Mysterious #1 engine number in Copenhagen in 1919

[dykker5502]

I am harvesting a neat series of pictures taken by Peter Elfelt, a well know Copenhagen photographer, hired by Ford Motor Compagni A/S to document the start up of the new assembly plant.
I have reasons to believe that this picture is of the engine of the first car assembles based on other pictures in the serie:

Engine number 649.068 is made in december 1914 according to the Encyclopedia and the danish branch of FMC was founded June 1. 1917 2½ years later. I know there may be up to some weeks from an engine is cast until it is mounted in the car, in particular ifit goes overseas, but 2 ½ year is excessive.

Whether it is the first Model T assembled or not - that engine should not be on that plant - or???

[DanTreace]

That is a much later block, with the longest length boss, shaved, and has been re-stamped with a ‘14 number, not a factory stamping.

Compare to the below pic, as the years went by the serial number boss got longer to handle the million serial numerals.

The lower block is a real 1914, with correct shorter length serial number boss, and correct casting date.

[Allan]

The actual font of the numbers varies from any Canadian or US numbers I have seen. I have no idea why the first car assembled would feature such a number.

Allan from down under.

[DanTreace]

Allan

Haven't seen but 2 Canadian block stampings, but still don't think they used the style font in the photo of first mfg. car.
The length of the boss proves that engine was made after May of 1924, way later than the so called new production that was purported to be in 1917.. Believe the issue is that perhaps this photo is series of when a new assembly plant was built after 1917, likely '23 or '24 there.

Why the early fake number? Who knows, but from the clear photo that serial boss shows signs of being milled or filed down with the sideway marks, and the funky stamping.

Note the curly inward pig tail on the 6 and 9, that is too fancy.


As for the motor, that block is later than 1924, as that is the final date of the 'longest' serial boss, as more T were being made......The last change to the boss happened in 1923.

Easy way to identify a block is that serial boss, even if no serial number is stamped, and it was a bare block sold to dealers for replacements.

Final Serial number boss length:

[dykker5502]

Now when I got the photographers journal the picture is far from the first assembled, so that was wrong!! It's taken on the first Copenhagen assembly plant and february 1923, so It's a mystery. If we assume it's a failed stamping where they forgot the last digit, it will be a number from september 1922 and that may make some sense that it have arrived to Copenhagen late 1922 and the discovered to be failed and then i february photographed for reporting back to Dearborn. There are at least 3 other pictures with screwed up stampings in the collection.

[kmatt2]

I am thinking that Ford shipped numbered engines in groups of ten. By leaving off the last number until final assembly of the car/ or chassis, then stamping the last number 0 through 9. Ford would not of cared what engine number went in which car but could use the last number stamping as a final quality check on assembly .
Just a guess but it looks like leaving off last number was done deliberately .

[dykker5502]

There are at least 4 or 5 other pictures of engines with screwed up enginenumbers, so no, this is supposed to be a failed engine number who the danish management team want to communicate to Dearborn what to do with.
And Copenhagen received much more than 10 engines at a time. They received a whole shipload at a time of parts. All sorts of parts for hundres of cars.

[Chris Barker]

Ford USA allocated batches of number to the UK plant where Danish engines would be made. So you cannot precisely date an engine as youy can with a Rouge motor

[dykker5502]

What makes you think the engines come from UK?

Box with 4 engines - picture from june 1922:

Close up:

Except 1925, where some of the lowered UK Tourings where send to Copenhagen, all evidence indicates everything came from US (New York - see other thread).

[kmatt2]

Of course Ford shipped more than ten engines at a time, that is not was not what I was saying. The other messed up stamped numbers are clearly , messed up , but this engine number is clearly readable, but by the time line, it makes it one number short, for as you show they are USA engines. While it is quite possible that one engine number was short the last digit, Ford stamped the engine numbers at final engine assembly run in and inspection. I can’t see Ford USA shipping engines with the other messed up stampings, they must have been stamped in Copenhagen, but maybe not. I think that the one diget short engine number picture shows Ford’s response to the messed up numbers and the need for final inspections in Copenhagen.