MTFCA Forum

Did about 110 mile tour to Valentines, VIrginia with the Virginia-Carolinia Model A Restorers Club which we joined inorder to tour the area with.

The Valentines post office is inside an old general store and this time of year is visited by group after group of motorcyclists and old cars in order to get the heart shaped postage mark.

I like being the T that surprised the tour with keeping up with those new fangled modern 30's cars

We got our ' 26 Runabout ready for Groundhog's Day tomorrow !..... Extra blankets too.

Ran the engine for a while and worked on the generator while it was. The amp gauge has never registered a charge since I installed it. So, I had to brush up on the service manual. Now it works.

Bent the Brake and Reverse pedals back into shape.

Finished a coil job yesterday.
During the job I found a strange set of contact points.
The under bridge was mounted up side down.
Up to a few magneto coil rings.

Andre
Belgium

A great day in Model T land! Picked up the wheels from Calimers wheel shop in Waynesboro PA. True craftsmanship resulting in Beautiful work!
Took about 5 months to complete. I would suggest this wheel shop to anyone looking to have there wheels done.

Bryant

Eight years passed. My wife and I crawled into the Model T drove it for the first time, forwards and back, forwards and back, maybe 50' each way. If was raining outside and there is no windshield, so did it in the warehouse. Observation: for only 20HP I'm surprised how much torque it has. Even at idle, it had no reservations about wanting to go in reverse or 1st. The floorboards need to be trimming for the adjusted pedals so that they don't stick against the sides. The reverse and brake need to be tightened as they bottom out. Before, I was adjusting without the floorboards, while the rear tires were up on jack stands. We have no video of this event, other than the memory we shared together. It actually has a neutral with the lever straight up. I had cranked it two days in a row to start and feel sorry for those who have to start on magneto but it's a challenge in the near future. It now starts without wanting to lurch forward.

On the “What did you do in January” thread, I posted that I tore up the transmission in my ‘26 roadster on 31 January. Well, I picked it up today from Lilleker’s Antique Auto - fully repaired….and he had last week off for a skiing vacation in MT !! Turned out, a 100 year old brass screw(s) let go tearing up magnets and field coil. I highly recommend Ross for his knowledge, professionalism and efficiency….

Sat and waited for Spring.

Well,… last week I :
Gathered up cowl lamps for Duncan next month.
Tightened up fan belt - ‘26 roadster
Shined/polished radiator ‘14 runabout
Sand blasted ‘17-‘23 hood shelves for Duncan
Changed oil in ‘19 centerdoor….

Can I keep my job Mr. Musk ??

Installed new Blockley tires and tubes. If they hold up as long as the Ward's Riversides, they will outlive me.

Continuing on the exploration of Daisy Mae....
While I tend to marvel at what great original shape she's in, working my way thru all components is a never ending stream of pleasant surprises, unexpected issues to be addressed, as well as scratching my head at the remnants of the partial late 60's restoration.

Initial goal being to check valve clearance, I (quite literally) yanked the manifolds...which were stuck. Ended up being the typical warped exh manifold, which was 1/16" off plane on #3 and 1/4" off on #4. The prior assembly was done by placing the sleeve rings in the manifold and torqued down to cut into a thick gasket, but, that wasn't good enough so they were slathered in form-a-gasket which became a sticky tar glue!!! Interesting too a noted scratched "X" in the head above the offending port. New manifold on the way, tar removal in progress.
The next curiosity encountered. While the front end is now entirely rebuilt, I finally worked my way up to the steering planetary gears. Absolutely pristine shape, no issues or serious wear, with tight tolerance between the gears & pins. So clean in fact, it looked like it had been all dipped in carb cleaner... spotless! Just no grease to be seen anywhere!!! Stuff like this is what I'm finding, where the 60's restoration took things up to a certain point, but never fully completed anything, or, just not done to my purist liking. She's all greased up now, and the front end is tight, with only about an inch play in the wheel.

As for complete/incomplete, the other thing encountered is not one castle nut is cotter pinned save for a couple here & there.

But one thing I do know, the 60's restoration only went so far before the owner went blind, and the car was returned back to storage in the barn. So probably what I'm encountering is that everything was just buttoned back up at that time, regardless of what state. As such, just a mixed bag.

And so on I go on my expedition....

Polished Brass and copper fir the fire truck

Craig,
That's a nice looking fire extinguisher. Until about 60 years ago, they were commonly filled with carbontetracloride. The FRX brand was made in my childhood hometown.

Carbontetracloride was commonly used in my area as a cleaner when working on engines, transmissions, etc. Later it was declared a health hazard. So is gasoline which some people used as a cleaning agent.

Art Mirtes

Picked up my rebuilt engine from Adam Doleshal. Now wait for some warm weather to install it.

Picked up a Model T that a gentleman gave to our club and delivered it to a members garage. It is a 24? Coupe and looks like it is all there.
He was in the process of restoration, but he is being transferred so had to find some place to give it to. Now the club will have to decide
what we will do with it.

On my way home I ripped the front off someone elses truck with the front of my trailer. Dam roundabouts. Time to sit on the couch for a while.