Thinking about buying a Ford Model N or S

[Bryan Tutton]

I have been thinking about buying a Ford Model N or Ford Model S.  At the present time I have an early 1914 Model T that I drive a lot...The car is stock except for added lights and Rocky Mountain brakes.  I drive it to work on a regular basis and it does not seem to mind the 25 miles a day round trip at 30-35 MPH.

My questions are....how durable are the Ford Model N and Model S cars and how hard are they to find parts for? 

[cudaman]

My suggestion would be to talk to Rob Heyen, he owns a Model N and a Model K roadster.  You can reach him on Facebook or via the MTFCA forum.  He is also on the Early Ford Registry site.

[wayne sheldon]

The "Early Ford Registry" site is very good for people interested in the pre-model T fords.

 

https://earlyfordregistry.com/

 

The N/R/S cars are a little smaller, lighter, and less horse power than the model T. I have never had one myself (would love to!), but understand that 30 mph on good roads should be no problem. Properly restored and sorted, they are good drivers and fairly reliable. A lot of people alter some things like the rear end to use the better-built model T parts to increase reliability a bit. Well done, it can hardly be seen once assembled. Transmission is not enclosed, and requires a fair amount of oiling that makes a mess on the rear chassis and ground, but otherwise works well and is fairly reliable once well restored and maintained.

The flywheel on the front of the engine can break the crankshaft if the car is pushed a bit too hard. Although I rarely hear of it happening. The EFR in the past twenty plus years has done a great job of getting owners to tour with their N/R/S cars more. It is a group I really wish I could afford to be a better part of.

Good luck!

[vintagerodshop]

The drivability of a T vs a Model S is vastly different. The T has a robustness of construction that the S just doesn not have. we have a customer that extensively drives his early cars. I have found the gearing on the S is better than the T for town driving. The T is better on rough roads and steep hills. The reliability of the T and how it is constructed is better than the S on a daily driving basis. you also can't deny the parts availability for the T is much easier for general repairs.

[nambu1810]

Had both a N and an S. Both very driveable and reliable. Not nearly as driveable as a T, but on modern roads the lighter construction doesn't really have an issue. The transmissions do leak a bit in low, reverse and idle, but seal up in high. Th N had the exhaust pressure powered oiler, and the S had the mechanical oiler; both performed admirably. I always found the water pump gear to be a bit noisy, but a minor issue. Both had the original carburetor and coils and performed well. As another stated, they like to cruise at about 30 mph. Being light they do pretty well in most hills too. Fun cars, sometimes I wish I had one or both back!