Why did Ford Scrap all These Cars? 1929 Dis-Assembly Line Cash For Clunkers

[@AModelA]

Yes, we know we mispronounced hearth. Yes, we know that it is not a hydraulic press shown in the video. That information was taken from Charles Sorenson's book "My 40 Years With Ford" where he described this process in detail.

[@jysmtl]

“Thriftiness in the guise of innovation…” - what a strange thing to say. Thriftiness is a powerful and appropriate driver of innovation. Always has been and is today. And should be more often.

[@gb123-ej8wh]

@@jysmtlYep. Ford Motor Company should open their eyes again and learn to appropriately apply some thriftiness and pass on some savings to the consumers. How did the F150 ever break $20,000? It’s not inflation it’s options becoming standard when everyone didn’t jump on buying them as options.

[@billybarnes9208]

I remember my Dad talking about his first used car.I believe a 1953 bought in 57 for less than a hundred bucks.Boy do I miss him. May God bless everyone!

[@johndowe7003]

I knew a older fella tell me he could buy late 60s mustangs for a hundred bucks back in the 70s . Now they're collectables

[@billybarnes9208]

@@johndowe7003 yeah today that wouldn't get you the lug nuts . God bless.

[@MrPland1992]

@@johndowe7003 yall aren’t very smart huh? $100 back then is like $1200 today, the same price I paid each for my two 1965 mustangs. Nothings changed.

[@danoc51]

In 1972 I bought a 1960 Falcon we called the '65' because I paid $65 for it. It ran but was a cosmetic mess. There were so many seat covers - applied on top of another - that I never did see the original seats. And the front end was up in the air for some reason I never did discover. I graduated from school in 1973 and drove that car from Montana to California.

[@danneumann3274]

Thats the way You honor Him and all that He did for You. Thats the only part of Your comment that grabbed Me. I miss My father too.

[@1966oldsguy]

I learned to drive in a 1930 model A coupe back in the mid 90s. I’d wait for my parents to leave and then drive it to school so my friends and I could take it to lunch. We still have it, mostly together, it’s not a show car but always a good drive…I’d say of the 72 cars I’ve owned since it’s still the most fun to drive, and start (if you know how)

[@Fred-mp1vf]

My mother once drove a Model T with no brakes more than 200 miles, back in the 1940's -- something that's hard to imagine today! 😄

[@nlpnt]

I did 50 miles in an '84 Mercury Topaz with a major brake leak that would give me 1 or 2 good stops before needing a fluid topup, in the mid '90s. Young and dumb.

[@rossbryan6102]

I AM NEARLY 80 AND I REMEMBER SEEING THIS WHEN I WAS ABOUT 10!! INTERESTINGLY, A FEW YEARS LATER I STARTED SCRAPPING AND RECYCLING CARS!!

[@AMCguy]

Hey thats really cool!!!!

[@pcno2832]

If you ever see the movie "Mondo Cane", from 1962, you'll like the scene of 1950s cars from the USA, lined up to be crushed and melted down, then made into mini cars that were all the rage in Europe after the Suez crisis.

[@klaasj7808]

80 and writing with caps lock

[@thekingsilverado3266]

I just restored 2 older Ford trucks 1 Chevy.... People have been stopping in mass asking if I want to sell em... Jokes on them... When my new pile of bolts stops I will still have warm comfy transportation and don't have to worry about plugging it in in Zero Degrees... Joe Bite me can eat my shorts and dirty undies

[@williamjackson5942]

@@thekingsilverado3266 God knows you need help!

[@heatleynoble]

In the 2000's the UK government paid £500 a car in the 'cash for scrap' scheme. It was dressed up as a green scheme but in reality it was to sell more cars. Same deal as this!

[@Annabanana5526]

Bill Clinton's "Cash for klunkers" in 1990's. Ruined used auto market for the lower middle class and working poor, but made the wealthy virtuous elites feel better about themselves, and after all that's important.

[@dimitriberozny3729]

Obama did the same here in America!! Cash For Clunkers in 2009. This changed the US auto industry and related sectors FOREVER!

[@PistonAvatarGuy]

Actual scrap yards will pay about that much for a car, is that a scam? IIRC, I even got several hundred bucks for a (mostly) stripped shell.

[@rayers1000]

My grandpa has a 1929 Model A Roadster. It's a lovely restored, as close to original as possible, example. Even has a the original paint. With all the different things that was done with these and all the great memories having that car has created, I am said about all the scrapped examples. Really for any old car honestly.

[@asteverino8569]

Well, I still don’t see anything wrong with this from a business point of view. If people thought it was just Henry being thrifty, then they were not aware of what PR is. Thanks, I didn’t know this aspect of “recycling “ that was done.

[@alanwalker1801]

The Japs are still using scrap and the Chinese

[@Pozi_Drive]

cradle to cradle, sustainable...

[@r.markclayton4821]

In 1930/31 my dad and some school friends bought a [running] Ford Model T for ten dollars ($10). As with old cars today there comes a point after a dozen years or more when the scrap value is higher than the used value and so the breakers beckon...

