For Sale: 1925 Ford Model T Tudor, Ruckstell - $13,499 - Gaston County, NC - Not Mine

[58L-Y8]

For Sale: 1925 Ford Model T Tudor, Ruckstell - $13,499 - Gaston County, NC

1925 Ford Model T for sale by owner - Gastonia, NC - craigslist
Seller's Description:

This 1925 Model T - Tudor looks & runs great! The Firestone White Wall tires are in excellent condition with no sidewall crazing and really enhance the look of this 98-year-old "T". Children of all ages emphatically wave at you as you pass them by. And as if the approaching noise of your engine isn't enough to grab people's attention, simply one press of the 'Ahhoooga' horn button will surely do the trick...! This Ford has may nice upgrades that enhance its drivability and improve safety. The ever-popular Ruckstell Axle provides two extra gears for touring the back roads and/or parade duty. There are many videos on YouTube with tutorials on how to drive the Model T with and w/o the Ruckstell Axle. It really is fun to drive once you get the hang of it. The electrical system and its components such as the trembler coils, magneto, running lights, and horn work. The hydraulic assist rear brakes, LED brake light, and external battery shut-off switch offer enhanced safety. The period correct Speedometer and Motometer are a nice touch as well. I installed a new 6v battery in August. The fuel tank is clean, and this 'T' comes with a stack of service/parts manuals and a roll of tools complete with genuine Ford wrenches. Overall, this is a great running and driving example of the Model T Tudor. Spare parts are very easy to source with several companies in the USA dedicated to servicing Model T’s.
Clean NC title in hand and in my name. Please message me with your phone number and good time to call so that we may schedule a visit for you to see the "T" in person. Thank you for your sincere interest!
Contact: Please call before 9 PM: (704) 8-six-0-9-zero-5-two
Copy and paste in your email: 47fa353d23d837eca3ada04f76b7de4b@sale.craigslist.org

I have no personal interest or stake in the eventual sale of this 1925 Ford Model T Tudor.

[Jeff Perkins / Mn]

That looks like a very nice car and quite correct. I would ditch that water pump though….

[Leif in Calif]

That is one sharp T ! 

[Lahti35]

12 hours ago, Jeff Perkins / Mn said:

That looks like a very nice car and quite correct. I would ditch that water pump though….

As would I...

 

I can't help but wonder whenever I see a water pump on a T if the radiator is not pulling it's weight!

[Fossil]

13 hours ago, Jeff Perkins / Mn said:

I would ditch that water pump though….

I'll admit to being a Model T rooky. Why would it be better to remove the water pump. I would think it would improve the cooling. Were these thermal syphon only when new. 

[m-mman]

The first couple of hundred Ts in 1908 had water pumps.  (So the design and parts existed).

 
In Henry’s pursuit of fewer parts the rest of the T production was thermosyphon only.  
 

In a world where every car has a water pump, it is difficult to believe that a T could do without one, but it did!  Henry’s simplicity comes through.  But for the thermosyphon to succeed the system (radiator mostly) does have to be correct and clean.  
 

Most T people view a water pump like 50s & 60s people view electric fans in front of a radiator.  (What’s wrong? Why did the owner do that?). 

[Jeff Perkins / Mn]

2 hours ago, Lahti35 said:

As would I...

 

I can't help but wonder whenever I see a water pump on a T if the radiator is not pulling it's weight!

 

When I buy a Model T the first thing I do 1) remove water pump 2) order new radiator. Has happened 5 times in the past 35 years.

 

 

1 hour ago, Fossil said:

I'll admit to being a Model T rooky. Why would it be better to remove the water pump. I would think it would improve the cooling. Were these thermal syphon only when new. 

 

As Jason said above water pumps are restrictive and don’t allow the motor to run at its optimal temperature.

They are often installed when there are other cooling problems. A thermo siphon system works very well when all parts are in good clean condition (clean passages in block and head + clean radiator).

[Leif in Calif]

The best thing about a water pump on a T is allows you to point out the "T"'s aren't supposed to need one. Unless you are really up on old cars, you wouldn't realize something we take for granted today isn't present. 

