[Oatka]

A buddy of mine rebuilt a Model T some years ago. He marveled at the simplicity of the thing. Said there was no oil pump, just some scoops riveted to the flywheel which sloshed the lube where it was needed.

Also heard that Ford would send engineers around to the junk yards to check out what broke and what parts showed hardly any wear. Toughened up the parts that broke and cheapened those that outlasted the car. Another tale was that he told the shippers of parts to crate them in a certain size box, which he then used as a truck bed on some models.

Probably lots of tales like that floating around.

[nicollo]

Also heard that Ford would send engineers around to the junk yards to check out what broke and what parts showed hardly any wear. Toughened up the parts that broke and cheapened those that outlasted the car.

Ford's genius was delivering the highest value of any car. When introduced, the Model T was far from the cheapest auto on the market, yet it was the only 4-cylinder car for under $1,000. Ford's genius was in his relentless push for value, which demanded higher quality at the lowest possible cost.

It wasn't until mid-1920s that anyone could offer more value, when the Chevrolet and Chrysler offered more horsepower / dollar than even the lowest-priced Model Ts.