MTFCA Forum

Pictures #7 is interesting. Looks like a 1916 but there is a bulb horn mounted on the firewall inside the engine compartment. Great Pictures Tom, always amazing.
Best John

Tadpole wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 02, 2024 10:54 am

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The missing glass in the windshield conjures up some scary thoughts!

The first picture. I wonder what kind of ignition system it has? Only one wire coming from the firewall but spark plug wires seem to come up from the other side of the engine which is not shown in the picture. Also the water pump. Unusual.
Norm

That caught my eye also.
Magneto setup like a Bosch du4 or equivalent.

Wonderful pictures Tom ! Many thanks ! You’ve given 5 reasons why so many turtledecks made their way to the rafters. I especially liked that ‘slalom’ snowmobile with wood cleats evidently fixed to rear wheels. But that nattily attired man and lady in the 5th photo with the muddy stripped down T looks out of place.

Jerry VanOoteghem wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 02, 2024 12:31 pm

Tadpole wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 02, 2024 10:54 am

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The missing glass in the windshield conjures up some scary thoughts!

And the missing steering wheel...
Looks like a brand new car too.

Thanks, Tom.
I love the details on the first image. Notice the radiator support at the bottom. I have seen them on the top before, but never on the bottom.

: ^ )

John,
Is the location of the horn on that 1916 higher than usual? Maybe it was retrofit?

: ^ )

Wow! The last photo of the touring sure looks kind of scary on how it happened and the aftermath to the driver or passengers. The steering wheel is broken and it would take a really good lick to do it. Doesn’t look like it was rolled. And the missing glass maybe laying in the floorboard or the drivers blood and cut up face and arms is hard to think about if it happened.
There is some broken glass laying of the cowl so it may not have been cleaned up yet.

The twisted axle in the front crossmember shows it was either hit or the car ran into something.

Found it in Chelsea, Massachusetts.

A bunch of noteworthy pictures in this bunch!
Number thirteen of course caught my attention immediately.
It appears to be a fairly early (maybe?) 1915 runabout, photo probably taken in 1918 as indicated by the "bell" on the California license plate. The car is showing its age already, pretty normal for the era. The top has been replaced with a later 1917 style top covering, can't tell if the sockets are original or replacements.
What I find most interesting about this photo is the good look at the rear end! The car has a 1913/'14 style "twelve rivet" rear axle. Notice also that the rear axle has a truss rod added. The question becomes whether the rear end has been replaced or is it original? Also, notice that the rear fenders are the later crowned rear fenders not used until after June of 1916. Top, rear fenders, rear end maybe? How much has been replaced in three years on this 1915/'16 runabout?

When I was getting into this hobby as a kid in the 1960s and early 1970s, There were quite a number of early 1915 original cars that had the twelve rivet rear ends in them. Many owners would brag about how they replaced the incorrect rear end with a more "correct" later one. The reality was that many of those people put in incorrect 1920s rear axles replacing what were probably the original twelve rivet axles in early 1915s. One thing I clearly remember, is that many of the cars having rear ends replaced were into May of 1915 cars, and a few even June of 1915 cars. I "suspect" that probably everything before sometime about March of 1915 originally had a twelve rivet rear end.
The sidelamp appears to be the typical 1915 style. We cannot see whether the trim is brass or black. We can see that the sidelamp is not the early interim lamp used on early center-door sedans and couplets as well as at least some early 1915 open cars. The early interim sidelamps likely were not installed by the factory any later than early March of 1915.
In conclusion (aren't you glad?). Although this photo is quite interesting in its details? Given the car's three years age and obvious fact that a couple things have already been replaced? It isn't a great data point to prove what was or wasn't done when at the factory. Still and all, a great photo, and it does show the twelve rivet rear end in a 1915.

That one looks like a Laurel and Hardy car, have you ever looked at posting some of those? I believe there was a fella that specialized in creating the wacky cars back in the '20's. As always Tom your pictures are both enjoyable and informative. Wingnut

what's the contraption on the front axle of the first photo in the 2:25 posting please?

Good question Chris,… Assuming you meant 8:25 am; it appears to be some sort of steering stabilizer. Perhaps a ‘remedy’ for the notorious “death wobble.”

George House wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 03, 2024 12:22 pm

Good question Chris,… Assuming you meant 8:25 am; it appears to be some sort of steering stabilizer. Perhaps a ‘remedy’ for the notorious “death wobble.”

Chris Barker wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 03, 2024 11:58 am

what's the contraption on the front axle of the first photo in the 2:25 posting please?

It is marked as "7:25" in my time zone!
Postings cannot be identified by "posted at" times as the "system" "corrects" the time for every individual time zone!