Thank you for this. It was a great flashback to a great period in car making. I spy my 1972 mercury marquis. Powder blue. It was gorgeous. Miss when cars drove like ships sailing.
Smashinbedrock Very true. But newer cars that stop on a dime now, and save lives, also create more confidence in driving, which make some of us reckless, and predatory on the road, not to mention, when discarded, way more environmental damage. As most of their components are non biodegradable plastics, and polymer blend parts, filled with leaching chemicals. Not such good way of protecting the future of life. Let alone, most everything we use now is made with plastic. But yes, safer driving, and better emissions for sure. I just miss the way they drove is all. Bliss
@@larkatmic dude...this was time back when "Doctors recommend you to smoke "xxx" brand cigarette at least an pack a day" or third party garbage collectors were dumping nuclear or chemical wastes near settlements. Those cars might have used less polymers, but I'm pretty sure they wasted a lot of material in process and some used even more toxic polymers.
A friend that worked at Ford in Bremerton gave me a copy of this and we used it in the first week of high school for over twenty five years. At that age, most of the students had little idea of what went into any vehicle, thank you Ford, one of the best we could find.
Ah 1972 when the US still had about 1/4 of the workforce in manufacturing which most often pays well and is what produced the large middleclass the nation once had. That fell into the single digits around 2007-08 and has remained.
I've read that when labor unions were the strongest in the 1950s & 60s we had our strongest middle class and greatest economic equality that we've ever had. The war on those unions apparently started with Reagan.
@@JackF99 for the UAW the high point was 1975. My father in law used to say “the democrats were the working class party and the republicans were for the rich guys” 🤔
Possibly the data storage center shown had Terabytes of total data even using the very strict data storage methods of the times. The amazing thing is that data may still exist somewhere in Fords archives the actual tapes may still be in a storeroom somewhere and still readable if the hardware needed still exists is another thing.
@@steve-ph9yg it's highly unlikely it would be terabytes. several hundred megabytes at most. For e.g. IBM introduced the model 2314 in 1965, it was a size of a smaller truck, and contained 8+1 magnetic disks each had a capacity of 29 megabytes. And that was a LOT back then.
@@LenryNmQ the INM 7000\700 series came out in the 1950’s the 7074 in 1960 the 2400 tape 729V tape unit had a normal capacity of 117 MB a max of 17MB. I could be wrong about TB’s but that Data Center had at least a thousand tapes so GB’s at least. I was a IBM 4300 series operator in the late 80’s early 90’s and hung a lot of 3400 tapes that were date stamped 1980 the year the IBM 4341 system was installed.
@@LenryNmQ I worked for EDS\GM at a GM assembly plant the plants automation was run on a 1960’s IBM 700 series mainframe that was handled by the automation support people.
Same. My family have always had Ford vehicles since the beginning. Had a great uncle that worked with H. Ford, before ww1. I have a picture of his first car, a roadster. Written on the back of the picture is the notation that it had engine #1872. He helped build the vehicle that he wound up buying for himself. After serving in the war, he moved to Seattle area, opened a service station/dealership. Sold Ford cars/pickups & Texaco gas. He retired and sold his business around 1977.
The plate on the car at 14:03 is 1972. My folks had a '72 wagon, I liked the "beak" style grill and a 400cid engine that ran as smooth as silk. The original battery lasted seven years in the mid-west!! In retrospect, it was the size of a ship but had drum breaks and bias ply tires ...AHHH! Good old r12 would freeze a melted chocolate bar in no time at all. Thank you for uploading it was a hoot to watch.
It is amazing how much goes into the building of just one car...huge facilities, a lot of money 💰, skilled workers and large quantities of natural resources...good video - thank you 😊
This looks very 1970s to me. Those lamb chop side burns, and woman’s beehive hairdo’s are a dead give away. I should know I lived it. Plus the cars in the 70s were huge!
@@MarioPalma-gm3vn The cars have the first generation so called Safety Bumpers which were first in use in 1973 so you are correct about 73/74 also because many cars in those years nothing changed
More Cladding is what we need ! Lots and lots of Cladding!!!! and more in the 80s to! Some of those interior's look like kitchen cabinets. Thanks for loading it.
Love this video. I have a 72 Ltd I'm the 2nd owner to. I have that build spec sheet in the glove box. Love seeing the computer that printed it on video. I like to believe I watched them build my Ltd before my eyes.
Loved IT thanks! We had a 1974 Galaxie, my neighbor a 1973 Mustang and a close friend of mine a 1972 Grabber. Plus a dear uncle of mine worked at FORD as an engineer. The lucky bas*** worked in Quality Control. So he could take any New FORD he wanted home!!! For "testing purposes" of course... The hottest dude in our neighborhood.
This film must have been made on December 31st 1969 because it has that great 70s vibe. I really enjoy all these informative videos from the past, very well made and they feel like a time capsule.
At that time, the car frames were not electroplated. That come later. For this reason, these cars didn't last for long, many were eaten from the rust. The tyres had inner tubes and made a distinctive "pop" noise when punctured and had to be replaced on the spot; and tube tyres broke rather frequently: young drivers can't imagine how frequent car breakdowns happened...
The hell are you talking about, tube tires? Tubeless tires had been an industry standard since the late fifties. Sure you could buy tube style tires in the aftermarket, but these cars all came out of the plant wearing tubeless tires. Now, the frames weren’t electroplated like the bodies were but that isn’t why they rusted so badly, that had to do with the chemical makeup of the steel itself. And it’s still a problem, Toyota has replaced millions of truck frames at huge expense because they still can’t lock the problem - and that’s a manufacturer who took some responsibility, most of the others don’t once past the warranty period.
Agreed! At 8:06 you can see what appears to be a Mustang II. it could be a prototype or design study, but I doubt they had those until late 1971, early 1972.
Agreed! At 8:06 you can see what appears to be a Mustang II. it could be a prototype or design study, but I doubt they had those until late 1971, early 1972 (production versions in 1974).
