Democracy is a Ford Model A

I spent an hour with a Ford Model A restorer

Photo by <a href=”https://unsplash.com/@philinkcmo?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash">Philip Schroeder</a> on <a href=”https://unsplash.com/photos/green-car-BNgiIxXXo-A?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash">Unsplash</a>

First, I will digress with a bit of Ford history. The Ford Model T was the most popular car of its time (1909–1926). Mass production techniques got the price down to where average people could afford to buy it. It was fairly repairable, often requiring a bit of mechanical sense coupled with string and chewing gum.

In 1927, the Ford Model T gave way to the Ford Model A, a model which was in production until 1931.

I was visiting my sister in Terrace, British Columbia. We stopped to visit one of her church friends. This fellow’s hobby was restoring Ford Model A’s.

He was restoring two Model A’s. One a pickup truck; the other a coupe. He got some of his parts from machine shops who specialize in classic cars. These shops have the original blueprints from Ford and can make anything from crankshafts to door handles.

The fellow also had two fully restored Model A sedans. It would have been nice to take a little ride in one of these cars, but the owner was not that generous. But I got to sit in a driving seat.

My first impressions were not good. It literally felt like I was in a tin can: a low-speed collision was likely to cause injury. The seats were uncomfortable. The doors were flimsy. I sensed…