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100 Years of Fords

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I just completed the renovation of the facade on my 100 year old building (1912) and we needed some pictures for the Board of Historic Preservation. Well what better way than to add in 100 year old Fords as well ;D The South end of my building was actually an automotive dealership originally. Some of the old photos show cars parked in front, but I'm not sure if they were for sale or just cars parked on the street.

In these pics you can see a 1912 Model T and a 1924 Ford Truck. 1924 was the first year they actually produced a truck with a bed and it's a one ton! Doesn't look like it would carry more than my Ecoboost but apparently it will ;) I got a ride in the Model T and it was pretty cool. It has a crank start and on the steering column a lever for the throttle and another lever for manual spark advance/retard!

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5 DOT 0 said:
Cool. I'm glad you finished the project. Did you get to drive one?
I got to ride in one through downtown. Boy if you think you get looks in the Boss, go for a ride in a Model T! Lot of rubbernecking and thumbs up. Top speed is only 40 mph though :D
 

MLM

Mike
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0
I was impressed with that guy in Michigan who drove his 1930 Model A every day for a year. These classic Fords are pretty special cars.

http://www.myfordmag.com/faces/Klinger-Model-A
 
MLM said:
I was impressed with that guy in Michigan who drove his 1930 Model A every day for a year. These classic Fords are pretty special cars.

http://www.myfordmag.com/faces/Klinger-Model-A
Yea these guys told me they go touring with these cars and some days they travel 200 miles in a day. I couldn't believe I was riding around in a 100 year old car that seemed to run as well as it did the day it rolled off the assembly line.
 
Gary - Great pic's of the cars, but also of the building. You obviously did a fair amount of work on the building as it looks great! Is the Interstate Office Products your business or a tenant?
 
LS110 said:
Gary - Great pic's of the cars, but also of the building. You obviously did a fair amount of work on the building as it looks great! Is the Interstate Office Products your business or a tenant?
Thanks John! I was really happy with how it turned out, but now decided to replace all the main floor glass and switch from the polished aluminum frames to dark bronze anodized like the upper floor windows that we replaced. It's like modding a Mustang.....where do you stop!? Yes Interstate is our business and we occupy about 60% of the building and lease out the rest.
 
I did not notice the different window frame color, but that will be nice mod! As you say, where does it end, but from the outside, it looks like you are there! The signage and lighting that you chose was key to the look and ties it all together really well.
 
1,482
408
Nice pics Gary! Gotta love the T's. My dad spent about 20 years restoring this, his '10 T. This is me in my Dr. Denim outfit..

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Where do you think they got the idea for the solid axle with spoked wheels? The more things change, the more they stay the same!

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That's awesome Andy! There were so many interesting things that he was telling me about the car. For example that the lights were gas powered......acetylene? Anyway I asked how they kept them from blowing out and they said you don't lol. You just don't drive at night. I love the belt too. It looks like someone just pulled the one out from their pants and hooked it onto the engine :D
 
1,482
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Yep lots of fun facts with the Model T. The carbide generator is the brass part on the running board below the driver.

http://www.modeltcentral.com/Model-T-Ford-Lighting-Systems.html

I find it interesting that a hundred years ago you had a coil for each cylinder. For about eighty years they decided to use a distributor and one coil. Now we're back where we started.

Wanna talk braking? Try no front brakes. No back brakes either!!! The stock brake on the T is in the transmission, but my dad has elected to install "Rocky Mtn Brakes" which are some add on drums in the rear.

One time I had a crowd around me watching me start it. Everyone pretty much knew I would "have" to crank it by hand to start it. But it had a nice fuel vapor in the cyl a half hour after parking it. When I turned on the ignition switch on the dash it fired a spark plug and started right up. Lots of bewildered looks from the crowd! Modern cars REQUIRE a starter. This 100 year old car just started WITHOUT one!

I think my dad has about 20,000 miles on the car since he restored it. Occasionally my parents drive it the 180 miles or so to Yosemite National Park. It does require a fair amount of maintenance. Model T's rarely run really well, but they almost always run!

Driving it is truly different than a modern car. In addition to the manual spark advance and throttle levers, you have three pedals- Clutch, Brake, and Reverse. Push the clutch in and you start moving! That's low gear. Once you wind it out to about 4 or 5 MPH you ease the clutch out and that puts you in high gear.

If you're interested I wrote humorous review of driving it when it was only 99 years old here:

http://www.fordmuscleforums.com/all-ford-techboard/487056-long-term-review-model-t-99-years-later.html
 

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