[@warrenmcelroy4718]

Man that really is Wild to think about isn’t it? Ten dollars… that’s Crazy

[@r.markclayton4821]

Well the model T was in production from 1908 to 1927 and 15 million were made selling for as little as $260 new (and under £200 in the UK) so about 4% of the car's original price. It was superseded by the much improved model A, so used model T prices fell steeply. Even today in te UK you can pick up 10 -15 year old cars with an MoT for ~£500 - about 3-4% of their new cost.

[@warrenmcelroy4718]

@@ButterfatFarms yes I’m aware, yet still the idea of Ten dollars being a fair deal for a used vehicle is very hard to wrap my head around. About 25 years ago I bought a ‘67 Ford F100 pickup from a guy who drove it from North Carolina to here in central Kentucky because he didn’t want to have to drive it all the way back, so even being in very good condition I gave the guy $400 for it and even now, 25 years later that would STiLL be a Steal…. So ten dollars.. Yeah!

[@warrenmcelroy4718]

@@ButterfatFarms well you’ll like this then, about five years ago my wife had found a 2004 Volkswagen Jetta that she wanted to go look at and it was a nice enough car but we never even gave it an extra glance because right beside it was a 2006 Acura RL with the Honda V6, All Wheel Drive with Leather Interior and all kinds of bells and whistles , 110k and we wound up taking it home for $3000. I’ve been driving it back and forth to work for the past couple of months because diesel fuel has gotten plum ridiculous and I parked my truck and it’s been a great car, especially to have been used with over 100k.

[@dougnorton5143]

You have to put that $10 in comparison to today's $10. $207 in today's money as I type this, WOW!

[@darold1966]

Yes, same reason we get a 'credit' for turning in our old cell phones. He was an innovator, just not the way we think sometimes.

[@stevekovacs4093]

In only a decade or so we were scrapping millions of these vintage autos for the war effort. I'm sure many salvageable beauties were hastily destroyed, not just cheap model A's and other similar cars.

[@TIMEtoRIDE900]

Almost any of these scrappers would be a street rodder's dream find today, but back then high-school kids drove around in $10.00 Model "T" 's

[@snydedon9636]

Would they really be considered vintage at the time?

[@frysco5927]

@@snydedon9636 i remember watching a british documentary about scrap cars from the 1960's and beautiful pristine 1930's fords and chevys were treated like old clunkers that were worthless and a complete example was even crushed

[@willc5512]

@@frysco5927 U have to "do what u have to do" to survive periods of hardship. Looking back on it hurts. But society wouldnt be where it is today in terms of sky high prices & the mfr/dealers holding ALL the cards!

[@roberthaworth8991]

The Great Depression finished off many cars now considered Full Classics --- even some one-off custom jobs. With no other potential buyers, they were sold cheaply to migrating working families who often lived in them while on the road. It wasn't too unusual to see an otherwise threadbare family driving a careworn full-sized Buick with sidemounts, a Lincoln, Cadillac, or Packard with balding tires.

[@MrRotaryrockets]

Henry missed my 1927 model t roadster pickup..good thing

[@nevillemander]

Recycling before its time. Great innovation from the great man of auto-mation. Sparing resources and making cars aFORDable 😃

[@Feet-y4m]

It's about business

[@SuperMAZ007]

That was some interesting idea Ford had. The issue with used junk cars taking up space became a problem later also with other manufacturers in the 1950s and later elsewhere in the world in the 1980s.

[@AModelA]

Correct. In his book "My Forty Years with Ford", which was written in 1956, Sorenson said "I see no reason why this process should not be repeated. Before the Mid-1950's the secondhand car became a bigger problem than ever. So many used cars were for sale or still on the road that new car production was cut back."

[@misters2837]

@@AModelA My Grandfather ran a Junkyard from 1950-1977 it was amazing how second hand cars were so "worthless" even thru the late 60's my father bought from my grandfather in 1967, a 1961 Galaxie 4 door sedan (352 V8 Cruise-o-matic) for $150 1/20th of what it cost new (roughly $3000 with options)...it only had 60,000 miles as well...it wasn't worth hardly more than scrap prices even though it was a running/driving car at 6 years old...At that same time, they were hauling 1950's cars in for scrap, (nobody wanted a 1952 Chevy, Dodge or Ford) and By the time they hauled 2 Burned Car bodies and the premium cast....To the recycle center...Once they Paid the Fuel cost in the K7 International Truck, paid my 16yo Father a meager wage to haul it 80 miles round trip...they put literally pennies in the rainy day fund...Not only was a Running car not worth anything, neither was the scrap.

[@davemckolanis4683]

@@misters2837 And I Bet Today, (if those Classics Weren't TOO Rusted Away), they could have been A Lot More Valuable. There are old Junkyards in Warmer States you can view on U-tube, That have now turned into woods containing oldies in them. But the cars have Deteriorated to the point that they are Hardly Worth Rescuing and Dumping Money into restoring. TIME MARCHES ON, EVERYTHING. Even us too.

[@michaeltutty1540]

Way back in 1969 a neighbour had the transmission go bad in her old car. It was not worth the $150 it would have cost to fix, so it was hauled away for scrap. I think she got $10 for it. I was 8 at the time and I tried to tell her to fix her mint, pristine white over turquoise 57 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe with the 283/Powerglide. It only had about 30,000 miles on the clock. Who listens to an 8 year old about a car? Nobody. It was ashame as the 57 was so much nicer that the base ,69 Nova that replaced it.

