John Otis
Senior Member
Years ago I got a call from a guy who knew another guy who had some T stuff for sale. Back then I was buying nearly everything I could get my hands on so I went and took a look. This fellow had a '26 Chrysler which was about the nicest original car I have ever seen. Just perfect. The body and interior were A-1 original. Only the fenders had been repainted at some point. He also had a couple of 20's T's that were old running clunkers but very cool and still roadworthy. A couple old Packards and a couple other cars that didn't interest me rounded out his collection. He took me out back to a berry patch to show me a frame and axles. I immediately noticed the straight rib running boards and the flatter running board castings. With little discussion I bought and happily loaded the 1909 T chassis.
For those of you who don't know, the earliest T's were pretty different animals. The running board brackets have very little arch to them since the splash aprons were much flatter in profile. The frame was very different all over including how the crossmembers were riveted and the cast brackets on the rear crossmember were different even from the 11-12 versions which I am very familiar with. The early steering columns were about a couple inches shorter and the brass quadrant on top was very different from the 11-12. The lower steering column bearing bracket that mounts on the frame was also different and had a big rounded lip at the top. Like an '11 but still different. The little cast spark and throttle arms in the column were very different in appearance. At first glance it was the T we are all familiar with but in detail it was quite different.
The high speed lever had an entirely different shape in the handle and release grip. I found no evidence that this was a two lever car. Even the quadrant riveted to the frame was different, as was the little cast pawl that released it.
The front fender brackets and headlight forks were entirely different castings from the early ones that we recognize.
If someone wanted to phony a 1909 car they couldn't get around all these differences without an incredible amount of work. The frame was marked H.P.S. Company on the underside of the driver's side rail just ahead of the rear crossmember. HPS was Harold Parrish Steel and he supplied a few frame stampings for Ford early on.
The U-bolts holding the tapered leaf rear spring in place were cast differently that the ones we normally see. The one piece spindle front axle was of course a different forging and it's shackles were unlike any other T 's I have seen. All in all it was a good find. I blasted the whole thing clean and painted it and parked it in the back of the shop. Before long I just couldn't stand it so I built an authentic body for it. I had a late 11 engine and I took a grinder and a Dremel tool and removed all the castings on the block around the oil galleys. I bored out the valve guides and turned and pressed in brass guides in the early style. I took a later aluminum hogshead and chopped it and had a guy reshape it into a square hole type. It wasn't a 09 engine but I kept them guessing! I got the car all together and driving and only needed fenders, aprons and running boards to finish it. I had even found the correct 09 lights. Well Divorce number 1 put an end to that project. A fellow from NY bought the car and I never saw it again. He also bought some IH Highwheeler parts from me. I would buy that car back in a minute if I could find it.
For those of you who don't know, the earliest T's were pretty different animals. The running board brackets have very little arch to them since the splash aprons were much flatter in profile. The frame was very different all over including how the crossmembers were riveted and the cast brackets on the rear crossmember were different even from the 11-12 versions which I am very familiar with. The early steering columns were about a couple inches shorter and the brass quadrant on top was very different from the 11-12. The lower steering column bearing bracket that mounts on the frame was also different and had a big rounded lip at the top. Like an '11 but still different. The little cast spark and throttle arms in the column were very different in appearance. At first glance it was the T we are all familiar with but in detail it was quite different.
The high speed lever had an entirely different shape in the handle and release grip. I found no evidence that this was a two lever car. Even the quadrant riveted to the frame was different, as was the little cast pawl that released it.
The front fender brackets and headlight forks were entirely different castings from the early ones that we recognize.
If someone wanted to phony a 1909 car they couldn't get around all these differences without an incredible amount of work. The frame was marked H.P.S. Company on the underside of the driver's side rail just ahead of the rear crossmember. HPS was Harold Parrish Steel and he supplied a few frame stampings for Ford early on.
The U-bolts holding the tapered leaf rear spring in place were cast differently that the ones we normally see. The one piece spindle front axle was of course a different forging and it's shackles were unlike any other T 's I have seen. All in all it was a good find. I blasted the whole thing clean and painted it and parked it in the back of the shop. Before long I just couldn't stand it so I built an authentic body for it. I had a late 11 engine and I took a grinder and a Dremel tool and removed all the castings on the block around the oil galleys. I bored out the valve guides and turned and pressed in brass guides in the early style. I took a later aluminum hogshead and chopped it and had a guy reshape it into a square hole type. It wasn't a 09 engine but I kept them guessing! I got the car all together and driving and only needed fenders, aprons and running boards to finish it. I had even found the correct 09 lights. Well Divorce number 1 put an end to that project. A fellow from NY bought the car and I never saw it again. He also bought some IH Highwheeler parts from me. I would buy that car back in a minute if I could find it.
