Back to Year-by-Year 1908-1927 Ford Model T Reference Guide

ENGINE SERIAL NUMBERS: 157,425 to 348,735 approx. B-1 to B-12,247 built between October 1, 1912 and January 1, 1913. There is a gap of 12,247 numbers somewhere between 157,425 and 170,000.

MODEL YEAR DATES: September 1912 to August 1913 approx.

BODY TYPES: Touring, Runabout, Town Car. The Delivery car was a “1912” model built in late 1912 during the 1913 fiscal year.

MAJOR MODEL YEAR FEATURES: See component section for details.
   The Runabout was similar in style to the Touring. Turtle deck was new this year, and had rather sharp corners. Lamps and horn were black-painted steel with brass trim. Bodies were supplied by several manufacturers and were painted and upholstered by the suppliers until late 1913. Metal panels over wood frame. Door handles extended through the top surface. Body top sills had a separate metal trim plate.

COLORS: Initially all cars were painted a very dark blue, with either blue or black fenders. Black became the standard color early in the year. Delivery cars phased out and could be ordered in several colors. Delivery Car production ended before calendar 1913.

UPHOLSTERY: Initially full leather in the open cars, in a diamond sewn pattern. Imitation leather began to appear on the seat backs and side areas, with real leather at the very front of the arm rest.

FENDERS: Front: Similar to 1912 style. No embossed bead on the apron, or across the wide part of the front fender. Had no front bill but the front “lip” flared outward in early production, then vertical as in all later non-billed fenders. Reinforcing bead added across the wide part later in the year. Rear: Similar in style to the front. Support irons were now attached to the body framing, extending out the side of the body, through a hole in the apron of the fender, and were clamped to a single plate under the fender.

SPLASH APRON: Now longer, with bulge at the rear to clear the brake and radius rods, similar to the later 1912 cars. Fenders and aprons were painted either blue or black, this based on surviving original cars, but the dark blue is the only color indicated in Ford literature.

RUNNING BOARDS: Pressed steel with embossed diamond pattern. The Ford script now ran across the board. “Made in USA” appeared on all boards.

HOOD: Aluminum, with no louvers. Hinges were separate from the panels, and riveted in place. Hold-down clamps had two “ears” and were of forged steel. Handles were now forged steel, replacing the aluminum type used earlier.

DASHBOARD (Firewall): Wood, with flat brass edge trim. Board now mated with the body side panels.

CHASSIS: Rear body support a separate forging bolted to the rear of the frame. Painted black. An extra body bracket was installed, just ahead of the rear seat, to support the rear section of the touring body. During the year (“after the first 114,000 1913 cars”...about mid-May 1913) the rear cross-member was lengthened, eliminating the need for the forged body brackets.

STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY: Brass quadrant, brass-plated spark and throttle levers, with flattened metal ends replaced the rubber knobs. Gear case was brass, riveted assembly. Wheel was 15” outside diameter, wood, and painted black. The wheel spider was iron and painted black. Column was 56” long on all cars.

FRONT AXLE: Same as the 1912 cars.

REAR AXLE: Cast center section, introduced in later 1912, with the axle tubes flared and riveted to it. This axle then continued into early 1915. The “1913-style” rear axles used a hex-head drain plug instead of the slotted type used earlier.

DRIVESHAFT HOUSING: Pinion bearing spool was a casting and was held by studs and nuts, the studs being enclosed (not visible) in the housing. Separate front housing for universal joint assembly discontinued later in the year.

REAR RADIUS AND BRAKE RODS: Had forged ends. Brake rod support brackets extended out and wrapped down and around the rods.

WHEELS: Used 30 by 3 tires in front; 30 by 3-1/2 in the rear. Original tires had no tread. Hub flanges are 6 inches in diameter. Front wheels used ball bearings. Hub caps had “Ford” in script letters. “Made in USA” on all caps.

SPRINGS: Tapered-leaf, front and rear. “Figure eight” style shackles, similar to the earlier type but not so ornate. The use of the brass oilers was continued.

RADIATOR: Supplied by Ford with the standard Ford script. “Made in USA” on all radiators under the Ford script. The filler neck was now a spun brass design, riveted and soldered in place.

ENGINE: Closed valve type as in 1912. Serial number above the water inlet. Pipe plug water jacket seals were replaced with pressed in welch plugs during the year, with mixed production of both types. New camshaft and slightly lower compression introduced in late 1912. The cylinder head on early models had threaded holes for priming cups on the left side.

ENGINE PAN: Early production used the “three dip” with narrow front “snout” and “teacup” oil drain. The mounting arms were held with three rivets instead of seven. The drain plug was now 15/16” hex-head instead of a slotted screw. The “teacup” drain pocket was discontinued late in the year.

OIL FILLER CAP: The mushroom-shaped cap, of brass, with six flutes and the Ford script appeared on all models. “Made in USA” stamped under the “Ford” was now standard.

ENGINE CRANK: Aluminum formed handle, painted black.

ENGINE FAN: Driven by a leather belt from a pulley at the front of the engine. The fan hub was brass (bronze), with the blades riveted in place. Adjustment was by means of a bolt/nut arrangement now located on the right side of the front plate and bearing against a boss on the mounting end of the fan bracket.

MANIFOLDS: Exhaust was cast iron; pipe fits inside the threaded end and was packed with asbestos and held with a brass nut. The exhaust manifold and pipe were modified so that the pipe flared at the manifold and was held in place with the brass nut but with no packing. Intake was aluminum and is more curved than the usual design.

CARBURETORS: Kingston “four ball” or Holley Model S.

CARBURETOR STOVE: Several designs, all of which rose vertically at the rear of the carburetor and mated with the exhaust manifold at the rear area.

MUFFLER: Cast iron ends, mounted with pressed metal brackets. Longer, curved rear exhaust pipe extension integral with the rear cover plate. Wrapped with asbestos, secured with three steel straps. The asbestos was specified to be dyed black.

FUEL TANK: Cylindrical, under the front seat. Mounting brackets now clamped to the tank. The outlet was between the center and the right side, between the frame rails.

TRANSMISSION: Three pedal standard-design. Pedals were marked with “C,” “R,” and “B.” Transmission cover was cast aluminum. Tapered inspection door, held with six screws. The door was now a plain metal plate with no script.

COIL BOX ASSEMBLY: Kingston, K-W, Heinze, or Ford. The Ford box used the standard-size coils.

LAMPS: Made by Edmond and Jones (E&J), Brown, Corcoran or Victor. All were painted black with brass trim, replacing the all-brass types used until late 1912.

HORN: Bulb type, single twist. Black and brass style.

WINDSHIELD: Rands, Vanguard, Diamond, or Standard. Painted black. Lower section leaned back, while top section was vertical. Top section folded forward. Painted black.

TOP: (Open cars). Top color was black on all open cars. Oval top sockets. Front attached to the windshield hinge with a strap, similar to 1912.

SPEEDOMETER: Stewart Model 26 in black and brass on early cars, then Stewart Model 100.

TURTLE DECK (on Runabout): Similar in style to later types except that its corners were rather sharp. Handles were brass but painted black.