I saw that, and was why I responded. I can’t believe that Ford would have bought any steel products for South Asia or Southeast Asia, including China, at that time. They almost certainly didn’t manufacture anything that Ford could use. The scrap could have been sold to Japanese steel makers. If Japan use scrap in their integrated mill steel making operations, the ship scrap would have been among the most desirable.
Long ago in an earlier life when Nixon was struggling to get the economy up and running I saw a sizable metal supply corporation stencil USS on plate being cut and machined for ship parts being sold to the US Navy. There was a “perfectly good” explanation for the subterfuge at the time. But isn’t there always. A significant profit was made vs a NO SALE due to lack of domestic products.
Cars too. I have a British friend who uses that term for junkyards. As in “Can we fix this old thing once more or should I send it to the breakers?”
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And of course, the Twenty-minute job often includes $100+ in new tools to complete the job.
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Yes @DFilice. Your post reminded me of being introduced to tamper proof torx bits when removing the steering column on a Ford. I seem to recall it was very near $100 for the half dozen of so bits from Snap-On which was the only source available to me that day.
Here’s a YouTube video from England in which the DIYer cannot remove a bolt from a support arm on his Land Rover after exceedingly frustrating attempts at this particular bolt but many others. He goes through umpteenth saw blades but adds another video about bolts that have rusted, why they rust and how they expand. This information comes from a woman who explains it to him and tells him how to remove it! The video is 43 mins long but the information about how to starts at around 16:23. Really quite revealing info. I watched the entire scenario just because it had so much perseverance on the owner’s part. There’s also a segment where he breaks his tools (not cheap ones either) by attempting to remove another bolt turning it clockwise! Well trying to turn it. If you’ve the time and want some entertainment for 45 mins, give it a “turn.”!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toU_Tx2hmy8
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