Early Cars and the Exciting Changes in New Car Construction
One hundred years ago, the automobile was still largely a luxury and reserved for the wealthy and those who knew a thing or two about the individual mechanics of their vehicle. Enter Henry Ford. Yes, the man had some ideas and he knew that there was an opportunity here to provide a vehicle that was simple, reliable, and affordable. So he set out to work and —perhaps without knowing it— affected the course of history forever.
The Model T was manufactured and sold from about 1908 to 1927 and it was the first effort to build a car that the common person could afford. It was also the first car that had all of its parts built by the same company. The Model T was designed to be a car for the average American and after a few years, it had become so popular that a majority of households had one. The Model T was a left-sided steering wheel and had a four-cylinder engine, with a detachable cylinder head. It also was built high enough to clear the ground and therefore withstand a little more impact on rough roads.
A Car That Traversed Mountains
Not many people remember the famous stunt pulled by Henry Ford and his son that led to the showcasing of the Model T’s amazing ability to be triumphant in rough roads.This publicity stunt was meant to get the attention of a British audience. The Model T rode over rocks, across bogs, and through snow and finally zig-zagged up the mountain. Following the promotional stunt there were about 14,000 Model Ts sold in the UK. So, the idea definitely worked.
Car Construction Today
As the decades have gone by, the way that companies construct cars has changed dramatically, as well as the materials and features that come with the vehicle. Today, the body of many cars are made with aluminum and not steel. This has changed the way that cars are built in factories and the thickness that these aluminum doors must have. According to experts, aluminum is just as safe as steel, granted the right design and materials.
Other features that have changed in cars over the last couple of decades include:
Anti-lock Braking Systems: These advanced braking systems are much better at preventing the wild skidding that happened with the older type of brakes. Newer braking systems also don’t cause your vehicle to lock up as they did.
Power Windows: Most vehicles today will have the power windows that are automatically controlled and missing the lever that was before needed to roll the windows down. This little crank would have to manually operated in order to open or close your window.
Computers in the Engine: The cars of today are largely managed by the ECU, which is the Engine Control Unit. It is mostly composed of sensors that determine air intake, the idling of the car, valves, and gears and a lot of other aspects of the car. Back in the early 70s many of these settings had to be altered manually and could cause damage to the engine.
Power Steering: Today, we could not imagine driving a car without the proper power steering, as it would make turns much harder and uncomfortable. In the late 60s and early 70s, vehicles mostly relied on the physical strength of the driver to turn it and thus could cause problems.
The Beauty of Vehicle Design
As part of the automobile industry, we are always excited to hear how the development of cars is changing and improving. Here at C & D Denty Guys, we are at the forefront of the body shop developments and how car construction affects the work we do.