Interesting Video on the Floorboard Myth

[ThreePedalTapDancer]

Saw this interesting 15 minute video on the use of wood in the FORD factories.

https://youtu.be/fYCw1aThbE8?si=HEeZlfB9kVauTSkR

[Kerry]

The question or accusation has always been directed at the floor boards and answered as such but Ford could not deny if the question covered a broader range of use for packing crates for the T, Ford Times Canadian issue for the 1st war mentions a use for the crates, whether by design or not Ford himself may not have known directly but his system/publication did.

Screenshot (240).png (105.19 KiB) Viewed 2244 times

[Kaiser]

The first 15 Ford ambulances were ordered through the Paris Ford dealer as chassis, Henry Ford was still very much opposed to delivering for the war in Europe, but allowed individual dealers to sell chassis for 'humanitarian use'.
Below is a photo of the assembling of one of these first 15 chassis in the garden of the american field ambulance hospital in the Lycée Pasteur on the outskirts of Paris.
The next photo is of the assembled ambulances proudly posing in front of the building.
If these early bodies were built from the crates that they were delivered in, I could not get confirmation on, but it may well be the case, we may never know for sure.
The last picture is of the workshops of Paris coachbuilders Kellner, who was contracted to build the later bodies for the AFS, the later standardised Ford Ambulance model of 1917 was derived from these bodies, although somewhat simpler in construction.

[Kaiser]

Here'sthe third picture of the Kellner works in Paris with bodies being built around 1916,
The last picture is of a convoy of early (1915?) chassis, presumably from the harbour in Le Havre to the workshop of Kellner in Paris.

The Kellner bodies were built from Mahogany, so definitely not from packing crates (Kellner was a luxury coach builder, who probably needed the work because other clients canceled jobs because of the war

[DanTreace]

Interesting video indeed by Ken Smith. He could have researched a bit more on the "floorboard myth', instead left it still open to opinions, that just propels the myth

The comment section of this YouTube video has more viewers of that opinion, that Ford used junk crates for the floorboards! Hogwash!!

Smith did copy the photos of the primary research made in an earlier forum post I did about that letter found in Benson Ford Archives, from the business editor of The New York Tribune, in 1922, inquiring about the 'legend of using part crates for floorboards'. Pres. Edsel Ford responded no truth to that legend in 1922. But it persists today!

Of course, Ford could't have controlled cost to the penny on the massive numbers of Fords made in 1922, over 1 million, and over 2 million in 1923, without detail prints and production methods of outsourcing, to feed the dozens of assembly plants across the country.

Every style of floorboard had assembly finished part number and part numbers for each piece of the assembly. And these spec'd the type of wood to use. So no way could old crates be used, the finished floorboard needed meet Ford quality and cost. These floorboards were made in house and also by outside suppliers, all to the same specs of wood, and fit and form, so they would interchange.

Where would an outside supplier obtain a packing crate if such old supplier crates were specified to be used! And where are the prints at Ford to a part supplier on how to mfg. and cut, trim, and finish such a part crate? There are none.

Floorboard part numbers.jpeg (108.53 KiB) Viewed 2090 times

My '24 touring still has the original floorboards, and these made by an outside supplier, to prints of Ford, the supplier was Mengel company in Louisville KY, the stamp is on the top board.

Mengel Louisville KY.jpeg (162.72 KiB) Viewed 2090 times

[AdminJeff]

The comment section of this YouTube video has more viewers of that opinion, that Ford used junk crates for the floorboards! Hogwash!!

Absolutely fascinating! Such good info!

Jeff

[Norman Kling]

Does it really make any difference? Now, if it had been wheels or body sills!
Norm

[John kuehn]

It’s pretty much to do about a big nothing!!
So what if Ford didn’t always use “brand new” or lumber straight off the factory wood storage bins or wherever it was stored!

As for as using junk crates that just ain’t so!!

The wood wasn’t rotten or defective but relatively almost new wood. If the crate wood was solid and still sturdy it was OK.
This so called expose of events about what floorboards were made of a 100 years ago is just plain dumb or in better words stupid.

