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- Close-up of Adhesive on Wood Veneer Door Frame Pillar for Ford Station Wagons, Iron Mountain Plant, March 1949 - Ford Motor Company built wood station wagon bodies at its Iron Mountain plant in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. For 1949, Ford eliminated wood framing from its wagons in favor of steel. Wood was still used on the wagons, but in the form of specially laminated paneling bolted onto the steel frames. Iron Mountain closed when Ford switched to all-steel wagons in 1952.
- circa 1949
- Collections - Artifact
Close-up of Adhesive on Wood Veneer Door Frame Pillar for Ford Station Wagons, Iron Mountain Plant, March 1949
Ford Motor Company built wood station wagon bodies at its Iron Mountain plant in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. For 1949, Ford eliminated wood framing from its wagons in favor of steel. Wood was still used on the wagons, but in the form of specially laminated paneling bolted onto the steel frames. Iron Mountain closed when Ford switched to all-steel wagons in 1952.
- Workers Dropping Engine into 1958 Ford Thunderbird Body on Assembly Line, 1957 - Ford's two-seat Thunderbird was a hit when it debuted for 1955, but vice president Robert McNamara reasoned that adding more seats would sell even more cars. The 1958 model year brought the four-seat "Squarebird" -- so nicknamed for its boxy proportions. Aesthetic arguments aside, McNamara was right. Ford sold nearly 16,000 more Thunderbirds for 1958 than it had the year before.
- December 20, 1957
- Collections - Artifact
Workers Dropping Engine into 1958 Ford Thunderbird Body on Assembly Line, 1957
Ford's two-seat Thunderbird was a hit when it debuted for 1955, but vice president Robert McNamara reasoned that adding more seats would sell even more cars. The 1958 model year brought the four-seat "Squarebird" -- so nicknamed for its boxy proportions. Aesthetic arguments aside, McNamara was right. Ford sold nearly 16,000 more Thunderbirds for 1958 than it had the year before.
- Cylinder Block Line, Ford Plant in Cork, Ireland, February 1929 - Henry Ford formed an Irish subsidiary company, Henry Ford & Son Limited, in 1917. Two years later, he opened a tractor plant in County Cork, Ireland -- his father's birthplace. Soon the factory began producing automobile engines and parts for Ford factories in England. Apart from a temporary closure during World War II, the plant remained in operation until 1984.
- February 12, 1929
- Collections - Artifact
Cylinder Block Line, Ford Plant in Cork, Ireland, February 1929
Henry Ford formed an Irish subsidiary company, Henry Ford & Son Limited, in 1917. Two years later, he opened a tractor plant in County Cork, Ireland -- his father's birthplace. Soon the factory began producing automobile engines and parts for Ford factories in England. Apart from a temporary closure during World War II, the plant remained in operation until 1984.
- Machine Shop at Ford Motor Company Highland Park Plant, circa 1913 - The Highland Park Ford Plant, designed by renowned industrial architect Albert Kahn, was the second production facility for the Model T. This photograph shows Highland Park's machine shop filled with specialized machine tools. Among the milling machines shown here are "hobbers," which cut teeth in metal to make gears.
- circa 1913
- Collections - Artifact
Machine Shop at Ford Motor Company Highland Park Plant, circa 1913
The Highland Park Ford Plant, designed by renowned industrial architect Albert Kahn, was the second production facility for the Model T. This photograph shows Highland Park's machine shop filled with specialized machine tools. Among the milling machines shown here are "hobbers," which cut teeth in metal to make gears.
- Ford Tri-Motor Airplane Assembly Line, Dearborn, Michigan, 1927 - Henry Ford attempted to apply automobile assembly line techniques to the manufacture of airplanes, and to build them in large numbers. Monthly production peaked at 25 planes in June 1929. The Great Depression forced Ford to re-focus on his core auto business, and the company's commercial aircraft production ended in May 1933.
- February 07, 1927
- Collections - Artifact
Ford Tri-Motor Airplane Assembly Line, Dearborn, Michigan, 1927
Henry Ford attempted to apply automobile assembly line techniques to the manufacture of airplanes, and to build them in large numbers. Monthly production peaked at 25 planes in June 1929. The Great Depression forced Ford to re-focus on his core auto business, and the company's commercial aircraft production ended in May 1933.
