Ford had a large pavilion at Oshkosh this year, with a contingent of Model Ts giving free rides to show-goers. Unfortunately, I never had my camera ready when one of several T-based Speedsters went “roaring” past, but I did get some good photos of the closer-to-stock cars in the parking area behind the booth.
I don’t know my “Brass Era” cars well enough to tell exactly which model this one is (perhaps someone will chime in in the comments). The owners were fun to talk with, and this was very much a family project, initiated by their high-school aged son, who bought it as a basket case.
Paul wrote up a CC on the Model T a while back, so I’ll let you read more on the history of the car there, only pausing here to point out two items on this particular car. First is the three pedal clutching/braking arrangement (which Paul describes in his article).
The second is the signature on the “dash” board:
Yes, that reads “Edsel B Ford Jr.” (I think!). He rode in this particular car at the show, so the owners asked him to sign, to which he happily obliged.
I wish I had had time in my schedule to take a ride, but there was too much to see and too little time… My family and I did ride in a T at Greenfield Village some years ago, and it was a real hoot.
So what are your experiences with the Model T? Anything interesting?
I was at Heritage Park (a mock village with historical buildings) in Calgary last week and they have several quasi-historical look trucks and buses that are vaguely Model T like but actually built on 70s or 80s Ford truck platforms. But they also had a real Model T Ford still performing work around the park. I managed to get a reasonably nice shot of it. Probably been worked over a time or two but still looks great.
I believe that the brass radiator Ts were phased out around 1914 and replaced with painted radiator shells. This was about the time that the production line system was really cranking up and several changes were made for faster production. One change this same time was the “any color you want as long as it is black.” Prior Ts were painted colors, but by 1914 or so, a particular kind of black enamel was the only kind of paint that would dry fast enough for the production process.
The last two or three years (1925 or so until 1927) came in colors and sported nickel plated radiator shells and other trim.
I saw a Model T touring car out on the street near my house earlier this summer. I really wanted to turn around and follow it, but had no time. The driver and passenger looked to be having a wonderful time.
The black enamel, produced by DuPont, was the first automotive paint that could be oven-dried, drastically shortening the painting process. I think it had something to do with carbon black being part of the chemistry. Maybe not.
Back to the pool-Wilford Brimley.
I don’t think that you’ve really had a ride in an old car until you’ve ridden in a Model T. Perhaps I should say on a Model T, because you sit way up on top of it. Any part that extends higher than your eye level is light, insubstantial stuff like top bows and windshield frames. I’ll never forget my ride in Bob Hagar’s 1916 T touring car, a nice restored piece that nevertheless bounced and rattled down the road in an almost puppy-dog-like manner.
Sometimes these things work without being more than a shell. I ran across this yesterday at Brookshire Brothers in Henderson Tx. Busy holding stuff and acting like a sign.
Rode in a real one though when I was about 16 years old. My boss had one that he drug out every now and then when the weather was nice. I didn’t know how the three pedals worked and didn’t care. My favorites had flathead v8’s or the new sbc sometimes. Probably backed up by a LaSalle transmission.
Wish I could combine the energy I had then with the experience I have now. I would have paid lots better attention.
Brain flatulence. Forgot to post the picture
Love that horn setup. This would be when the Model T had a zero volt electrical system. Take a good look at those actylene headlamps.
There’s something wonderful about a car where you can see every part and how they all work together.
I didn’t know you could ride in a T at Greenfield Village. Yet another compelling reason why The Henry Ford is on my must-see vacation list.
I got curious what Greenfield Village looked like, so I looked it up on Google Maps. Check out the soot on the pavement in and out of the Model T Loading Dock! You can see which end is the entrance and which is the exit.
Yes, Greenfield Village offers rides in T’s, but they’re the replicas built in 2002 for Ford’s centennial. They’re still quite authentic, but they cannot be sold or registered. They were patterned after a 1914 model. You can have a wedding at the Henry Ford, and lots of brides and grooms go for a ride in a T after the ceremony. Pretty cool, I must say.
I believe the pavement stains are oil drippings.
I’m not convinced that this is a fleet of replicas. The one we rode in was purportedly a 1924.
We also rode their steam engine train, and it being the last trip of the day, were treated to the engineer blowing down the boiler at the end of the ride. Cool!
My guess on that ‘soot’ is that it’s oil and grease drippings….
You may be right. On the Model A, there was no rear main seal, only an oil slinger that would throw oil back to the front of the engine. When you shut the car off it would piddle about a 6 inch pool of oil onto the ground. Nobody liked me parking mine in their paved driveways. Some aftermarket folks sold a diaper to strap under the back of the engine that would soak up the drips. I never bought one.
My grandfather bought a brand new 1927 Model TT truck. He traded two mules even for the Ford. I’m not sure that was such a good deal. The mules knew the way back from the grain mill about three miles away. He would ride back to the farm with my grandmother in their car, a Velie, a particularly appealing way to travel in brutally cold Illinois winters. The mules eventually would show up on their own.
When I was 11 I got to go for a ride in a beautifully restored 1924 Model T coupe. It was a lot of fun, and the owner told me all about the different levers and pedals, and how they operated. Very cool.
I loves me some T.
I might as well put in a plug for the maniacs at Old Kingsbury Aerodrome, In Kingsbury, East of San Antonio, TX. While the group’s main interest is restoring and flying pre-WWII aircraft, they also have a fleet of vintage vehicles, all in running condition: mostly model Ts, including three or four WWI ambulances, a speedster, a tow truck that resembles an early-20s version of Mater from Cars, a phaeton, and a few other bits and bobs. Another piece of exotica is a Nash Quad truck, perhaps the only one in running condition anywhere? Who knows.
They have public fly-drive in days twice a year, in May and November. Worth a look if one has the inclination. Pic from the May meet below.
I am a huge Model T fan. Loved seeing these pics. For those who are interested: Ford Model T: The Car That Put the World on Wheels by Lindsay Brooke is a wonderful book on the subject.
The local Model T club here in the Washington Area has a car that they bring to all the local car shows. The car begins unassembled, with all the parts laid out on the ground. Then they quickly demonstrate what it takes to build the car, driving it away at the very end, of course. I posted a video of it to YouTube last year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4hLeI6C_Gg
And I don’t have a Model T story of my own, but my grandfather (b. 1906) had one.
He said his first car, purchased some time in the late ’20s, was a second-hand T he purchased for $50 (not a small sum of money in those days). His first time driving it, he got it stuck up to its axles in mud on an unpaved road. Not having a way to tow it out of the mud, he just abandoned the car.
That was his story, anyway.
My grandmother (b. 1909, still living at 102) also learned to drive in a Model T, but unfortunately I don’t know of any stories – her memory is too spotty these days to ask her directly about something that long ago (or even five minutes ago, bless her heart!).
Great video – thanks for sharing!
I actually got to drive a 1923 Model T about 15 years ago – a member of our church owned it, along with a number of classic FoMoCo cars, including a beautiful hunter green ’41 Continental coupe. We drove it in the back 40 of his farm. The planetary transmission was quite different from the 4-speed automatic in the ’91 Volvo I had at the time. A truly memorable experience!