the early ford registry newsletter · 2009 1903 -1909 early ford registry newsletter - volume 7...

The Early Ford Registry Newsletter

A Chapter of The Model T Ford Club of America

Early Ford 1903-1909 Register affiliated with The Horseless Carriage Club of America

2009 Volume 7 Issue 1

2009 1903-1909 Early Ford Registry Newsletter - Volume 7 Issue 1 page 1

President’s Message – Spring 2009 by Carl Pate, EFR 91

It never ceases to amaze me how fast time flies by … Since it gets faster

as we get older, I cannot imagine how our 100 year old cars must feel.

Since the last news letter in the winter 2008, the Early Ford Registry has

held our election for board member seats. An email was sent on January

4, 2009 to all members, that have email, advising them of the election

results.

John Biggs England Incumbent

Richard DeCarli California New

Paul Schaefer Ohio Incumbent

The Board then elected the following Officers for 2009:

President: Carlton Pate (Carl)

Vice President: Paul Schaefer

Secretary-Treasurer: Dave Dunlavy

During a recent conversation, Dave and I

decided that since there is so much on the web

site, many members may not be aware of the

information that is available. To correct the

problem, we will include in future newsletters

articles about the website to highlight various

information aspects and features.

Let‟s briefly reflect back on 2008 … The EFR

organization held meetings and Get-togethers

at the Chickasha flea market, New London to

New Brighton Run and the Hershey flea

market and antique car show. Numerous

changes and improvements were made to the

EFR website, Electronic users forum, addition

of a monthly Member Announcements (mass

email to members with email access), creation

of an organization brochure and a

membership level worldwide that reached to a

new high. (continued on page 2)

Next Page►www.EarlyFordRegistry.com/newsletters/v7n1p2.pdf

In This Issue...

President‟s Report. . . . . . . . . . . page 1-2

Secretary-Treasurer‟s Report . . . page 3

Website Login information .. . . . .page 3

Model N Restoration Project . .page 4-5

Members Photos on Web . . . . . . page 5

What a Ride! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 6-9

Index of Articles . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 10

For Sale – Want Ads. . . . . . . page 11-12

Chickasha Swap Meeting . . . . . page 12

The 1903-1909 Early Ford Registry, Inc. (EFR) is a

Chapter of The Model T Ford Club of America

(MTFCA) and an Affiliated Register of the Horseless

Carriage Club of America (HCCA).

We are a 501(c)3 Non-profit tax-exempt corporation.

The corporate office is 2895 Bluffton Road, Decorah,

Iowa 52101-7802. The web page is

www.EarlyFordRegistry.com The Email address is

[email protected]. The 1903-1909 Early

Ford Registry, Inc. is not responsible for any incorrect

technical information contained herein.

1903 – 1909 Early Ford Registry Newsletter 2009 Volume 7 Issue 1

2009 1903 -1909 Early Ford Registry Newsletter - Volume 7 Issue 1 Page 2

President’s Message – Spring 2009 continued from page 1

With the start of a new year, we need to plan for the future and look for new ways to

support all members and the organization goals. We need to make sure that we continue

our effort to find and protect historical document and items … As Board Member John

Biggs stated, we need to encourage club members and early Ford owners to take extra

efforts to:

Have all of the information that we exchange between members collated into a living

electronic document that members can reference

Create a list of (original and replacement) parts that are available from all sources

Create a list of casting patterns that are available for loaning (include owner and contact

information)

Create videos on maintenance and operation of early Ford cars

Collect parts drawings for early Ford cars

Encourage interest and support from the Ford Motor Company in these historic vehicles

and the company heritage.

As one member told me a year ago, he decided to loan me all of his period pictures and

post cards so that the images would be shared with others and protected. John‟s concern

was that at home, a fire, water or storm could destroy the items and they would be lost to

future generations. As collectors we have a responsibility to make sure that historical items

are not lost. With your help our organization can help make sure that does not happen.

