MTFCA Forum

Of Melbourne to Moscow fame. He had an apartment in Crimea and a Ukrainian girlfriend at one time, which is what prompted his epic trip. Last I heard from was several years ago when he mentioned going to the US

Searching the internet for him: name; Constantine Mandilas
2012 MTFCA account http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/25 ... 1351623302
He has an account in FACEBOOK so you can try to Friend him. Last Model A I saw was 2020

He bought some rental property here in NW Arkansas a few years ago and has been coming here for a few months each year since. He can stay a max. of 6 months at a time, according to the type of visa he has. He likes being here during the warmer time of year, not during winter. He was here last year but didn't make contact with me (apparently I pissed him off the year before). Haven't heard anything about him yet this year.

I sent an email to Constantine a week ago and received a reply this morning. He said he had been in Ukraine and Russia very recently but now is in Greece, which is where his family is from. He said it's very sad to see what's going on in Ukraine. He said he's doing OK and has managed to avoid Covid and was recently vaccinated. He expects to be back here soon, so I expect we'll see him this summer. He still has the rental property here in NWA, so of course there are some things to attend to. That's all I've got for now. BTW, his last name is spelled Mandylas.

Thanks Mike. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few years ago at Joe Bell's. Quite the guy to listen to!!

In case anyone is wondering, I heard today through the grapevine that Constantine is now in NW Arkansas. He probably will be here for a few months.

MWalker wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 26, 2022 5:54 pm

In case anyone is wondering, I heard today through the grapevine that Constantine is now in NW Arkansas. He probably will be here for a few months.

Internet says his current US address is

Removed personal info

He sold the house on Jane Circle and is living in West Fork.

Hi Guys. Here I am. I pop-in to this forum occasionally and search the term "RIP". Sad to read Stan Howe, Charlie Shaver, Bill Dubats (best T crank ever made) and Larry Brumfield are no longer with us.

This year marks ten years since the completion of the Melbourne to Moscow trip. Many of the countries I passed through in 2011-2 have since been hit with conflict or economic disaster (Mozambique, Ethiopia, Sudan, Iran); plus the cost of doing such a trip now would be significantly higher due to crazy container shipping costs (from Australia to Africa) plus petrol prices and other costs.

There's so many things that happened during this trip that you couldn't make up...one day I may tell all. The Russian old car magazine "Rolling Wheels" did a great article on the trip.

BTW Francis Birtles' London to Melbourne trip 100th anniversary is in 2027-8; I hope someone or some club/s are getting cars ready to mark this historic trip by driving the route. If so, it may tempt me do get my T back on the road...driving it back to Melbourne from London would be wild.

After I reached Moscow in 2012 I departed Russia and drove through Ukraine towards Crimea:

So good to hear from you again! What you did was incredible, and inspirational for so many model T people.
I very much enjoyed reading of your journey from before it happened, until after completion, as it happened. A lot of people held their own breath as you traversed potentially dangerous areas, suffered (in retrospect minor?) issues, and eventually prevailed over all!
We always enjoy hearing from you.

Wayne Sheldon wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 29, 2022 4:04 pm

So good to hear from you again! What you did was incredible, and inspirational for so many model T people.
I very much enjoyed reading of your journey from before it happened, until after completion, as it happened. A lot of people held their own breath as you traversed potentially dangerous areas, suffered (in retrospect minor?) issues, and eventually prevailed over all!
We always enjoy hearing from you.

The biggest problem I had was warping the alloy Z cylinder head in Iran but that was probably my fault as I may have had the timing too far advanced...not good when you're driving a constant uphill in 100F temperatures with a loaded car and a brass radiator that's leaking...and remember my car was 2 speed, no Ruxstell or Warford. See:

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/25 ... 1345484602

I remember that! I also recall a wheel loosening up a bit, turned into a minor problem, but people worried a bit. I also recall that you ran for some distance with one rear fender in the back seat! Those are the sorts of issues that make driving model Ts extensive distances so memorable! And fun!

What became of the Model T that you drove on this long trip? It really should be in the Henry Ford Museum.!

tdump wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 01, 2022 8:55 pm

What became of the Model T that you drove on this long trip? It really should be in the Henry Ford Museum.!

