MTFCA Forum

I'm horrible about documenting progress. Here are some pictures of the finished front end and new cab. I placed an order at the saw mill for the lumber necessary to do the bed so that is what I'll be working on in the next couple of weeks. The first picture is what I started with back in July.

Couple more pics

Looking good, there ! If I may point out a long-term parking item, leaving the H.B. lever in the forward position releasing the clutch spring tension tends to squeeze the oil out from between the clutch discs resulting in less drag when attempting to fire her up in the future !

I like where you are going with it, it looks like it's gonna be a fun ride.
The progress looks good but I have a few questions.

What is the gauge in your custom dash panel?

And it looks too tall for the garage door, can it leave the garage?

Looking good! The original cab is a Martin Parry cab like mine.

That is looking good Jason. If that is the starter button on the top floor board, it may be a little inconvenient when you have to adjust the bands. Usually the starter switch is on the floor next to the heel panel. The floorboards can be lifted out without disturbing the switch.

Your tie down method when bring it home is different. When a T or TT is complete, you do not have that option. Going around the frame and the axle puts load on the front spring. It is better to go around just the axle, outboard of the spring perches. That way the vehicle is free to dance on its suspension as if it was on the road.

Allan from down under.

Mike, the gauge is a speedometer. I decided to nix the amp meter and put a small speedo in instead. Obviously it's not a standard cluster but I feel it has the original vibe still. The height issue is a good catch, you are very observant. The original cab is indeed from Parry in York PA just down the road from where the truck was living. I would love to put the original back on at some point if I build a larger shop down the road. For now it would not fit in my low garage. I'm also possibly too tall a person to fit in a stock Parry cab. (6'4") The low garage necessitated a few adjustments to my original plan. One, no enclosed cab would be possible. Two, the windshield would need to tilt to get in and out. There are pins that lock the windshield in the down position that need to be pulled to pivot the windshield up for entry and exit into the garage. The pivot point is off center so gravity and wind load will always pull it down into it's driving position.

Allan, yeah that wouldn't be a great place for a starter button. It's not though. It's the dimmer button for the headlights.

Rajo, thanks for pointing that out. I'll make note of that.

Looking good! I like the way you placed all of the necessary controls and indicators in a neat package. Great thinking on that stuff. Though you and I can always make our trucks and cars just as we want them to be, I do like reading comments and suggestions. This forum is full of good ideas and an amazing amount of experience. I appreciate the forum members very much and have learned a lot being on here.

You are going to have a lot of fun driving that around. In the end, that is all that really matters. Nice work.

Jason,
The dash you built has the style of an original with updated functionality.
It has me curious, is it engraved, etched, painted, decal, other?
The speedometer, where did it come from? Electric, GPS, Mechanical?

Being involved in helping several local speedster projects I am always looking for ideas.
Mike

The speedo is a 2" GPS. I took the unit apart, changed the color changing LED backlight to warm white, replaced the face with a correct one and then printed a new needle that looks more correct as well. The panel itself is sheet metal that is engraved and painted to look like porcelain.

It looks like a bundle of fun! Good stuff.

A question on the windshield, is it laminated or 'safety' glass?

Kind regards
Adrian

Yes, the windshield is safety glass.

We may have a misunderstanding here. Laminated windscreen glass is made of two sheets of glass glued/sandwiched together by a clear membrane. It is often referred to as safety glass because when one or both sides are cracked/broken, the glue membrane holds all the pieces together so they do not fly all over the place.

Before laminated glass there was toughened/tempered glass. Rather than have big, dangerous shards of plate glass as a result of breakage, tempered glass shatters into a million little bits across the whole windscreen. These little bits are far less life threatening. Tempered glass is also referred to as safety glass.

Today, most windscreens are laminated glass. No loss of windscreen in a break event. No big cleanup of a million little bits.

Allan from down under.

No misunderstanding on my end. It is safety glass that I installed in the windshield.

Laminated glass is required for windshields in many jurisdictions. Solid tempered glass has been used for rear windows since about 1946. Many vehicles have used solid tempered glass in side and vent windows since around 1970. Laminated glass for side windows is making a comeback as "acoustic glass". Search: "Acoustic glass".

