MTFCA Forum

I recently purchased a 1914 Model T touring car and I am finishing the restore the previous owner started. My wife would like the car more if I dress up the car by adding some brass accessories that are period correct, but I don't want to do too much or put things on the car that should not be there. At this point everything on the car is correct for 1914 except the horn....it is a solid brass one that looks like it is from 1912.

Here are the things I plan to add....let me know what you think....
1. Brass rear view mirror
2. Brass drivers side mirror
3. Brass step plates
4. Brass radiator script that says "Ford"
5. Brass radiator year plate that says "1914"
6. Thinking about a nice brass Moto meter
7. Thinking about a nice brass robe rail that goes on the back of the front seat.
8. There are a few steel screw and bolt heads that I think were originally brass from the factory I may replace.
9. Is there something I am missing that should be added?

Are all these things OK for a 1914 car? I want it to look nice, but period correct too.
Let me know what you think. Thank you...

Klaxon or Klaxonet brass bell horn on top of driver side false door ?...brass tuba in back seat?

I would wait to see how much you enjoy polishing the brass that’s already on the car before adding more.

Dear Ed Fuller....You are absolutely correct....polishing brass is a real chore, but it can look so nice when it is done right.

Bryan-
Brass side view mirrors are great. I love them.
The radiator script was used up to 1910. I don't have one on my 1911, but am inclined to get a brass 1911 for the radiator.
I cringe any time a hole is drilled to attach anything. Personally, I don't care for a robe rail. You can't see it from outside the car anyway!
If you are going to put on brass step plates, please put them on with construction adhesive or silicone, and skip the part about drilling holes. (You can cut off some machine screw heads and stick them in the holes so they look like they are bolted on.)
I had a brass winged radiator cap and motometer that would vibrate and it eventually broke loose the solder joint on the filler neck. Just beware.
There are a number of brass plated (steel) pieces of hardware of the 1914 that can be replaced with solid brass hardware (like the windshield bolts and brace anchoring bolts.
Don't forget the throttle and spark levers are brass plated as well the Corbin latches on the coil box.
The carburetor adjusting knob escutcheon plate would be black (and were from late 1911 but you see them on other brass era cars...)

: ^ )

Keith

The rear view mirrors are an excellent idea! For both safety and legal reasons. They do also show up in early era photographs occasionally. All the rest of the stuff you mentioned, was available as after-market accessories. However, none of it was very popular with model T motorists back in the day. And most of it wasn't even very popular with more expensive cars who's owners could more easily afford such 'bling'.
"Ford" scripts were put on some 1909 and 1910 model Ts from the factory. After that, Ford stopped putting them on new cars. After-market accessory dealers did sell them, but they almost never show up in era photographs! Same for year numbers. Yes, they were made and sold, but rarely were actually bought and used on cars. (Besides, who wanted to advertise that their car is three rather than only two years old?)
Robe rails however did sell in good numbers, and many original survivor cars have them still.

It is kind of a personal thing with me. But the one I dislike the most is the step plates! Yes, they were made and sold. I have seen a few original catalogs and advertisements showing them. I have also looked very closely at literally thousands of original era photographs! I doubt that I have ever seen more than maybe four brass era model T photographs showing a step plate on a model T Ford. And it is very doubtful that those were brass, most likely aluminum (some of the ads even state they were aluminum!). Hobbyists have been bolting on reproduction brass step plates since the 1950s! I would bet that there are more brass step plates bolted onto model T Fords today than were EVER put on them when the cars were anywhere near new!

However, it is your car, and keeping the wife happy is a good thing. If you do decide to put brass step plates on it? You will have lots of company! And I will be okay with it.

George's brass bell horn idea is a good one! Hundreds of era photos show model Ts with after-market horns on them!

Edsel Ford's 1915 trip model T touring car might have had step plates on it? Guess I need to revisit a few of those photos? It also had a few other accessories that almost no other model T ever got in those days.

You could also add brass floor/ pedal surrounds.

Bryan.
I have all of those plus the Horn, foot steps, Horn, Pedal surrounds and Clock!
Polishing them all is done over 2 Days twice a year and is a form of relaxation for me. Your choice but it does look
beautiful when freshly done.
Alan in Western Australia

Brass air in the tires.