The Melbourne to Moscow T is still in Russia !!! It might not be leaving there for a while now since Russia has hit back at Western sanctions by sanctioning assets owned by foreigners in Russia...does my T fall under this category??? I was thinking of lobbying MTFCA and MTFCI to send a joint delegation to Moscow to ask for the release of my car, but on further thought it's highly likely at least one member of any delegation would be caught in a Russian "honey trap". Happened all the time in Cold War 1.

Please don't say my T should go to the Ford Museum ! Remember, they scrapped the Wanderwell Model T in 1945, see:

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/41 ... 1398510494

Did Dan Treace ever finish his replica of this car?

Constantine

You can hope the Russians don’t use your T for military transports! Perhaps it will remain safe.

As for the Wanderwell replica, well, never completed it, sort of lost interest on what I would use it for, sold off the Disteel wheels and chassis parts. But another early chassis am currently reconfiguring into a local interest historical T, c. 1912.


Coming along on this one, a replica of Harry Jackson’s Melrose FL open hack. Used locally early ‘teens to haul steamer trunks of passengers off the Alert, on the south shore from our home on Lake Santa Fe, to hotels for northern vacationers. Long before highways traversed Florida.

DanTreace wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 29, 2022 3:32 pm

Constantine

You can hope the Russians don’t use your T for military transports! Perhaps it will remain safe.

As for the Wanderwell replica, well, never completed it, sort of lost interest on what I would use it for, sold off the Disteel wheels and chassis parts. But another early chassis am currently reconfiguring into a local interest historical T, c. 1912.


Coming along on this one, a replica of Harry Jackson’s Melrose FL open hack. Used locally early ‘teens to haul steamer trunks of passengers off the Alert, on the south shore from our home on Lake Santa Fe, to hotels for northern vacationers. Long before highways traversed Florida.


A9807C52-6266-4983-9064-3F6CF75E74A5.jpeg

Dan, I was really looking forward to you finishing the Wanderwell project. From what I remember, you had completed, or almost completed, the body...what happened to the body? Do you still have the research work and plans for the body and other information about the car and trip? Maybe someone in the future may want to make such a replica. I personally would love to have such a car for both show and driving. An interesting and great looking design as well the historical background.

Constantine

Don't have any body built or even plans. One of the reasons I lost interest was that body is so unique. Also, no doors! I'm at the age where jumping over the sides of a body isn't happening!

Too challenging to make it like the original, and lack of interest if I could get in and drive it anyway, the body was so special as likely no backseat but areas from dropping the front backrest maybe to make a bed for resting on such long adventures.

So have collected lots of digital images of the body of Unit 2, there were others too, about 4 in total built. But Unit 2 was mostly driven by Aloha. Images can be found on line at Aloha Wanderwell Facebook page, and Detroit Free Library.

Fromwhat I can decipher from images is a long wood deck like body structure, and steel sheet metal construction over. The gas tank in Unit 2 was in the cowl also, lots to determine how to build, so I didn't



Only drawing that exists is Walter's design patent granted for these bodies.

DanTreace wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 01, 2022 8:58 am

Constantine

Don't have any body built or even plans. One of the reasons I lost interest was that body is so unique. Also, no doors! I'm at the age where jumping over the sides of a body isn't happening!

Too challenging to make it like the original, and lack of interest if I could get in and drive it anyway, the body was so special as likely no backseat but areas from dropping the front backrest maybe to make a bed for resting on such long adventures.

So have collected lots of digital images of the body of Unit 2, there were others too, about 4 in total built. But Unit 2 was mostly driven by Aloha. Images can be found on line at Aloha Wanderwell Facebook page, and Detroit Free Library.

Fromwhat I can decipher from images is a long wood deck like body structure, and steel sheet metal construction over. The gas tank in Unit 2 was in the cowl also, lots to determine how to build, so I didn't

Dan,

Okay, I understand. I never noticed it had no doors! That makes sense I guess as far as having a stronger body to carry spares and supplies over rough terrain. I guess you could have added a door (or at least running boards to make it easier to step in) but then it wouldn't have been a correct replica.

I had the worse possible Model T body for my trip...a 1913 Touring which had a design fault that gave it a weak body...and he body broke of course.

Good discussion about Russia, the economy and gas prices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf-teJ2Nzrc