Radiator Cap Ornament

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Oldav8tor
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Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by Oldav8tor » Mon Aug 18, 2025 3:56 pm

At last year's MTFCI International Tour in Cadillac I saw a couple of radiator caps with little anemometers on them. The cups spin as you go down the road (or it's windy.) Does anyone know who might be making and selling them? I have a Berg's radiator and have learned the hard way I can't put anything too heavy on the filler neck or the neck comes loose.
Thanks in advance!

Anemometer - you get the idea :D
cups.jpeg
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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by Allan » Mon Aug 18, 2025 8:11 pm

I have an original one made by the Wiggler Company Buffalo, New York and patented in Dec 1925. It has red, green and blue jewels in the cups. A mate has one which has a motometer in place of the ball that is on mine.
20250819_093356.jpg
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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by Fire_chief » Tue Aug 19, 2025 2:24 am

The one you saw at Cadillac was the one I bought for my daughter's 12 touring. I bought it 2 or 3 years ago at Luray. I don't think they are available at the moment.

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Oldav8tor
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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by Oldav8tor » Tue Aug 19, 2025 4:56 am

Thanks Charlie.... Did you by any chance take a photo of it?
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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by DanTreace » Tue Aug 19, 2025 1:32 pm

Here's one that I took pic of a T on a tour somewhere. And an old advert.

The Wiggler company made these RotoScopes. I have vague remembrance that Bob Scherzer (RIP) may have made repops. I got one of his Air Ford radiator cap toppers from him.


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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by Fire_chief » Tue Aug 19, 2025 2:09 pm

Don't know how to post a picture, but it is the one like Allen posted.


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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by speedytinc » Tue Aug 19, 2025 2:22 pm

Very hard to find.
One just went off on TBAY. $499 + shipping. No jewels. (they came both ways)
There was A guy reproducing them. I bit. Repop uses a sealed bearing. Need a strong wind to turn.
The original ones are a jeweled movement? takes very little to turn.

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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by WillyR » Tue Aug 19, 2025 2:24 pm

speedytinc wrote:
Tue Aug 19, 2025 2:22 pm
Very hard to find.
One just went off on TBAY. $499 + shipping. No jewels. (they came both ways)
There was A guy reproducing them. I bit. Repop uses a sealed bearing. Need a strong wind to turn.
The original ones are a jeweled movement? takes very little to turn.
as much as I like gadgets, I don't think I'd spend more than $50 for one....

still want one...
Sent from the panic room, via two tin cans attached with a string, and a jail broken Marconi, while wearing a Tin Foil hat.


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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by speedytinc » Tue Aug 19, 2025 2:37 pm

You would have to be lottery lucky to find one @ that price.

I had considered making one. All you need is 4 melon ballers.


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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by Daisy Mae » Tue Aug 19, 2025 2:48 pm

Never seen the cup spinners before, but have seen one of the airplanes....have always wanted one of the plane spinners...
Call me anything you want...just so long as it isn't "late for dinner"

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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by TRDxB2 » Tue Aug 19, 2025 2:54 pm

Someones collection https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/4 ... 1401935234
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worth
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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by WillyR » Tue Aug 19, 2025 3:19 pm

speedytinc wrote:
Tue Aug 19, 2025 2:37 pm
You would have to be lottery lucky to find one @ that price.

I had considered making one. All you need is 4 melon ballers.
challenge accepted....

$6.55 initial investment...

https://www.amazon.com/Double-Headed-St ... 9hdGY&th=1

ohh $6.59 for 1,510 jewels...

https://www.amazon.com/Stickers-1510pcs ... =8-23&th=1
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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by Steve Jelf » Tue Aug 19, 2025 5:07 pm

IMG_3469 copy.JPG
I can stand this, but I drive country roads a lot.
I don't need extra weight bouncing on the neck.
:D
The inevitable often happens.
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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by Rich P. Bingham » Tue Aug 19, 2025 5:23 pm

The Dauntless Geezer speaks practical truth (as always)

Not on a T (obviously) but if you like accessory radiator caps, how about this one ?? I’m hoping the bagpipes play when the car overheats, and there’s a head of steam in the top tank !
IMG_3025.jpeg
Get a horse !

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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by DanTreace » Tue Aug 19, 2025 5:45 pm

For that steaming Ford, this cap releases the excess :D


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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by Allan » Wed Aug 20, 2025 7:35 am

Frank Brandi's post has a link to a previous discussion on this topic. In that post Bob Scherzer showed a photo of a boy pissing from a radiator cap.
Mannekin Pis, Dutch for little missing man, is a famous statue in Brussels, Belgium. I found a similar little man in an antique shop a few years back. They were probably sold as souvenirs to tourists.
20250820_204247.jpg
Allan from down under.

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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by TRDxB2 » Wed Aug 20, 2025 11:52 am

Need to see it in action (could be modified fora steam stream)
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mannhein.png
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The real one gets a change of clothes from time to time
Installed at this very spot in 1618 or 1619, this world-famous statue is a major landmark of the city.
Its clothes are changed many times a week according to a schedule posted at the fountain. The costumes are on display on the Grand Place.
There are many legends and stories associated with the statue and several replicas of it can be found in many countries. Its female counterpart, Jeanneke Pis, was erected in 1987 on the east side of the Impasse de la Fidélité/Getrouwheidsgang.
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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by Allan » Wed Aug 20, 2025 8:41 pm

Not quite Frank. According to Wikipedia, the real one is in a museum in safe keeping. He had been stolen previously. The one the public sees in its usual place is a reproduction so that they do not loose the real one again. Perhaps spellcheck was being clairvoyant when it corrected pissing in my post and made it missing.

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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by AndreFordT » Thu Aug 21, 2025 2:28 am

He,
You have stollen Toon Boer's Manneke Pis.
Here is the original during one of the French Model T Concentrations.

Andre
Belgium ( The original land of Manneke Pis)
(There are two of them: The most known in Brussels and the other in Geeraardsbergen)
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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by dlmyers » Fri Aug 22, 2025 12:40 pm

I wonder how you activate the water stream?
The old forums are a gold mine of information.


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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by Gracie'sDad » Fri Aug 22, 2025 1:37 pm

Here's mine:
airplane cap.jpg


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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by John Codman » Fri Aug 22, 2025 1:54 pm

I really like the anemometer in the OP, but the only time that it would be on my T is when it is parked.


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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by John R. Heaman » Fri Aug 22, 2025 3:22 pm

Image.jpeg
Old time fiddle player.


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Re: Radiator Cap Ornament

Post by John R. Heaman » Fri Aug 22, 2025 3:38 pm

Image.jpeg
Another version of Manneken Pis.

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