GM started to offer airbags as an option on the full-size Oldsmobiles, Buicks, and Cadillacs starting in 1974. Ford never offered airbags as an option during the 1970s. However 50 1972 Mercury Monetarys were outfitted with airbags and were leased to Allstate insurance company in Northbrook Illinois for real time test purposes.
Took a tour of the Ford assembly line in Dearborn years ago. If you had seniority back then you had the choice of putting the owners manual in the glove box or the unleaded gas sticker by the gas cap.
I am impressed. That's a lot more tech and automation than I thought they had in 69. Although I am shocked to see the paint crew was not wearing respirators!
bro there's a video from I believe 1937 on this channel that shows a assembly line for Ford I believe and holy shit being born in 89 myself I never gave much thought how advanced society was then. yes it's primitive compared to today but they were pressing steel, molding engine blocks, I mean the whole nine years. and it's also a historical video it started with a horse and buggy leaving town to make it to the train station some few hours away-if I had to guess they were talking about life in the early 1900's to late 1800's. they even showed beautiful concrete roads and highways with the cloverleaf design, in the mid 30's! like I said it just blew my mind I wish I remembered the name but I found it on this channel without much effort. If I had to guess I remember it was made in '37. hope you and everyone gets to see it!
Well, the corrosion resistance paint didn't work too well-my Dad's rear bumper on his '76 Ford fell off, and he brought it home in the trunk-very interesting video, though!
That same thing happened to my Navy buddy's 76 LTD he was from Michigan RUST. we found a non rusty one in South East Virginia and swapped it out,Golden ad new!
Dude mentioned his merchandise, samples, and his dog before he mentioned his kids, and never said a thing about a wife....that man definitely had his priorities in order....😅😂🤣🤘🏻🇺🇸
This video was a class movie in my elementary school science class back in 1973. It was made in 1972 and is really just about how Ford built cars back then, but it featured their 1973 lineup and most especially, the Galaxie, Custom, L.T.D. and Country Squire models. Yeah, they built the Pinto in those years, too. But, they still kept Henry Ford's car alive. Unlike today, where they build trucks, vans, and suburban-driven CUVs and defecate on their most legendary name by applying it to one of the grocery getters. How the mighty fall! 💩! 🐰
It may be well to remember many of the cars in this video were prototypes, produced as much as five years before the model hit the showroom or we got our first look on the cover of "Popular Science" magazine.
I agree with you Mike, this documental was release in 1972. I saw a identification car with Michigan 1972, and the model LTD in the factory is 1973, and I saw a F-100 with the front face 1972.
I was actually more surprised how few people were smoking in the film. Prior to the 90's it was a whole other world when it came to tobacco use. I grew up in the 80's and most 'nicer/ fancier' restaurants in my home town had cigarette vending machines in the lobby and people regularly smoked while pumping gasoline .... and yes there were signs that said not to.... they smoked anywhere and everywhere and occasionally the real hardcore smokers would use their current cigarette to light the next repeatedly (chain smoking). Most men smoked, chewed, or dipped... and a few did all three.... different times different values... I guess something's have gotten better... and no more leaded gasoline
Happy New Year to all automotive lovers. This video is a montage of Ford's construction of automobiles from raw material to finish. Some scenes are from the late sixties - the finished models are mostly 1972 models - incidentally 72 and 73 models were very similar depending on the body type. Enjoy, Ciao, L
@@rodrossi9749 believe me I'm 60 now, but best times of my life was in the Eighties, when I was in my twenties, the music, politics was not as divisive, most people were just looking for a good time. I'm a boomer no cell phones, but then again, wouldn't have this amazing device in my hand, able to see almost any film or documentary I desire at any time. That is amazing.
Ford only employs about 175,000 people today. A significantly lower amount than stated in this early 70's video. A lot of that is probably due to outsourcing, but still a very large employment difference compared to almost 50 years ago.
In the film they claimed almost 500,000 employees world-wide, now it's around 190,000. A lot of that is due to automation. You don't see people spot welding or hand painting anymore like they did in this movie. As artificial intelligence gets more advanced, you will see people loose jobs by the tens of millions in the US alone.
Ive been saying this for a while. If a company built a bare bones car and sold it for cheap it would sell like hot cakes...but car companies dont want that because of profit. They can force you to buy what they make with all the bells and whistles because you need a car.
A lot of it seems to have been shot at the Rouge River plant that was Henry Ford's baby.... it took roughly 10yrs (in the late teens-early twentys) to build and was a true work of art and efficiency it served them well into the 90's when it was redeveloped due age and contamination... and changes in production philosophy
My grandfather worked the final inspection assembly line in Dallas and Louisville plant . He retired in 1978 after 30yrs so if you drive a Ford from 1948 to 1978 chances are he made adjustments to your doors and bumpers. Lol 😆
I had a '76 Mercury (something) wagon, a '78 Mercury Cougar, and also an '81 Ford Fairmont. The only one I had door troubles with was the '76 wagon. Only the passenger doors stayed the way they were supposed to. Even the wagon door was ever so slightly off-kilter. Also had a 1970 F250, no door problems with that bad boy. Well, the gas cap came off a lot, like at every gas station you went near. That sucker got 8 mpg if you drove it like Granny would drive it. It would do anything you asked of it, though. God, I miss vehicles that had real steel or aluminum bumpers.
Mike. Ford knew early on the dangers inherent in the Pinto's design as well as the cost to correct the problem with improved gas tanks. They weighed this cost against projected damage and litigation cost and made a decision intended for the benefit of their shareholders. They never looked back and neither did the Federal Trade Commission designed to protect us. But don't be too mad at Ford, They all do it. And we are too busy looking at The NFL and Kardishian's buttocks to care.
@@andrewbillingsley9377 I had a used pinto and the recall fix was a plastic shield between the rear diff and the tank so the sharp edges of the diff wouldn't poke holes in the tank in a rear collision. It was still better than a Vega tho the Vega looked better. I'm lucky as I don't like the NFL or Kardishian's. Baseball is the best............
