About my 1914 Model T Speedster

World War I started 1914

My favorite Henry Ford quote.   

• Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.

What about my 1914 Ford Model T Speedster:

• "Thumbs Up" is the name of my 1914 Ford Model T because everyone gives it a thumbs up when they see me driving it (my oldest daughter properly named it.)
• I bought this 1914 Ford Model T Speedster in February 2024
• The previous owner passed away and was a US Navy Vet from Mississippi (I am also a US Navy Vet), and I had the car shipped here.
• The frame is 1914
• The motor is 1923 (Built 3rd week of November 1923.)
• The Model T Speedster was never offered or built by Ford.  There were conversion kits offered at that time.  Typically a two-seat runabout version of the Model T would be stripped down and the kits would be added.
• Why did I want and buy this Model T? I love the simplicity of the Model T because this is an amazing technology from the beginning of the 1900s of machining engines, transmissions, patents, and more that transformed the United States and the world.  

                   (Oh, and this one looks REALLY COOL!!!)

Gas Lamps:

• All the lights were gas headlamps and kerosene oil lamps just like they were on Horse Carriages (remember, they pretty much put a motor on a horse Carriage.)  
• 1919 electric headlamps became standard equipment on Model Ts but at 6V, and when the motor was at low RPMs these lights were dim until the RPM increased (instead of an alternator, they had a generator which put out a voltage depending on the RPMs of the engine so the voltage varied.)  
• To make the gas for the headlamps, a brass container on the left of the Model T (carbide generator pictured below) created Acetylene gas that lit the headlamps with a prism until the electric headlamps were offered.   
• The Carbide Generator held the mixture of calcium carbide (CaC2) with water (H2O0 and reacted and produced acetylene gas (C2H2) which burns a clean white flame.  
• Miners used to use the Carbide Generator as headlamps.

Interesting facts about Model Ts (motorhead people will enjoy this section):

• Model T motors don't have oil pumps.  The piston rods scope up the oil and the oil splashes around from the movement of the crankshaft to lubricate the rest of the motor. (Photos below.)
• There is no transmission fluid.  The oil from the engine is also the oil (transmission fluid) for the transmission (10W30)
• There is no fuel pump.  The Model T had the gas tank under the front seat and was gravity-fed to the carburetor of the engine.  When starting the Model T, a person would have to turn a little valve to allow the fuel to the carburetor, and if they did not turn off the little valve then gravity would continue to feed the carburetor and flood it.  Even the Model T Speedster did not have a fuel pump but some added it in later years.  My 1914 Model T Speedster has a fuel pump as the carburetor sits higher than the original Model T carburetor, so a fuel pump is needed.
• There is no water pump.  The top of the engine hose feeds the radiator hot water, as the water is cooled in the radiator it is heavier and pushes the water out from the bottom into the engine.  The first year of Model T (2447 Model Ts) had a water pump, but Henry Ford figured out that removing the water pump increased reliability and lowered the cost.  This self-water rotation effect is called Thermosiphon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermosiphon)  Mine has a water pump which was sold as an after-market product. Some people, even today, have a debate if the water pump is needed or not.  Mine came with it, so I kept it; however, after it kept leaking a little bit I took it out.
• The hand crank in the front works to start the motor.  Electric starters were not offered until 1919 ($70 option at that time), and this motor being a 1923 has the starter.
• Model Ts have a 6-volt system (cars today are 12 volts.)  There was a switch for the 6-volt battery to run through the coils to up the voltage to the sparkplugs, and once started the person would then move the switch to the magneto which are magnets on the flywheel that would then produce enough voltage to the coils (instead of the battery which the engine did not have an alternator to recharge) to make the spark plugs works (photo below.)  There was no distributor and only a commutator to sequence the timing of the spark plugs.  My 1914 Model T has been converted to a 12-volt system with a distributor that continuously powers the spark plugs and lights.  My 1914 Model T Speedster and the commutator types have a timing control level on the left side of the steering wheel to control the timing.  To make it easy for the Model T to start or hand crank, you retard the timing and once running and warming up, you adjust it to the proper position to run smoothly and have power.
• The Model T had 20 HP with a 4 to 1 compression ratio and could run off almost anything (kerosene, ethanol, moonshine, etc.)  The Model A, which came after the Model T, had 40 HP.  My Model T has been modified with a SCAT crank and rods and a higher compression head so instead of 20HP it probably is about 40-50HP.

 
Going up a hill with 20 HP:

• Because the Model T had 20HP, sometimes with a full load of people it was easier to go up a hill backward than forward.  
• Because of this issue, aftermarket add-ons to the transmission we sold.  
• The one Henry Ford recognized and backed was the Ruckstell Two-Speed rear axle. 
• Other types bolted up right past the transmission and have an underdrive (lower gear), direct drive (passthrough), and an overdrive (what all Hot Rod Model T Speedster owners want.)  
• My 1914 Model T Speedster has the Warfard, and there were also the Muncie and the Jumbo on the market.