My 1919 Model T

Man, I bet you can fix just about anything on that car with just a basic set of hand tools.

And yeah, I probably should drive a Model T sometime in my life.

In reply to Colin Wood :

They even included the tools:

This is so fascinating. Thank you for sharing the adjustment process. I'll never ever need to know it, but it's amazing to see.

ShawnG said:

In reply to Appleseed :

Yes.

I berkeleying love seeing stuff like this.

Glad you folks are enjoying this.

I love playing with early cars because every company was trying something different and it's interesting to see all the different ideas people had.

Unfortunately I'm priced right out of my favourite brand (Packard) but I love early Fords too and there's no cheaper way to enjoy a vintage car than getting a Model T or Model A. Driving one will put a smile on anyone's face.

In reply to Carl Heideman :

Looking at that track roadster, I seem to recall that it was in The Rodder's Journal some years back. Maybe even on the cover.

iansane said:

This is so fascinating. Thank you for sharing the adjustment process. I'll never ever need to know it, but it's amazing to see.

ShawnG said:

In reply to Appleseed :

Yes.

I berkeleying love seeing stuff like this.

Looks like a detonator or maybe a Morse code device.

I sent my son in law a replacement electronic ignition for his T, it fits inside something and doesn't show. He says it made all the difference as he could not keep the points coils working properly, now it starts easier and always runs on all four.

ShawnG said:

In reply to Carl Heideman :

Looking at that track roadster, I seem to recall that it was in The Rodder's Journal some years back. Maybe even on the cover.

I wanna say it was built by Lil John Buttera (sp?)

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

That's incredibly awesome.

Lil' John is the guy who started the billet parts craze by machining stuff in his own basement.

He's also the last independent to qualify at Indy, early 80's I think. He built his own car, powered by a SBC. Then hired a driver.

In reply to ShawnG :

The track roadster was built mainly by Ron Covell for Dave Cayer in 1980-81. Starting in 1982, it was in many magazines, including being named one of the top 10 street rods by Hot Rod in December 1982. The car was designed by Don Varner, who won the Oakland Roadster show with a car he designed and Ron built just after this car. The interior was done at Boyd Coddington's shop by Vic Kitchens, and Squeege Jerger did the paint. I don't think it was ever in Rodder's Journal, but it was on the cover of Rodder's World. It's driveable, but much more a show car. I'm not really a show car person, but Ron Covell has been a friend of mine for many years. He bought the car from Dave Cayer's widow about 15 years ago and decided it was time to move it on, so I'm the next caretaker mainly because of my connection to Ron and I think it's one of the best looking track roadsters ever built.

I don't think Lil' John had a connection to the car (he did hang around Boyd's a lot back then), but it's an interesting piece of street rod history as it had a very traditional midget/sprint car inspired nose, but then got high-tech for the times. It had one of the first sets of billet windshield posts and mirrors out there. I understand Dave Cayer machined those himself. It also had an LED digital dashboard, completely custom built. The dash stopped working so Ron put conventional gauges in the car, but I still have it. Ron also gave me several original drawings, plans, and sketches with the car. Very cool and probably more than you guys wanted to read...

In reply to Carl Heideman :

That's very cool too.

Ron Covell is incredibly talented. I've seen him on TV before and in some of Miller's instructional videos.

ShawnG said:

I have a client with a 1908 Model S and two of his coils need a rebuild. They're completely different from a T coil but work on the same principle. 

Please post pictures of the Model S!

I have a couple of Ns. Here's a picture of the one that runs teaching a new generation about really old cars.  It's 5hp less than a T but feels way faster due to lighter weight and vulnerable seating position.

I hope I'm not highjacking this thread. The other forums about early Fords aren't very good and Shawn has already posted better stuff than hundreds of pages on the other ones, so I thought I'd add to it.

Not hijacking at all.

I'll get some pics of the S next time I'm out there working on it. We purchased it from the Den Hartough auction in The Netherlands in 2018. 

In reply to Carl Heideman :

Ron Covell is the E36 M3. Such an amazingly talented guy. I remember reading his articles in Street Rodder almost 30 years ago. 

That track roadster is beautiful. 

It's a long, long way to go but I was completely blown away at this place:

https://www.transportworld.co.nz/invercargill-things-to-do/henry-ford-letter-cars/

R

In reply to RichardNZ :

Wow, they have a Model K. Those were only made for a year or two. Very expensive luxury car that flopped.

We got outbid on one at that auction. Went for six figures.

Woody (Forum Supportum) said:

In reply to Carl Heideman :

Ron Covell is the E36 M3. Such an amazingly talented guy. I remember reading his articles in Street Rodder almost 30 years ago. 

He's also a GRM subscriber.

In reply to Carl Heideman :

This is going to end up like The H.A.M.B. where everyone was trying to figure out which member was Jay Leno.

In reply to Carl Heideman :

Would you happen to know anyone with some 1908 Model S coils they would be willing to part with?

I had a friend at Hershey looking for them but no luck.

They're Ford part number 1521

In reply to ShawnG :

Regarding the Model S coils, I don't know of any for sale. I think you've figured out it's pretty hard to find a bunch of these parts, plus many NRS Fords have modified Model T parts on them that people think are correct NRS parts. I've had the best luck working with the Early Ford Registry and some members, especially Glenn Rand in Ohio. He used to be at Hershey every year, but I haven't seen him for awhile. I haven't done much with this group for the past few years and I'm afraid a number of them aren't with us any more.

Anyway, the EFR does have a forum with buy/sell:

https://earlyfordregistry.com/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=4

And I highly recommend this self-published book with a lot of pictures and history for NRS and other early Fords.

Pate’s Early Ford Automobile Encyclopedia
Carlton O. Pate III, 26 Washington Street, Rocky Hill, NJ 08553
earlyfordcars.info

Unfortunately, Carlton passed away in June 2024, so I don't know if the book is still available from his estate.

In reply to Carl Heideman :

My client wants me to swap in a T coil box but I'm trying to steer him away from that.

Thanks very much for the information. 

Old cars are awesome.

New (used) coils showed up and it's running on 4 cylinders now.

So I drove to town...

Even made it home!

Left rear wheel is really bad. They all need to be rebuilt but that one is really loose.

In reply to ShawnG :

I knew you'd be using that as a daily!  This thread is awesome.