After the completion of my book, I received new digital information on a disk with the

comment “Please use @ your discretion for EFR… Thanks D…”. I have over the past few

weeks began a process of changing the format and layout of the items so that they can be

easily usable by others. When the changes are completed, I will look for ways to include

the new information on the EFR organization website. I further extend the same offer to

other members – share and protect the information you have collected.

Since the real challenge is participation, we need your ideas, help and participation. If you

would like to be involved, please contact me by email ([email protected]) or phone

(860-633-2052). Please make an effort to get involved …

Another goal of the EFR organization is to increase and support the communication

between owners and those interested in early Ford cars. By promotion, research and the

gathering of information and documents, the true contribution that Ford cars made to the

development of transportation in the world will be realized. It is easy to be a part of this

unique opportunity … I encourage you to become more active and make a difference.

Carl Pate Next Page► www.EarlyFordRegistry.com/newsletters/v7n1p3.pdf

Prev Page◄ www.EarlyFordRegistry.com/newsletters/v7n1p1.pdf



Secretary-Treasurer’s Report Dave Dunlavy, EFR41

As you have read, we have the election completed.

I‟d like to thank all those who voted. We had an

excellent response with the election and dues

collection. I‟ll be making some changes to the “Join

Now” web page to make it easier to understand that

current members can pay their annual dues on that

page via PayPal. The PayPal option works very

well for the group and is easy for you to use.

We will be making some other important changes

in the web pages which you can read about in an

article in this newsletter.

New EFR caps and shirts have been ordered. They

may be purchased at the get-togethers and on-line

(in a few weeks).

We welcome the new members that are signing up.

A special article in this newsletter gives details of

how to take advantage of the web page features.

I look forward to seeing you at Chickasha. Stay

safe during the touring season.

Website Login Information Dave Dunlavy, EFR41

We have several areas of the web site that can be

very useful. The Members Area is only available

by logging-in. We set up your login when you pay

your dues. The login is your last name followed by

your EFR member number. This login is for the

Members Area ONLY and not for the Users

Forum. A special software package is used for the

Users Forum. To make it easy to read the forum,

no login is required. However, to prevent spam, we

require you to have a login and password. Please

drop me an email, [email protected] and request a

login name and password. I‟ll setup an account for

you and email you when it is active. If you have

any problems, either call (563.387.3736) or send

me an email.

NextPage► www.EarlyFordRegistry.com/newsletters/v7n1p4.pdf

PrevPage◄ www.EarlyFordRegistry.com/newsletters/v7n1p2.pdf

The 1903-1909 Early Ford Registry, Inc.

Officers** President

Carl Pate EFR 91 (2007-2009)

Phone 860.633.2052

Email [email protected]

Vice-President

Paul Schaefer EFR 93 (2007-2008)

Phone 330.483.4128


Secretary-Treasurer

Dave Dunlavy EFR 41 (2008-2010)

Phone 563.387.3736 - Cell 952.237.9131


Technical Research Coordinator

Hap Tucker EFR 59 (2008-2010)

Phone 803.469.7792


2-cyl Technical Research Coordinator

Carl Pate EFR 91 (2007-2009)

Phone 860.633.2052


Chairman, Restoration and Preservation

Committee

Jerry VanOoteghem EFR 95 (07-09)

Phone 313.881.2813


Directors*

John W. Biggs, EFR 2 (2007-2008)

Phone +44.1844.343161


Richard DeCarli EFR 125 (2009-2011)

Phone 707.654.1932 - Cell 707.762.4511


Floyd Jaehnert EFR 34 (2008-2010)

Phone 651.776.9859 - Work 612.331.5512


Paul Mikeska, EFR 168 (2008-2009)

Phone 303.463.1987


*Directors are elected by the general

membership for a period of three years.

**Officers are elected by the Board of

Directors annually.



Model N EFR Restoration Project Report by Jerry Van Ooteghem, EFR 95

As it does for many of us, the winter

season has really slowed down

progress on the Model N project.

Since our last update, Tim & Connie

Morsher have sent in a beautiful

reproduction battery box, copied from

an original. Tim and Connie have

been great supporters of our project as

have many others.

