1924 Ford Model T

The Ford Model T changed the way Americans lived, offering a faster and more reliable means of transportation. The first production Model T rolled out of the Ford Piquette plant on September 27th, 1908, offering the buying public an affordable and attainable car that would become the benchmark automobile for the Ford Motor Company. At the time, automobiles were generally only for the very rich and adventurous, but the Model T quickly changed that, and by 1927, more than 15 million examples had been sold. Henry Ford's Tin Lizzie remains beloved and instantly recognizable today as a household name and as a foundational automobile worldwide.

Prior to the Model T, Ford had made various different models catering to different parts of the market segment. Three years after the first Ford motor vehicle was introduced, production was re-organized in two different directions. Mr. Ford introduced a basic, low-priced four-cylinder Model N Roadster in 1906 with a price tag of $600. The catalog also listed a top-of-the-line six-cylinder Model K for $2,400, which quickly proved to be an utter disappointment due to slow sales, and Ford would not produce another six-cylinder car until 1941. The Model N proved popular and begat the Model R that debuted in 1907, the same year the Model S was introduced. These three models, the N, R, and S, provided the necessary funds and the engineering platform that gave rise to the Model T.

The Model T was affordable and dependable, with abundant parts supplies and vast know-how to maintain them. It was an immediate success, and Mr. Ford recognized the need for constant improvement to remain competitive. Among the gradual changes was the shifting of the steering wheel from the right-hand side of the car to the left. By 1917, nearly all forms of trim and ornamentation had disappeared, not to re-appear until the Model T's twilight years. New bodies appeared in August of 1922, with taller radiators for improved cooling, and sitting lower than the earlier cars. Open cars had a raked windshield and a new one-man top. The coupes had their luggage compartments integrated into the body, while roadsters continued to be a separate unit that could be removed if desired.

The Model T's accelerator was controlled by hand using a lever under the steering wheel. Forward gears are selected using the left of the three pedals, reverse by using the center pedal, and braking is achieved using the right pedal. Normal cruising speed is 35-40mph and fuel consumption is 20-25mpg.

Body styles offered in 1924 included a chassis, truck chassis (TT), truck with body (TT), truck with stake body, a three-door tourer, coupe, 2- and 4-door sedan, and a runabout. This was the first year that Ford offered a rear platform body on the truck chassis and the 'C' cab option. The Tudor sedan and coupe were introduced in 1923, replacing the prior center-door sedan and previous coupe. The Tudor had doors at the front of the body instead of the prior design which had doors at the center. The new coupe had doors that opened at the rear and an integral rear turtleback design. The Fordor sedan design remained the same except for new front fenders and a new hood. The prior aluminum lower body panels were now constructed from steel. In 1924, the company switched from wood framing to all-metal construction.

The L-head, 176.7 cubic-inch four-cylinder engine had a 4-inch stroke and a 3.75-inch bore, a 3.98:1 compression ratio, three main bearings, solid valve lifters, and a Kingston L4 carburetor (or Holley NH unit). It produced 20 horsepower at 1,600 RPM and 83 lb-ft of torque at 900 RPM, and was backed by a two-speed planetary transmission with reverses. From 1909 through 1915, the transmission used 26 discs; from 1915 until the end of production, it used 25 discs. Braking was handled by a contracting band in the transmission, a foot brake stopped the driveshaft, a hand-operated internal expanding brake on the rear wheels, and a parking brake on two rear wheels.

Options included a starter, priced at $65, on open cars, demountable rims for $20, a truck rear bed for $55, and the C-Type truck cab for $65. Additional options included robe rails, tire chains, top boots, spare tire carriers, speedometers, headlamps, horns, Prest-O-lite tan instead of the carbide tank, and bumpers.

Ford produced 735,020 examples in 1917, the highest year since production began. The previous highest was in 1916 with 501,462 examples built. Production dipped slightly to 664,076 for 1918, then down to 498,342 in 1919. Numbers rebounded spectacularly in 1920 to 941,042, and sales broke the magical one-million mark for the first time in 1922, with 1,301,067 units produced. A year later, 2,011,125 were built. Production for 1924 was 1,922,048 units. (1,720,795 were U.S.-based production). Ford sat comfortably in the number one position in U.S. production, a position it took over from Oldsmobile beginning in 1906 and continuing until it was de-thrown by Chevrolet in 1927. It would re-secure its number one position in 1929 and would hold on to it until 1931 when Chevrolet once again took the lead.

by Daniel Vaughan | Oct 2020