1913 Ford Model T Depot Hack

This example served none of those roles, but appears to have been used as a mobile

dentistry office, and in the days of primitive or non-existent dental hygiene, it likely

helped turn a brisk trade in unanesthetized molar extractions. Fortunately, the only

traces of its grim former career are a padded reclining chair and a trophy from the

University of Oregon’s School of Dentistry.

Though its tailgate wears a brass Ford Motor Company plaque, the truck’s body seems

to be the custom work of a coachbuilder by the name of Graves; note the firm’s small,

crudely stamped plaque in the full photo gallery.

Constructed from an appealing mix of dark green wood with cream filigree accents,

black lacquered steel, gleaming brass, and deeply stained timbers beneath a large,

canopy-like roof, the truck appears highly period-correct as well as very

well-constructed and preserved.

Perched high on a buttoned leather seat behind a large, split, vertical windshield and a

simple wooden dashboard with no instrumentation but an eight-day mechanical clock,

the driver is presented with standard Ford Model T controls. The term “standard” applies

here only to Model Ts, as these vehicles’ driving procedure bears almost no

resemblance to that of any other type, excluding operation of the steering wheel.

The truck’s payload bed is occupied by an adjustable reclining chair covered in

burgundy velvet-like upholstery, to which a large brass cup is attached via leather straps

and a short length of chain. Engravings show it to be a President’s Award from the

Alumni Association of the University of Oregon’s Dental School, and we’d rather not

speculate as to how it may have been employed here.

Up front resides a typical Model T 20 hp four-cylinder. An L-head unit displacing 177ci

and normally started by hand crank, the engines of some examples including our

subject vehicle were fitted with an electric starter. Offered optionally from 1919, this

welcome convenience seems likely to have been retrofitted to the 1913 model at hand.

Though offered without known history, this 1913 Model T wears a small plaque

commemorating an undated restoration by an individual named F. Lewis Rector. The

dentistry chair and adjacent engraved container are both believed to be original.

At this point in their history, Model Ts are some of the most thoroughly well-understood

machines on Earth. Knowledgeable advice and replacement parts are easy to come by,

and the challenge presented by learning to drive a Model T is directly inverse to the

ease by which they can be maintained. This one’s unusual past and unique features

make it especially compelling.