Third-generation owner Chuck Ham looks after his family’s 1921 Ford Model T Touring with a great deal of pride. Purchased new by his grandfather, Charles, for $500 from Ray Collison’s garage in the hamlet of Bruce, Alberta on October 17, 1921, the Model T took the Ham family from horse and buggy into the motoring age.
The Hams lived on a farm near Bruce, located approximately 115 kilometres east of Edmonton. “It was purchased as a daily driver,” Sherwood Park, Alberta-based Ham says of the Model T, which the family affectionally called ‘Lizzie’. “We were self-sufficient on the farm, but the Model T made it easier to get around.”
According to a document written by Ham’s father, Arthur, the Model T was put up on blocks in 1929 as, at the beginning of the Depression, the family could no longer afford gasoline or tires. Arthur brought the Ford back out in the 1940s, though, and converted it into a truck for use around the farm. Ham says his father later returned the Model T to stock, as he had saved the pieces he’d removed for the truck conversion. “My first real memory of the car is when we moved from the farm into town,” Ham says. “I would have been 10 or 11 years old, and I steered the T while dad pulled it behind the pickup truck.”
From the late 1950s up to 2007, Arthur maintained the Model T and used it to participate in local parades or car shows, and he always appeared in period-correct clothing when he did. “Prior to 2007, when my dad sold me the Ford for a dollar, he had already begun to teach me how to drive the Model T,” Ham explains. “I’m not very mechanically inclined, though, and it took me some time to figure it all out.”
By 2012, the Model T was showing its age. Ham hired Cory Griffin to undertake a major cosmetic restoration. It was taken down to the frame and built back up with repairs as necessary, ending with a fine black paint job – Ham says the quality of the finish receives many compliments. “We wanted to try touring with the Model T, as my good friend Harry Lillo had suggested we give it a try,” Ham says. “Harry’s wife, Rosalie, spoke to Marilyn about the T tours, and she said, ‘The only reason we have Model Ts is to get from one place to eat to the next.’”
On its first big outing with the Foothills Model T Ford Club, Ham’s Model T revealed some serious safety issues. “Dad had kept the T in good mechanical condition, but just good enough for parades and show and shines,” Ham recalls. “I took that as my cue to get it fixed and make it original and safer and easier to drive, if possible.”
In Calgary, Ham delivered the Model T to enthusiast Robb Wolff, who is a member of the Foothills Model T Ford Club. Wolff went through the car mechanically from front to back. He had to source a different engine block, as unfortunately, the one original to the Model T had cracked. With a rebuilt motor, concessions to making it easier to operate include a new electronic ignition to replace the original timer. This offers set-it-and-forget-it operation over manually adjusting the spark advance lever. Also added were improved brakes and wheel hubs while the rear axle gearing was changed to increase hill climbing ability.
Since the mechanical rebuild, the Hams have done a few major tours, including driving with the Foothills Model T Ford Club in the Cypress Hills area of Alberta and with the Edmonton Antique Car Club from Rocky Mountain House down into Kananaskis Country and back. “I learned a lot about driving it on that tour,” Ham says, and continues, “With the Edmonton Antique Car Club we also will take the Model T out to seniors facilities and show the cars off and talk to residents. That’s always fun.”
The Model T is a very special car in our family.
Chuck Ham
Ham says he can change oil on the Model T or check tires, but other chores are left to Matt Hotte and Jim Koladich at Strong’s Garage in Bruderheim, Alta. “They’re both relatively young, and they’re very good with old vehicles,” Ham says. “Matt checks it over every spring, and next spring, he’s going to drop the oil pan and make sure all is good.”
Ham has plans to eventually turn the Model T over to his son and grandson. They’ve expressed an interest in carrying on ownership of the family Model T. Ham concludes, “The Model T is a very special car in our family.”
Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Have a column tip? Contact him at 403-287-1067 or [email protected]
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