Ford Model T
Katy’s body is looking sharp thanks to a fresh coat of paint
David and Brett at Abbey Sprays did a great job with Katy’s paintwork (Practical Classics, Spring 2018). With the car now back at home my son Ash and I manoeuvred the body onto the rolling chassis and – after adding the splash aprons – bolted it down. Job done. After a bit of fettling, the windscreen went on, then it was off to Jim for Katy’s upholstery.
Henry Ford’s business mind was incredible. In 1908 the cost of a Ford Model T was $850 – by 1925 the cost was $300. The early bodies were made almost entirely of wood with minimal steel panelling. The cost to build was quite high so over the years he developed ways of manufacturing the bodies in a more economical way. By 1926 he had taken what was virtually an all wooden body in 1908 to an all-steel body. Strong, very cheap more modern looking.
Upholstery was also a part of the economy exercise. Originally the bodies were trimmed with leather and then in 1913 he decided that a vinyl style fabric was better wearing and far cheaper to use. Our project Ford Model T is a 1916 car so would have been vinyl but due to the amount of effort we have put into her we decided to use leather. Jim Walker is our preferred upholsterer here at Tudor Wheels and has been for over 25 years, so I was again really pleased to have him trim Katy with a touch of luxury.
A few weeks later it was time to collect and, despite having collected dozens of cars from Jim, I was really excited about seeing her. I was not disappointed as she looked amazing. Models from 1916 had a diamond-buttoned base cushion and vertical flutes on the back squabs with a single row of buttons and luckily we knew the correct dimensions thanks to lessons learned while restoring other cars in the past. Back in the Tudor Wheels workshop it was now time to sort the hood – or top as it is known in the US!