On October 6th 2021, a Model T friend and I traveled to the AACA Hershey Swapmeet. We only went for the one day and never got out of Red or Chocolate fields.
There were several items on my list for the 1922 Centerdoor that I was searching for: radiator, headlights, hood, hood shelves, radiator shroud, running board brackets. My friend was searching for a carburetor for his 1915 roadster, and cans of Liquid Wrench Penetrating Oil for his Mustang, which he did find. He also found a set of stamps for use in his piano rebuilding business. I had made a list from scouring the forums and Facebook postings of who would be located where and what parts they might have.
Our first stop was a mutual friend of ours. He always has a large assortment of items, and a few parts for the car are from his stash.
Our second stop, just down the aisle, garnered a set of headlights and rims. These would be used to replace the ones I had previously bought that were actually fiberglass filled and would not have held a lens rim in place. I also picked up an original rain gutter for a wooden firewall, complete with the two-piece trim for the firewall side edges. You hardly ever find these.
Our later stops, we found three original spark plugs (of only which two could be salvaged), a hood, a pair of running board brackets, hood shelves, and a radiator shroud. I would later discover that the shelves were a mismatched set, but I was able to make them work, and that the shroud was erroneously marked for a low hood (it was in fact for a high hood).
After returning home, I set about looking at my spoils and what needed fixing. The brackets I cleaned up and painted. One of the shelves needed a hole drilled for the light loom to pass through. The gutter and trim were cleaned and painted. The headlights the same, but will need new sockets, springs, and reflectors. I might even search for better glass.
The shroud was an adventure in itself. After posting on the forums that I was looking to trade, another T friend said he had one and would take mine. Deal made, I traveled to his house and acquired the appropriate one.
I had a rain gutter that was incomplete. This one has the hood holder and the triangular piece that screws into the firewall. Shown also, are the firewall trim pieces.
Running board brackets after cleaning and painting.
Dash shield. This is an original piece.
Headlight buckets after cleaning, prime and paint. This paint is most likely temporary as I will be painting the car as a complete assembly later down the road.
This is the shroud that I purchased which I later found out was marked incorrectly by the seller.
This is the correct shroud. However, the trim at the bottom is permanently attached to the upper portion.
Most likely, a new radiator will be procured. Those that are shown online in the forums and on selling sites are not really up to snuff. I have only ever seen ONE original undamaged radiator still in it's shipping box. Berg's Radiator makes an excellent product and I already have one on my touring, so that might be the better option.
I forgot to take photos of the hood shelves. I will add those later and explain what I did to make them usable.
All in all, Hershey was a sweet experience this year. We did see a lot of empty spaces, no doubt some vendors were reluctant to attend due to the national health situation. I look forward to the next adventure.
More to come...
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