned about painting the springs.
What kind of rattle can should I use?
The upholstery and top have been ordered but will not be ready until middle of October.

A SPRAY rattle can Steve... Sorry, just kidding. I used black beauty for 1918. Kidding again.
Shoot, I painted mine and the sliding/moving parts just scrape it bare anyhow. Van Sickle is my absolute favorite for any.
If I had a vat of brake/carb cleaner to dip these springs in and then some Japan black to dip... They're just a small bit oily.
Whatever your favorite spray bomb is.
I'd like to hear more too on favorite methods on new springs.

The re-wooding starts!
The sort of triangle piece that tucks up under the cowl.
Here is how it look now.
I am thinking I need to cut the nose a little until it is tight behind the tab.
Let me know your thoughts.

Here is the pic of the cowl rail. Here are two pics of how the wood fits before trimming.

My question is how does the wood stay secured in this rail?

Maybe the early bodies used that block?

But yours has the upper arrow shaped tab, you’ll find two more of those on the floorboard riser inner edge.

Those tabs are for tucking the cardboard kickpanel under them, to retain those sides of the kick board. The forward side is free, but the vertical side by the hinge post does get nails to the wood piece that is screwed to the hinge post channel.

I am trying to work my way from the front to the back.
How is this connected to the sheet metal.
This T is a ‘27. It’s has the pinch channels for the rear seat.
These two cowl pieces seem to be just wedge in and that just doesn’t seem right.

Could I get a picture of one installed?

Picture is worth a 1,000 words.

Steve

The upholstery process goes better to me leave the door panels and kick panels for last. Do the seats, then place hip pads, and finish the seat backrests.

For the kick panel cardboard, here are photos, use the factory arrow like 'clips' to retain the cardboard.

Lower edge of card board behind clips. Front edge doesn't need any support as the board curves with flexing to give strength. Only the door edge side is retained by nails into the wood tack strip that is placed in the hinge metal channel. Accessory check strap added under the cardboard, factory didn't place check straps in the Improved open cars.


Top edge of the kick board is retained by the other arrow like clip, I pulled it away to show the clip that holds the upper edge of the kickpanel.

Dan,
Thank you for the photos.
Well I don't need the wood in the cowl.
I will put them away and proceed to the wood in the door jam.
Thank you very much.

I will post pictures and questions as I go.

Thank you again.

Dan,
One more question. What tool did you use to crimp the seat channels?
Thank you,

Used just a small pair of channel locks and sometimes a wood block and hammer when I could position the inner channel over a bench edge.

As pretty much normal with the Model T, I over think it.

Working from front to back.
I have a question about the front seat back lower and the front seat lower tack strip.
The tack strip is about 4 inches long than the front seat back lower.
Does the the tack strip goes all they way down to the seat pedestal?
How is it connected to the sheet metal?
I am guessing that the front seat back lower sits in the curve of the seat.
The question is that there is a small piece of metal that looks like it the springs would clip into.
There are three holes in the lower sheet metal that could be where the screws go.

Does the car need the front seat back lower?

This one shows the clip really well. This one shows the approximate location of the two pieces.
How does the lower littler piece attach?

Steve

The front seat of your touring doesn't use wood backrest supports, you will find the backrest spring just hangs from the tack strip with adj. length of folded vinyl as straps, you hang the backrest spring after you have the seat upholstery in place, that will let you gage where to hang the spring so you can fit the seat under the backrest.

As there is no wood to support the back rest spring , but there is a metal stinger that goes from the base of the seat riser rear to the top of the tub metal just at the tack strip. That little 'clip' you noted is just the remains of that metal stringer.

As for the wood lower tack strip, you can see in the photo how it fits, and it is held with stove bolts like the tack strips.


Front spring hung ready for upholstery, Rear backrest being placed.


Rear backrest getting spring attached, front and rear seat springs are already covered.

Dan,
I found the first picture in your reply on a different thread.
It was down loaded and blown up.
It was great help on the placement of the board under the front seat and the raisers for the back seat.
A good bet would be that the raiser in the front seat has been missing since my father-in-law bought the car back in '63.
The wood kit came with a lot of pieces that would be for an earlier '26.

The tack strip bolts are from the top down?
This seems to be the logical and will stay away from the tacks.
There is not any holes that low in the part of the seat pedestal as shown in the location from the first picture.

The upholstery kit and the top is to be here the first part of October.
Lot of work before the pretty parts show up.

Here is how I secured the front lower tack strip. It looks like the car previous life color was blue.
Or can just this panel be replaced?
This is the front drivers side.

I have the back raisers in place.

So far, so good
Still have the under seat board.