MTFCA Forum

Good morning!
I recently acquired a Model TT and am trying to identify the year it was made. From the little information I've found on these trucks, it seems to be a 1925 or 1926? Where can I go to find more detailed change breakdowns for each year?

To be honest, I purchased this truck in a large lot of Model T parts and will be selling everything I don't need. Thank you for your time.

More pictures.

It’s somewhere between a late ‘25 (wide tranny pedals) and mid production year ‘27 ( (rectangular dash switch) .Engine serial number ??

I would say 25 if fenders are original. No lip for apron.

I see them now. Never mind.

Looks like 26-27 engine, but front axle looks 25 or earlier.

You said you plan to keep what you need and sell the rest. For whatever it's worth it looks like your truck has a complete set of Bennett auxiliary brakes. That set of brakes (the pedal, equalizer, rods, actuators, bands, rear anchors and all the little do-dads that go with them) is something a lot of folks who read this forum would be very interested in. If you decide to sell them I hope you'll give the MTFCA Forum readers a chance to make an offer.

Interesting truck! Probably a '26. Auxiliary transmission, maybe an overdrive? Uncut rear end under a spliced/lengthened frame! Long truck with a couple nice accessories (including those brakes!). Well worth restoring.

I believe that trucks used 'old style' (1925) guards right through production. They did not use the updated car style fenders. Henry thought why waste the stock on hand for an old truck?

It is a late ‘26-‘27 cab. The windshield adjustment brackets are straight instead of angled like the earlier models.

Thank you all for your observations! I'll get a picture of the engine serial number tomorrow. I'm more familiar with Model AA's so there are a few things I didn't realize weren't factory on the TT. I too agree that the truck is in restorable condition, but have a large project list. If I do decide to sell this one, I'll give you all the first opportunity.

Question: The TT trucks used T wheels up front right? I've heard talk of clincher wheels? Which wheels would be appropriate?
Thank you

TT trucks in the USA used the same front wheels as the T car, except, maybe for the wire wheels used on some '26/'27 cars. Some trucks manufactured in Canada, especially some exported to Australia and New Zealand were offered with much heavier front wheels that are basically the same (except for the hubs and bearings!) as the TT rear wheels.
Even for the cars, 30X 3 1/2 clincher wheels with demountable rims were available through to the end of production in mid '27. Even non-demountable wheels with clincher tires were available through most of '26 and '27. There is still some debate on the details of those. Records indicate the non-demountable wheels stopped being offered at some point, and that only certain styles of non-demountable wheels were used (believe it of not, there were more than one style of those wheels). Records also say that some of the older style options were not available on the closed car body styles. However, era photographic evidence strongly indicates otherwise, and that earlier style wheels were being sold on cars (both open and closed bodies) until the end of production. Not that most of that is of any real importance to your truck. But just for general information and frame of reference.
TT trucks near the end of production usually got the 21 inch "balloon" tire wheel option along with the heavier 20 inch rear wheels and tires. Generally, both front and rear were demountable.

Where are you located ? That sage brush country looks mighty familiar !

Wayne, thank you for the wheel information. I have several different wheels. I'll have to research which is the type you refer to. I took more pictures of the truck yesterday. Apparently it has Pikes Peak brakes and a Warford auxiliary transmission. Thank you to those of you who pointed out the existence of such.
Burger in Spokane, I'm located not too far from you. I prefer not to share my actual location on a public forum.

Here's some more pictures.

Warford pictures

Thanks for posting the additional pictures! I don't think I've encountered Pikes Peak brakes before. Very cool. They are similar to Bennetts in that the band is anchored at the rear center.

This truck would make a great project. Lots to work with.

Absolutely! As they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." The more I look at this truck, the more I want to keep it. I have 1928 and 1929 Ford Model AA's. If this is a 1926 Model TT, I need to find a 1927 TT to complete my set!
-Are doors and hardware very easy to find? I seem to be missing the drivers door and the latch/handle on the passenger side.

You realize that the concept of a designated model year, like we know today, did
not really exist during the T era .... Ford had their letter-designated series (with running
changes) until dropping the letter idea in 1933. Packard and International and many
others just built what they called "series" over a number of years (with running changes)
until they came out with a superceding series. That whole model year idea was just beginning
to get traction about that time. A 1927 TT would be difficult to discern from a 26, without
using the serial numbers, unless the 26 were very early and the 27 very late production.
Only minor details changed.

