MTFCA Forum

I just joined MTFCA and just bought my first car within the last week! I am working on the vehicle which is a 1929 coupe.

I am replacing the timer, coils, and spark plugs to correct misfiring and engine issues. I have the help of a trusted MTFCA member!

I just ordered the disc brakes since we live in Tennessee and the car has a Ruckstell rear end. I read somewhere on here that I should use flexible lines versus what they ship with the kit. Is that advised, necessary or just a convenience. I just want to have all the parts here when we begin working on the vehicle. Any advice would be appreciated!

Also, does anyone know what modern spark plugs should be used with the adapters from the 1/2 inch pipe thread to the 14 MM modern plugs. I was told that the plug should extend a significant distance into the cylinder. Just trying to figure all of this out!

Mike

Hello Mike,

Congratulations on your new car. FYI: Ford Stopped building the model Ts with the 1927 models. 1928 Began the Model A production. If you're positive it's a 1929, then it's a Model A. Pipe thread spark plugs are still available.

Good Luck

No, I am sorry, it is a 1927.

Mike S. ....... Hi, I would take the time to examine and evaluate what is in the car, original equipment and non-original, and get some manuals from the MTFCA to familiarize with what you do have.

Welcome to the affliction Mike! The first thing you need is what we call the Bible. It is the Model T service manual straight from Ford. The MTFCA has them. If you can't find exactly what you want in the manual, ask here. There are lots of people here who can help you - sometimes just by asking the right questions.
Does the car run? If so, there are a bunch of issues that are already solved. You say that you are purchasing a new timer. There are a number of opinions as to what brand you should use, and I will not take sides. I replaced mine (also a 1927) with a timer from Lang's (they are on the internet as Lang's Old Car Parts), or Snyder's. Does the radiator appear to be original? If so, you should start putting your spare change in a jar - perhaps one of those five gallon water fountain units. I don't want to rain on your parade, but oftentimes the vertical tubes will become thermally detached from the fins. As far as I know, there is only one supplier. They are a a bit pricy, but if yours is bad (as was mine) there's only one permanent fix. I sincerely hope that your radiator is good. If your T has a water pump, you will likely need a new radiator. The pump is usually a band-aid to avoid the cost of the new radiator. One other item to check is the wishbone ball and socket under the rear of the engine. It is held with two nuts and studs. After installation the castellated nuts must be safety wired together. Do not use cotter pins. The cotter pin will hold the nut to the stud, but it does nothing to hold the studs into their bracket. When I brought my T home I found one loose stud and the other was missing entirely. Yup, they were cotter pinned. You would not want the wishbone to become detached while driving your T.

A 1927 coupe has adequate brakes, provided the system is in good order. It's important to handle the car correctly to avoid unpleasantness, and the same applies to the Ruxtell axle. A primary source of braking with a Model T is the engine, and for best results, it needs to be in good condition and good tune, with all controls working as they should.

It's worth noting that adding disc brakes will not give the car modern braking performance. Maximum braking will still be limited by the lack of any front brakes and other limiting factors.

I am very fortunate in that I have one of the MTFCA board members that lives less than 30-miles from me. We, or more accurately, he spent the whole day Friday giving the car a good once over. It would fire up but had major issues so he isolated it to first, a completely shot New Day timer. It was all gummed up and not repairable.

Second, the coils, especially one of them, has an intermittent flaw where it misses firing frequently. The plugs were horrible. He replaced the plugs but due to the other issues, the car was not able to run.

I went ahead and ordered a new day timer, the seal, along with new plugs. I also picked up the bushings that allow a new modern plug to fit in case the others have an issue. Insurance for immediate repair if needed.

After learning about the Ruckstell, which the car has, and issues that could occur, since we live in the Smoky Mountain area with a lot of hills, my wife and I decided that disc brakes would be more safe, so while I am at it, I went ahead and ordered a set.

The car is in pretty good shape except for those issues mentioned above, so assuming that the coil units and timer fix the engine problem, we can drive in the next week or so.

Thanks for helping!

I would suggest doing one step at a time.. replace your timer and be sure the initial timing setting is correct, start the car and see if there's any change in running. Second step, I would be sure to clean the original plugs and Gap them to 0.025", then start the car and see how it runs. If there is uneven firing, next step is to have your coils checked and recalibrated. One step at a time is important to see what the actual problem is. You're lucky to have an established Model T friend.

The car looks great. You might want to check the car's glass to see if it is, or is not, safety glass. The original glass, windshield and windows, was plate glass, which can be very hazardous in even a minor accident. Plate glass may not be road-legal in some jurisdictions.

