4 Story Assembly Plants

[Steve Plucker]

Does anyone know of any publication that describes the workings of a four-story Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant?

Thanks.

Pluck

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

The plant IN San Francisco, built Ts & As in such a plant. It had HUGE Elevators & goods came in by TRAIN. The plant was at 22nd & Harrison. Minerva, my Early '30 Standard Coupe was built there. Hard to find much info on it. Then the plant moved to Richmond, across the Bay. I toured that plant in 1953. The building still exists.
Bill W.

[updraught]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

The plant IN San Francisco, built Ts & As in such a plant. It had HUGE Elevators & goods came in by TRAIN. The plant was at 22nd & Harrison. Minerva, my Early '30 Standard Coupe was built there. Hard to find much info on it. Then the plant moved to Richmond, across the Bay. I toured that plant in 1953. The building still exists.
Bill W.

http://www.foundsf.org/index.php?tit...trial_Corridor

Love that train photo.

[woodiewagon46]

Steve, there is an artist named David Kimble, that was contacted by National Geographic to do a cutaway painting of the Highland Park, Michigan, Ford Plant circa 1913. The painting is spectacular and shows the assembly of the Model T from part storage to the finished vehicle. You might be able to research David Kimble and locate a picture of the plant. The painting now is displayed at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.

[Steve Plucker]

Originally Posted by woodiewagon46

Steve, there is an artist named David Kimble, that was contacted by National Geographic to do a cutaway painting of the Highland Park, Michigan, Ford Plant circa 1913. The painting is spectacular and shows the assembly of the Model T from part storage to the finished vehicle. You might be able to research David Kimble and locate a picture of the plant. The painting now is displayed at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.

Thanks woodiewagon46 and 1928MIK...That may perty much answer my question!

I know some of those four-story plants made some modifications with the A production but more than likely it was perty much the same process.

Thanks again!

Pluck

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

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Originally Posted by woodiewagon46

Steve, there is an artist named David Kimble, that was contacted by National Geographic to do a cutaway painting of the Highland Park, Michigan, Ford Plant circa 1913. The painting is spectacular and shows the assembly of the Model T from part storage to the finished vehicle. You might be able to research David Kimble and locate a picture of the plant. The painting now is displayed at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn.

I have tried to find a print of David's Highland Park cutaway for sale and I am unaware that he or NG are/were selling them. Did they ever release them for sale? I would love to buy a large print of that for my office.

FWIW, I have the pewter Franklin Mint Model-T Assembly Line model, and after seeing Steve's model rendition of the Model-A assembly plant several years ago, I have always wanted to commission someone to use all of my Hubley/Scale models to build a 48" tall by 96" long 4-level diorama rendition of a Model-A assembly line in 1:20th scale for my lobby area. Maybe one day it will happen.

[40 Deluxe]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

I have tried to find a print of David's Highland Park cutaway for sale and I am unaware that he or NG are/were selling them. Did they ever release them for sale? I would love to buy a large print of that for my office.

FWIW, I have the pewter Franklin Mint Model-T Assembly Line model, and after seeing Steve's model rendition of the Model-A assembly plant several years ago, I have always wanted to commission someone to use all of my Hubley/Scale models to build a 48" tall by 96" long 4-level diorama rendition of a Model-A assembly line in 1:20th scale for my lobby area. Maybe one day it will happen.

Maybe you'll have to get down in the basement and make it happen!

[heneste]

I've never seen the print for sale but an alternative may be to check out the local library or internet. David Kimble's cutaway drawing does appear in the book "American Horsepower: 100 years of Great Car Engines" by Mike Mueller. It also has Kimble's cutaway drawing of a duesenberg in the front and rear covers.

[1928Mik]

You mean this?
https://www.motor1.com/features/1782...utaway-kimble/

[woodiewagon46]

Yes, that's the one.

[Steve Plucker]

Thanks guys.

Actually I am talking about the Model A production.

I just read that with the 4-story Oklahoma City Plant that all of the chassis was assembled on the bottom floor (not the basement) and the the bodies were mainly assembled on the upper floors of the plant thus droped down to the main floor to be assembled to the chassis then out the door.

