Quote:
Originally Posted by Tudortomnz
Sounds like one of the old stories [ which Model A book?] but there would have been many engine, gearbox & chassis problems to overcome plus all new tooling for a new model production. Ford had virtually unlimited funds & resourses to overcome them all in a reasonable time for the era. Also, a big setback for Ford was having to redesign the factory layouts for Model A production whch was planned on a one level assembly system as opposed to Model T which was multi level assembly.
Mr D.. Person, that surviving 3W coupe has many changes done over the years ; it had a B engine, so B wheels would be usual. Had horrible bumper guards on it too, but it must have been the one used by Edsel in '31.
My 2c worth.
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Tudortomnz, the book is titled "Ford the complete history" published 1990, page 81.
Here is how is reads, I won't lose any sleep if you aren't convinced. All books are just "old stories" as you say, and unless you were there you have a right not to believe them I suppose.
"Henry often made up for his technical and educational shortcomings by overwhelming a problem with men and machines. Theodore Gehle recalls how this even rubbed off on Henry's chief lieutenant. Gehle worked in Ford's Pressed Steel Department as the first Model A bodies painfully took shape in mid 1927: "Mr.Sorensen said, 'Now you go down and you just live there until you get the first bodies out. When you see daylight for the first bodies, why, you just let me know' The quarter panel was what was holding up the bodies most, and fenders were second." As one of the company's experienced production experts, Gehle worked virtually around the clock trying to straighten out the kinks. At last he reported to Sorensen that while he wasn't having much luck, he did have an idea: "I suggest you order Pressed Steel to run off 100 sets of stampings, the best they can make. Some of these are going to be horrible. Then order the Body Plant to build 100 bodies with these sets of stampings. They will probably have to be scrapped, but it will give them knowledge. By relaying information back and forth between departments maybe out of the next 100 bodies you will get a good one." Gehle was amazed that the headstrong Sorensen went along with it: "These first 100 bodies were assembled and scrapped. On the next 100 bodies we saved about 10. From there we started Model A production, the bodies having been the bottleneck." "