Automotive history question, after the war.

[Xander Wildeisen]

You see a lot of shows or read about the automotive industry being used to support the war effort during WW2. I was wondering if anyone has any knowledge about what happened after the war. Did the influence of Government/Military stay with in the industry? Or did the Government cut ties with the industry? Was there any help from the government to start producing cars again? Did some manufacturers go under trying to restart automotive production? I just don’t recall seeing any show that talks about the issues the industry had to deal with after the war. Surely the Government paid for tooling needed for war time production. Was everyone on their own after the war effort?

[Walt G]

The majority of the cars sold in the 1946-48 era after the war had the same styling/lines as the 1941-42 pre war cars. it was in 1948 that some manufactures were able to produce at least one series that "looked new". Grilles, bumpers etc could be adapted to the pre war body panels and interiors were much easier to update and change.  It took a giant effort to get the body stamping dies sorted, made and into production.

[61polara]

The automotive industry came out of WWII cash rich, but faced shortages of materials, especially steel.  Steel was rationed to auto companies based on prewar production figures.  Ford was the first to resume automobile production in 1945 with 1946 models.  Most of the manufactures continued with automotive contracts for many years including Chrysler in the NASA program.

 

In 1952-53, the Korian War again caused a shortage of Chrome and tires.  Thinner chrome of these years did not hold up well and white wall tires were not available.  1952 Cadillac ads only show cars with blackwall tires.

[SC38dls]

1948 Ford introduced the “Bonus built roomier Cab F Series pickup Trucks” they still were not very roomy ! 
dave s 

[PONTIAC1953]

1 hour ago, 61polara said:

The automotive industry came out of WWII cash rich, but faced shortages of materials, especially steel.  Steel was rationed to auto companies based on prewar production figures.  Ford was the first to resume automobile production in 1945 with 1946 models.  Most of the manufactures continued with automotive contracts for many years including Chrysler in the NASA program.

 

In 1952-53, the Korian War again caused a shortage of Chrome and tires.  Thinner chrome of these years did not hold up well and white wall tires were not available.  1952 Cadillac ads only show cars with blackwall tires.

the Korean Conflict of 1950-1953 caused 1953 Pontiac grille parts to receive no chrome plating over the nickel plating, the final step was instead a sprayed laquer coating to provide some shine and protection, a very poor subsitute. 

[Dave Henderson]

1 hour ago, 61polara said:

The automotive industry came out of WWII cash rich, but faced shortages of materials, especially steel.  Steel was rationed to auto companies based on prewar production figures.  Ford was the first to resume automobile production in 1945 with 1946 models.  Most of the manufactures continued with automotive contracts for many years including Chrysler in the NASA program.

 

In 1952-53, the Korian War again caused a shortage of Chrome and tires.  Thinner chrome of these years did not hold up well and white wall tires were not available.  1952 Cadillac ads only show cars with blackwall tires.

The first post WW!! Ford I saw was delivered with a wooden plank substituting for a chromed steel bumper.

[joe_padavano]

1 hour ago, SC38dls said:

1948 Ford introduced the “Bonus built roomier Cab F Series pickup Trucks” they still were not very roomy ! 
dave s 

Buyers weren't as wide then either...

[TerryB]

6 minutes ago, joe_padavano said:

Buyers weren't as wide then either...

Yes, quite true.  Historical data shows people are larger now than then.  Yes, that includes height too.

[SC38dls]

15 minutes ago, TerryB said:

Yes, quite true.  Historical data shows people are larger now than then.  Yes, that includes height too.

I am 6’1” 225 and I know for a fact those trucks were not built for anyone over 5’ 10” as my knees hit the dash board and it was hard to go from the gas to the brake. That’s why I sold mine after a frame off restore and driving it one time. It was just too damn small and cramped but it did have enough head room I will give it that. 
dave s 

Edited February 4, 2023 by SC38dls (see edit history)

[TerryB]

My 1937 Dodge pickup was indeed “cozy” for two people plus the seat position was non adjustable.  Trucks certainly were not meant as pleasure vehicles as they are today.  My 1967 Chevy 1/2 ton was metal door panels vinyl seat and rubber floor mat.  AM radio was the musical entertainment.

