A new addition is coming. I'm a movie guy. Two cars stand out to me as actual characters in the movies they were in. It can be debated that in a sense, these cars stole the show. #1, The "Thunder Road" '50 Ford #2 The "It Happened One Night" 1926 Model T Touring I have wanted a Model T. To me it's a fascinating car. Why in the world would a "hotrodder" want such a thing? The answer is simple for me, it's the first. Yeah, I know it's not the first car but the Model T undoubtably is the first Jalopy. This is going to be fun.
Congratulations! Nice solid T to start with, you will enjoy the 26-27 T history. If you study things closely you will find that Ford redesigned a large amount of parts over their production run. There are "Early" and "Late" Windshield posts, doors, door sills, rear crossmembers, dash boards to name a few. Look forward to following your T project. Bob
Congrats! That's a deep rabbit hole, with driving, maintenance, history, parts and upgrades all having one hundred years of knowledge. Books, websites, videos, catalogs, just a ton of media to go through. Please take us along on the journey of discovery and ownership.
My dad had a 17 Model T touring car he restored back to mostly original; as third owner of the car. Added a water pump and rocky mountain rear brakes, as well as later Model T electric starter. It was neat and could drive around town just fine. Limited to about 35 mph, maybe a little more but the higher rpms were hard on the unbalanced crank and babbit bearings. I drove it, not that hard to do, just different. After he had a stroke and couldn't drive it, I helped get it sold so another person could have fun with it. Me being a hot rodder, a real nice original stock Model T was something best to pass on to another Model T enthusiast.
They're neat cars. I had one a few years ago, took it all apart and put it back together again. Fun experience that everyone should have. In less than ten years, the movie will be 100 years old! wow
There's currently a Model T Roadster for sale (NotMine) on craigstlist Central NJ 1919 Ford Model T Roadster - antiques - by owner - collectibles sale - craigslist
Nice! Reminds me of the story of the 400MPH Model T block.................... a Pan Am pilot had it in the cockpit as additional luggage.
The T is home. It looks like a pretty impressive hot rod with the hood off. My brother and I talked of how the “stock” T will eat all the Mustangs and Chargers we saw collective lunches. A stock T doing drifts, power slides and epic burnout. Smell that?.... Yep..... It’s Hickory!!!! It’s all in fun. We got behind several Amish wagons on the way home. One of those little Amish girls was pointing to that T. We have Minonites (they drive cars) around here but not Amish with horse drawn vehicles. It was a blast.
While on Tour in our 1912 T in Pennsylvania we got a flat on the left rear. Jacked up the rear and an Amish buggy went by. Got the tube out, applied the patch, stuffed it back in pumped it up and continued on our way. Ought up with the buggy and passed him. Felt like a very early NASCAR pit stop. You'll enjoy your T. Bob
I've owned a '24 Tudor for 32 years now. Fun to play with easy driver Always feel like a celebrity when folks gawk, stare and wave . Lately though my health hinders my activity.
T Model Fords are cool. Even though we all enjoy different brands, we all owe a debt of gratitude to Henry Ford for the T. There is a small but very neat Model T Museum in Richmond Indiana. The T is where it all got started.
Thought of something from back with my dad's Model T. Everyone you drove by, and that is everyone from little kids to very old, would wave and smile. The Model T just makes people happy. Model T was a vast improvement over horse and buggy. But the technical advances in the 20s-30s made vehicles so much better. But the Model T is what enabled the majority of people to become motorized transportation.
I think we all like them, I'm sure you have a grin on your face that a side-grinder wouldn't remove! HRP
^^^ Very wise words. As always your comments are simple, to the point and true. In having this car in less than 24 hrs I realize a bunch of things. Mainly it’s perspective and learning new things. This is one big thing I have learned so far. We tend to look backwards from where we are now or even from the 1960s. With a Model T, the look is forward. You can learn so much from this. If you understand the Model T, it helps you understand all that follow. There’s a lot to learn and much of it is surprising.
It's really fun when the steering gear gets worn enough that you can flip the linkage around, and steer backwards!
I’m going very very slow to wake this old girl up. Things I do know. It has ran recently. It has compression. Lights work. Horn works. The starter will not crank the engine. After tightening the finger tight starter connection, it would very slowly crank the engine and stop. I checked the hand crank and it seemed jammed. Keep in mind I’m being very careful and I’m not forcing anything. Piddling with it, it turned. I disconnected the battery and removed the Bendix cap. My main concern was improper installation with damage. It all looks good. I suspect a weak battery. I had to check that bendix first just to make sure. I feel I can proceed with a hot battery.
Have you invested in an owners manual? Have you sent for a Lang's parts catalog ( they are HAMB Members)? Jack up the rear axle and place two jack stand under the axle. Play around with the hand brake and discover where neutral really is. Am I correct it thinking you have never driven a T? They all have a different feel, and you need to get familiar with things.
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