Building the Model T

[Raider Bill]

Very interesting video about the model T, how it was made etc.

[fishpharmer]

Bill, thanks for sharing that.  Its amazing that Ford is still around.  They must still be doing something right.

A 20hp four banger.  I wonder if anyone ever figured how many miles per gallon the T's would get.  It would be interesting to know.

Hmmm.  $900 for each model T   times  15,000,000 equals.......A lot  $13+billion I think.  Thats alot even for today.

[Raider Bill]

I liked the part where they are making the wood spoke wheels.

[fishpharmer]

Yes, the wood spoke wheel part was cool.  A lot of work went into those wheel.  Industrial "artwork".  Does anyone make a reproduction using the same procedure?

It would be cool is someone came up with a modern wooden or part wooden rim.  Maybe there is one.  They could put them on small slow cars like Prius' now that would be "green"

[stonebroke]

Ford made a billion dollars profit in the last quater

Stonebroke

[Tom]

Those wood wheels are made every day.

I have a friend/customer, Dalton Dowdy, who is a wagon maker.  He makes farm wagons, people wagons, Dr. carts, etc.  His wagons are generally pulled by mule, horse or Ox.  His customers are all over the Southeast and some of the largest are Disney, in Orlando, and the concessionaire in St. Augustine.  He has worked on the Budweiser wagon and constantly is building for locals.  He finally had to give up making his own spokes and fellows (fellers), buying them from the Amish in Pa., but still makes his own hubs and rims.

It's nothing to see a new Dr. Cart in his barn and have him say, "yeah, that belongs to a man New York.  I just got it. He wants it repaired and painted."  then he'll add, "..I've got to get that fellow's farm wagon from Iowa done first though."

[fishpharmer]

Tom,that must be a dying art outside of the Amish communities.  I would like to visit his shop someday.

[thecfarm]

It's also a dying act for the Amish too.The carriages that I am around with our Amish friends are all fiberglass now.They prefer the wood ones,because when a spoke breaks they can just replace the spoke.But they say with a when a fiberglass one breaks the wheel is no good.But the fiberglass ones do not get loose like the wood ones do.Less maintenance with the fiberglass ones.

[Coon]

So why not then use fiberglass over the wooden spokes? Would it not make them stronger and possibly more rot resistant in the long run?

Brad.

[thecfarm]

From the way I understand it,they don't really have much choice.The wooden wheels in Lancaster.PA,is a dying breed.Maybe in other states the wooded one are still available.
They said they prefer the wooded ones,because when a spoke breaks,they can replace it.With a fiberglass wheel.the whole wheel is thrown away,from what they told me.But there is less maintenance with a fiberglass wheel.The spokes do not get  loose.Rot maybe an issue.Most carriages are under cover when not in use.

[Don_Papenburg]

My friend , makes modelT brake shoes . He has been pouring them as long as I have known him . He owns the foundry in StAnne ,Ill.  If you need castiron parts that you can not find anyplace , He is the guy to see.

[JD350Cmark]

A 20hp four banger.  I wonder if anyone ever figured how many miles per gallon the T's would get.  It would be interesting to know.

Here is a quote that made the headlines earlier in the year:

 Obama, touring a California electric car plant on Thursday, said, ‘The 1908 Model T — think about this — the 1908 Model T earned better gas mileage than the typical SUV in 2008… Think about that: 100 years later, and we’re getting worse gas mileage, not better, on SUVs.’


Ford’s own Web site says the Model T’s mileage ranged from 13 to 21 miles per gallon. Some Tin Lizzie enthusiasts who still drive the vehicles report numbers closer to the bottom end of that range. A typical SUV sold in 2008 gets 18.7 miles per gallon.


I've driven many T's.  Most of my time has been spent in the one pictured below.  While I have not done any official mpg calulations, I'd bet I could never reach 20 mpg, even going down hill with a sail.  Most collectors would say a fair mpg # is 10 to 15 miles per gal.

How in the heck can you compare a Ford T to a modern SUV??    I don't get it...  but I don't get a lot of things. 

[Gary_C]

The energy it takes to move a car down the road depends on the weight, aerodynamics, and especially speed. So I would guess that a modern SUV that weighed the same as a Model T and was driven at the same speed as a Model T would get far better mileage.

And one of the biggest improvements in mileage is the modern fuel injection over those wasteful carburetors.

[Den Socling]

I'm sure that I would rather stand at the tailpipe of a running SUV than a Model T. cough!

[Papa1stuff]

I think they both will kill you !

[Norm]

I'd rather smell the exhaust of the suv than that of my old boss after a night on the town.....

[easymoney]

surely obama would not have wrong information on anything.

[fishpharmer]

Hey JD350 nice model T you have there.  Thanks for the info.  Amazing how little the mileage has improved in 100 years.  I bet Ole Henry Ford coulda gotten better mileage if he set his mind to it.

[Don_Papenburg]

The suv will haul a few more people than the T so miles pergallon per person would be a heck of a lot more .      An old guy that used to frequent my service station said I am glad they don't build cars like they used too .  He told me that his old T needed a lot of maintnence ,many times by the side of the road .  He said his camaro never broke down while on a trip and he never wanted to go back to the old days.

[sawguy21]

That is one sweet T roadster. 

[scgargoyle]

It was interesting watching that video after I took a factory tour of the BMW plant in SC last week! They have 4 million square feet of manufacturing space, and about 4500 employees. They make 32 beemers an hour, and every one they make is specifically ordered. All of the X5 and X6's in the world are made there, and are shipped to 140 countries. Each car gets a little transponder attached that is programmed with all of the options for the car, including the country it's going to, so they can match the safety and emissions equipment. If you order one, you can actually track your car on-line as it's being built. Start to finish takes about 4 days. A few things that surprised me: all of the parts are manufactured elsewhere; they only do assembly at the BMW plant. Using Just-In-Time practices, they only have a 2-4 hour inventory of parts, so there are trucks and trains coming and going constantly. The wiring harness weighs 96 lbs., and they heat it so it will bend to fit the car. They only have 2-1/2 minutes to install the wiring harness. No wooden wheels, though.....

[fishpharmer]

No, don't tell me beemer parts are made in China?  I wonder if the price of rail transport is cut in half the price of BMW goes down.  Doesn't really matter to me.   I would rather have a model T than a beemer.

[scgargoyle]

I don't know if any of the BMW parts come from China- interesting question, though. Most of the parts are manufactured right in SC and the surrounding states. They said for every job at the plant, another four are generated in the local economy. That could get ugly if BMW got in money trouble!