@@jetsons101 so your saying the only car that rusted out on the dealer ship lots looked better all rusted out with blown engines were better looking than the Pinto? Yeah, RIGHT!! What the hell is wrong with you?
@@markreisen7038 ??? I'm not sure what your getting at. But the Vega was better looking "when new before the rust started showing," Ref: Wikipedia, The Vega received praise and awards at its introduction, including 1971 Motor Trend Car of the Year. I said when they were new it looked better, I never said it was great. If I had the $$$ in high school I would have gotten a 70 hemi Cuda or a 69 Boss 302 or 429. When new the Pinto just didn't look right but was better than a Vega, not great just better. Nothing wrong with me as I have a very happy life and great friends and family.
Definitely NOT 1969, instead 1972. Production 1972 big Fords on the assembly line. Prototype and pilot built 1973 models with the big bumpers. Jack Telnack was a lifetime Ford designer. That was FoMoCo's baroque period in design with heavily moulded trim pieces and blocky body contours. Later, Telnack was influential with the 1979 Mustang with its trim aero design. Prototype models are being displayed outside at Ford's Product Development Center in Dearborn...that design building and courtyard were built in 1953 but are being torn down and replaced in 2020. Many people dislike FoMoCo design of that era but their big cars were imposing and had an incredible ride with great noise suppression. Robots and automation now have replaced workers welding and painting on the assembly line. The work environment at that time was so brutal that men were physically worn out in their 50s.
Not 1969 for sure when I seen all those Mavericks and 71-73 Mustangs sitting there. Noticed that they were painting all those cars with no chemical masks or protection at all. Much hand assembly welding, installing dashes, steering columns and headliners by hand. They use automation for those tasks now.
And a lot of people lost their jobs. My grandmother started at ford in 1970 hand soldering circuit boards. By the time she retired in 1998 she just sat there and watched a machine do it for her. And the factory went from 2,000 employees to less then a 100.
Airbags were optional equipment on big GM cars from 1974-1976. They were expensive so, not many were sold. But, one documented case made big news when an airbag equipped 1974 Olds 88 had a head on collision with a regular car. The driver of the 88 walked away (he also wore his seat belt) and the other driver was killed. That got the ball rolling to get them in all cars.
Watching this video should make anyone realize: the truly awe-inspiring variety of skills that encompassed the production of a vehicle, at one time. And these were just average people, mind you--anyone could be taught to do these things, and be part of this massive undertaking! This feat of engineering. Nowadays, sadly: the average American would never be permitted such opportunities. :0( And least not in manufacturing. Software is everything, it seems. It is certainly presented--ad nauseam--as the solution to everything. And yet: should it be? Shouldn't something that we do be tangible? Truly, that I think is the sort of America that Americans most mourn (those at least with some inkling of it still). A time when you could dedicate yourself to meaningful--tangible--work; and make a life worth living in the process. We are all so easily expended now. And perhaps, because: nothing is real.
As someone who has ended up working in the IT field; mostly dealing with software and the 'virtual' world (because that's the opportunities that came my way); I agree with you. There is a particular sense of satisfaction and joy that comes with creating, moulding, and modifying tangible, physical objects. Feeling textures with our hands, and not having everything trapped behind the transparent pane of glass we know of as our iPad display, or our computer monitor. Were things perfect back then? Definitely not. Are certain things easier, and far better today? Definitely. That doesn't distract from the fact that good things have been lost to time. I wonder what good things we have today, which will be lost to time because we take them for granted, and won't realise their value until they're all but gone!
One thing they didn't plan on was the cars back in these years rusted like hell. I owned some of them and it didn't matter what brand. My 71 Vega I bought used in 73 had newspaper stuffed into the cowl and puttied over. Had to change the fenders that year also. They were complete rust.
People look back at cars from this era with rose coloured glasses. Cars weren’t expected to last more than a few years because you’d trade it in once you’d paid off the note - so two or three years would be the expected service life and anything after that was a bonus. To its credit Ford introduced body electroplating (or E-plate) in the late fifties for its high end models at the Wixom, Michigan plant, and the tanks and such were installed at most of the other Ford plants through the sixties, but some plants didn’t get it till the late seventies and the last one got it in 1983! And all it was, was a way to ensure the entire body was correctly primed - a lot of cars left the factory with bare metal in tight nooks and crannies, so no wonder they rotted out so fast.
I was selling Ford's in 1971,72 and 73. I think they were pretty good cars and much simpler. You could buy a very nice LTD for $5000! I guess I am getting old but the price of new cars is frightening. I'll stick with my 93 Bronco.
I think Ford LTD was at its crown glory from 69 to 72 and it really was a nice car too. I was in 7th grade when my little girlfriend's mom bought a new 72 Gran Torino station wagon woody sides and that was a nice car too!
21:55 Not a single person is using a mask when painting the cars. Nor anywhere else in the plant, for that matter. Oh, well... not my brain or lungs, luckily.
An unlike Dec 2020, none of the people are wearing masks to protect against COVID-19. The Hong Kong flu killed huge numbers of people in 1969 and nobody wore masks
They're making lots of huge sedans with big V8 engines . But within a year or two the fuel crisis will hit , the Japanese will fill the gap in the market and it'll take companies like Ford a long time to recover .
But it would still take 30-40 years before Asian manufacturers actually became a head to head rival. The gas crisis just opened the door to them and become a viable option to Americans.
What Happened To Automotive Lifespan - My experience driving from 1960s to 2020 1960s to 1970s US cars in North Eastern States Body rust - after 3 years Muffler - 3 to 4 years Ball joints 5 to 6 years Shocks - 4 to 5 years 1990 to 2020 Japanese Cars in North Eastern States Body rust - after 18 - 20 years Muffler - 16 to 20 years Struts - 16 to 18 years Shocks - 15 to 18 years
I watch this, see all the computers churning away, all the expert designers, all the cool concept car designs....and all I can think about is that lousy Ford Pinto I had to drive in college.
