One century old this month

[jiminbartow]

One hundred years ago in March of 1926, My Model T coupe rolled off the assembly line. When it was 44 years old in 1970, 56 years ago I bought it for $600.00 and began restoring it when I was 16 completing it 2 years later when I was 18. I am now 72. Jim Patrick

[John kuehn]

Good job Jim! Do you know how many owners had it before you? Model T history is always interesting.

[jiminbartow]

One. I answered an ad in the Tampa Tribune in the Fall of 1970. When my Dad got home from work that day, he drove us the 20 miles from Brandon, Florida where I grew up, to Tampa and I bought it from an old man who was the original owner. He looked to be about 75, which would have made his birth year 1895, making him 31 when he bought the coupe new. I’d provide you with his name if I wasn’t too lazy to go upstairs and get the original title out of the file. My Dad was interested because he was born in February 1926. The old man didn’t take very good care of it. That time of year, it got dark early so I had to explore it by flashlight in his garage. Even though it was a rusted heap, it was complete and, for me, love at first sight. I still remember that delicious old car smell that permeated the garage. I bought it with my life savings of $600.00 cash which is all I had. The old man wanted $650.00 and Dad talked him down to $600.00. We went back the next morning, which was a Saturday, with a borrowed trailer and the old man’s yard was crowded with people interested in buying the old Coupe, which is good because with 4 hard flat tires, it took several strong men to push it out of the garage and up onto the trailer and without the old man who, with his 46 years of experience with the old coupe, who sat in the cab manipulating the clutch pedal and brake lever, nobody would have known how to get it into neutral. Had we not gone the day before, I would not have come away with it. For the next 2 years, my coupe dominated my life as nothing else could. Every spare moment I had from 1970 to 1972 and every dollar I made bagging groceries after school went into my coupe. I graduated from high school in 1972 with a C- average which I attribute to my Model T and my neglect of my schoolwork in favor of working on my wonderful coupe. That Model T taught me more about perseverance and determination than anything formal education could teach me. I completed my T in October, 1972 just one month before going into the Marines in November, 1972 for the next 4 years. After the Marines, I went to college on the GI Bill and got on the Dean’s list several time which my sweet Mother commented (in regards to my C- average)… “I always knew you weren’t stupid”. LOL!

[Art M]

That is an interesting story. I wish I had the background of my 1923 touring. The day my car turned 100 years old, I drove it 107 miles. I enjoyed every mile of it. About 20 miles of it were with members of my local club.

I recommend that you do the same if you can.

Art Mirtes

[Allan]

Well done Jim. That is a great story. Having production figures for US T models makes dating them relatively easy, unlike my experience with Henrietta, my barn find tourer buckboard.
From registration records she is also 100 years old in late Feb early March 1926. I too, am the second registered owner after the Webb family, who held her until 2017. However, when fitting new tyres I discovered that four of the loose lug rims were dated Feb 1925. It must have taken almost a year for the chassis to be shipped from Canada to Australia, then to have Duncan and Fraser build the body under contract to Ford, have that body shipped interstate to Victoria for assembly on the chassis and then have the completed car shipped back to South Australia for eventual sale in early 1926! So perhaps she is 101.

Allan from down under.

[jiminbartow]

Thank you for your responses. There should be a lot of 1926 and 1927 T’s celebrating reaching the century mark this year and next year. I’m sure Henry would be surprised at how far his Model T’s have come. They were not designed to last this long and with all wars and scrap drives, Boyd Coddington, and teenage hot rod craze of the 50’s and 60’s that have occurred since the last T’s rolled off the assembly line, I’m grateful so many survived.

[Allan]

For all who are interested, the next National Model T rally in Australia will be held in October 2027. In recognition of the fact that every vehicle on the rally will be 100 years old or more, The rally is called "T's in heaven in '27." We have a week long series of activities in the planning, and at the conclusion, participants will be able to do the iconic "Bay to Birdwood run for veteran, vintage and classic cars. Let me know if any of yu are interested in attending and I will send details.

Allan from down under.

[Smithlog]

That’s an incredible story, Jim. A full century for the car and over five decades with the same owner, thanks for sharing a piece of Model T history.

[jiminbartow]

In those 56 years it has only been in the rain one time in 1982 when we got caught in a heavy rain storm during a long 50 mile drive from my apartment in Lakeland to my hometown of Brandon, Florida. It was harrowing when, in rush hour traffic, all the windows fogged up. When operating the windshield wiper crank and the throttle and spark advance levers, it is almost impossible to wipe off the condensation from the windshield. When I got home I had to drill several 1/4” drain holes across the bottom of the doors at the lowest point to drain the water out. There was so much rain, I could hear it sloshing in the doors on the way back home. After that, I always checked the weather to make sure there was no possibility of rain before taking her out for a drive. Only ever been hand washed with soapy water and hand rinsed with clean water so no more water would get down in the doors.