Projects Hillbilly Model T speedster (attempt #2)

8 years ago to the day i started a speedster build based from a Model A. I had pretty much all i needed, then life happened and it got sidetracked. And eventually sold off.

Its always been in the back of my mind though.

Last night i drove a couple hundred miles in a snow storm to pick this up. I'll be honest, i picked it up in the dark without looking it over. Now it's still frozen, but i got the wood stove going and am waiting to see what I have to work with.

This is my first T. I've got a lot of learning ahead of me....


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link to failed attempt #1. Most pics are gone now.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/got-the-parts-why-not-build-a-speedster.650460/

 

every growing boy should have a speedster ! its on my list too but never seems to make it to the top

 

you are a brave young man - hope that you did not get a "snow job" as to condition - have fun

 

Snow melted, is looking pretty good for what i have invested so far. I'm seeing modern wiring terminals and decent wires, tells me it was running within the last few decades...

Still has black paint throughout

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Promising...

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26-27 engine possibly, because of the pedals----that's good if it's not stuck. I believe that is a 26-27 chassis also. I'll look at the pics more later and see what I can see. Check out mine (below) and @David Mazza Gow Job threads......

 

You want a different grille for it, I have a couple early Chevy ones, a '17-ish, and a '23. Plus a couple of ??? roadster or touring doors no one seems to care about, but a speedster probably doesn't need them either.

I had a nice T grille but sold it earlier in the year.

 

The engine is definitely 26-27 because of the reinforcement boss that bolts the hogs head to the rear of the cylinder block. The chassis is actually earlier 1913-1920 due to the forged and riveted running board irons. The crucial next step is of course finding out what is good and what needs attention. Then equally important is finding out what direction you want to go in. Earlier mostly stock speedster or later faster and more drivable but more modified gow job with a roadster or touring body or cut off touring body. Here’s a few options.

 

Old Fords are always cool! Looks like you have a good foundation.


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I went back and looked at the pics closer as I was in a hurry before, as David said, the chassis is earlier, I was going to say 1916-1921 (I missed the wood firewall the first time around and had my rear crossmembers mixed up). Engine is later 1926-1927. Crank handle also is 1914-1921. I would guess 1917-1920 on the chassis but with a later engine swapped in, but still with the earlier and more common 1925 and earlier style intake / exhaust ad the earlier front cover and fan support bracket. But the head bolts are not 1926-1927either, so that's kind of odd...but no worries. Front engine mount is after 1921, if it has a small hole behind the crank handle on the face, it would be a 26-27 front mount. Engine number is stamped above the inlet connection (on the side of the engine--right below the head).

It's kind of your typical hodge podge of parts. But that's not a bad thing. As I mentioned, hopefully the engine is not stuck or can be freed without two much issue. Your probably going to have to pull the head to see what the cylinders look like.

 

rustynewyorker, could you take a couple of pics of the inside of your '23 Chevrolet shell? My '22 shell is missing the radiator support brackets and I'd love to see what they look like!

Sorry for the thread-theft- back to the hillbilly T (really looking forward to seeing where you take this)!!!

 

@David Mazza, these style cars are where i want to be..
I dont intend to drive this on the road. Just TROG and Jalopy Showdown type events.


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Its good to see all the old guys still here. I haven't been on here for quite some time. I picked up a '48 Pontiac about a year ago that I am dropping a Jimmy 302 in, but that's on the back burner till i can collect all the parts.

Bill, I'm not sure what to do with the nose yet. I appreciate the offer for the grill. I travel your direction a lot this time of year for my son's hockey.

 

Looks like a good start! I have a similar (but stalled) project on a T frame as well. Best of luck!

 

Cool. Would be fun to also make it Street legal! This is my favorite model t racer. Check out north west vintage speedsters online. You’ll find not only excellent and correct racers but people to help you build yours!

 

It'd be cool if you stumbled on a RAJO or fronty head. Maybe a counterweighted A crank? Model A intake and exhaust? Great start! So many possibilities...

 

Shell is bare, in fact somebody bondo'ed a piece of tin into the Chevrolet stamp in it. It was a flea market grab, I figured I would find out what it was later. And that I did, it took like 5 minutes.

I've dealt with Hillbilly4008 before and he's a good guy, figured I'd give him a shot at this stuff before anyone else. We could horsetrade on it if he needs them.

