Ford Factory Photos

[Bob Bidonde]

Does anyone have Ford archive photos of the following Model "A" production line operations:
1. Installing the gear shift lever;
2. Adding motor, transmission & differential oils, coolant and gasoline;
3. Front wheel alignment;
4. Loading finished cars into railroad cars.
If so, please post a link or the photo in your response.

[Arcieri]

Not sure if this magazine article from 1928 contains official Ford photos but it is pretty interesting.

Ray

[Arcieri]

Sorry that the text is not very clear in the above pictures. I copied this from the internet years ago that is all the better I could make it today.

Ray

[Brad in Germany]

For your number 4. Loading finished cars into railroad cars:



From American Machinist, Vol 69, No. 7.

Brad in Maryland

[al's28/33]

WOW those are COOL. If only I could read them...… can anyone work some magic to get the print larger ??

[Brad in Germany]

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For your 1. Installing the gear shift lever, how about this photo as a start.....showing the assembly of the shifter towers. Assembly of the shift levers was much later in the engine assembly process.



Brad in Maryland

[Brad in Germany]

From the "Engine Assembly Operation Sheet", adding motor, transmission oils was performed during steps 55 ("Pour five quarts of oil in motor") and 56 ("Pour one pint of oil in the transmission") (no photo of this operation?).

From the "Chassis Assembly Operation Sheet", filling the differential was performed during step 20 ("Fill rear axle differential with one quart rear axle oil") and filling the radiator with water was performed during step 47 ("Fill radiator with water. Assemble radiator shell to radiator with one cap, four screws, washers and nuts.")

....sorry no photos of the above. I found the above information in several articles which appeared in the American Machinist in 1928.

Brad in Maryland

[Cape Codder]

[B]Brad in Germany - So do you have such a list for "Chassis Assembly Operation" that can be posted?

[hudson32700]

Brad, I believe the photo shows a drilling operation for the shift tower. Looks like a spiral drill bit being used.

[al's28/33]

Brad where did you find those pictures ??? Can you make the print larger for us ? Those are excellent.

[Brad in Germany]

Sorry, but when you upload such photos to FordBarn, Fordbarn seems to reduce the size and quality of the uploaded documents. When I originally uploaded the photos of the article that Ray posted in #2 above, they were full sized and easily readable and printable in full size

Brad in Maryland

[rotorwrench]

Ford generally sent stacked parts on rail cars out to the assembly plants. Semi-finished bodies were sent from the subcontractors out to the various assembly plants in crated form. Vehicles were sent overseas in knock down form with a series of crates.

I'm sure that some completed cars were sent by rail but it was very much different than the way it is done in the modern era. Ford used transport trucks to deliver completed cars out from the branch assembly plants to the various dealer organizations for the most part. Ford had branch assembly plants all over the US. Ford of Canada did things differently so they may have used more rail distribution than Ford USA did.

[katy]

Ford Canada had assembly plants in Walkerville (Ontario), Montreal (Quebec), Toronto (Ontario), Winnipeg (Manitoba), and Vancouver, British Columbia