There were 45 operations required to build a Model T chassis on the first moving assembly line installed at Ford’s Highland Park, MI, factory. To find out about the first 10 operations, see the print edition of ASSEMBLY magazine (Feb. 2003, page 67). 11. Two men. Line up mud-guard brackets. Tighten rear-spring perch nuts and place the cotter pins in same.
12. One man. Places spark plugs. Fixes same.
13. One man. Seats and caps motor front-support and wires 2 cap screws.
14. Two men. Fix globe housing to end of transmission case, place 2 bolts and 2 cap screws.
15. One man. Puts cotter pins in the nuts placed in operation 14 and wires the cap-screw heads placed in the same operation.
16. Two men. Place and fix the 2 rear crank-case bracket bolts and 2 bolts with split pins.
17. One man. Places 4 grease cups, 2 in universal-joint casings and 2 in rear-axle gear housings.
18. Two men. Place dash assembly. Place 4 bolts.
19. One man. Places muffler and fixes exhaust pipe, also replaces rear-axle bevel-gear housing grease-plug, after first making certain that grease has been properly supplied.
20. One man. Nails name plate on dashboard.
21. One man. Adjusts pedals travel.
22. One man. Fixes steering column end to chassis frame.
23. One man. Places and fixes commutator.
24. One man. Places acetylene gas pipe and its supporting bracket inside chassis frame.
25. Two men. Place split pins in fender and lamp-bracket bolt nuts; also put split pins in 4 dashboard bottom holding-bolt nuts.
26. Two men. Place and fix motor-hood clips and hood "blocks" (wood strips) and connect the spark plug wires.
27. One man. Places radiator support and spring studs and nuts, and places split pins in nuts.
28. One man. Tightens and pins muffler-fixing bolt nuts.
29. One man. Secures gasoline feed-pipe to carburetor; also connects brake rod.
30. Two men. Places motor pans, one on each side, under chassis frame, and pan-holding bolts and nuts.
31. Four men. Tighten motor-pan-bolt nuts and place split pins in same.
32. One man. Pins steering-gear bracket nut and adjusts spark time.
33. Two men. Put on wheels, place wheel nuts.
34. One man. Connects carburetor "pull rod" (gives more or less gasoline) and adjusts the carburetor, and turns on the gasoline.
35. Three men; one head checker and 2 checkers, one on each side, also act as inspectors. Record chassis numbers and car numbers, fill blank records in record sheets. The third man is record inspector, and filler of his own number record book; superior to the two checkers.
36. One man. Caps steering connecting-rod globe end, places 2 cap bolts, places nuts and pins them.
37. One man. Connects magneto wire, and paints bolts and nuts on right side of chassis.
38. One man. Places radiator and its water connection and top stay-rod, and places carburetor priming rod.
39. One man. Tightens radiator water connection.
40. One man. Places nuts and split pins, radiator-support studs.
41. One man. In pit, caps front-axle radius-rod globe, and puts on two stud nuts and wires same.
42. One man. Paints bolts and nuts on left side of chassis and radiator.
43. One man. Final inspector, tags defects.
44. Two men. Fill radiator with water, handle starting weight lever on rear axle, and lift rear wheels off starting friction-wheels and attach exhaust hose.
45. One man. Drives car onto John R St. body line.
Source: Ford Methods and the Ford Shops, by Horace Arnold and Fay Faurote, published in 1915 by The Engineering Magazine Co., New York.