Great advice! I'll check it out

Moxie26 wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 28, 2025 2:42 pm

I would suggest doing one step at a time.. replace your timer and be sure the initial timing setting is correct, start the car and see if there's any change in running. Second step, I would be sure to clean the original plugs and Gap them to 0.025", then start the car and see how it runs. If there is uneven firing, next step is to have your coils checked and recalibrated. One step at a time is important to see what the actual problem is. You're lucky to have an established Model T friend.

One of the coils was having an electrical arc when trying to fire. I know that there is something wrong with that one. I just bit the bullet and got four new ones and then I plan to send the existing ones off to be reworked.

That's the plan. Replace the (almost destroyed) timer and check it. If the coils work, great. I just wanted to get this running, as my wife brought it home a week ago from a car show in North Carolina. She drives a Mustang GT and wanted to get this one for me to have a play toy too!

Mike S. ..... That big exploding spark at the points on that coil probably indicates the internal condenser is shot.

Your extremely luckey to have someone who lives so close to give you a hand.

Your wife brought you a Model T home from a car show so you could have something to play with!?!?!?
That’s the most spectacular thing I have ever heard!
She deserves an award or something!
Welcome to Model T land

Bryant

FYI, if this is where you’re going to park your car. Do yourself a favor and obtain a large tray and place it under engine. Not ment to be an insult rather a reality. Model “T” tend to loose oil. Your floor looks unblemished.

Bryant wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 28, 2025 6:01 pm

Your wife brought you a Model T home from a car show so you could have something to play with!?!?!?
That’s the most spectacular thing I have ever heard!
She deserves an award or something!
Welcome to Model T land

Bryant

I retired and the company begged me to come back as a contractor as they did not have any replacement. I held out for a pretty good amount of money and used that money to buy my wife a mustang GT. I guess that she is trying to return the favor!

hah wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 28, 2025 6:20 pm

FYI, if this is where you’re going to park your car. Do yourself a favor and obtain a large tray and place it under engine. Not ment to be an insult rather a reality. Model “T” tend to loose oil. Your floor looks unblemished.

I learned that! My wife asked me why it was dripping oil. I asked my buddy from here and he told me that if a Model T wasn't dripping oil, it's probably out of oil!

Hey guys, thank you so much for sharing your VALUABLE information. I really appreciate your help! Nothing like the voice of experience!

Just got the notice, all the parts are on the way!!

Question Mike: you stated you purchased "new coils" - as in brand new from a vendor or an original rebuilt set by one of our coil rebuilders ? Reason I inquire is that "new" coils have not gotten any good reviews !

RajoRacer wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 28, 2025 6:46 pm

Question Mike: you stated you purchased "new coils" - as in brand new from a vendor or an original rebuilt set by one of our coil rebuilders ? Reason I inquire is that "new" coils have not gotten any good reviews !

I purchased some from Snyder. My plan is to put those in the car and send the others off for rebuild and reinstall them once they are back.

We live in the area of Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg and are trying to get this thing up and running fairly well to run around in this area. I just hate to wait a long time for the current ones to be repaired/updated which would put the car out of service. There is always something going on here. Any comments about those?

Even though they might be "new" - they need to be checked & verified for proper operation prior to use - IMO ! I believe Ron Patterson just advertised some rebuilt for sale here on the Classified Ads.

RajoRacer wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 28, 2025 7:25 pm

Even though they might be "new" - they need to be checked & verified for proper operation prior to use - IMO ! I believe Ron Patterson just advertised some rebuilt for sale here on the Classified Ads.

I looked him up and sent him a message. Thanks!

RajoRacer wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 28, 2025 6:46 pm

Question Mike: you stated you purchased "new coils" - as in brand new from a vendor or an original rebuilt set by one of our coil rebuilders ? Reason I inquire is that "new" coils have not gotten any good reviews !

I don't get a cut, but I would recommend that you contact Ron Patterson about your coils - he has been on this forum, but if you have trouble finding him I can supply his contact information. He did mine (actually the coils that came with my T were imported garbage) and he replaced them. He also made a great suggestion that I buy one extra to keep in the event that one of mine ever went bad. I also agree with the above post.

A coil or coils that is not working as it should can be very hard on the timer, besides causing a rough running engine. A good set of coils will make for an easy starting, good-running engine and will keep your new New Day timer in good condition for thousands of miles.

While the crankcase capacity is 4 quarts, Ford recommended keeping the oil level halfway between the upper and lower cocks on the oil pan. This amounts to about 3 1/2 quarts. Overfilling the crankcase will aggravate leakage. Modern 10W30 oil works very well in Model Ts under most conditions. Ford did NOT recommend using thick oil in the T, and warned against it. Ford specified what today would be a high quality 20W motor oil with a low cold test. 10W30 meets and far exceeds that. I have used multi-grade detergent oil in a great many old engines and have never had any issues with it. I run 10W30 full synthetic oil in my Model T with excellent results, and I would not hesitate to run 5W20 synthetic in it in cold weather.

