Timeless Ts - Ford Model T Repairs & Services

08/23/2026

OK, this one is going to be fun! Rebuilding engines is always fun, of course, at least here at Timeless Ts, based in San Antonio, but there is something just a bit extra special about a 1909 T engine. This one belongs to an owner who lives in the Texas Hill Country, and is a member of the San Antonio Ford Model T club. Timeless Ts is honored to be responsible for getting it working again and back into a very early T. Let the good times roll.

08/11/2026

The latest challenge at the Timeless Ts Ford Model T repair shop in San Antonio is an engine brought in by a customer who described it as "seized." This is what we found when we opened it up. Rusty sludge everywhere. The pan that goes underneath was one of the worst we've ever seen. But it has come apart remarkably easily, and there is a very good chance that it will go back together just as well. The bare block will be sent to a specialist shop for inspection and, if it passes, perhaps some other work, including boring out the cylinders to recreate smooth and true chambers. You have to hand it to the Ford Motor Company - they built a vehicle that can take a phenomenal amount of abuse and still be brought back to life. And projects like these are so intensely gratifying. This is why Timeless Ts was created - to use our acquired skills and knowledge to make such miracles happen.

07/12/2026

Daniel Bratcher of Timeless Ts led this tour today.

06/22/2026

It ain't broke until we can't fix it.

06/09/2026

Directly from Daniel Bratcher, owner/operator of Timeless Ts.

We have all heard about the shoe makers wife that had no shoes. That's what I felt like recently on our club Spring overnight tour in Lampasas, TX. As everyone gathered to start the tour, there was one car missing : mine. When asked where my car was, I had to admit my car was not drivable. You have a Model T Repair shop and your car is not running? Like the shoe makers wife without shoes, I was the Model T mechanic without a car that would run. I had loaded Old Blue, my 1926 Touring, on Thursday afternoon. I had pre-checked it to make sure it was tour-ready. It was running well. Having hauled it to Lampasas, I was having unusual difficulty starting it on Friday morning. When it did start, it sputtered and bucked and had little to no power. I only had three cylinders firing.

After a quick examination, I determined that I had no compression on number 3. A valve was stuck open or I lost a valve spring keeper. Not worried. I always bring parts I’m most likely to need to repair any cars that may break down. I was not expecting the car to be mine. Mike Mackechney, my friend and partner in crime, brought two cars to the tour and offered me one to drive on the tour. I took him up on his offer and decided to repair mine when I returned home and could take it to the shop. It's not what you know but who you know.

I know the owner of the San Antonio T repair shop and he put my car at the front of the line – for once. I opened up the valve cover and the keeper pin on the intake valve on number three piston was broken. It had both ends worn off. One other had worn off one side of the pin and would also fail soon. I decided to replace all the pins and spring seats. I also replaced the manifold gaskets with copper rings because the metal clad paper exhaust gasket had blown out. When the repairs were completed, Old Blue fired right up and ran well and quieter . I have attached photos of the valve pins I replaced. And a photo of me taking Old Blue, my 1926 Touring car, out on a test drive the following weekend, checking the route of the next club tour, which I am leading.

05/11/2026

04/27/2026

Just grinding away at Timeless Ts in San Antonio. Terrie is making a set of wheel rims look pretty again. Daniel is repairing a hood on a 1925 Touring car.

04/20/2026

Things are going well at Timeless T's. A couple of Ford Model Ts have recently been returned to their owners from my shop in San Antonio. And a couple more have just arrived. One of them is a 1926 Dr. Coupe. It came in to have disc brakes installed plus some other issues. The window regulator on the driver's side is broken, and it seems to be running a little rough. The owner is from Fort Worth and is a member of the Cowtown T's. He brought the parts to tune up his distributor.

One of the things about working on 100 year old vehicles is that you never know what unusual decisions have been made by previous owners and mechanics. The “interesting” thing I found on the coupe was that the wheel lugs were not peeened to prevent the nuts coming off. Instead they were welded. You can imagine how much fun it was removing the nuts as a result. After it was disassembled and the disc added, I used a chisel to peen the lugs properly. The next person who ever has to remove them will think a little more highly of my work than I do of the previous person who did what they did, with the best of intentions no doubt.

02/02/2026

File this under - While we're in there, we might as well . . ." This coupe came to Timeless T in San Antonio because the starter drive Bendix had come apart and locked up the engine. To take care of this, the hogshead and lower oil pan cover were removed and the broken pieces extracted, freeing up the engine. An inspection of the transmission for any damage caused by these fragments revealed that the transmission bushings were worn out. Once informed, the owner agreed that these should be replaced. The transmission drum bushings were easily replaced. However, the triple-gear bushings were a different story. Two of them had seized up on their posts. The third bushing had not seized and was free spinning within the triple-gear. All three posts were replaced. New bushings were installed in the triple-gears. Finding no other damage or worn parts, the transmission was mated back onto the engine and put back into the car. Everything is working as it should – in fact it sounds and runs great - and the car is ready to be returned to the owner.

01/12/2026

While the body of the 1914 T mentioned in the previous post on this page is being painted, Daniel and Michael have successfully installed the starter motor that the owner requested. The engine sounds great, guys.