1936 large sheet metal stamping

[bgarrett]

Somewhere I read that Ford was not able to stamp large sheets until 1936. Anyone know where I can find that information?
I have a letter opener that is stamped
"Ford Motor Company V8 First sheet thru 56 in.
Cold strip mill Dec 20 1935"
Google hasnt found any information on this letter opener. Do you know anything about it?

 

[36tudordeluxe]

Somewhere I read that Ford was not able to stamp large sheets until 1936. Anyone know where I can find that information?
I have a letter opener that is stamped
"Ford Motor Company V8 First sheet thru 56 in.
Cold strip mill Dec 20 1935"
Google hasnt found any information on this letter opener. Do you know anything about it?

I know they couldn't stamp a one piece roof till '37.

 

[rotorwrench]

That is a very interesting piece. FoMoCo made all of their own sheet metal at the Rouge and that might have been stamped out in celebration of a newer larger mill rolling machine that was installed in that time frame. There is bound to be a Ford historian that would know something about it in the EFV8 club or the foundation museum. FoMoCo required larger equipment with each new inovation in stamping technology. It takes a very large piece of sheet metal to form a solid top for the closed cars and that's why it took so long to develop the technology to roll the stuff out and stamp it to shape.

 

[bgarrett]

I know they couldn't stamp a one piece roof till '37.

I know Murray and Briggs made Ford bodies but I dont know who made the panel trucks between 1932 and 36

 

[rotorwrench]

Budd made some. Check this out: http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/f/ford/ford.htm

 

[bgarrett]

Thank you for the link, rotorwrench!
I really like the pictures of the panel trucks

 

[lefty rodan]

About fifteen years ago I went to the liquidation auction of the Budd company facility in Philadelphia which stamped Ford and other sheetmetal. After wandering around for awhile I came across a very dimly lit room. As I looked through the entry way I could see a stamping press--about ten feet wide, fifteen feet long and about twenty feet or more in height. I was impressed by the sheer massiveness of the machine. I was even more impressed by the fact that the room held 39 of these presses!