Hopefully someone can confirm this.

[Jw]

Going to see my folks in OKC over Christmas, the Ford plant was acquired by Fred Jones Dealership and I remember them refurbishing engines. I will check it out when I am down there and inquire and try to get inside.

Joe in Denver

[Steve Plucker]

Originally Posted by Jw

Going to see my folks in OKC over Christmas, the Ford plant was acquired by Fred Jones Dealership and I remember them refurbishing engines. I will check it out when I am down there and inquire and try to get inside.

Joe in Denver

In 2009 I made a trip to Oklahoma City and was given a tour of the assembly plant there.

Starting on the fourth floor, there was nothing but open floor space and those majectic pillars. Same with the third and second floors. I could just visulize all of the action that occured there during the Model T and Model A/AA days.

On the first floor, it was open also except for the action going on at th far end of the plant with the Fred Jones group.

If I remember right, we went into the basement area and saw the three or four huge coal furneces that heated the plant for varrious things.

It was a sight to see...This plant, was the same construction as the Seattle and Portland plant that I have personally seen also.

Fast forward to now, the OKC plant was bought by some investors and was, or is, made into a motel with rooms to rent on most of the floors above the first floor and the first floor is now an upper-class resturant and up-scaled and contempory art gallary.

Needless to say I was very disappointed since they advertise their building as a museum!...Museum? Not that I could tell.

I for one would of thought that the owners of this great historical building of the Ford Motor Company, which was a great deal for the working class of Oklahoma City at the time, could of at least have a section within the first floor to showcase some of the Model T/TT's and Model A/AA's that were assembled at the plant and tell a history about it in photos, etc.

But no...nothing of the sort is like that there...needless to say, I was dissapointed.

One of the employees of the now establishment wanted to know if I wanted to see the upper floors...I said no, I do not want to ruin my memory of what I saw in 2009.

Pluck

[jimalabam]

Steve: There are several 4 story plants continued from "T" days to Model A days, OKC was one of them. Possibly tomorrow I will try to get to my files in the barn (raining very heavily here now. I will send you the info as soon as possible. Jim...

[mhsprecher]

There was one in Omaha, too, but I think they stopped production after the Model T. I have some photos I took of it somewhere. This Wikipedia entry has some erroneous information. Either they assembled Model As there or they quit production in 1927. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha_...Assembly_Plant

[Railcarmover]

Though not a four story Ford Richmond is a beauty...an Albert Kahn masterpiece.

[vern hodgson]

Originally Posted by Steve Plucker

Does anyone know of any publication that describes the workings of a four-story Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant?

Thanks.

Pluck

I am sure that in the smaller plants model A was assembled in the same manner as the T.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Thanks ALL, for the GREAT info that I missed when searching for it!!!
My Daughter, Cindy, lives IN S.F. & was going to see what is at 21st & Harrison. I "think" she said it was a recreation area, but I'm not SURE??? I'll ask her AGAIN!
She says, "You repeat things a LOT, you told me that before"!!---I SMART BACK, "How many times"???---Poor Kid thinks she's PERFECT, it only tells me how INSECURE she really is--LOL---ALL of are INSECURE, some just don't ADMIT it. Like, why would we pay $10,500.00 for a Model A, so we could go "AHOOGA", to get Folks to look at us & WAVE!!
Bill Eccentric

[katy]

The building at the corner of Portage Avenue and Wall Street in Winnipeg was originally a Ford of Canada Assembly Plant.

http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/sites/fletcherbuilding.shtml

I went there as an apprentice for 3 stints between 1958 and 1962 but didn't know about it's Ford connection at the time. It's still there, but I see that it's a 5 story building.

[Jw]

Thanks for the update on the plant in OKC Steve, I grew up like 2 miles north of the OKC plant, so I am now in Denver, The Denver plant is still next to the now gone Gates Rubber Co. on Broadway and I-25. So I will try and gain access to the Denver plant and report my findings.
Collector of American Flyer Model Trains