Rocky Mountain Brakes were a common aftermarket upgrade for Model Ts. You might want to take a look at some photos of them and maybe you can fabricate something similar. They used external shoes around a rear drum.
Rocky Mountain Brakes were a common aftermarket upgrade for Model Ts. You might want to take a look at some photos of them and maybe you can fabricate something similar. They used external shoes around a rear drum.
In reply to Woody:
Over at the model T camp they speak highly of the Rocky Mountain Brake upgrade. The thought never occurred to me to see what that was all about. Anyway, looks like an impressive bit of kit. Probably cost ten dollars and fiddy cent when new
This morning I enlisted the help from two neighbors to get the engine back in to the T. We figure the engine weighs about 150 lbs. It was a bit awkward but relatively easy to slip the engine back into the chassis. probably took a grand total of 10 min of actual work. It took another hour or so to bolt everything up and get the car road ready.
A gob of grease will keep the driveshaft happy for a long time.
the parking brake was re-connected and appears to work great!
a squirt of oil on the brake lever got the rusty bits moving again.
back together and ready for a death ride.
The little Honda engine propels the 88 year old T down the road with ease. On the flats it will hit just over 15 MPH! The engine loads down but manages to climb hills and so far the T passes all the requirements for neighborhood beater truck.
throughout the day several 10 cent rides were given. This car will put a smile on your face and that's all that matters...
Some color photos...
Plywood floor... because safety first!
A shot of how the front wishbone ties into the oil pan.
Awesome, 1/18 the displacement and it still performs half as good. It looks to me like a small disc brake could be mounted on the go kart axle where the "floor" currently resides if you put a stock configuration angled floor in.
Have you repacked the wheel bearings and serviced the rear axle yet? Might be a mph or two hiding in there.
Hi 'ya Kenny,
I think your right, After driving this car around today, a go kart brake with a foot peddle would probably be fine. The parking brake seems to work great for now but it's awkward and non intuitive. Anyway, I think I read somewhere that the parking brakes are not recommended to stop the car..I'm not sure why. On the other hand the Rocky Mountain type brakes look like they will stop a freight train and may be way too much stopping power. If the car were to be made street legal then the big brakes would of course be necessary.
I'm releasing the car to the owner tomorrow. He is going to put in the correct height floors and play with the car for a bit. We'll see if he can live without reverse. If it comes down to it and he absolutely needs reverse then I'm going to suggest a slightly bigger motor as well. The 5.5 is fine but moar power doesn't hurt. I reckon at some point I'll need to deal with the brakes again.
The Rocky Mountain Brakes were considered mandatory if you added a Ruxstell two speed rear to your T ("Four Speeds for Fords"). If you ever got caught in Ruxstell neutral, the stock T driveshaft brake wouldn't do a thing.
annnnd it's gone.......
The owner drove the T home this morning...he was a bit apprehensive but as soon as he settled down in the drivers' seat... the unavoidable smile happened.
I had hoped to shoot a walk around video and a road test but time wasn't on my side . I do however have a short clip a neighbor shot when she heard the ruckus outside. It's a short video but captures all the necessary elements. The video begins with the T backing up.... but as we know...reverse is not possible... Yes my friends, gravity... it's a law of nature and I used it to my advantage... its hard to tell but the T is actually rolling backwards down a hill....
Without further ado, I present the only known video of a full-scale Model T go-kart. enjoy!
Very cool machine. Now I want a Model T!
In reply to VWguyBruce:
I got that empty nest feeling in less than 48hrs... so I took a quick look at craigslist......
Hmmmm... perhaps a V-twin Honda powered project?
Really awesome send-off video!
You could really piss off Henry Ford's memory and put a rotary engine in.
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