MTFCA Forum

Does anyone use their T as a daily driver? I was curious from those who do, what it was like and what challenges you had?

I drive my coupe 85% of the time compared to my other vehicles. Being retired I don't have to drive it to work. Idaho Falls is not a big city. Rush hour and the busier streets are usually avoided. Most drivers are courteous but some stop suddenly or swerve in front of us without warning. Driving a T all the time you become used to this and watch out for it. Knowing the cars weaknesses like brakes, lack of acceleration etc. is important. Use common sense and staying out of trouble is fairly easy. Occasionally someone is excited with seeing an old car and wants to visit through the windows which is distracting to all involved.
I'm not sure if that is helpful or not.
Rich

I'm a fair weather daily driver from April through November most years. In season I drive mine daily, checking on irrigation lines, up to the diversion, and trips to the co-op for feed and supplies. All off-road or on county byways. I'm pretty much invisible on country roads, my neighbors chase water in 4-wheelers, I think most drivers don't notice any difference. I stay off main roads, traffic is too fast, and for that reason I seldom go to town, as taking back-roads more than doubles the mileage. Not the answer you're looking for I fear; Rich E. offered excellent advice for city driving.

(PS - Idaho Falls is too "big city" for this hick. I hate to go there in a modern pickup !)

I'm in Florida and weather permitting I drive my T's regularly. I try to avoid heavier traffic times during the day but otherwise I drive on whatever road I want with a posted speed limit of 45 mph or less. You have to be alert to your surroundings and anticipate the erratic driving of others who spend more time on the phone and playing with the graphics on their in board computer screens than driving!

My 1915 is a mostly daily driver in warm weather. Maybe I would drive it more in the winter if I had side curtains. I use it when I go to town for shopping, after dinner for an evening recreational cruise, and for some interstate travel. I drive modern to get somewhere fast, and something bigger to haul large loads. I eschew freeways and other high speed highways with heavy traffic. But I grew up in the Los Angeles area, so city traffic doesn't scare me, though mile after mile of stop and crawl through Chicago was rather annoying.

Bringing groceries from town.

On old 66 in Missouri.

Visiting the Lincolns in Springfield.

Steve Jelf wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 02, 2022 2:20 am

...though mile after mile of stop and crawl through Chicago was rather annoying.

And no overheating??

Those are all helpful answers! Thanks!

I’ve driven my 23 runabout as the regular errand and pleasure car nearly daily for several years. In fact we used to have two modern cars and when I retired in December of 2020 we sold our Toyota. We keep a 2014 Ford Escape for my wife's regular car and for longer trips. With the exception of when there is actual snow / ice on the road or wet after first melting (because of salt) I average around 100 miles a week and that is in an urban setting here in Rochester, New York. Driving a model T on snow and ice in a city is dangerous due to lack of traction. Have never had a time when it didn't start and any actual breakdown I can generally fix within a day. Had a front spring snap in the fall … and had an NOS replacement to swap out for example. I do play with accessory carburetors and so there is always a little time for me to swap them out, but that’s a lot of fun. Here is a picture of Nellie I took a couple of weeks ago.

...though mile after mile of stop and crawl through Chicago was rather annoying.

And no overheating??

Not even close. I have a good flat tube recore. I DID have serious overheating mid-Missouri when the overflow tube broke loose and made a coolant leak. I stopped at every little town to dump in more water. Fortunately I found a shop in Illinois with a guy old enough to fix it.

Russ T Fender wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 01, 2022 7:03 pm

I'm in Florida and weather permitting I drive my T's regularly. I try to avoid heavier traffic times during the day but otherwise I drive on whatever road I want with a posted speed limit of 45 mph or less. You have to be alert to your surroundings and anticipate the erratic driving of others who spend more time on the phone and playing with the graphics on their in board computer screens than driving!

I'm in Florida too. Most of the main roads here are posted at 45 or 50 MPH; that means that traffic moves at 50-60 MPH. I only drive my T when traffic is at a very low level. Rush hours are off-limits for me. I drive my T here about 10% as much as I did when I lived in Massachusetts. It's pretty much a hanger queen here through no fault of it's own.

Steve is right, any good running T will do just fine with a good clean radiator no pump required. My 25 stock touring had a flat tube, always ran cool, the stock (with Z head) 26 never overheated with a clean round tube radiator, and my Fronty speedster is happy with a flat tube style. No pumps, all kinds of driving conditions from 100 and slow to 35 and as fast as I could stand. Estes Park in a speedster with snow flying sideways is not a real fun ride.

It amazes me what some drivers will do to reduce five seconds off their commute. bobt

I ran my speedster all the time in HS and college all over the bay area and thru san francisco. Of course I had a warford which would allow me to run in the slow lane. Since then I ran a '28 roadster in FL as my only car and currently drive a '38 zephyr. The problem I have is storage space shopping in the speedster.

Here the link to a blog of a German T-driver (he bought his T at the same vendor as I did):
https://t-experiment.blogspot.com/
Some folks might remember him being active in a facebook group also.
The blog is including english translation for the full text.
His car broke down just a few days before one year of every day use was reached (July 2021) - this year in February he restarted to report the progress of engine repair.

Unfortunately only recently I had to recognise that the vendor of my T, Mr Straube died in November last year - my condolences go to everyone who estimated him like me as a valued person and real enthusiast in the Model T world.