MTFCA Forum

I have been trying to find a T that meets my specs:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2861

Fellow poster Novice found one on Craig's List that is pretty close to what I want. (Thanks Novice!) But it is across country. I don't know the seller. I am a bit leery of Craig's List.

What is the best way to make sure it is not a scam?

What is the best way to transfer money?

Don't do it!! Unless you have someone there on-site where the car resides that knows Model T's and you trust to handle a cash transaction, avoid. Craigslist is full of scammers and swindlers. I bought my first Model T off a Craigslist ad, but I went there cash in hand, personally inspected the car, and hauled it home 300 miles. Unfortunately, you have to take those kinds of precautions these days.

I agree with Kevin, travel to see it first hand and pay with cash.

The best way is to ignore it. I bought a T off Craigslist years ago but it way local so I could see it & meet the sellers. In your case my advice is keep looking. You need to at least see the vehicle. Period. There's no in between.

One sign of a possible Craig's List scam is when the seller or buyer wishes to communicate via your email address and not through Craig's List. Then if they ask to use a @gmail.com email account (which can be okay but...) be extra careful. If they send an email under one email address then ask you to respond to another - do not answer it or in Craig's list - that is a scam. Best way to transfer money is to hand it to the other person face to face - PayPal is the only other way I use on the Internet. Cashier checks are no better than personal checks anymore - even after receiving the cash or depositing it into an account, the recipient is liable for the amount until it clears through the banks. Now, after looking at your spec's, how will verify that all the matching items have been done (in person or remotely)? Now that I have seen your spec's, I have a '26 to sell you too. That's all it takes to scam someone!

I agree with all the replies above. I successfully purchased a few vehicles from CL and got some great deals but I was able to go and see them in person. I always check vin.#, license numbers and the sellers ID. I haven’t got bit yet but I have walked away from a few.

I bought my T off Craigslist. However, it was “local" at 110 miles away and I was able to personally inspect it at the sellers home.

Some of the reported scams only feature one small picture in the ad.

Where is the car in question? There might be a forum member nearby to help out. What if there isn't someone? Mentioning to the seller that you have someone coming to see the car in person may show whether the seller is legit.

A scammer wont usually post a contact phone number or more than one picture. This ad has a phone number and two pics one of the front. and one of the back of the car. both show same original DOM plate number front and back. which can be traced back to the registered owner and will show owners name. address. length of owner ship and previous owner. may show name of insurance company ? Still No Guarantee. Best way is to look at it or have someone look at it. If He was a long time MTFCA member on the forum that would go a long way toward credibility.

Tom Hicks wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 09, 2019 7:22 am

I have been trying to find a T that meets my specs:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2861

Fellow poster Novice found one on Craig's List that is pretty close to what I want. (Thanks Novice!) But it is across country. I don't know the seller. I am a bit leery of Craig's List.

What is the best way to make sure it is not a scam?

What is the best way to transfer money?

For your first Model T - buy locally.

Take someone knowledgeable with you to check it out.

Nothing wrong with Craigslist if you use it as intended.

I buy and sell my F350 CC Dually Trucks on Craigslist.

Safest way to send money over a distance is bank wire transfer.


FJ

I didn’t buy my towncar from Craigslist but from the mtfca website and still had major disappointment from the seller. The car was three thousand miles from me and couldn’t go to see it and no one volunteered to look at it for me. After paying full price, no haggling, accepting all descriptions of the vehicle from the seller as gospel, not to mention there was a full speedometer setup on the pictures but not on the car once it arrived, I could not get the seller to talk to me. There were questions about the car that I wanted answers to, but once he had my money he refused to talk to me. I sent emails and left phone messages but could not get a reply. I finally found out who sold him the car or just the body, I don’t know, and after contacting him he wouldn’t give me any information either. After more than two years and spending a friggin fortune on the car to make it like new, it would have been nice to have some history or at least some answers to some important information to have in case I wanted to sell or show the car.
Sorry for the rambling but unfortunately it still pisses me off about the way I was treated in the sale of the car.
So to get back to the topic, it is a good idea to go see the car in person or have someone look at it for you that is not affiliated with the seller and knows what he is looking at. Frank

Frank,

You bought a Model T Towncar off the MTFCA Classifieds online ?

