The Ford Barn - View Single Post - The Terry Burtz 5 main bearing engine blocks are back on track.

rotorwrench · 01-05-2020, 11:29 AM

When Henry Ford and investors started to produce cars back in 1903/04 with the first model A, They were at the mercy of foundries to produce their castings. When the moved to the Piquette Avenue plant, they set up a small foundry to do the little parts (mostly the brass stuff). They got into hock with the Dodge Brothers to fabricate a lot of their parts that ended up in making them shareholders in Ford Motor Co. They had a lot of quality control problems with the Dodge Brothers and others. When Ford had the new Highland Park plant built, they finally had their own foundry to cast stuff for themselves. They still didn't make everything but they were getting closer as time went by.

The point is that casting projects that turn into a manufacturing businesses generally always have to end up with their own foundry in order to control things the way they want them to be.

I hope that folks that enter complex projects like this are successful. It's a monumental task to get to an end product that will be reliable in function and longevity and pay off for the folks involved. May the new year bring good fortunes to all that make this and similar efforts. We have to keep the old Fords on the road somehow.

01-05-2020, 11:29 AM	#82
rotorwrench Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 16,440	Re: The Terry Burtz 5 main bearing engine blocks are back on track. When Henry Ford and investors started to produce cars back in 1903/04 with the first model A, They were at the mercy of foundries to produce their castings. When the moved to the Piquette Avenue plant, they set up a small foundry to do the little parts (mostly the brass stuff). They got into hock with the Dodge Brothers to fabricate a lot of their parts that ended up in making them shareholders in Ford Motor Co. They had a lot of quality control problems with the Dodge Brothers and others. When Ford had the new Highland Park plant built, they finally had their own foundry to cast stuff for themselves. They still didn't make everything but they were getting closer as time went by. The point is that casting projects that turn into a manufacturing businesses generally always have to end up with their own foundry in order to control things the way they want them to be. I hope that folks that enter complex projects like this are successful. It's a monumental task to get to an end product that will be reliable in function and longevity and pay off for the folks involved. May the new year bring good fortunes to all that make this and similar efforts. We have to keep the old Fords on the road somehow.