Model Ts were driven up steep hills in reverse because it was the lowest
ratio in the box. Car full of people and 20 hp? Think about it.
Cheers
Pete F
Randall Young wrote:
>Does anyone know the other common reason that Model T's were driven up hills
>in reverse ?
>
>
>
>>>'Course other weird stuff happend back then in the late 20's,
>>>
>>>
>>early 30's.
>>
>>
>>>My uncle once used bacon rind for rod bearing(s) to get back home. ...I
>>>don't have a clue what prompted THAT little adventure. And while he was
>>>fond of a tall tale, it was usually only by adding drama to a
>>>
>>>
>>true story.
>>
>>
>>Ooops, guess not. My uncle wouldn't have had bacon rind. That story was
>>about the use of the leather tongue cut out of a shoe for a rod bearing to
>>finish a rallye.
>>
>>
>
>For those who have never had the pleasure ... bacon rind effectively is
>leather ! Poorly cured, but ...
>
>And, back then, it was not all that uncommon to stuff in a piece of leather
>as a temporary replacement for worn-out babbitt. Engines turned much slower
>and made much less power (Model T produced something like 20 hp from a 2.9
>liter engine at a racy 1600 rpm), so bearing loads were a great deal less
>than even our 1950's design engines.
>
>Plus remember this was the Great Depression in the US, so "making do with
>what you had" sometimes meant the difference between eating or going hungry
>...
>
>Randall
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