Reviving a car from 1970 or so is already a bit of a challenge. Even with aftermarket support, a fan base that is one of the most dedicated, and legacy engine families that ran into the 2000s, you still have to deal with some outdated parts, obsolete technology, and elements like brake hoses and bearing packs that might not exist at all. But there are legions of folk out there who are hell-bent about bringing the old iron back to life. Now, let’s go ahead and add another fifty years to the equation. Let’s go all the way back to the dawn of the automobile itself, right about the time most people became able to afford one. The Ford Model T…177 cubic inches of four-cylinder Ford that the country ran on virtually exclusively for years. While there were earlier automobiles, the Tin Lizzie still qualifies as automotive Genesis. This is where the car became something for the people and not toys for the wealthy. This is where millions of businesses and families prospered. This is where the horse became a pet and the car took over.
Nearly a century, untouched, unmolested, with it’s original engine intact and free. At that point, you owe it to yourself to try to get the old girl to turn over and cough into life, don’t you? It’d be a nice change of pace from every other running Model T that does so via a small block Chevrolet V8. Check the early electrical system, make sure the fuel setup functions, and when you’re ready, put some gusto into moving the crank handle and if you’ve got the timing set right on the steering wheel, you’ll be rewarded with a noise that hasn’t been familiar to most Americans for decades now.
Been watchin’ these guys for a little while, they’re a hoot! Kinda like SCTV on their own time!