MTFCA Forum

Here’s another photo from a local history group. Looks like to me it won’t crank or? The lower hood section was removed for better cooling I guess.

Yeh, my guess is hood opened up all the time for those hot Texas days. And time out for a photo-op. Man, it just amazes me the lousy cosmetic condition of these cars that we see, pic after pic after pic. Sure can see how poor quality the paint was back then. The beginning of the "tail lamp warranty"!!

Some Texas dust storms would sand blast that paint right off. No garages for most of these at night. I'm surprised about no air filters on these things out in the rural roads.

The paint on T’s didn’t last to long anyway in the rural countryside with dirt roads and even worse when it rained. People didn’t clean up their cars back then like we do now I don’t think. And if they did it was quick rinse off with a rag and a bucket of water.

Car washing was not a productive pursuit. No car washes existed, roads were mostly dirt, and many people had no water to waste, and what water they had was often muddy or full of minerals. Ivory soap, lye soap, etc, do a poor job at car-washing, especially in poor quality water. Many folks wore their rags too, or else made bedding from them. The paint on Model Ts was better than the "varnish" that preceded it. A few of people did find a way to build a car garage, probably to prolong the life of the top and upholstery and keep mice and raccoons out. Some of these garages still stand. They are typically a stand alone windowless wooden structure, just large enough to accommodate the car, with hinged barn-type doors.

signsup wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 15, 2021 9:47 am

Some Texas dust storms would sand blast that paint right off. No garages for most of these at night. I'm surprised about no air filters on these things out in the rural roads.

Today, 12-15-21 * NWS, Dalhart, Texas:
"Widespread blowing dust, mainly before 3pm. Sunny, with a high near 63. Very windy, with a west southwest wind 35 to 45 mph decreasing to 25 to 35 mph. Winds could gust as high as 70 mph."

When I was a boy, in the 1940's we had a 36 Ford V8 which was black. It was parked outside most of the time. The only washing I can remember was to spray it with the garden hose from time to time. Only thing which got polished was the windshield. The inside was whisked out with a whisk broom. My parents also let me ride between them on the front seat standing up. And sometimes I even sat on dad's lap and he let me steer!
Things are a lot different now, aren't they. My dad drove on the first "freeway" in Los Angeles called the Arroyo Seco Parkway. Now it is called "Pasadena Freeway". He told mom he was going 45 MPH. I saw that the speedometer went higher and said, "Daddy why don't we go 70?" If my mom had been wearing dentures, they would have fallen out as she opened her mouth and said, "No one will ever go that fast." She lived to see the day when they did go 70.
Norm

My dad would wash the car from time to time using a bucket of water, a big sponge, and a chamois. He'd put a little kerosene in the water which gave the car a nice shine when wiped down. He'd paint the tires and rubber floormat with some kind of black goo mixed with drip gasoline. It had a strong odor, but it looked great. The process never seemed to damage paint or rubber.