Never out lamp/plate bracket
Tyre valve dust covers
Spare tyre carrier

Happy polishing

Brass acetylene tank for supplying gas to lights. Gold Pinstriping. How about a picture? Jim Patrick

I added a brass step plate to avoid wear and tear on the running board paint. I think you have good ideas here. It seems the earliest cars had more brass which was then phased out as production continued, but I think any polished brass looks great against polished black. Little polished details like hub caps, greasers, oilers, Murphy fasteners, screw heads, and so forth add so much interest to brass era cars without becoming overwhelming. It is possible to overdo it, but you will find the right balance I am sure. Post some pics when you get her done! Cheers, Bill

Why would you want to drill holes in your original running boards for step plates? I have a '13 touring I've been driving for over 60 years, and haven't worn the tops of the diamonds off yet. Running boards are meant to be stepped on.

Some people ( like me) love accessories, Larry. Step plates can easily be installed without drilling a hole. Here are my ORIGINAL set of 4, installed without drilling and easily reversible. Just ask how, if interested.

By the way, before Larry has a heart attack , the tool box is also installed without drilling any holes! I could never personally drill a hole in an original car ( or station wagon)

3M makes a great VHB (Very High Bond) double sided tape (#3M VHB 4952) that is very strong and comes in 12” x 12” sheets (available from McMaster-Carr, www.McMaster.com). I cut it to size and use it to install safety grab bars in bathrooms and it is almost impossible to remove, but, with some effort, can be, unlike holes, which cannot be removed. Jim Patrick

Double-sided tape for bathroom safety bars?

Yikes!!!

They should be screwed into the studs.

Brass side view mirrors work excellent.... when the car is standing still. Otherwise, constant blur due to vibration.

Balance your motor & transmission next time.

Not all of them shake and vibrate. The Best side mirror is the heavy, expensive, rectangular one but they are expensive!!! Bud.

speedytinc wrote: ↑

Thu May 06, 2021 2:40 pm

Balance your motor & transmission next time.

Yup, I'll get right on that...

Add whatever your little heart desires!
We are only temporary care takers of Henry's beautiful creation.
Enjoy your car the way you want it!

This is my '12 during restoration and the robe rail is clearly visible. It's mounted to the specs below.

Holes can be removed... Bill

It's Bill wrote: ↑

Fri May 07, 2021 7:04 am

Holes can be removed... Bill

Exactly, what's the difference repairing a rust hole on a car or a drilled hole?

No difference, just that there are more if you drill them.

I can't get too upset about someone drilling holes in an original running board. (Although personally I wouldn't if I had a really nice original running board that had never had extra holes drilled into it!) Working on my 1915 runabout, I wanted the earlier running boards I had to choose from. So, after examining the ten or so I had, I chose the two that had the most smaller mounting and fender holes in them. The sizes of the bolts were running changes made during the mid and late 1910s. Not all at once, and apparently not in too specific an order, the size of the eight bolt holes were increased. Apparently, the size was increased first for the four bolt-holes to mount the running board to the mounting brackets, followed by front and/or rear fender attachment bolt-holes.
There are also noticeable differences in the stamping (shape and depth) of the "Ford" script.
Anyhow, both of the earliest appearing running boards I had were not, shall we say, in the best of condition. I had to replace a small area on one of them that had rusted completely away (a spot near two inches square!). The other required significant repair in the area hidden by the side apron. (It would have been easier to have simply used a couple of the nicer running boards I had!) Despite the two areas requiring significant rust repair, otherwise the two running boards were not all that bad rust-wise. However, in addition to the rust repair, both had a bunch of extra holes drilled into them for who knows what had been bolted down when?! One had about eight extra holes in it. Four of which were 3/8 inch size holes! (I cut out steel plugs and brazed them into place, to reduce shrinkage issues.) The other running board had all smaller holes, but more of them! (About a dozen! Most were welded, then hammered.)
So, yeah, I think holes can be repaired.

But I still do not care for step plates on model T Fords!

The generator on my Canadian '12 is mounted directly over the driver side 'Ford' script due to the driver door being operational. Now as much as I'd love a period tool box mounted on the passenger side I want to leave one 'Ford' script visible. I take pride in polishing brass and alway keep on top of it. Even if you do a touch up on a couple of items per day it won't get ahead of you.

