MTFCA Forum

Hi just a question
Not 100% sure but these are the original ford dealer service bulletins that was gifted to myself a few years ago
These are special to me but would like to know was there many of these or did many of these survive?

More pages

Cameron

Those are rather rare today, sure there were lots of the USA printed bulletins, but as yours are Ford of Canada, they are likely rather rare to have full sets of issues as you have.

Today we have the "Essentials" in a reprint of most of the 'practical' sections of USA Service Bulletins, and it fills a real need.

Back when Dan Post did this publication, in 1966, stated in the Foreword, that many collectors had to be sourced to find individual bulletins as full sets were rare then. Untold thousands must have been published from the start in April 1919 to 1927 originally as bi-monthly issues, 24 the first year , then 24 for the next year and a half, then going monthly for each of the next six years. Several months and dates were skipped without explanation by Ford. So finding a complete set in binders is rare.

I love those things but they don’t come up on eBay that often except in single issues taken from bound editions. Would love to have a stack to look through these winter evenings.

Would love to have a stack to look through these winter evenings.

You can do it, but most likely it will have to be on a computer screen.

Service Bulletins were first sent to any requesting dealer, or agent. They were mailed out from the Ford headquarters.
Later in May of 1919 the company offered binders, so that the pages of bulletins, that each have 3-hole margins, could be stored for resource. Finding some of those binders, full of bulletins, would be fun

Hello Cameron,
You are a lucky fellow. !!! I know of only one almost complete set of these Canadian Service Bulletins here in Australia. ( Model T Era. )
Your copies look to be in excellent condition.

Our local Antique Car Club was donated two volumes in their binders. These cover the years 1928 ---- 1939. Not a lot of T related information.

I was fortunate to have been given permission to scan both volumes.( Over 1,000 pages.) I very carefully took each one out of the binders, and made sure each page stayed in order. Reassembling them once the scanning was complete. I scanned them and saved to a usb flash drive, so the club now has a digital copy.

The months from January through to July 1928 came from Canada, after that they had the Ford Motor Company Australia letter head.

I am envious.

Best regards, John Page, Australia.

Two Images. John Page, Australia.

Many moons ago the other T club was reproducing them. Looks like good thing to do again. Dan

Hi Cameron, like most posters above indicate; I think complete sets with the binders especially from Ford Canada are rare as hens teeth !
Take good care of them !

This is one I have, the binder is great in relief print, but the innards are all in french, not my best language

That cr*# ipad of mine keeps turning pictures sideways or even upside down ?

I looked at Bruce's Encyclopedia, but I do not see them. Where are they located? Thank you.

I have a complete set in an original binder. It took me several years to complete the set. I still have a few extras.

The Cimorelli Site definately has some Canadian Service Bulletins. I have found that the scans are of poor quality. ( The illustrations in particular. )
I think that they have scanned in a low resolution format.
( Link ) http://www.cimorelli.com/mtdl/default.htm
Best regards, John Page, Australia.

They look like poor quality xerographic copies.

I have a complete set of the Canadian Bulletins also, as well as the reprints of the USA ones done by the MTFCI.
My set is contained in one large folder and continues into the Model A period about 18 months.

The Canadian ones start 2 months after the American ones on June 1st where as the USA ones began April 1st 1919

Although the Canadian ones contain what was in the American bulletins ( though not exactly 2 months behind or the same format) they on occasions added their own content, such as the instructions for installing the detachable eared bands for RHD.

Two of the most informative pages for Canadian owners of a T is the wall chart showing all the specifications for all Ford from 1903 till 1919 which provided proof the Fords after 1912 were blue up until 1919 not black which had been argued for many years.

Another chart showing the different sized spanners for the bolts and nut on the chassis was also in the Canadian Bulletins. Whether it was included in the American Bulletins I don't know but at the time (1980's) Bruce McCalley had not seen them and they were then published in the Vintage Ford.

From a historical point of view the Canadian Bulletins never mentioned the Canadian Belt drive generator version they produced (unless that is missing from my Bulletins)

Someone did a high quality reproduction of the model A era service sheets, and I’m glad to have a copy. I’d pay good for a new set of T of the same quality.