Or was it listed in “ The Vintage Ford “ magazine ?

I don’t recall seeing one listed there for sale over the past few years - that must have been several years ago.

FJ

One word takes care of all of these problems: ESCROW

I can count on one hand the number of Model T vehicles that I have hauled over the years that were intentionally mis-represented.

Trust ...

Sellers and Buyers have to establish Trust
to have a mutually satisfying exchange.

How you get there depends on who you
are dealing with and what needs to be
provided by each party before a transaction
takes place.

Jim

I bought it! I am so excited! I can't wait to see it! The seller says I will really love how it runs once I get it going. It has not run in a couple of years, but has excellent compression!

I wonder what freight will cost from Arizona to Virginia?

Anyone ever used Zelle for money transfer? Not too difficult.

Just keep an eye on your bank account - and close the Zelle account since you no longer need it. You can always create it again. I am not saying you've been scammed - just a good practice to follow.
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consum ... m-n1015736

Tom Hicks wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 10, 2019 5:53 pm

I bought it! I am so excited! I can't wait to see it! The seller says I will really love how it runs once I get it going. It has not run in a couple of years, but has excellent compression!

I wonder what freight will cost from Arizona to Virginia?

Anyone ever used Zelle for money transfer? Not too difficult.

So,

You started the other thread in April - six months ago.

Hershey Fall Meet is going on right now - forum members are there - Model T's are there for sale.

Hershey is 250 miles from you.

You waited six months to buy a Model T that has not ran in a couple of years that is over 2000 miles from where you live ?


FJ

So,

You started the other thread in April - six months ago.

Hershey Fall Meet is going on right now - forum members are there - Model T's are there for sale.

Hershey is 250 miles from you.

You waited six months to buy a Model T that has not ran in a couple of years that is over 2000 miles from where you live ?


FJ
[/quote]

Correct. How many of the Model T's at Hershey are '26 - '27 and have a recent rebuild with a SCAT crank.

I have broken an EE crank. I consider all Model T cranks to be time bombs due to age. It does not matter how well they look, how well they ring, or how well they magnaflux, they are 100 years old and suffer from metal fatigue. Am I wrong?

Look at my specs, how many T's at Hershey meet my specs?

The seller built a touring car the way he wanted it, drove it two years, then health problems prevented him from driving. After two more years he decided to sell. It has less than 1000 miles on it. It was rebuilt due to breaking a crank. That is why he put a SCAT in. The carburetor is not good after sitting for two years. He wanted to get it running before shipping. No problem, I have a rebuilt Stromberg OF that will do just fine. And I would rather awaken the engine my way which involves lots of MMO in the cylinders and 30W on the Kevlar.

Will sitting for two years not running damage the engine?

There are thousands of T's out there, but I don't just want a T, I already have 4, I want one that meets my specs. This one is close, and the main thing is, recent rebuild with SCAT crank.

2000 miles! How much would shipping on that be?

Plus, although I saw some pictures, I bought it sight unseen. Did I screw up?

You are in an area of the country where the touring season - for all intentional purposes - has ended.

Model T's in your area will be coming on the market at the most reasonable prices of the year between now and Spring.

You don't know what is at Hershey unless you go - 250 miles is close.

( I had planned to go but I have a (10) car contract haul from California to Wisconsin to finish before Winter sets in. )


FJ

FreighTer Jim wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 10, 2019 9:06 pm

You are in an area of the country where the touring season - for all intentional purposes - has ended.

Model T's in your area will be coming on the market at the most reasonable prices of the year between now and Spring.

You don't know what is at Hershey unless you go - 250 miles is close.

( I had planned to go but I have a (10) car contract haul from California to Wisconsin to finish before Winter sets in. )


FJ

So I should have waited longer after I found the car I was looking for?

I have been to Hershey several times, I did not see many T's, I don't think over a half dozen each time, and never one that met my specs.