[@davemckolanis4683]

@@michaeltutty1540 WOW. What a Sad Mistake. I was in my Late teens in 69, and a friend that went to our local Vo-Tech High School also had a 57 Chev. And the students fixed it up as one of their class learning projects, with a 2-tone paint job and a "Lace" painted hood that was popular at the time. It only had a 6-cylinder with a 3-Speed stick on the column, but it had a Real Low Rear end in it. And when he showed up with it at the store we hung out at, he could pop a wheelie with it. Fun Memories To Be Sure.

[@eugenelevin8314]

Leave it to Henry ! The wheels in his brain never stopped turning !

[@edcronin5409]

I worked for Toledo Scale Co every scale taken in trade for a new one ! Was destroyed never sold used , getting old ones off the market so only new models are available ! It did work !

[@mr.goodpliers6988]

Fascinating. The problem with planned obsolescence is... Obsolescence. It seems so odd that they chose such a labor intensive method. Auto wrecking in this era generally went as follows: Cars were lined up in a field, gas tanks were punctured, and the fuel soaked on the seats and fabric tops. They were then lit on fire to burn out the upholstery and body wood (of which many were manufactured, given that structural body wood was a common element of manufacturing well into the 30's). Then the carcasses were ready to scrap, with no further hand-disassembly required.

[@davemckolanis4683]

@ Mr. Good pliers. I Think your Car Scrapping method is pretty outdated. Since the late 90's, Cars are Squashed Down at the auto yard an hauled away on a flatbed to a Shredder, (Sometimes Being A Mobile Unit than can be moved from place to place), and the Cars are Dropped in it, (like being dropped into a meat grinder), and Pulverized into little pieces. With those pieces then being sperated out mechanically, and then hauled off to be recycled. It's a VERY NOISY Process Indeed, but gets the job done rather efficiently.

[@garyhoelting5994]

@@davemckolanis4683 he means back then,that is how they did it,had cousins in the auto wrecking buisness then,burn them and scrap them.today they shred them,and you are correct,it is probably the loudest thing I have ever experienced!

[@kirksway1]

@@garyhoelting5994 they are DAMN loud!

[@zzoinks]

I wonder if the disassembly line was faster, because a huge field is not needed to place all the cars and let them burn. Or it wouldn't make the air quality worse which I assume burning likely did

[@gregorymalchuk272]

I would guess that labor was cheaper, and the materials like tire rubber, wood, rags from the ragtop, window glass, and brass from the radiator were more expensive and valuable.

[@RivetGardener]

Henry Ford was very thrifty and he and his partner even invented charcoal briquettes (Kingsford Charcoal) from the wood scraps left over from producing model T's. This singlehandedly nationalized the American passion for out door grilling.

[@johnwalker4215]

Kingsford was Henry Fords cousin-in-law

[@michaelvrooman5681]

I grew up in Upper Michigan where Ford bought his wood. There are still charcoal kilns Ford built around the U.P.they look like stone Igloos. The city of Kingsford is named after Fords cousin. He was a lumber barron up there.

[@michaelvrooman5681]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/amaaq6OLmN-FiLs

[@wb3161]

You’re absolutely correct

[@chuckschafer6728]

@@johnwalker4215 HIS NAME WAS KING

[@mattkaustickomments]

I’ve never seen this film nor old school car haulers like that…Thanks!!

[@KB4QAA]

3:15 Clearly the compactor is NOT hydraulic. The sheave and cables visible show this is a Gravity compactor.

[@AModelA]

The reference to the Hydraulic compactor comes from Charles Sorenson's book "My Forty Years with Ford". As this process was continued for a number of years it is possible that they used different types of presses to compact the cars.

[@KB4QAA]

@@AModelA Thanks for the reply and reference. Your video is history I have never heard. Cheers!

[@johnnywadd3020]

no hydraulics till 50's

[@AA-69]

😭Can you imagine the money in a set of headlights ALONE 😭

[@fordtruxdad5155]

Very interesting! And then there were a few folks like my grandfather, who drove his T until after WW II. Then he broke bad with a brand new Kaiser!

[@jimmyfleetwood1118]

That's the pattern of a thrifty rural person. I knew a few similar stories.

[@carlatamanczyk3891]

My neighbor owns a 29 Model A. It's been in his family since new. Other than having to double clutch it, I kind of like driving it.

[@BD-bditw]

That reminds me of a friend from years back. He had an old Ford Consul and he could take it through the gears without using the clutch; he just matched the revs to the road speed and the gears engaged smoothly most of the time. He didn't always get it right though.

[@blackholeentry3489]

My 84 year old Aussie wife's dad drove a Willys Whippet.....he called it "Double DeClutching."

[@blackholeentry3489]

@@BD-bditw Every time you "Don't get it just right" a little bit is chipped off one or more of the gears.

[@ramblerdave1339]

Also, by crushing old cars, you increase the need for cheap new cars, while simultaneously, propping up used car prices, which also makes dealers happy.

[@TIMEtoRIDE900]

@@thekingsilverado3266 "The United States shares a very important relationship, which is an alliance with the Republic of North Korea," "It is an alliance that is strong and enduring"

[@thekingsilverado3266]

@@TIMEtoRIDE900 Meat head does it again!!! Someone take that muppet in a backroom and put it to sleep//

[@nutzeeer]

Why do people give up their old cars so willingly?

