O.T. A Ford, much later but historical, on Shorpy

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2013: O.T. A Ford, much later but historical, on Shorpy
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dane Hawley Near Melbourne Australia on Sunday, June 16, 2013 - 05:47 am:

In Shorpy's Members Gallery a photo of the first Aussie built Falcon and another of the opening of the Broadmeadows factory.

http://www.shorpy.com/node/15458

http://www.shorpy.com/node/15460


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kerry van Ekeren (Australia) on Sunday, June 16, 2013 - 06:22 am:

One of my T's has a long history with Ford Australia, first of all rolling of the production line in Geelong and a few recalls over the years. With the 1,000,000th Ford in 1967 and again for the 2,000,000th in 1975. Maybe another photo in the future with the last Falcon rolling out of Ford.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hap Tucker in Sumter SC on Sunday, June 16, 2013 - 08:17 am:

For Dane,

Thank you for pointing out those links and for helping track down additional pieces of Ford’s history!

For Kerry,

We would love to hear more about your Geelong Ford and its history. It is hard for me to read what the sign on your car said in the 1967 photo. I can read “First Vehicle” but it gets too fuzzy for me after that. If you have time would you lease post a few higher resolution photos of your car or e-mail them to me and I will try to post them. If you click on my name at the top of this posting my profile comes up and my e-mail is the third line down. I cannot really tell for sure if it had the 1925 style or 1926 style fenders from the photo. But when I checked Norm Darwin’s book it was clear from the shape of the cowl to hood area that it was the 1926 “New Model” [that would be “Improved Model” for the USA folks] and not the earlier 1925 Dalgety Ford. [The Dalgety bodied Ford was assembled in the Dalgety Wool Store building also in Geelong until the main factory opened. Ref page 45 of Darwin’s “History of Ford in Australia.” To see some great photos of a surviving Dalgety Ford see David Chantrell’s excellent web page at: http://www.duncanandfraser.com/dalgety%20original.htm . Note Duncan and Fraser Ltd. produced the body for the Dalgety Ford. ] And while I’m sure many folks remember that the Dalgety is the earlier 1925 Australian style Ford and the Geelong is the “New Style” 1926 Ford I often forget that point until a posting comes up and I check which is which again.

Are you fortunate enough to have much of the history on your car? Does it have a Assembly Plant number stamped on the engine side of the firewall near the radiator rod? Below is John’s Assembly Plant number A 490 from his mostly original Mar/Apr 1926 Geelong touring. [John’s profile page: http://www.mtfca.com/cgi-bin/discus/board-profile.cgi?action=view_profile&profile=26tourer-users has a photo of his touring and he obtained the Mar/Apr 1926 date from the Ford Archives Australia about 10 years ago ref: http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/331880/354607.html?1366158401 ]



If you car also has a Assembly Plant number would you please share that with us? Have you already had an article about your car published and if so can you point us to the magazine? And if not have you thought about writing one or working with someone to write one?

Thank you so much for the additional photo of your T on the assembly line.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kerry van Ekeren (Australia) on Sunday, June 16, 2013 - 06:57 pm:

For Hap,
The 1967 photo is unfortunately a misleading bit of publicity in relation to the sign board in saying, 'FIRST VEHICLE produced by FORD AUSTRALIA'
as it is not, it is corrected in a same production roll off photo in 1975 I have in saying 'Model T Ford, first model produced by Ford Australia'
I have it's basic history from dealership/customer sales invoice, Dec 1926' along with some articles over the years of its life.
One family owners as in uncle, nephew the I bought it. The firewall # is A3607.
Thanks for your interest.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hap Tucker in Sumter SC on Sunday, June 16, 2013 - 09:02 pm:

Kerry,

Thank you so much for posting the additional information. I'm hoping to gather some additional Australian sales dates and firewall numbers. Subtracting John's A490 from your A3607 gives 3117. According to Darwin's book "the History of Ford Australia" on page 218 he quotes "American Business Abroad" book that quoted the General Accounting and Financial Analysis Div. Ford-Canada Pub. That there were 16,115 total exports from Canada to Australia for the 1926 calendar year [I would assume most of those were knocked down chassis]. So I do not think the the 3117 would be the total number of Australian T's built in 1926 or from Mar/Apr 1926 to Dec 1926. Is it possible that your car was a slow seller in 1926? I.e. produced earlier in 1926 but not sold until Dec 1926? Or perhaps they stamped the Assembly Plant number by body style rather than by total number produced?

If anyone has some additional information on the Assembly Plant numbers and what they mean, please let us know. Also if anyone has some additional Australian Assembly Plant numbers with an approximate time the car was assembled please let us know.

The plot thickens.....

Again Kerry, thank you for your help.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kerry van Ekeren (Australia) on Sunday, June 16, 2013 - 10:50 pm:

Hap, I'm of not much help on the numbers for 1926 but I am curios now with that figure of 16,115 for 1926, I say that because I have a 1927 T tourer as well and the fire wall # is only 4804.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hap Tucker in Sumter SC on Monday, June 17, 2013 - 06:36 am:

Kerry,

Sometimes the numbers can be helpful. At other times they are just a mystery waiting to be unraveled and still other times they were just stamped on there and were helpful at the time but not now. Such as the inspection stamp on the engine head bolt. On page 218 of Darwin's "The History of Ford in Australia" the same listing has 3333 as the exports from Canada to Australia for the 1927 calendar year. I'll try to post a copy of the listing later this week. I maybe reading it incorrectly.

Approximately what month was your 1927 tourer assembled and/or sold? In the USA production a Dec 1926 touring would be considered a 1927 Model Year car but I do not know what the model years ran for Australia. I believe they were later than the USA model years.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off


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