Lots of people at Hershey this year, how many of you saw T's with Scat cranks for sale?

Whenever you've been looking for something out of the ordinary and then find one - there is always risk and reward. Maybe you could have found one closer but then again someone else may have bought that one while you were looking for another.
Don't worry be happy.

When Mr. Conger said I could find a car with a recent rebuild, SCAT crank, Stipe cam, high compression head, Ruckstell, auxiliary brakes, good body and good upholstery for $10,000 I was dubious. He also said it would take patience. I had three other T's to drive while waiting, so patience was not a problem.

Many pictures and descriptions after I receive the car...

Tom, congratulations on your purchase. I hope to hear how it turns out. I have a 26 Roadster with all your requirements (not for sale) and I love driving it. I thought it was odd to have exactly the car you are looking for but then again I must have built it right if someone else wants to do the same thing. My car runs 35 to 40 mph all day long. I usually keep it around 30 to 35 though. I just feel more comfortable and safer there. Even with great brakes these cars take time to stop. I suppose it has to do with the light weight, narrow tires and only rear brakes but even if you lock up the brakes the car won’t stop right away so I keep the speed down and enjoy the ride. I hope you enjoy your car.

Tom,

Congrats on the find of your new car. I knew one would turn up but didn't think it would be in your price range or close to home. I would think you could get it moved for $1.00 to $1.25/ mile in an enclosed trailer to your door or you could go get it and make a fun trip out of it. Please post pictures after the deal is done.

Bob McDaniel wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 11, 2019 8:53 pm

Tom,

Congrats on the find of your new car. I knew one would turn up but didn't think it would be in your price range or close to home. I would think you could get it moved for $1.00 to $1.25/ mile in an enclosed trailer to your door or you could go get it and make a fun trip out of it. Please post pictures after the deal is done.

Well, it is not close to home. Transport is still being decided.

I talked with the Boss Lady, we could fly out and drive the car back. It would be a great trip, maybe 150 miles/day for a 2,250 mile drive, but she can't really take the time and I don't want to do the drive alone.

There are guys who are true professionals who transport antique cars. They cost a little more and are definitely worth every penny for a valuable car. This is a nice car, but it is not valuable to justify calling in the best.

So I called Montway. They wanted a little over $1,300 to transport enclosed. When I told them the vehicle was not running they went up to $1,500. I figured I could do better, so I listed it on U Ship. So far I have 15 bids with the lowest at $2,000. One of those bids is from Montway! So I don't understand how all this transport stuff works, but it is an important part of purchasing a car so I will post the results when it is all done.

And, when I receive the car there will be lots of pictures. You all will be begging me to STOP posting all those pictures!

And I want to thank everyone for the good advice on Craig's list, there are a lot of scammers out there. I talked to the seller for a minute and knew he knew about model 'T's. Most scammers who list a T don't know anything about T's and will say they inherited it or whatever. This seller could describe the car in detail and everything that had been done to it.

Once I determined the seller was legitimate, the only question is whether he is honest and giving an honest description. That is a gut call and buying a car 2000 miles away without seeing it is definitely a pig-in-a-poke. Everyone has a reputation, and I feel that this seller's is impeccable, he is known in the antique car world. I had no qualms about sending him the money.

But I would give anyone who asked the same advice you all gave me, caveat emptor.

Be careful on Crags list. I only buy from them if I can go and see it, and see the person face to face.
If someone avoids any one to one contact and will only communicate via text, its a scam!!!!

I’ve not really bought anything but have sold a few cars and such. Scammers are after sellers too...
I always put my phone number as the only contact. If I can’t talk to you, I’m not interested in dealing with you. Still get the scammers trying to respond through CL
I also always have the buyer come to my garage at home and I am “protected”.

I would not even consider driving a Model T that has been sitting for two years 2,000 miles home. The likelihood of making the trip without a significant mechanical failure is just about zero.

John Codman wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 13, 2019 10:25 am

I would not even consider driving a Model T that has been sitting for two years 2,000 miles home. The likelihood of making the trip without a significant mechanical failure is just about zero.