Doors are the hardest part to find decent examples of, when it comes to the box cab TT's.
The handles are reproduced.

That makes sense. Reading the serial number chart, it looks like this truck was built in February of 1926. That is, if the engine wasn't swapped at some point in the truck's history.

If your frame is a 25-27 frame, it will have the serial number stamped on the top
of the passenger-side frame rail, just forward of the seat base. You can check that
to see if the engine and frame are an original "set".

If you are so inclined, you are welcome to come look at my truck any time. My
numbers say it was built in January of 1926.

Thanks for the info and the invite! I'll email you when I'm headed to Spokane one of these days. I would love to see your truck in person. I'll see if I can find the number tomorrow.
- Are the Model TT doors the same as the Model T doors?

As far as I know, the TT box cab doors are unique to that body. My truck came to me with
decent doors, so I relate the difficulty in finding good ones from the many people who have
expressed their experiences in searching.

Posting measurements/pictures of the wood behind the seat of the TT for a member who emailed me.

Thank you for the pictures.

This is an ad for a cab that has doors. I don't know if they are correct for your TT. I am not associated with this ad.
https://desmoines.craigslist.org/pts/d/ ... 00555.html

That board looks just like the one in my 26 TT. I posted measurements off of mine up here a month or so ago along with a diagram of it as well. The front edge is beveled. - Matt

Thanks Matt, my 26 TT is missing that board.

That Desmoines Craigslist ad looks like a pretty decent cab. I wonder what they really want for it? I hate it when people put a dollar for the price when they will likely want hundreds. Good doors are few and far between. But for a good truck? They do come along occasionally, for a price.
The doors were designed to be easily removed because often workers needed to hop in and out of the truck often. As the trucks became older, many if not most had one or both doors taken off, and usually lost. Decent cabs without either door are fairly common, and can often be bought for less than a restorer will wind up paying for one good door.
On your truck, in its present condition (and depending upon the door's actual condition?), the Warford may well be the only part there worth more than the right door you have alone. NOT a recommendation to part the truck out. That truck should be restored!

Wayne what do fixable doors go for? I'd like to know what to offer when I come across one. Positive thinking! This truck will be restored. No matter what, I've never been able to part things out.
-Side note: I found the matching serial number from the block on the frame. Excited!

Good work on the serial number !

As Wayne mentioned, many of the box cabs were run with the doors removed, either
seasonally or permanently. Were it mine, I'd put the old dog back together and add
doors when you find them later. I am putting together a C-cab for a "someday" project,
because these big doors are kind of a PITA !

I do not know what the doors are currently going for. I know that a few years ago, I saw a couple doorless cabs available for a couple hundred dollars. But good doors were going for about twice that (each!)!
I hope someone more familiar with the current prices can comment here so you can have a good idea what to do if you come across the door you need.
Price and value does depend a lot on condition. Many of these TT doors are rusted out on the bottom because they were removed from cabs and left leaning against the side of the barn, with the bottoms sitting in the dirt and mud.

The frame on your TT appears to have been extended with a period correct extension to allow the Warford to be installed without shortening the drive shaft and radius rods, most likely part of the Warford setup (or "outfit" as I think was the term back then). I think that is a plus as I don't think those extensions are all that common. I looked for many years before I found one for my TT, the one that Dallas has now, so that the 8in1 Bed would fit. Never found another one after that. Dave

I'm going to look at a couple doors tomorrow. They look pretty rough on the bottom.

d stroud, I found the Warford frame extension directions and operating manual online yesterday. I need to measure the extension to see if it matches.
-I'll post the link here if it's allowed? I'm sure others would find it useful.

Burger in Spokane, finding the matching serial number on the frame was exciting! This truck is a keeper. I need to whittle my project list down so I can start working on it.

I was pleased to find my numbers matched, as well. Many surviving Model T's
are actually assembled piles of parts as part of a restoration, if they did not get
an engine replacement back in their early life.

Do you know where this truck lived its original life ? Was it a local truck in 1930 ?
There may be photos of it back in the day, if you know where to look ....