Found on the net- two article and pictures of Canadian, automotive pioneer, Harry Stevenson's amazing '1933-home-built' Areo-bodied Model T Ford streamliner. Enjoy! Mart3406 ======================= http://www.metrompg.com/posts/model-t-stevinson.htm Aero mods - 1930's style Posted Tuesday, October 3/06 in General Harry Stevinson was decades ahead of his time. In 1933 at the tender age of 17, he put his self-taught mechanical & design talents to work fabricating a streamlined one-off car that was both faster and more efficient than the Model T Ford it was based on. I learned about Harry and his car from his son, Tom, who lives near the same town I live in. Tom and I sail together in the local sailboat races, and the topic of his dad's Model T came up one day in the marina parking lot when he commented on some modification I had made to the Blackfly. What emerged is a fascinating story along similar lines as the aero-modified Metro XFi - only this story took place 60 years earlier... Driving prodigy ... <table width="166" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr><td width="100%"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="14" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td>Harry's Model T in its original form.</td></tr></tbody></table> </td> </tr></tbody></table>It wasn't just Harry's design skills that were ahead of their time; he was a driving prodigy too. At just 11 years old, he - rather than his dad - drove the family car on a trip through the Rocky Mountains, because he was better at it! But the story of the streamlined Model T took place in Bashaw, Alberta - a little bit east and a few years later than that family trip through the Rockies. In 1933, Harry got himself a junked Model T, which he initially put on the road in the same form as other T's its age. Befitting the tough economic times, many of the parts he used to rebuild & repair it came from the "nuisance ground" (dump), paid for through barter. Labour was mainly manual - e.g. spending 15 hours cutting a hardened steel drive shaft by hand. Streamlined motivation ... Harry's car didn't remain "stock" for long. Based on his interest in & knowledge of airplanes (sparked partly by the antics of the barnstormers of the era), the young man evaluated conventional car design and said to himself, "this isn't good enough!" <table width="206" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr><td width="100%"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="14" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td>Under construction.</td></tr></tbody></table> </td> </tr></tbody></table> Clearly, Harry understood the role and importance of aerodynamics, which led him to the obvious conclusion: cars should be streamlined too - both for higher speed, and better fuel efficiency.And he achieved both goals. Compared to the Model T's top speed of 45 mph (72km/h), the streamlined & modified car would go 70 (113 km/h). Its fuel economy was also improved: 45 imperial mpg (38 mpg US) compared to the Model T's 30-36 imperial mpg (25-30 mpg US) - though obviously not at 70 mph! Some rough estimates (Thanks Mighty Mira) indicate that Harry managed to reduce his car's CdA to just 26% of that of a stock Model T. Beneath the skin ... But the improvements to the car's performance didn't come exclusively from better aerodynamics. Harry also made a fundamental change to the driveline to squeeze every last bit from the Ford engine's 20 horsepower. He did it by mounting a Chevrolet transmission inline - backwards - after the original Ford unit. This gave him 7 forward gears, and 5 reverse. Of course not all the gear combinations would have been practical or even usable, but with some experience and forethought, the driver could pick the best one for the job. Stopping the whole works was also done using the transmission's service (shaft) brake and gears rather than the stock Model T's rear drum brakes. Their brake shoes tended to get worn down quickly anyway in the prairie dust & mud. Custom body ... Of course the car's most striking modification was its custom made, boat-tailed body: built over wooden frame & stringers, wood floor hand soldered exterior panels, 18 coats of paint (maroon colour) 4 person seating, 2 front, 2 rear despite small windshield area, forward visibility was fine since the driver sat close to the gl*** a gas torch served as the front window defroster note the "upgrade" from wooden artillery wheels to stylish metal spoke wheels At first, there appears to be one large aerodynamic oversight: the absense of shaped fenders or streamlined wheel pants. But this wasn't an oversight - it was a conscious decision. It's easy to forget that we haven't always had the luxury of paved roads to travel on. In fact, at that time the car was built, there were only 10 miles of paved roads in all of Alberta. Fenders would have just ac***ulated mud, and the thick gumbo would have hardened in them, locking the wheels or hindering the suspension. Esteemed company ... I found it very interesting that Harry Stevinson's streamlined Ford was created around the same time as a number of other pioneering aerodynamic cars, including the first aerodynamic Tatra T77 (1934), the Dymaxion car (1933), and the Chrysler Airflow. <table width="504" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr><td width="100%"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="14" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td>Tatra (1934), Dymaxion car (1933), Chrysler Airflow (1934)</td></tr></tbody></table> </td> </tr></tbody></table> Esteemed