[@ramblerdave1339]

@@nutzeeer Because it's easier to get a car loan, than a loan to repair a car, or because they can't fix their car themselves, are two possibilities. Not an expert, my newest vehicle is 20 years old, and my project is 54 years old.

[@UmmYeahOk]

@@ramblerdave1339 things cost a lot more back then as everything was American made, and they paid their workers a living wage. But also due to these costs, they were also willing to keep things longer, even had to have things repaired. Nowadays if your refrigerator, TV, washer or dryer went out, you just replaced them. You didn’t have them repaired. It was cheaper to keep old things for as long as you could. That said, there are certain things these cars had to deal with like poor/non existent roads, tolerances and lubrications, fuel quality, everything was new, buggy, and having to evolve with the times. So while you might work on a farm vehicle, something like a city commuter car would require trading in. But I bet more than anything that your average motorist knew how to change a tire. Nowadays so few people do, that the manufactures don’t even include a spare anymore. They want you to call up their service hotline instead.

[@mr.bnatural3700]

In the the 1930s these model T cars were Obsolete. You could pick them anywhere for $10-20 dollars. My Dad bought one to drive from farm to school.

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

So true

[@needsaride15126]

Thank you for sharing these great videos of the Model A

[@AModelA]

Glad you like them!

[@mikefrech1123]

The original "Cash for Clunkers."

[@georgemckenna462]

Spot on Mr. Frech.

[@mikefrech1123]

@@Brianz99 I don't get it.

[@anthonyiocca5683]

No Cash for clunkers used tax dollars to boost the auto industry sales of new cars. Thus Adding to the national debt.

[@AquaMarine1000]

That crushing press is no more than a heavy weight lowered and raised by a pulley system as seen in the film.

[@th-pl3nx]

I thought the same thing.

[@Jon-gq3ny]

Bought my first car a 68 Chrysler 300 two door for 300 dollars in 73 for 300 Dollars with 82000 miles on it and only needed freeze plugs replaced 😂.

[@johndeere1951a]

Probably the first car Recycling. BMW in 2000 was focusing it's car design and manufacturing aimed at disassembling interior materials, metals, wiring for new car production just like seen here. What's old is new again. 👍

[@nsidor1234]

I remember my Grandpa, many many years ago, telling me that Ford used to buy up as many old "tin Lizzie's" as they could get their hands on because the cars were so well built that they were afraid their reliability would hamper future sales...

[@Beth9228]

All of my vehicles that I had were slightly used liked a year or 2 from Ford. My first car had a little damage on the front bumper done by my father when he accidentally backed into with his 1997 Ford F-150 pickup truck. It was a cut out of the hitch from the truck. In my 2nd car that I got rear ended by this mini van. I thought it might be much worse but, it wasn’t. It had a couple dings and one tiny hole. I was thinking of it is not as bad and I was just thinking of forgetting about it. I accidentally bumped the car in front of me and the guy over reacted it. He only gotten a couple of dings from my car when I was pushed toward to his car. I was in a serious car accident in that car. It was built like a cage. I only had a broken left ankle from it from the impact from the other car.

[@williammyers9773]

The original Cash for Clunkers🤣🤣

[@elektro3000]

Today in 2022, some of the highest quality steel used in the automotive industry, such as that used for ball or roller bearings or forged steel crankshafts, is made from 100% scrap remelt in Electric Arc Furnace steel mills. The scrap steel is carefully assayed, mixed together to get the correct alloy content, and then topped up if any element is below the required percentage.

[@yiyoorozco9655]

I wish I could come across one of those today

[@edwardhalpin7503]

It was the smart move. This, no doubt, was a factor in price support. Can anyone today imagine buying a new car for $4400? (a new T roadster sold for $280 in 1925) This resulted in just about anyone being able to acquire a used vehicle for minimal expense

[@markreisen7038]

My dad's twin brother my uncle Dale bought a second hand Model A in the early 50's for $25.00 and my dad's first car was A BLACK 1937 Ford tudor slope back that i think he gave $35.00 for.. Man those were the good old days..

[@ricochetey]

@@markreisen7038 That's awesome! My Grandpa told my Dad to scrap his first car a Plymouth Belvedere in the early 70s just because it needed brakes! It was cheaper to buy a new one

[@markhenry5294]

Are you also factoring in inflation? Every single person on the internet that lists a price of something more than 100 years ago forgets that those people were being paid 16 *cents* a day. Although the ford Model T was still a very cheap car, nowadays it would cost between $9,059 and $25,835 USD.

[@ricochetey]

@@markhenry5294 Yes but at the same time people are making the same wages as they were in 1980s when I got my first job around 8yrs ago I was making 12 an hr my Dad made more than that in the Grocery store around 78' no way I could afford to go out and buy a new car

[@markreisen7038]

@@markhenry5294 That's not entirely true as Henry Ford doubled the daily wage to $5.00 for a 8 hour day thus making a Model T that much more affordable.. That's why he was able to sell 15 million in 18 years..

[@jeremyedgell9989]

Really cool and interesting video. I've always been a Ford man came from long generation of Ford men. Done a lot of history on Henry Ford as a kid and teenager. Always looking for more interesting content on Ford. Thank you for this video.

