Intro from an old Assembly Plant guy

[Misled]

OK, I just know I'm not the only one here picturing my own truck being built......my daughter thinks I'm crazy.....she said what are you reading so intently?!?!?!?

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Misled

OK, I just know I'm not the only one here picturing my own truck being built......my daughter thinks I'm crazy.....she said what are you reading so intently?!?!?!?

I'd like to finish working my way through those photos (...cause I'm driven by "closure"). I'll post some more later today as I get a chance.

K

[Keith Seymore]

I should have mentioned I made a little more progress last night: the driver's vent window arrived (from a local auto recycler) so I cleaned it up a bit and got the door stripped in anticipation of installing the window.

I also cleaned the interior a little more. This is how much dirt was under the floor mat/sill plate in the driver's kick pad area (passenger side was similar):



I also continue to find live ammo as I clean the interior, which further speaks of the truck's transformation from "city slicker" (when I had it) to "ranch truck":



These were under the seat:





Lastly, I found another photo of when the truck was new, which I will post here:

[bumslie75]

Wow nice to meet you from Reedley, Ca. Thanks for all the info.

[Skirkpat]

WOW, Lake City Ammo plant, I live by that....It is hard to immagine them letting you smoke there!! LOL

By the way, Do you know Leroy Smith, he worked at GM......



Just kidding, I got that alot when I was at Ford. I took an Early Retirement From FoMoCo Claycomo Truck Plant about 3 years ago, I spent 13 yrs. there. I was part of the Launch and Design team when we launched the Hybrid Escape in '03, Lots of great stories, if people knew how we built them, the big three would be brok..........never mind.
Once I was one of the people assigned to "visually monitor" one of Ford Jr's personal car's through the plant (yes I was the babysitter) the stupid thing had 6 coats of paint on it, wich is really bad, if it had one thing wrong with the paint, they put it back through. probably ended up with 35 mil of paint on it !! The funny thing is he probably drove it twice before he sent it back.

I am glad you found the site, and good to see you made it out.. Enjoy.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Skirkpat

WOW, Lake City Ammo plant, I live by that....It is hard to immagine them letting you smoke there!! LOL

By the way, Do you know Leroy Smith, he worked at GM......



Just kidding...

Thanks for the welcome.

Actually, I've had this happen:

I met a lady at church and we were visiting and she said, casually "oh, my brother in law works for GM".

I said "Really? Where's he work?".

She said "oh, he's with the truck group somewhere..."

I said "Really?, where abouts?"

She said "um, I think he's an engineer on the GMT800 program".

I said "Really?!, where abouts?!!"

"Um, I think he's down in Troy somewhere...."

I said "Really?!, what part is he the engineer on?"

"Um, I think he has the doors, or the body or something".

I said "REALLY?! WHAT'S HIS NAME?!"

"Walt C", she says....

WALT! I KNOW WALT! GEEZ!! I'VE KNOWN WALT FOR 25 YEARS!!



Small world....

K

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Skirkpat

Lots of great stories, if people knew how we built them, the big three would be brok..........never mind...

You just reminded me of a story...

Maybe you guys didn't do this, but up at Flint we would "fit" hoods and fenders with a big hammer and a big stick.

If the fenders were "inboard" relative to the doors, rather than undoing the lower bolts and adding additional shims at the anchor locations the fitters would open the door and stick a big 2x4 in behind the fender and "ERRKKK" reef on that baby to bend the fenders out.

Similarly, if the hood-to-fender gap was tight at the front, they'd pop the hood and whack the nose of the fender (out) with a big rubber mallet. At that point, I know we'd been using the same technique since at least 1960, since I knew the guy that used to fit the 1960 pickup hoods....

But, you're right. We probably shouldn't mention it.

K

[72BlckButy]

Welcome to the board Keith. Your knowledge and expertise will definitely be utalized on this board.

Glad to have you hear!

[Skirkpat]

Stick a large padded stick, and "SLAM" the hood, or door, or whatever was "out" , yes, we built them like they were for someone else The first time I saw a guy "fit" a door, I cringed, and thought Sh*# , that guy's going to get fired for that!! Little did I know, that was Standard Operating Procedure. They are artists in there, it takes a while to appreciate the scope of their talent, but it amazed me every day to see that animal fire up and spit new cars out the end. Controled Madness. After working on the Engineering side it really boggles my mind. Truly amazing.

