Titus County, Texas History - The Ford Model T and Model A

Today we take for granted being able to comfortably drive to distant cities in a few hours or less. We expect modern vehicle accessories to provide comfort through automotive conveniences like air conditioning, power steering, power brakes, cruise control, adjustable and tilting seats and other features. This is not to mention elaborate sound and video systems that sometimes cost thousands of dollars. Today's vehicles incorporate safety features like engineered "crumple zones", safety glass, and air bags to protect passengers in case of collision.

Early vehicles offered few of these features. Automobiles have been around since the latter 1800s, but began as simple designs intended only to transport a person from one place to another over roads that left much to be desired. The first automobiles were little more than motorized buggies with open passenger seating. They were propelled by small one or two cylinder gasoline engines and steered by a tiller. As automobiles developed, cabs were added to shield passengers from dirt and the weather. Once vehicles were enclosed, features became more luxurious.

Because of their high cost only affluent people could afford them, and therefore most were seen only in metropolitan areas. In many rural areas, people had never seen a car or truck, much less owned one. Automobiles were hand built by craftsmen much as horse-drawn carriages had been made for years. A crew of craftsmen skilled in different trades like engines, body work, and upholstery would start with raw materials and sub-assemblies. The same crew would work on a single vehicle until it was complete. Most parts were hand made, and even though they were similar, there were slight differences between each part. Due to minor dimension variations, parts could not be interchanged - even between two cars of the same make and model. Replacement parts had to be hand made and fitted to a particular vehicle.

When Henry Ford invented and improved the moving assembly line, he revolutionized America's mode of transportation and its economy by creating the ability to produce massive numbers of inexpensive vehicles. The Ford Motor Company controlled each phase of manufacturing from turning raw iron ore into steel, to manufacturing its own component parts, to assembling the finished vehicle. As a sidelight to this story, Henry Ford wasted nothing. He started the Kingston Charcoal company so he could sell the scrap wood left over from building vehicles. His trash became a treasure at cook-outs across America and remains so today.

Rather than each worker going to get the parts they needed to install it on the vehicle, the assembly line moved parts to the worker as a partially assembled vehicle was moved in front of him. The worker stayed in one position and was only responsible for adding one part to the vehicle. After he installed the part on the vehicle, the vehicle moved down the assembly line to the next worker. The moving assembly line allowed vehicles to be assembled much faster and cheaper than ever before. The assembly line, while improving production output, also led to physical problems and boredom in assembly line workers who repeated the same movements day in and day out. His employee turnover was extremely high in the beginning, and as a result he offered employees the unheard of high salary of $5 per day. In addition to helping attract and keep employees, the increase in salary allowed his workers to buy the product they made and created a market for his vehicles.

To further improve efficiency, only a few factory options were available and the only color offered for the Model T, Ford's first mass-produced vehicle, was black.

Although not the first car he made (a common misconception), and not even the first Model T, by 1908 the Ford Model T was changing the way America thought about transportation. The Model T, affectionately known as the "Tin Lizzie", weighed 1200 pounds and was powered by a 20 horsepower, four cylinder gasoline engine. The engine was cranked by turning a hand crank inserted into the front of the engine. When done incorrectly, hand-cranking the engine resulted in many broken arms if the engine "kicked back". The Model T's 10 gallon gasoline tank was located under the driver's seat, which caused a problem in filling it. There was no gear shift; the car's manual transmission was controlled by three floor-mounted pedals. One pedal was the clutch, the other for forward direction, and the third for reverse. Model T wheels were supported by wooden spokes made of oak.

Model Ts originally sold for $825, a whopping sum in the day. But by 1912-13, Ford was perfecting his assembly line. By 1914, prices had dropped as low as $495, half the price of many other automobiles. The low price made the Model T affordable for the common man. It gave Americans the ability to travel from one place to another, and at times of their own choosing. A Sunday trip of 25-50 miles could be planned without having to buy a train ticket for each member of the family.

Ford's plain cars began losing market share as other manufacturers adopted Ford's assembly line production and began adding creature comforts and improved styling to their vehicles. Model Ts were manufactured until mid-1927, when Ford's massive assembly plant at River Rouge in Dearborn, Michigan, the largest assembly plant in the world, was closed for re-tooling.

Ford introduced their completely revised automobile, the Model A, in 1928. The Model A was much larger than the Model T and featured enhanced styling, mechanics, and creature comforts. The Model A automobile was available in phaeton, two and four door sedans, roadster (an open-topped car with two front seats and a rumble seat), cabriolet, and several other body styles. The bodies were manufactured by Ford, Murray, and Briggs. In addition to the automobile, the Ford Company manufactured Model A pickups, mail trucks, delivery vans, and Model AA large trucks.

Model A horns were built by Sparton, Ames, E.A., Stewart-Warner, and G.I.M. Rather than using a vibrating diaphragm like today's horns, the horn was motor driven and provided the familiar "Ah-oog-ha" sound associated with the Model A. The Model A was the first automobile to come standard with laminated safety glass in the windshield and side glasses. Depending on body style, the vehicle was equipped with either a hand-operated, electric, or vacuum operated windshield wiper. The Model A reflected updated styling with its nickel-plated headlights and radiator shell. Unlike the Model T, the Model A was available from the factory in black, well as different colors in shades of blue, green, brown, tan, and maroon depending on body style during various years. As delivered from the factory, all wheels were black before 1930. In 1930 and 1931, dealers were authorized to paint them Aurora Red, English Coach Vermillion, Tacoma Cream, Apple Green, Orange, or Hessian Blue again depending on year and body style. The Model A body was painted with several coats of lacquer, not enamel as is often seen on restored cars today.