[@davemckolanis4683]

@ Jeremy Edgell PBS has a 2-hour AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Episode about Henry Ford's life that was made over 10-years ago. I'm Sure you can still purchase a DVD of it from PBS Video, and it also contains most of this Car Crushing and recycling footage in it too. Especially showing how HARSH he was to his son EDSEL, and then how he regretted how he treated him after he died. Old Henry Turned into somewhat of a tyrant after his Beloved Model-T was replaced with newer models, and the Continual yearly design changes. A VERY WELL Done production that I like to watch again and again every few months.

[@jeremyedgell9989]

@@davemckolanis4683 thank you I'll check that out!

[@staywhite6332]

@@jeremyedgell9989 That was just a hit-piece against him, crafted to appear as a 'neutral' documentary. Ford was an amazing man, and, he, as many men before him, correctly identified the group of creatures who are causing all the ruin to America, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Australia, and New Zeland. Only thing he didn't figure out about them is that they are not the identity they claim to be, but, he did correctly identify them as the real enemies of the world, thus, the many hit piece "documentaries" against him.

[@ronniedaniel8665]

I have a 1971 Ford f100 truck it will out last any new one today

[@mrfrdman]

Recycling at its best, good move Mr Ford :)

[@georgemartin5980]

The original “cash for clunkers” program, but go figure, it was privately funded because companies actually had to stand on their own.

[@roberthaworth8991]

It's the result of offering cars at such low prices that you attract customers with so little cash that they can't afford to buy a car except with a trade-in.

[@patriley9449]

When I was a teenager back in the mid to late 60s, it was not uncommon to see early to mid 50s cars advertised for sale in newspapers and on TV for between $ 99.00 and $ 199.00. I am not sure how they ran, because I never bought one.

[@kosmologist]

In today's money this is around $1000 - $2000

[@johnmadow5331]

When I moved to America in the earlier of 1970, I saw a used car lot that has 1960 car like Chevy Bel-Air in nice shape sold for $500-800 cash. It was very cheap compare to the similar car sold in Asia country that paid 880% importation taxes. I save money from my student worker summer job plus allowance and I brought one of these car for $900.00. The mileage are rolls back to 50K. It ran find and I brought a new tires Radial for $35.00 each head light made by Wagner and carburetor rebuild kits for $4.50. It last and I drove to college and work until 1976 when I made more money and my mom brought me a new Chevy Impala for $4,200.00 and I sold my car for $500.00.

[@Camska427]

@@johnmadow5331 just bought a 2002 Chevy impala for $4,500 and sold my 2002 Saturn l300 for $400. the chevy is in great shape with only 112k miles with a durable 3.8 buick engine. cant imagine buying a new car today.

[@robc8468]

Many of those $100 to $200 cars ran ok most were rusty, bald tire and worn out tires and brakes, many had a hole in the floor under the carpet or rubber mats, some were burning oil with blue smoke and had rusted out loud exhaust and worn out shocks. A "decent" used car was more like $500 to $600 .

[@mattryan4067]

Sad to see these cars are forever gone ! Unlike today no one is gunna pull a 2013 anything out of the back forty and get it running again 40 years from now.

[@hardchines]

don't worry, Henry built and sold millions of model A's so no shortage of cars or new replacement parts! Recently sold my 1930 AA for over 17K, thanks Hank!

[@jimmyfleetwood1118]

You're likely right about the 2013. Certainly, the time-failed electronics will keep it from going.

[@dufus7396]

Resmelting existing steel and iron..huge production and energy saving

[@donmoore7785]

Awesome piece of history here!

[@markhenry5294]

And the outcome of this is that we only have around 60,000 of the original 15,000,000 made. A good decision at the time, but it made the price of these go up from $500 to $100,000 USD.

[@phantomcorsair8476]

A good running T can be had for under 10 grand if you know where to look. There are close to 200,000+ model T's still in existance, the main reason the estimation numbers are lower is most estimations come from dmvs. There are still plenty out there hidden away in barns and woods waiting. Go get em and drive em!

[@roberthaworth8991]

Great Depression buyback campaign got 600,000 cars; WWII scrap drives maybe another 2 million; attrition in the '50s another 1M? @@jondoe5536

[@theschiznit8777]

Always amazed at what Henry Ford accomplished in one lifetime.

[@theschiznit8777]

@@mikeholland1031 Paying his employees a living wage, reluctant to lay off employees during the depression, creating a company that employed thousands, making cars affordable to the average person which in turn improved the quality of life and starting all this from scratch. Yeah, pretty amazing.

[@mikeholland1031]

@@theschiznit8777 ya. He did a lot of good stuff too I guess. Definitely no angel though

[@ednorton47]

It is too bad that he drove his son nuts and put him into an early grave.

[@toledojeeper2932]

@@jakekaywell5972 …You are incorrect on a few points . Ford received the medal but never went to Germany to receive it . Ford didn’t have a photo of Hitlter , Hitler had a photo of Ford on his desk . Ford lost all control of his plants in Germany when the war began . Ford was building planes and Jeeps long before the War Production Board was established.

[@Cabalero24]

​@@theschiznit8777 я не знаю сколько платил форд рабочим перед своим уходом, но когда генри форд начинал от платил своим рабочим зарплату вдвое боьше средней по отрасли.