@@Creeperboy099 True. But would you believe it: somebody ran a stoplight at an intersection, and totaled it. No fireball, but I wasn't too sad to see it go.
Well, the other option would be for no one to be able to afford them. If they still had high build quality, while having modern tech while complying with modern safety and emission those 19-24$ cars now would cost at least double and same goes for pretty much all other cars, at least double the price.
I have noticed over the years the amount of cars outside scrapyards that still look serviceable. It seems if something goes wrong it's to expensive and cheaper to buy a new one these days.
As a guy who's newest car is from 1978 I can say that statement is at least somewhat untrue, particularly in the engine. In the old days you were doing well if an engine lasted 150k before it started burning oil. Now we have cars that will do 300k or more without the removal of engine or transmission. That said due to manufacturers making components that are VIN tied to a vehicle through electronics and other means often makes it too expensive to repair or maintain as parts have to be brought to a dealer to be reprogrammed (flashed). It seems that the goldilocks range was from the mid 1990's to mid 2000's where you could get a car that benefited from modern metals and machining without the over complication and proprietary nature of newer cars.
@@trustyoldiron5416 I'd say the golden era was late 80s to mid 2000s. Though in the mid 2000s BMW and Mercedes had quality issues due to degrading materials. Then GM, Chrystler and Ford were full of recalls and law suits for their smaller cars in the mid 2000s and Renault wasn't doing very well in terms of quality either.
Thank you for this. It was a great flashback to a great period in car making. I spy my 1972 mercury marquis. Powder blue. It was gorgeous. Miss when cars drove like ships sailing.
Smashinbedrock Very true. But newer cars that stop on a dime now, and save lives, also create more confidence in driving, which make some of us reckless, and predatory on the road, not to mention, when discarded, way more environmental damage. As most of their components are non biodegradable plastics, and polymer blend parts, filled with leaching chemicals. Not such good way of protecting the future of life. Let alone, most everything we use now is made with plastic. But yes, safer driving, and better emissions for sure. I just miss the way they drove is all. Bliss
Nice
Follback my Chanel 🙏
I cringed when I saw that car boating through the test track. First thing I did was put in a beefier anti-sway bar.
@@larkatmic dude...this was time back when "Doctors recommend you to smoke "xxx" brand cigarette at least an pack a day" or third party garbage collectors were dumping nuclear or chemical wastes near settlements. Those cars might have used less polymers, but I'm pretty sure they wasted a lot of material in process and some used even more toxic polymers.
A friend that worked at Ford in Bremerton gave me a copy of this and we used it in the first week of high school for over twenty five years. At that age, most of the students had little idea of what went into any vehicle, thank you Ford, one of the best we could find.
Ah 1972 when the US still had about 1/4 of the workforce in manufacturing which most often pays well and is what produced the large middleclass the nation once had. That fell into the single digits around 2007-08 and has remained.
DJT tried to change it but the powers to be didn’t let him!
@@jacyborreaux919 yeah, no he didn't and neither will the next guy, and the guy after that
I've read that when labor unions were the strongest in the 1950s & 60s we had our strongest middle class and greatest economic equality that we've ever had. The war on those unions apparently started with Reagan.
@@JackF99 for the UAW the high point was 1975. My father in law used to say “the democrats were the working class party and the republicans were for the rich guys” 🤔
@@JackF99 The unions are a blessing and a necessity.
7:32
All the data on those tapes would probably fit on a USB thumb drive today.
amazing
Possibly the data storage center shown had Terabytes of total data even using the very strict data storage methods of the times. The amazing thing is that data may still exist somewhere in Fords archives the actual tapes may still be in a storeroom somewhere and still readable if the hardware needed still exists is another thing.
@@steve-ph9yg it's highly unlikely it would be terabytes. several hundred megabytes at most.
For e.g. IBM introduced the model 2314 in 1965, it was a size of a smaller truck, and contained 8+1 magnetic disks each had a capacity of 29 megabytes. And that was a LOT back then.
@@LenryNmQ the INM 7000\700 series came out in the 1950’s the 7074 in 1960 the 2400 tape 729V tape unit had a normal capacity of 117 MB a max of 17MB. I could be wrong about TB’s but that Data Center had at least a thousand tapes so GB’s at least. I was a IBM 4300 series operator in the late 80’s early 90’s and hung a lot of 3400 tapes that were date stamped 1980 the year the IBM 4341 system was installed.
@@LenryNmQ I worked for EDS\GM at a GM assembly plant the plants automation was run on a 1960’s IBM 700 series mainframe that was handled by the automation support people.
I have to say ford rocks my world , am a loyal ford owner from day one and I will stay with the best built cars on the planet
Amen brother
I am as well
Same. My family have always had Ford vehicles since the beginning. Had a great uncle that worked with H. Ford, before ww1. I have a picture of his first car, a roadster. Written on the back of the picture is the notation that it had engine #1872. He helped build the vehicle that he wound up buying for himself. After serving in the war, he moved to Seattle area, opened a service station/dealership. Sold Ford cars/pickups & Texaco gas. He retired and sold his business around 1977.
I'm a dodge fan, but I'm glad you have that passion for your brand. Ford no doubt make some cool machines.
They don't build cars any more except the Mustang lol.
Its amazing in all the stuff that goes into designing a car. You have to be an artist, have imagination, be a sculptor and just damn smart.
Film was circa 1973 or 74, looking at the LTD loaded at the plant.
The plate on the car at 14:03 is 1972. My folks had a '72 wagon, I liked the "beak" style grill and a 400cid engine that ran as smooth as silk. The original battery lasted seven years in the mid-west!! In retrospect, it was the size of a ship but had drum breaks and bias ply tires ...AHHH! Good old r12 would freeze a melted chocolate bar in no time at all. Thank you for uploading it was a hoot to watch.
Good catch!
