My 1926 Tudor needs a little more gumption...

[oldmotorsguy]

I recently moved to the Cumberland plateau in Tennessee from the flatlands of Illinois. Back in the Land of Lincoln, I was perfectly happy driving my 1926 Ford Model T Tudor sedan around the farmlands, with no real hills to deal with. Here in Tennessee, there are hills every 1/8th mile, and I find that on most of them of any substance, I have to downshift to make it up the hill, and at 8 mph or so I have 8 or 10 cars backed up behind me waiting for me to crest the hill; frustrating for me and most certainly for everyone behind me.

I am somewhat of a purist, and swapping out the original 20 hp engine for a crate LS1 would solve the problem, but that's not me. I want to get more HP from the original block and cylinder head to make it up those hills at maybe 20 mph, and not 8. I once had a Model T that someone had installed a modified Model A crankshaft in it, and that would certainly do the trick, as it looked original, but had way more oomph. But modifying a Model A crank to fit is way too much work, and I want something I can just bolt on when the engine is disassembled, and I am very familiar with the internal workings of a standard engine/transmission/magneto.

I have been looking at available crankshafts, and the Scat crank looks to me to be the answer. That, and maybe some high compression pistons.

MY QUESTIONS:

1. Will adding a stroked crank such as the Scat give me enough HP to at least make it up some of these hills around here without downshifting? All I need is maybe 6 to 8 more HP.

2. What about high compression pistons - are they compatible with a Scat crank? Any reliability issues with this setup?

3. I have a new standard grind camshaft currently. Will a hotter camshaft be in order as well? I see there are two grinds available at Lang's Old Car Parts as well as Snyder's. Worth the swap in terms of getting up these pesky hills around here?

4. High volume intake manifold? I've seen them around, will that help?

Anything to help me get just enough HP to hit these rolling hills around my area would be great, but I still want that original look.

Thoughts?

[redmodelt]

Ruckstell, high compression head, outside brakes, Stromberg OF-1 carburetor, coil rebuilt and correctly tuned.

[rotorwrench]

A lot of things can be done to pep the engine up but some change the character of the car. Warford over/under boxes give more gear selections as will the Ruckstell. Adding more brakes is a must when hopping things up.

[oldmotorsguy]

RedmodelT/Rotorwrench:

1. I used to own a Model T with a Ruckstell, for a few years and drove it quite a bit. Shifting from high to low or low to high was quite tricky to avoid the loud bang, which I am pretty sure is not a good thing to do in the long run. These hills really require a good head of steam going into them, and then once the power up the hill starts to wain, a quick shift is required, hence the 'big bang.' Maybe I just needed more stick time on it, but after a few years of trying everything to ensure a smooth shift, nothing seemed to work for me. And slamming those gears back there just didn't set well with me.

2. Finding a Ruckstell assembly in good condition is also an issue ($3500 to $4000 if you can find one at all), and I suspect that any unit out there has been 'banged' quite a bit during the course of its duties. I have installed a Warford for one of my clients once, but never drove it. They are readily available, but require shortening of the radius rods and the torque tube/driveshaft in addition to the cost of the unit, I'm looking at $5K give or take.

3. Beefing up the cubic inches as I described in my original post is looking at around $2800 in parts, and will certainly get the job done for the local hills around here. These added internal components would not change the character of the car at all as far as I am concerned, as none of them are visible. Much like using phillips head screws here and there where they can't be seen. Who is to know unless you disassemble the car? Nobody. Other than you guys, of course.

I am still hoping someone within the Fordbarn community has some input as to the addition of a Scat crank/camshaft/high compression pistons, etc. You know, the invisible oomph that I am looking for and what kind of issues I may run into down the road.

I appreciate your input, however.

Steve A

[29spcoupe]

Before you go to the expense and work of a ruxtel, warford, scat crank, cam, just try installing a high compression head. Least amount of work and truly the best bang for the buck. The Z head is supposedly 27hp. That is almost half again as much as the original engine. You would be surprised at the difference.

[redmodelt]

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Maybe you might want to check the prices. Good used or refurbished original Ruckstells or Warfords are going to be less that what you posted.

Maybe your engine is just worn out and needs a rebuild?

You are working with a somewhat heavy car and maybe expecting more out of it as a stock Ford Model T rated at 20 HP. Unless you are going to show your car in a Model T only Ford event, 99.9% of the people would not know or care if it was not an original head or made for Ford's back in the day addon.

http://www.texastparts.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?

Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TTP&Product_Code=Warford&Ca tegory_Code=l
http://www.chaffinsgarage.com/l-z/ruckstell4.htm

RE the Scat crank and pistons: you will be a lot deeper into it cost wise by time all the machine work is done. You will need to find someone to pour/bore and fit the babbitt for the mains, it isn't going to be a drop in conversion.

Besides the opinions posted here, I suggest you sign-up and use The Model T Ford Club of America site.

[stickshift]

Chaffin’s garage sells new ruckstell axle kits for $2,500 to $2,700 range. Wide selection of parts for the ruckstell also. Four speeds are better than two.

[Dodge]

The biggest bang for the buck is the head, as suggested by Red Model T try it first
and see if that takes care of the problem. Are the hills rolling hills or do they get steep.

The head will help with rolling hills, but if they get too steep and windy you'll need the
Ruckstell.

Be careful with the camshaft. Most move the torque band up which is not what you want for the hills.

If you end up going with a Scat crank then step up to a Stipes cam when they get back to doing cams again.

My 2 cents

[mechanicalarts]

A "Tour Grind" cam can make a big difference. Before you got for expensive and highly involved modifications make sure you have the basics covered. When was the last time you had your coils rebuilt/tuned? They make a huge difference in the performance of your engine. If they need to be done, send them to a reputable rebuilder that uses an ECCT to dial them in. Midnight Coil Repair in Kansas is great to deal with.

[Gary loves Fords]

Before you go to all the trouble of installing all the things people are suggesting you do for a little more "gumption", start with the most simple and easy adjustment. Adjust your mixure until you hear and feel that sweet spot in rpm. You would be amazed at the performance differance of a carb that is drinking the perfect ratio of gas and air. After you got that dialed in perfect, if there is a big hill coming up, don't dilly dadle, open her up and let her get some momentum and she will make it up most of the way before you have to use low speed. After all, she's only 20 horse power, but with the right tuning and a little speed for momentum, the old girl will surprize you. And if you are holding up traffic climbing a hill with your T, too damn bad. Those people will have to wait till you are at the top, so don't hurt your car, worrying about some jerk who is in a big hurry. Just my 2 cents folks!