MTFCA Forum

What do you guys think about this? I kinda think this is T abuse.

All I can say is I certainly would not treat my car that way

Watch this video of the same car on the same ramp:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXhvwkFIv0o

It's used at competitions today and there is videos from the '20 showing them doing this.

Well, It is exactly the way a trinity suspension is suppose to work. Clean those springs and lube, do not over tighten the oil pan ears and bolts (Tighten then loosen and install cotter pins). The frame is part of the suspension. Automotive Science and Geometry.

All the Best,

Hank

Ha ha !!!!
I work for Land Rover ---will post this in my office !!



John

The roads of the teens and twenties, I imagine you probably came familiar with maneuvers like this.
“Hold on to your bonnet Ethel”!!

All I will say is the wood spokes on the wheel better be in good shape. They are all that’s keeping the hub from breaking out.

Yikes! The left front wheel is hitting the fender, that is no way to treat a nice looking 104 year old car.

I wounder if he will remember this down the road when his pan ear breaks, or why is doors do not fit so well and stay latched anymore.

I drove my T over a berm, down an embankment into a swell and out at an angle to it, about the same as what Perry's photo shows. The T took it in stride.

This is why Fords outsold the competition back when they were built and designed to do this. The whole reason T's have open channel frames, 3 point suspensions, and use a liberal mount of springy Vanadium Steel.

Like they say in movies... No T's were harmed in the making of this picture.

The car is little more than a chassis. More than likely built from excess parts. The T's are designed to do that. I will conceded that they are not designed to do that day in and day out, but occasionally , yes. There are period photos showing the same amount of twist. I can show you roads here in the Ozark Mountains that would require that much twist to navigate them. These are the old roads from the T era that lead to the old home places that the T's would have had to travel back then. Some of the major roads going to town were even that rough. The car of choice in the Ozarks during the T era was the model T. Nothing else could make it into the mountains. As late as 1929, highway maps did not show any roads in the vast majoraty of the Ozark area of North West Arkansas.

I have driven my 1921 full bodied touring car on some of the roads. Not the worst of the roads but some really bad roads. I would say my car has twisted at least 75% as much as the one shown. You can feel the seat slide back and forth under your butt as you drive the twisting undulating road. I drove that car about 7 or 8 years on the old roads, going back as far as we could. I can not think of one thing that broke. We had a lot of fun doing those trips. Usually on the weekend me and the wife with another couple would spend the day out on the old roads. Take a picnic lunch and see where we could go and what we could find or see.

I am not saying anyone else should do that to their car, but we sure had a lot of fun, and I do not think the car suffered any damage. It almost seemed like it had as much fun as us. (just my 2 cents worth)

From an old MTFCA thread http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/41 ... 1398347555

Hauling wasn't too much of a problem

Perry,

The picture you posted is of Gary McNary in a top hat, member of the WIMTC in his 23 Speedster. He lives in Nampa Idaho and was competing in a 4x4 event a few years ago.

Best Regards

And there are bungee jumpers, base jumpers ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF214wDC4L8) and other thrill seekers.

I suppose it's one thing to put the T through it's paces like that if you have access to $100.00 running vehicles....me - I value my T a little more than treating it that way. I'll trust the "real news" of 80-90 yeas ago that the car was capable of doing that, and treat my wheels a little better - thank you.

Cheers!!