now my buddy surhsc has heard of a saying that goes, "4 to plow, 8 to gow"... but I think this car certainly falls into the realm of early gow-job enginuity... This picture is actually a small 1x2 inch snapshot my girlfriend picked up at a car show, she said it was hers, but I could have a scan.. (gotta love a girlfriend that is into cars as well! I ain't complaining!) so here ya go, we looked long and hard and could not find a date anywhere on the picture... it was purchased at a Lancaster, PA fleamarket fr a buck or so... Looks like it's a late production model T with the body removed, and replaced with a plywood? homemade body... are those leather door hinges and suicide doors?? the car retains stock running boards and running gear and ride height... but the motor looks like it might be an overhead valve cross flow (according to surhsc) but looking close, I think you may see the stock head boss for the top radiator hose, but not sure is this connection is retained with an overheadvalve conversion... given the clothing of the two guys, I'm guessing it's a 1930's vintage picture.. so what do you all think? anyone else with a similar early picture?? Hope you enjoyed...
it sure looks like a stock engine to me....the car was prolly rolled and wrecked the origional body...model t's were notorious for that cause of the crappy steering.
yea, maybe stock, although I don't know about your statement about crappy steering... on my brother's 1923 touring the steering is good, and any looseness in it is negligible as the car, even with ruckstel rear-end only goes about 45 miles an hour tops... haha...
yup 45 was about it for my 24 but if you ever run across a good size pothole the steering ratio is so bad it'll try to pull the wheel out of your hands...
the reason i thought it might be overhead is that im not seeing a carb? but i dont know much about T's so im not a good one to ask zach
Never had any problem steering my '12 T. The speedster in the photo is built on a 1921 or older chassis, you can tell by the forged running board brackets. The fact that the rims are not detachable tells ne this was a car that came without a started or generator, or is a pre 1919 chassis. Engine looks stock.
the version of that saying that I have heard is opposite "four for go, eight for show" had to have been EARLY in V8 production.
Looks like a "Prospecting Buggy" or a utility type rig for running in rough country. The leather straps show a wear pattern from an axe or pick.
Plywood speedster bodies were a big hotrod modification back then. Thin wood bodies weighed less than the originals and gave them some measure of aerodynamics. I've seen several ads from publications of the period selling plans and ready to run bodies of plywood or fabric/frame construction. Cool Pic!
I think another version of the saying is "8 for show, 4 for go". Bangers ruled pre-war and early post war hot rodding. Gow-Jobs.
You can still get the kits through Rootlieb! http://www.rootlieb.com/html_files/mt_spd_kit/mt_spd_kit.html
cool piccs jive... I wonder if anyone else has some vintage pics of the playwood type bodies... it's gotten my imagination goin...
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