Stainless Steel Ford Cars

[JZRIV]

I posted this in the Ford forum but thought it was interesting enough to post here as well.

 

Apologize if something has been posted on this as I'm generally in the Buick Forums. I was not aware of these cars and I live within 15 miles of where they were located. Thought maybe you Ford guys and gals would be interested in knowing of their existence.

 

 https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/ati-removes-priceless-stainless-steel-cars-from-harrison-plant-plans-to-auction-them/

[Mssr. Bwatoe]

very cool, Thanks for posting!

jb

[jpage]

Ford built 4 stainless Model A cars during production; I believe there is only one left. I didn't know that they built stainless cars for so many years.

 

[Ron of Chicago]

I was a mechanic for a Lincoln - Mercury dealer just outside Chicago in the 60's and had a 67 Lincoln Stainless pull in one day. I guess it was driven by a Ford Rep. Neat car but I just didn't get the jest of building them.

 

Ron of Florida

[TAKerry]

I believe it was a T bird, but there was one in the Hershey museum a few years ago.

[John348]

I recall seeing a stainless steel 60 Thunderbird at a trade show almost 25 years ago. They was some sort of promotion for Allegheny Ludlum who producer of stainless steel products.

[Ed Luddy]

14 hours ago, Ron of Chicago said:

I was a mechanic for a Lincoln - Mercury dealer just outside Chicago in the 60's and had a 67 Lincoln Stainless pull in one day. I guess it was driven by a Ford Rep. Neat car but I just didn't get the jest of building them.

 

Ron of Florida

To show the durability of stainless steel is the point. Being up here in the serious Rust Belt I'd love to have that stainless T Bird!

[CHuDWah]

On 6/6/2020 at 7:36 AM, jpage said:

Ford built 4 stainless Model A cars during production; I believe there is only one left. I didn't know that they built stainless cars for so many years.

 

 

 

I've read that Allegheny wasn't involved with the stainless Model A, that Ford built them to promote its new-at-the-time stainless ("rustless" in Ford-speak) radiator shell, headlights, taillights, etc.  A few years ago, the surviving stainless Model A Tudor was on eBay for $1M - dunno if it sold.  Supposedly one was cut up to show the internal structure - the fate of it and the other stainless A's is unknown.

 

Many years ago, I saw a picture of a stainless 36 and Thunderbird (or maybe Lincoln, can't recall) with a shiny TT truck, but I've never heard of a stainless T.  There was some use of aluminum for vehicle bodies back then so it may have been that.

[jpage]

Ford called his stainless metal "Allegheny" metal . I did see an article many years ago, I think in the MAFCA magazine about one of the Ford stainless tudors. This one was rough but not cut up into a display piece.

[CarFreak]

Are the two stainless Fords still at the Crawford Auto Museum in Cleveland?

[Restorer32]

Several of these stainless steel cars were exhibited at Carlisle many years ago. I found it amusing that the floor pans, the areas most prone to rust,  were not stainless.  They were just an advertisement for the steel company and there was no thought of actually using stainless to build car bodies. At least not then.

[CHuDWah]

18 hours ago, jpage said:

Ford called his stainless metal "Allegheny" metal . I did see an article many years ago, I think in the MAFCA magazine about one of the Ford stainless tudors. This one was rough but not cut up into a display piece.

 

 

It appears Allegheny Steel Company called it "Allegheny Metal"

 

http://www.fordgarage.com/pages/1931stainlesstudor.htm

 

and Ford Motor Company called it "Rustless Steel"

 

http://www.fordgarage.com/pages/rustlesssteel.htm

 

The first link has pictures of the Allegheny Metal/Rustless Steel Model A - sorry, the website won't allow them to be copied.  I was mistaken in that apparently Allegheny was involved with it and the eBay price was "only" a half-million.  The page says, "It is not clear if more than one car was ever produced."  Other sources say there were others, so who knows?

 

 

Edited June 8, 2020 by CHuDWah
to correct links (see edit history)

[Guest Mark McAlpine]

Hemmings had an article about this last month:  https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2020/05/21/full-set-of-allegheny-ludlum-stainless-steel-bodied-fords-put-up-for-sale-by-the-company-that-built-them.  It's a really good summary of how many stainless steel Fords & Lincolns were built by Allegheny Ludlum and the status of each.  According to the article, six 1936 Ford Tudors touring sedans, two 1960 Ford Thunderbirds, and three 1966 Lincoln Continental convertibles were built (two of which were later converted to 1967 appearances). 

 

Allegheny Ludlum's successor company (Allegheny Technologies) is selling a complete set of stainless steel-bodied Fords--a 1936 Ford Tudor touring sedan, 1960 Thunderbird, and a 1966 Lincoln Continental convertible--at the Worldwide Auctioneers auction in Auburn, IN, on 5 September.  It will be interesting to see what they go for.  Wish I could afford them.

 

For CarFreak:  according to the article, the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum in Cleveland, OH, has one of each of the stainless steel Fords & Lincoln.  I can confirm this--I saw them when my wife Marion & I visited the museum in December 2017.  (Photo attached.)

 

By the way, if you haven't visited the Crawford Museum, make a point of going there if you're ever near Cleveland--it's well worth the detour.  Great museum and staff!  They also have more vehicles stored at their Preservation & Storage Facility in nearby Macedonia, OH.  (The Crawford doesn't "restore" vehicles--it takes pride in preserving and maintaining them in their current condition.)  I believe they periodically host cars & coffees events there.