The original battery in my Nissan actually lasted 12 years, in Michigan. Bought new in Oct 2007 and replaced Dec 2019.
It is amazing how much goes into the building of just one car...huge facilities, a lot of money 💰, skilled workers and large quantities of natural resources...good video - thank you 😊
This looks very 1970s to me. Those lamb chop side burns, and woman’s beehive hairdo’s are a dead give away. I should know I lived it. Plus the cars in the 70s were huge!
Yes, this is probably 73 or 74.
Yes...this is early 70s, but sideburns and beehive hairdos stretched back well into the 60s...I lived it also.
Development of the chump paneling for the station wagons too!
@@MarioPalma-gm3vn The cars have the first generation so called Safety Bumpers which were first in use in 1973 so you are correct about 73/74 also because many cars in those years nothing changed
That's the first thing I thought of. Sideburns everywhere!
More Cladding is what we need ! Lots and lots of Cladding!!!! and more in the 80s to! Some of those interior's look like kitchen cabinets. Thanks for loading it.
As an industrial historian,, I love it !!! Great video, thanks for posting.
What the Engineers giveth, the bean counters taketh away.
Beware the white shirt,tie,pocket protector,clipboard and stop watch. Time study!!
Saw this same video in middle school 1973. Amazing how much was done by hand!
Excellent. Everyone who own a car should see this.
9:14 that Ford designer had predicted the look of the 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass S.
It's a known fact that most of GM's best designers came from Ford.
Love this video. I have a 72 Ltd I'm the 2nd owner to. I have that build spec sheet in the glove box. Love seeing the computer that printed it on video. I like to believe I watched them build my Ltd before my eyes.
Loved IT thanks!
We had a 1974 Galaxie, my neighbor a 1973 Mustang and a close friend of mine a 1972 Grabber. Plus a dear uncle of mine worked at FORD as an engineer. The lucky bas*** worked in Quality Control.
So he could take any New FORD he wanted home!!! For "testing purposes" of course...
The hottest dude in our neighborhood.
This film must have been made on December 31st 1969 because it has that great 70s vibe. I really enjoy all these informative videos from the past, very well made and they feel like a time capsule.
At that time, the car frames were not electroplated. That come later.
For this reason, these cars didn't last for long, many were eaten from the rust.
The tyres had inner tubes and made a distinctive "pop" noise when punctured and had to be replaced on the spot; and tube tyres broke rather frequently: young drivers can't imagine how frequent car breakdowns happened...
The hell are you talking about, tube tires? Tubeless tires had been an industry standard since the late fifties. Sure you could buy tube style tires in the aftermarket, but these cars all came out of the plant wearing tubeless tires.
Now, the frames weren’t electroplated like the bodies were but that isn’t why they rusted so badly, that had to do with the chemical makeup of the steel itself. And it’s still a problem, Toyota has replaced millions of truck frames at huge expense because they still can’t lock the problem - and that’s a manufacturer who took some responsibility, most of the others don’t once past the warranty period.
Thanks for these classics!
Fascinating look at research and development. The sheer hours it took to design a car was impressive.
I think this is not 1969. Looks more like 1973 or 74.
Agreed! At 8:06 you can see what appears to be a Mustang II. it could be a prototype or design study, but I doubt they had those until late 1971, early 1972.
Agreed! At 8:06 you can see what appears to be a Mustang II. it could be a prototype or design study, but I doubt they had those until late 1971, early 1972 (production versions in 1974).
Car has a 1972 license plate
The car mostly shown being built seems to be a 1973 Ford LTD.
You're right, 7:13 that's a 1972 Torino and another one appears on the highway in the next scene
Announcer: "It's Stops on a DIme!"
Car: skids for 5 metres
Ahhh the 70's
The car stopped on a dime but friction let it down.
*15 ft
Cuz of dem drums
but the dime stayed under tire whole time.
seriously did they not know how to threshold brake?
5:55 airbag test
In the early 1970s, Ford and General Motors began offering cars equipped with airbags.
GM started to offer airbags as an option on the full-size Oldsmobiles, Buicks, and Cadillacs starting in 1974. Ford never offered airbags as an option during the 1970s. However 50 1972 Mercury Monetarys were outfitted with airbags and were leased to Allstate insurance company in Northbrook Illinois for real time test purposes.
Meanwhile, the Government has had gasbags for several decades, and many an airhead, too.
Took a tour of the Ford assembly line in Dearborn years ago. If you had seniority back then you had the choice of putting the owners manual in the glove box or the unleaded gas sticker by the gas cap.
I am impressed. That's a lot more tech and automation than I thought they had in 69. Although I am shocked to see the paint crew was not wearing respirators!
bro there's a video from I believe 1937 on this channel that shows a assembly line for Ford I believe and holy shit being born in 89 myself I never gave much thought how advanced society was then. yes it's primitive compared to today but they were pressing steel, molding engine blocks, I mean the whole nine years. and it's also a historical video it started with a horse and buggy leaving town to make it to the train station some few hours away-if I had to guess they were talking about life in the early 1900's to late 1800's. they even showed beautiful concrete roads and highways with the cloverleaf design, in the mid 30's! like I said it just blew my mind I wish I remembered the name but I found it on this channel without much effort. If I had to guess I remember it was made in '37. hope you and everyone gets to see it!
An excellent documentary. Thank you.
Incredible film and thanks for uploading!!
Well, the corrosion resistance paint didn't work too well-my Dad's rear bumper on his '76 Ford fell off, and he brought it home in the trunk-very interesting video, though!
It just looks good in the factory. It didn't make any difference whatsoever.
That same thing happened to my Navy buddy's 76 LTD he was from Michigan RUST. we found a non rusty one in South East Virginia and swapped it out,Golden ad new!
Fords are great cars, Larry Dembrun
15:00 thats a 73 Galaxie. Looks like they started the design test phase in 69.
oh god do i love old cars
Dude mentioned his merchandise, samples, and his dog before he mentioned his kids, and never said a thing about a wife....that man definitely had his priorities in order....😅😂🤣🤘🏻🇺🇸
Well said.
