Info on an old T build

Keith True

Keith True

Well-known member
I had a 23 T dropped at the garage this morning to get running.It came out of Illinois,the build was finished in about 1993,(looks like it was done yesterday) Panel style wood body,metal panels in the lower half.Full windshield,oval windows in the back doors and next to the driver/passenger.On the sides it is lettered,Retired,Operating Engineer,Local 150.The owner passed a few years ago and his daughters liquidated it.All they knew was that it was daddies Model T,and he drove it until he died.My new computer refuses to accept pictures,it actually has a defect,so right now I have to rely on descriptions.I was hoping somebody might recognize the lettering and know something about it.I have no idea if the owner belonged to a club or not.The current owner is just curious about it's history,and if anybody knew the builder.
 
Thanks for the pictures.That's the truck.I'm waiting for the computer to be replaced so I can do my own pictures again.Those pictures really don't do the truck justice. To me,most homemade bodies are just that,dooryard mongrels.This one is very nicely done.No corners were cut,it has all new fenders and hood.It was finished in 1993,and was well cared for.I say it was finished,but it never got a few things done.Lights were never hooked up,and a tailight was never installed.The tires were never replaced,he trailered it to shows and such.As I said,his daughters only knew that it was daddies T and he built it after he retired.An appraiser told them what to get for it,and they sold it the only way they knew.The biggest problem so far is I have found it has a high hood on it,and needs the low one.Not sure how we are going to get around that,but I am going to get it running first and see how he likes the car.
 
The ones I like the best are the ones built in the teens,20's and the 30's.It strikes me as the guys that own the homebodied cars have the most fun.It's the ones that the owner tried to make a beauty queen out of that sometimes fall short of the mark.They will put in countless hours,quality materials,but never get more than four feet away from it until it is done.They stand back and wonder what went wrong.The one I am working on is an exception,the eye for proportion and style was far above average.The metal lower half really makes the car.I was contacted by somebody that said the builder had copied an original aftermarket commercial body.If so,the builder was just a good mechanic and woodworker,not a designer.
 
Keith, I must agree with you in as much that the "perfect" car is not one that wins a 100 points, but rather the car with a radiator full of bugs.:D
 
The perfect body is the one where you just can't figure out if it was built in 1930 or 1990.

Keith, don't go gagga over that hood. The untrained eye won't even detect it, and you are not headed for Pebble Beach, are ya?
 
If the hood was too short we wouldn't worry about it.It is too tall,and rests on top of the hood shelves,holding it up in the air at the top.If I remove the shelves,it rests on the tops of the fenders and aprons.It has never had hooks on it since it was done.I'm thinking I may be able to leave the shelves off,beef up the aprons/fenders,and install the hooks directly in them.The firewall is in the right place,the hood is just one inch too tall.We aren't worried about originality,after all it is just a T with a homebuilt body.Period correct and fit is what is important to the owner.
 
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