Restoration of a M

The M-1917 Ambulance was basically a Ford Model T with a standard built ambulance body installed. About 4000 of them were made and almost all of them were shipped overseas during WW1. Besides being used as an ambulance, many were also converted into utility trucks and machine gun carriers. There are no known surviving examples today.

I got the idea to build one of these after researching their use by the Connecticut National Guard during WW1. I was able to purchase a Model T chassis, with fenders, hood and running boards as a start in November of 2002.

For those of you familiar with the Model T, it isn’t like any car most people have ever seen. It is a simple four-cylinder engine, with no fuel pump, oil pump, or water pump, yet the thing still works! It also has what is called a “planetary” transmission with three pedals (low gear, reverse and a transmission break), two levers on the steering wheel (gas and spark advance) and an emergency brake.

The first challenge was getting the thing running. The engine was examined and found to be in good shape. The wiring was replaced and four reconditioned wood coils added. On a cold February night in 2003, we managed to get the engine started. Drunk with euphoria, we decided that it would be a good idea to try to drive the thing on the ice with four bald tires and only a rudimentary idea of how it works. With myself driving, and Don pouring gas into the carburetor with a hose, and a McDonalds cup, we drove the thing out of the barn and down the hill. We did OK until we tried to turn around and ended up crashing into the neighbor’s flagpole in his front yard.

With the chassis prepped and running, the real challenge of building the body came to the forefront. I was able to get copies of the original Ford body plans from a woman in Montana. After a night, spent deciphering the drawings, a materials list was drawn up. All of the materials were purchased from Home Depot believe it or not.

The body is made from oak and ash framing with hardboard sides. The cover was custom made from khaki canvas by Mark Wentland. There were many, many parts fabricated from scratch, including most of the brackets and the water tank on the driver’s side.

Once the body was finished, the ambulance was painted by brush in Gillespie Early WW2 “Khaki” Olive Drab, and markings identical to a photograph of an original ambulance used by the 101^st Machine Gun Battalion of the Connecticut National Guard were applied. The vehicle was completed in April of 2003

Written by Alan Crane