Did anyone else watch The Military Channel (American Arsenal) special yesterday? I saw numerous video clips of Flathead V8's on assembley lines. The clips showed lines of bare blocks and installing the cranks, pistons, heads and so on. Since cars where not being built, where did all of these motors go? The motors looked like the 59 ab.
American Arsenal
- Thread starter dcnner
- Start date
Dale Fairfax
Senior Member
Ford and all the other domestic mfrs continued to build trucks throughout the war therefore their engine plants didn't shut down. Having sid that however, any film strip used by any of those documentary TV chanels is suspect. They have editors who don't know their material and often use anything to illustrate-even if it's wrong. Many Ford films are used simply because Ford filmed more of their operations than any of the others thus more footage is available. I've seen Ford engine assy film used in stories about other mfrs. I've seen European rail footage used when the subject was American railroads.
Lawson Cox
Well-known member
History channel is the worst to get the era wrong on film they show. Saw footage on wide 5 wheeled vehicles being represented as Model T. Gimme a break.
Bruce Lancaster
Member Emeritus
Agree on trying to base ANYTHING on History channel film choices...
The various Ford factories did, however, build a LOT of flatheads for all sorts of uses in WWII, a few for cars, many for trucks, some in armored vehicles, pump and welder motors, a few actually flew...look around here for starters...search function.
Principal engine Ford builders for WWII in my guess of order of size were Ford USA, Ford Canada (supplied all Imperial armies), Ford England, and Ford Germany. Russia was building various Ford A-B based vehicles (Model B's also served in British and German armies), but the Russian plants were their own brands, using machinery and plant once purchased from Ford USA.
There are good Ford at War books around from USA, Germany, Canadian, and British viewpoints.
On the civilian front...vast numbers of engines were also remanufactured during the war both for mi and essential civilain uses.
The various Ford factories did, however, build a LOT of flatheads for all sorts of uses in WWII, a few for cars, many for trucks, some in armored vehicles, pump and welder motors, a few actually flew...look around here for starters...search function.
Principal engine Ford builders for WWII in my guess of order of size were Ford USA, Ford Canada (supplied all Imperial armies), Ford England, and Ford Germany. Russia was building various Ford A-B based vehicles (Model B's also served in British and German armies), but the Russian plants were their own brands, using machinery and plant once purchased from Ford USA.
There are good Ford at War books around from USA, Germany, Canadian, and British viewpoints.
On the civilian front...vast numbers of engines were also remanufactured during the war both for mi and essential civilain uses.