- 28 Millionth Ford Car Being Built at the Edgewater, New Jersey Assembly Plant, 1940 - On April 8, 1940, the twenty-eight millionth Ford automobile -- a DeLuxe Fordor -- rolled off final assembly at Ford's Edgewater, New Jersey, plant. From there, the famous sedan embarked on a nationwide publicity tour that included appearances at two World's Fairs and trips into both Mexico and Canada.
- April 08, 1940
- Collections - Artifact
28 Millionth Ford Car Being Built at the Edgewater, New Jersey Assembly Plant, 1940
On April 8, 1940, the twenty-eight millionth Ford automobile -- a DeLuxe Fordor -- rolled off final assembly at Ford's Edgewater, New Jersey, plant. From there, the famous sedan embarked on a nationwide publicity tour that included appearances at two World's Fairs and trips into both Mexico and Canada.
- Ford Rouge Plant Pictorial Flow Chart, "Complete Car Can Be Built in 28 Hours," 1940 - This diagram illustrates how Ford Motor Company's massive River Rouge Plant turned coal, iron ore, limestone, rubber, and sand into iron, steel, tires, glass, and finished automobiles.
- August 19, 1940
- Collections - Artifact
Ford Rouge Plant Pictorial Flow Chart, "Complete Car Can Be Built in 28 Hours," 1940
This diagram illustrates how Ford Motor Company's massive River Rouge Plant turned coal, iron ore, limestone, rubber, and sand into iron, steel, tires, glass, and finished automobiles.
- Inside the Ford Rouge Plant Pressed Steel Building, Conveyors Moving New Parts to Body Assembly Area, 1940 - The pressed-steel building at Ford Motor Company's Rouge plant produced steel components like automobile fenders, body panels, and roof sections. In the late 1930s, the building had more than 4,000 presses, and 10,000 workers turned out more than 2,000 different parts. Some of those parts were used at the Rouge, and some were shipped to other Ford assembly plants.
- February 08, 1940
- Collections - Artifact
Inside the Ford Rouge Plant Pressed Steel Building, Conveyors Moving New Parts to Body Assembly Area, 1940
The pressed-steel building at Ford Motor Company's Rouge plant produced steel components like automobile fenders, body panels, and roof sections. In the late 1930s, the building had more than 4,000 presses, and 10,000 workers turned out more than 2,000 different parts. Some of those parts were used at the Rouge, and some were shipped to other Ford assembly plants.
- Building the B-24 Center Wing in Record Time, Willow Run Bomber Plant, 1942 - At Willow Run, Ford Motor Company built B-24 bomber planes for World War II using automobile mass production techniques. Airplanes were much more complex than cars. They required constant design changes poorly suited to a standardized assembly line. Ford overcame these difficulties and, at the plant's peak, Willow Run crews produced an average of one bomber every 63 minutes.
- November 30, 1942
- Collections - Artifact
Building the B-24 Center Wing in Record Time, Willow Run Bomber Plant, 1942
At Willow Run, Ford Motor Company built B-24 bomber planes for World War II using automobile mass production techniques. Airplanes were much more complex than cars. They required constant design changes poorly suited to a standardized assembly line. Ford overcame these difficulties and, at the plant's peak, Willow Run crews produced an average of one bomber every 63 minutes.
- Employee Florence Nightingale Working at Willow Run Bomber Plant, 1942 - At Willow Run, Ford Motor Company built B-24 bomber planes for World War II using automobile mass production techniques. Airplanes were much more complex than cars. They required constant design changes poorly suited to a standardized assembly line. Ford overcame these difficulties and, at the plant's peak, Willow Run crews produced an average of one bomber every 63 minutes.
- July 25, 1942
- Collections - Artifact
Employee Florence Nightingale Working at Willow Run Bomber Plant, 1942
At Willow Run, Ford Motor Company built B-24 bomber planes for World War II using automobile mass production techniques. Airplanes were much more complex than cars. They required constant design changes poorly suited to a standardized assembly line. Ford overcame these difficulties and, at the plant's peak, Willow Run crews produced an average of one bomber every 63 minutes.