If you do a robe rail, don't forget the blanket(s) that go on them... otherwise it becomes a grab point for passengers... which can become disastrous. With a car robe on it, it's less a temptation to make that the entry handle for some one to grab onto while hauling their overweight carcass into the back seat... where if you;re lucky all it ill do is bend, not tear out. (Don't ask...)

Rear view mirrors are a huge plus (and in some locals mandatory), get the good ones, also if you use the "motorcycle mirror trick" (convex glass in the mirrors with or without the appropriate "caution, objects in mirror are closer than they appear") and it will reduce the observed vibration.

And yes, on a car wtih a bulb horn, something like a Klaxon / hand phone / etc. horn is almost a necessity - and make sure it works. Mine has saved my bacon more than once.

BTW - I also painted the inside of my sidelights bright silver (it's a '15, however, so the side and tail lights are dark holes of calcutta) to get more light out of them. More of a safety thing than a bling thing, but Inoitced they seem to pop a bit more than they did.

Susanne...you have some wonderful ideas I'll impliment!
I do plan on hanging a nice tartan blanket on my robe rail. I don't own a buffalo robe.
My robe rail is vintage and a different design to the modern reproduction ones.
'Overweight carcass' hit my funny bone!
I'll definitely add the convex mirror to quell vibrations. Excellent advice!! I have one of the better rectangular mirrors.
I only have the drivers side mirror and like the looks of the car best that way. My wife looks out the passenger side for me.
I added an exhaust whistle but it of course works better when the throttle is higher. (I don't know if I said that right!)
My bulb horn is loud and throaty but certainly underwhelming.
Since my car is Canadian and has a functioning driver's door I didn't want to put a heavy Klaxon horn on it.


I don't know if it's legal but I would consider carrying one of these!


Or my wife could operate a vuvuzela trumpet!!

Although not exactly bling, when I bought my '13 Touring, one of the Garnish trim pieces was missing. The originals were pressed metal. A hundred years ago, owners could buy custom wood trim for a couple bucks. I went to my wood scrap box, re-sawed some pieces, and made some walnut burl garnish.

I have seen the wood trim and it looks very nice!!! Bud.

KWTownsend: noted your comment on the radiator wings. I reported this several times in the past and others said I was wrong. I had the same problem with my 12 and a Brassworks radiator. Changed to a dogbone and haven't had a problem in years. Just my .02. Dick C.

Dick, I didn't see the post you referred but my radiator neck came loose once on my BW radiator while using the larger winged cap. I sent it back for repair and they added additional support inside. I now use the smaller winged cap which has much less wt and leverage. The '12 neck was not riveted so many times prone to cracking loose with a bit of abuse on rough roads or vibration.

Gene isn't the only one who's had a radiator neck broken off by a Motometer. The stock brass radiator cap is good enough for me. But after this little advenure I do make sure it's screwed in good and tight.

The cap looks very jaunty like that! I run the stock cap as well.

Be careful there is a letter from early 1913 which indicates only a clock, robe rail and running board tool box may be added any other added accessories will void your warranty. LOL

Oct 5 1912 I think there were a lot of void warranties

Well...I would not want to void my warrantee. One of the first things I want to do when I complete my restoration is to drive my 1914 to the local Ford dealership and ask them to look at some made up problem....and then tell them there is a 1915 service bulletin that says Ford will fix this problem anytime in the future.... I just want to see what they say.
..
As a thought, I wonder if there were any service bulletins from 1914-1915 that say "Ford will fix this issue" without giving an expiration date?
.

Be sure to let us know how the dealer reacts to that . . .

I tried to get warranty when the crank broke, I was told be thankful it lasted 100 years . He also said he did not have any car on his lot that would last more than 25 years .

I purchased a nice scripted brass FORD logo to mount in the middle of my radiator. It came with no instructions or mounting ideas. How are people attaching these nice brass scripted logos to their radiators?

bdtutton wrote: ↑

Sat May 22, 2021 11:17 am

I purchased a nice scripted brass FORD logo to mount in the middle of my radiator. It came with no instructions or mounting ideas. How are people attaching these nice brass scripted logos to their radiators?

Here's how. Need to be careful nothing rubs on the fins due to vibration. Not sure if there are alternatives to securing the washers to the radiator fins like a little JB Weld on the back of the washers (front & back washers)