MAFFI'S Ford Parts Project

A meeting of Henry Ford Museum and Model A Ford Foundation Index Volunteers was held on April 19, 2000. The purpose was to address issues of continuity and procedural questions arising from having six months' experience in the project and to evaluate proposed changes in an effort to hasten and enhance the task. In addition to software/program changes, "Volunteer General Information Guidelines" were written, to insure uniform and consistent work habits among the volunteers. Such mundane items as part numbers, drawing dates, notes, and the use of abbreviations are areas covered in the new guidelines. The redesigned program was tested recently. It ran very smoothly, and addressed pertinent indexing information speedily and with simplicity. Our sincere thanks to Cathy Latendresse - Henry Ford Museum Research Department Coordinator, Dave Renner - advisor, and MAFFI Index Volunteers: George deAngelis, Nick Markes, Stewart Murray, Bruce Palmer, Larry Sadoski, George Barbat and Violet Williams for their cooperation and supportive effort in performing a far reaching service to the Model "A" hobby. December 2001 Although the original drawings were discarded, 90,000 photographic negatives were made. Not all the drawings were used in actual production. The Museum and MAFFI have refocused the project to first develop an index of the negatives. Once the content and status of each negative is known, then the pertinent drawings can be selected and scanned more efficiently. To date, over 25,000 negatives have been processed. August 2002 The Parts Project volunteers have made stellar progress this past year, handling and processing 10,500 negatives, for a total of 32,272 negatives recorded to date. They are working from box #19 and up to part #A-13620, or about 35% finished. Although work was temporarily recessed until the Research Center moved to the new facility (Benson Ford Research Center), the database is operational and may be sorted by part number, then by date, making it functional and of value to Museum staff in response to questions from Model A'ers. March 2004 John Bowen, an official at the Benson Ford Research Center in Dearborn recently praised the MAFFI volunteers in a letter. "The dedication and motivation of the MAFFI volunteers is nothing short of amazing. The fact that MAFFI volunteers is regularly come long distances at their own expense to plug away at what must have once appeared an endless project is an inspiration for the staff of the research center. All of that hard work is paying off and great progress has been made. I hope that all your members are as impressed by the progress made as we are here at the Research Center." These kind words are an indication of how grateful we all are to the four couples and four singles who faithfully serve each month. Every week the Model A Ford Foundation is represented by a volunteer faithfully recording Model A parts negatives. Our efforts have revealed the engineering changes that took place on any given part, all of which is being recorded as a separate entry. With the opening of box no. 50, work continues recording parts numbering into the 54,000 area (eg. A-54125 - QTR - Light Frame - inside). Since there are about 90,000 drawings in all, progress stands at about 60%, or better. Late last year, all chassis parts were completed. With only body parts remaining, there are a few boxes of standard fasteners that may be omitted from the indexing effort. March 2003                     I am pleased to report on the Parts Project status to the Foundation Membership and it's friends. First, I would like to pass along a note from Cathy Latendresse, Access Services Coordinator, of Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village: "I would like to thank all of the volunteers who give of their time to data enter records into the Model A Parts database. They are so generous with their time and the personal expense of traveling here to do this work. We have added another couple to the volunteer roster, Tony and Donna Topicz". "About 5,000 drawings were added since the beginning of (2002). The availability of the database allows me to better inform off-site researchers about the drawings that are present in this collection. Providing the client is searching for a part number that has been date entered, I can now provide them with a printed list of the drawings we have for that particular part number." "This list includes the part numbers, prefixes and suffices, the date the drawing was released for production, the part title block name, drawing type (assembly or part drawing), engineering change number, the number of microfilm pieces in each envelope and special notes the date entry volunteers may deem helpful to researchers. Often their is more detail that needs to be discussed with the researcher before selecting a particular drawing, but the list allows them to better understand the magnitude of the collection and what the drawing process entails". We are in the process of adding another volunteer to our ranks. Bob Mills is taking orientation classes and hands-on training with other volunteers. The Parts Index Data Base project is progressing quite well. With chassis parts completed, attention is now focused on body parts, bringing the total 70mm film count entered to slightly over 40,000 pieces. The data base as it stands will permit the hobbyist to order a print from the Research Center, by part number & date of any given chassis part, for a modest fee. Some interesting items have been discovered. For example, George Barbat discovered negatives of a centrifugal advance distributor system dated 1927. Apparently Mr. Ford had such a mechanism in mind, but for whatever reason chose the simpler hand controlled version with which Model A owners are familiar. March 2005 During 2004, the Benson Ford Research Center Index Project made significant progress. We are indeed indebted to the dedicated MAFFI Volunteers. Some travel many miles, and include an overnight stay in order to spend two days at the museum, accumulating approximately 900 hours. To these gallant individuals we offer a huge Thank You! Reviewing the year we mourn the loss of George Barbat, a key Index Team member. George, working with his sister Violet Williams, played an important role in the success of the program. Together they monitored the recorded data, making sure that all volunteers were working off the same page and posting accurate information. The accuracy of the entered index data is vitally important to the integrity and usefulness of the system. George will be missed very much, but we are most grateful to Violet, who has picked up the baton, continuing the service of monitoring and entering data. This past fall we were pleased to welcome Detroit area resident Lee Watson on board. Retired from automotive manufacturing, and for many years an ardent Model "A" enthusiast and restorer, Lee comes to the table well versed in the hobby. It has been a pleasure to work with and introduce Lee to the Index system. The Index now contains 66,744 negatives; drawing ever closer to completion. Working from negative file box number sixty, one is impressed by the number of cardboard and/or wood pieces used as reinforcement. Such items appear in doors, roof, side and rear panels. Anti squeak material in the form of friction tape is frequently used where two pieces of metal come together. The index process requires handling many negatives in a given day, yet it can be very informative. I have met with retired Ford employees who are now volunteers working on similar Museum projects. When the discussion turned to the many changes made on a given Model A part, the retirees point out that from their experience the same situation exists today as was common in the Model A period of manufacture. Designed with the best of intentions, a part might be rendered obsolete, improved upon or replaced after coming to the production floor. Therefore, five thousand parts used in the Model A Ford automobile translate into ninety thousand parts negatives, a resounding number of changes. At this report, we are pleased to advise that all mechanical and most body parts have been recorded. This would allow the hobbyist opportunity to access copies of part drawings by simply contacting The Benson Ford Research Center, either by phone or mail.