Ford Model T centenary

[Ciro Pabón]

October 1st, 2008 is the date chosen by Ford to commemorate the first centenary of the Model T.



Ford held a contest among Detroit university students to develop a vehicle for under 7.000 dollars. It must be able to cruise for 200 km. This is the design that won, by Dong Trang:

Are these hard rubber tyres and a suspension very similar to Manchild design for "dampening spokes"? Mmmmm... we should talk to him, Manchild patented the idea


http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/20 ... ntest-ccs/

It features an electric powertrain, solar panels, and an energy recovering suspension (we talked a little about that when estimating the energy spent in suspension movement, a year or so ago) with a high clearance, like the original Model T:



Model T used a curious "automatic" gearbox (we already talked about it somewhere ) with a 20 hp engine, four cylinders, able to use ethanol or gasoline (like some people wishes now for NGV!), really practical, with the weakest brakes I've handled, able to give you up to 33 km/gallon (9 km/liter or so).



It was a truly rugged adaptable car...



... not that bad for racing (in the epoch).



It was the first car that opened private transportation for the masses. When Henry Ford conmemorated his 10 millonth car, 9 in 10 cars in the world were Fords. In 1921 this car was 57% of the world production.



Ford deserves all the credit and titles for this car, but it's worthy to explain that the technical design was made by Childe Harold Wills, supported by the hungarian engineers Joseph A. Galamb and Eugene Farkas.

Harry Love, C. J. Smith, Gus Degner and Peter E. Martin participated in its design.

The factory working line we owe to the genious of William C. Klann, who tought about this kind of production system when he visited a slaughterhouse. Klann suggested the process to Peter E. Martin, who accepted it against all odds.

This year GM will also commemorate its first centenary. Expect some parties at the somewhat dismayed north american auto industry this year.

If I used a hat, I would take it off to Mr. Klann and Mr. Wills memory. If vanadium steel had not been developed in 1905 and Ford weren't able to produce a 300 dollars car, we would not be cheering the cars at Monaco, but still producing cars like airplanes are done: one by one.

Thinking a little about it, it deserves drinking a rum this weekend in the name of these giants of the auto industry: Klann, Wills and Ford.

[Belatti]

I´ll add that at those times VOC (voice of the customer) was a rather unknown concept. Do you know why ALL Ford T´s where painted black?

Well, Mr. Ford once said: "you can ask any colour for your T model, as long as it is black"

Apparently, black was the cheapest paint in that time

[Saribro]

Total hoggwash.
In fact, the earliest T's weren't even available in black.

[Ciro Pabón]

Very well, Saribro!

Since 1909 cars were available in green, red, blue and grey. Since 1913, all were black, until 1926, when they were built in other colours.

I have a friend with a red 1911. People always complain about the colour and some get angry when they're told it's original...

It's hard to drive. If you're in trouble, remember this: stomp the three floor pedals, the car will stop rather quickly. In Colombia the car name is "The Three Kicks" (el Tres Patadas).

I dare to say that this car could classify in the list of the worst 10 cars of all times!

The steel was good, true, but the quality of the car... compared with the landaus and luxury cars made in Europe, it was more like a Yugo.

If somebody build a car for the XXIth century masses in Asia, South America and Asia, I predict another Yugo-type. What do you expect for 300 dollars?

The russkys were right about price/performance with their Yugo. All the prototypes with sleek futuristic bodies, supposedly intended for the masses, that engineering students proudly produce every year, using their wonderful computers, are rubbish. I would build something like a Jeep, flat panels, two strokes engine, simple, rough, resistant. And a slow one, btw. Ugly. So ugly to make it beautiful

Remember the Apollo Lunar Module? Beautiful for an engineer or an astronaut, that's perfect.

Forget about selling that in Europe, US, Australia or NZ.

I also dare to say (contrarian me think) that this car embarked US in a cost path that it's still being paid, "from the air over US cities to the sand under its soldier boots"...

[WhiteBlue]

I´ll add that at those times VOC (voice of the customer) was a rather unknown concept. Do you know why ALL Ford T´s where painted black?

Well, Mr. Ford once said: "you can ask any colour for your T model, as long as it is black"

Apparently, black was the cheapest paint in that time

I reckon that they had the same problem that is still worrying the automotive industry. Cost! apparently up to 25% of the investment of a modern auto factory is absorbed by the painting equipment.

colours constitute a major complexity issue and a big cost driver. unfortunately it is a cost that is unavoidable if you want to sell.

in engineering pre painted modules are always cheaper than painting the finished assembly but even in engineering businesses nobody buys bog standard RAL colors of the manufacturers. it would be too simple.

painting an hydraulic valve or motor and the labour for preparing the assembly can cost you 20% of the purchasing price. still customers want custom colors.

auto makers love those metallic paint options. nobody buys the standard.

[Belatti]

Total hoggwash.
In fact, the earliest T's weren't even available in black.

I must stop believing all History channel says its true!

[fastback33]

So if the wheels had dampening spokes, how would that affect the wheel radius? Since it would never be a constant the tire would have a hard time locking onto the wheel and staying there, especially if it is flexing. dampening spokes is a clever idea but, i don't quite see how it would work without breaking.

[Scuderia_Russ]

Fact of the day: Ford never owned a driving licence!

[woohoo]

...
The steel was good, true, but the quality of the car... compared with the landaus and luxury cars made in Europe, it was more like a Yugo.

If somebody build a car for the XXIth century masses in Asia, South America and Asia, I predict another Yugo-type. What do you expect for 300 dollars?

The russkys were right about price/performance with their Yugo. All the prototypes with sleek futuristic bodies, supposedly intended for the masses, that engineering students proudly produce every year, using their wonderful computers, are rubbish. I would build something like a Jeep, flat panels, two strokes engine, simple, rough, resistant. And a slow one, btw. Ugly. So ugly to make it beautiful
....

Well, as the name kinds implies, the Yugo is from Yugoslavia, not for Russia.
And it was a license produced FIAT. Simplified, and crap.
The Soviets, made the Lada (also a license produced FIAT) but it worked. The DDRs made the Wartburg and Trabant, both sort of original designs, and both terrible. The Poles simply made license produced FIATs, which also were terrible. The Czecho-slovaks made Skodas, which were the best of the lot.

And a modern age Ford T would rather be the 2CV and the VW bug. They worked!