Two years ago I came close to a cowl and a set of quarters, a guy tried to steal them from a storage unit auction of old car stuff in Chittenango and I made sure they went over the block. When he cranked them up to $100 I said "all yours" .. he'd paid a guy $5 to put them on his pile. If I had that much stuff I'd probably be cobbing something together too. They were maybe 23-24 who-knows-what but pitted bad and ragged on the bottom, the guy who had the unit had tucked them into the rafters.

 

Looks like a good plan Joe! Get busy with what Gene taught ya!

 

Contact me and I'll be able to help you out with T parts - there's a collector who has well over a dozen complete T's and sheds full of parts for almost every year. The trick is it's all located in Manitoba, Canada - I've got a few options for getting parts to where they need to go - I'm more interested in getting these parts back on cars before the guy gets too old and has to sell the property. [email protected]

 

Great start, good to see another T build here. Nice early chassis with the forged running board brackets. Looks like it still has the two holes on top of the rail for the early style firewall brackets. Bob

 

I poured Marvel and ATF into the spark plug holes. Won't be able to mess with it again till Monday.

So the coils are gone. Should i try and source replacements?

I seen people running VW distributors on the motors... thoughts?

 

FIRST THING call and get a Lang's parts catalog, everything you need for a T is there. Bob

 

I feel like I'm going to really enjoy watching this thread. Good luck, and thank you for posting it.

 

In my opinion, it depends on your time frame of build and your tastes. I for one prefer coils. One of the benefits are, that if one fails, you can still drive it to a safe spot or home. A properly adjusted coil will put out a heck of a spark by itself. You should carry a spare coil or two, but failure is often rare when a true expert rebuilds them. There are many fine folk who rebuild them, Ron Patterson, Brent Mize come to mind. If you try to source a set, you need to make sure the secondary windings are good. Unfortunately, most people who have "cores" don't know how to check, or won't check so then it's a crap shoot if you are buying "cores" online. If the secondary winding is shorted or open, they can not be fixed at all. I believe Lang's will sell you coils, but obviously you'll have to pay the core charge. If your trying to source them on your own, condition of the wood is everything. They rebuild them, but don't fix the wood. I try not to pay more than $15-17 per core, $5-10 is really good if you can find them. I recommend starting with 5-6 coils.

But to go along with all that, you need the timer and the coil box. There are electronic timers now (I-Timer---or an E-timer if you can find one) that actuate the coils, but a good Anderson or New Day is still viable. I run Anderson styles on my vehicles. Coil boxes can be found for often not alot of money, often some T guys will darn near give them away. I look for ones that often have rotted wood because they wont sell for alot. Make sure the box has the little divider support tab that goes between the pair of coils. You absolutely want to install one of the Fun Project plastic "wood" kits. Original wood obviously swells and contracts with weather, and can carbon track. I have a doodlebug that sits outside year round and with the plastic wood kit installed I have many uninterrupted hours of use and no trouble retrieving coils out of the box. If you want a box that mounts to the engine (bolts to the stock cylinder head), you will need a 26-27 style, they are a little more expensive typically, but try and get one with a lid as they are harder to find than the box itself.

I did try a distributor and know others that have also. They work just fine (I had the more currently available one that uses a VW head on it). One of the biggest things to watch is the grounding. In fact it has been said many times to add a separate ground....I did and had trouble free use. I ran mine on 6-Volts just to be more accurate. I absolutely do suggest carrying spare parts. Why they are available, they are not as commonly available as the once were. Most places will have to order them. I carried a spare coil, cap, rotor, condenser, and points. But at one of our club Christmas parties, I won a set of rebuilt coils and promptly sold all the distributor stuff. If your planning on running an overhead valve head, you'll probably want to stick to a distributor, or you'll be making homemade mounts for the coil box. Most coil boxes that sit behind the firewall, will interfere with the back of an overhead valve head...it's kind of a try it and see type of thing, you may be able to shorten the insulators to gain clearance. In my opinion, unless you absolutely have to have a period distributor, go with the new VW style, because parts are often much harder and rarer to find for those original styles. I had an old Atwater Kent LA I could not find parts for.

I know when I priced ignition setups for my doodlebug back around 2014 (it had no ignition components at all), to buy a complete setup, they all cost around the same at that time (About $450-500), so it came down to preference or want. With a little shopping online ads or placing want ads, or by friends, you may be able to come up cheaper.

 

^^^^ Great advice guitarguy ! The coil box just sounds nicer rolling along a back road.


Bob

 

I am going to start a new thread on the same subject. I am gathering parts for a speedster build. I subscribed to your build. Love this stuff.

 

an example