MTFCA Forum

I asked this before and someone was kind enough to respond but I forget who he is.

I would like ot PM him if he responds again.

The pick up will extend about 18 to 20 inches I think. If so, won't that potentially crack or break if someone sits on the tail?

I would grateful if someone posted pictures of their converted 11-14 converted roadster pick up, especially the side view.

What gas tank would go under the front seat? A round 1914 tank maybe?

The battery if you install one would be accessed through a cut out in the back of the pick up I imagine?

Getting my Hershey shopping list together and selling parts to pay for it! See the classifieds.

Thank you!

Bob

You have a 1912 torpedo roadster, with the exposed sporty gasoline tank and tool box? I can't imagine a worse choice for a model T to cut up to make a pickup out of it?
It is your car, you can do what you want with it. However, what you are proposing would likely reduce the value of it by about thirty percent! If it is a real original body? It could be even worse than that.
As for using a "1914" round gasoline tank? I don't know if it would fit or not without modifications to the seat framework.

My apologies. But I just think it is a really bad idea. But, it is your car.

Thank you for your feedback, thoughts and reasoning about a rebuild. The car is not original so I doubt it would command a fair price on resale compared to keeping it 'original.'

I don't want to go through rebuilding another T so I will continue to think and rethink about the make over.

Thanks again!

Bob

Bob, I've seen 1912 commercial roadsters (mother in law)
with brass railing installed in lieu of the rumble seat. You might consider that approach. I believe the are illustrations in the 1912 Ford manual but I could be wrong. Don Mari used to make them, but that was years ago.. I suspect one could make them with brass tubing and fittings available today and come close to the original. If the seat height on a commercial body is the same as a roadster, which I believe it is, you can install a round gas tank under the seat.

I did a search to get some pictures of what the configuration might look like. Some are not of a Torpedo body but I would expect driver position etc to be relatively the same. The corresponding link is above the picture
https://journal.classiccars.com/2020/07 ... e-day-tom/ http://classiccardb.com/ford/270532-ant ... ickup.html https://topclassiccarsforsale.com/ford/ ... dster.html Here is another option. There are several salesmen boxes out there. I know where one is. Think it would be unique and cool looking on a Torpedo.
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/11 ... 1293029919 http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/80 ... 1247510850

Thank you Frank, for going out of your way to research these pictures!

No problem, always interested in uniqueness and period modifications owners may have made back then.
Here are some pictures of a salesmen box that a friend is bringing to Hershey . If interested email me and I'll give you his #'s. Don't have the dimensions but it should fit on the platform behind the body

Thanks for sharing. Very neat! I am going to go with the buckboard concept.

Since I stared building my 1915 a little over years ago, I've save hundreds of RPU body pics off the net. Here are a few of the earlier ones I've grabbed. I do not know who's are who's.. but all photos were either posted here on the forum or on Facebook pages open to the general public. None are mine.

Some more....

ha ha ha that's great. A 4 foot buckboard will extend about 21 inches' past the deck of my torpedo. I am glad to see others look like. Thanks! I suppose I can cut it back a respectful amount............

There is historic precedent for doing so.
I recalled seeing a couple era photos showing modified torpedo roadsters. So I went looking for them in my terribly unorganized harvested photos file (sorry I do not know who posted these originally, but they have actually been posted several times before!)

This first one shows a fairly new torpedo roadster with a demonstrator Cushman farm engine mounted on the back. The gasoline tank has been relocated somewhere?
This next one shows a torpedo roadster, a couple years old, with some sort of deck installed on the back. The original torpedo gasoline tank would not fit under that deck, so whether the tank was changed to a smaller one and relocated under the seat? Or the smaller tank is under that deck? We can only speculate? Notice that the deck has a railing around it like Richard Gould suggested.
Other options that can be considered.

Oh that is what he meant by 'rail' around the back. He mentioned Dan Mari. Dan Mari is about 20 miles me. We meet occasionally. I will small talk with him about it. Thanks for sharing!

Here are some pictures of our ‘12 Pickup. Not really a torpedo though.

Not a torpedo, but a commercial roadster...

Not a problem, but I would probably shorten the bed some to make it more aesthetically pleasing to the eye, not just throwing a bed on there as an afterthought look.

Yea, I might shorten it an put a brace underneath so it does not crack if someone sits on the end.

Tray on my 1912 torpedo

Lawrence wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 08, 2021 11:31 am

20190410_152300.jpg20190410_152314.jpg
Tray on my 1912 torpedo

Why not retain some of that torpedo personality?
This T would look neat with the gas tank mounted in the bed, contrasted with the wood.
Make the bed a little bit longer too. 1/2 - the full width of the gas tank.

Yes i did think longer tray, but i made same length as body, as it looked in perspective, torpedo model, you need to shift petrol tank about 30mm on chassis towards engine to fit under seat. Tray is made of new zealand kauri, and varnished with brass fittings. I took inspiration from this photo.
Chris

Was done way back in 1921 in Popular Mechanics August page 283
Has measurements and is extendable.

I am still appreciating you posts on the buckboard.

I am printing them out for reference. Then going to an Amish gentleman for consideration of the build. His business makes wagons etc... for the Amish. They also do iron works too.