MMVII
Published by the Texas Transportation Museum, San Antonio
2 CENTS










T Fords of Texas Member George Wilson

Atascosa
1921 Ford Model T Center Door

George is one of the most active TFOT members. He has a rule of thumb: if the event is 50 miles or less from his house, he drives the T there; anything more, he uses his trailer. It had been love at first sight when George saw his first Model T Center Door sedan, but it would be over ten years before he acquired one of his own. There was just something about the design and style that called to him as he built a successful chain of independent pet stores in San Antonio following a full career in the Air Force where he was a Chief Master Sergeant. When he and his wife decided he was now in a secure enough position to acquire one, he discovered how rare center door Ts were. He chased every lead, showing up to buy one in Houston only to find he had missed it by less than an hour.

George Wilson in his 1921 Ford Model T Center Door at the TFOT club tour of Medina County
George Wilson winning a prize at the Shriner Charity car show for his 1921 Ford Model T Center Door
George Wilson in his 1921 Ford Model T Center Door at the Alamo
George Wilson and his 1921 Ford Model T Center Door
George Wilson scores another cool snap of a Center Door Model T at the Chickasha pre-War Swap Meet, March 2012
Finally, in March of 2000, he went all the way to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and purchased a dilapidated old wreck that hadn't been run in forty years and was being used to store eggs in a barn. But it looked good enough to George, and he had the engine running well enough to participate in a Shriner parade by May the same year, despite the lack of window glass. By his own description, he did not get serious about doing a full restoration until 2007, when it was found that every piece of wood in the frame that supports the metal exterior was rotten. And not only that, being so rare, there is no such thing as a commercially available kit for these cars. George considers the investment to do a ground up restoration to be worth every penny, and judges at shows ten to agree. The unique style of the car, with it's oval round window, tends to attract first prizes like flies.
George Wilson and his 1921 Ford Model T Center Door at a TFOT picnic in Brackenridge Park, San Antonio
George Wilson and his 1921 Ford Model T Center Door at the theatrical premiere of the PBS documentary, "El Camino Olive Trails."
George Wilson in his 1921 Ford Model T Center Door at the Texas T Party in Bastrop
George Wilson and his 1921 Ford Model T Center Door at a Roaring 20s fashion shoot, March 2012
George Wilson and his 1921 Ford Model T Center Door during the August 2013 tour of San Antonio's historic Missions
George Wilson visiting with a visitor at the San Antonio Ploice Officers Association Memorial Car Show in front of his 1921 Ford Model T Center Door, March 2014
George Wilson during the TFOT Spring Tour, April 2014
George Wilson during the TFOT Spring Tour, April 2014
George Wilson with his 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the 2014 Shriner Car Show
George Wilson winning a prize for his 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the 2014 Shriner Car Show
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan in the 2014 Air Force Village II 4th of July parade
George Wilson driving his 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan in the 2014 4th of July parade in Castroville
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan at the 2014 tour of San Antonio's historic missions
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan at the 2014 tour of San Antonio's historic missions
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan at the 2014 tour of San Antonio's historic missions
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan at the 2014 tour of San Antonio's historic missions
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan at the 2014 Texas T Party in San Angelo
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan at the 2014 Canyon Lake cruise
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan at the 2014 Canyon Lake cruise
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan at the 2015 TFOT Spring Tour
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the Medina Lake tour, June 2015
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the 2015 Castroville 4th of July parade
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the 2015 San Antonio Ford Model T Show
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the 2015 Texas T Party based in Uvalde
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the 2015 Texas T Party based in Uvalde
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the 2015 Texas T Party based in Uvalde
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the 2015 Texas T Party based in Uvalde
George Wilson spiffing up his 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the 2015 Texas T Party based in Uvalde
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the 2015 Texas T Party based in Uvalde
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during a Rockport based coastal tour, November 2015
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during a Rockport based coastal tour, November 2015
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the 2016 San Antonio Ford Model T Show
George Wilson and 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the 2016 Shriner charity car show
George Wilson winning an award for his 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the 2016 Shriner charity car show
George Wilson with his 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the 2016 Missions tour
George Wilson in his 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the Braunig Lake Tour, September 2016
George Wilson in his 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the Braunig Lake Tour, September 2016
George Wilson as seen from the interior of his 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during the Braunig Lake Tour, September 2016
George Wilson, in th3e center, with San Antonio T club members Mike Mackechney, on the left, and Daniel Bratcher during a club tour, November 2016
George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan during a club tour, November 2016
George Wilson during a club tour, November 2016
George Wilson during the TFOT Spring Tour, April 2016
George Wilson with his 1921 Ford Model T center door during the 2017 San Antonio Ford Model T Show
George Wilson in his 1921 Ford Model T center door during the 2017 San Antonio Ford Model T Show
George Wilson and friends in his 1921 Ford Model T center door during the Texas T Party, October 2017
George Wilson in his 1921 Ford Model T center door during the Texas T Party, October 2017
George Wilson and Janie Neunhoffer in his 1921 Ford Model T center door during the Texas T Party, October 2017
George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T center door in the 2018 George Washington parade in Laredo
George Wilson spiffing up his 1921 Ford Model T center door at the 2018 San Antonio Ford Model T Show
George Wilson talking about his 1921 Ford Model T center door at the 2018 Shriner car show
George Wilson winning a prize for his 1921 Ford Model T center door at the 2018 Shriner car show
George Wilson - right - and Tom campbell, with George's 1921 Ford Model T center door during the 2018 Texas T party
George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T center door during the 2018 Texas T party
George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T center door with Tom Campbell during the 2019 Texas T party
George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T center door during the 2019 Texas T party
George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T center door with Tom Campbell and friend during the 2019 Texas T party
George Wilson with his 1921 Ford Model T center door during the Fall Shriner Car Show, October 2019
George Wilson in his 1921 Ford Model T center door during the Fall Foliage Tour, November 2019
George Wilson in his 1921 Ford Model T center door during the Medina Lake fun run, October 2020
George Wilson with his 1921 Ford Model T center door during the Shriner car show, October 2020
1921 Ford Model T Center Door Ground Up Restoration, 2007 - 2010
What started out as a relatively small engine rebuild with minor body work at Julius Neuhoffer's shop in Kerrville soon developed into a full blown ground up restoration. The engine was both incorrect and kaput, the chassis was neither straight nor true and both had to be replaced. It then turned out that almost every piece of wood in the body was rotten and replacements would have to be scratch built, as there are no kits available for such a low volume Model T. 36 months later, and enough time, money and effort to stun an ox, George got his center door T back in better than new condition.
George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T Center Door as it arrived at Julius Neuhoffer's shop in Kerrville looking not all that bad.
The original chassis on George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T Center Door was neither straight nor true and had to be replaced
Almost every piece of wood on George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T Center Door had to be replaced
The new wooden frame on George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T Center Door during construction
The new wooden frame on George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T Center Door during construction
The replacement engine for George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T Center Door before restoration
The replacement engine for George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T Center Door during restoration
The replacement engine for George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T Center Door being mated with with the transmission
The body work for George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T Center Door following its first coat of paint

George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T Center Door after restoration
The interior of George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T Center Door after restoration
George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T Center Door after restoration
George Wilson's 1921 Ford Model T center door sedan at the 2014 tour of San Antonio's historic missions

CONTENTS

Front Page

Section A
Section B
Section C
Section D

Published by the T Fords of Texas, San Antonio's Ford Model T Club