MTFCA Forum

From the Martin-Parry thread I was informed that the lil red truck is a Hercules body rather than a Martin-Parry body. On the coachbuilt.com site, under Hercules body, a photo just like the lil red truck from the Model T Ford Restorer's Handbook appears in the right margin. It carries a number plate reading 211.798. From my memory, that photo is of George's truck. The J C Taylor antique auto insurance advert in the Model T Times shows the same kind of truck. It may even be the same truck! There is a tag in the centre of the cab under the windscreen on both. There is a running board toolbox in the same position on each. They have an identical rear vision mirror. Can anyone confirm that the J C Taylor car is in fact George Norton's lil red truck as pictured in the restorers handbook?

Allan from down under.

Yes, it's indeed George's old truck. George was one of the earliest representatives for J.C. Taylor. He was a past AACA National President and I always enjoyed spending time with him, especially listening to him speak. I have a few spark plugs in my collection that once belonged to him. The truck is lovingly cared for my a friend of mine in Delaware and he takes it to Hershey nearly every October. I've ridden in it around the swap meet many times. Here is a photo I took a couple of years ago in the Hershey swap meet. Be sure to look for it this October at the J.C. Taylor spot.
Terry

That pic sure makes me miss Hershey! Can't wait for October.....

Pic's from this tread http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50 ... 1429456531
Lots of discussion about the 211-798 plate Truck being that of Norton's

That’s not the same truck as the catalog illustration. Perhaps a later catalog would show the exact truck.

Tim, that's an artist's impression in the catalog. These are notoriously inaccurate at times. If the rest of the catalog is like that there will be discrepancies. As a sales tool, it probably didn't matter.
Thanks all for the input. It really is a well proportioned little truck. I still like it, all these years later. The photos posted on this thread and the other thread indicated in a post, would be enough to scale up to make a replica. Maybe.

Allan from down under.

I'm sure if you come to Hershey armed with a tape measure and a digital camera you'll be able to get all the detailed info you need.
Terry

Allan, I partially disagree. I know artists renditions are notoriously inaccurate. These companies also changed their products , and I can only speak to M-P , that I have studied for many years. Their catalogs over many years show very accurate to known survivors. This is thanks primarily to Ben Purkey’s efforts with his M-P website.
In a short search last night, I was able to find a Hercules cut sheet on line much closer to resembling the little red truck. The LRT shows modular construction, very similar to what evolved at the M-P corporation later in the 1920s.
IMHO , I would guess the catalog sheet shown above is from an earlier product, than the LRT

Tim, can you direct me to the info you found? It sounds like it would go into greater detail than the rather vague drawing shown in the post.
Allan from down under.

Allan, this is from a quick search. I don’t know what year catalog , but my educated guess would be about 1925. I have had two Hercules bodied cars but from the 1940s. Still have one, very fine body builders, but I don’t know too much about the model T years. Like all, they were big from the late teens until the late 1920s. They all pretty much changed similarly, at least the big boys did.

Goobled some more photos in this link http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50 ... 1231722422
from Dan Treace on Sunday, January 11, 2009 - 01:09 pm:
Franz Don't have any pics or drawing of that body, but couldn't help seeing that most mfg used similar styles in delivery bodies for Fords.
Here is the same type as shown in Mifflinburg Body Co catalog, 1925. http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/11 ... 1282623614 By Anthony Bennett - Australia on Tuesday, August 24, 2010 - 12:10 am:
Here's mine;) Built by sole South Australian agents and coachbuilders Duncan & Fraser. The firewall & windscreen assembly is the same used on the ton truck, however the tray built on a car chassis is lighter and thus it's called a 10c.w.t. lorry (20cwt = 1 ton)
I have some original photos and patterns if you'd like to reproduce it;)