On Wednesday, September 26th I was determined to be on time, but as I was leaving my driveway – the lawn guy showed up and had all kinds of questions…. how hard is aeration?   This only delayed my arrival in Townsend by 15 minutes or so but I had a sinking feeling that I would be late again.  Sure enough, as I drove into Smith Farm there was my car – well the top part anyway – in the driveway!  Mike and Lenny had fired up the tractor and lifted the body right off the frame and plopped it in the driveway.  I asked Mike what time they started work and he said, “oh, I dunno… some time ’round eight, I guess.”  “But Lenny told me to be here at nine, ” I replied.  “Oh no, you gotta get up earlier than that.  Lenny’s up at five” he said.  “Well how come, he told me to be here at 9am, then”  I asked.  “Well, you’re on sabbatical, Bob, Lenny doesn’t want you to work too hard!” was the final word…

Well…here’s what my well rested body found:  the body of the car, upside down and waiting for the wooden sills to be removed.

The wooden sills run the length of the car and provides the basic structure for the car. The frame bolts into these sills.  The wood was important back in the day as it gave the cars some flexibility – which was really important as folks drove the cars through fields, up mountains, and on rutted dirt roads.

Here are a couple of shots of the frame without the body on it.  Above, Lenny was explaining a bit about the rear end.  You can see the differential in the middle (with some oil dripping out – thanks to my  brother Dave uncle Jack who did some minor maintenance to it 25 years ago).  You can also see the inside of the left rear wheel where the brakes are .  There’s other important stuff here that I don’t know about yet…

Below is the front of the car.  The gas tank on the right, the transmission (with a light on it), the emergency brake sticking up, and the engine with the firewall resting on it.  All of this is quite rusty and will be brought down the street to Lenny’s son’s place where there is a sand blaster.   We’ll get the rust off and then paint it all!

Above is a good view of the difficulty we had getting the wood out of the car.  It was amazing how many  wood screws, carriage bolts, and nails were used in the wood.   Once we got rid of the sills – with the use of a sawzall and various other pulling and cutting tools – the back seat came immediately detached.  This is how Ford made pick-up trucks, or coupes… they used different back sections!

Now that most of the body has been removed and taken apart.  We have made plans to take all of the pieces to Worcester where they will sit in a chemical bath that will remove all of the rust.   Below are some of the smaller pieces….

The next two photos show how the steering wheel is removed from the column.  Lenny used a “puller”.   Cool Tool.

More pictures next week…!

-Bob

On Saturday, September 15 the car went to its new temporary home in Townsend, MA. Lenny Smith and Bill Harper have agreed to lead the restoration work. They are two of the most knowledgeable model T mechanics in the country. They were pleased with the general condition of the car and actually excited to see what good shape it’s in. No promises offered, but there is lots of good hope. Serious work will begin in the middle of October when Bill’s schedule frees up.

Gary from LGL Towing in Boxborough, MA did the heavy lifting to get the car to Townsend.  He’s a great guy and a pro.  If you need a tow in the Acton-Boxborough area call 978-264-4400

This is Bill Harper – perhaps the most agile 58 year old guy you’ll ever meet.  He removed the coils and patiently explained to me what they do…. I’m still not sure I understand, though!  But Model T’s all have  little wooden boxes like these that are part of the electrical system.

Lenny Smith and Bill Harper –  Ready to Restore!

Like most of the other fabric, the convertible top is rotted and useless. But the metal and wood bows are in good shape – save a little surface rust.  They were taken to Meredith New Hampshire to brother Dave’s blacksmith shop where a brace was welded onto a weak spot and lots of wire brushing with a grinder got them looking much better.

After and before….  It’s amazing what a grinder with a wire brush can do.

Two coats of rusty metal primer and two coats of glossy black enamel and they look good as new!

So… this will hang in the garage until we can purchase a new, top fabric kit and we’ll be all set on rainy days!

The beginning of the restoration started today. I began with removing some very rusty nuts and bolts in an effort to remove the fenders and running boards. The right rear fender came off okay but it will take more work to complete the rest. The next step was to vacuum the interior and remove some of the old and rotted upholstery. This car has been a home for rats and mice for nearly 60 years. Thank goodness for the shop vac.

I heard a great story today. The photo above shows the front of the car looking down at the transmission. Henry Ford apparently had these transmissions built by an outside company that shipped them in carefully constructed wooden crates. On the assembly line, the transmission was hung by a chain that went through the crate. The crate was removed and saved, for after the transmission was installed its wooden crate became the floorboards – cut perfectly with holes for pedals, and access to the battery in back!!

You can see the front floor boards (transmission crate) above – stored temporarily in front of where the back seat goes. I will save these!!

You can see by the two pictures of the upholstery on the rear door where the mice had chewed through and then lived inside. I think this car will be pleased to be used by humans again!!