Motion Pictures What if the Plastic Ford was produced?

Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post:

What if the Plastic Ford was produced?

Continue reading the Original Blog Post

 

I’d drive it

 

Oh my god, could you imagine trying to restore and do body work on ancient soybean based polymer? Imagine how wavy and dry the body would be. The delamination would be severe. I mean 1950's fiberglass is bad enough, but organic material... that's a WHOLE other thing.

But, what a neat, innovative idea that was decades ahead of its time.

I do like the HUGE door windows.

 

Some states experimented with plant-based materials for license plates when the war needed the metals. It was found that livestock on the farms ate the license plates. I'd think a soy-based car wouldn't be good on the farm either.

 

Pontiac Fiero!

 

Those tended to eat themselves…..

 

Here is some more information I posted a couple of years ago.. HRP

The 1941 Ford Hemp car.

 

A lot of the dash trim for Ford vehicles of that era were made of the same soybean based plastics.

 

If it had similar properties of the acetate plastic promotional dealer models it probably would warp in the sun &/or deteriorate as the interior plastic of late ...then again if engineered as the modern bumper covers who knows where it would have taken the industry .

 

Yes, and a lot of it as it aged started smelling like vomit. I can't imagine a whole car made out of puke!

 

If a hemp based car had gone into production it would be very rare today as most would have been smoked up in the sixties.

 

rodents are eating a lot of soybean insulated wire looms.

 

Hello,

Hitting the side of a car with a hammer was very cool in 1941. If we can all remember, GM did finally use the similar technique and design parameters in creating a side panel for family vans in the Pontiac line as well as in the GMC van line.

My wife's dad had a Pontiac van and he always hit it with something like his golf clubs or bag. When he loaded and unloaded them at home and at the local courses. Not a single scratch or dent. Well it did dent, but it was flexible enough to pop right back out.

"The Trans Sport, along with the Lumina APV and Silhouette, rode on the U-body platform and was constructed from a galvanized steel space frame, featuring dent and rust resistant polymer plastic body panels on the side and a galvanized steel roof. Similar construction was employed on the Pontiac Fiero, as well as some GM Saturn vehicles."


Jnaki

So, the experimental technology back then was pushed aside until the tricks of the trade came up for evaluation. Then as the family van life continued, they simply disappeared by 1999 with the newer technology and designs coming to the forefront.

 

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

Just because a TJJ Blog and its resultant H.A.M.B. thread can never have enough pics:

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It has some weird proportions IMO....first car that comes to mind is one of those Trabant's from East Germany.

 

I was at a trade show in the early 90s. Ford had a 100% composite bodied car.
About this time we were sent to composite repair classes cause GM was headed that direction.
Well, it never happened.

 

I actually saw one in California, with a surfboard on the roof.

I about crashed.

 

Guess a tube chassis does have a basis for being, traditionally built, on some unique level.

 

There has to be a Yugo joke in there somewhere . . .

 

Early dealer promos were made of a soft plastic that didn't like heat. If you find early promos from the 50's they usually are pretty warped. makes me wonder if early plastic cars would have had the same fate.

 

The trabant was made out of some kind of pulp cardboard material . A buddy of mine who grew up in Hungary in the 80’s attested to the fact If a trabant got and stayed wet for a prolonged time , farm animals would eat it .

if you can deal with sub titles watch the movie black cat white cat , this is where these pics are from

ridiculously funny movie .

 

I can respect the ideas and striving to produce something unique, but that thing sure is homely looking. It would have setback automotive styling in the '50s had it been produced.

 

I dunno... I've seen uglier cars. Henry J's and Studebakers come to mind.

I mean, it already has shaved door handles and very little chrome. Just needs some tweaks... and from a better photoshop artist than I.

 

Who said a tube chassis wasn't traditional? ... Back in 1952, Dick Williams built the chassis for his '27 T Roadster out of 2 ½ inch O.D. chrome moly steel tubing:



... and it went on to win the America's Most Beautiful Roadster award at the 1953 National {Oakland} Roadster Show!

See also my Bringing the Dick Williams '27 Roadster Back to 1953 thread.

 

If you were to customize one (filling trim holes, chopping tops, etc), what would you use to "weld" the panels? Hot sauce? Then fill any dents with cake frosting?

 

This is the Soybean laboratory where the development took place, it’s in Greenfield Village.

 

I was thinking pine-tar and paper mache', but your method sounds way more delicious.

 

Did Henry hire a blind stylist for the plastic car project?

 

I'm guessing they were more concerned about making it work than making it pretty. I imagine Bob Gregorie would have worked his styling magic on a production version.