Stainless Model A

[2manycars]

In 1970 I drove a 31 phaeton in the parade for the 300th anniversary of my town of Wallingford, CT. In that parade was the SS 36 and the SS Tbird. At that time, the SS model A was still missing, later found in Michigan. I saw the SS Tbird at the AACA museum in 2013.

 

[SeaSlugs]

This would be a neat tradition to keep going by Ford. What made them stop?

 

[john in illinois]

Here is one on loan in early Ford V8 Museum. They only made them after all production for the year was done. The stainless was so hard it wore out the dies.

John

 

[SeaSlugs]

So beautiful but I would not want to be anywhere near it on a sunny day, blinded off the hood, blinding everyone around you, getting cooked inside like a foil wraped baked potato...

 

[5window]

I wonder if he knows any lottery numbers from 2019 - then you can take us all!

Ha! Too tired to catch that the first time.

 

[fredski]

I hope Ford has the corrosion issue under control. Most of the Mustang hoods starting I think in 2005 had corrosion issues. This involved several years and Ford said the hoods were contaminated from steel shavings. My wife's 2005 Mustang hood has this issue...looks like rust under the paint.

Wonder how this is my 2005 GT convertible is not made of steel which I discovered since a magnit does not stick to it?
I have had car since new no rust.

Just wondering?

 

[SeaSlugs]

Wonder how this is my 2005 GT convertible is not made of steel which I discovered since a magnit does not stick to it?
I have had car since new no rust.

Just wondering?

do you drive it in the salt? It just takes a rock chip, little saltwater to start the corrosion then it goes rampant. I've seen it quite alot here in the rust belt on aluminum panels. Same goes for any alloy/ aluminum rim. It's fine up until you need new tires and when the steel wheel weights are removed it scratches the clear coat. One winter later its peeling/ crusting. Few more winters the tire refuses to hold air as the bead is corroded to allow microscopic leaks past...

 

[ronn]

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Stainless Sensation - 1936 Ford Tudor

One of six stainless steel-bodied 1936 Tudor sedans that Ford built to showcase the advantage of using metal that won't rust

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Stainless Sensation - 1936 Ford Tudor from Hemmings Classic Car

November, 2010 - Words and Photography by Jeff Koch


Henry Ford was always investigating ways to make his cars last longer and be more durable; recall the famous picture of Henry attacking the trunk of his 1941 Ford with an axe, because the lid was made from a soybean-based plastic. Prior to this idea, Ford investigated stainless steel as a durable, yet rust-resistant, option for his cars.

 

[Jason in TX]

Interesting how business men back then wanted their products to last and now business men want their products to fail and people to buy a new one every few years.

 

[marty in Ohio]

The Crawford Auto Museum in Cleveland had two or three SS Fords on display. I haven't been there in a few years but I remember them from when my Dad took me there MANY years ago. The Crawford is part of the Western Reserve Historical Society.
Marty

 

[SeaSlugs]

Interesting how business men back then wanted their products to last and now business men want their products to fail and people to buy a new one every few years.

agreed - make it last one week outside of the ever shrinking warranty period and make the replacement parts 1/2 the cost of a new one. But be sure to change the design every other year so parts go obsolete in 6 years. Also dont forget to blame the customer for your faulty product because they actually used it as intended..

 

[todd3131]

Interesting how business men back then wanted their products to last and now business men want their products to fail and people to buy a new one every few years.

You know who started that? Chevrolet build the bodies out of wood and watch them fall apart, they even ran a campaign comparing Wood and steel to all steel and how much better it was kind of like the aluminum verses steel truck ads today. I heard that they are working on their own aluminum truck now,. Chevrolet always following but never leading.

 

[TerryO]

Wonder how this is my 2005 GT convertible is not made of steel which I discovered since a magnit does not stick to it?
I have had car since new no rust

I think I didn't make myself clear. The 2005 hoods are aluminum and corrosion is a very common issue. Google it. Ford replaced or repainted a lot of them while they were under warranty.

TerryO

 

[Tom Wesenberg]

I think I didn't make myself clear. The 2005 hoods are aluminum and corrosion is a very common issue. Google it. Ford replaced or repainted a lot of them while they were under warranty.

TerryO

Yep, I understood what you said, and it will be interesting to see how the new truck get along with the polluting road salt. At the rate the roads are salted, it won't be long before our well water is salt water.

 

[5window]

Interesting how business men back then wanted their products to last and now business men want their products to fail and people to buy a new one every few years.

Well you only have to look at how GM bought up the trolley companies and put them out of business so they could sell buses or how GE bought up Servel, who made last-forever natural gas fired refrigerators, and put them out of business to sell refrigerators to see that not much is new.

 

[5window]

I think I didn't make myself clear. The 2005 hoods are aluminum and corrosion is a very common issue. Google it. Ford replaced or repainted a lot of them while they were under warranty.

TerryO

But wait, aren't the "military-grade" aluminum?

 

[al's28/33]

So where is the Stainless Model "A" now ??? still buried in some dirty garage ??