The Harvest of the 1921 Canadian Model T is complete.
Let's do a quick run down:
Total invested in this scrap car was $500 which included the cost of the car, trailer rental and gas to and from Brockville, Ontario.
The first major piece taken from the 21 T was the transmission cover. I personally have not found a company that will sell this piece reproduced. The average price for this item I have seen used not restored is $450.00
The next major part I was able to take out of the 21 T was the ball thrust collar, roller bearing housing/sleeve and the drive gear. These parts are in great shape. Oil has been sealed within the housing for years so everything is in perfect usable condition. Priced out new for these parts is about $350.
Below is picture a battery box. The 1914 Model T did not come with battery it was powered by a generator. I have chosen to add a battery to my finished Model T. This choice came down to reliability. The old school generators can't handle the modern improvements I plan to make under the hood ie electric starter and fuel/water pump. I don't want to work for two or three years to have a car that doesn't start when I want it to. By making some modern improvements I can ensure that I will have a reliable classic car. To me it's simple, as long as I'm using the engine that came off the Ford line in 1913 who cares how it starts. The value of this part is $80.
The below pictures are the rest of the drive shaft and rear axle. Estimated value on these items is about $300 total. Despite the lime/rust on the outside, the inside parts have been filled with oil. All the drive gears/shaft are in perfect working order. The Model T was famous for the rear axle breaking, so keeping this as a spare is a smart idea.
The below pictures are the various stages of the rear shackles I took from the 21 T. These shackles attach the leaf spring to the rear axle. These shackles new are $124 for the pair. After I removed the shackles from the 21 T, I soaked them in pure vinegar for 72 hours. Every 24 hours I would take them out and scrub them with a toothbrush. The acid in the vinegar just eat the rust away it's incredible as you can see from the below pictures:
In the below picture, the above shackle was scrubbed and the below shackle was how they looked when I took them off the car.
After 72 hours:
The finished product! Painted and ready to go. I am missing one castle nut, but no big deal they cost $0.65 each.
Below are just pictures of the transmission nuts and bolts that I managed to take off. I did the same vinegar process with them. The value of these nuts/bolts I would include in the transmission cover.
It's a bit tedious, but its pretty cool to see hundred year old metal come clean like new (more or less).
I was also able to salvage rear wheel assemblies valued at $200 total. I don't have pic's of that yet stay tuned.
In review, I had a total investment of $500 (cash). Not sure how many hours I put into this, but I enjoy doing it so time is free.
Value:
$450 Transmission Cover
$350 Ball Thrust Collar/Roller bearing
$80 Battery Box
$300 Drive shaft/rear axle
$124 Rear shackles
$200 Rear wheel assemblies
$1504 Total Value
$1004 in savings!!!!! This number will go up, as I still have to send all the metal I didn't use to the "Scrap Metal Recyclers". This includes the cracked engine block and transmission which weighs about 400 pounds.
The 21 T was a huge success! I am very happy with the outcome. It got very frustrating at times, working with hundred year old nuts/bolts and metal isn't easy. I would like to thank my brother Andrew Henderson for helping me out with this project. He is a wealth of knowledge in the automotive department. I think we can both agree we won't be sad to send the scrap metal away!
I know in an earlier post I had a set a goal of having my Model T suspension finished and the wheels complete. This goal was made before I purchased the 21 T' which ate up a lot of my time. I did however get the rear suspension completed on my 1914 Model. The below pictures are the shackles I took from the 21 T connecting the leaf spring to the rear suspension:
Here it is the complete rear end done minus the wheels:
Happy New Year everyone! Best of luck in 2012.
Thanks Adam
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