company indeed. Untimely demise ... What ever became of this unique machine? Harry drove his creation for a several years before selling it. Unfortunately, the new owner tangled with a train, and while he survived, the car didn't: it was spun around in the crash and lost both its nose and shapely tail. It was an unfortunate end for a remarkable car. Epilogue ... Harry's interest in automobile efficiency didn't end with the aero T. In later years, he equipped an Oldsmobile with a basic fuel economy meter: a graduated gl*** cylinder (in the cabin) which fed fuel to the carburetor. He used it to monitor fuel consumption on the road. Harry was also an early adopter of the original VW Beetle. Even then, he was aware of its missed potential: despite its relatively good fuel efficiency (for its time), his son Tom remembers Harry explaining that its poor aerodynamics held it back. His sheer inventiveness and obvious interest in aerodynamics foreshadowed later accomplishments. After earning an electrical engineering degree at the University of Alberta, he eventually ended up working in the Canadian National Research Council's Flight Research Laboratory, where he was credited with inventing the "Crash Position Indicator" (CPI) - one of the first reliable aircraft emergency beacons. The CPI helped rescuers locate a downed plane. It had to be ejected at or just prior to impact, and was aerodynamically designed to fly clear of the airplane, decelerate, and fall gently to earth (or water, where it floated) to preserve its fragile radio components (think gl*** tubes). It was widely adopted, and saved lives. It was even nominated as one of Canada's 50 greatest inventions by the CBC. More about Harry Stevinson: - Extraordinary Inventor - U of A Engineer Magazine (Touches on the CPI, his Model T and more.) - The Crash Position Indicator - Aviation Safety - IEEE Canada - The Greatest Canadian Invention - CBC Related Links & Resources ... Fantastic 1930's home-made aero car - discussion of this article at Ecomodder.com Modified Metro XFi: throwing convention to the wind - MetroMPG.com Meet Harry Stevinson: Canadian, Awesome. - Jalopnik.com ------------------------------ http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/aeromodding-1930s-38-mpg-70-mph-model-t-92.html Aeromodding in the 1930's: 38 mpg, 70 mph Model T <hr style="color: rgb(236, 234, 230);" size="1"> <!-- / icon and ***le --> <!-- message --> Radical aeromodding of the DIY variety (e.g. basjoos' Aerocivic) isn't a new pursuit. I learned this from a friend of mine, whose father - at the age of 17 in 1933 - redesigned & fabricated an aerodynamic body for his Ford Model T. He transformed Ford's original high-drag disaster into a narrowed, boattailed, teardrop that was faster, more efficient and arguably better looking than the original. And fortunately for posterity, he do***ented the transformation in photos: Harry Stevinson's handiwork: Before, with the original car out goose hunting; After, with the redesigned aerodynamic body. The end result was a custom car that would go 70 mph with its original engine. The Model T in stock form topped out around 45 mph. Fuel economy was similarly improved with the streamlined version. Harry reported achieving 38 mpg (US), vs. the original car's 25-30 mpg. Click image to zoom - Harry posing with the project under construction The body was built over wood frame & stringers, wood floor 4 person seating, 2 front, 2 rear In the above image you can see the other major mod that improved the vehicle's efficiency: Harry installed a second transmission from a Chevrolet, inline behind the original Model T unit. This gave the car 7 forward speeds, and 5 reverse. Of course not all the gear combinations would have been practical or even usable, but with some experience and forethought, the driver could pick the best one for the job. Stopping the car was done using the transmission's service (shaft) brake and downshifting, rather than the stock Model T's rear drum brakes. The brake shoes tended to get worn down quickly anyway in the Canadian prairie dust & mud. Click to zoom: Reduced frontal area... and custom grill. despite small windshield area, forward visibility was fine since the driver sat close to the gl*** a gas torch served as the front window defroster Click to zoom - note the upgraded wheels! Changed from wood to metal spoke. Old-fashioned bling. The "wingless" aircraft look to the car was no accident (can you say "Aptera"?). Inspired by the barnstormers of his day, Stevinson developed an early interest in airplanes & aeronautics - appropriate, considering his later career which included working at the Canadian National Research Council's Flight Research Laboratory. This photo accompanied a 1930's newspaper article featuring the aero Model T Harry's efficiency interests didn't stop with the aero Model T. In later years, he equipped an Oldsmobile with a basic fuel economy meter: a graduated gl*** cylinder (in the cabin) which fed fuel to the carburetor. He used it to monitor fuel consumption on the road. Harry was also an early adopter of the original VW Beetle. Even then, he was aware of its missed potential: despite its relatively good fuel efficiency (for its time), his son Tom tells me he remembers Harry explaining that its poor aerodynamics held it back from even better MPG. The guy was a true ecomodding pioneer. --- For those who are interested, I posted the original version of this story on MetroMPG.com, where you can find more info than appears here.
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