Happy New Year! The Harvest is complete.....

Happy New Year Everybody!

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).

 Tools of the trade!

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 

Let the harvest begin!

I am happy to say the 1921 Model T I purchased in Brockville, Ontario is safe and sound in my garage. I rented a 12/6 covered trailer from my local Uhaul. With the help of the seller we loaded the frame along with the engine, transmission and front/rear axles. It was quite heavy, I used my Buick Rendezvous to tow it home and lets just say that for a trip that normally would take one tank of gas it turned into three full tanks. Regardless, the trip was success!

Canadian built Ford Model T

I didn't know this until I first laid eyes on my 21 T, but the engine block was stamped "Made in Canada".  The Canadian Model T's are rare, and when fully restored are worth a considerable amount more than the American version. The engine block that came with 21 T is cracked and it's really not worth attempting to restore as it's in really rough shape.

Here is the major difference between the Canadian vs American Model T:


Early American Model T's came as a three door car meaning that the passenger door and two rear doors were functional. The driver side door didn't open. From what I have read Henry Ford mandated that driver door on all Model T's not open as a safety measure to prevent the driver from exiting the car into traffic. Another reason was the hand break/gear shifter. Imagine sitting in the drivers seat and on your left side is a large metal rod coming out of the floor. This made it difficult to enter/exit the car.

Canadian Model T's however came as four door models with the driver side functioning as a regular door.  These models still had the problem of the hand break/gear shifter being in the way, but at the time Canada was still using the British "right hand" drive in many areas of the country. To accommodate this, all four doors were functional.

Another interesting fact I found was the first Model T to cross into the USA from Canada was by rail. The tires were removed from the rims and the car was placed on a railway track and drove to the US over the railway as there were no roads to take at that time.

Enough history, lets get back to my Model T!

Here I am unloading the front axle.

This a nice shot of what I purchased. Believe it or not there is value in this. Notice the pedals coming out of the transmission. These are hard to find.

Yesterday I was finally able to start working on harvesting this new T. Below is the transmission cover I was able to pull off. It wasn't easy, almost a hundred years of rust. This piece is hard to find. When I first saw it in the original pictures I new buying this car was a good deal . I don't know of any companies that sell clones of this part. I did find some people in the US that were selling used ones between $400 - $600 without pedals. I only paid $500 (including gas and trailer) for this Model T, basically if the only thing I use off this car is the transmission cover I got a deal. Rest assured I will be using quite a few parts off this T. 

My brother was over helping me and he pulled off the rear brake drum.  The drum I can use, but the pads and springs I will need to purchase which is fine because I can order those new. The below picture is a little dark but you get the idea:

Here is a nice shot of the transmission without the cover. I have all these parts already, but it's nice to see one actually put together. It makes a good reference, also if needed I could use these as replacement parts.

My Dad was kind enough to purchase me a nice propane heater for my birthday! It's 40,000 BTU's and is great for when I'm working in the garage. Here is a pic:

As I mentioned before the engine block is cracked on this motor rendering it useless. Once I remove the block from the frame I will send it the local scrap metal company. It's a shame, but the downfall a lot of these guy's who restore cars have is maintaining a high level of clutter. Clutter only distracts you from the end result and as I have said before this isn't a lifetime restoration project. I have set certain deadlines and I intend on keeping them. Otherwise whats the point.

Until next time.......... Adam

Tin Lizzys

I mentioned in my last blog post about a company in Buffalo, NY that sells Model T parts. It turns out that although their selection is great, they do not carry every part. Some "T" parts you just have to get original. 

On Thursday, my first Model T part arrived from El Paso, Texas from my good friend Armando Villalobos. I found him on Ebay and purchased an original radiator fan! This is not a reproduction, this bad boy is original with FORD script:

You can purchase reproduction fans, but you can't purchase the attached "pully" system with it so this was a great find.

Keeping in the spirit of original parts.........I am now the proud owner of not only one Model T, but two!

(hence the plural blog post title "Tin Lizzys"

This week I purchased a 1921 Model T. It's currently in a field in Brockville, Ontario so in the coming weeks I will be towing it to my house to strip off as many parts as I can to use for my restoration project.

Here's the story on the 21 T:

Last week I came across this Ebay auction for a 1921 Model T. I placed my highest bid and the auction ended with the reserve not being met so I didn't win. I put a low bid in hoping to get lucky but it just didn't work out. A few days later, the seller contacted me and asked me if I was still interested in the car and if I wanted to make deal........advantage Henderson. 