Norm Bolz and I have also been busy refining some

details of the seat, (previously donated by Dan

Mari). Since the seat and body were from different

sources, there was a slight fit-up problem. It became

obvious that the easiest solution was to make a new

base for the seat buckets. A little sawing, gluing and routing and we have a new seat base

that agrees with the dimensions of the body. I don't believe the body or seats were made

wrong to begin with. As has been documented, the seats varied some in width over the

production of the N. I think we

just had body & seat possibly

based on different eras of N

production.

We are really looking forward to

better weather that would allow

us to bring the body outside for

sanding, sealing and priming.

Both Norm's and my indoor areas

are full of "stuff" and not

conducive to body work. Even

Model N sized bodies. Such is

the plight of a collector.

(continued on page 5)





Model N EFR Restoration Project Report (continued from page 4)

We are still in need of an NRS wishbone and a steering pitman arm. Anybody? And , of

course, we could always use cash donations for the purchase of paint and other parts &

supplies.

Thanks for the continued support of the Early Ford Registry and its members!

EFR Restoration Team,

Jerry VanOoteghem voice 313.881.2813 [email protected]

Norm Bolz voice 313.881.0042 [email protected]

A note from the Secretary regarding donation tax receipts: If you made a donation of

money or parts in 2008, and have not received your receipt from the registry yet, please

contact me by phone (563.387.3736) or email ([email protected]). The letter receipt for

money will specify the amount of money donated. However, the letter receipt for donation

of parts, describes the parts but does not assign a value to the parts per IRS regulations.

Contact your CPA for further explanations, if necessary.

Continued Improvements in Members Pictures Web Area Weber McSwiggen, EFR00

As you should know, we have literally thousands of pictures of cars and car parts

submitted by members on the Members Photos webpage. About a year ago, we started to

build an index or matrix so you can find a picture of a specific area in which you have

interest. We are incorporating a couple of ideas to make the matrix more useful. You may

click on any photo and “biggie size” it. This is especially useful if you want to print it to

take to the shop to refer to while working your car. You can click the “more” link to be

directed to more photos from the same member.

We have received a few comments about how useful the pictures are. Now, plans are to

spend more effort getting the task finished. There are two main time consuming elements

in the project. First is cataloging the pictures. The second phase is to “code” the photos

into the matrix. The reason we‟re mentioning this is, if you have any comments or

suggestions about the project, we would like to hear what you have to say. Email

[email protected] or phone Dave (563.387.3736).





What a ride! By Richard Gould, EFR 107

As I sit in front of a warm fireplace, all quiet and

cozy with my wife, 5 house cats and a rescue

Chihuahua, I think back to the adventure that took

place last week. How was it that I, a Model T

mechanic of dubious repute, came to acquire one

of the most impressive two cylinder Fords on the

planet?

It seems like only yesterday I read Rob Heyen‟s

post that RM was auctioning a 1905 Model F

Ford in Scottsdale on January 16. Well, I

thought, Scottsdale is within driving distance. Just maybe I can scrape up enough money to

place a bid. After sniffing around, I discovered the car belonged to Robert Grooters and

many detailed pictures of the car were posted on the website under the caption Members

Photos. After examining the photos, and speaking with Robert, I made arrangements to

borrow a chunk of money from my saintly mother and badger the credit union into

increasing my line of credit. So far so good.

Rob Heyen, who had expressed an interest in the car, contacted me by phone and, after

discussing the pros and cons, decided against bidding. I spoke with Dave Dunlavy who

stated he knew of no other EFR member interested in the car and encouraged me to bid

away, but warned the car could go as high at $150,000 or $200,000 considering the

upscale venue and the possibility of overseas bidders. Not exactly words I wanted to hear.

Things were really looking up until I learned a friend of mine had an interest in the car. I

had been to a Kruse Auction a few years back and had seen him in action. He walked

away with most of the items he bid on.

At that point, I believed my chances of acquiring the Model F were slim and none. Never

the less, I was all packed and ready to go with a wallet full of cashiers checks. So I figured,

“What the hell, give „er a shot.”

