New-York tribune., 1910-11-06
BUILDING A MOTOR Carl
Wonderful System of Ford Fac
tory Typical of Detroit.
USE OF VANADIUM STEEL
Many of the Operations Once
Done by Hand Now Accom-
plished by Machines.


twentieth century.
In Detroit is the heart of the motor
world. In 1910 this motor city built 100000
automobiles and i'm 1911 there promises TO
he no Iet-up. The Ford Motor Company,
for instance. which has made more auto
mobiles than any other automobile com
rany. win increase its production to 30,000
during 1871.
Twenty years ago the man who men
TONED the feat of 1000 men making 10000
perfected machines in one year each cap
able OF running mile minute. of going
anywhere a road can run. OF crossing the
continent in twenty days. would have been
committed 10 retreat and labelled in
durable
Yet this is what is scheduled for Just
one plant at Detroit Already the 4,0go have
begun work the first of 10000 for
1911.
The Ford year Of 1910 ended with Septem-
her snd showed a production of 10000 cars,
an increase of 100 per cent over the bust
ness Of 1902 The value OF the years bust
ness totals S1a.ooooO0. This is more than the
paint. pill. stove and freight industries
Of Detroit would have amounted TO in 1900.
This business was conducted through 5000
salesmen. the largest automobile sales force
in tho world
company will turn out 2S5 in one day.
II will ship sixty carloads a day. This
company. which has been known through
the automobile world for its conserv-
ativeness. has made gigantic preparations
for business in 1911. based on the general
trade outlook and the healthy condition of
its OWN business. The company at the pres
time has $500 600 invested in its bust
ness
This one factory is on sixty acres Of
ground. The principal plant is four story
building with half million square feet of
floor space. Raw materials literally go in
~ one end of this building and come out
~ tho other. completed cars.
In the rear of this building is an SEQ foot
cranewsy with - foot crane under which
al raw materials stored. to be shot to
their stations when needed.
careful survey will reveal two import
ant details which have TO do largely with
tho building of the Detroit automobile. The
first thing that strikes the visitor is the
wonderful system which is everywhere evi-
dent. Next there is evidence of a saving
in quantity. BY the purchase and manu-
fscture of parts in wholesale lots, the firm
is able 10 purchase and manufacture first
class parts more cheaply than it could if
business were done on "A smaller scale.
Automobile builders have developed many
special steels. The secret of the Ford sue
cess is vanadium, an alloy, melted into the
crude steel which adds 10 the tensile
strength. prevents crystallization crumb-
\ ling of the steel and gives added elasticity
N ihat is not found in any other steel. All
" steel is able to withstand heavy load; the
test comes with the vibration or shock.
Automobile steel is under constant vibra-
tional strain, torsional strain or shock.
For this reason the heat treatment
room is perhaps the most important de-
partment. Here the steel is brought from
the steel mills and treated. Every piece is
separately treated by a process which
toughens the steel.
Steel parts which enter into the con-
struction Of the car treated differently,
according 10 the amount of strain and wear
they must stand up under. For instance
the pivots are treated differently from the
shaft drives, because each is subjected to
different kind of strain.
Up in one corner OF the heat treatment"
department there is very complete expert
mental room Here man, whose partic-
ular hobby is vanadium steel experiments
dav after day with the steel product which
enters into the construction of the car
When 2 piece of vanadiun steel is placed
in car 1t is as perfect as II is possible
for human hands and brain to make IL
During the different stages of construction
the parts are tested and inspected score
of times by men whose duty il is TO find
defects in the work if they can.
Out of every shipment of steel that is
made from the mills to the factory. three
pieces are selected at random and thorough
ly tested in a laboratory. There are really
five checks on the steel parts which go into
the car. First the steel ingots are inspect
2 mill sbaD he
spected when they are cut from the ingots;
after that the steel is inspected at the bar
mill. at the forge and before it is ma
chined. There is another careful inspection
made of the completed car
The foundry 6he starting point of the
entire processl is a large building. 200 by
50 feet, and employs two hundred men.
Five articles necessary in the construction
Of A motor car turned out here First
come the cylinders, then the cylinder heads
end piston ring pots, pistons and brake
shoes.
In the receiving room. machine parts are
received 70 be counted and inspected I'm the
rough. There are fifteen inspection stations
IN various parts Of the building, where In
spectors 20 over the material and Gull out
the poor parts.
The machine shop is veritable maze of
machinery. This room alone is $50 feet
long and l5O feet wide. All the machine
work is done here, and every detail is
worked out with mechanical precision
In the cylinder department special ma
crinery has been installed which enables
the nachinists TO turn out fifteen cylinders
At q time Most factories turn out one CYL
inder al d time, but with mechanical aid
the Ford company is about TO turn out if
teen cylinders, absolutely perfect in every
detail.
Each piece is machined in a Jig so that
every one is absolutely interchangeable and
viii fit any car turned out in the factory
The crank work is all done with grinders
which insures perfect work
The same make OF machinery is used in
the gear department for rear axIes AS in
the factories which make a specially ot
high priced cars; the gears are cut with
the same accuracy.
There is an automatic department where
nuts. bolts, studs, etc, are turned out by
the thousand. each piece TO be inspected be-
fore II leaves the room TO insure absolute
perfection.
IN the assembly department the motor
car begins TO take shape The first opera.
non is putting on the lugs for the body
and braces for the footboards, then the
front axles and fender irons are nut on