I still laugh when people say they do not EARN their money. The Supervision side wass the tough side. Toughest SOB's in the plant were line Supervisors, I am sure GM was no different.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Skirkpat

I still laugh when people say they do not EARN their money. The Supervision side wass the tough side. Toughest SOB's in the plant were line Supervisors, I am sure GM was no different.

Man, I was just a kid. I used to cry before I'd go to work...

Didn't take them long to toughen me up!

K

[Jonboy]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

You just reminded me of a story...

Maybe you guys didn't do this, but up at Flint we would "fit" hoods and fenders with a big hammer and a big stick.

If the fenders were "inboard" relative to the doors, rather than undoing the lower bolts and adding additional shims at the anchor locations the fitters would open the door and stick a big 2x4 in behind the fender and "ERRKKK" reef on that baby to bend the fenders out.

Similarly, if the hood-to-fender gap was tight at the front, they'd pop the hood and whack the nose of the fender (out) with a big rubber mallet. At that point, I know we'd been using the same technique since at least 1960, since I knew the guy that used to fit the 1960 pickup hoods....

But, you're right. We probably shouldn't mention it.

K

That's similar to how they get fixed in the field, too. nice to know where that factory training comes from.

[Keith Seymore]

Back to 'lil Red: here's what the tire/wheel assemblies will look like when done. One down, four to go:





I realize those are not the exactly correct trim rings but I picked them up for cheap at a local swap meet. I figured they were good enough for a daily driver.

K

[boatpuller]

hold on to those 22 shells.they are hard to buy right now.

[Keith Seymore]

Guys-

You had asked about assembly video footage: Although these are for Pontiac passenger cars (1971 model year), the assembly techniques shown here are very similar to how our trucks were built or even vehicles built today, for that matter.

K

Links to "Pontiac Pours it on for 1971" Youtube videos (segments 1 - 9)

1971.1:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.1

1971.2:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.2

1971.3:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.3

1971.4:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.4

1971.5:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.5

1971.6:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.6

1971.7:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.7

1971.8:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.8

1971.9:

YouTube - Pontiac Pours It on 1971.9

Some things that caught my eye (based on my own experiences):

In segment 7 (at the 2:20 mark) , you can see the brake evacuation and fill operation. Brakes are then pressure tested and you can see the inspector writing on the repair ticket and placing it in the machine where it is stamped, showing its approval. I ran this corresponding area, as a student, at the truck plant for several months (...went through a lot of penny loafers because of the brake fluid...). I am reminded that if the ticket was rolled up and placed in the coils of the brake lines that would indicate a repair or a retest was required. The line would occasionally be stopped at this location (...very rarely...) if a few more precious seconds were required to complete the repair or retest.

To discuss the "evac and fill" operation for just a second: this machine was a big "vacuum pump" and actually sucked all the air out of the completed brake system. Brake fluid was then allowed to flow into the system, using the pulled vacuum as the driver. Brakes were not bled as a matter of course; only as a repair procedure. The system was then tested by placing a unit on the back of the master cylinder which then applied brake pressure. Leaks or soft brakes could be detected and if, after a certain time period, no problems were noted then the green light would come on and the ticket stamped that the brakes were OK.

Segment 7 also shows some nice shots of the build manifest (build sheet) in use on the trim line [and is a nice contrast between the build sheet and the inspection ticket, as shown above], and the "wheel lug multiple" on the chassis line (all 5 wheel lug nuts are tightened at the same time).

The other area I ran, as my first "real" job after graduating, was the Fender Set area, as shown from 1:34 - 1:45 and as discussed in my first post on this thread.

You can also see the inspectors writing and buying off on the work tickets at the end of the trim line and at the end of the final line in segments 8 and 9.

