Category: Repair and Maintenance of the Model T Ford

Want to know how to do it right the first time? Your Model T will be reliable if you use these informative articles.

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Restoring a Model T Ford Steering Column Part 2

Above we see new 1915 Model T Fords coming down the assembly line at the Highland Park plant circa May 1915. The firewall assembly is installed with the steering column still wrapped in its protective brown paper. The horn tube is secured to the steering column with a bit of twine so that it will be out of the way when the body is dropped onto the chassis. Photo property of the Henry Ford museum.

When we left off in our last installment (here’s a link:)

Restoring a Model T Ford Steering Column Part 1 the steering column was disassembled for restoration. In this edition of Model T Ford Fix we finish the job.

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Restoring a Model T Ford Steering Column Part 1

The scene above is from the firewall assembly area of the Ford Highland Park Plant circa May 1915.  Towards the left side of the picture the steering columns, wrapped in brown paper, are installed in the firewall. The firewalls would be installed into the chassis fully assembled with coil box, steering column, speedometer, wiring and timer as a unit.

The Model T Ford steering column is a pretty important item that often gets neglected to the point that it is dangerous to drive the car. Particularly the earliest versions used from 1909 – 1914, which have the gear box riveted to the steering column upper bearing. Even the columns used from 11915 – 25, or the unique 1926 – 27 versions can become dangerous if the rivets come loose that secure the upper bearing to the tube.

In this edition of Model T Ford Fix we show how to overhaul a steering column both for safety’s sake and to improve its appearance to like new again.

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Rebuilding A 1909 Model T Ford Water Pump

 

Ford built the first 2499 Model T Fords with water pumps. The brand new 1909 above is one of the first 2499 cars equipped with a water pump. The crank ratchet is made to hold the crank in either up or down position, a feature that was deleted during the redesign for all Model T’s serial number 2500 and subsequent.  While the water pump idea didn’t work out for most Model T’s, it does make the earlier cars more interesting and valuable to collectors. Few were built, fewer exist, and those that do exist for the most part are never driven. The ones that are in private hands do get used, some more than others. As a result many of these cars that are driven have to be repaired frequently because the water pump design is not very good. Let’s take a look at what it takes to rebuild one.

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How to: Keep Your Model T Ford from Marking its Territory

A Model T Ford showroom in 1925 has oil stains all over the floor left by brand new Model T’s.

This issue of Model T Ford Fix will be the first of several installments dealing with ways to lessen the amount of oil leaking from your Model T. In this case I am working on a 1910 touring. The hogshead had multiple leaks from a number of typical spots. We are going to show one method to eliminate leaks from the pedal shafts in this article. We will show you how to make the tooling necessary for the job, as well as performing the modification to the hogshead itself. Let’s go!

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Rebuilding a Holley Model G Carburetor

The Holley Model G carburetor was used on millions of Model T Fords starting with the 1914 model year, around July 1913. The Holley G is a very simple, reliable carburetor. Ford used versions of this carburetor from 1914 model year until some time in 1920 with Holley as its primary supplier of carburetors, Kingston being a secondary supplier during those years.

We got this particular Holley G from a friend in a swap involving some unneeded parts, so let’s say that our investment here is quite low. This is the earliest type of Holley G and would have been used in 1914. It has a brass body, brass float bowl, cork float, and a lock screw on the throttle idle stop adjuster. Let’s take a look at what needs to be done to turn this tired old corroded carburetor into a more presentable, rebuilt carburetor.

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