[@gonzalogochicoa6815]

Amazing Job Mr.

[@bigredc222]

Harley Davidson did something similar at some point, maybe in the 30s, I don't remember the years. They had a policy where the dealers were no allowed to resell any motorcycles traded in, they were supposed to scrap them, and I'm pretty sure they had to eat the cost. Of course, the dealers were not happy, so they stripped some down and sold the parts or sold the bikes out the back door. The policy didn't last very long.

[@lancewalker1999]

Electrolux vacuum cleaners were treated the same way at one time by their dealers. Same result.

[@mrhamburger6936]

The steel in your brand new car that you just bought might be generations of these old cars

[@elimeir8558]

My dad told me stories about his dad taking him to the junkyards back in the mid 50s and all you could see was model T’s and model A’s for miles.

[@AModelA]

With nearly 20 million Model A's and T's produced it was inevitable they'd fill junkyards. A lot of people active in the early days of the hobby would say they'd junk a fender that had a small dent in it as they could always find a nicer one in a junkyard. Thanks for watching!

[@Feet-y4m]

Hello I'm just 14 years old I want to know what type of products they made when these cars got recycled. I hope you answer my question thank you have a nice day.@@AModelA

[@zudemaster]

Sounds similar to that cash for clunkers program they had going around 15 years ago.

[@mr.bnatural3700]

There was a move to get these used cars off the road for new inventory; dealers were paid a bounty for every "skin". They would send in a piece of car metal with the serial number attached. Then they got paid.

[@mikethespike7579]

Scrapping these cars like that and recycling the metal was revolutionary in those days. A lot of old worn out cars then were just left abandoned in the oddest places, buried in back yards, thrown off cliffs, sunk in lakes or left on beaches for the sea to claim. It's no coincidence that many old cars are found in barns under piles of junk forgotten by their owners until their grand children or great grand children find them decades later. I'm guessing our Ford standing outside in front of our house will end up one day just like the cars in the footage. It's not gonna become a barn find that's for sure.

[@Cabalero24]

ты льстишь современным автомобилям ) - сегодняшние автомобили сделаны из фольги, через 30 лет нечего будет восстанавливать - ржавчина его съест, а многочисленные уникальные прокладки ты просто не купишь, машины тридцатых годов чинились запчастями взятыми в магазине сантехники и строительными материалами )

[@mikethespike7579]

@@Cabalero24 Modern cars hardly rust anymore. And gaskets are easily made. As for spare parts, eventually these will by taken from scrap yards just like any car through history. And nobody ever repaired a car with parts from a pluming store. But you have missed an important issue that will shorten the life of most modern cars. The electronics and software inside them that run the engine. Electronics deteriorate over time even when they are not being used. I doubt that a modern car found in a barn in 30 yeas time will run, its electronics by then will be half rotted away.

[@Cabalero24]

@@mikethespike7579 новые американские машины уже с завода ржавые - зайди к местному диллеру и посмотри любую машину снизу, для новых машин ты уже не сделаешь сам прокладку, производители всё усложнили, машины 20-40х годов можно ремонтировать сантехническими запчастями, особенно форды, уже сегодня к любой старой машине ты соберёшь необходимую электронику на коленке, микрокомпьютеры уже стоят дешевле стакана кофэ.

[@Feet-y4m]

Those cars are very rare to find even and Barns

[@Steven-re7xt]

Our factory shut down. (Tv)Got my share of profits from the "union" plan . Went out and bought a new Ford truck. Then drove in on to the japanese break plant at Findlay Ohio" that got me the stink eye"..and finding that I "was" a union Stuart and drew cash for my truck from from my x union shop. Wasn't long that I was ushered off site. That Ford truck was purchased in 1998 and is still chugging along thanks.

[@tbd-1]

It's a similar story with the Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" airplane. So many of them hit the surplus market after WWI and they were so cheap that people opted to buy them for years before considering a newer model airplane. They finally had to be condemned to get people to buy new airplanes even though Curtiss made JN variants until 1927.

[@AModelA]

That's an interesting piece of history. Thanks for sharing!

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Great vid............................... 👍👍👍

[@craigiefconcert6493]

Imagine instead all those cars were loaded into sea cans and stored or stuck in a desert cave lol. It would be worth a lot today.

[@edbollett9083]

He was just doing what as become a way of most modern day auto manufacturers. A+ Henry for your early endeavors in recycling. Of course the techniques of a businessman are sometimes less desirable. Especially to people who support them by buying their products or services.. all in all at the end of the day the Ford motor company is one of the few American icons still in existence. Who has basically always manage to stand on their own.. should check out Ford's latest endeavor. It's called blue oval City. A new manufacturing facility in Tennessee the project is estimated to cost 5.6 billion dollars. Do to go online in 2025 catering to the electric vehicle...

[@ne1sail]

Very interesting and informative. Thank you.

[@bk14nyc]

WOW, awesome Rare Video!!!! 👍👍👍

[@SuperFullin]

Awsome video! Thanks for sharing. Cheers from Brazil. 31' De Luxe Roadster.

[@AModelA]

Thanks for watching!

