Grace's Garage: 1927

...About this being a 6 cylinder engine at first. All the parts looked so big compared to the young slip of a girl working on it. But it did look like a planetary transmission of some kind which would have been right at home behind a Model T engine. You can also see some other similar details in the Model T engine photo on this Wiki page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_T_engine

And if you're a true gearhead here's a link that shows how "babbit" bearings were poured in a Model T block and connecting rods.

http://www.nwo-modelt.org/blocks.html

The Model T was not a crossflow design. It has two ports for the intake because the intake ports were siamesed. There are 4 exhaust ports.

From the rear of the engine, it's exhaust port, intake port, exhaust port, exhaust port, intake port, exhaust port.

Note the planetary transmission.

You may recall that the flathead V8 only appeared to have three exhaust ports per side because the center cylinder exhaust ports were siamesed.

Are you sure it's a Model T? Those were (I think) all 4 cylinders, and it looks like there are 6 exhaust ports visible.

Is a Model T Ford. I hope Grace had as much fun in her life as it looked like she was going to have from her expressions in these pics.

Unmistakably a 'Tin Lizzie', and the student parking lot was probably full of more of them to practice on.

[There was no "student parking lot" at Central High. This is 1927. - Dave]

This is Joe Manning. I found this 2002 obituary for Grace.

Grace Wagner McCathran, 89, a Washington elementary school teacher from the 1930s to 1947, died of pneumonia Jan. 28 at Clifton Woods Group Home in Silver Spring.

She had lived in Chevy Chase since 1955.

Mrs. McCathran, a Washington native, was a 1930 graduate of Central High School. She was a graduate of Wilson Teachers College and received a master's degree in education from George Washington University.

She had taught first, second and fifth grades at the Alexander R. Shepard Elementary School in Washington.

Mrs. McCathran had been a member of the Chevy Chase Women's Club and the Brookdale Citizens' Association.

She was a member of All Saint's Episcopal Church in Chevy Chase.

Her husband, R.R. McCathran, whom she married in 1947, died in 1995.