Early morning of the 14th, I headed out of town in my trusty truck with my dog in the

passenger seat towing my enclosed car trailer behind me just in case I got lucky.

In truth, I had pretty much given up on the F, but Gooding & Co. was auctioning a 1909

Sears the following day in Scottsdale and I figured my chances were pretty good on that

one.

I got as far as Barstow and spent the night in a flea infested Motel, just across the street

from a well lit grocery store. Adequate but hardly the Hilton. (continued on page 7)





What a ride! (continued from page 6)

I made it into Needles about mid morning the next

day to purchase gas. It was then I discovered my

ATM card was lost. A diligent search turned up

nada and I phoned the bank to cancel the card. No

big deal really, since I brought a wad of cash to see

me through the week.

On leaving Needles, I stopped before entering an

ancient wooden and concrete underpass. The road

was so narrow only one car could pass through at a

time. Drivers were lined up on each side, taking

their turns, one side then the other. When it was my turn, I entered the underpass. Then I

heard the most God awful noise. I looked around and then bolted from the truck leaving

the door wide open. To my horror, I discovered the trailer was too high for the underpass

and 6"of the top was sheared off a full three feet back from the front. It looked like a

tornado hit it.

I raced back to my truck to shut the door fearing my dog would make his escape and found

him hovering on the floorboards below the passenger seat.

About two minutes after the accident, an employee of the collision repair shop half a block

from the underpass ran up to me wanting to know if I needed a tow and storage for my

damaged trailer. Someone else informed me that about two RVs a week suffer the same

fate as my trailer trying to pass through that aged structure. I bet that collision place has a

lookout just waiting for unsuspecting travelers.

Well, to make a long story short, the trailer was totaled and I traded the remains for what

would have been the cost of storage had I left it there.

Back to the story.

I decided to soldier on without the trailer knowing that any auction I won would have to be

shipped by common carrier to my place in Folsom. Pricey but not outrageous.

I rolled into Blythe about 1:30 PM. I had been carefully watching my poor dog since the

accident and noticed he was not acting his usual self. At that time I was beginning to have

doubts about continuing. After mulling it over, I decided the time had come to throw in

the towel and scurry back home. After lunching on a stale hot dog, I headed west.

The trek home took a full day and a half, stopping in Sylmar to spend a night on a lumpy

mattress. (continued on page 8)






When I arrived home, I settled in and checked my

email. It was then I discovered a message from my

friend stating he decided against bidding on the

Model F after all.

Holy Cow, I didn‟t know what to think. Here I

was, 700 miles from Scottsdale and my most feared

competition had dropped out of the running. Not

knowing how to proceed, I called RM, told them

my tale of woe, and begged to be allowed to bid

over the phone. The nice lady said “Yes”, so long I

could fax them a completed application with a valid credit card number. She said I better

hurry up, though, because lot #160 was on the block now and the Model F, lot #177, was

coming up soon.

It was then I discovered my Fax machine was on the blink. So I raced to my neighbor‟s

house, registration in hand, pleading to use his fax. He graciously obliged and I returned

home to await a call from RM when the F came on the block.

I waited, waited and waited some more. After about an hour and a half, I figured my

application had not been processed in time to bid and emailed my friend, stating my

registration was denied and that I would not be bidding. I wondered whether he was the

high bidder. So close yet so far away.

About 5 minutes after sending the message, I got a call from RM stating the Model F

would be coming up in about 10 minutes and asking if I was prepared to bid. “Hell yes”

was my reply. At this point I was about ready to explode. I realized I emailed my friend

too soon and had opened the door to a bidding war. I literally saw the car slipping through

my fingers.