Solid tempered glass is not suited for windshields. It is very difficult to break, making it more hazardous to occupants' heads that may strike it in a collision. If solid tempered glass does break, it instantly shatters into pea sized fragments with no ability to prevent an occupant from being ejected. If a piece of road debris were to strike a solid tempered windshield and break it, the entire pane would disintegrate. Laminated glass, on the other hand can often retain a vehicle's occupant when struck and broken, and if it breaks from the impact of a person's head, there is some energy absorption. If it is broken from outside, it usually remains in place, and can give some protection to vehicle occupants in a crash or debris impact.

who the devil decided it was tempered?????????

let the man enjoy his car without a typical Forum professorial lecture on the attributes of various forms of glass and endless speculation on a tangent he did not lead himself.

there are people on this forum that I'm sure are convinced that they have saved more lives over the years from Model T Doom than a paramedic in downtown Chicago over a long weekend.

good grief

Scott, no-one "decided it was tempered." Both Pat and I were simply explaining that "safety glass" can be either tempered or laminated. There are likely some younger members on the forum who have never had the experience of sitting behind a shattered tempered glass windscreen, and the attendant inconvenience.
As an aside, regulations here in Australia demand that station waggon type vehicles fitted with mesh cargo barriers to protect passengers from flying items during a crash, are required to have tempered glass windows, and the cargo barrier must have a device secured to the rear side of the barrier capable of shattering the glass. Kids playing in the back of such vehicles have been known to trap themselves inside the car, with possible fatal consequences in severe heat situations. This is one application where shattered toughened glass is better than a laminated glass.

Allan from down under.

“ there are people on this forum that I'm sure are convinced that they have saved more lives over the years from Model T Doom than a paramedic in downtown Chicago over a long weekend.

good grief”

You guys are cracking me up!

Here I expected to get grief for not using plate glass like the original.

Jason,

I like a lot of your design ideas and problem solutions.
I am curious as to how that GPS speedometer works out for you.
A few years ago I wanted a portable speedometer that I could move between my cars and also check the accuracy of my more modern drivers.
I know, I know, there is a phone app for that but I wanted to build one.
So I designed and built an Arduino powered GPS speedometer that magnetically mounts to the car and plugged into the cigarette lighter.
After many refinements it worked well.
Then I tried it in my Model T and it rejected the "modern" electronics.
It smoked (blew chunks out of) all the chips before I could even shift into high gear!
My electrical system (magneto charged 12V battery for the LED brake and running lights) was WAY to noisy for it to tolerate.

So I rebuilt it and powered it off a battery.
Then I discovered that while it works, it eats batteries. They are stone dead in less than 4 hours.
It was not the success I was looking for so I rewrote the software to make a 1/4 mile race timer out of it.
It did not really come out like I wanted so it sits on the shelf of projects.
I still would like a portable GPS powered speedometer with trip meter to make touring easier.

I would like to know how well it works for you in real life when you get the truck going.
And I really like the job you did making it look like it belongs in there from the factory.
Mike

Garmin makes an excellent device that sticks to a smooth surface with a suction cup. It has a plug and cord for external 12 volt power. It provides maps, navigation, speedometer, odometer, elevation, clock, Compass, 2 trip odometers, and more. It has a 3X5 screen with a dark mode for night time use. I use one in my '27 T roadster with excellent results. A small battery will run it for a very long time. It works hands free, daytime or night time. I've used mine for about 3 years now on a stock '27 roadster with no issues. It can be moved from car to car, too. I paid very little for the 3 of these that I bought. Wal Mart had them at a deep discount, probably because they were older editions. I don't need the maps or navigation, but they are available at a touch if I do. I've played with them, and they work very well in this rural area.

Mike, thanks for the kind words. I love solving technical problems and challenges. It’s pretty much what I do all day at work. I have done some test drives already, and the gps Speedo seems to work well. I do have a 12v system with alternator so perhaps my power is cleaner, I could check with a scope I guess. I love your gps project, that is exactly the type of thing I like to do!

I did actually design a custom phone holder for the T for use with nav gps.

I have been using a bicycle GPS speedometer by Cycplus. Its very accurate and has an internal battery that lasts all day on long tours. It has an usb charge port. It has an auto off that shuts it down when there is no movement for a period of time. I have not tried charging direct from the car. The cost is only $21.99.

That is an excellent and very affordable option. I wanted something a little closer to a mechanical speedo look, thus the analog version.