Evolution of the  Automobile 

• Henry Ford did not invent the automobile. Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot (February 26, 1725 – October 2, 1804) was a French inventor. He is thought to have built the first working self-propelled mechanical vehicle, the world's first automobile. Cugnot's automobile later crashed into a brick wall, therefore being the first automobile accident.

  • This claim is disputed by some sources, however, which suggest that Ferdinand Verbiest, as a member of a Jesuit mission in China, may have been the first to build, around 1672, "a steam-powered vehicle" but that it was too small to carry a driver or passengers.

 

• The first motor cars were nothing more than a buggy and engine, generally repaired by blacksmiths and carpenters. These cars were very expensive, which only the wealthy could afford. The Model T Ford was the first car to be mass produced back in 1908. It came in black only, to keep the cost down. The price for a Model T Ford started at $825. In 1913, the price was reduced to $550.

 

• It is debatable when the first auto mechanics emerged since most early mechanics were previously carriage repairmen. In 1917 two mechanics formed a union in Seattle Washington and two years later membership had grown to 500.

 

• By the 1960's, everyone wanted speed. They achieved this with big block motors, which created a lot of horsepower. (The birth of hotrods, Rat Fink, flames, and pinstriping).With more speed came more damage, thus the demand for collision repair rose tremendously. Cars now had their own individual look, their own personality. This called for more precise collision repair procedures.

 

• When the 1970's came, due to more laws, there was a demand for lighter, more fuel-efficient cars. Plastics became more common and body line moldings were introduced. The 1970's was also the decade that automobile catalytic converters were introduced.

 

• Construction of Interstate highways + higher speed limits + more high-performance cars = more severe accidents and fatalities. Towards the end of the '70's, safety windshields were mandatory along with head restraints, torque boxes (allowing controlled twisting and crushing) and crush zones (made to collapse during a collision, absorbing the impact). In 1979 it was mandatory that all cars be equipped with seatbelts. In 1979, the first driver side airbag was introduced. 

 

• While the modern day cars appear to be made cheap and unsafe, they are actually designed to crush or collapse, while transferring the energy around the stronger passenger compartment to protect the passengers from injury. Many people say about newer cars, "they don't make them like they used to" and I would have to agree when it comes to looks and style. But while modern cars are more damaged in a wreck than their older counterparts, this is because newer cars are designed to take the damage in a collision instead of the people riding inside. Watch this short demonstration...it's worth it!

 

Origins of the AAA Auto Club

• In 1902, only 23,000 cars were in operation in this country compared with 17 million horses. Yet, 50 small motor clubs had been formed by motoring enthusiasts across the country. Nine of those clubs joined together to create a national motoring organization and on March 4, 1902, in Chicago, founded the American Automobile Association.

 

• At the turn of the century, existing roads had been designed for the horse and buggy — not the automobile. Traveling on those dirt paths was often risky, and AAA’s earliest goal was to lead a fight for improvements in the nation’s roads — ones which could better accommodate automobile traffic.

  By 1916, AAA had won a major battle in its campaign for better roads when the principle of federal aid to highways was initiated.

 

• In 1915, AAA was the first to introduce a service for stranded motorists and it is now one of the most valued features of an AAA membership. Calls for roadside assistance average 29 million annually, and is coordinated through a network of nearly 13,000 contract facilities.

 

• To ensure members receive reliable and quality workmanship in auto repairs, AAA developed its Approved Auto Repair program, which has identified 8,000 automotive repair facilities that meet AAA’s stringent criteria in customer satisfaction, equipment requirements and competency in performing automotive repairs.

 

• AAA has played a leading role in the fight to reject any increase in the federal excise tax on gasoline to offset the federal budget deficit. 

 

A Brief History of BCAA

• 1906: The Victoria Automobile Club is founded when a group of motoring enthusiasts gathers to enjoy their hobby and help each other when their vehicles break down.

 

• 1936: First Emergency Roadside Service that included free towing.

 

• 1962: BCAA launches the first club-owned emergency roadside service fleet in North America with 10 drivers.

 

• 1989: BCAA becomes the fastest growing auto club in North America and the first CAA organization to reach 500,000 Members.

 

• 2009: BCAA becomes the first CAA/AAA club in North America to offer roadside assistance services for cyclists.

 

Origins of Sandblasting

• Sandblasting was invented by Benjamin Chew Tilghman, an American soldier born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is believed that he came up with the idea for sandblasting after seeing the effects of wind-blown sand on windows in the desert. In 1870 he filed a patent for the sandblast process in the US listing many uses for it including sharpening files, engraving, cleaning boilers and enhancing wood grains. A patent was issued in the UK the following year.

 

• In the early 1900s, most people believed that sharply edged abrasives like silica sand were the best way of blasting. As a result, Silicosis (an occupational lung disease caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust), resulted in 46,000 deaths in 2013 down from 55,000 deaths in 1990. It was later proved that this was not the case and by 1939, blasters were using a variety of other materials as an alternative to sand including aluminium oxide, coconut shells, copper slag, fruit stones, glass beads, plastic abrasives, powdered abrasives, quartz, silicon carbide, steel grit and walnut shells and garnet. Here at RustBlasters, garnet is our media of choice. Garnet is more expensive than silica sand, but if used correctly, will offer equivalent production rates while producing less dust and no safety hazards from ingesting the dust.

 

• The first blasting enclosure was patented in 1918 to protect workers from the dangers of breathing in sand particles when blasting. 

 

Why We Prefer Garnet for Blasting

• A wide range of grades and composition available for different jobs and profiles

 

• Garnet is very passive on steel but tough on rust and corrosion. Under rusted frames and car bodies, serial numbers will magically reappear, once painted, proving that no metal is removed in the RustBlasting process

 

• Superior surface profile – garnet grains create a uniform profile virtually free of embedment, providing an excellent surface for coating adhesion

 

• Cost–effective - highly effective, low consumption

 

• Non-toxic – inert and natural, crystalline silica levels are less than 1%

 

• Recyclable up to 5 times

 

• Low dust levels – improved operator visibility

 

• Easy cleanup

 

• Non-reactant – will not interfere with your coatings

 

• Non-porous – will not draw moisture