As soon as I got off the phone with RM, I

frantically dialed my friend‟s number to tell him I

was gong to bid after all, and to please ignore my

previous email. He wasn‟t there, so I had him

paged. Luckily for me, he returned the call and I

explained the premature email. He must have

heard the desperation in my voice. We talked about

how much we were willing to bid and he agreed

not to bid against me. What a guy! (continued on page 9)






Not two minutes after I hung up, I got the call from

RM and the bidding got under way. Bidding

stalled at $40,000 and I thought I would get the car

at a real bargain. But the auctioneer exhorted the

crowd for 5 minutes stating what a gem it was and

so on and so forth. Bidding began again and rose

to $80,000. I bid $85,000. After three long calls,

the hammer went down and I became the proud

new owner of Grooter‟s Model F Ford. My friend

called and congratulated me. I was so happy I

cried.

The car was delivered on the 21st and is now resting peacefully in my garage happily

dripping oil from the lifter guides.

Only two other items to report. One, the dog came alive when he returned home and

began herding the cats. Two, that auctioneer will never be welcome in my home.

All I can say is “What a ride!”





EFR Newsletter Index

Here is an index of all articles printed in the 1903-1909 Early Ford Registry Newsletter.

Volume 1 - 2003 Volume 2 – 2004 Volume 3 – 2005 Volume 4 - 2006 Volume 5 - 2007

Volume 6 - 2008 Volume 7 - 2009



Index for The Early Ford Registry Newsletter Volume Issue Page

1903 Model A Ford Tonneau, Care Takers of - by Carl Pate, EFR 91 4-1-5

2 Cylinder News - by Hap Tucker, EFR 59 2-1-3

A "2006" Ford Model N - by Lee Roy Thevenet, EFR 123 5-1-4

Air Cooled Ford – by Carl Pate, EFR 91 6-2-12

Antique Car Run, 22nd

Annual 6-3-5

Band Lining, Using Modern - by Dave Dunlavy, EFR 41 3-2-3

Boy Scout Model N Restoration – by Chuck Walneck, EFR 181 6-1-6

Carburators for Ford Models – from Glen Rand, EFR 74 3-2-4

Do You have a Centennial Car? 6-1-9

Early Town Car – by Hap Tucker, EFR 59 3-1-5

EFR History – by Carl Pate & Dave Dunlavy 6-1-7

FMC Monthly Sales, March 1906 through August 1909, - by Trent Boggess, EFR 3 3-1-3

Horseless Age, July 11, 1906, Volume 18 Number 2 3-3-3

Horseless Age, November 15, 1905, Volume 16 Number 20 4-2-8

Horseless Age, November 22, 1905, Volume 16 Number 21 4-1-7

Installing a Brass Windshield - One Man's Approach by Richard Gould, EFR 107 5-2-6

Interchangeable Parts NRS and Model T - by Dave Dunlavy, EFR 41 4-1-6

London to Brighton Run – by Dave Dunlavy, EFR 41 6-4-5

Lost Model S Coupe – by Hap Tucker, EFR 59 6-2-7

Model N #116 History - by Chris Lawson, EFR 15 4-3-3

Model N #3096 History - by Irvin Haisch, EFR 25 5-3-5

Model N Restoration Project Report - by Jerry Van Ooteghem, EFR 95 5-4-3

Model N Restoration Project Report - by Jerry Van Ooteghem, EFR 95 5-3-3

Model S Roadster #3313, Resurrection of - by Dennis Hood, EFR 113 3-2-2

New Book Material Wanted - Carl Pate, EFR 91 5-4-15

New London New Brighton Antique Car Run, 2005 - by Dave Dunlavy, EFR 41 3-2-5

NRS Questions from Members - by Hap Tucker, EFR 59 2-1-5

Piquette Meeting 9/9/2004, Early Ford Group - by Hap Tucker, EFR 59 2-1-2

Read History - A First Person History - by Tim Morsher, EFR 126 5-2-3

Restoration of Model N Nr 89 for Boy Scouts - by Chuck Walneck, EFR 181 5-4-5

Schumard's Elleptic Spring Outfit - brochure 4-2-4

Technical Corner - Paint Striping - by Richard Darling, EFR 9 3-2-8

Technical Corner - Rebushing rear axle housing - by Richard Darling, EFR 9 3-2-9

Tour, Our First - Decorah, Iowa by Dave Dunlavy, EFR 41 4-2-2

Tour, Summer 2007, Tiffin Ohio - by Dan Coffman, EFR 121 5-4-7

Were the K's really as bad as they say? By Bob Trevan, EFR 52 4-1-3

What Models Have What Features – by Dave Dunlavy, EFR 41 6-1-10



For Sale and Wanted Items

For Sale: 1) Model NRS front axle - $400

2) stamped brass radiator fins, perfect replicas, enough to assemble a model A, A-C, or C

