MTFCA Forum

hello. I'm helping a friend with his 1913 touring barn find. It is very rough but looks like it's all there. Can someone send me pictures of running board braces? This 13 has none. My 15 touring has three on each side. Thank's, bobt

Don't know what's the story on your 15 having 3 each side but not how it would have left the factory, the 13 would be the same as 15, 2 each side.

The bottom three brackets in Frank's pic look more "true to a '13", as the end with the mounting hole for 13's were a bit "thinner" than the earlier ones. His top one is more like for 1911-1912, just for info. As hard as they are to find sometimes, getting any like that will be a plus. The stamped brackets are a dime a dozen of course!

Frank has spotted a little recognised difference in these brackets. If you look closely at the top one, you will notice visible lines down the side of the bracket. These show that the bracket was forged on dies which stamped from top to bottom. The remaining three, and all those which came after, were stamped from the side, and the forge flashing runs along the top and bottom of the bracket.
The lug for the truss rod is also heavier on the early type, as is shown. Also, the underside of frame mounting on the early ones is concave whereas that on the later ones is convex. They are also different in cross section, the arms being more pear shaped on the early ones.

The question arises as to when the changes were made. 1913 may be a little early for the later, thinner type.

Allan from down under.

Allan the MTFCI judging guidelines show the thinner ends as starting in 1913. These brackets underwent many changes, some very subtle and hard to spot.
I went through this while restoring my '13 for judging with MTFCI.

Good eye for detail and thanks for sharing the difference in the above brackets Allan. My question is: how long were they attached to the frame before the stamped steel brackets were introduced ? I’m sure I’m second owner of my ‘19 Center door and it has forged RB brackets.

1921 for the stamped ones.

On our Canadian sourced cars the switch was made somewhere between 1921 and 22. There is a known 21 model here in S A with the forged brackets. equally well known 22 models have the pressed steel supports.

Allan from down under.

George, The forged running board brackets are correct on your 1919 car. The forged brackets were last used in early 1921 cars when Ford assembled cars from parts on hand in December 1920 because his big loan to buy out the investors was due in January 1921. Most 1921 cars use the channel steel type running board brackets.

According to Ford, the thickness of the truss rod loop was changed to a minimum of 3/8" and a maximum of 7/16" in a drawing dated 2-4-13. At the same time, the thickness of the runningboard support boss was 7/16". Before this, 1910-12, 7/16" was the minimum. Then on 2-25-16, the loop was changed to 5/16" and the RB boss to a minimum of 5/16" and a maximum of 3/8". These specs remained through the end of the forged support production in 1919.

My 1921 h as the forged running board brackets (we are 2nd owner and the original owner did not change them)