This is a car built for touring with engine/transmission rebuild by KMW four years ago, with less than 1000 miles on it. SCAT crank, touring cam, Z head, stainless valves, etc, etc. When it arrives here I will give it an overnight soak with MMO in each cylinder, then install new plugs, new ignition wires, Brent Mize rebuilt coils, and an I Timer. Then an oil change with Shell Rotella 30, poured over the bands, and a complete grease job including removing and packing the Hyatt bearings and front wheel bearings. Check the oil lever in the rear. A Bruce Compton rebuilt Stromberg OF with new in-line fuel filter will be installed. Then a through check out of electrical and lighting. Change the coolant. Test drive, adjust bands, whatever. Then I will start driving it seriously and if I suffer a significant mechanical failure within 2000 miles I will be both surprised and disappointed.

I could fly out to the seller's home and do all that in a day, then drive it home stopping for oil changes and lubes along the way.

A T in good mechanical shape should go a lot farther than 2000 miles with no problems if properly maintained, even if it sat for two years.

If my wife could take a month to navigate we would have a great time with NO breakdowns.

I would strongly suggest that once you change the oil, that you crank the engine over slowly by hand, about two complete revolutions and let sit. Doing this a couple times a day for 3-4 days will get the connecting rods into the troughs and pick up some oil to run down the crank throws and start to lube the crank.

This will avoid a dry start which would inevitably do some minor damage to all babbit.

Also when you pour the oil over the bands, only pour 2-3 quarts on the bands (being sure to coat the bands as well as the 4th main at the back of the transmission. Then pour the remaining oil into the filler spout to get some fresh oil into the oil troughs. They will not drain with the oil in the sump and you want some fresh oil there for the start.

All this may not be necessary for a car which has set for only two years but is good practice and is all but mandatory for an engine which has set for many years.

Hi Tom, I bought my first used car in 1959. I have purchased and eventually sold about 75 "pre-owned" cars. Exactly one of them was exactly as advertised. With the exception of a '62 Chrysler which I bought used from a Chrysler dealer, every one of them had something amiss that the seller knew or should have known about, and withheld from me. It may be a great car - I hope so - but I'll bet you will find something wrong.

I'll keep you informed!

Transport by Montway, $1600.

Pick up this Thursday, delivery the following week.

I just shipped a 1955 White Freightliner from Indiana to California. It went on the back half of a 48 foot drop deck semi trailer. $3700 just for the Freighliner. A like amount for the machine on the front I was told.

The car was picked up last Thursday and should be here at the end of this week. First on, last off, the carrier is based in Phoenix.

So I have been very happy with my purchase, a car which nearly meets my specs for what I consider a good price. Note the paint is not perfect, and a few dings don't bother me at all, and nice upholstery is nice, but some small problems with it won't bother me at all. That is just the way I am about cosmetics, and I intend to allow many children to hop in for a picture behind the wheel.

But I am finicky about the mechanical aspects. The seller offered to get it running for me, I asked him to just let it sleep so I get it just like when he last turned it off. Anyone can get a car with compression running, nothing to it. I don't just want it running, I want it as well lubricated as I can get it before even turning it over slowly with the crank. That is just the way I am about mechanicals.

I pour lots of MMO into the cylinders, remove the oil pan inspection plate and squirt oil everywhere, remove the transmission inspection plate and spray oil everywhere, suction the oil from the rear and replace it with Lubriplate, remove the shiftlock assembly and oil it up well, repack the wheel bearings front and rear, grease every grease fitting, oil every cup, and load up the universal joint with grease. To my way of thinking, lubrication is key to longevity in a T, I even start mine, run them until warm, and drive them a few blocks at least once a week in the winter. I think it is good for them.

I also drain the radiator and fill it with white vinegar, remove clean and clean the wiring at every terminal, and satisfy myself that nothing is so worn as to need replacing. This process will probably take a few weeks, but when I am done I will know the condition of the car and feel safe driving it. It will take a week of the internal lubrication with slow hand cranking starting after a few days. Clean up is always messy too, I start with a couple of bags of the stuff that soaks up oil covered with cardboard and several drain pans. A lot of oil gets on the floor, but that is unavoidable when I am spraying copious amounts into the block from the oil pan inspection cover.