But Ford getting runs in new T paint jobs or the slop job brazing that was used when putting the pans together doesn’t rate an expose? Somebody speak up!!

[5 WoodenWheels]

I have it on good authority that Mr. Ford directed an effort to reclaim used paper clips to be used as cotter pins.

It was the summer of 1923—a beautiful day by all accounts. The office windows were open to allow a breeze from the street. The office cat, Smoky, lazed by the window. One of the office girls was celebrating her birthday, and there were cupcakes that everyone was enjoying. They talked and laughed gaily as they worked, teasing the birthday girl that she’d better find a man and settle down as she was now the ripe old age of nineteen.

On this day they were processing invoices from their various vendors and making sure they were paid. Among the invoices was—coincidentally—a bill for the wood used to make the floorboards. A large outfit regularly supplied the wood and needed to be paid promptly to keep their operation going.

Mr. Ford peeked in. He’d heard there were cupcakes, and he was always drawn to free food and was especially fond of cupcakes.

“Hiya, girls!” Casting his gaze about the busy office, his eyes settled on the plate of home-made cupcakes with buttercream icing.

“Oh, cupcakes!” He acted as though this was surprising, something he did not expect.

Looking up, the officer supervisor, Miss Glynda, graciously invited the boss to have one..

“It’s Eileen’s birthday, and this being Friday we thought we’d work and have a little party for her.

“Yes, hmm. I see, I see,” Mr. Ford replied through a mouthful of chocolate cake and frosting. Dabbing at the corner of his mouth, he added:
“Fun is good. It is good to have some fun.”

Then his mood changed, a dark storm cloud passed across his expression. Looking at the overflowing waste baskets, he asked:
“What’s all this?”

Attached to many invoices were hand-written notes that did not have to be retained for the company records. Those notes, along with the paper clips, were tossed into the waste bins which were full to overflowing.

“The waste! The waste!” Mr. Ford shouted excitedly. Smoky the cat made a hasty exit out the window. He’d seen Ford like this before. He knew a storm was brewing.

On that pretty summer day a plan was hatched to reclaim the paper clips, turn them into cotter pins, and install them on new Ford automobiles. The project was code-named “Paper Clips to Cotter Pins” which was an odd code name if they wanted it to be secret.

The accounting people told Ford he’d save $31.12 per year by adapting the paper clips for automotive use, but they neglected to tell him he’d spend an additional $375,000 to make the plan work.

There are stories—albeit rare—of current Model T owners coming across a shred of old invoice still attached to their formerly-paper clip cotter pin. I cannot verify this, but one such account tells of an invoice for floorboard wood still legible and hanging on by a shred.

The above is for entertainment purposes only. NOT A WORD OF IT IS TRUE. This should be self-evident, but it’s the internet and you never know these days.

And if, by chance, a young woman named Eileen celebrated her birthday on a summer Friday in 1923 in Dearborn, my apologies for inadvertently dragging you into this story.

[Kerry]

The Kellner body works in France must have been eager to please somebody to build a field service vehicle with a top end imported timber like Mahogany.

[M.Sinclair]

I don’t know about paper clips for cotter pins but I’ve certainly found an old nail or two on a wheel nut.

[Kaiser]

Frank, the story about the mahogany is that the firm had large stocks on hand, which in those days was sound practice, as you could control the drying and aging of the wood better, and suply from the French colonies took some time. Later in the war Kellner had trouble keeping enough wood in stock because of the war interfering with shipping.
By the way, Mahogany was actually cheap lumber in those days, it being imported from the colonies in Africa, where wages and prices were negligably low compared to in Europe, it was almost legalised robbery

[TXGOAT2]

Ford owned forests and produced lumber, among other materials needed for his factories.

[Kerry]

Pat, I believe that didn't happen until the 1920's.

[Nv Bob]

After owning a low mileage orginal car 2nd rip van Winkle 17 T vVF mag about 96/97
I say yes but don't think all did to many cars
Mine had crate numbers on tthem with Ford part numbers