Newbie with a barn find

S

Scotch

Junior Member
Last year the wife and I went to a relatives ranch in Northern California. At the time we were getting a tour through the barns fairly fast and I didn't get a good look, but, in one of the barns was a truck with wood spoked wheels! I'm assuming it's a Model T but I guess I'll determine that when we go back up there. It's possible I'll be going tomorrow, if we do, I'll take plenty of photos. There is also a possibility I may get the opportunity to take it home at some point, so I'm really hoping it's a T!

What should I look for? I know to get the serial off the engine and off the frame if I can see it... What's the easiest way to see if the engine is stuck or not? Trying to move the crank? Anything else I should do/lookout for while I'm there?

Thanks - Scott
 
As a barn find, and if the price is "right", get it outa there and deal with the net results when you get it home. A single 1/4 turn on the hand crank will tell if its frozen or not. Thats even a moot point at this stage. The biggest part about moving it right now is that theres air in the tires (unless they are rotted into the dirt in the barn) and releasing the parking brake. Thats the long handle on the left of the driver by the door. It does a few things; all the way back is engine neutral and parking brakes on, half way forward is neutral and brakes off, all the way forward is transmission in high gear and brakes off. This may seem confusing if youve never driven a T before, but its really quite simple.
If for some reason it was parked decades ago with the brakes "on", they may be lightly stuck to the drums. Theyll break lose really easy. This will also ease a hand crank test to see if the motor is frozen. If the brake lever was left all the way forward, the brakes will be free, but the 21 internal clutch plates may be stuck together which may make it feel like its froze up. Thats really two seperate simple problems to overcome.
If you need to air up the tires, try a little air at a time. The rubber will be tired and hard and when a tire blows out with your face right in front of it, you can get hurt. Get your block numbers and a MILLION pics with a digital camera ( not a freakin' cell phone camera either!!!!) and post them here for some more in depth analysis. ws

2zf05nd.jpg
 
Thanks guys/Bill?
It's looking like we are going today to look at it! Probably in the afternoon. Thanks for the info, that is much needed. If I remember right it was parked in the barn on a pile of wood planks, so that should be good. We'll bring a couple digital cameras. I'll post pictures hopefully this evening. I'm hoping it's an early factory conversion or a TT!

Scott
 
As a "newbie" looking to see if its a T or a TT, the rear end is the biggest giveaway. A TT will have BIGGER 5 or 6 lug rims and a worm drive differential with the worm gear on top. A T has a centered bevel gear drive. The TT also has massive springs on the back along with a heavy looking crossmemember. Generally, itll also have 2 foot long running boards with a battery carrier below the drivers door.
Dont forget to empty your card and charge the battery on that camera! ws (Bill)!
 
Alright, it ended up being a little different than what I remembered, including being a little rougher than I thought. But the engine serial was 690XXXX so the motor is from 1922? At any rate it looks to be a Roadster pickup!

http://i990.photobucket.com/albums/af23/scotchalous/T1.jpg

Does it look like a good project car? The rust is bad, and if you look closely at the motor, it looks like water and mice have gotten inside of it!

Scott
 
Still only see the one pic. Looks pretty substantial nevertheless. Get it on a trailer and head for the nearest car wash with a bucket o' soap and a brush! Handle that radiator with care. Maybe its junk, maybe not, but at least its something to start with! Is it a freebie? Thats even better yet! I use tinypic http://tinypic.com/ makes it really easy to load good sized pics. You may hafta sign in but its free! ws

This is what I started with...

rhsdp2.jpg


And ended up with this so far...

205r3lw.jpg


Then momma says "Atta boy, COME HERE!!!"

2czu7o1.jpg
 
There we go, I'm learning how to do this picture posting stuff. My concerns are the motor and the rust on the body. What do you all think? It seems fairly complete, I couldn't find the hood. But it could be hiding somewhere. Does it look like a 1922?

Not sure if I can get it or not. If I can get it, it'll be free. But if they want to keep it. They will, money doesn't matter to them.
 
I am pretty sure it is a 23 roadster. The top & windshield style started in 23 & the front fender style ended in 23.

Looks like a good car. You should look around the farm for the "trunk". It was easily removed & may be hanging in the rafters somewhere. They often survived because people knew what they were & for that reason they often show up at swap meets as well.

What you have here is the textbook Barn Find!

What is the TT truck ahead of it?
 
The chassis with the wood bed mounted on it looks to be a car chassis a couple of years older than the roadster in the first pictures. Maybe 1919 or so. It has the earlier spring clamp arrangement. The roadster looks like the 1923 to 1925 ones.
 
The T-chassis wagon is 1917-1919. It has the 1913-1920 pinion housing and the non-tapered springs introduced in 1917. It appears to have some kind of aftermarket accessory shocks in front.
 
Sorry guys, they were all there till I moved them to a new album. Still learning... This should work.

T1.jpg


T12.jpg


T6.jpg


T5.jpg


T16.jpg


T4.jpg


T2.jpg


T3.jpg
 
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