This is probably overkill, but it is the way I do it, I don't want to just get it running, I want to get it running after I have it to a point where there is nothing more I can do to lube it short of pulling the engine and rear and taking them apart.

The seller communicated well and he did not attempt to start the car. He had drained the oil and radiator as I requested so there would be no leaks to upset the carrier. I suggested that he remove the keys from the rear wheels and add a little grease, then retighten to allow the wheels to turn freely for moving the car. He replied that the car had an excellent free neutral and could easily be moved by two men, I need not worry about it. The seller drove the car for 15 years, two with the present engine and transmission, and he knows T's. I trusted him to move the car with no problems.

But when it came time to move the car the free neutral was locked up, he had to tow the car and the engine was turning backwards. I am pretty sure he did not have to tow it over 200 yards, but he has not replied to my email asking how far.

I have wheel dollies which I will use to get the car off the trailer, and once off I will remove the axle keys before moving the car around.

Is there any particular damage I should look for and should I change my start up procedure?

Test the parking brakes BEFORE removing the axle keys to ensure they work. When I got my car I also waited until I was at home to start the engine since the car sat about 15 years. The car moved easily as my dad and uncle pushed and I steered it toward the trailer. That is when I realized my parking brake was set and did not work. Then 83 and 81 years old, these two guys had no problem moving the car on level ground.

...new in-line fuel filter will be installed.

The other things you plan to do are fine, but that may give you trouble.

The car was moved about 150' with a lock up clutch. Not ideal, but hopefully no damage...

Probably not in neutral. Easy mistake.

Tom. The free neutral in My 26 does not work. I cut a 2x4 that goes between the seat frame and clutch pedal to disengage the clutch for moving the car around the shop without the motor running.

Have Fun
Jim

Unloaded the car last night at 11:00. It went smoothly, but I had a long day and just got to look over the exterior before hitting the sack. What a BEAUTIFUL car! I am trying to wake up now so I can really check it out, but I might not get to it until this afternoon. I am excited about getting a nice T, but that doesn't overcome fatigue.

PHOTOS ! DONT FORGET THE PHOTOS!

I wish you the best of luck on your purchase. I must say that I have have only once in my life purchased a used car that was as good as it was represented to be. As Freighter Jim mentioned, the misrepresentation was not always intentional, but only in rare cases will the seller of his/own free will come out and tell you what is wrong if it isn't obvious. The older the car, the more that is usually wrong. When I bought my T it looked great, but I soon found that it needed a new radiator. The old one didn't leak, but it didn't cool either. It was an estate sale, and the person who sold it to me wasn't into Model Ts.I still had to shell out $800 that I wasn't expecting, though.

No two people are going to describe the same car exactly the same way. I will be surprised by any substantial misrepresentations. The seller is a stand up guy.

He offered to wash it, get it running, drain the oil, and drain the coolant. I told him I would rather wash it, that way I get to really know the details, I would rather get it running as I have my own methods, please drain the oil and coolant. He suggested that the coolant should be drained as the car could be taken north where it is freezing in its travels to me. He cares about the car and wants me to get it in good shape.

So far I have only looked at the car cosmetically. It is better than he described. I will post lots of pictures, in spite of a little dust from sitting in his garage for two years it is beautiful.

I am busy with a few other projects that need finishing. It will be a week, maybe two before I fire her up..

More...

MORE...

more…

more ...

more...

more

more..

That is all the pictures for now. The upholstery is really too nice to sit on. I can't just work on her and then do a test drive, I have to take a shower and put on clean clothes first...

Good for you
Glad it meets your expectations...it looks like it has good potential after a clean up

Note: you're about to lose a clevis pin on the Driver's side Rocky reach-rod (if it hasn't already dropped out).

Looks Great Tom,

Always nice to have someone satisfied with their purchase! Also glad it made it to you in one piece & hopefully has no issues due to being dragged.

