About three years ago my museum purchased a rusty 1917 Ford Model T Touring Car. It had a "free" engine and a great frame with fenders, running boards and hood/cowl. We assembled a team of volunteers and began the process of creating a 1917 ambulance. While there are some out there, most are done on later chassis and with later engines to facilitate electric start and to have a battery and generator. We wanted a true 1917. So after a ton of CAD/CAM work original documents from the Henry Ford Museum as well as other scale examples, we had measurements and a plan. First the engine was pulled and delivered for a complete overhaul by yours truly.
Then I separated the old touring car body from the frame. It was then picked up by a team of the greatest volunteer/donors a museum has ever known. All of the computer modeling was put to use and they began the work of cleaning the frame and building out the wood portion. All of the canvas was done locally by a lady who is a Model T expert, and then hand stained using a mixture much as the WWI drivers would have. After the engine was overhauled I delivered it and it was installed with a new radiator. There were some business emergencies and sicknesses that caused some delays, but soon she was painted and ready to roll out for engine testing. These pics are from about a month ago. We are in the final stages of "running in" the motor and doing some fine tuning. Then we will add the front straps that hold the canvas roof down, as well as the stretchers and other neat accessories. Thought I would share these pics here. Scott
Topic: Our Model T Ambulance is nearly done! (Read 1695 times)
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