Make: Ford - Model T Owner: Daniel Snell

The featured vehicle was acquired by the owner in 1977 in Denver, Colorado. It had been transported there by its previous owner from Kansas, where it was last titled in 1960. At that time the vehicle was titled as a 1925 Roadster. The original engine, as indicated on the title, confirmed that it was a 1925 model, as did the construction of the body. By 1925 Ford had begun to replace some of the wood structuring material in the body with metal bracing which is found on this vehicle.

Shortly after the initial acquisition, the vehicle was completely dismantled. It remained in that state for nearly 20 years during which time it was transported from Colorado to California to Oklahoma and finally to Texas. In 1996 we purchased the 1925 pickup bed, from a man who brought it down to Texas from Kansas. It was a complete bed with all the metal floorboard strips intact, but it was rusty and sported a few bullet holes. In that same year we also acquired a different 1925 engine because the previous owner had replaced the original with one bearing a serial number of an earlier year of manufacture. We then proceeded to have the engine completely rebuilt by Rumple Kammer in Fredericksburg, Texas. We were fortunate to find that the engine had never been bored out previously and required only a 0.20 oversize bore.

In 1997, Julius Neunhoffer of Neunhoffer Services in Kerrville, Texas, agreed to undertake the herculean task of restoring the vehicle to number one condition, which he began in November of that year. During the following eighteen months the painstaking detailed restoration took place, resulting in the featured pickup.

The goal in the restoration was to bring the vehicle back to its original factory condition as much as practical. To assist in reaching this goal, we personally conducted research at the Research Center, Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Michigan. There, we acquired seven original photographs and studied every detail under magnification, in an effort to answer as many of our questions as possible. Mr. Neunhoffer conversed with many other professional restorers and owners of other pickups to insure that we were progressing in the best and most accurate way we could.

Every piece of metal was stripped bear, treated and restored. All body wood, pickup bed wood and wood spokes were replaced by professional woodworkers experienced in rewooding Model T Fords. The entire vehicle including all the chassis parts was painted with Acrylic Urethane.

Attention to details was our motto. We used as many new old stock parts as we could obtain. When they were not available, we used the best original parts we could find.

Other than the wood, top and interior, the only new body parts used are the hood, front fenders and running boards. The rims are cadmium plated and all other plated parts are nickel plated. An original set of head bolts were used, including one with an inspectors stamp. A set of new old stock Champion spark plugs were installed. The radiator is newly manufactured and is an exact duplicate as the original with round tubes and the correct number of fins per inch. The radiator shell is original and the radiator cap is a new old stock original. The tires are Firestone, and the tubes have the metal stems with an original set of nickel plated dust covers. The headlight reflectors are silvered as per original specs. The vehicle is also fitted with original type side curtains.

This pickup is equipped with accessories such as a Stewart Warner Model 160 speedometer professionally restored and set at zero miles, an original hand operated windshield wiper and a rear view mirror.

The featured vehicle is one of approximately 17,000 pickups made during the model year 1925, and one of a very limited amount known.

Research Center, Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village – Dearborn, MI.