[joe_padavano]

1 minute ago, TerryB said:

 AM radio was the musical entertainment.

I've found that in my old trucks, the squeaks and groans are the musical entertainment. 😁

[Rusty_OToole]

Anti trust laws and patent protection were suspended during the war in the interest of streamlining and maximizing production. Different car companies cooperated in making weapons and equipment in ways that would have been illegal or questionable in peace time.

This ended when the war ended and the majors, especially General Motors, were on notice not to drive the smaller companies out of business. This may be one reason they were so ready to sell Hydramatic transmissions, Delco electrics and other accessories to the independents.

All car companies were flush with cash after running flat out, 3 shifts a day for 5 years on cost plus contracts. The big challenge was to resume production as quickly as possible and turn out as many new cars as they could. The market was starved for cars as there had been practically no new cars on sale since the spring of 1942.

The usual answer was to dust off the old 1942 tooling and start producing the same cars, but cheapened in many small ways.

Some entrepreneurs tried to start brand new companies to take advantage of the seller's market. The best known examples are Kaiser, Frazer, Crosley and Tucker. Then there were others that, like Tucker, never got off the ground. Marquette, Playboy, Keller, Bobbi Kar, and the exceptional King Midget. The King Midget was a miniature car with a 1 cylinder motor that stayed in production longer than any of them, from 1946 to 1970. You may have seen their little ads in the back pages of Mechanix Illustrated, they ran every month for years.

Some surplus war plants were sold off cheap to companies that promised to create jobs and introduce new products. One of the big worries in government circles, was of a post war depression when war production shut down and millions of men returned from overseas and suddenly hit the job market. They took steps to avoid this and in fact, there never was a post war depression although inflation was a problem for a while.

The seller's market ended in the spring of 1949. By that time the backlog of demand for cars was satisfied. It was about then that Ford began a no holds barred battle for sales supremacy against Chevrolet. GM responded in kind. There was so much skulduggery and general crookedness in the car dealerships, that the government stepped in with new consumer protection legislation. This is when the Mulroney sticker or price sticker in the window of the car, became mandatory.

The independents got trampled in the battle and lost sales to the majors. In a few years most of them were out of business.

There were other factors involved. The decade from 1946 to 1956 saw a bigger change in overall design, performance, and styling than any since. You could go on forever detailing the changes that took place in this period. Many improvements, but also a lot of slippage in quality in ways that would not have been tolerated in earlier times.

[61polara]

In the early 1970's I bought a 1946 Dodge business coupe.  In the glove compartment was the original OPA (Office of Price Administration) price tag stating the maximum the car could be sold for.  Penciled on the back was a price $75 higher.  Yes, the government stepped in after the war and established price controls for almost everything to slow inflation.

[58L-Y8]

9 hours ago, Xander Wildeisen said:

You see a lot of shows or read about the automotive industry being used to support the war effort during WW2. I was wondering if anyone has any knowledge about what happened after the war. Did the influence of Government/Military stay with in the industry? Or did the Government cut ties with the industry? Was there any help from the government to start producing cars again? Did some manufacturers go under trying to restart automotive production? I just don’t recall seeing any show that talks about the issues the industry had to deal with after the war. Surely the Government paid for tooling needed for war time production. Was everyone on their own after the war effort?

As has been noted, the cost-plus government contracts for ordinance materiel left the auto companies in the best financial condition they had been for more than a decade.   As the cold war hadn't yet developed, the Defense Department had significant amounts of all types of materiel surplus including production plants.  The best example would be the Willow Run B-24 bomber plant at Ypsilanti, Michigan that became the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation production plant from 1946-1953.  

 

Regarding whether there was government help, Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC) was developed in 1932 as a public/private financing option to keep the companies afloat during the Depression.

Reconstruction Finance Corporation Act | Federal Reserve History

Reconstruction Finance Corporation - Wikipedia

Kaiser-Frazer received financial help from this organization to procure the Willow Run plant and to finance ongoing operations.  Many railroads in the Depression year turned to RFC to prevent bankruptcy and liquidation.

 

Edited February 4, 2023 by 58L-Y8
addendum comments (see edit history)