Projects 1914 3 door touring Model T

Hey everyone!! I am new here. I just bought a 1914 3 door touring model T in Texas. I would like some ideas on building a really cool hot rod. I would like to modify the body to a two seater, possibly make two T buckets out of one? Any ideas will be much appreciated.

 

Good idea would be to post some pictures.

 

Do a search on the board right now. There are a couple of "T" projects going. Are you aiming for a T-Bucket, or more of a Gow Job kinda build?

 

I would like to do a T bucket!! I am open to suggestions and ideas though..

 

Pics would be great. If the parts are in good shape it might be a good idea to sell or trade them for a later T. Br*** era t parts are pretty rare and might be worth a lot more to a restorer.

 

Looking at that pic I think it is a bit later than 1914.

 

this is a pic of the body.

 

Hmmm... I was told 14

 

later then '14, I'd build a touring out of it with fenders and everything.

 

I could be wrong. I thought Ts had gas lights in '14. Maybe someone else here has better information than I do. Looks like a good solid car to start with.

 

I was thinking that would be pretty cool too!

 

1914 & earlier T's had a flat wood firewall (no cowl)
1915-16 T's had a short low cowl, wood firewall, and hood former for the half-octagon hood
1917-22 T's had a short low cowl and wood firewall
early 1923's had a short low cowl and steel firewall
late 1923's - 25's had short tall cowl and steel firewall

Yours looks like a low cowl, steel firewall car, so I'd say it's an early '23 (or a 17-22 with a steel firewall added). Can you post up a pic of the back of the body? Tourings used 5 piece rear panels until 1921, afterwards they were 3 piece.

 

That looks '23ish. It's NOT a 3 door, it's a TOURING. It would be cooler, in my opinion, to keep it a TOURING. Lose the fenders to a restorer, channel it about 2", make it a T Bucket with leg room and room for your friends or ****. Make a nice "Surf Rodster". Yea, I just made that up...... "Surf Rodster". I like that.

 

Yep.

 

Yeah... They told you wrong but that's still a solid looking T touring car.
Candy Barr up there (with her ***s hanging out) has a great plan for you/that car. Surf Rodster- like a T Bucket only more.

 

'23 would have been the first of the high cowl cars running through '25. I am thinking '17 -'22 with '20 '22 being my best guess. I have a thread running here on full fendered "T"s, so you might check that out before you do the T-Bucket deal. Other wise, my other thread "The Bucket of Ugly will consume vast amounts of time, but it has been a 11 month long discussion on mostly early sixties era T-Buckets and what makes them what they are. Lot's of photos posted and tons of ideas from everybody that is into these things here. Dig in!

There is also a thread running right now by An Aussie or New Zealander who's name I just can't think of about building his '22 touring in the style of a late forties Hot Rod Magazine car built by Red Haynes, I believe. A bit of searching will bring that up, and he was in replacing body wood with steel last time I looked - and you are gonna need that!

Got to mention Steel Rebel's low cowl touring front half bucket too! He'll be along any minute now!

Another to look for on searches is a bucket built by Thunderbirdesq and his buddy Turkey Jerk about five or six years ago. Lots of good tech on that one for a fifties style 'bucket, which the premium starting point was the front half of a low cowl touring. Just what you have! Matter of fact, the two seminal original T-Buckets Ivo's and Grabowski's started with exactly what you have!

A recent clone of Grabowski's car.
Turkey Jerk's car
Steel Rebel's touring front half from here on the H.A.M.B.
A T-Bucket touring by a Northwestern builder who's last name is Freund, but who's first name I can't think of to save my life right now...

 

Oh, and that '40 style touring that the other build here is loosely following

 

Sorta...high cowls didn't come on line until late summer of '23. Most factory literature cl***ifies these as 1924 models.

It's a moot point though; looking at it closer, it's got the brackets for the two-man top so it was made no later than September-ish 1922. A pic of the back would narrow it down further.

 

This is a 1917-22 T Touring car, note the location of the hole for the wire loom under the area were the wire junction block mounts, it is also ironed for a Two Man top.Bob

 

Either way....awesome project!!!!

 

Looks like solid sheet metal.

 

Thanks everyone for your input!! I am a traveling wind turbine, blade tech (former prototype, show car builder) from Detroit. I have a lot of experience and the talent to build the car...... Time is my only obstacle the car is in Texas (I found it while on the road) and I need to get it back to Michigan.

 

Call Mr. Ben D from here on the H.A.M.B.! He has hauled stuff for me on several occasions and is great!

 

Here's what it looked like new..

 

These would be cool..

 

I'm with Chip on this one, build it as a tub. The Hynes '25 is a hot rod worth emulating.

 

I agree with R.Fink here. A low slung fendered tub would be pretty slick.

Another option is to loose the back seat and make a lakester out of it, I know done to death but a well build lakester just never goes out of style.

 

Honestly, that would be my first inclination too! Not often you find a car complete with fenders ad all these days that could easily be built as full fendered. Hell, my wall of "T" stuff is a ten year collection to get the touring I have that complete.

 

Take your time and get the right parts. Read and memorize Chip's (Need Louvers) T Deuglifing thread. The possibilities are limitless. The possibilities of ugly are great. Do your '50s-'60s homework.
Anyway good find. Almost be a shame to just use the front part and discard all the rest. It would be great to see another full fendered tub. Haven't seen one in a long time. That's not really true my friend has a nice '26-'27.
Gary

 

Look at the three slats in the back seat, they look like steel, I've never noticed steel spring backers on a T.Bob