Driving through fords has never bothered me and I have never had a problem. I am a bit more circumspect about driving through floods if it means driving longer distances in water, but again, I have had no problems. As a rally co-driver though I have sat alongside a few drivers who have struggled and got stuck. Typically, despite my warnings and instructions, they have tried to go through too fast. High revs to keep up pressure in the exhaust to stop water flowing in, first gear and slip clutch to keep speed as low as possible and so avoid a bow wave, and you should get through most things OK. Then drive with your foot lightly on the brake for a while to dry the pads out.
I towed him out later with my classic RR - air suspension set to high and the only comment about flooding in the handbook was a suggestion to remove the fan belt to avoid water being splashed by the fan onto the spark plugs... car went through a good 500 - 700mm of water with no issues...
