YEP, air cooled too! At least, for few blocks it was.... Then it was V7View attachment 191577 Hey! A rear engine ‘36, cool!
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Any vintage car guys here?
- Thread starter mick71b
- Start date
I was washing the pollen off of the Jeep today and snapped a pic. This was father-son project and now I just keep it maintained and drive it once in a while since my Army Lt. son is stationed out West.
ElCamMan515
XS650 Addict
My first classic car was a 1987 Chevy El Camino. I bought 4 for $1000 while I was in HS in 2007. I used parts from all of them to create 1. Unfortunately it sat outside in NY weather for 3 years and I sold it due to not having the time to fix it back up. I currently own my Grandfather's 1957 Belair. I helped restore the '57 with him. He passed away in 2016. It reminds me of all the memories I've had and he taught me everything I know about mechanics. I recently put seat belts in it so I can make memories with my family.
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My 1st car. My girlfriend's dad gave it to me. It pushed alot of blue. I'm amazed that I could find parts. New rings in that flathead 4 and away I went. The stick was as long as an International schoolbus. It lasted from April to October in 1969 and made several trips to the Jersey shore. I drove it to the junk yard. Does it look like the truck in "Wallace and Grommit?"
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I do this also when I'm supposed to attach files to my emails.
I wasn't quite quick enough.
mm1ut1
XS650 Addict
My 89 Toyota Celica. Had 90k miles on it when I bought it in early March . I had planned to drive it maybe 1-1.5k a year but already put over 2000 miles on it. Only paid $3500.00 for it. Rust free and gets 36 mpg. Going to need a new top soon but that can be done this winter when it’s stored.Attachments
Nothing like a little shameless self promotion, most of our setup for the Good Guys Nashville Nationals this weekend.
So, I have served on an engineering regulatory committee with a guy for about 26 years and at our last meeting in November/2022 he said, "Pete, you know a lot about cars and you know car people - do you know anyone who likes antique cars?" I replied that I like antique cars and so he told me that he had an old pickup truck for sale - and he showed me a picture of it. The vehicle was in Kingston, ON - about 600 km east of us (around 370 miles) but it just so happens that Mrs. MaxPete's mum and my little sister live there and we were going there for Christmas - sooo, on Boxing Day, we went to see the truck - and I wound up buying it.
It is a 1920 Model T that is fully restored (but in completely unmodified condition), everything works - including the electric starter - and it runs like a top. My grandfather had one just like it in the 1920s - in fact, he came from a farm near Mountain Grove, a village about 50 miles due north of Kingston, and his truck was the first motor vehicle registered in the township of Olden.
This a view of the left-side (i.e. driver's side) of the engine. Visible are the horn just above the electric starter, the cooling fan and its drive belt, the very simple thermosyphon cooling system (no water pump), the steering column with the two control rods for the throttle and the manual ignition advance, the distributor-less ignition system (the sparks are made in a wooden box mounted below the dashboard inside the cab) and the entire electrical wiring system of the truck - mounted on the wooden firewall.
Here is the right hand side of the engine compartment. Note the word "Canada" cast into the top of the cylinder head - this vehicle was built right here in Windsor, ON about 5 km (3 miles) from my office! The engine is a 177 cu.in. (2.9 litre) cast iron inline flathead four that produces about 20 hp. It uses splash lubrication (so no oil pump and no oil filter), a thermosyphon cooling circuit (so no water pump), a "trembler coil buzz-box" ignition (so no distributor) with a flywheel-mounted magneto.
You can run on the battery or the magneto. The trembler-coil "spark-maker" is interesting: when you turn the key to "Battery" they buzz - making a sound that is somewhat like a rattlesnake. The fuel tank is in the cowl above the occupant's knees (YIKES!!) - so no fuel pump - but there is a petcock just like on our bikes (although it is manual and not vacuum actuated). There is no vacuum system on the car, and with a compression ratio of only about 5:1, it likely wouldn't work very well anyway.
The transmission is a two-speed planetary unit with engagement bands and a band brake (the only brake on the vehicle). All of the tranny and brake bands are lined with cotton strips, although modern Kevlar-lined replacements are available. In fact, it appears that just about all the parts are available as well as a whole whackload of aftermarket stuff like two-speed rear axles and actual wheel brakes etc. etc.
The only modern convenience is an electric starter to complement the hand crank - but otherwise, it is truly, a basic machine!
Below is view of the truck's interior. The 3-pedal driving system takes a fair bit of getting used to:
The throttle is the stalk on the RHS of the steering column and the manual spark advance is on the LHS of the column. There is no heater, no side windows, no rearview mirrors (although Chris has one hung on the rim of the windscreen), no speedometer, no turn signals and no brake lights.
