1922 FORD MODEL T - RUNABOUT DRIVER ROADSTER

If your looking for a solid T to drive and enjoy, this is a great candidate. It could easily be restored to showroom condition a little at a time if you want a project that does not require the heavy lifting and you can drive while you tinker. I bought her 9 years ago and tooled around the back roads of New York and Wisconsin where we currently live. It has seen an occasional parade, but It's more fun taking your own path. I call it my personal time capsule because I feel like I'm stepping back in time every time I take her out. I purchased this T from a Mr. Bill Halsted in NY before I moved to the mid-west. Bill had purchased it and restored it earlier in the1950's and then again in the 80's-90's, reboring the engine and putting in new aluminum pistons, rods, radiator, among other parts. He used to play in this car as a kid when his neighbor owned it. He later purchased the body from that neighbor and restored the car from the ground up. I have some of the paperwork for the parts from the second resto and you will see in the photo's a picture of the Bill enjoying the car back in the day. Not long after I purchased the car, we moved to Wisconsin. I recently found a note that you see in the pictures on Halsted Agency letterhead, Baraboo, Wisconsin. Mr. Halsted had relatives in Wisconsin and in his college years, he had worked briefly in WI. While maybe not particularly important, I found it an interesting coincidence that I and the car had ended up in WI, and this piece of paper completed a circle between myself, the car, and the previous owner.
I had my share of uncompleted projects in the past, so I was looking for a driver when I found this car. It has been a Sunday driver for me in the summer months and has been trouble free with the exception of the Bendix spring on the starter that I replaced in 2010. With the help from the folks on the MTFCA forums I made sure to get the spring back in correctly and learned that I had probably caused stress on the spring by inadvertently not having the timing lever in the up position when starting the car. Now I religiously return the lever to the up position when turning her off. Regardless, I bought a spare spring that you will find in the toolbox on the running board. I can't say enough good things about the community and support that comes with owning a Model T. The engineering of the model T still fascinates me and it is a joy to work on.
The car is stock with no modifications and functions as it should. The wood wheels have a clear finish on them, which is the exception. These would have come off the assembly line painted black. It runs on a 6Volt system with a cummutator and (4) wood box coils. All the coils with this car have the wood box, no aftermarket plastic. There are (3) extra coils included in excellent appearance. I don't have the cool crank tester for these that weighs 200 lbs. I switch the position of the (4) coils I'm running every once in a while, so I haven't had the need to test or rebuild the spares I have. Included are an extra timer cover, hand tools, what I call the widget spinner ( handy tool to turn the oil level valves from a foot or so away), extra intertube, custom jack stands to keep the car off it's tires when in storage, accordion-type luggage rack. ( I ran out of room to include pictures of the luggage rack and jack stands. I have tons more pictures) The canvas top is one of my favorite parts. I prefer this look over the vinyl tops available. It has glass rear windows with metal frames for a very Amish look. One of the leather belt-like straps that secure the top when in the up position broke last summer. These are a replaceable part that I have seen for $30-70. I have a nylon strap in place now and store the car with the top in the up position, but generally drive it with the top down. There are black canvas side covers with clear plastic windows that can be put on to totally enclose the cab. I've had these on a few times when I tried to deny winter was coming. They have seen very little use, so they are the original black color, opposed to the faded top. I have planned to apply several coats of linseed oil to the top to get it back to it's waterproof state and preserve it for a few more years. I don't take it out in heavy rain, so it hasn't been a priority. You can dye the canvas back to black before putting on the oil for a renewed look. I prefer the patina look. The car has 1922 WIS license plates on the car that will stay with me. I still have the 1922 NY plates that I ran on it in NY. I would consider selling the plates separately with the car if you are from one of those states.
There is a dent in the passenger fender where I pulled into the garage and caught a low rubber garbage can between the front of the fender and the back of the garage. It pushed on the front of the fender, but the buckle occurred on the backside 1/4 of the fender toward the running board. Looking close you can see this in one of the pictures. I haven't made any attempt to repair this. The bucket of the cab has been repaired and filled over the years, which would be pretty common for a 90+ year old vehicle. Some of those repairs show through and could be redone, if you want a blemish free body. I don't believe there is putty in any of the other body parts, fenders, hood, turtle deck, etc. - which is another reason I had not repaired the fender. If anything, I would touch up the paint. Otherwise the T looks like something you might have see going down the road in the 30's, showing some wear from use but no rust or rot issues. I've taken it to several local car shows and won 1st place once in a Pre-1930's category. It gets a lot of attention wherever you go and people can't help but smile and wave. Little kids somehow know it's something special and love to hear the horn. My kids love to ride in it an wave to passerby's. It has the time capsule affect on the older crowd, and I love hearing stories about someone they knew who had a Model T. It's a piece of history and in a few years it will be 100 years old, a milestone I had hoped to see for it. With several small children and a move to a smaller house the garage doesn't have room for it plus all the big wheels, bicycles, tools, and such. This is a trusty car with no surprises, built to last another hundred years.
Anyone is welcome to come see it anytime. The car is located in Kohler, Wisconsin, not far from major highways. I will gladly help you load the car on your trailer to make sure it is safe and secure. If you are new to T's I will also be glad to give pointers and a lesson. It has a clear Wisconsin Title. I will only sell & ship to U.S. buyers. Please do not contact me and ask if I will ship it to Guatemala.

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