After a bit of negotiating, we agreed on a price and now it's mine.  

Here is the original auction description

1921 Model T - The Frame is in good condition for what it is, but the front axle is not attached but is in"rolling condition". it has the whole back suspension and front, original drive train, transmission (pedals still move), rear axle, engine black (cracked), and has one running board. it also has all the other attachments that you see in the picture. there is also 1 spare tire with it, as well if u do need extra wheels i do have some for sale. 

Below are the pictures they are a tad grainy - Don't Laugh:

The above picture is what caught my interest. I am missing the transmission cover, pedals and oil pan screws (all in the above pic). These items can't be purchased re-manufactured. 

This comes with five wheels which are all in horrible shape, but it doesn't matter because all I need is the  hub assemblies which all seem to be intact. Other notable parts I can use are the engine mounts, bolts, fender arms, possibly the lone running board, battery box, u joints, and rear suspension mounts. 

Soon it will be time to break out the old angle grinder and wire wheel to start blasting off the rust. 

Two new developments.............

1. I sent out my engine head to Car Quest in Kitchener. They have a machine shop and they are going to machine the engine head and test it to make sure it has no cracks. Here's a pic I took just before I dropped it off:

Next blog post I will have an updated pic of the head all nice and machined! 

2. I talked to the owner of local Radiator shop in Kitchener (right around the corner from Car Quest) about testing and possibly recoiling my rad. 

Phillips Bros Radiator on Charles Street (http://www.philrad.com/).

Lucky for me this company has been in business since the 50's and is familiar with this style of rad and has assured me they have the knowledge to get it in working order.

Stay tuned! Thanks for reading and if any of the above doesn't make sense it's probably because I have been drinking and blogging. It's Friday give me a break.

Here we go!

Ok, so much for "trying" to post every week. I will at the very least give a monthly update.

I have made some progress since my last post!

First off, lets quickly talk about headlights and brass just as an update. I went to Princess Auto and purchased metal cleaner and low and behold was able to get the brass from the headlights nice and shiny.

Now as you can see, from this picture the top has come out fairly decent. The next step is to actually boil the entire lamp in hot water and baking soda. Brass is a soft metal so the heat from the water will expand the metal allowing the residual paint that won't come off with the metal cleaner to peel right off (hopefully). Once that is done I can take a metal polish to even out so the tiny nicks and scratches that have accumulated over the years. I have been going to thrift shops trying to find an old pot to buy so I can boil this metal, but have had no luck. I think I will just buy one from Wal-Mart I think they are only like $20 bucks.

Let's talk Suspension!

As stated in my first post, the goal for 2012 is to get the car mobile. I am not going to worry about the body and everything else that goes with it until 2013. The first order of business is to get the original wood body kit off the frame of the car. This is very important because the suspension, drive shaft etc are heavy items so you need to be able to move the frame with ease. The body kit that came with the car is an additional 100 plus lbs at least, so this will make things easier once it's off the frame. 

Here is the before picture (with body kit):

Here is today's picture (just the frame):

If you look at the rear of the frame you will see to U joints that actually hold the rear suspension in place.

Below is a better picture, the screws hold the plates to the U joints and that's what  holds the entire back end of the car. Very simple, the only thing is that the leaf has to line up perfectly in the frame or you won't have your wheels aligned correctly. The leaf is surprisingly heavy and fitting it to the the frame is difficult. The Ford Model T handbook says the best way to get it in is using a jack, so stay tuned. 

The front suspension is less difficult, it only has one U joint in the centre of the leaf. At this time I don't have that U joint so I am going to need to make some purchases. 

Next month I am going to take my family down to Buffalo, NY for dinner at Cracker Barrel and to make a stop at Mac's Antique Auto Parts. This place sells everything Model T. I can buy any part I need (remanufactured of course) to complete this project. What's great is they use the original Ford part numbers on their website, so I have been able to tag the parts I have with part numbers. I am in the process of coming up with a list of parts I need, but it's a bit tricky because they sell individual parts and kits. In some cases the kits are better and cheaper than trying to use pieces I already have. This trip to Mac's I plan purchasing the parts I need for the suspension to be completed (front and rear) as well as hub assemblies so I can get the wheels attached to the car. 

All I want for Christmas this year is to get the wheels and suspension on the frame, this will put me ahead of schedule in 2012.

http://macsautoparts.com/

Tks Adam