This thing makes an XS650 seem like a high-tech, ultra-modern wizard-mobile.
And here we are, all set for a run into town to the hardware store.....at the top speed of about 40 MPH - but since the only brake is in the transmission (no wheel brakes), that is probably fast enough.
I sure hope the driveshaft never fails......
....or perhaps a day motoring al fresco to the market or the beach with my lady-friend.
The cool thing (for me at least) is that it is a Canadian vehicle that was built 102 years ago, right here in Windsor, Ontario (zoom in on the RHS of the cylinder head casting and you will see "Canada").
It has a left side door which only Canadian-built "T"s had because they were mainly intended for the British Empire markets in which people drive on the wrong side of the road. The rationale is that the brake / clutch / high gear lever beside the driver's position effectively blocks the door - and so it is customary to enter the vehicle on the passenger side and slide across to the driver's position. Thus, in North America, you really only need a door on the right side, but in right-hand drive markets like the UK, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa etc., you need a door on the left side.
Henry was an ambitious fellow and wanted to be able to export his products around the world, so he incorporated Ford of Canada in 1904 - just after he started the Ford Motor Co. in Detroit. Windsor was the closest he could get to Detroit - while gaining duty-free access to the British Empire market. Thus, Ford built the Canadian cars with doors on both sides so that they could easily be exported (duty free) to British Empire markets and many Canadian-built Ts were exported to those markets with all RH drive controls. Ford still has major engine-building operations including a foundry and an aluminium casting plant here in the City and I have many friends who work there.
Anyhow, I don't have the truck yet - my buddy is delivering it in the spring (he has a big trailer). I will report again when I get it down here and, hopefully, figure out how the heck to drive it.
Pete
It is a 1920 Model T that is fully restored (but in completely unmodified condition), everything works - including the electric starter - and it runs like a top. My grandfather had one just like it in the 1920s - in fact, he came from a farm near Mountain Grove, a village about 50 miles due north of Kingston, and his truck was the first motor vehicle registered in the township of Olden.
This a view of the left-side (i.e. driver's side) of the engine. Visible are the horn just above the electric starter, the cooling fan and its drive belt, the very simple thermosyphon cooling system (no water pump), the steering column with the two control rods for the throttle and the manual ignition advance, the distributor-less ignition system (the sparks are made in a wooden box mounted below the dashboard inside the cab) and the entire electrical wiring system of the truck - mounted on the wooden firewall.
Here is the right hand side of the engine compartment. Note the word "Canada" cast into the top of the cylinder head - this vehicle was built right here in Windsor, ON about 5 km (3 miles) from my office! The engine is a 177 cu.in. (2.9 litre) cast iron inline flathead four that produces about 20 hp. It uses splash lubrication (so no oil pump and no oil filter), a thermosyphon cooling circuit (so no water pump), a "trembler coil buzz-box" ignition (so no distributor) with a flywheel-mounted magneto.
You can run on the battery or the magneto. The trembler-coil "spark-maker" is interesting: when you turn the key to "Battery" they buzz - making a sound that is somewhat like a rattlesnake. The fuel tank is in the cowl above the occupant's knees (YIKES!!) - so no fuel pump - but there is a petcock just like on our bikes (although it is manual and not vacuum actuated). There is no vacuum system on the car, and with a compression ratio of only about 5:1, it likely wouldn't work very well anyway.
The transmission is a two-speed planetary unit with engagement bands and a band brake (the only brake on the vehicle). All of the tranny and brake bands are lined with cotton strips, although modern Kevlar-lined replacements are available. In fact, it appears that just about all the parts are available as well as a whole whackload of aftermarket stuff like two-speed rear axles and actual wheel brakes etc. etc.
The only modern convenience is an electric starter to complement the hand crank - but otherwise, it is truly, a basic machine!
Below is view of the truck's interior. The 3-pedal driving system takes a fair bit of getting used to:
- the left-hand pedal engages low gear (mash it to the floor to "go"),
- the right-hand pedal is the brake (YIKES!) and,
- the middle pedal is for reverse gear (when mashed down).
The throttle is the stalk on the RHS of the steering column and the manual spark advance is on the LHS of the column. There is no heater, no side windows, no rearview mirrors (although Chris has one hung on the rim of the windscreen), no speedometer, no turn signals and no brake lights.
This thing makes an XS650 seem like a high-tech, ultra-modern wizard-mobile.
And here we are, all set for a run into town to the hardware store.....at the top speed of about 40 MPH - but since the only brake is in the transmission (no wheel brakes), that is probably fast enough.
I sure hope the driveshaft never fails......
....or perhaps a day motoring al fresco to the market or the beach with my lady-friend.