Awesome!🫡
This video was a class movie in my elementary school science class back in 1973. It was made in 1972 and is really just about how Ford built cars back then, but it featured their 1973 lineup and most especially, the Galaxie, Custom, L.T.D. and Country Squire models.
Yeah, they built the Pinto in those years, too. But, they still kept Henry Ford's car alive. Unlike today, where they build trucks, vans, and suburban-driven CUVs and defecate on their most legendary name by applying it to one of the grocery getters. How the mighty fall! 💩!
🐰
Damn, these cars look like they were built to last forever!
I like the huge GM Terex land mover trucks hauling the scrap from the blown up fords away... nice touch indeed👍
I work for Ford for more than 25 years in Europe, a car plant is not a paradise for a lot of people, grace Ford i have a good pension, thanks Ford,
All those miles of computer memory banks will now fit on a micro SD card.
I should have looked through the comments before basically posting the same thing you did.
They are wrong on the year 1969 because you clearly see 1972 Fords and Mercurys in the video and even 1973s.
Yep. My dad had LTD’s for company cars, 1970, 71, 73, 76 and 79.
It may be well to remember many of the cars in this video were prototypes, produced as much as five years before the model hit the showroom or we got our first look on the cover of "Popular Science" magazine.
@@andrewbillingsley9377 A huge trainload of prototypes?
@@atvendo Point taken.
I agree with you Mike, this documental was release in 1972. I saw a identification car with Michigan 1972, and the model LTD in the factory is 1973, and I saw a F-100 with the front face 1972.
It really is staggering at what has to come together to reach the final product.
That stretch of testing footage from 13:28 to 14:08 looked like an episode of "Cannon".
I'm sold. My next car's gonna be a Ford.
@25:16 nice, a 72 Mach 1. My friend had one in high school in the late 70's, same color. Maybe that was the one, we were only, 150 miles away.
They stop listening to the people decades ago, now all manufactures practically produce the same base car with a different badge on it
Simple as that
Thank government regulations and the tastes of the common consumer.
Our badge says Genesis!
There was a time when a car could be identified without reading the badge. That all seems so long ago now...
@@paulbennell3313 You’re just out of touch of new cars. I can spot every make a mile down the road.
22:30- dude applying headliner adhesive, with a cigarette in his mouth, to assure that new car smell.
I was actually more surprised how few people were smoking in the film. Prior to the 90's it was a whole other world when it came to tobacco use. I grew up in the 80's and most 'nicer/ fancier' restaurants in my home town had cigarette vending machines in the lobby and people regularly smoked while pumping gasoline .... and yes there were signs that said not to.... they smoked anywhere and everywhere and occasionally the real hardcore smokers would use their current cigarette to light the next repeatedly (chain smoking). Most men smoked, chewed, or dipped... and a few did all three.... different times different values... I guess something's have gotten better... and no more leaded gasoline
@@alexlail7481 I know of 9 people who died of lung cancer
Happy New Year to all automotive lovers. This video is a montage of Ford's construction of automobiles from raw material to finish. Some scenes are from the late sixties - the finished models are mostly 1972 models - incidentally 72 and 73 models were very similar depending on the body type. Enjoy, Ciao, L
1973 Full size was a major update.
Another cool thing in this ford video is showing the EMD General Motors Locomotives delivering the coal👍
realy amazing the computer-technology at this time
IBM 1401/360
State of the Art for its time but primitive, energy intensive, and space inefficient by today's standards.
Mainframe computer
The video was uploaded to TH-cam for 50 years, fullhd is still processed.
Incredible filmmakers! ⭐️
Spraying cars without masks, ahh the 70s
22:29 and smoking allowed on the assembly line.
Ahhh, the uncomplicated Seventies and Eighties with unprotected sex, AIDS, Herpes Simplex 2, various STD'S, yes those were the days....☣️🤪💀
times were definitely better.
@@JDAbelRN ..... still have all that and more now.
@@rodrossi9749 believe me I'm 60 now, but best times of my life was in the Eighties, when I was in my twenties, the music, politics was not as divisive, most people were just looking for a good time. I'm a boomer no cell phones, but then again, wouldn't have this amazing device in my hand, able to see almost any film or documentary I desire at any time. That is amazing.
Nice to see the initial powder coating development there!
Great days of great cars!
A wonderful Video!
Ford only employs about 175,000 people today. A significantly lower amount than stated in this early 70's video. A lot of that is probably due to outsourcing, but still a very large employment difference compared to almost 50 years ago.
In the film they claimed almost 500,000 employees world-wide, now it's around 190,000. A lot of that is due to automation. You don't see people spot welding or hand painting anymore like they did in this movie. As artificial intelligence gets more advanced, you will see people loose jobs by the tens of millions in the US alone.
to bad automakers don t listen today,we the people want a car that doesnot cost more than $25,000,instead they cost $70,000.
Buy a tesla.
Oh but surely you want heated glovebox knobs and bluetooth sun visors and 37 cup holders....
@@twisted2468 yeah buy a 50k electric that can go 200 miles without needing 8 hours to charge. Great idea.
Ive been saying this for a while. If a company built a bare bones car and sold it for cheap it would sell like hot cakes...but car companies dont want that because of profit. They can force you to buy what they make with all the bells and whistles because you need a car.
Inflation. Which is caused by government.
Its insane that they were building nearly every part in house
Yeah, that is something else they don't do anymore.
Then along came China ...... and UAW workers went home .
A lot of it seems to have been shot at the Rouge River plant that was Henry Ford's baby.... it took roughly 10yrs (in the late teens-early twentys) to build and was a true work of art and efficiency it served them well into the 90's when it was redeveloped due age and contamination... and changes in production philosophy
At 7:13 you see a 1972 Torino. I also think i saw a 73 LTD earlier in the video
There is a 72 Chevy, also a 72 Lincoln!
