MTFCA Forum

Does anyone have any good detailed photos of either original or correctly reproduced 1915 roadster door and kick panel? I am considering redoing mine and would like to be as accurate as possible. I found this photo online of what looks like an original, but would like a little more detail if anyone can provide it. I am looking particularly at the hole that the latch handle comes through and the edging trim. Thank you.

Chris I have a 21 Touring and wondered the same thing about a correct interior. I bought the kit from Classtique and it turned out pretty well. I checked the forum posts about interior details and etc.
What was head scratching was the tack spacing and placing of the door check strap. I finally used an average spacing that I came up with from pics of “supposably” correct cars.
I’m not a purist but a realist as far as interiors are concerned.
I believe the people installing the interiors at the factory got pretty good in eyeballing the spacing as they did the work. So was every car was exactly the same? I don’t think so but they were pretty close! Hope this doesn’t confuse you!
It could have also depended on which body maker supplied the bodies but I’m not sure about that. Others will surly have their view.

Chris,
Your image looks like an excellent guide.
Most "inaccurate" upholstery mistakes are trim "tacks" (they are actually called nails) that are too close together, upholstery that is not pulled tight enough, or upholstery that is overstuffed.
On my 1915 I Have a small arc shaped opening where the handle comes through. I can't take a picture right now. I hope someone else can.
: ^ )
Keith

Try "mtfca door panel"
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50 ... 1433642698

Thanks for the responses. The photos in the link Mark posted have good detail on the tacks and trim. The 1915 door latch is a little different than the later one shown in the pictures Mark posted. The movement of the handle I think is less on the 1915 and so I am wondering if the hole is a different shape. I am guessing the trim around the hole is similar, but if someone has a picture of the hole with a 1915 door latch that would be great. Also does anyone have any more detail on the horizontal tack strip running halfway down the door? I am assuming the driver side mimics the passenger side with the false door.

I collected these photos off of the forum to use as a guide when I installed my kick panels. 1915 may be a transition year for the door latch mechanism, so the handle detail may vary depending on the latch mechanism you have.

Thanks Wayne, those photos answered my questions.

For whatever it is worth. When I was doing the interior of my 1915 runabout last year, I had (still have) a 1914/'15 front door, that unfortunately did not quite fit my original 1915 body (I assume because it was a different body supplier?). The door had/has very little left of the cardboard panel, but the wood was good enough to clearly show the nail holes (even has a few original nails!).
Nail spacing does appear somewhat random, and varies a lot around the curves. Across the top, there are five nails. Slightly more than four inches apart! Up and down the sides, varies a lot, especially around the door latch. Ranges from two to mostly almost three inches apart. Around the bottom curves, a few are barely over one inch apart.
A few barely surviving door pillars seem to indicate similar varied spacing.
Of course, when one thinks about it. The body was not designed around tack spacing. Really no way to have spacing equal all around as everything isn't sized to accept the same spacing.

The 1914 through at least some of 1916 used the earlier pivot handles. An original door panel I once saw had a thin metal circle that the handle was pushed through. Having pushed my handle through a small still flexible cutout (I haven't yet tried to make a metal circle piece?), I can imagine trying to get the long sharp-offset through that little circle metal piece.