It's been an interesting couple of weeks, let's get caught up with some updates.
21 T, Brass Radiator and Wheels:
The 1921 Model T that I purchased back in December has been stripped of all the parts I could use and the remaining metal I sent to the scrap yard. In total I had about six hundred pounds of scrap.
Radiator - I received word from Phillips Rad that my brass radiator was beyond repair. They did a pressure test on it and it exploded the core. I sent the rad to the scrap yard along with the 21 T.
Wheels - I attempted to put together my rear wheels with no luck at all. I had three sets of brake drums that were all either the wrong size or to rusted to use. I sent them to the scrap yard, so I am on the hunt for brake drums which should run me no more than two hundred dollars for a set.
Here is a copy of the receipt from the scrap yard:
I got a hundred dollars for the metal. Not a bad return. The cost to replace the Brass rad is twelve hundred dollars. It's a special order and takes a few months to get.
On a positive note the new rad looks original, but is much more efficient at cooling.
Engine Head:
I picked up my engine head from Car Quest. I sent it out to get cleaned and machined. Unfortunately I will also need to replace this head. The problem is the pitting of the metal is to deep. There is only a certain tolerance you can grind down, otherwise you will risk losing engine compression. I am in the process of trying to find a replacement. On the high end I am looking at five hundred for a brand new one. Or I can take my chances on another used one.
The above pictures are of the engine head, as so you can see it was cleaned. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but in the top picture anywhere you see a dark tinge is pitting. The darker the colour, the deeper the pitting.
Let's talk Windshield!
In the aftermath of the above, I decided to keep things simple and focus my attention on the windshield.
Originally this car I have was yellow. The windshield frame was a bright yellow with very thick paint (probably had lead in it). It took me about eight hours on a Saturday to grind off the old paint. I also had to use paint remover to get rid of the paint in all the little cracks. It wasn't an easy task, but patience prevailed!
Here is a pic of the windshield the way I received it.
The above two pics are after the hours of sanding and washing with paint remover.
At this point I am just waiting for the paint to dry!.
In my next post I will be have a picture of the windshield attached to the car. I have attached the wooden body shell back to the frame because I completed all the work on the suspension and springs.
Here is how the car looks today. I am going to continue to work on parts that I currently have. It's getting close to the summer now so sanding and painting will be the focus for the next couple of months. I know originally the focus was to be on the engine only, but now that the rad and engine head are shot I basically starting at ground zero. It's going to take time to find a head and as I said above the lead time on a new rad is at least a couple of months as it is a special order.
Thanks for reading!
Adam