I am also reminded of the guy that used to install the tire/wheel assemblies in the St Louis plant. He was a relatively small man with a big handlebar moustache. When he knew people were watching, particularly visitors, he would start to show off a bit by bouncing the tires down off the conveyor and rebounding them back up onto the wheel hub. If he was feeling particularly sassy, he would bounce them such that they would flip end-over-end before landing on the hub or, on rare occasions bounce them behind his back to install them. The moral of the story, which stays with me to this day: "...always keep your eye on anybody with a handlebar moustache".

FYI -

K

[Keith Seymore]

Wow. That's cool; I didn't know it would put the videos right in the thread...

[Keith Seymore]

I've got a few minutes so I thought I'd bang out a few more picture captions:

I'm referring back to these pictures:

http://www.73-87.com/7387info/Assembly%20Line.htm

Picture 8: The ELPO dip tank. This was a revolutionary painting process (at the time) where the entire vehicle was "dipped" in the primer paint. The vehicle itself was electrically charged, which opens the pores of the metal, allowing the paint to seep in. The charge is then cut off, closing the pores and the paint is trapped. The excess is literally rinsed off (with water) once the vehicle emerges from the tank, resulting in a smooth finish and excellent coverage.

I remember the process was fairly new when I started so it was probably installed in the mid to late 70's (on line 2 first, then line 1 later). The ELPO process is still in use today. In the Mishawaka (H2) plant the vehicle is actually "tumbled", end over end, in the tank to ensure all air bubbles are evacuated.

Picture 10: You can see the operator spraying a little bit of "Ziebart" type rust proofing inside the door.

Picture 11, 12: Paint shop: Nothing too revolutionary in this particular picture but it does make me think of a couple things. A) In this picture you can see the operator is spraying with a conventional spray gun. Sounds impressive but the reality is this guy could have been sweeping the floors the day before; today he is handed a spray gun and within three or four trucks he is "painting". In an attempt to modernize we actually installed an automated "turbine bell" system (Behr was the manufacturer), whereby a small cone (like a showerhead) is spun at a very high speed (ie, 20,000 rpm) and the paint is "slung" onto the vehicle. Here again, the vehicle was electrically charged, drawing the paint to the metal (you could actually see the paint turning the corners to stick on the backside) reducing overspray and waste. The only problem was that for any metallic paints it took the metal flakes and lined them all up neatly in order, changing the overall perceived color. We had to go back with a traditional reciprocating sprayer and apply a light color coat on those particular trucks to get the paint to match the standard chip.

B) You can't really see it, but in the background of those spray booths there is a "waterfall", that is, water running down the sides of the booths in sheets. The vacuum from the falling water captures the overspray, rinsing it into a holding tank where it is dried and the resulting "sludge" is disposed of; presumably in a manner befitting a hazardous waste.

C) Something else you all might not know, but which I found clever: for two tone trucks, the secondary color was actually applied first. The desired pattern (whether the inset or lower body - ZY1 = solid paint and ZY2 - ZY8 were the two tones) is then covered up with butcher paper and tape and then the primary color is applied over that. The paper is removed and VIOLA you have your two tone. Incidentally, some of you may remember the ZY7 paint scheme, where the secondary color formed a "spear" above the feature line with then curved upward at the cab back and over the roof - this paint scheme was conceived and developed by a couple "mechanics" (ie, technicians) at the Milford Proving Ground and subsequently adopted for production.

D) Lastly, you can see that wheels were received in black primer and the appropriate color (white or argent silver) was sprayed on the show surface, with no masking and allowing the overspray to flow through any openings or slots. (That's a big deal to the Corvette and/or Pontiac enthusiasts).

Pictures 13, 14, 15: Body drop: this was the most dramatic of assembly operations (...tour groups would stand and watch this for as long as you would let them). The bodies came down through an opening in the second floor which, with the high ceilings of an assembly plant, was a LONG way. A good hoist operator would let the body essentially "free fall", flying down through the floor WHOOOSH and then EEEEEK stopping just inches off the chassis. The guys on the first floor would nonchalantly install their body mounts and gently guide the cab/box onto the chassis, as though they did it every day (...which, of course, they did). Body bolts and box bolts were tightened (hopefully not crossthreaded, which happened relatively often) and the truck sent on its way, all without ever stopping the line.

