Bharper

Hi Ken, I, and others, would welcome some pictures of your 1915 Model 22 coupe. I have never seen any picture of a Metz coupe and I thought that by '15 the Metz Company was concentrating on the Model 25 and that the Model 22 had been discontinued. The black and white photograph posted by Bill Metz depicts Walter Metz in one of the three team cars which won the 1913 Glidden tour. As I understand it, the cars were stock 1913 models with a very few allowed changes such as the P-O-L tank instead of the acetylene generator and the diminutive turtle deck instead of the standard issue tool box. The post tour advertisements by Metz do, of course, tout their win and also state "with 1914 improvements." My 1914 Model 22 has the standard issue turtle deck which encloses the gas tank, unlike the lower type used on the Glidden cars. Mine has no evidence of ever having anything fastened onto it. Please excuse the very incorrect paint colors.

I wonder if the tools listed in "Group 1" were the tools which the Metz company included for the purpose of merely assembling that kit and, perhaps, subsequent kits included additional tools as deemed needed by the company. We all know that new cars included a tool kit, some kits were quite modest while others were more extensive. The Metz Plan Car is "a different breed of cat" because it was a "You Build It" automobile and, I think, they had to include everything the buyer would need to ASSEMBLE the car but maybe not what might be needed to DRIVE the car. The Group 1 list includes washers, cotter pins, etc. It would be interesting to closely examine the parts list for all of the kits which comprise the complete car to see if additional tools were included. I remember the Erector sets of my youth including a screwdriver and a wrench.

Thank you PFindlay, for finding and sharing this wonderful period photograph. The car is a Metz Plan Car, possibly a 1911. They have a tow cylinder, horizontally opposed, air cooled engine. The car uses the Friction Drive which the Metz is known for with final drive to the rear wheels by two chains. These cars are a bit smaller than the later Model 22.

I don't know if 1913-1914 wheels can be easily swapped onto a 1912 car. The conversion might involve also substituting the later front spindles and even the rear axle. The easy, and pretty much foolproof, way to differentiate a 1912 Model 22 from the 1913 & 1914 cars (besides the 1912 only wheels) is the location of the shift lever; 1912 is the only year when it was mounted outside of the body. Metz moved the lever into the car with the introduction of the 1913 models. In fact, their ads for the new 1913 models make a point of listing the new, and easier to use "Center Control."

From what I have been able to discern, the fourteen spoke wheels and the reversible hubs are a 1912 feature. The 1913 and later Model 22s have twelve spokes and non-reversible hubs.

Hi Bob, As often happens, I am late to the game. I don't often visit this site. I spent quite a bit of time looking through a bearing catalogue (it may have been Timken) and could not find any direct replacement for the caged ball bearings used by Metz for the front wheels. If the cup fit the hub, the ID of the cone was too large to fit the stub axle of the spindle. Conversely, a cone which fit the spindle had a cup too small in OD to fit the hub. And then there was the issue of overall width of some cone & cup sets being too wide for the hub. Oh, forget a hub seal, Nothing! The Metz sizes were, possibly, common then, but are arcane now, unused, and contribute to frustration which fosters creativity. I ended up selecting a "best fit" compromise which still resulted in uncounted hours at my lathe machining spacers to enable the bearing cone and cup to fit, AND machining a "dust guard-grease retainer" which mimicked the Metz part, but would accommodate the new, replacement inner cone. I will look for my notes and hope to find the part numbers used.

Yes, the chain covers are almost always missing. I suspect that after a few removals for servicing the chain they were discarded as being "too much trouble" to re-install. I have shaken my head when I peruse the For Sale Ads, in recent years, of Metz cars which have received expensive restorations and the chain covers along with other guards or covers are Missing. Big money for Completely and Authenticity restored cars. Buyer Beware and Do Your Research.

Hi Matt, Welcome to the Metz Family. We are looking forward to you receiving your car and hope that you will share with us pictures of it as delivered to you, and, also share additional pictures of your progress during the restoration of your Model 22. I will offer answers to your questions. Regarding the fan: The Model 22 DID NOT have a belt driven fan as built from the factory. They have been added, over the years, by previous owners. The flywheel has "fan shaped" spokes which draw air through the radiator and across the engine to cool it. A critical and integral component of the cooling system is the sheet metal engine cover which is attached to the chassis frame under the engine. It must be in place for the flywheel to properly draw air through the engine bay. The car will run hot without it. The cars with an added fan almost always are missing that cover. Regarding the Speed Selection Lever: When Metz introduced the Model 22 in 1912, the lever was mounted OUTSIDE of the body on the driver's side. It was moved to the center with the 1913 Model Year and, thereafter, Metz referred to it as "Center Control" in their advertising. As you get your car sorted and have the opportunity to drive it, you will find that the favorable power to weight ratio gives the Metz peppy performance. It is no hot rod though and it is most happy at speeds from 30 to 40, maybe 42, miles per hour. Good Luck with your project. Bill Harper Keene, New Hampshire