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/thr ... ed.614419/

Tom. That is one beautiful car. and has a lot of extras that were not mentioned or shown in the original cL ad. that only had a front & back photo and no mention of the many things done to the car except engine work. If the ad had stated every thing the car had done to it with more photos like You posted here. it would have been gone in a flash. and if He had posted here on the forum it would have gone even faster.
It didn't check all Your boxes but some of the boxes it checked more than once.
I know the west Coast guys are kicking themselves for letting this one get away. and They knew the owner and toured with the car.
I love it when a plan comes together.
Congratulations Jim

Tom - An absolutely beautiful car, and great pictures! Hope you have no trouble getting it running, and I'm not near as qualified as many other forum members to give you any advice, but in reading this entire thread over again, a couple things you said kind of bother me:

You said something to the effect that,...."anybody can get a car with compression running, nothing to it." Well, okay,....I sincerely hope it's that easy for you. Also, besides thorough lubrication (....a fine idea) you also mentioned many things you plan to do with the car right away. Things like working on or (replacing?) carburetor, installing an inline fuel filter, disconnecting, cleaning and re-connecting all wiring, etc, etc. Also, I see what looks like a voltage regulator (?) and a lot of extra wiring.

One "rule of thumb" I've learned (the hard way) in my experience with Model T's, is whenever possible after being sure that a new (...new to me) Model T actually runs and drives at least reasonably well, I try to do things "ONE-AT-A-TIME", and then right away, test drive to be sure that what I just did is okay and that I have not UNKNOWINGLY created some other problem in the meantime! Doing a bunch of precautionary things all at once is sort of "asking for trouble", because if there "IS" a problem (or if you inadvertently create one) you won't know where to start in even diagnosing the problem, let alone rectifying the problem!

Anyway, you mentioned several times that "you have your own way of doing such things", so I hope all goes well for you. And I have to say, if that car runs anywhere near as good as it looks,....well, you really have a nice Model T there Tom,.....good luck and let us know how things work out,.....FWIW,.....harold

P.S. Might be a good idea to look to see if the car is equipped with one of those accessory fuses which if so, should be inserted in the main wire which provides power to the entire electrical system. If not, I'd install about a 30 amp inline fuse accordingly to protect the whole system before doing anything else with wiring.

Tom - Looking at your beautiful photos again, of course I notice that the car is equipped with a distributor and single coil, which means that the factory Ford magneto and 4-coil ignition system does not work, or, more likely, because you said the engine has been rebuilt 2 years ago, the flywheel may not even have magnets nor coil ring behind the flywheel. I also notice that beside the single coil on the firewall is what appears to be a brand new ballast resistor for the distributor systems single coil, but the ballast resistor does not appear to be "hooked up". (Maybe that coil has built in resistor???) You might contact the seller and ask him about that (and you'll probably have more questions to ask anyway) or, lacking contact with the seller, you might go over receipts that you hopefully have regarding the engine rebuild and installation and parts such as type of coil, etc. Just a thought,.....harold

That is a 3 wire generator, so it has the voltage regulator on the firewall. Nice looking fordor.

Looks like a beautiful car Tom, very nice looking interior.
Good luck with the road readiness

Sweet! Scott, nice catch on the clevis pin. Cheers, Bill

Thank you for your comments, I don't think the seller took any shortcuts. He did not build this car for me, he built it for HIS touring car, so he wanted it right. And he knows antique cars, not just T's. So this will be a learning experience for me, for example, I didn't know T's used generators with voltage regulators.

I have been told that the best way to awaken an old car like this is to fire it up and drive it, any problems will soon show up and can be addressed. And that may be the best way, but it is not my way.

Starting any T with compression is easy, just add gas and fire. I have a 2 gallon gasoline tank for a lawn mower that has a filter and shut off valve, it hangs like an IV. Then I put on an NH I have that I know is good. Gas is done. That is about thirty minutes, I have now have compression and gas.

I put on a coil box with coils I know are good and has good ignition wires, plus a timer I know is good. A battery is set on the floor, a set of jumper cables has the positive attached to the battery starter terminal, the cable's negative end is attached to the frame. A piece of #14 goes from the positive terminal on the battery to the coil box. That is another thirty minutes. We have fire.

