Evening star., 1932-04-30
i. S. MOTOR TRADE
IS WATCHING FORD
Reports Are That Full Plant
Schedule Will Start
About June |.
BY DAVID J. WILKIE.


DETROIT, April 3O.-In the midst of
variety of problems dealing with out
put, distribution, taxation, tariff i'm
posts and other subjects affecting the
merchandising of its product, the au-
tomobile industry at the moment ap-
pears to be chiefly concerned with the
plans of the Ford Motor Co.
The plans of the Ford Co. to get
into volume production with its new V
eight and improved four-cylinder mod
els announced several weeks ago have
been delayed somewhat by problems of
plant retooling and of foundry work on
the motor blocks.
Many RumOrs Circulated.
AS long has been the case in the ac-
tlyltieS OF the Ford Co, the delay in
production has started a flood of ru-
mOrS. One of these had it that the
Weight would not run The Ford Co,
look no notice OF the rumor. but it was
answered when one of the new cars
whizzed down Detroit's main street
Another rumor had it that Ford did
not like a certain feature of the new
car and had called in all the models
already assembled. The rumor was
only partly correct-Ford did Junk a
number of eight-oylinder motors, but
that was late last year before any of
the cars had been assembled.
The Ford Co. has made no official
statement concerning the DELAY in
swinging into volume output, but from
a reliable source it is learned that two
factors have contributed to the DELAY
One, and perhaps the greater problem.
has been the enormous task of retooling
the gigantic Ford plants to produce an
elght-cylinder motor Many automo-
tive engineers have given it as their
STUDIED opinion that to retool the Ford
plants for this purpose involved a task
that should require 10 months.
Inasmuch as the design of the new
Weight was not definitely decided upon
until December 7, last. this would
mean the plants normally should not
be ready for capacity production of the
new model until October. Instead of
october, however, the Ford Co. expects
TO be IN full production by June /.
Meanwhile it already is producing
around 400 of the Weights daily and
increasing the number each day.
The other factor for delay. the prob
lem OF casting the motor block in one
operation, appears to have been def
nlte!y overcome. Several parts that
In the former motors were added after
the block had been cast now are being
PiOuuNCu 40 oil Integral part OF the
motor. In this connection the motors
oil channels are cited. In the former
model tubing was added to the outside
of the engine after it had been cast.
In the new models these channels
are part OF the original casting and
within the block they resemble worm
holes in the casting as it comes from
the foundry
Orders Increase.
As the Ford Co. slowly increases its
daily output, orders for the new models
are understood to be piling up. as
surfing a program of operations that
will carry on well into the late Summer
months once normal production is at
tained. Barring some further unex-
pected development, the Ford plants
generally are likely to avoid the mid
Summer shutdown that marked the
last two years.
Elsewhere in the industry several
producers report encouraging activity
by the sales organizations and increas-
ing demand for their product. The
strengthening of the dealer organiza-
tions continues generally throughout
the trade, with several makers report
ing additional dealer franchises placed.