Merrill's First Model T

[This is one of a series of articles written by Merrill Weekes for the newspaper Old Autos, starting in April, 2004. The series is written with the collective title of "Model T's to Motor Coaches."]

In previous articles, I mentioned an involvement with Model T Fords when growing up on a farm in the depression years. The fascination with planetary transmissions, flywheel magnetos and vibrator coils has stayed with me to this day. I am the proud owner of a 1911 Touring that has been one of our family "jewels" since 1961.

In the summer of 1946, I was driving an Ottawa, Carleton Place, Perth and Smiths Falls local run, for Colonial Coach Lines. In the west end of Ottawa at Brittania, Carling Avenue and Richmond Road intersected, with the intersection controlled by a traffic light. Immediately west of the intersection, there was a service station with entrances off both Carling and Richmond. Parked behind the service station among some tall weeds, I observed what appeared to be the windshield and steering wheel of an old touring car. Of course, I could not investigate the situation while on duty with a load of passengers, so on a day off work, I drove out to Brittania to check it out.

I was surprised to find a brass front Model T Ford, complete, except for top bows and top. The key was still in the switch. The right front wheel was broken, but otherwise it seemed to be in reasonably good condition.

The service station operator informed me that two teenagers had driven the car off the road nearby and struck a rock, breaking the front wheel. They asked him to tow the car to his lot and said they would return later to pick it up. However, that was four or five years ago and they failed to return. He was holding the car for the tow charge and storage. When I inquired about the bill, he said he would release it for thirty dollars. He was anxious to get rid of it as, recently, someone had stolen the top and one cowl light and he was concerned that they might return and steal more parts. I pointed out that it would be difficult to find a complete top for it so he dropped the price to twenty dollars.

On my next day off work, with wheels and tires borrowed from a 1924 fordor and a friend's Model A, the T was towed to my parents' home near Smiths Falls.

I now owned a car that had sat neglected for several years. It had a broken front wheel and four cracked and deteriorated Dominion Rubber Company tires with what appeared to be a nearly full tread patterns. Although the seats were weather damaged there was evidence that the car had not been used extensively. The engine had good compression on all cylinders, there was no signs of wear in the steering and the doors opened and closed like new.

Two teen-age boys had asked the service station operator to tow it to his station. Why did they not return to take it home? Why were there no license plates? Was the car stolen?

I inquired at the local license office if the previous registered owner could be traced. Not likely. Too old! Could I get an ownership and license? No problem. All I needed was the serial number, the year and make and four dollars. I returned the next day with the engine number and the year of manufacture as 1914. How times have changed! No insurance requirement, no previous owner search and no safety certificate!

Would it run? The engine turned over freely and with a new battery, the vibrator coils all sang a happy tune. With new oil in the crankcase and gas in the tank, the engine started after four a five lifts of the crank. When last driven, it must have run out of gas leaving the fuel system free of varnish, because it started and idled like new. When the engine was warm, it would start on the magneto with a quick lift on the crank. I replaced the broken wheel and a local car dealer had four new 30 x 3 1/2 tires and tubes that some one had ordered for a trailer but had failed to pick up. They were mine for $84. Four tires and tubes for about half the price of one tire and tube to-day!

As I parked on the street in Smiths Falls one day, a gentleman approached me and asked where I bought the car. I told him where and how I found it. He said he was quite sure it was his Dad's Model T! It had only been driven one or two years when new, and had sat on blocks in the woodshed at the farm in Perth until after his Dad had died. There was an estate auction sale and with the help of a mechanic friend, the tires were pumped up and the T started, using an old battery. There were no bids for the car, but two young fellows who were hitch hiking bought the car for ten dollars.

After a quick lesson on how to drive it they left in the direction of Ottawa. He was quite sure that he had the original owner's card and if he found it, he would give it to me. He phoned later and told me he had the card and we arranged to meet the next day. Wow! The card had the same "Maker's" number as my engine number.

It would seem that the young fellows drove the car until it ran out of the gas that had been put in the tank to start it at Perth and pulled off the road too far and hit the rock breaking the front wheel. This could explain why the gas tank and carburetor were clean and free of "varnish". They probably abandoned the T because of the broken wheel.

Do I still own the T? No! Because there were no antique car clubs in the area at that time, I lost interest after a couple of years and sold it. It was only one of several cars that I have owned that would look great in my garage to-day

Merrill S. Weekes, November 2004