Turn on the valve for gas to the carburetor, and we have filtered fuel. Hook the negative end of the jumper cable to the negative battery terminal and we have fire to the coils. Briefly attach the positive end of the jumper cable to the positive post and the starter will turn. If the engine has compression it will start, it has no choice. I have found this method better than just hooking up the battery and then trying to figure out why an old engine won't start. But I don't do any of that until I know the engine is as lubricated as I can get it.

This car is a little more difficult because it has a distributor. The seller offered either distributor or coils and timer, I opted for the coils, but asked him just to send them. I will swap them out and send the distributor back to him. I know the timer is easy to install, but I don't know what is involved in removing the distributor, I hope it does not include removing the radiator as I don't want to get involved with that. But with T's I am always learning.

I expect getting this car going to be fun as I learn of its idiosyncrasies. I just can't get to it for awhile.

I have been told that the best way to awaken an old car like this is to fire it up and drive it, any problems will soon show up and can be addressed.

That's too Funny!! And it's true! Who ever gave that advice has more $$ in their pocket than I do. I'm glad to hear that you don't plan to take that advice literally. Good to prep it properly and NOT have problems show themselves.

3 wire generators were a popular, cheap alternative in the hobby a number of years ago

.....and then on the other hand Mark, you can "mess with" too many things all at once before a test drive, and inadvertently create problem that might take a lot of time and work to diagnose and correct! I guess there's a "happy medium" in there someplace, between your way, my way, and Tom's unique method of trying to make everything perfect before a full blown test drive!

I am still holding off on getting my new car started. I want to have the time to devote to getting it done rather than putting up with interruptions. But I have knocked out a few projects and hopefully will get started on it this weekend.

But I have been cogitating some. Last night I drove my TT Limo when the temperature was 45* and the air was heavily laden with moisture. the new windshield did a great job of making the ride more comfortable, but it did fog up several times. My new car is mostly for cold weather driving, I have to plan for fog and frost on the inside of the windshield.

Is there a standard type of defroster used on T's?

I will also have to have some type of easily removable lightbar to attach to the rear bumper, with big LEDs and turn signals. I want all that to be easy to remove if I get to a show so the car can be shown without the safety additions. I am thinking maybe a wooden box that goes on the floor in front of the back seat holding a battery, cord and plug connections for lighting and electric defroster, etc.

This is a closed car for cold weather driving, I am not looking for shortcuts, I just want to make it both set up for safety and have the additional stuff easy to remove.

Is there a standard way to do this?

Are people using LEDs more and more nowadays?

Patao wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 06, 2019 9:59 am

Are people using LEDs more and more nowadays?

Welcome to The Forum!

There are many here who really are experts on LED lighting for Model T's, but I am not one of them.

I use modern LED's on a 12 V system for most of my lighting, and I have lots of lighting especially on the rear, along with turn signals. These are drivers, not show cars.

There are ways to install LED bulbs in Model T fixtures to make them look period correct.

If you get specific about your needs I can assure you somewhere here has done it and will share.

Here is a link to a supplier of LED's for 6 volt negative ground. They also have 6 volt positive ground lights. Lots of good info in them pages. You will note that some of the LED bulbs are not polarity sensitive. I have started a wish list that will be including some for a friend. There is a notation that if you have a red/amber etc colored lens you should use the same color LED behind it.
https://www.ledlight.com/6-volt-negativ ... ights.aspx

I kinda understand waiting to start the car till you have things gone thru, but there is no way I could wait this long and not hear it run.

Something like this would be about era correct;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1920s- ... SwVBtbo758
Of course the VW bug way would be a towel next to the seat.

Here or two types of LED Headlight dual filament bulbs. The round one is 6 volt and seems to work the best and can be used for a rear stop / tail light depending on light housing. it is not dependent on headlight socket pin orientation like the wedge shaped bulb is. which operates on 6 to 30 volts very bright but has a funny looking light pattern.