MTFCA Forum

Last Saturday, Mike Kosser came over to my garage, also a model T friend as well, ( Rosenthal award winner Bryan Ostergren ), and the three of us talked model T’s for a while. Mike finally opened his computer and pulled out his famous buzz coil testing equipment to test the Heinz coils for my 12 towncar. He explained in a language that even I could understand, all the intricacies of how a coil works and why and proceeded to show step by step as to what proper adjustment of a coil looks like. One of my coils was, I thought, on its last leg but Mike kept with adjustments and explanations as to what is wrong and proceeded to fix it where it passed at 99% of perfect.

Well I stuck the Heinz coils back into the 12 and all of the shake rattle and roll of the motor was gone. He also adjusted five KW coils for my 15 but by then it was dark and his wife was calling him home. They were on vacation in Arizona and the wife and sister were ready to have dinner. He told me he has never seen or driven a towncar but wants to come back next time and take a drive.

Mike has some fantastic tools and equipment to make our model T’s work better and headache free for a long time of driving. He is a really nice guy, pleasant to talk to and talks to you without all of the technical mumble jumble so you can understand and remember what to do in case of problems long after he is gone. There was no mention of purchasing his products, but I did ask and all the prices were reasonable, but there was no push to buy, merely education of the cars that we have.

Thank you Mike and same from Bryan, and very happy to make a new friend in the hobby.
Frank Seress

Frank.......Thanks for sharing your learning experience with Mike and Bryan. My experience is that Mike will always help step by step on the phone to the problems that you have with your coils. ECCT calibrated coils really give great service and smiles on Model T owners faces.

Frank Seress must be talking about the same Mike Kossor that I know as well. If every vendor offered the same quality parts and service level as Mike there would be no complaints. Besides making awesome equipment his commitment to his customers is super.

It was wonderful meeting you Frank and Bryan last Saturday. I always look forward to meeting Model T friends while on travel around the country. This trip I learned about the Town car and restoration challenges. Also learned about the vulnerabilities of the early wishbone design (I have a 1927 Touring) and how they can be improved for safety.

Glad I had the opportunity to talk Model T and share knowledge about what I learned about coil testing and tuning. Its fun to do with near instant gratification when the coils are put back in the car and hear how it runs and experience how it drives. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to experience riding in the Town car this trip but look forward to next visit to go for a ride. Until then, looking forward to your learning how you think the Town car engine performs on the road with Heinze coils adjusted for equal and consistent firing time.

Several years ago Mike took the time to review the schematics and information about the Holley-Huff Ford patented magneto used on the Model K. He wrote up a technical paper, several pages long, with diagrams explaining that the magneto was actually the first working CDI (capacitive discharge ignition) system.

He contributed his time, knowledge and teaching skills, all with no request for compensation. Over the years I’ve appreciated his contributions to our hobby, and wish him nothing but the best.
Thanks Mike.