I should mention the line (almost) NEVER stopped. Wrong cabs, wrong tire/wheel assemblies, heart attacks, lack of manpower, material shortages, etc, were NOT enough to stop the line. During my time on the final line I honestly don't recall that I ever personally pushed the stop button. I did, a couple times, on the chassis line in the brake area when the tooling was stretched against it's air hose and to let it go would have pulled the hose off its coupling. Other than that it was very, very rare. I also recall that the line rate was slightly faster than what was reported to central office so that, on a good day, we could actually produce more than the required number of trucks, resulting in a few "free" vehicles. The only times I remember the line stopping were due to downages in the cab shop, whereby the downstream operations ran out of bodies, and we had a tornado (once) and hung out in the basement.

Picture 16: back to the trim area, so they are skipping around a bit. Body glass and all the interior trim were installed in Trim, which for Line1 pickups was on the first floor at the south end of the building [so vehicles started with the cab shop, south end first floor, went to the second floor for paint, then back downstairs for trim, then back up to the second floor for the accumulator (body bank) and in preparation for body drop]. Most of the cute ladies, if there were any, worked in Trim (and usually had a number of extra male workers hovering around).

Picture 17, 18, 19, 20: Final line, showing headlight aim, wheel alignment and the final mainline inspection. Those headlight aimers are a mechanical device which attach to the headlamp lens with a suction cup; a small bubble level is used to adjust up/down and there is an arrangement of mirrors which set the adjustment crosscar. Typically during wheel alignment, while the man in the pit is setting the toe adjustment, the driver is busy cycling all the lights, turn signals, making sure the radio works, trying the windshield washers, etc. The vehicle engine is running during these tests so the short "walls" on either side of the line are comprised of vacuum vents which suck out the exhaust fumes.

I should mention that a number of employees were required to move all the vehicles around: not only to drive them off the end of the line (usually done by regular workers assigned to that job) but also a whole "subculture" of volunteer drivers used to shuttle vehicles back and forth to the repair and shipping areas. This was usually done by extra "utility" workers who did not have an assignment on the line for that day, by "rehab" workers who might be temporarily disabled but could drive a vehicle, and by any other derelicts and hot-n-tots that could be rounded up. This activity usually continued long after the main line had stopped and, as a source of overtime income, was a popular job for those who showed some initiative for extra income ( that is, the guys that were over-extended because they bought too many boats, snowmobiles, motorcycles, etc).

Last picture: there she is, the diamond of the Flint night sky, Chevrolet Flint Assembly, complete with that familiar red and white checkerboard water tower. At one point this was the only plant in the world producing GM Full Size Utility vehicles (back before they were known as "SUVs") and is still producing Light Duty pickups and Medium Duty trucks. The plant can be viewed from two major expressways, bordered by I-75 (to the west; running north/south) and I-69 (to the north; running east/west). My off hours activities would often take me past the plant, allowing me to smell the distinctive ELPO fumes and causing a short lived mild depression (they still have that affect). I am reminded that those stacks also emitted small globules of paint, which would stick to your vehicle in the form of small black blobs. Many people would simply have their vehicles wheeled out every year or two (which after a particularly noxious spill GM would pay for); I elected to cover my little blue stepside with a car cover thereby short circuiting that process.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

You just reminded me of a story...

Maybe you guys didn't do this, but up at Flint we would "fit" hoods and fenders with a big hammer and a big stick.

If the fenders were "inboard" relative to the doors, rather than undoing the lower bolts and adding additional shims at the anchor locations the fitters would open the door and stick a big 2x4 in behind the fender and "ERRKKK" reef on that baby to bend the fenders out.

Similarly, if the hood-to-fender gap was tight at the front, they'd pop the hood and whack the nose of the fender (out) with a big rubber mallet. At that point, I know we'd been using the same technique since at least 1960, since I knew the guy that used to fit the 1960 pickup hoods....

But, you're right. We probably shouldn't mention it.

K

I thought of another one we shouldn't mention:

The wheel opening moldings are designated by RPO (regular production option) B96.

Sometimes, when installing the moldings, the screws would hit torque but not be fully seated. Rather than grabbing a screwdriver and torquing the screws home my line side repairmen would grab a big hammer and WHAM 'em once so they appeared seated.

This led to us calling the fasteners themselves "B96 nails"...