[Fossil]

Thanks guys. 👍

[wayne sheldon]

A lot of people in the past half century have put water pumps on model Ts for no reason other than they didn't believe it could work well that way. Many people even when the cars were new, had the same doubt, and like snake oil would buy them because some huckster told them to.

Modern cars use them mostly because the modern engines produce a lot more horsepower, and rev at much higher speeds. Manufacturers figure that force cooling via water pump and thermostat is cheaper than a radiator large enough to radiate as much heat as the modern engine produces.

Thermal syphon is an amazing concept. No thermostat is required. The harder you push the car, the faster you go, the more heat the engine produces, and the faster the water flows! If everything is working properly, the engine automatically runs up close to optimum operating temperature regardless of weather or speed (except not of course below freezing when a winter-front is required).

Where a water pump "sometimes" helps a little bit, is if the radiator has aged badly, and no longer conducts heat out of the water quickly enough. Even then any help from adding a water pump is minimal at best.

Water pumps often push the water too fast causing the water to push out the overflow tube, in turn causing the water level to get too low and result in boiling over. Either that, or under certain conditions of speed and weather, the water pumps will restrict the flow to slower than the thermal syphon would do and again can cause overheating of the engine.

 

Water pumps were very popular accessories late in the model T era, especially during the 1930s. Radiators were getting older, corrosion was reducing their efficiency on the outside while years of dirty water was reducing their efficiency on the inside. A lot of people fell for the salesman's talk of the magic cure of a water pump. So, original era water pumps are quite common today. They usually, even then, didn't really help much.

[Terry Harper]

13 hours ago, wayne sheldon said:

A lot of people in the past half century have put water pumps on model Ts for no reason other than they didn't believe it could work well that way. Many people even when the cars were new, had the same doubt, and like snake oil would buy them because some huckster told them to.

Modern cars use them mostly because the modern engines produce a lot more horsepower, and rev at much higher speeds. Manufacturers figure that force cooling via water pump and thermostat is cheaper than a radiator large enough to radiate as much heat as the modern engine produces.

Thermal syphon is an amazing concept. No thermostat is required. The harder you push the car, the faster you go, the more heat the engine produces, and the faster the water flows! If everything is working properly, the engine automatically runs up close to optimum operating temperature regardless of weather or speed (except not of course below freezing when a winter-front is required).

Where a water pump "sometimes" helps a little bit, is if the radiator has aged badly, and no longer conducts heat out of the water quickly enough. Even then any help from adding a water pump is minimal at best.

Water pumps often push the water too fast causing the water to push out the overflow tube, in turn causing the water level to get too low and result in boiling over. Either that, or under certain conditions of speed and weather, the water pumps will restrict the flow to slower than the thermal syphon would do and again can cause overheating of the engine.

 

Water pumps were very popular accessories late in the model T era, especially during the 1930s. Radiators were getting older, corrosion was reducing their efficiency on the outside while years of dirty water was reducing their efficiency on the inside. A lot of people fell for the salesman's talk of the magic cure of a water pump. So, original era water pumps are quite common today. They usually, even then, didn't really help much.

Wayne, 

I always look forward to your comments and I greatly appreciate the wealth and depth of your knowledge (especially about Model "T"s) as well as your ability to share that knowledge in such a clear and concise manner. Thank you!

Edited November 17, 2023 by Terry Harper (see edit history)

[wayne sheldon]

Oh great. Now my hat won't fit.

Seriously though Terry H, thank you so very much for the kind words.

I am just very passionate about so many things, and history, sociology and the changes that went hand in hand with the changing technologies are among my top interests. Being so passionate about these things makes me want to share what I have spent a lifetime trying to learn.

 

Again, Thank You!

[John Kelso]

I just bought two Model T's a 1915 and a 1920 that were restored probably 50 years ago and both have water pumps. It would also appear

they both had new radiators. Both run quite well and don't overheat even climbing hills. I don't think there were any issues when they were restored

just the way things were done then. On the other hand I can't seem to keep my Stanley from not overheating, go figure.