30 NOVEMBER 2026 WorldWide Drilling Resource® It’s what wasn’t there that made it Useful and Profitable by Britt Storkson Owner, P2FlowLLC The Ford Model T was made for 33 years . . . from 1908 to 1941. There’s a YouTube video detailing its engine at https://youtu.be/w6daujlfNAk?is=7I69cMUdJr5bGkJA. This engine powered the Model T car from 1908 to 1927; Ford made 15 million of them. While it wasn’t perfect, it was cheaper than feeding and caring for horses 24/7. It was extremely successful. At one point, 1 in every 10 cars in the world was a Ford Model T. But the genius, one could say, was not what it contained; the genius was in what was left out. The Model T engine was a water-cooled 4-cylinder, displaced 177 cubic inches, and rated at 20 horsepower. It did the job an engine should do in very basic terms, but it was known more for what it didn’t have than what it did have. 1. It didn’t have an oil pump. It used “splash” oiling where paddles on the connecting rods splashed oil around inside the engine to lubricate the various parts. It wasn’t ideal, but it was adequate for low-power applications. 2. It didn’t have a water pump. It used thermosiphon cooling. 3. It didn’t have a fuel pump or fuel gauge. If the fuel was low, you had to back up a hill so the engine wouldn’t starve for fuel. 4. It didn’t have an ignition as we know it or electric generator. 5. Early models didn’t even have a starter. You had to crank it. A lot of these omissions could be justified by reducing the cost to make it affordable for the average person to buy. Like it or hate it, one has to admit it was very basic transportation that got the job done. Part of this can be explained by the fact they didn’t have the technology to make those parts, at least on a large scale. Of course, these parts were added over the years, but the best part of this “horseless carriage” for the people of the era was it didn’t need horses. So why can’t we emulate that attitude today? We make computer controls with a very simple, reliable, and inexpensive alphanumeric (letters and numbers only) display to tell to display pertinent data for the user. Others use a touch screen with a picture of a water pump. That’s all well and good, but the touch screen requires considerable software and memory to maintain it, which makes it more expensive and less reliable as there is more to fail. Simpler is more reliable because there are fewer components to give trouble. Contrary to popular belief, computers can be very well-suited for low-cost, flexible control systems. Microprocessors (the brain of a computer) can be configured to execute multiple functions using only one basic component. One can make part of the computer function as a timer, another function as a counter, and other functions that monitor and interpret sensors like temperature, pressure, light intensity, fluid levels, velocity, and just about anything else you can think of. To make all of this happen, one simply writes a program which monitors the sensor or switch positions and makes decisions based on those inputs. This can be as simple or as sophisticated as you want it to be, but remember, when one adds features, one adds complexity and cost. Why have a display when a simple indicator light will do? Simpler is also advantageous for the user because the user does not have to process a number or picture on a screen. If, for example, a red light turns on, the user automatically knows something isn’t right and should investigate further. There could be a row of five or six red lights, each indicating a problem condition. While simple and inexpensive, this can be very powerful in that the user doesn’t have to think about it until prompted by the indicator light. Again, one could say here that the genius is not what is included - the genius is what was left out. I’m no financial wizard and don’t aspire to be one, but with big corporations failing right and left, perhaps the industry should get back to the philosophy which made the Ford Model T such a great success. Keep it simple, reliable, and easy to troubleshoot and repair and you can’t go too far wrong. Britt Britt Storkson may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com Join us for: Educational Courses Raffles Door Prizes Exhibits Buck Lively Scholarship Auction Golf Tournament February 10th! For more information, call 480-609-3993 info@mountainstatesgroundwater.com mountainstatesgroundwater.com Time for a Little Fun! October Puzzle Solution: TANGLED TREETOP FOOTAGE FARTHER SECTION Win a prize! Send completed puzzle to: WWDR PO Box 660 Bonifay, FL 32425 fax: 850-547-0329 or e-mail: michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com Match the three-letter words on the right to complete the seven-letter words on the left. APRI_ _ _ BUT COCO_ _ _ SON CROU_ _ _ COT HALI_ _ _ NUT VENI_ _ _ TON Congratulations to: Melissa Sheffield Sheffield’s, Inc. in High Springs, FL Winner for October!
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