Originally posted by rod_grant Yes, that was a bit over the top as far as being informative, too!
I had always been a believer in the H Ford (alleged) quote.
I do have a pic (av quality) of a Model A in burgundy: but I cannot verify if it was an original colour. The interior is decided unoriginal.
Do you mean the Model A that came somewhat before the 'T', or the Model A that came directly after?
The Model A that came after the Model T was available in the following colours: (Not counting striping and mouldings)
- Bonnie Grey
- Rose Beige
- Balsam Green
- Andasulite Blue
- Vagabond Green
- Bramble Brown
- Madras Carbuncle (No idea what colour this is meant to be, but I'm guessing a red)
- Brewster green (A Model T colour too)
- Thorne Brown
- Black
- Duchess Blue
- Rockmoss Green
- Seal Brown
- Cigarette Cream
- Medium Cream
- Lawn Green
- Mulberry Maroon
- Chickle Drab
- Kewanee Green
- Moleskin Brown
- Copra Drab
- Elk Point Green
- Ford Maroon
- Bronson Yellow
- Lombard Blue
- Blue Rock Green
- Brewster Green medium
- Stone Brown
- Washington Blue medium
Lets hope I did not miss any!
---------- Post added 01-13-15 at 11:40 PM ----------
Originally posted by tim60 Many years ago I read Henry's book, My Life and Work, which had some lovely points in it.
To stop the factory labourers from urinating in the factory he painted the inside walls white (or close) so they would feel too embarrassed to do it there.
I did not know that! Thanks for sharing.
Originally posted by tim60 So why does black paint cost as much as the coloured paints?
Black paint is actually very hard to manufacture because, while for light, black is the absence of colour, when it comes to paint black is actually often actually a very dark blue or dark purple. True black uses a huge amount of pigment and can therefore be quite expensive to manufacture.In Henry's day, black happened to be a very durable paint, which is the main reason he changed to black for some model year with the Model T. The fact that it dried faster than many of the other colours probably did not hurt either.
A little known fact about the Model T was that, for quite a number of years of production, Ford did not build their own gearboxes. They actually bought the gearboxes (or rather planetary transmissions) from Dodge Brothers. (Later Dodge - The Dodge Brothers were Horace and John) Supposedly, Henry Ford hit on the clever plan to specify that the crates the transmissions were shipped in be made to suit the length he needed to make the floor-boards of the Model T. This has been widely disputed by many experts. But, a friend of mine owns a completely original Model T Ford. So original that it has never been repainted or restored in any way. Minor repairs, yes, restoration never. So, we had a good look at the original floor boards and - yes - these had markings from the Dodge Brothers factory. Strange but true.