Greetings All, I am quite late to this party as I have only now found this thread, but have read each entry; some with enjoyment and approval and others with a bit of sorrow or pity (mrcvs is near the top of that list). I envy those of you who have completed thousand mile (and longer) journeys. Various responsibilities and the lack of adequate funding keep me on a short leash and trips requiring multiple days away from home have not been possible, but I DO relish getting behind the wheel of my antiques and savoring a day long motor trip along the bucolic rural back roads of New England. As many posters have stated above, one must have supreme confidence in their vehicle (no matter its age) to embark on long journeys and that confidence can only be had by firsthand knowledge of the condition of every part and system of the vehicle. You need to be "handy with tools" AND have pretty good diagnostic skills. Most of us limit our use of our vintage cars to the warm and pleasant weather and store them away when Old Man Winter arrives. I don't take mine out when the roads are white with road salt and certainly not during a snow storm, but I have been known to excersize them during the cold part of the year. In February of 2017 I drove my '24 Ford Model T runabout from my home in Keene, NH to Tamworth, NH for a meet held by the Model T Ford Snowmobile Club. The little car ran with out a problem. The round trip was about 225 miles. It was a hoot. "Did you drive that here?" "I had to, its too hard to steer and push at the same time."

I am planning to attend with my 1914 Model 22.

Hello Chris, I just now stumbled onto this post and your quite intriguing project. As a Metz owner I keep my eyes open for spare Champion 32 plugs and have not found any. Thank you for investigating the possibilities. Best Regards, Bill

I have a friction drive car, although it is a Metz, not a Cartercar. I have not been able to spend much time with it lately, but it is my desire to drive it often in an effort to disprove the fiction that Friction Drive is no good, not dependable, and generally unsuitable for touring. Metz won the 1913 Glidden tour. Someone toured one down through the Grand Canyon. The Metz company offered a $1000 reward to anyone showing a hill which a Metz car could not climb. They CAN'T be as miserable as so many people claim.

My contribution:

Hi Phil, Thank you for your appreciation of me driving to Waltham from Keene. I have had this car for just over three years and this was the longest, successful, trip I have completed so far. I have not been able to spend any time on the Metz for quite a while, having been off in the weeds and only a short time ago was able to return to the garden path and resume my Metz care. I had planned to use the car on the HCCA New England Brass & Gas tour this year, but while driving it up TO the tour I developed a significant coolant leak and had to return home. I did not have time for a proper repair of the radiator before the Waltham meet and resorted to "band-aid" repairs, I'm embarrassed to admit. It appeared to hold well. My journey started well, with the car running nicely as I reminded myself how to operate a friction drive car. I had travelled only about 16 miles when a particularly steep hill showed me that I could not downshift well and then had to pull over to the side of the road. Trying to climb the hill in first speed provided no forward motion and filled the air with the smell of burning paper. Heavy sigh. Sensing the approach of defeat, I reached for the necessary wrenches with which to do battle and dove under the car to make adjustments to the pressure pedal. I did not drop the transmission cover to measure the clearance between the driving disk and the friction wheel, but adjusted the spacing on faith and the spring pressure by feel. After crawling out from under the car and putting away the tools, I saw that my radiator band-aid was now weeping. Another heavy sigh. I topped off the water and started the engine. I tried really hard to sense the slip and grab of the friction wheel against the driving disk and worked to feather the pressure pedal to get the necessary balance which would allow the car to climb the hill without further burning of the friction wheel and without stalling the engine. Oh, and without letting the brake slip too much and the car rolling backwards. [This is where I mention to those not familiar with the Metz that both the pressure pedal and the brake pedal LOCK DOWN when depressed, unless held "just so" with the ball of your foot, and will require a toe tap to release them.] A few challenging and instructive moments ensued and the car began to move forward and climb the hill! I felt a great sense of gratitude as I crested the summit and reflected on feathering of the pressure pedal. My route to Waltham from Keene had my on lightly travelled roads so I was able to pay attention to pedal pressure, engine speed, and road speed in order to apply just enough pedal pressure and no more. I found that I had to stop about every 45 or so minutes to refill the radiator top tank. The car presented me with no additional problems. I will comment that traversing the roundabout at Route 2 in Concord, MA was fraught with danger and a bit of terror. The great congestion of downtown Waltham was extremely unpleasant and it was a huge relief when the Waltham Museum hove into sight. The return trip only required the regular stops for water. My car was the only one driven to the meet. Dave Adams trailered his not yet running 1911 Plan Car and Bill Metz trailered his 1917 Model 25 from New York.

The annual Metz Gathering was a pleasure to attend as I was able to DRIVE my car from my home in Keene, NH to Waltham, MA. I have been wanting to bring it there since I acquired it three years ago but only this year was I able to do so. It is a real shame that the cars in attendance ten or so years ago no longer appear. I wonder what happened to those cars. I also wonder if the owners have just lost interest. This event gives Metz owners a great opportunity to share notes, hints, successes and mistakes to further our enjoyment of these unique cars. I am looking forward to next year. The round trip was about 150 miles. My '14 Model 22 Torpedo Runabout at the Waltham Museum with Bob Mcgann, of the Waltham Museum, dressed as C.H. Metz.