I guess that I have one of the rare Ts that doesn't leak or burn oil. I do put the full four quarts in it. I use Shell 10 W 30, but any modern oil is way better then anything that was available when our Ts were new. FWIW I use Rotella T4 in my hot rod pickup truck (not a Model T) as it has fairly high valve spring pressure and the Rotella still has a significant amount of Zinc in it. The zinc is not necessary in our Model Ts.

TXGOAT2 wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 29, 2025 12:17 pm

While the crankcase capacity is 4 quarts, Ford recommended keeping the oil level halfway between the upper and lower cocks on the oil pan. This amounts to about 3 1/2 quarts. Overfilling the crankcase will aggravate leakage. Modern 10W30 oil works very well in Model Ts under most conditions. Ford did NOT recommend using thick oil in the T, and warned against it. Ford specified what today would be a high quality 20W motor oil with a low cold test. 10W30 meets and far exceeds that. I have used multi-grade detergent oil in a great many old engines and have never had any issues with it. I run 10W30 full synthetic oil in my Model T with excellent results, and I would not hesitate to run 5W20 synthetic in it in cold weather.

Is it better to use synthetic oil such as Mobil 1 or regular 10W30 oil?

Mike... I use Mobil One -high mileage - 10W30 synthetic. Just make sure your oil pan inspection plate is snugged up along with your transmission door screws and the bolts on your valve cover.. just to minimize leakage.... Also the starter mounting screws and the Bendix cover screws.

I've run my car thousands of miles using full synthetic motor oil. It still runs as well as the day I got it. This car ran the Montana 500 road race under previous ownership using full synthetic oil and placed very well, averaging over 53 MPH. I limit road speed to about 45 MPH, and the majority of my driving has been on open 2 lane roads at 40 +MPH, often very hot weather. I've had no occasion to make any internal adjustments to the engine or transmission. The crank assembly is stock. The engine has aluminum pistons with modern type rings. Transmission is stock except it has Kevlar bands. This car has a Texas T auxiliary oiler, a transmission cover screen, stock head, and a performance cam. The car has Ford wire wheels, 4.40/4.50 X 21 tires, stock runabout body and fenders, and a stock ratio rear axle and an oiled foam air filter.

Thanks guys! I just think that synthetic is better and run mobil 1 in all my vehicles. Since I am learning about this new "T" I am relying on you to help me do the right thing. There is nothing like experience to help me iron out these issues versus making mistakes! Again, I appreciate it!

If you want to use fully synthetic oil go for it. I don't use synthetic in my T because with no oil filter I change the oil frequently enough that I don't see any benefit to it. I'm not opposed to synthetic oil; I use it in my whole-house generator that starts automatically and immediately winds up to 3,600 RPM. I also use it in my John Deere lawn tractor which spends a lot of time at full-throttle when I'm cutting grass. Interestingly, Synthetic oil is not recommended for my 2005 Dodge Hemi. It does have a 3,000 mile oil change interval which by today's standards is short.

I have disc brakes and love them. They do provide better stopping for my 1917 than the transmission brake. Being hydraulic, discs don't require adjustment like the Rocky Mountain and AC brakes. They work in reverse, wet or dry. Before I got the discs I had experience in hill country where I was not impressed with the transmission brake. I've since driven in some pretty hilly country with no problems.

I recommend auxiliary brakes for anyone simply to provide redundancy. I know of a couple of instances where someone experienced a drive train problem resulting in no power and no braking. The most common culprit is babbitt thrust washers in the differential that haven't been replaced with bronze. With a ruckstell you shouldn't have that problem but other things can happen.

The New Day timer is a good unit as long as you have one of the recent repops and not the infamous "S" cap. Does your camshaft have a modern neoprene seal or the old style felt with the large brass disc? Seals are fairly easy to change so if you don't have a modern seal you should consider replacing it.

100 year old coils have been known to fail. I always carry a couple with me as spares. Harbor Freight carries a nice small Pelican case knock-off that fits and protects two coils nicely.

Your car looks very nice....may you have many miles of enjoyment with it. Since August 2019 I've put 12000 fun miles on my touring....I only wish I'd gotten into the hobby earlier.

Yes, I ordered a new seal to make sure to reduce problems. This effort is to make the vehicle as dependent as I can, thus the replacement coils. I also ordered a replacement wiring harness that goes between the timer and the coils as the existing ones look pretty fragile and worn. Maybe wasted money but I just want less issues.

All these new parts should be here tomorrow, They were supposed to be delivered today, but FedEx just cannot seem to understand their motto, when it has to get there... It won't.

Thanks for the help!