Missed the turn
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- Posts: 4249
- Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 3:13 pm
- First Name: Wayne
- Last Name: Sheldon
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1915 Runabout 1913 Speedster
- Location: Grass Valley California, USA
- Board Member Since: 2005
Re: Missed the turn
Number fourteen, the wire wheeled touring car. Another wire wheeled factory body model T? What are you trying to do? Change my opinion of wire wheels on Ts?
Just kidding.
A couple other things I find interesting about that car. It is probably a 1919 or 1920, with clear lenses in the headlamps, and no sign of oil sidelamp brackets? It has nice seat covers on it. I am amazed at how many era photos I have seen with very similar seat covers! Nicely shaped and fitting with beaded seams in a contrasting bead from what appears to be a light canvas material. I probably have about a dozen era photos showing similar nice seat covers on mid 1910s to early 1920s open model Ts. Almost as many seat cover photos as wire wheeled Ts you have added.
I almost forgot to mention the odd radiator cap. Not a dogbone or wings. But a flat top like it is meant for a Motometer? But no Motometer.
Thank you again!
Just kidding.
A couple other things I find interesting about that car. It is probably a 1919 or 1920, with clear lenses in the headlamps, and no sign of oil sidelamp brackets? It has nice seat covers on it. I am amazed at how many era photos I have seen with very similar seat covers! Nicely shaped and fitting with beaded seams in a contrasting bead from what appears to be a light canvas material. I probably have about a dozen era photos showing similar nice seat covers on mid 1910s to early 1920s open model Ts. Almost as many seat cover photos as wire wheeled Ts you have added.
I almost forgot to mention the odd radiator cap. Not a dogbone or wings. But a flat top like it is meant for a Motometer? But no Motometer.
Thank you again!
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- Posts: 4249
- Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 3:13 pm
- First Name: Wayne
- Last Name: Sheldon
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1915 Runabout 1913 Speedster
- Location: Grass Valley California, USA
- Board Member Since: 2005
Re: Missed the turn
The wire wheeled T touring gets even more interesting.
I had left the photo up in another tab to look at while commenting earlier, so went back to that tab and looked it over again. Noticed something.
It is definitely a 1919. When I zoomed way in, I could make out the year on what may be an Oregon license plate. I could only see part of the state abbreviation, but on the nearer edge, I could clearly see the "1919"! Then I noticed something else. The car has an "over-the-axle wishbone!
It is difficult to see. However, the parts of the wishbone that can be seen (some through the spokes of the wire wheel!) show it coming in high towards the axle. Not through the wheel, hiding in the cluster of tie rods, drag links, speedometer drive, hand crank etc etc etc, there is no wishbone down where it would have to be in order meet the bottom of the axle. The wishbone must be hiding in that bunch of stuff surrounding the area above and behind the axle.
The optional starter generator, or "electrical package", did not become available on open model Ts until almost spring of 1919.
Ford moved the wishbone to below the axle after the TT truck hit the market, largely due to the fear of the weaker front end not being safe enough even at the lower speeds of the truck because of the heavy loads they were expected to carry. That reasoning, also was why the TTs got the below axle wishbones before did the cars. The leftover over axle wishbones were used up on cars during 1919, with nearly all production getting the under axle wishbone well before the end of the model year.
So, assuming (love/hate that word, especially on a car with several obvious accessories or "changes") that nothing was changed? This car must have been manufactured in that narrow window of time between the beginning of the electrical option and the ending of the over axle wishbone!
Another observation making it a 1919, and likely not a car which had oil sidelamps removed. That was actually done fairly often by people at the time that wanted to put on airs and make people that see them driving down the street think they had a starter car! In 1919, TT trucks and non-starter open cars got the combination horn/light switch as used in 1918! This car clearly has the slimmer horn only button as first used during 1919 model year.
Very few 1917/'18/'19 model Ts are properly restored. There are so many little details unique to narrow timeframes during those years.
The model T Ford. Ultimate icon of mass production! Fifteen million cars all alike! And often I would swear there were no two exactly alike!
I had left the photo up in another tab to look at while commenting earlier, so went back to that tab and looked it over again. Noticed something.
It is definitely a 1919. When I zoomed way in, I could make out the year on what may be an Oregon license plate. I could only see part of the state abbreviation, but on the nearer edge, I could clearly see the "1919"! Then I noticed something else. The car has an "over-the-axle wishbone!
It is difficult to see. However, the parts of the wishbone that can be seen (some through the spokes of the wire wheel!) show it coming in high towards the axle. Not through the wheel, hiding in the cluster of tie rods, drag links, speedometer drive, hand crank etc etc etc, there is no wishbone down where it would have to be in order meet the bottom of the axle. The wishbone must be hiding in that bunch of stuff surrounding the area above and behind the axle.
The optional starter generator, or "electrical package", did not become available on open model Ts until almost spring of 1919.
Ford moved the wishbone to below the axle after the TT truck hit the market, largely due to the fear of the weaker front end not being safe enough even at the lower speeds of the truck because of the heavy loads they were expected to carry. That reasoning, also was why the TTs got the below axle wishbones before did the cars. The leftover over axle wishbones were used up on cars during 1919, with nearly all production getting the under axle wishbone well before the end of the model year.
So, assuming (love/hate that word, especially on a car with several obvious accessories or "changes") that nothing was changed? This car must have been manufactured in that narrow window of time between the beginning of the electrical option and the ending of the over axle wishbone!
Another observation making it a 1919, and likely not a car which had oil sidelamps removed. That was actually done fairly often by people at the time that wanted to put on airs and make people that see them driving down the street think they had a starter car! In 1919, TT trucks and non-starter open cars got the combination horn/light switch as used in 1918! This car clearly has the slimmer horn only button as first used during 1919 model year.
Very few 1917/'18/'19 model Ts are properly restored. There are so many little details unique to narrow timeframes during those years.
The model T Ford. Ultimate icon of mass production! Fifteen million cars all alike! And often I would swear there were no two exactly alike!
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- Posts: 1102
- Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2019 5:32 am
- First Name: Leo
- Last Name: van Stirum
- * REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1923 Huckster, '66 CJ5 daily driver
- Location: Netherlands
- Board Member Since: 2016
Re: Missed the turn
Might have missed the turn, but found the field 

When in trouble, do not fear, blame the second engineer ! 
Leo van Stirum, Netherlands
'23 Huckster, '66 CJ5 daily driver

Leo van Stirum, Netherlands
'23 Huckster, '66 CJ5 daily driver