JOE MATHE'S 1919 MODEL T FORD

                  JOE MATHE'S 1919 MODEL T FORD

     On the opposite page is a picture of the Model T Ford that Grandma drove.  It was a 1919 Centerdoor Sedan, which was the first Ford model that provided an electric starter.  It could "seat four adults - Top does not fold down."  It was "Ford's most expensive car during its production."

     In front was an independent driver's seat, and along its side was an independent passenger's seat.  In back was a car-wide seat where two other adults could sit next to each other.  The driver's seat and the front passenger's seat had hinges on their backs allowing them to be folded forward over their seats.  The front passenger's seat also had hinges on its bottom front edge to allow it to be folded forward into the foremost front of the car.  This allowed people to enter the car to sit on the back seat or on the driver's seat.  Then the front passenger's seat and its back could be returned to their original position to allow the driver or the front passenger to enter the car through the same door.  (All four people entered the car through the same door.)

     The Model T had three foot-pedals in front for the driver to operate.  One was "forward," one was "reverse" and the other one was a brake.  The gasoline tank was under the driver's seat, was square, and had a round intake opening with a screw top.  The seat cushion had to be removed to fill the gas tank.  The hose from the gas station pump had to be passed through the open driver's window to reach the tank.  Kept on top of the tank (and under the seat cushion) was a wooden slat similar to a wooden foot-ruler except that its markings indicated gallons instead of inches.  This measuring stick was inserted into the tank through the intake opening.  How much gas was in the car was noted by how high the gas had dampened the stick. 

     This Model T Ford had a starter on the floor near the right side of the driver, who stepped on it to start the car, (that is if it had an electric battery in it.  The car could also be run on "magneto" where the car could be started by cranking.  Permanent magnets provided the current for ignition.  Grandma was always afraid when Grandpa had to crank the car.  If the spark was not retarded, it could cause the crank to "kick back."  In those days a broken arm from cranking was fairly common, and Grandpa in his condition, was unable to jump back out of the way of a whirling crank.  The Model T Centerdoor was the first Ford model to have a self-starter.

    
The problem of Grandpa getting into the car and sitting down in it, was solved by permanently removing the front passenger seat, the seat that had been make to fold forward to allow passengers to enter into the back seat before the front passenger entered the car.  Though the seat had been removed, the bottom part of the hinges, which had allowed the seat to fold forward, were permanently left sticking up in the car's floor.  Grandpa used those hinge parts left in the floor to brace a special wooden block that he had made, using it exclusively in the car.  Standing on the ground facing the open car door and leaning into the car, with his right hand on the block, and with his left hand on the back seat, he hoisted himself up with his hands high enough to stand on the running board.  Someone had to be sitting in the driver's seat to prevent its back from folding forward in his next movement.  Twisting toward his right, with his left hand on the driver's seat-back, and his right hand on the back seat, he hoisted himself up, further twisting to the right at the same time, to settle down on the edge of the back seat, with his feet braced against the block bring held by the partial hinges left from the original front seat.  He had powerful arms to be able to handle himself this way, weighing in excess of two hundred pounds.

     Grandfolks made many trips in their Model T to their farms, to their friends and relatives and to other places.

     One dark night after visiting at Uncle Ed's farm, Grandfolks prepared to drive home, but the lights on the Model T did not work.  A kerosene lantern, (like those used at that time to hang in the barn when doing chores during the dark hours,) was borrowed and hung on the front of the car.  Grandma drove those three miles home with the lantern as the only light to see the road.

     Grandfolks did not drive the car in winter.  It was jacked up with blocks under the axles to take the weight off the tires.  The battery was left at the garage-filling station to prevent it from freezing.