Ford Model T - Overlander

[Moparmat2000]

They are all so cool(including yours)!
Reminds me of this one. Anyone recognize it?

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The waltons. As a little kid I loved that show, and the old model As they drove. Note the steel rims on the truck in the pic. Those were heavy duty rims typically used on model A 1 ton trucks. In the show it makes sense that they were used on this pickup. It looks to have a longer bed, and was used like a work truck. Maybe a model A 3/4 ton? I was thinking of getting my son into watching the series with me. Depression era people did what they could with what they had. The series showed the Waltons to be better off than most during that time.

 

[GrimsterGMC]

Hi, I was just thinking about this incredible project and was wondering how it is coming along, any updates?

 

[modernbeat]

A little out of order, but wanted to get these out of the way.
We used some marine vinyl to make a steering column boot and shifter boot.
Neither of these were normal shapes, not cones or pyramids like a standard shift boot.

It took a lot of paper patterns to get here, as simple as they look. The column boot was built like a shoe. The dual-shifter boot was built like a sloppy bag.

The cut out, but not sewn column boot

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Installed on the column, but still have to add the lacing to the bottom eyelets

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The two auxiliary shifters. The boot has a wide gusset to accommodate their spread.

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A detail shot to show just how silly these are.

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[modernbeat]

I had stuck a '70s style Stewart Warner temperature gauge in the dashboard while we were working out the tuning.

I sent a package of parts to Williamson Instruments to make up a phantom gauge that looked like the original ammeter, but was a water temp gauge.
https://williamsons.com/
This included a few ammeter they could gut to use the housings, bezel and glass, a new gauge to potentially use the guts from, and a dashboard for test fitting.

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After they got all their Pebble Beach customers out of the way, they got on with my gauge.

The face they made, painting over the face of the existing gauge.

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The finished gauge

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At home in the dashboard

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It's been working great and looks about as stock as can be.

 

[modernbeat]

To warm up to sewing and figure out how our machine works, how the settings affect things, what size needle is needed for our heavy duty thread, we decided to make a slipcover to disguise a cooler to look like an antique evaporative canvas chiller.

This is what an antique chiller looks like. The steel frame keeps the canvas from touching anything, breaking the water tension and allowing the water to break free. Inside the canvas is a blanket of horsehair. And inside that is a galvanized steel box.

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Another shot of the logo

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To start with, we found a decently rated cooler with no wide flanges that would make it hard to cover.

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We drew up a diagram of the pattern and transferred it to the canvas using a square and straightedge, marking it with blue tailors chalk. This was a process that we repeated a hundred times building all the canvas.

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We made the slip cover in two halves.
First, the top cover with a flap to hide the closure toggles.

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A lower cover that would eventually get another dart in it to tighten it up.

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Some brass screws hold the covers to the cooler.

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I bought a little Cricut hobby cuter and used it to cut some vinyl to use as a stencil for the cooler logo.

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We took a little artistic license with the logo, adding an icy blue background behind the polar bear, and deleting one of the lines of text to de-clutter it.

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[modernbeat]

Next we started on the side curtains for the truck bed.

I was used to sewing finer cloth and holding everything together with pins. But the canvas we used was fairly stiff, and was treated to be fire resistant and waterproof.
I took a page out of the sail makers book and used basting tape to hold all the folded seams. This is a thin double-sided clear tape that comes in different widths.

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The first pieces of canvas to make were the front and rear curtains. These have grommets that attach to fasteners on the uprights and ties to hold them closed.

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The toggle fasteners I chose worked great, but only came in plastic or polished stainless. I bought mostly stainless versions and had a local plating shop black nitride them.

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Added inserts to the wood and screwed another row of horizontal style toggles along the edges of the gates.

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The side curtains were made up and fastened to the roof. These are extra long so they can double as part of a fold-out tent.

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We made up a lot of these canvas ties with grommets and belt-ends.

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With some footmans loops on the outside and a row of toggles on the inside, we could now tie up the side curtains.

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[modernbeat]

With the canvas sides done, we started on the fold-out canvas tent.

We started with the steel support bars and an octagonal wood ridge pole.

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These are made from a metal sleeve inside the wood bar, butterfly nuts, and some set collars.

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A strap held them in place to get the angles right.

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We made up some wood battens to hold the framework in place.

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Test fitting a partially finished tent side to make the small triangular closing panel.

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One side of the canvas done.

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We stretched out the canvas side to layout the lower vinyl skirt.

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With the vinyl skirt added to the canvas sides.

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Next was a load of bags for the tent pegs, diagonal supports, battens, extra hardware and tent peg hammer, and some extra large bags for the canvas sides.

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And we made up some brackets to hold a battery powered reflective triangle for use on fast roads.

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[modernbeat]

To close up the "trunk" under the bed, we made a canvas tailgate.

The solid bar across the top uses the same misalignment clasps used on Jeep and Model-A hoods.

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Somewhere along there we added eyelets to the bed sides and made up adjustable legs to turn the drop sides to enlarge the bed floor so it's wide enough to sleep in the bed.

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[modernbeat]

We took the camping car out to the local park to take some photos of it.

With all the canvas sides down.

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With the awnings up.

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And the awnings way up in sunshade mode.

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One of the tent sides on, and the bed sides flat.

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The sleeping position.

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Both sides of the tent out.

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Everything rolled up for maximum air.

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And that's it. Done.
We've been driving it around to shows and tours to work out any bugs.
Dialed in the timing a little tighter, adjusted the valves again, and fattened up the jetting on the carb.
It looks like we're getting about 19 mpg, and the (frightening) top speed is north of 55 mph. It was too scary to go any faster than that. But it's easy to cruise at 45 mph.

Now, we're putting together some semi-period camping equipment and clothing for the trip, and finalizing the path.

 

[termite]

I for one can't wait to see some photos of it out doing what you've built it for. Exceptional work to date.