Vintage Four-Wheeling

Not much to recognize here but the steering wheel. Here's your first Model-T driving lesson: (A) Clutch/parking brake lever. Fully back is clutch disengaged, with brakes applied. The middle position is for backing up. All the way forward engages the forward speeds; (B) Two-speed transmission pedal. Fully depressed is low gear. Halfway is Neutral, and full out is High gear; (C) Reverse gear pedal. When depressed, it engages Reverse only if the clutch lever is in the center position; (D) Service brake, actuated on the transfer-case brake; (E) Rangebox. Full back is High gear. Straight up is Neutral, and forward is low; (F) Four-wheel-drive lever. Pulling fully back engages the front axle; (G) Throttle. The spark control lever is on the opposite side of the column. (Photo courtesy of Frank Piskur.)

The rpm drop lower and lower. A stall is imminent, and the novice driver is flailing around trying to figure out what to do about it. His right foot is unconsciously feeling around on the floor for the nonexistent gas pedal. Frank says, "Give it some juice --- up on the column," and even though it's chugging along at what can't be more than a couple of hundred rpm, it responds willingly when the throttle lever is pushed up about an inch.The T has a bouncy ride that feels a lot like it's got pogo sticks at each corner. Small wonder since there are no shocks and only one transverse leaf spring on each axle. Lifting the left foot allows the trans to shift into high, and the engine starts to grunt again. Some jiggling with the throttle, and spark controls gets the speed up to a more comfortable 5 mph. The skinny little tires slip and spin, throwing up brown, slushy mini-roostertails, and the old Model-T positively cavorts as we churn up a sizable portion of the Piskur estate.

The Livingood T shows us its stuff in the mud and snow, with a few deep ruts and undulations to stretch the suspension out. A Model-T at work is like nothing else. It's a combination of the low "angry bee" buzzing of the engine, the whine of straight-cut bevel gears, creaking wooden wheel spokes, groaning springs, and various sheetmetal parts clanking and banging against each other. The smells are of raw hydrocarbons, leather, gear oil, wood, and hot grease. It's all wonderful feedback and proof that Model-Ts can actually talk. When the radiator starts puking, we listen and decide to cut the 'wheeling fun short. The T sighs in relief.

After bringing the old T back to its garage, the novice driver couldn't help but sit there and grin like an idiot. Just like the first time out driving with Dad. It was a serious hoot, even after realizing the wimpiest 4x4 of today could have done the same thing a lot more easily. With that thought came the realization of how much technology has improved, but how far ahead the Livingood T would have been over everything else in 1921. Imagine being on a rural, muddy road in 1921, driving by unhappy motorists stuck hub deep in their two-wheel-drive Maxwells, Pierce-Arrows, and Oaklands as you trundle by in a Livingood Model T 4x4. The idiot grin stayed for a long time.

GENERAL
Owner: Frank Piskur, NW Ohio
Vehicle/Model: 1921 Ford Model-T Depot Hack with Livingood 4x4 conversion
Estimated Value: $8,500

ENGINE
Type: Ford L-head four
Displacement (ci): 177
Max horsepower @ rpm: 22 @ 1,700
Max torque (lb-ft) @ rpm: 83 @ 900 (!)
Compression: 3.98:1
Aspiration: 1-inch-bore Holly or Kingston updraft

DRIVETRAIN
Transmission: Ford two-speed planetary
Transfer case: Single-speed Livingood, part-time
Range box: Muncie (Warford more common)

AXLES/DIFFERENTIALS
Front: Livingood two-piece
Rear: Two-piece Ford spur gear type
Ring and pinion: 3.63:1

WHEELS & TIRES
Wheels: 30-inch artillery type, wood spokes
Tires: 30x3.50 Firestone Pneumatic

DIMENSIONS & CAPACITIES
Wheelbase (in): 100
Curb weight (lb.): 1,500 (est. as tested)
Fuel capacity (gal.): 10

PERFORMANCE
Top speed (mph): 30-45
Fuel economy (mpg): 12-14