I had the same experience as John Page (another Aussie) where a ex Ford Dealership Mechanic had one of those
Books and allowed me to photocopy every page relevant to my 1926 Pick up. Lucky find and willing owner to allow
me to do that.
Alan

Dropacent wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 30, 2019 6:28 pm

Someone did a high quality reproduction of the model A era service sheets, and I’m glad to have a copy. I’d pay good for a new set of T of the same quality.

I would also

The MTFCI did all of the bulletins a few years back. For reference it is great, but I disliked the fact they didn't reproduce them exactly like the original bulletins. The should have used the glossy paper, and punched the holes in the same location, and used the orange lines on bulletin #1, and blue lines on the later ones. Yes, I know I'm picky, but when reproducing them, they should be as original in my opinion.

I agree, Larry. If you are doing them, do them right. The model A binder is really, really nice.

Original Smith wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 31, 2019 11:36 am

The MTFCI did all of the bulletins a few years back. For reference it is great, but I disliked the fact they didn't reproduce them exactly like the original bulletins. The should have used the glossy paper, and punched the holes in the same location, and used the orange lines on bulletin #1, and blue lines on the later ones. Yes, I know I'm picky, but when reproducing them, they should be as original in my opinion.

On the other hand, making exact copies does tend to encourage reproductions to be passed off as originals. It may not be much of a problem now, but 30 years from now? One should also consider whether the reproductions were created as a new delivery of the content, as a reference manual (which you acknowledged as a success), as an objet d’art, or as a replica.

Keep crankin’
Eric

After reading this thread I downloaded the bulletins and ordered this book. Print is small but I love it. It has some great reading. The pdf files are nice but I cannot read from the screen for long periods

I don't know why, but the 1926-7 issues are way more difficult to find than the earlier versions.

Here is a reprint model A set, just posted on fordbarn. Glad I bought a set several years ago, and no, they cannot be passed off as originals. CAVEAT EMPTOR , of course. Again, wish someone would do a quality reprint of the T bulletins.

A note on an above post. Most all of the original bulletins were folded in two places. I doubt if anyone reproducing them would be willing to do that! I have a friend that has a few bulletins that actually came out of Henry Fords office, and are not folded.

Is that because the pages were mailed to people, Larry?

I would assume the bulletins were mailed to the dealers. In one of the last posts, is an example of the late bulletin binder design. I'm not willing to take apart my binder to measure the length of the shoe string, but I would assume they might be available still.

A couple of years ago I was talking with the powers to be with the International about another run of the reprints. They don’t know what happened to the masters of the Service Bulletins reproductions.
Any of you guys got them ?

The originals were nice and clear. I have a full set of both the T and A and some of the early ones for 1932 and up, all in original covers. I have a few for the Lincoln in the 20s. I also have the news letters sent out to the Ford dealers each month ( a run of them for 3 or 4 years in the mid 1920s.)

The MTFCI reproduction ones were very good. They were almost identical to the original. I got most of a set.
Got a bunch on originals. Including a cover. Dan

I see the cover for the Canadian set has silver lettering. I've not seen that. I guess that is Canada only?

I started collecting original bulletins back in the 1970's. It took me two years to build a complete set. The newer design covers pictured above came out in the mid 1920's I guess, but have seen few of them. What irritates me is when the MTFCI reproduced the bulletins they didn't do it like Ford did. They didn't use the glossy paper, and they didn't punch the holes correctly to fit the original binders. There is no excuse for that, which is typical with most all reproductions of anything!

My set (1919-1927) is good enough for me. They are in my encyclopedia file, but I may have downloaded them from Cimorelli. It would be nice to have an index. Has anybody done one?

I have a set I downloaded from the internet and it has an index.

Just as a point of reference, there were also a series of sales bulletins done in similar format. I.E. like monthly or bi-monthly, early 20's, punched for inclusion in a like folder.

You don't hear about them as originals are apparently as rare as hens teeth...so if folks see something that looks like a SERVICE BULLETIN at a swap, but it says SALES BULLETIN, pick it up...

I have a 95% complete set of Sales Bulletins.

Ford Sales Bulletins were issued weekly and ran from April1913- July1916 only. I hope this helps, Russ Furstnow

Hi Steve, here is the link to the index at Cimorelli: https://www.cimorelli.com/mtdl/service_ ... _index.pdf
The index is made by the MTFCI.