I started this project last year as a 26 T coupe on an 29 A chassis with a small budget and soon realized that the coupe body had eaten up almost all of my budget. It was missing garnish mouldings and the windshield frame and finding and buying those parts was not cheap. So I sold the 26 coupe body for really good money and found this 25 T touring car body on here. I bought it and I am into it for about 600 at this point. I cut the middle out of the touring body and made it the same dimensions as a roadster body and found a 25 turtle deck. I have always liked early T roadsters done more tradiationally. I am not a huge fan of 60's T buckets with huge motors, I want this car to be built as if Henry was still making the T in 1930. I am working on the body first as it needs the most time but hopefully this should move along nicely. First mock up pic.
wow!! i am in the process of finding and building a 1923 t just like yours. i want to build a stock t type frame and run a pinto 4 banger in it with full hood. i am going to have to use a 'glass t body and deck as that is what i have right now. i just hope i can get some wire wheels cheap.
Neat idea! I don't know why that didn't occur to me for mine. I have a steel '23 body and fenders to do a full fendered car after I get done screwing with the T-Bucket I'm on now.
Been thinking of what I wanted to do with the dash because the T was very basic. I had the original cluster from my 31 coupe laying on the shelf so I thought why not put it in the T since it is going to be built using most of my spare A parts. This is what I came up with.
Still working on the old body and replacing wood with steel. Found an old section of model A floor and used it under the seat. Also chopped down the T seat frame and got it fitted to the floor. I have almost all the body done, just need to add some more bracing at the back of the body. Tomorrow I am going to finish off the door and add an inner skin. The door shuts perfect now (glad I braced the crap out of the body before I started welding) Putting in the A subrails has really made this car stiff and it looks like something Henry would have done I think.
Awesome! Love the direction. Great job on the subrails and all the body stuff. Makes me regret selling mine a little.
Thanks man, I am digging your roadster as well! Tomorrow is full time on the T (just rescued a new puppy so he is taking some of my time) and I also bought three 28-29 model A radiators in hopes that one was good. I took the T shell I have and put it on the A radiator and it was a damn close fit. I enlarged the radiator fill hole with a hand file and it fit right over. I then chopped it 3.5 inches to match the T shell height and sent it off to the radiator shop for a re-core. Should be done Monday. I know I am not that far along but the T shell/ A engine had me concerned and I wanted to get it out of the way.
I had a T radiator but the work involved to make it work with the A motor was more than I wanted to do. The 29 radiator works with just a slight chop.
Ok guys, what should I do about the brakes? The chassis I bought has juice brakes on it but they need to be gone through. No master cylinder so I would have to figure that out and I would need spacers for the Model A wires. I am also building this as an early 30's car so I have been hinting at going back to Mechanicals. What do you think? Are the juice brakes too "new" for the build? I always like the look of mechanicals too.
I think they are too new, but most here would give it/you a pass. If it were mine mech. would be the choice. You are starting with some great raw materal, I like the early stuff too...subscribed.
Go with the mechanicals on this. It'll look right for the build and on a car as light as this one, if they are in decent shape, will work as good or better than the older juice set up, especially if you spring for a floater kit. The money and time you would spend getting the juicers going, you could have the mechanicals dialed in. Sell off the juice stuff too and pay for some of the other stuff you need!!
Yeah, I seem to be swaying that way. I still have the mechanical brakes on my 29 coupe and it stops very well so this should stop just fine. Anybody got a set of mechanicals they want to sell?