MTFCA Forum

I ran across this photo today of a brass era Model T truck conversion and had to share it. It was taken in Omaha Nebraska in 1920.

Thanks for posting it. It is delightful in many ways. The horse in the background, the bulky roll-ups and a Prestolite tank tell us a nice story. The buildings behind even more.

Mark,

Your "Parts Salad" reference is spot on for a Model T. I believe, more than any other car then or now (at least that I know of), the Model T offered a unique opportunity to mix and match. Nearly every time something new was introduced it had to match the existing situation, meaning it had to bolt up to the older parts. This ongoing reality makes assembling of a "Salad T" very possible for shade tree mechanics. In a lot of cases it wasn't necessary to match year of production parts. In fact, It largely wasn't even noticed. Just bolt it together and crank it up. This is certainly a large reason we see so many T's with a hodgepodge of parts. It's part of the history.

That looks a bit like Mr. Curtis vegetable truck which used to stop a couple times a week in front of our house. He would even cut out a wedge of watermelon to sample. I don't know what he would done if we hadn't bought the melon! He did this for a few years when I was growing up. He would go to the top of our hill and then make his stops on the way down. Unfortunately, the quadrant on his parking brake lever was worn out and he would use a stick against the floorboard to hold the lever when he stopped. One day the stick slipped and his truck went down the hill with him running after it. It hit a pole and the only time I saw him again was when he was on foot to collect some money owed by neighbors.
Norm

The first thing that caught my attention was the different front fenders. It looks like '13-'14 on the one side and earlier billed fender on the other.

Do I see Allen Auto Co painted on the side of the T? It has the one piece firewall like a 1912 model, but the lights and windscreen look to be black and brass like a 1913-4. The body is certainly well proportioned and well made.

Allan from down under.

Actually, it might be “as maintained” by the Authorized Ford Agency or at least the mismatched front fenders could have been.

Ref: https://www.mtfca.com/encyclo/doc12.htm where Bruce McCalley listed the following:

NOV 5, 1912 Letter, Ford to Chicago branch, Acc. 509, Ford Archives
[First 2 sentences deleted -- they concerned 1913 rear axle housings]
"We will furnish 1913 fenders for both 1912 and 1913 cars and will discontinue altogether any further 1912 type fenders. Where customers object to the absence of visor on the forward end of the front fenders, instruct them to trim off the opposite 1912 fender to correspond."

So if the chassis was a 1912 or so and it needed the left front fender replaced in 1913-mid 1914 (some sources say all 1914s did not have a bill) – it would have likely received a fender without a bill (visor or peak). Or a 1913 to mid 1914 chassis could have had the right hand front fender replaced with a billed late 1914 or 1915-16 style fender where the bill again appeared.

The car appears to have the aluminum crank handle which was not changed to the later straight steel until late in 1914.

Allan pointed out the black and brass headlamps which also fits with the 1913-14 years. And the windshield would not normally be part of the Ford Chassis so the body maker could have supplied whatever version he wanted. (Or if it had been a roadster used what was on the car?)

I'm leaning toward mostly 1913-14 chassis with a replaced front fender. But without additional photos showing additional details we will probably never know for sure if only a fender was replaced or if it has multiple parts from multiple years...

Yes, Ford parts interchanged easily. On page 482 of Bruce McCalley’s “Model T Ford” he notes: Serial #3131 manufactured May 14, 1909 was a green roadster that was Henry Ford’s personal Car. It was converted to a coupe on Oct 27, 1909 and then to a chassis only on Nov 1, 1910.

Henry Ford gave his good friend Thomas Edison a 1916 touring and Henry had it upgraded later to a 1926 style engine and transmission with starter, wishbone under the front axle etc. see: http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/80257/88053.html .

Henry’s personal 1920 suicide front door Model T coupe was upgraded with the nickel headlamp rims and nickel radiator shell. (I’m not sure how they did the radiator shell as the 1920 had the low radiator and hood. Perhaps, they trimmed a 1925 nickel shell to fit or they had a low radiator shell plated? But if you own the company, I’m sure it could be done.) That same 1920 coupe was also fitted with the wire steel spoked wheels that became optional in production in the early 1926 calendar year.

As long as you were purchasing “Genuine” Ford parts, Henry was all for upgrading your car.

So in the case of Henry’s personal cars they might technically be as Ford built them (just not like the first time Ford built them) rather than a parts salad.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off

I don't feel this way about other old vehicles, but with T's, my attraction is
not to how the left the factory. Rather, it is how they were found years later,
after many miles and years of service and maintenance. The repairs and period
changes are the charm of the vehicle.