The Model A body was built on a steel frame with wood inside to hold the upholstery in place. Some other car bodies, like the Chevrolet, were built on a wood frame used to hold the body metal in place.

The Model A featured a 6 volt, positive ground electrical system. It was equipped with two headlights, each of with contains a two element incandescent bulb for high and low beam. Unlike today's modern high-output halogen headlights, original Model A headlights put out a whopping 21 candlepower (about the same light output as placing 21 candles on the front bumper). A single tail light/brake light fixture that was approximately 3-1/2" in diameter was located on the left rear fender. The tail light used a 3 candlepower incandescent bulb and the stop light a 21 candlepower incandescent bulb. Optional cowl lights which were mounted in front of the front doors on each side of the cowl could be ordered as after-market items. There were no turn signals, so the driver had to roll down the window and give hand signals to indicate that they were about to turn.

The sound system sounded as good (or bad) as a live performance. Since the Model A had no radio, you or your friends had better be able to carry a tune.

Enclosed Model As had door locks which are engaged from inside of the vehicle by sliding a small lever to lock the door. One of its quirks, possibly to prevent a driver from standing in the street to lock and unlock their door, is that the car has only one outside key slot located on the passenger's door.

The Model A, as delivered from the factory, had no heater. After-market companies like Sears-Roebuck sold heaters that trapped heat from the exhaust manifold and conveyed it into the passenger compartment through a flexible steel tube using air flow created in the engine compartment as the car traveled down the road. Because after-market heaters were made of porous cast iron, they were also subject to introducing carbon monoxide into the passenger compartment.

In 1930, the Model A's appearance was redesigned. Tires and wheels were reduced from 21" diameter to 19". The radiator was made taller and thinner. The nickel plated radiator shell and headlights, which were subject to rust after prolonged weather exposure, were replaced by new "rustless steel" (stainless steel). A stainless steel trim band was installed immediately behind the hood for appearance. There were numerous small mechanical improvements, but no major changes.

Ford was a production oriented company, which resulted in various model year parts being used on the same model year vehicle. For instance, if an assembly plant were to run out of engines or rear end assemblies near the end of 1929, a 1929 Model A would be shipped with a 1930 engine or rear end. Conversely, if the plant were to still have 1929 engines or rear end assemblies in inventory after they began manufacturing 1930 Model A's, the first ones to leave the factory would contain 1929 engines or rear end assemblies until the supply of 1929 parts was exhausted. Depending on parts inventory levels in a given plant, it could take up to three months for everything on the new car to match the car's model year.

On smooth present-day roads, the Model A can be driven at up to 50-55 miles an hour for short distances. However, because the engine crankshaft uses babbet instead of bearings and is not precisely balanced like current ones, 40-45 miles an hour is about the fastest speed that should be maintained to prevent damaging the vehicle on a long drive. In the Model A's day, there were few roads where a person could drive 40-45. Most city streets, not to mention outlying county roads, were dirt or were dirt paved with gravel. There were a few concrete or asphalt highways, but the street, road, and highway system left much to be desired by today's standards. In rainy periods drivers had to traverse mud-holes and washes, hence the 19-21" diameter wheels to give the vehicle a high road clearance. During the late 1920's through the early 1940's some Titus County residents still relied on animal drawn wagons for transportation. In researching other articles, we ran across several news articles describing collisions between motor vehicles and slow, unlit wagons during dusk and night-time hours.

The Model A was one of the most popular cars in America, and remains so. So many Model A's have been restored and are still on the road that several companies still manufacture replacement Model A parts. You can still purchase almost any part needed to repair or restore a Model A, and for very reasonable cost. Model A's are still a pleasure to drive. Texas has a number of Model A clubs where members restore and drive the early vehicles. The Dallas club includes over 400 families, several of which have more than one Model A. The club organizes tours and makes Model A road trips around Texas and into other states. Smaller Model A clubs are located in Winnsboro and Tyler.

The 1927-1929 Model A featured 21" pneumatic tires mounted on steel spoke rims. It had a four wheel mechanical braking system complete with a parking brake to lock the rear wheels on an incline. The Model A was powered by a 40 horsepower, in-line 4 cylinder gasoline engine. The Model T's planetary transmission gave way to a 3-speed sliding gear manual transmission with a floor mounted shift lever. The transmission gears were not synchronized, so there is an art to shifting gears without grinding them and damaging the transmission. While the Model A still came with a hand crank, the engine was factory-equipped with an electric starter operated by a floor pedal.

The ignition system used points, a condenser (capacitor) and a distributor rather than an electronic system like modern engines. The 10 gallon gasoline tank was moved in front of the windshield and forms the dash on the inside of the car. Gasoline flows by gravity from the tank to the carburetor without the aid of a fuel pump.

Automobiles and gasoline engines were still being perfected. Unlike today's cars that can be driven thousands of miles without maintenance, the Model A came with a 13-piece tool kit for use in roadside breakdowns and minor tune-ups. The kit included a tool bag, grease gun, adjustable wrench, spark plug wrench, pliers, a 7/16" and ½" open end wrench, a 9/16" and 5/8" open end wrench, a flat blade screwdriver, a jack, a tire iron (for removing a flat tire from the rim), and a tire pump. The engine, mechanical, and electrical designs were simple, so most people could work on their own cars. All bolts and nuts were standard size (no metric), and all screws were slot-head (no Phillips). Only a few specialized, but simple, tools were required to work on the Model A.