Allright, I was hopped up on Dr. Pepper and Chinese food last night and thinking too much when I asked myself---why isn't Ford making repop bodies? Currently, Ford is downsizing its workforce, shuttering assembly and parts plants (like the one in my town of St. Louis), and hurting for both profit and market share. Why not go into the manufacture and assembly of bodies (not complete cars or chassis) but just bodies and components (grill shells, dashes, patch panels, etc.) of their designs that we know and love and use for hot rod projects (emphasis on projects)? For the price of an ad campaign to sell me some egg shell cookie cutter car, they could invest into tooling and workforce training at a shuttered plant to make rod bodies that you could buy through their dealer network or directly through a side company they start. Quality is there, fit and finish are there (no more non-fitting inserts or Chinese crap), warranty if there, and you've got a steel repop 32, 33, 34 40, etc. body at a cost that I assume will be comparable to a glass body today. I do question if there is enough market share there (how many of us are there out there who are devoted to steel??) to sustain such an enterprise for the long run and it does hurt current body manufacturers (both glass and steel) who do such a great job now so my idea will problably remain a rant. But I do think Ford should look into this on the small scale so I can get my slowly aging bum into a 32 roadster, a 33 3-window and a 32 5-window before I push up dasies. Later
What you're asking is what's wrong with Ford. They're not so much as closing plants as moving them to mexico/canada and this will turn into a very long discussion about forward-funded pensions, health care-costs, unions, auto design, etc. If you're asking why they don't make the old bodies, they could turn them out for about a year with their manufacturing capabilities before everyone who wanted one had one and then they'd be in the same boat.
The only reason anyone would move production to Canada is to save money. The Canadian dollar is now higher than the American dollar, for the first time in 30+ years,so NOBODY is moving plants here. Parts production is being moved out as fast as possible,for a few reasons. New assembly plants will be in Mexico,or where they can get cheap labor and tax incentives.
If you want to buy a new, antique Ford and answer the question of why they are in such a mess at the same time, Buy a new Crown Victoria or Lincoln Town Car still built on a chassis introduced in 1979 or a Ford Ranger, just mildly updated since it's 1982 Introduction.
They don't have to pay health insurance in Canada, the government does though tax dollars. I agree that labor costs are higher, though. And I'm not trying to get into a health care discussion, just pointing out that it's one of the biggest costs for ALL auto makers who build cars here...
There isn't even close to enough of a market to make it a viable business proposition, and if they flooded the market with "new" 32s it would kill our hobby (or my interest in it at least).
With all the safety, liability, health care costs, retirement pensions, etc. it's a miracle they are still in the car business. Lots of competition out there. Only time will tell whether they survive.
All the 'murican auto plants in Canada are Union. The companies DO pay for a health and welfare package. This includes medical, dental, eyeglasses, etc. Canadians do have a Government health plan, but we sure pay for it. Don't get sick up here 'cause you'll die waiting in line.
Thats an interesting point,if everyone in the world could go and buy a brand new Deuce would we still want one?Even the availability of glass bodies and all the retro shapes make the original's less unique
Hey, The short answer is that there is simply not enought of a profit margin in the production of antique automotive parts to be any where close to attractive to the Ford Motor Company. They are having a tough enough time selling the products they currently produce for the world market, that and the Hot Rod, Street Rod, and Restoration market arn't large enought to last but a couple, three years at the most. The legal nightmears of the production of antique automotive parts today would, no doubt ,keep an army of attorneys employed. Swankey Devils C.C.
The short answer is upper management is more interested in filling their own pockets,than making and selling a decent product. -------- Ford was planning on selling a limited number of new repop Model Ts to celebrate their 100th anniversary.Dropped a bunch of money on the project,until they realized the reproductions would qualify as a new car and have to meet all the new car rules. Wouldn't that be the sort of thing you would check BEFORE spending a bunch of money ?
Won't happen - assembly line workers make a little more than $1/week these days.... People talking about having to meet modern specs are off-base I think - since we're talking "replacement parts", they have to meet specs for the vehicle they're replacing, unless subject to some sort of upgrade/recall/etc (something that didn't happen back in the '30s).
You're single, aren't you? MSG and cane sugar can do wonders to a wandering mind, but obviously not jumpstart your libido. If you have any serious intentions of ever having a '32 Ford--real or repop--lay off the soda and take out.
This is being done, but just not by Ford. Tri fives Chevys, 50's Chev pickups, Many muscle cars, even 32 Fords, are all beng stamped out in new steel. With computer technology, you can scan in the dimensions of a body, then laser cut the dies, then rent time on huge stamping machines, and produce just about any body. The older shapes are much more complex, so that may be why you don't see more.
Hell, why doesn't Chrysler reproduce steel 1940-41 Willys Speedway Coupes? Technically they should own Willys by way of their acquisition of Jeep/AMC.
they do own willys. just go buy a grill for a 41 and see what you have to pay for all that licensing crap. i've never heard it called a "speedway" until that $495 thread the other day. i always thought it was an "americar". i was at a show about a month ago. found a vendor that makes license plates. i asked him to make me a chevy bowtie with HHR in the middle. well, you'd a thought i kicked this guy right in the nuts. he goes on the explain all the licensing shit he has to go through for all the companies anymore. he refused to make the plate for me. he told me horror stories about people he knew that got "busted" selling unlicensed merchandise. it's bad. ford started all this stuff . now gm and chrysler are in on it. even the foreign manufacturers are getting in on the act. so, while it makes us feel all warm and fuzzy to think about ford repoping 32's , or gm repoping 57 coverts. the fact is they would strong arm everyone out of the aftermarket and leave us paying stupid prices for parts and aftermarket bodies. in effect forcing some of us out of the hobby altogether. i can't imagine them making enough money off of this thing to put a dent in their financial problems. all they're going to end up with is alienating their most devout customer base. hot rodders.
The corporate lawyers at Harley started the licensing BS. Now it's a big piece of the annual revenue.
Simply, Ford and all the current manufacturers are in the business of selling new cars and trucks, not keeping old vehicles on the road. Ford did give some old tooling (several semi trailers full) to Dennis Carpenter in North Carolina. Dennis is licensed by Ford to reproduce many items in original ford tooling and sell it as such. Tracy
I think it's more economical for a company like Ford to sell licensing rights to make those parts to someone else than it is to do it themselves - selling rights is like getting money for doing basically nothing, and let someone else absorb the costs of tooling, manufacturing, and retailing the parts. I mean, if they made it themselves and only made 1%-5% profit on it, and can charge someone else who does make it 1%-5% of his selling price as a licensing fee - aren't they further ahead since there's no real investment to get to that percentage?
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