It's it possible? I'm stumped on wheels. This seems like it would be a great project that could be done low buck and with room for creativity. I don't want to use wood wheels and good wire wheels don't come cheep. Whose the clever guy who can build a T speedster LOW BUCK?
My personal opinion: an A speedster would be even cheaper - for whatever reason they're easier to find. At least around here - I've yet to find a a T doodlebug and all but one T I've run into have pretty well been junk (it's bad when you need to combine 2 or 3 frames into one good one). On the other hand A doodlebugs that run turn up under $1000 pretty regular - combine with a stock full frame ($free-$300) and whatever rearend you want to run in there (another $100 or so) and you should be in business. Just round up a long hood with some rotty edges for your speedster tail - a '41-'47 Cadillac might work; I've seen '40 Ford used; I'm sure there's others that would do it.
Thanks Rusty. Using an A makes front brakes easier too. T stuff is so cheap, it's just that it's harder to do any thing useful with.
Cheap wood wheel alternatives for a T: -Adapt Model A 19 or 21" wire wheels (adapters can be made or purchased from the parts vendors). -Adapt 50s era British sports car wheels (MG, Jag, etc) these can be found, most are skinny and tall, and can be fooled into resembling a set of Buffalo or Dayton wires at a fraction of the cost. -Adapt some Chevrolet or other early car disc wheels. Original Model T accessory disc wheels are out there, but kind of expensive. Disc wheels used on non-Ford cars are more common and alot cheaper and can be easily adapted to the T hubs. Go for the T speester. I have two of them (and have built/assembled probably 20 over the years) and they are the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Let me know if you need any parts or advice!
Glad to see this- I've been wanting to do the same thing!!! If you look for Budd Disc Wheels (used on early Dodge), you can even get away from separate rims. Without trying taking over the thread, would you mind some open discussion on the topic Spyder?
Try these links. http://www.mtfca.com/ http://modelthaven.com/ http://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/ http://www.nwvs.org/ http://clubs.hemmings.com/frameset.cfm?club=mercurybodyregister http://www.speedsterbody.com/ http://www.modelt.ca/ http://www.hotforhotfours.com/ http://www.fordbarn.com/ http://www.rootlieb.com/
Somewhere out there in wheel land are the 60,000 or more 18" Ford A-style wire wheels made for the Shay Roadster fiasco of the late 70s-early80s. The wheel company made the whole production run of wheels on a smile and a promise, that's 40,000 road wheels for the production run of 10,000 vehicles plus at least another 10,000 plus for spares(single or dual). They look like 28-29 wires but have conventional rim lips and a 4-bolt Pinto bolt pattern, 4 on 4.5" circle. We were offered these once by a receiver of the wheel companies assets (this hiccup busted the bank) but passed. Maybe they are still being sold by some kit-car outfit? That or they're still taking up an enormous amount of space in a really big warehouse or a cornfield.
Almost every day in the classifieds over on Fordbarn and Ahooga, someone is offering an A chassis which they've taken the body off of for a rod project. Most are running and driving and sell in the $1200-1500 range. This would be the quickest, cheapest, easiest route to a speedster. You can't even overhaul one of these engines or go through the brakes for what these sell for.
Join the local Model T or A club. Most will welcome you with open arms and are a great source for parts, comrade, and lots of knowledge. If you are under 75, get used to being called "Kid"
Seems there are a number of T speedster posts as of late. Go to www.nwvs.org This seems to be one of the best docmented groups on the net, and there are some great examples of both what to and what not to build.
The Jalopy Journal