My grandfather worked the final inspection assembly line in Dallas and Louisville plant . He retired in 1978 after 30yrs so if you drive a Ford from 1948 to 1978 chances are he made adjustments to your doors and bumpers. Lol 😆
I had a '76 Mercury (something) wagon, a '78 Mercury Cougar, and also an '81 Ford Fairmont. The only one I had door troubles with was the '76 wagon. Only the passenger doors stayed the way they were supposed to. Even the wagon door was ever so slightly off-kilter. Also had a 1970 F250, no door problems with that bad boy. Well, the gas cap came off a lot, like at every gas station you went near. That sucker got 8 mpg if you drove it like Granny would drive it. It would do anything you asked of it, though. God, I miss vehicles that had real steel or aluminum bumpers.
I think maybe the Pinto missed much of this testing, especially the safety of the gas tank.... This is more like 1973 it seems. Thanks for posting.
Mike. Ford knew early on the dangers inherent in the Pinto's design as well as the cost to correct the problem with improved gas tanks. They weighed this cost against projected damage and litigation cost and made a decision intended for the benefit of their shareholders. They never looked back and neither did the Federal Trade Commission designed to protect us. But don't be too mad at Ford, They all do it. And we are too busy looking at The NFL and Kardishian's buttocks to care.
@@andrewbillingsley9377 I had a used pinto and the recall fix was a plastic shield between the rear diff and the tank so the sharp edges of the diff wouldn't poke holes in the tank in a rear collision. It was still better than a Vega tho the Vega looked better. I'm lucky as I don't like the NFL or Kardishian's. Baseball is the best............
@@jetsons101 so your saying the only car that rusted out on the dealer ship lots looked better all rusted out with blown engines were better looking than the Pinto? Yeah, RIGHT!! What the hell is wrong with you?
@@markreisen7038 ??? I'm not sure what your getting at. But the Vega was better looking "when new before the rust started showing," Ref: Wikipedia, The Vega received praise and awards at its introduction, including 1971 Motor Trend Car of the Year. I said when they were new it looked better, I never said it was great. If I had the $$$ in high school I would have gotten a 70 hemi Cuda or a 69 Boss 302 or 429. When new the Pinto just didn't look right but was better than a Vega, not great just better. Nothing wrong with me as I have a very happy life and great friends and family.
Steering 5 turns lock to lock. And make sure they pop outta park with no driver in them.
Pretty incredible still today.
Definitely NOT 1969, instead 1972. Production 1972 big Fords on the assembly line. Prototype and pilot built 1973 models with the big bumpers. Jack Telnack was a lifetime Ford designer. That was FoMoCo's baroque period in design with heavily moulded trim pieces and blocky body contours. Later, Telnack was influential with the 1979 Mustang with its trim aero design. Prototype models are being displayed outside at Ford's Product Development Center in Dearborn...that design building and courtyard were built in 1953 but are being torn down and replaced in 2020. Many people dislike FoMoCo design of that era but their big cars were imposing and had an incredible ride with great noise suppression. Robots and automation now have replaced workers welding and painting on the assembly line. The work environment at that time was so brutal that men were physically worn out in their 50s.
How can this be 1969 when there is a 1972 Country Squire in the frame at 6:49?
Yes sir, thats wright it was 1972..
FOMOCO! AMERICA"S FINEST AUTOMOBILE!
Back then,machines ment to be durable,looks beautiful and simple.
This film is from 1972 I would say based on the 71 and 72 Fords and the clay model of the 1973 model.
Not 1969 for sure when I seen all those Mavericks and 71-73 Mustangs sitting there. Noticed that they were painting all those cars with no chemical masks or protection at all. Much hand assembly welding, installing dashes, steering columns and headliners by hand. They use automation for those tasks now.
And a lot of people lost their jobs. My grandmother started at ford in 1970 hand soldering circuit boards. By the time she retired in 1998 she just sat there and watched a machine do it for her. And the factory went from 2,000 employees to less then a 100.
life without Catia and Solidworks,woow u had to be a real artist by your own hands
This is gold!
Remember the Ford Pinto? That car was the bomb!
Those were some big old cars...boats
Wow early airbag test at 5:56. About 20 years before they were available?
Airbags were optional equipment on big GM cars from 1974-1976. They were expensive so, not many were sold. But, one documented case made big news when an airbag equipped 1974 Olds 88 had a head on collision with a regular car. The driver of the 88 walked away (he also wore his seat belt) and the other driver was killed. That got the ball rolling to get them in all cars.
Watching this video should make anyone realize: the truly awe-inspiring variety of skills that encompassed the production of a vehicle, at one time.
And these were just average people, mind you--anyone could be taught to do these things, and be part of this massive undertaking! This feat of engineering. Nowadays, sadly: the average American would never be permitted such opportunities. :0( And least not in manufacturing.
Software is everything, it seems. It is certainly presented--ad nauseam--as the solution to everything. And yet: should it be? Shouldn't something that we do be tangible?
Truly, that I think is the sort of America that Americans most mourn (those at least with some inkling of it still). A time when you could dedicate yourself to meaningful--tangible--work; and make a life worth living in the process. We are all so easily expended now. And perhaps, because: nothing is real.
As someone who has ended up working in the IT field; mostly dealing with software and the 'virtual' world (because that's the opportunities that came my way); I agree with you. There is a particular sense of satisfaction and joy that comes with creating, moulding, and modifying tangible, physical objects. Feeling textures with our hands, and not having everything trapped behind the transparent pane of glass we know of as our iPad display, or our computer monitor.
Were things perfect back then? Definitely not. Are certain things easier, and far better today? Definitely. That doesn't distract from the fact that good things have been lost to time. I wonder what good things we have today, which will be lost to time because we take them for granted, and won't realise their value until they're all but gone!
Incredible, vast resources spent, to control our minds and make us BUY. Then, make vehicles that CANNOT LAST. Rinse and repeat.