[@Chrisf92262PS]

The modern computer manufacturing industry could learn from this. Whatever the original motivation, a circular supply chain would help reduce so much waste in today's market. Realistically, not all parts can be reused. But with research in De-manufacturing materials could be redesigned to make re-use more practical.

[@davegoldspink5354]

Great video thanks for sharing. You really have to love modern consumerism don’t you but really looking at this video recycling is a big deal nowadays and recycling these old cars would of been far better than them rusting away in a paddock somewhere.

[@Jim-hw1xr]

That "compactor" looked like it was suspended by a cable. You can see the pulley on top.

[@donmoore7785]

That is to pull it back up. Hydraulic going down, hoist to raise it.

[@AndyRRR0791]

The original "cash-for-clunkers" scheme!

[@drylinedrifter]

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing this. Cheers! 😎

[@robert-oq9jq]

Henry Ford was a great man and not just because of the car company he started and the business he revolutionized but he was an author as well, at one time you got a copy of his book with every car purchase

[@klaytonpeterson]

Excellent....and interesting...Thank you

[@AModelA]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@vernonslone8627]

To make good steel adding some old scrap improves it...No different today cars are still being scrapped...Just old used up cars...

[@jfv65]

The good thing about scrapping old cars was that it enabled demand for new cars which in turn strongly stimulated innovation. A model T wasn't exactly a benchmark for efficiency. ICE automobiles have come a loooooong way.

[@davidschenburn3238]

Yeah. It's really made the world a better place. What a good thing.

[@Matt2chee]

Remember cash for clunker's 2009?

[@geoben1810]

Yeah, still, it is a shame to see them being destroyed

[@richardross7219]

In the early 1930s my old man(then a teen) bought his first Model T for $1. He had to assemble it but, he got it running so that he could save up for his first new car, a V-8 Ford. Good Luck, Rick

[@AModelA]

That's how you know he wanted a car real bad. Thanks for watching!

[@kirkmanning6232]

Believe it or not, I have seen brand new cars and trucks scrapped after being damaged in transit. There was once over a dozen GM trucks in Oshawa assembly that got run over by rail cars in the marshalling area! Holy shit. The costs get passed on to consumers as part of doing business

[@evangiles4403]

No it doesn't it gets written off through taxes as demurrage

[@BillLaBrie]

Oh nooo! Not upcycling and recycling! We hate that!

[@raoulcruz4404]

My former boss told me a story about his great uncle that owned a Ford dealership. When the Model A came out, he couldn't sell his remaining Model T's. Nobody wanted them. So, one day, he chained all his new Model T's together and towed them to a ravine outside of town. Then pushed them all into the ravine.

[@johnnicol8598]

Should have had a raffle or lottery of some type. Would have been a great promotional event for the dealer.

[@nutandboltguy3720]

That same problem happened when the C8 Corvette came out and there were still unsold C7’s at dealerships. The C8 was revolutionary compared to the C7. I don’t think any of the C7’s got pushed off a ravine.

[@Hogger280]

He should have been arrested for that! There were scrap dealers the would have taken them.

[@kirksway1]

I've heard similar stories.

[@GermanShepherd1983]

I doubt that story is true. There was a 6 or 7 month break from the time the Model T was discontinued until the Model A was available. Many Ford dealers had nothing to sell as there was nothing being produced. No dealer would have scrapped new T's, they were desperate to sell anything they could get for those 6 months. Besides, the public didn't even know what type of car Ford would be producing, it was kept a closely guarded secret until they got done retooling and started making the Model A.

[@WendysAnime]

My brother was asking why so many people let old cars die (I've a 67 Buick) I explained it's like a Honda of back then, when it fails they either get crushed or let go die somewhere...a normal car that fulfills its purpose.

[@AModelA]

Exactly, very few people today would cry over a 2007 Corolla being scrapped. The other factor is that during this time frame the advancements in automobiles in just 10 or 15 years was dramatically bigger than what we see today. Thanks for taking the time to comment!

[@samueldeandrade9058]

Amazing Ford!

[@Hotrodman]

when I saw the torch in the hands of the worker, my heart trembled.. Poor ol Fords, its so sad to see when such a good thing gone..

[@AModelA]

Agreed, thanks for watching!

[@vikingstorm32]

When I junked my 5.7L 1998 Silverado i didnt even blink, but now i realize how valuable those are. Oh well

[@ShainAndrews]

Dime a dozen...

[@davidmazza3898]

What a miracle it is that my 25 t roadster survived so many obstacles in its near 100 years

[@AModelA]

Indeed! Thanks for watching.

[@boycesizemore2619]

Interesting history.

[@plunkervillerr1529]

Enjoyed !

[@don66hotrod94]

Our local Ford dealer starting in 1910 switched to Hudson/Essex in 1926. They said they couldn't give a Model T away any more. They were just too outdated by then.

[@jamesdamron2065]

Pretty cool,,didn't know that

[@g6qwerty]

And this is why modern cars fall apart really fast after 100k miles, so they can sell new cars.

[@seed_drill7135]

Untrue. Most cars today will go well over 200K with just normal dealer recommended maintenance. I got over 350K on my last new car before the transmission finally failed.

[@muziklvr7776]

Electronics is the big killer today. Other than that, Toyotas still go hundreds of thousands of miles with ease and one doesn't need to grease the entire suspension every 500 miles, regular points/condenser replacement and adjust timing as well as a bunch of other maintenance items that isn't prevalent today.

