Model 'T' Fords

While we are on the subject of old cars—did you ever have the pleasure of driving a model 'T'? Perhaps the closest many of you ever came to one was at an antique car parade.

Henry Ford brought out his horseless carriage in 1909. Many were quite skeptical of this contraption, although in some sections the public was becoming accustomed to the automobile as there were several other companies making cars before that date.

One slogan was "it got you there and back". By the beginning of the '20s it began to become a familiar sight on the roadways. The change happened so gradually.

The automobile caused drastic changes in road building. The rutty and dusty roads tolerated by the horse drawn conveyances were now being based with crushed stone and later cement.

With the advent of the Model 'T', the small crossroad storekeepers were being forced into a drastic loss of business. People who used to make their Saturday night purchases at their local country stores were now driving to larger stores in larger towns in their Ford.

Many a Model 'T' was temporarily converted to a source of power to run a saw, operate a churn, run a hay baler or be made into a small truck by removing the 'turtle shell' on the back and with 'J' hooks a truck bed could be installed thus providing a means of getting the farmers' produce to market more quickly. It was an odd appearing machine. It was high, drab with none of the graceful lines which we have today. It had two speeds—'slow and damn slow'.

Many country doctors began to use the Model 'T' because it afforded a quicker means of reaching their patients who lived back in the hills and valleys. He had to study the mechanics of it and be able to diagnose the many ills it was subjected to just as much as he did his medical journals. The carburetor, the timer, the coil points, the piston rings and the cog wheels in the differential all needed constant attention.

To start the engine in this contraption was sometimes an art. This provided a source of light in the old brass ornamented headlights. Then the magneto was enlarged which provided a better current to the glass bulb in the headlights. The faster the motor was run, the brighter the light. If you drove slowly, you barely had enough light to see a distance of five feet beyond the car.

The horn was a novelty. The slower the motor was run the lower was the sound. Sometimes it sounded like a dying calf. One trick the kids used to pull was to jam the horn button with a small piece of wood. You can imagine the sound when the motor was started with the throttle almost wide open.

The small metal box at your feet beneath the windshield held four wooden box-like coils. A simple switch key was turned to the right. To start the motor the operator then had to reach up to the steering column and adjust the spark lever to an 'up' position. The right lever was the gas throttle, which was set about half open. He then walked to the front, grabbed the crank with his right hand and began to twist it rapidly while at the same time his left hand pulled the long wire leading to the choke. Once in a while only a quarter turn was necessary.

When the engine started with the throttle open one can imagine the roar it caused until the operator could get back into the seat and adjust the levers. There was only one other lever, the hand or emergency brake.

The driver had three pedals at his feet. The one was the low gear, which you had to push constantly as long as you stayed in this speed. Upon release of the pedal you came into high gear automatically. The middle one was reverse and the third was the brake.

We must state here that many an operator suffered a broken wrist from cranking, especially if the spark lever was not retarded. The engine would backfire, thus causing the crank to fly in reverse so quickly that the handle would catch the victim on the wrist.

The gas tank was located under the driver's seat. It usually held ten gallons. There were no gas stations. Generally the local merchant kept a small warehouse where gasoline, kerosene and oil were kept in barrels. The gasoline was drawn out in a gallon measure then poured into a large funnel in which a chamois had been placed. This took out any sediments which might have gotten into the liquid or measure. The funnel had been inserted in a five gallon can which was then carried out to the car and again poured through a funnel into the tank. The car owner usually carried a dirty ruler on which was marked the gallon contents of the tank.

It was necessary to keep the gas tank more than half full. Less than that amount usually meant a stalled car halfway up a steep hill because the gas level fell below the outlet to the motor. Many a motorist managed to reach the top of the hill by getting the car turned around and going the remainder of the way in reverse.

Practically every Model 'T' had a large tool box fastened on the running board. In it was the usual tire pump which you worked by hand, pliers, wrenches, the usual materials to patch a flat tire, car jack, plus a few boxes with spare spark plugs, several sets of points for the coils and an extra set of bands for the low gear, reverse or brake.

Once in a while the bands would wear out, especially the low gear This was particularly true when the model 'T' was forced to travel long distances in low gear through heavy snow or muddy roads.

When this happened, the operator would have to begin to take up the three floor boards, get out the tools to remove the transmission plate and seal carefully, then twist a number of nuts loose to remove the band from the transmission and insert a new one. The procedure of getting the parts back in place was then performed in reverse.

The model 'T's were in two models, the two passenger and the four passenger touring car. The windshield was plate glass in two parts. The upper half could be turned outward in the summer. In the winter it seemed as though half the rain or snow came through that crack. Later someone got the brilliant idea of making a rubber strip that could be inserted between the upper and lower glass, thus sealing out the elements from that direction. There was no wiper to remove the rain, snow or ice from the glass. Neither was there a heater to provide warmth to the riders. In the winter there were vinyl or oil cloth type curtains that could be fastened to the top and frame. Several ising-glass windows were in the curtains to provide the driver vision to the sides. The top was fastened by means of a strap to the metal windshield frame.

The model 'T' had no door on the driver's side. Neither did it have a speedometer. All in all, it was a darned good car, even with its many rattles and noisy motor. It brought the country folks to the cities.

We remember one college student who had a model 'T'. In it was a new contraption then known as a 'Ruxall Axle'. This in reality was a stick shift built into the differential. It not only gave the 'T' more power on the hills but more speed on the level. Later Mr. Ford changed the chassis. The sides were enclosed in glass and a door now appeared on the driver's side.

Those of us who are old enough to remember the cars of yesteryear, will always have a warm spot in his heart for the old Model 'T'.