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98C’s has some Company

Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 4:55 pm
by cessna170bdriver
This is 98C’s little (but significantly older) brother. They won’t be living together full time; I was just seeing if they were compatible. It’s a 1925 Model T Ford Express Wagon I picked up in Illinois yesterday. I wanted something less commonplace than a golf cart on which to get around the airport, and I think this fulfills that desire nicely.
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Re: 98C’s has some Company

Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 6:19 pm
by GAHorn
HA! Does it have the same PULL-STARTER? :lol: (oh…wait…it’s probably not “original” … and the T-model had a hand-crank.). :mrgreen:

Watch-out for those brakes..they ain’t too good!
Your airport looks pretty level so you likely won’t make the same mistake my Mom made when she drove one in Lompoc California….. going down-hill she made the mistake of trying to down-shift…missed the shift… ground the gears….and the old Ford took-off building-up speed waay-beyond its design… almost wrecked…but she found a freshly-plowed field and steered into that to come to a stop. :lol: (Jamies Mom was riding with her and said she was certain they were both gonna die!”)

Re: 98C’s has some Company

Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 6:47 pm
by hilltop170
That is cool Miles!

Just be careful not to “throw your back out” cranking on it!

Re: 98C’s has some Company

Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 7:36 pm
by cessna170bdriver
GAHorn wrote:HA! Does it have the same PULL-STARTER? :lol: (oh…wait…it’s probably not “original” … and the T-model had a hand-crank.). :mrgreen:

Watch-out for those brakes..they ain’t too good!
Your airport looks pretty level so you likely won’t make the same mistake my Mom made when she drove one in Lompoc California….. going down-hill she made the mistake of trying to down-shift…missed the shift… ground the gears….and the old Ford took-off building-up speed waay-beyond its design… almost wrecked…but she found a freshly-plowed field and steered into that to come to a stop. :lol: (Jamies Mom was riding with her and said she was certain they were both gonna die!”)
George, your mom must have been in a Model A or some other vehicle with a more conventional transmission. The Model T has a 2-speed planetary transmission, the bands of which are controlled by foot pedals; no sliding gears to crash and no way to miss a shift. Clutch pedal all the way down is low, and fully releasing that pedal shifts to high, with neutral somewhere in the middle. There is a hand lever that, when placed in its middle position, holds the clutch pedal in neutral for starting. There’s a separate pedal for reverse.

Also, all Model Ts did have a hand crank, but all of them from 1919 on also had electric starters. I haven’t quite hit on the right combination for a quick cold start, so I’m glad mine has the electric commencer. I’ve used the hand crank twice when it was warm, and it started on the first pull both times. You just have to remember to fully retard the spark for starting!

You are very correct about the brakes; the best advice I’ve been given so far about driving a model T is to drive it like it doesn’t have any brakes. The service brake pedal operates a band in the transmission that just grabs the output shaft. 8O One experienced Model T guy told me it takes about 800 feet to stop from 35 miles an hour, which is about top speed on level ground with no wind.

Re: 98C’s has some Company

Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 7:45 pm
by GAHorn
Yes, I gave the short-version of the story…You busted me! (and tells us your expertise and knowlege of old Fords) :wink: . it was my Uncle Vance’s 1928 A-model. LOL

Re: 98C’s has some Company

Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 7:48 pm
by cessna170bdriver
GAHorn wrote:Yes, I gave the short-version of the story…You busted me! (and tells us your expertise and knowlege of old Fords) :wink: . it was my Uncle Vance’s 1928 A-model. LOL
I’m definitely NOT an expert, but I have been drinking through a firehose lately while learning about them.

Re: 98C’s has some Company

Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2021 4:35 pm
by daedaluscan
What fun! I have always wanted to own a model T.

Re: 98C’s has some Company

Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2021 3:57 am
by cessna170bdriver
daedaluscan wrote:What fun! I have always wanted to own a model T.
Ford built over 15 million of them and there are still a LOT of them out there, so they’re not hard to find.

Re: 98C’s has some Company

Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2021 2:46 pm
by daedaluscan
I know it, but I have way too many projects already, and too little time:)

Re: 98C’s has some Company

Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2021 3:35 pm
by cessna170bdriver
daedaluscan wrote:I know it, but I have way too many projects already, and too little time:)
Good for you Charlie for knowing when to stop. I bought the express wagon just as I was ramping back up on my RV-7 build. Then, a friend sends me an ad for a Cabin Waco in Kenticky… :lol: