Ford's manufacturing equipment

[TwentySixHundred]

These might seem like silly questions to some but i can't help but wonder.


Does anyone have any idea what Ford has done with their manufacturing equipment. I have searched all over the internet and haven't really found much information.


Im talking the engine castings and a panel presses (molds ect). Were they just smelted down at the local recycling plant or is someone in possession of all this equipment?


Is the R&D and engineering documents under lock and key or are they shredded? Would any other companies be able to buy this equipment and/or documents/patent to reproduce blocks, heads and other related components?


Only a matter of time to they start becoming rare with people buying wrecker specials and flogging them out. Would be a shame to see this equipment and research go to waste.



Americans are also becoming interested in the Barra and as such a great powerplant for competitive racing id like to see someone reproducing them.


I have found this place though http://www.aclperformance.com.au

[simon varley]

scrap metal :(

[eb2fairmont]

China

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by TwentySixHundred

Americans are also becoming interested in the Barra and as such a great powerplant for competitive racing id like to see someone reproducing them.

There is a demand for Nissans RB26 but I heard they cost around $50K to build.
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/...-in-production

But I haven't heard about any serious interest for the Barra, and cant see why there would be given other options

[cs123]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

There is a demand for Nissans RB26 but I heard they cost around $50K to build.
https://www.motorauthority.com/news/...-in-production

But I haven't heard about any serious interest for the Barra, and cant see why there would be given other options

That nissan engine is pretty pricey :(

I've seen a few adverts from importers in the USA about availability of Barra motors. Probably be a very limited market. The guys into full bodies cars will be doing the pushrod motors (LS) and the jappers won't be too interested.

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by cs123

That nissan engine is pretty pricey :(

I've seen a few adverts from importers in the USA about availability of Barra motors. Probably be a very limited market. The guys into full bodies cars will be doing the pushrod motors (LS) and the jappers won't be too interested.

Indeed for those larger cars the LS is so cheap and readily available, there are also Coyote crate motors available if they wanted Ford.

If someone really wants a Barra to build, there would be plenty salvageable from a wreckers I suppose

[Bill M]

Ford Dearborn has the ownership of intellectual property and I understand whatever was kept was sent there much to the disappointment of keen fans.

https://www.carsales.com.au/editoria...ry-war-103987/

Press tools are large, heavy and often modified to suit ongoing requirements. I very much doubt there was any thought given to retention by Ford Australia. They would have fulfilled their legal obligations to spares prior to shut down. Where the equipment ended up only those involved with it would know and as you state there is nothing on the web regarding it's disposal, only the Factory real estate.

The only company I know of who actively sought out obsolete tooling for manufacture of panels and bodies is in the 1980's by British Motor Heritage Group which was established as a profitable separate company.
There is more world wide interest in MGs and Minis than older Aussie falcons.

http://www.bmh-ltd.com/bodyshells2.htm

[TwentySixHundred]

That's a shame though, the LS is good but im sure there are many that still want Barra's. Even the RB30 is in high demand as they're starting to become rarer these days.


I have always looked at the Barra as Australia's answer to the RB and 2jz. With it's technology and large displacement it definitely has it's place. Would be a shame to see them die out.


Looks like i better start stocking up on Barras so im not struggling to find one later down the track. I mean considering Ford wasn't selling that many cars in the past 10 years of it's existence, i doubt there really is as many as people think.

[TwentySixHundred]

Originally Posted by Bill M

Ford Dearborn has the ownership of intellectual property and I understand whatever was kept was sent there much to the disappointment of keen fans.

https://www.carsales.com.au/editoria...ry-war-103987/

Press tools are large, heavy and often modified to suit ongoing requirements. I very much doubt there was any thought given to retention by Ford Australia. They would have fulfilled their legal obligations to spares prior to shut down. Where the equipment ended up only those involved with it would know and as you state there is nothing on the web regarding it's disposal, only the Factory real estate.

The only company I know of who actively sought out obsolete tooling for manufacture of panels and bodies is in the 1980's by British Motor Heritage Group which was established as a profitable separate company.
There is more world wide interest in MGs and Minis than older Aussie falcons.

http://www.bmh-ltd.com/bodyshells2.htm

Thats an interesting read

[Bossxr8]

Equipment was either taken by Ford to be used elsewhere if they could find a use for it, sold off via auction, or scrapped.

It's all gone now.

Plenty of barra blocks out there for future use.

[Vesper Martini]

Plenty, correct me if I'm wrong they are all the same.
ie Barra 182 Barra 270T is the same block

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

Plenty, correct me if I'm wrong they are all the same.
ie Barra 182 Barra 270T is the same block

Yep all blocks are the same.

[simon varley]

Originally Posted by Bill M

Ford Dearborn has the ownership of intellectual property and I understand whatever was kept was sent there much to the disappointment of keen fans.

Actually that never happened. The plan was to ship it over where is could be catalogued and preserved in an air conditioned environment, and made available for researchers etc. What actually happened was that Ford North America decided they didn't have the resource to catalogue it and wouldn't accept boxes of unsorted papers. Ford Australia had no resource to sort it. The Ford Museum had no resource to catalogue it either. Last I heard it was all piled up rotting away in the underground of the old museum in Geelong. Very sad.

[Bill M]

From the Automotive Historians Australia

Australian Ford Archives - An Update
February 07, 2017

Some 12 months ago it was discovered Ford Australia planned to ship their archives to Detroit. The Ford archives had originally been put together by the late Adrian Ryan, Motoring Journalist, commentator and enthusiast, then working as Ford’s head of Public Affairs.

The archive material expanded once Ford announced closure of manufacturing with all suitable old material located to Broadmeadows. Archivist, Michelle Cook was then told to box the material up for shipment overseas.

Word spread quickly resulting in ex Ford employee, Peter Fry, leading a movement to preserve the Ford Archives in Australia. Wheels magazine ran a story in their September 2016 issue, urging readers to write to the Minister and Ford expressing concern.

See https://www.wheelsmag.com.au/news/16...ralian-archive

The AHA also took up the matter with local politicians, receiving support from the Hon Martin Foley MP, who wrote supporting our concern to the Minister responsible, Hon. Mitch Fifield who has now advised that Ford require an export permit as the archive was reregulated under the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act.

Fifield’s Dept advised Ford they needed a licence and to date have not applied for one.

The good news is Ford’s archivist has been employed for a further 12 months suggesting perhaps the archive will be rehoused in Australian Institutes, and be available for local research.

http://www.autohistoriansaustralia.o...ives-an-update

[simon varley]

that's nice. but wrong.

[Bill M]

Originally Posted by simon varley

that's nice. but wrong.

Which part is wrong?
I have emailed the Historical website for further clarification but the actions to that date seem certain to me.

Bill.

[simon varley]

it's totally opposite the the information I have. But I may be wrong. I was under the impression that FoA never had an archivist, but Michelle is still on the books, so I hope you are correct.

[arronm]

We need the moulds to make all the fpv bumpers. Surely someone bought those.

We have had this issue with all past models. Surely people have learnt by now the value of these items.

[wodahs]

easy answer to this
companies that could have didnt see the value in retaining any of this
companies that could see an ongoing need or value couldnt cough up the monies required to acquire any of this

[roKWiz]

Maybe somewhere in a third world country, there are new AU Falcons getting around.
I found in India they are making a new "1989" Mazda T / Ford Trader truck, seems ironic considering all the old ones here went there in containers a few years ago.

[Hulsty]

Tools like a bumper tool, would be very hard to move elsewhere, would have been a $500k tool new and built for specific machine/company which probablys dont exist anymore.

[outback_ute]

Would Ford even have offered any of the tooling for sale?

[simon varley]

most tooling was actually supplier owned not Ford. The exception would be the body panel tools, and the casting moulds and I'm pretty sure those went straight to scrap. I remember that Grays did have an auction but I think that was primarily power and hand tools, not the big stuff

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by outback_ute

Would Ford even have offered any of the tooling for sale?

Not tooling. Just machinery. I think they had presses and stuff that could be repurposed sent to greys auctions.

[outback_ute]

Yeah that's what I thought, in reference to suggestions other companies should have bought the tooling. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that they had the machinery sold before production finished, that is the way it happened where my brother-in-law used to work.

[Adamz Ghia]

Wasn’t most of Fords equipment almost at the end of its life anyway? I remember reading somewhere on here that the plant would have required a massive upgrade to keep going and it wasn’t viable.