Ok, so some of you may have seen my thread about the T speedster project I will be embarking upon in the next year... with the hope of having somthing moving for the summer of '08..at least that's the plan. But SuhrSC (zach) and I have been talking... I'm sure you all are aware of his 4 banger A and our fellow Flyers, Roger and his A 4-banger... as well as ME-OH's flat head roadster he is building... (I'm building a car with hopes to run with these guys) So, if I build this T with a T-4banger hopped up and a light speedster-esque body on a T frame with aux. tranny, etc... could it keep up with these slightly heavier and more powerful motors? How fast can these T-speedsters go if built with safety and speed in mind? my brother has a stock 23 touring, so I know how fast a stock t goes, but I'd be making quite a lighter car, 5-7 inches lower to the ground... so anyone out there have experience with the T's which are found in books like model t speed secrets and Model t ford in speed and Sport? I am looking to have this car with descent acceleration and reasonable top-end... i am not dissillusioned with the hope I might have a care that'll do 150 in 8 seconds.. what can I expect? Below is a picture of a car posted here on the HAMB that shows something similar to what I hope to achieve.... just to give you guys a metal picture....
A well dialed in, stripped down stock Model T will do in the 50's all day long, no problem. I have a stock 1912 touring car (original coils, timer, carburetor) with a balanced motor and well tuned cam that tours in the 55 range all day, up and down hill. With some speed equipment, a T can get into the 60s real easy. Make sure you have somesort of external brakes. Unless you live in a hilly area, you really don't need an auxillery transmission. Really, a T can perform neck and neck with a A all day long. I have both stock T and As and modifield T and As, and, at the end of the day, they are about the same.
im not sure the V8's can keep up with the 4's in this case.... i know where theres a fronty head for you
Thanks GZ, thats pretty interesting... I wonder if the t cams are easily enough to come by? Zach, you're always trying to bate me with all your leads... where do ya find all this stuff!?!
I have both. The T is the most fun around town and in the hills and a little faster than the A in the quarter mile. The T has a rajo, my A has a Lion flat head. On the hwy for any long distance driving I prefer the A. It just seems a little more stable and less prone to side winds. BUILD ONE OF EACH!
thanks Zach, you're always so supportive Levi, will do once it gets underway, I'm thinking it might be mid to late summer until I start it... just doing a lot of reading now and gathering of information, I don't like going into something blind...
Here's a bad pic of one from my youth 30 some yrs. ago. Currently being blown apart and freshened up. Engine builder is still around and his shop is run by a protogee? Used to build LOTS of the old race engines Riley,frontenac ,offy etc. Was nothing to see a dozen or more T engines lined up for assembly line type builds back in the day. Still a wealth of info,if your interested PM me and I'll get you a contact #. BTW there located near the PA line in eastern OH. The T speedster in the pic was stupid fast!
New T cams (high performance grind, known as the 280) are available from Bill Stipe in Wisconsin. Last one I bought was about 300.00
Model T's...went on a run with a bunch of hot v8's last summer, according to them my flat head T scooted down the road at around 70 (around corneres too).
Read your title, and the first thing that came to mind was, if the T ain't keepin' up with the A, then she must be runnin' backwards ( or have some really serious sag.......) sorry
Svenny... this too could be a problem that some must overcome... but to me it sounds like a model T can keep it up and fun with the model A.... now I just gotta get readin and workin and such... thanks all for your insight!
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