radiator $500

3) set of 4, model NRS pistons and rods $200

4) nickel plated monocle windshield, ORIGINAL, in great condition. Strip the plating and

polish or use as is. $500

5) complete set of raw castings for mounting the cycle fenders on a Mercury bodied Model

T $500

6) original 4 digit leather Michigan plate. Will trade for a single similar vintage OHIO or

for 3 sets of reproduction leather plates I can use..... Not for sale otherwise.

7) not real early ford, BUT for sale. Mr. Larry Porters 1957 white on white Ford

Thunderbird. Nice original car. He, of the "ALPHABET FORD COLLECTION" fame.

$32,500 OBO

8) I have a very limited supply right now, so thought I could offer them to EFR

members. New reproduction "FATMAN " brake handle extension for the model T

ford..... Money back if not delighted. Made in USA by AMERICANS !!! Iron and steel

construction with a black powder paint finish $150 postpaid (overseas a bit extra)

Tim Morsher Email: [email protected]

For Sale:

2 Ruckstells, one assembled and one in pieces $750 - $1000.

Dave Dunlavy 563.387.3736 [email protected]

Wanted:

Model N parts, including transmission parts, emergency brake tooth ratchet and lever, step

plate support and rod, rear radius rods, wishbone, spindles, rear spring perches and grease

cups, 28 inch rims or wheels, hubs, drive shaft, universal joint ball housing, tie rod, idler

arm, intake manifold, proper Kingston or Holley carburetor. Splitdorf or Heinze coil box,

starting crank, radiator cap, fender irons, hood, muffler, or what spare or fabricated parts

do you have?

Can trade flywheel, fenders, camshaft and other parts.

Jack Lennart Email: [email protected]





For Sale: Parts for Model NRS Fords

Model N Fenders

Brackets for the undersides of the fenders – straps and clips

Fender irons from frame to fender

Side lamp brackets (specify which model)

Tail lamp bracket

Coil box switch – (square Splitdorf)

Trunk lid handle

Timer complete with roller and cover

Exhaust pipe – muffler – muffler brackets – muffler nut

water pump impeller

water pump gears

gas tank – gas tank sediment bulb

crank handle – crank holder, fork

radiator cap

transmission fiber disc set (#664, 695 & 696)

band lining – original type fiber

brass tube between cylinders

nuts for the water pipes between cylinder & tube to radiator

spark plug wire holders

brass plates around the pedals, complete with emergency brake holder

water manifold #465

pressure oiler one way valve

caps for oil filler pipe, pressure oiler & mechanical oiler

Glenn Rand 4626 Paradise RD, Seville, OH 44273 – 330.725.4069 call in PM

Chickasha Swap Meet Meeting – March 19th

We will have a Meet & Greet meeting at the Chickasha Pre-WWII Swap Meet again

this year. It will be held on Thursday, March 19th

at 4:00pm in the Fair Board Meeting

room on the 2nd

floor of the North building. Please look for signs posted around the

meet to confirm this.

If you have any questions, stop by Dave Dunlavy’s swap meet space, FG5, at the

northwest corner of the North building. Dave‟s cell phone number is 952.237.9131.

There will be introductions and show-and-tell, so bring your new products to show. You

will have plenty of time to meet new EFR members and visit with old friends. We will

have some snacks and beverages, too.

Remember: Thursday, March 19th

in Fair Board Meeting room at 4:00pm.

the early ford registry newsletter · 2009 1903 -1909 early ford registry newsletter - volume 7...

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