[@mountainman5025]

nowadays they put some sawdust in the driveline, add some 90 weight oil to the crankcase, and paint the rusted parts black, and push it back out on the lot and ask $45,000 for it.

[@assymcgee2835]

I'll remind everyone,when this went on, these vintage cars are the equivalent of a clapped out 92 blazer with 300k miles. Same as buying a charger Daytona for 100 bucks during the gas crunch. Hell, my step dad's uncle traded a Plymouth superbird in on a 73 El camino. Cause in 73 the Plymouth was an ugly used fad car. I hate it, but that's the truth. Same goes for 59 Cadillacs, and don't tell the VW guys, splits an ovals. Some of the early beetles got the big back window mod, that might be worse than being crushed. Im 40 and remember 69 Camaros and 71 roadrunners being for sale on street corners, for like 700 bucks. Grew up in a small town.

[@davemckolanis4683]

@ Assy McGee. And check the going auction price of a Daytona, Sunbird and 69 Camaro now. We went to an auction 14-years ago when a friend squirrel away 25k to bid on one of the 4- 1969 Camaro's, (like he had as a kid), going on the auction block that day. But he may as well have stayed home, because The Minimum Price one of the sellers wanted to get was 40k. Those muscle cars from the younger boomer year, (who now have retirement savings to spen), have become HOT Pricy Items Indeed. My How Times have changed.

[@assymcgee2835]

@@davemckolanis4683 I've been to enough car shows, I know, it's insane

[@sammolloy1]

The Superbird was a lame copy of the Daytona which was a real race car for the street. Both were fad cars. It’s not the car driving the price up, it’s the desire to be young again. The price will fall as that generation passes. Just as the desirable cars from the 30’s and 50’s have. A truly beautiful car will always have solid value. A prewar Packard or early postwar Clipper, a mid 50’s 300 or DeSoto, a 1966 Electra, a Gen II Firebird. All the new cars are total crap and will never be revered.

[@anthonyiocca5683]

What I was told back in the 1970’s. To be excepted for trade-in the car must drive to the dealership on it own. Sometimes dealers would advertise tow it or drag it in and receive trade-in value. Whatever that was, just a sensible recycling gimmick to purchase new.

[@curiosity2314]

Great example of recycling.

[@tubeonline629]

The brand new Ford car you drive today could have metal from one of those model A's there is no limit to the amount of times steel can be recycled.

[@bobbrienza1760]

Very interesting!

[@AModelA]

Glad you think so! Thanks for watching!

[@JxH]

2:13 Did you notice the railway tracks lining the sides of the compactor? Obviously arranged to resist deformation of the walls in case the subject-under-crush decides to bulge outwards.

[@larryrivers2752]

👍 good video. That was not a hydraulic press ( car crusher ).

[@Nord3202]

Ford Model A Steel was very high quality compared to today's cars that rust out.

[@roberthaworth8991]

See my comment above. Steel produced by recycling in that way cannot have been equivalent in quality to virgin steel. Maybe Ford sold this stuff abroad, or made something other than cars out of it. His goal was to remove used cars from the road, after all -- the money earned from his recycled materials just barely covered the cost of the recycling itself.

[@calbob750]

Since 1978 most cars have galvanized steel. Rustproofing shops are almost nonexistent. I recall cars in the fifties, sixties and seventies rusting heavily in three years.

[@nlpnt]

Heavy dose of survivorship bias, as well as road salt not being used that widely until well into the '50s meaning your A could have been in service for more than 20 years and parked in a barn because nobody wanted it, without being doused in salty slush more modern cars had to endure.

[@cyrilhudak4568]

I heard somewhere that it was chrome-moly alloy in the T's. Very high quality because he made it himself.

[@elektro3000]

Absolutely not true. I am a metallurgist at one of the Big 3 automakers and I can tell you that prewar steel quality was absolute garbage compared to what good steel mills make today...but steel quality has nothing to do with corrosion resistance unless you're talking about stainless. Steel thickness, anti-corrosion coatings, and design that prevents pooling of salt and water in crevices or holes, are the things that slow down rust.

[@locomotivebreath9364]

If you're buying a ten year old car now, you'll pretty much get the same car of today, but with bits of rust here and there, and maybe slower onboard computer But if you're buying a ten year old car in 1930, you're getting a totally outdated junk heap

[@timdvorak1712]

Exactly. I worked at dealership for many years. I remember the owner saying, "people say they don't make cars like they used to. I wish they did, We would sell more cars!".

[@SpockvsMcCoy]

Today, cars in the U.S. last over 16 years on average before scrappage. But back when this was recorded on film, the average was about half that...only 8 years. If a car made it to 10 years old and 100,000 miles...it was a reason to celebrate. Cars of that vintage had no significant corrosion protection, unpaved roads tore up vehicles, and engineering changes resulted in minimal number of replacement parts for older cars. Now the public expects long term reliability and all the independent auto parts retailers ...neither existed then.

[@RonBoerste]

Watching those old ponies get crushed made me start sweating and getting dizzy and then he reminded me that they could do that back then a I thought thank God it was all a dream 😱

[@gotj]

Buen vídeo.

[@glennstevenson6242]

I didn't know that.