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M1917 Ford Ambulance


A Gustaf B
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Here is a project I have been working for a while. For years I searched for an original Ford Model T ambulance. To date, I have not been able to locate an original in the US, although I suspect there is at least one. All of the examples displayed in the various museums around the US are replicas, made by a couple of Montana farmers in the 1980s, so I figured that was the only way I could have one. The Chassis is a 1919 Ford Model T that I acquired last spring. I started constructing the body a few weeks ago. There are no plans for the M1917 available, the boys in Montana checked out an original set but it seems that they did not return them. With the help of several people around the US, and by using period photos, dimensions and construction was pieced together. It is not finished yet, but is together enough to make it to a local car show, complete with casualty on a stretcher in the back.

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This is what I started with.

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Best

Gus

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Looks fantastic!!!

I will have to have my buddy check check his garage to see if his is missing. :lol:

It is almost a dead ringer for his.

Like you no plans.

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Looks fantastic!!!

I will have to have my buddy check check his garage to see if his is missing. :lol:

It is almost a dead ringer for his.

Like you no plans.

I knew there was one in Arizona, I think it was here that I saw photos sometime back, Looks good, tell your friend if his is missing, don't bother coming here, as I already got a new vin issued and a title:)

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Outstanding! :thumbsup: Awesome work. It really is amazing the transition from the 1917 ambulance, to the WWII era ambulances about 20+ years later.

 

Thanks for posting!

 

Zeph

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Very nice! Do you have any pictures of your restoration process for the chassis, engine, and body?

 

....Kat

Here are a few photos of the progress.

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Here is the stripped chassis, with the first sill for the frame clamped into place.

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The start of the frame of the body

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Things are starting to look like an ambulance, or a Beverly Hillbillies car

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The body is made of Masonite, in period writings I have read that they did not offer much protection during shelling as they were made of cardboard

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At this point, the sharp eye can see that the rear tire is just leaning against the body, I had to replace the pinion bearing, ring and pinion and generally overhaul the rear axle, and had the T hanging from an overhead hoist

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Here I have it out of the shop, the roof is not finish, and it needs the tilt as well, not to mention the details of the back.

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From this angle, it almost looks done. I still have not decided what unit markings to put on it. I have the uniform, diaries, papers and photos of a fellow who served in Evacuation

Ambulance Company # 8, but even though they trained in Allentown on Fords, they bought GMC when the arrived in France.

I have a gas mask from a fellow who served in SSU 14/632, but they used AFS ambulances even after absorbed by the USAAS.

Best

Gsu

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If you go back in MVPAs Army motors to issues 81 82 83 there are 2 originals supposedly in the US. They may be repro but when the article was published both people claimed to have real ones and had pictures. Also any chance you made a set of plans? Our museum wants to update our pie wagon that is painted as a WWI ambulance into something like what you have done.

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Gus,

Super job. If you haven't already, you might contact the Pioneer Flight Museum in Kingsbury, Texas. They have several Model T trucks in their collection that they run around the flight line during their fly-ins. Since they do their own maintenance/restoration I suspect they would be a good source for technicla information. Here's the link:

 

Pioneer Flight Museum

 

Regards,

Jim

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Gus,

Super job. If you haven't already, you might contact the Pioneer Flight Museum in Kingsbury, Texas. They have several Model T trucks in their collection that they run around the flight line during their fly-ins. Since they do their own maintenance/restoration I suspect they would be a good source for technicla information. Here's the link:

 

Pioneer Flight Museum

 

Regards,

Jim

 

Actually, the Pioneer Flight Museum did help with this project.

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Great looking ambulance! I always wanted to have one of these for a reenactment and paint it up to represent the section that was raised at my university (SSU 598).

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Great looking ambulance! I always wanted to have one of these for a reenactment and paint it up to represent the section that was raised at my university (SSU 598).

It makes it more interesting when there is some back ground, maybe you could get Purdue to sponsor the construction.

Best

Gus

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I don't know what to say but thanks for showing us your project.

 

I want one.

 

Great job on the restoration.

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Back in the day, I was a custom car builder and finisher. I say that to say that you've impressed me! :thumbsup:

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very nice looking. I had a neighbor who drove one in france with the yankee division, he said they had to assemble them when they first got them and "you should have seen the parts we had left over". I read a book not long ago that said that the shipping crates that they came in were used to make the box part of the ambulance.

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A friend came over this evening, and wanted a ride in the ambulance, I do not have the electric lights working, so I put oil in the oil lamps, it is surprising how much light they put out.

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Nice,

 

I grew up around Model T's. My father and I have restored 12+ Model T's. My grandfather rebabbitted engines for all the parts suppliers since back in the 60's.

 

I had a set of plans for both types of bodies and plans for a Ordnance Van for the Model T chassis. But I can't find them, they have been lost for about five years. Maybe one day I'll find them and share them.

 

Paul

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