There should be the sound of a baby crying every time a car comes out of the assembly plant.
Hahaha good one
One thing they didn't plan on was the cars back in these years rusted like hell. I owned some of them and it didn't matter what brand. My 71 Vega I bought used in 73 had newspaper stuffed into the cowl and puttied over. Had to change the fenders that year also. They were complete rust.
People look back at cars from this era with rose coloured glasses. Cars weren’t expected to last more than a few years because you’d trade it in once you’d paid off the note - so two or three years would be the expected service life and anything after that was a bonus. To its credit Ford introduced body electroplating (or E-plate) in the late fifties for its high end models at the Wixom, Michigan plant, and the tanks and such were installed at most of the other Ford plants through the sixties, but some plants didn’t get it till the late seventies and the last one got it in 1983! And all it was, was a way to ensure the entire body was correctly primed - a lot of cars left the factory with bare metal in tight nooks and crannies, so no wonder they rotted out so fast.
it's incredible
Then went on to release the Pinto!
Those computers weren’t advanced enough to tell them that a gas tank inches from a bumper might blow up.
This video is 2-3 after the Pinto came out. Lots of 72 cars on the road in clips. Clueless poster.
I was selling Ford's in 1971,72 and 73. I think they were pretty good cars and much simpler. You could buy a very nice LTD for $5000! I guess I am getting old but the price of new cars is frightening. I'll stick with my 93 Bronco.
Yes but what was the average wage
Interesting film.
The good old days...when manufacturers actually had a listening ear!
I think Ford LTD was at its crown glory from 69 to 72 and it really was a nice car too. I was in 7th grade when my little girlfriend's mom bought a new 72 Gran Torino station wagon woody sides and that was a nice car too!
The shopping trolley 🛒 and ques haven't changed over the last 50 years. It must be that rust protection stuff 🤔
21:55
Not a single person is using a mask when painting the cars. Nor anywhere else in the plant, for that matter.
Oh, well... not my brain or lungs, luckily.
They were removed for the film, so the family members could see them , etc. For posterity. Thanks Safety Policeman for pointing it out though.
I guess you are a SAFTEY officer.
The Corona virus was still in it's testing stage and not yet released.
At least the camera didn't catch them smoking in the paint shop.
An unlike Dec 2020, none of the people are wearing masks to protect against COVID-19. The Hong Kong flu killed huge numbers of people in 1969 and nobody wore masks
A well oiled machine, and probably 100% made in the United States of America 🇺🇸
429 460 woop ass goodies time gone by .
When you had seniority on the assembly line you got the job of putting the owners manual in the glove box.
I miss my 72 ford van and 72 galaxy 500 and my 79 Lincoln Town car and other ford's I've owned I wish I had them back
Why does this keep getting recommended to me, after a year I finally clicked it
21:57 Painting without a respirator. Crazy.
As an automotive painter I approve of this comment🤣
They're making lots of huge sedans with big V8 engines . But within a year or two the fuel crisis will hit , the Japanese will fill the gap in the market and it'll take companies like Ford a long time to recover .
But it would still take 30-40 years before Asian manufacturers actually became a head to head rival. The gas crisis just opened the door to them and become a viable option to Americans.
What Happened To Automotive Lifespan - My experience driving from 1960s to 2020
1960s to 1970s US cars in North Eastern States
Body rust - after 3 years
Muffler - 3 to 4 years
Ball joints 5 to 6 years
Shocks - 4 to 5 years
1990 to 2020 Japanese Cars in North Eastern States
Body rust - after 18 - 20 years
Muffler - 16 to 20 years
Struts - 16 to 18 years
Shocks - 15 to 18 years
1:03 WOW, how strong must this locomotive be to pull this 💪👌
Daweisstebescheid murican power
Locomotives are basically big engines with driver compartment behind. Of course they are powerful as fuck.
I think I can, I think I can,...
@@Creeperboy099 🫡
I watch this, see all the computers churning away, all the expert designers, all the cool concept car designs....and all I can think about is that lousy Ford Pinto I had to drive in college.
Randall Lathan good thing you didn’t crash that- otherwise you wouldn’t be here to make that comment
@@Creeperboy099 True. But would you believe it: somebody ran a stoplight at an intersection, and totaled it. No fireball, but I wasn't too sad to see it go.
Randall Lathan well, I guess that wasn’t a rear end accident
I'm pretty sure I saw my Ranchero going down an assembly line in this documentary...😊✌
cool old video!
In the old days the cars were made to be resistant and durable, today they are disposable like cans of sardine.
Well, the other option would be for no one to be able to afford them. If they still had high build quality, while having modern tech while complying with modern safety and emission those 19-24$ cars now would cost at least double and same goes for pretty much all other cars, at least double the price.
I have noticed over the years the amount of cars outside scrapyards that still look serviceable. It seems if something goes wrong it's to expensive and cheaper to buy a new one these days.
@@brianfearn4246 it's most likely either rust, lack of parts availability or fuel economy and emission regulations, or a combo of all thrre.
As a guy who's newest car is from 1978 I can say that statement is at least somewhat untrue, particularly in the engine. In the old days you were doing well if an engine lasted 150k before it started burning oil. Now we have cars that will do 300k or more without the removal of engine or transmission. That said due to manufacturers making components that are VIN tied to a vehicle through electronics and other means often makes it too expensive to repair or maintain as parts have to be brought to a dealer to be reprogrammed (flashed). It seems that the goldilocks range was from the mid 1990's to mid 2000's where you could get a car that benefited from modern metals and machining without the over complication and proprietary nature of newer cars.
@@trustyoldiron5416 I'd say the golden era was late 80s to mid 2000s. Though in the mid 2000s BMW and Mercedes had quality issues due to degrading materials. Then GM, Chrystler and Ford were full of recalls and law suits for their smaller cars in the mid 2000s and Renault wasn't doing very well in terms of quality either.
Me encantó, cantidad de trabajadores para hacer los carros y cuánto esfuerzo