1918 Ford Model T

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

 

ENGINE SERIAL NUMBERS:2,449,180 to 2,831,426 calendar year.2,113,502 to 2,756,251 approx. fiscal year.

MODEL YEAR DATES: August 1917 to January 1919 approx.

BODY TYPES: Touring, Runabout, Coupe, Sedan, Town Car, Chassis and Truck.

MAJOR MODEL YEAR FEATURES: Until late 1920, open car bodies were built similar to the 1917 bodies. All had the separate rear quarter panels, the ?rivet? on the side, etc. Touring car bodies used wood seat frames in some production during this period. The Coupel now had the metal top section, and continued the removable door posts of the third 1917 design. The Town Car was discontinued during calendar year 1917.

COLORS: All cars were painted black, with black fenders.

UPHOLSTERY: Imitation leather in the open cars. The pattern was a stitched vertical pleat design on both seat bottoms and backs. Closed car upholstery was same as 1916?s, except that the Coupe now used the same upholstery style and color as the Sedan.

FENDERS: Front: Curved and crowned as in 1917.

SPLASH APRON: Smoothly taper from front to rear, with no bulge at the rear.

 

RUNNING BOARDS: Unchanged from previous year.

HOOD: Steel. Hold-down clamps had two ?ears? and were of forged steel. Handles were pressed steel.

DASHBOARD (Firewall): Wood, fitted outside the front cowl, hidden by the metal cowl trim strip.

CHASSIS: Same as 1917. Painted black.

STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY: Pressed steel quadrant, Nickel-plated spark and throttle levers, with flattened metal ends. Gear case was brass but nickel plated, one-piece assembly. Wheel was 15? outside diameter, wood, and painted black. The wheel spider was iron and painted black. Combination horn/light switch on left side of column.

FRONT AXLE: Same as the 1917 cars.

REAR AXLE: Same as 1917.

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

REAR RADIUS AND BRAKE RODS: Brake rods had forged ends. Brake rod support brackets were of the type which go out and wrap down around the rods but were of a reinforced (stronger) design, which continued until the end of Model T production in 1927. Radius rods were of pressed steel with split ends (no forged rear fork).

WHEELS: Used 30 by 3 tires in front; 30 by 3-1/2 in the rear. Front wheels used ball bearings. Hub caps had ?Ford? in script letters. ?Made in USA? on all caps. ? Square? felloe wheels appeared during the year.

SPRINGS: Non-tapered, front and rear. ?L? shaped shackles of an assembled design and later of the forged type. Oilers were now pressed into the springs and none were used on the shackles as in previous cars.

RADIATOR: Unchanged from 1917.

ENGINE: No major changes from 1917.

ENGINE PAN: ?Three dip? with wider front ?snout? which will accommodate the larger fan pulley that didn?t appear until 1920.

OIL FILLER CAP: The mushroom-shaped cap, made of steel, with three flutes as used since late 1916.

ENGINE CRANK: The plain steel sleeve type as used since 1914.

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

MANIFOLDS: Exhaust pipe flared at the manifold and was held in place with the brass nut but with no packing. Intake was cast iron.

CARBURETORS: Kingston Model L2, or Holley Model G.

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 brackets integral with the end castings. The three long bolts that held the muffler end plates together were replaced with a single bolt through the center of the muffler. Brackets were stubbier than previous types. No exhaust pipe extension.

FUEL TANK: Cylindrical, under the front seat. Mounting brackets clamped to the tank. Outlet was between the center and the right side, between the frame rails. Sedan tank under the driver?s seat. The coupe tank is still round but was now located in the turtle deck.

TRANSMISSION: Three-pedal standard-design. Pedals were of the plain type. Transmission cover was cast iron. Tapered inspection door, held with six screws. The door was a plain metal plate with no script.

COIL BOX ASSEMBLY: Ford. Same as used in 1917.

LAMPS: Magneto-powered electric type. Black steel rims. Side and tail lamps were similar to 1917.

HORN: Magneto powered electric.

WINDSHIELD: Upright, with top section that folded to the rear. Frame was bolted to the brackets. Painted black. Hinge arms of un-equal length as in later 1917.

TOP: (Open cars). Top color was black on all open cars. Similar in style to the 1917 but now with rectangular cross-section irons.

SPEEDOMETER: No longer standard equipment.

TURTLE DECK (on Runabout): Similar in style to the 1915. Handles were painted black.

 

1918 Changes

 

APR 16

Acc. 1701. Model T Releases, Ford Archives

Specified the use of square-felloe instead of round on wheels which were supplied by Hayes and Prudden.

 

SEP 21

Ford Archives

"Last metric engines produced." (Not true, for metric engines continued at least until 1920, at which time they were no longer noted on the production records, but may have still been built.)

 

DEC 9

Acc. 575, Box 11, Ford Archives

T-7944 gas tank bottom on sedans (1916-1919) changed.

 

DEC 11

Ford Archives

First starter-type engine made, #2,815,891.

 

DEC 18

Acc. 575, Box 11, Ford Archives

T-8731 hood clips. Cotter pin hole enlarged from 9/64-inch to 5/32-inch.

 

DEC 21

Acc. 78, Ford Archives

Announcement of starters for closed cars on or about January 15, 1919, at $75.

 

DEC 21

Acc. 575, Box 11, Ford Archives

T-690C. Reinforcing boss added for fan adjusting screw. (This is the timing gear cover plate, T-3009B. The T-690C plate is shown in the Parts Lists as the starter-type cover.)

 

DEC 24

Acc. 575, Box 11, Ford Archives

"We have specified the following parts to be used for repairs only: T-7914, T-7923, T-1473, T-7260." (Side lamp brackets, bolts, etc.)

 

DEC 24

Acc. 575, Box 11, #718, Ford Archives

Bendix cover flange, T-1767; cap, T-1762; and shell, T-1766, replaced the one-piece design. The assembly part number was T-1763. (The one-piece design was reinstated April 17, 1919, (Acc. 575, Box 11, #727).)

 

DEC 27

Acc. 575, Box 11, Ford Archives

Groove added to flywheel pocket for crankshaft flange, and inside edge of magnet shoulder to assure clean corners. (Part T-701B.)

 

DEC 27

Acc. 575, Box 11, #718, Ford Archives

T-7426 carburetor adjusting rod fork flattened on one end and punched 5/64-inch for cotter pin. Hole enlarged to 3/32-inch February 17, 1919.

 

DEC 31

Acc. 575, Box 11, #720, Ford Archives

T-431 valve springs to be zinc plated instead of painted black.