K

[AceX]

This is awesome! Now I have someone's brain to pick with connections @ GM! This rocks!

Oh yeah, welcome to the board. You oversaw the production (or at least part of it) of my own truck.

[ChaseDale3and8]

Wow! What an amazing story and introduction! This has to be the best post that I have ever read since I have been here! I can't even imagine how awesome it would be to follow your own truck down the assembly line as it was being built! Good luck with your project and be sure to post up pictures as you make progress on it. ...Joe

[Keith Seymore]

Pretty good weekend: Got the rest of the rally wheels painted and installed; pulled the speedo cable and lubed it, fixed the LH turn signal (which had stopped cancelling) - and - cleaned up the steering wheel and painted the steering column!






Oh - got all the lights burning, too (one back up lamp, both front side markers and both rear side markers were burned out).

[Skirkpat]

Are you sure you did not work at Ford, your last post was like picture of the Claycomo plant, the funniest part was describing the "trim" girls, we had the IP line, where we built Inst. panels...loaded up with Medicals, and women...we called it Payton Place. There was ALWAYS a cat fight brewing. The stock guys would drive WAY over speed on there route so they could "putt" around over on the IP line for a few minutes. I used to laugh when we got a new hire that was even remotely atractive, the whole plant, all 5500 people would know about it. The guys, and a few girls would run over and check her out, the other women would talk trash about her...I would ask them if they had a boyfriend or husband. If the said yes, I would tell them "not for long" if they said no, I would say "You will"....I seemed like Nosterdamis to them, I was always right. Simple fact was that we worked 10 hour shifts, new hires were on nights. If you had a signifigant other they never saw you, and there was always a couple hundred guy's ready and willing to "talk to you about your problems at home".

Now I AM getting into some stories I should not tell!!!

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Skirkpat

Are you sure you did not work at Ford, your last post was like picture of the Claycomo plant, the funniest part was describing the "trim" girls, we had the IP line, where we built Inst. panels...loaded up with Medicals, and women...we called it Payton Place. There was ALWAYS a cat fight brewing. The stock guys would drive WAY over speed on there route so they could "putt" around over on the IP line for a few minutes. I used to laugh when we got a new hire that was even remotely atractive, the whole plant, all 5500 people would know about it. The guys, and a few girls would run over and check her out, the other women would talk trash about her...I would ask them if they had a boyfriend or husband. If the said yes, I would tell them "not for long" if they said no, I would say "You will"....I seemed like Nosterdamis to them, I was always right. Simple fact was that we worked 10 hour shifts, new hires were on nights. If you had a signifigant other they never saw you, and there was always a couple hundred guy's ready and willing to "talk to you about your problems at home".

Now I AM getting into some stories I should not tell!!!

LOL!

I am sure all the plants were pretty much the same...

K

[87Bob]

Hey Keith do you have any of the old assembly manuals laying around?

[KIILew]

I have been away from this forum for ages, so I decided to come back for a visit...and this is the post I find!!

Unbelievable!!!

Awesome to read everything you have written, Keith...and it is fantastic to meet you online! That goes for the other "industry guys" who chimed in, too!

I will be thinking of and gathering together all of the various assembly questions I have always wanted to ask, LOL.

Welcome! And keep us posted about your truck's progress!

Ken Lewis

P.S. I enjoyed your commentary on the two-tone paint applications. I have a 1974 GMC C1500 Sierra which still wears (barely) its original Deluxe two-tone rosedale red and frost white paint job. Over the last 30+ years, I have watched the red primary color fade away, and I long ago concluded that the base coat color was the secondary frost white. Thanks for confirming my suspicion! I also find it interesting that on both this truck and my '79 Big 10 (also with the Deluxe two-tone), the sliver of sheetmetal just under the rear window and above the cab-back applique is painted the primary color. Barely noticeable, because the area is so small, but I always have wondered why this was so. (As I reside in Washington state, these two trucks hail not from Flint, but from Fremont, CA.)

[88 Dippy]

you saw part of my truck being built (well "parts") the frame is from a '87 the transmission and T-case are from a '83 the front axle is from the same '83, the engine is from a 68 'maro so you probly did not see that