FYI - 59 production rate in Nov. 58

[YellowRose]

FYI - 59 production rate in Nov. 58

Thanks, Anders, for posting those video links. There are a lot more of them to look at off to the side. I have been enjoying looking at a lot of them. Nice stuf..

[fomoco59]

I talked with John Rotella "the Code Cracker" about this subject. "In the years 1958 through 1976, Thunderbirds shared the same assembly line with Lincolns (as was the case in 2002-2005).
Ford VINs always start with the number 100001. During the SquareBird Era, Lincoln VINs started with 400001. So it is easy to tell how many were built, or to be precise, how many were scheduled to be built.
From what I have read and understood from people who worked on the assembly line, in the SquareBird Era it was most common to see Convertibles only a "Convertible Day", they never ever mixed Hardtop production with the Convertibles. Lincolns had their own separate line on which they would be veered off for some special items, and then the Lincoln Convertibles had their own special line off that one! It must have looked like a railroad yard.
The only place where Thunderbird production is confusing was at Dearborn (1955-1957), and Los Angeles (1968-1976) when Thunderbird production numbers were merged with other Ford products.
All Lincolns were built at Wixom starting in 1958, and continuing right up until the present with these two notable exceptions: the Versailles (built at Wayne with the Granada and Monarch) and the present-day MKX (Oakville).

Right, this photo is correct. As the assembly line process neared its end, the Lincolns would go off to the side for some special quality checks, and tests of some components that the Thunderbird did not have.... like automatic dimmer or power door locks. Then the Lincoln would get back on the regular line. In late 1957, when the new big Lincolns were being built at Wixom but Thunderbird production had not yet started, they really enjoyed some intimate "hand holding". A retired ex-manager from Wixom told me a while back that he felt the reason that Square Bird production was delayed was really to accommodate the workers in a new surrounding, and to get the Lincolns on the right track.
Every road test comparison of the day, Cadillac vs. Lincoln, always puts Lincoln ahead in the quality control department. Not to say that they were such wonderful cars, but for 1958 standards they were the best in the U.S. "

Thanks John.

[Anders]

Really? I thought I heard that those stainless birds were the last ones made. Something about the hard stainless destroying the stamping dies.

The reason I ask is that my car was built on July 26th, and I remember checking at the T'bird registry and finding that there were some 10,000 Squarebirds made after mine.

I only wrote what the film said.

[JohnG]

You're safe, Anders..... being in Sweden there's no way we can get to you to beat on you for any possible mistakes!

[tbird430]

You're safe, Anders..... being in Sweden there's no way we can get to you to beat on you for any possible mistakes!

LOL!!! You guys are real funny. LOL!!!

[Guest]

How about the 36 ford , two 60 t-birds and a lincoln in stainless. And yes the dyes were shot after that.

[fomoco59]

Stainless steel cars were not pioneered by DeLorean in 1981, though that company was the first to mass produce a stainless steel car. The first stainless steel car was proposed by the Allegheny Ludlum Steel Division in 1935 to Ford Motor Company and six 1936 Ford Model 68 Tudor Deluxe sedans were produced. The idea was repeated at the end of the run of 1958 to1960 Thunderbirds, since those cars in stock form used a great deal of stainless steel for their trim. Two 1960 Thunderbirds were built in stainless steel. It was necessary to wait until the end of the production run, because the harder stainless steel would wipe out the stamping dies. In 1966, three 1966 Lincoln convertibles were made in stainless steel. An example of each of these cars can be seen at the Crawford Auto-Aviation museum in Cleveland, Ohio.

[tbird430]

I bet if I were driving that S/S '60 outside and the sun hit just right off the hood, it would be BLINDING!!

[bcomo]

That's right Jon.

And with the 105' heat that you've been having in North Texas, you could park it along side the road, and make some extra cash frying Breakfast Tacos on the hood.

[tbird430]

HAHAHAHA!!!