The cool thing (for me at least) is that it is a Canadian vehicle that was built 102 years ago, right here in Windsor, Ontario (zoom in on the RHS of the cylinder head casting and you will see "Canada").
It has a left side door which only Canadian-built "T"s had because they were mainly intended for the British Empire markets in which people drive on the wrong side of the road. The rationale is that the brake / clutch / high gear lever beside the driver's position effectively blocks the door - and so it is customary to enter the vehicle on the passenger side and slide across to the driver's position. Thus, in North America, you really only need a door on the right side, but in right-hand drive markets like the UK, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa etc., you need a door on the left side.
Henry was an ambitious fellow and wanted to be able to export his products around the world, so he incorporated Ford of Canada in 1904 - just after he started the Ford Motor Co. in Detroit. Windsor was the closest he could get to Detroit - while gaining duty-free access to the British Empire market. Thus, Ford built the Canadian cars with doors on both sides so that they could easily be exported (duty free) to British Empire markets and many Canadian-built Ts were exported to those markets with all RH drive controls. Ford still has major engine-building operations including a foundry and an aluminium casting plant here in the City and I have many friends who work there.
Anyhow, I don't have the truck yet - my buddy is delivering it in the spring (he has a big trailer). I will report again when I get it down here and, hopefully, figure out how the heck to drive it.
Pete
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Hey Pete! How cool is that? You bought yourself a nice bit of history there! My Dad also bought one when he was a young man, to use for working on the farm. I was always curious about the manually adjusted timing, just how much of that do you have to do? I mean, are you constantly moving that lever back and forth as you shift gears or moving from a stop?
Anyways congratulations, it looks like a very well done restoration, enjoy your truck!
Way to go Pete! That will be fun. This is what happens when you get a larger shop...
Wow!
You certainly did!
A 1920 Model T Ford Pickup - that makes it near 'nuff 103 years old. Now that there is a genuine antique, in Britain we only apply that label to anything over 100 years.
And what an interesting write up, the history of that vehicle plus the - uhm - quaint control systems.
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Howdy and thanks!
Apparently, the timing is not too critical on these old gals (its only a 5:1 compression ratio). So you retard it to start the engine - and that is essential if using the hand crank or it might break your arm - and then just adjust it for smooth running once the engine is going. If you go into high gear (only a two-speed transmission) you just advance it all the way and leave it there.
Here is a very good video made by a young chap in Australia on how to start and drive a Model T. He has a whole series on maintenance and repairs and while some of the "engineering" details aren't quite correct, they are very instructive.
Almost nothing about the Model T is like many other cars - even cars of those days. Of course, the Model T was the first "mass-market" car. Nearly every other vehicle sold back then was a either a racer or a rich person's toy which was intended to be driven by a chauffeur. I actually found an advert for a 1920 Model T pickup truck like mine - and the US list price was $381...a fair bit less than I paid - and I didn't even get the "weather-proof storm curtains" or the windsheild wiper!
The prior owner's Dad had bought this truck in the 1940s as a daily driver and he used it until the mid-50s and then it sat in their barn for several decades until they had it restored in about 2005, I think. There is a little plaque on the dashboard from the restorer - but I cannot read the date.
As for the larger shop, when we first pulled into buddy's yard and saw the truck, the Mrs. stated that I can park it in the garage because it is "adorable" - so that will leave more room for bikes in the barn!
Pete
Nice Pete!!
cycleranger
Generally Ok.
I'll add something because the Model T driving discussion made it relevant. We had a car in the shop a while back, far enough ago I can't recall the name of it now but it was from Cleveland. You had a button where the gas pedal would be that went to the distributor, traditional brake and clutch pedals though the brakes were rod activated and on the rear wheels only, a normal 3 speed transmission, and 2 levers on the steering wheel that both went to the carburetor. One was throttle level the other was fuel mixture.
So to start it, which was electric, it was throttle up a little, mixture up half, turn the key and press the button for the starter. When it caught you backed the mixture off for idle and back the throttle off as it warmed. To go you engage a gear like normal and let the clutch out while feeding throttle and mixture from the lever. Then once the clutch had caught and you were pulling all on engine you ran the throttle up and stomped the button to advance the timing so it had enough balls to pull the car.
So to start it, which was electric, it was throttle up a little, mixture up half, turn the key and press the button for the starter. When it caught you backed the mixture off for idle and back the throttle off as it warmed. To go you engage a gear like normal and let the clutch out while feeding throttle and mixture from the lever. Then once the clutch had caught and you were pulling all on engine you ran the throttle up and stomped the button to advance the timing so it had enough balls to pull the car.
Kinda like I used to say about Smart cars (we, Brumos, were a dealer) a Honda Gold Wing had more luggage space and got better gas mileage. The only advantage a Smart had was A/C and you didn't get wet
