Every month, we feature a video from Film Source, The Henry Ford’s online collection of historic motion picture films shorts. The films were originally produced by Henry Ford’s motion picture department at Ford Motor Company, which began in 1914. These clips illustrate the impact of the automobile, industrial manufacturing and design, and many other aspects of American culture and everyday life, as well as glimpses of Henry Ford and his family and activities and scenes from Greenfield Village and The Henry Ford Museum. Staff at the Benson Ford Research Center continue to digitize, catalog, and upload more of these clips to our online catalog and to YouTube in order to make them accessible to a wider audience.

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We close out January looking at another video showing Ford Motor Company’s assembly line processes—plus a whole lot of Model T.  “Ford Automobiles, 1903-1917″ shows Model Ts—and more Model Ts—being driven everywhere under a variety of conditions:  in the United States, at other spots around the globe, in cities, on winding country roads, in the desert, up in the mountains, in races and on parade (well, it’s Ford tractors here), off-road in the mud, and in the snow—including being pulled like a sleigh by a team of horses.  We also see the different body styles available plus changes to the car over about half of its long production run (along with views of its predecessors, including the Quadricycle—Henry Ford’s first car, the 1903 Model A, and possibly the Model N).

Even though it wasn’t the main theme of the film, what jumped out at me—besides the ubiquity and versatility of this car, which I presume was the theme here—was the ‘hacking’ of the Model T, as seen in its conversion to a camper, riding on train rails, and to a certain extent the aforementioned sleigh ride.  Indeed, it was not just the garage tinkerers at work here; a whole industry sprang up around the “Universal Car,” offering various modifications to, and in a related vein, aftermarket accessory components for the Model T, in both areas using the Tin Lizzy’s barebones state as a canvas for welcome and often creative customizations.  Today, as we see a reemergence of the DIY movement, it’s interesting to look back at earlier generations doing similar things.  One subset of DIY includes ‘modding’ or ‘hacking’ readily available mass-produced objects.  Today, that near-universal brand, IKEA, is a popular target.  As we’ve seen in this trip down Memory Lane, the Model T was a favorite of yesteryear.  (Our Video of the Month isn’t even the best example of Model T or other Ford vehicle hacks.  I’ll leave it to the viewers to discover some of the others!)  This very particular form of engagement with a product speaks to that product’s popularity, utility, and versatility—and to human ingenuity.

Derek Moore, The Henry Ford’s conservation specialist for transportation collections, says the hits — the 1965 Ford Mustang serial number 1 and the 1956 Chrysler 300B Kiekhaefer stock car — have been shown at Motor Muster before and require relatively little preparation: mostly close inspections and installation of fluids. The Mustang, which appeared in the 2004 Motor Muster, was a hit with young buyers when the pony car was introduced some 45 years ago. The 300B Kiekhaefer stock car, part of the 2006 Motor Muster, was owned by Carl Kiekhaefer’s team, which ruled NASCAR in 1955 and 1956, and was driven by NASCAR national champs Tim Flock in 1955 and Buck Baker in 1956.

The third vehicle from THF’s collection, the 1962 Budd XR-400, will make its Motor Muster debut. Prepping it has taken longer than preparing the other two cars. The Henry Ford acquired the XR-400 from The Budd Company in 1997. “We don’t know how long it has been since it ran,” says Derek. “Getting it ready has been about a two-and-a-half-month process.”

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Preparing the XR-400 included extensive inspections of the fuel and brake systems, the engine and the condition of all parts, Derek says. “We try to keep as much of what we call ‘the original fabric’ as possible,” he says, referring to the equipment on the vehicle when it left the factory. He says rubber hoses are sometimes replaced because worn or deteriorated rubber can pose safety risks. One surprise: When Derek and volunteer special projects coordinator George Gunlock were inspecting the brakes, they discovered that the front disc brake system was experimental, which was obvious because of the hand-etched part numbers. The staffers took apart the brakes, cleaned all of the parts and reassembled the system.

The Budd Company, an automotive supplier, wanted to show that it also could design and assemble vehicles, Derek says. In the early 1960s, the company went to American Motors Corp. with a proposal to design and build a car that would attract a new market segment. The XR-400 concept was built on a shortened, two-door AMC Ambassador chassis with a long, sleek hood, a very small rear seat and a short trunk. AMC rejected the XR-400. A couple of years later, Ford made a splash with the Mustang, also a sporty car with a long, sleek front end, a very small rear seat and a short trunk. Could AMC have beaten Ford to the pony-car punch with the XR-400? We’ll never know.

For a list of Motor Muster activities, which include vehicle displays, pass-in-review parades, hands-on activities, a Greenfield Village Cruise from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday and a Live WWII USO Show at 7 p.m. Saturday, click here.