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- Working on the Assembly Line at the Ford Rouge Plant, Dearborn, Michigan, 1943 -
- March 17, 1943
- Collections - Artifact
Working on the Assembly Line at the Ford Rouge Plant, Dearborn, Michigan, 1943
- Interior of the Ford Iron Mountain Plant, December 1946 - Ford Motor Company's Iron Mountain plant, located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, produced wood body frames and parts for the automaker's various models. After Ford adopted all-steel sedan bodies for the 1937 model year, Iron Mountain focused on station wagon bodies. Some 300 skilled craftspeople worked at the plant until 1952, when Ford wagons switched to all-steel bodies.
- December 13, 1946
- Collections - Artifact
Interior of the Ford Iron Mountain Plant, December 1946
Ford Motor Company's Iron Mountain plant, located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, produced wood body frames and parts for the automaker's various models. After Ford adopted all-steel sedan bodies for the 1937 model year, Iron Mountain focused on station wagon bodies. Some 300 skilled craftspeople worked at the plant until 1952, when Ford wagons switched to all-steel bodies.
- Workers on Assembly Line for Glider Production, Iron Mountain, Michigan, 1942 - Ford's Iron Mountain plant, part of an extensive sawmill complex in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, was retooled during World War II to produce wooden CG-4A gliders for the U.S. Army. Here, workers assemble the light aircraft, which had no motor or propellers. A pilot and copilot could silently land these gliders to deliver supplies, equipment, or up to 13 additional soldiers.
- December 20, 1942
- Collections - Artifact
Workers on Assembly Line for Glider Production, Iron Mountain, Michigan, 1942
Ford's Iron Mountain plant, part of an extensive sawmill complex in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, was retooled during World War II to produce wooden CG-4A gliders for the U.S. Army. Here, workers assemble the light aircraft, which had no motor or propellers. A pilot and copilot could silently land these gliders to deliver supplies, equipment, or up to 13 additional soldiers.
- Car Bodies Wet Sanded on Assembly Line, Ford Rouge Plant, 1940 - Engineers at Ford's Highland Park plant had fine-tuned the moving assembly line. With this experience in hand, Ford created the "B" Building at its new River Rouge complex with extensive conveyer systems to accommodate the flow of parts and assembly processes. Metal finishing, shown here, took place during body assembly on the "B" Building's second floor.
- January 16, 1940
- Collections - Artifact
Car Bodies Wet Sanded on Assembly Line, Ford Rouge Plant, 1940
Engineers at Ford's Highland Park plant had fine-tuned the moving assembly line. With this experience in hand, Ford created the "B" Building at its new River Rouge complex with extensive conveyer systems to accommodate the flow of parts and assembly processes. Metal finishing, shown here, took place during body assembly on the "B" Building's second floor.
- Mercury Sedan near End of Assembly Line, Ford Motor Company, 1940 - Engineers at Ford's Highland Park plant had fine-tuned the moving assembly line. With this experience in hand, Ford created the "B" Building at its new River Rouge complex with extensive conveyer systems to accommodate the flow of parts and assembly processes. These Mercury automobiles are nearing the end of final assembly. Soon, they will be packed and shipped to local dealers.
- February 15, 1940
- Collections - Artifact
Mercury Sedan near End of Assembly Line, Ford Motor Company, 1940
Engineers at Ford's Highland Park plant had fine-tuned the moving assembly line. With this experience in hand, Ford created the "B" Building at its new River Rouge complex with extensive conveyer systems to accommodate the flow of parts and assembly processes. These Mercury automobiles are nearing the end of final assembly. Soon, they will be packed and shipped to local dealers.
- Assembling Brakes on Ford V-8 Automobiles, 1937 - While other automakers adopted hydraulic brakes for their cars in the 1920s and early 1930s, Ford used mechanical brakes until the 1939 model year. Ford's mechanical units relied on cables and linkages to transmit pressure from the brake pedal to the brakes. Hydraulic units used fluid to transmit -- and multiply -- that pressure for more effective braking.
- September 21, 1937
- Collections - Artifact
Assembling Brakes on Ford V-8 Automobiles, 1937
While other automakers adopted hydraulic brakes for their cars in the 1920s and early 1930s, Ford used mechanical brakes until the 1939 model year. Ford's mechanical units relied on cables and linkages to transmit pressure from the brake pedal to the brakes. Hydraulic units used fluid to transmit -- and multiply -- that pressure for more effective braking.
- Ford Tri-Motor Airplane Being Constructed at the Stout Factory, Dearborn, Michigan, February 1929 - Ford Motor Company's Tri-Motor, built from 1926-1933, flew in many early American airline fleets. The all-metal airplane was rugged, dependable, and equally adaptable to passenger and freight service. Tri-Motors were built with some of the same mass production techniques used in Ford's automobile plants. In this photo, the propellers are being connected to the fuselage or the main body of the airplane.
- February 19, 1929
- Collections - Artifact
Ford Tri-Motor Airplane Being Constructed at the Stout Factory, Dearborn, Michigan, February 1929
Ford Motor Company's Tri-Motor, built from 1926-1933, flew in many early American airline fleets. The all-metal airplane was rugged, dependable, and equally adaptable to passenger and freight service. Tri-Motors were built with some of the same mass production techniques used in Ford's automobile plants. In this photo, the propellers are being connected to the fuselage or the main body of the airplane.
- "How a Ford Mustang is Assembled" Graphic, circa 1978 - Ford Motor Company illustrated the steps in building a Mustang in this poster from 1978. It was the company's 75th anniversary, and the poster perhaps reminded viewers that Ford had perfected the moving assembly line some 60 years earlier. The time required to assemble a Mustang -- from chassis, to body, to paint, to pre-delivery -- was about 27 hours.
- circa 1978
- Collections - Artifact
"How a Ford Mustang is Assembled" Graphic, circa 1978
Ford Motor Company illustrated the steps in building a Mustang in this poster from 1978. It was the company's 75th anniversary, and the poster perhaps reminded viewers that Ford had perfected the moving assembly line some 60 years earlier. The time required to assemble a Mustang -- from chassis, to body, to paint, to pre-delivery -- was about 27 hours.
- 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.