The article is here: https://modeltfordfix.com/model-t-fords-built-in-canada-part-1/
Please use the Reply button below to discuss this article.
Canadian 1912 Touring project. Color may not be conventional but the originality is there!
Wow, very nice work!
Canadian style windshield hinges.
Looks like you are ready for upholstery.
Horsehair is used in the seats. The leather is from Italy.
Since this is discussion of Canadian T’s, I am posting a picture of a fender from my '12 showing the double bead.
This is a picture of an aftermarket accessory of the time, the carburetor hot air pipe.
Unfortunately the pretty brass pipe didn’t work very well so we went conventional.
An interesting picture of Canadian export T’s. (steering column is on the right…manifold side) Note the extensive pin striping on the wheels…open darts on the spokes…large dots on the bolt heads and double striping on the wheels circumference.
Kingston coil box key.
The factory photo is awesome. Looks like the photographer asked the assembler to step aside for a moment as you can see his hand crank socket tools on the LH front of the chassis.
If this were a USA built chassis we could identify the one piece firewall as being no earlier than January 1912. It has a black painted aluminum crank handle which was introduced in January 1912. This is about 4 months into the 1912 model year at least. The two piece firewall was used in the USA during the 1912 model year from August 1911 through perhaps the end of January 1912. There would have been some period of overlap as the new bodies / firewalls replaced the earlier style.
Is there any known history of such events in Canada?
The factory photo does look like the assembler stepped aside.
Back seat upholstery complete.
If your car still has the original engine it will have the date cast in both the cylinder head and the engine block. The dates in Bruce’s book and online encyclopedia are off by about 10,000 - 20,000 numbers for late 1911 - 1912. From the Accounts Receivables records we know for a fact that Model T’s with serial numbers around 100,000 were being shipped from Highland Park around January 1, 1912. Date codes and serial numbers of existing cars back up the Ford Motor Company records. We have in fact verified one of the cars found in the Accounts Receivables. It shows a ship date in late December 1911 and it bears serial number 97XXX. The casting date on his block is early December 1911.
Your car’s engine would have been cast no later than February 1, 1912. Engine assemblies were built in Highland Park for all Model T’s, including yours. The chassis components would be shipped unassembled to the Canadian Assembly plant which is about 10 miles away from the Highland Park Plant. I would be more inclined to believe that your car around serial number 110,XXX was assembled in late February or very early March 1912.
Here’s a picture taken in front of the Hotel in Renfrew, Ontario Canada of a Canadian '12.
Very interesting photo. The car is a late 1912 touring with the typical slab side body that has door handles on the rear doors only - the next to last type built in 1912. The cowl lamps are black and brass JNO Browns but the headlamps are all brass JNO Brown. I would guess built around March - April 1912.
One last Canadian '12 picture for now.
That one is also interesting and a fine picture! The car is the same body style and it is wearing a combination of E&J cowl lamps with JNO Brown headlamps all in brass. With the front and rear tires the same size it is also undoubtedly a car made in Canada.
The body red is hard to photograph under the shop fluorescent lights. This picture of the foredoor panels is closest to the true color. The pin stripping is done in gold color paint.