Circa 1970 GM Production Numbers

[Tony H.]

Does anyone know roughly how many cars GM manufactured annually in the late '60s to early '70s? Thanks.

[Art A.]

Re: Circa 1970 GM Production Numbers

Tony, that is an obscure question and I'm not sure amyone can give you ALL of GM production figures combinned.Why do you ask? I'm sure it was done, but where to find it today is another thing. I do have the total SALES figures for Chevrolet passenger cars, which are as follows:

1965.........2,230,429
1966.........2,219,702
1967.........1,996,106
1968.........2,053,417
1969.........2,154,970
1970.........1,937,592
1971.........1,878,009
1972.........2,367,781
1973.........2,516,864
1974.........2,206,587
1975.........1,714,594

Art

[Patrick H.]

Re: Circa 1970 GM Production Numbers

Tony,

1 year = 31 556 926 seconds
1 year = 525 948.766 minutes

48 weeks production at 40 hours is 1920 hours = 115 200 minutes

17.36 units per minute, or 3.4562212 seconds each.

Make that 2 or 4 styles.... no problem.

Patrick

[Art A.]

Re: Circa 1970 GM Production Numbers

Patrick, you do-do, he asked how many, not how long it took.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Circa 1970 GM Production Numbers

Yes, but you don't know the rest of his question.

He wants to know, based on the number of cars produced by GM, how much time a machine would have to make one part for each of the autos produced. I just finished his math for him.

The machine has just under 3 1/2 seconds per part, if it's making one part for each GM auto made during that era.

So, "how long" was based on "how many."

Don't worry about it - it's for a question we had off line.

Patrick

[Tony H.]

THANK Art!

And Patrick (for the math).

Well, we have some excellent data. You'll have to wait for our radiator cap article that we are putting together for The Restorer later this year.

[Tony H.]

Re: Circa 1970 GM Production Numbers

Art,
Would you have a guestimate as to what percentage of SALES (cars sold) did Chevrolet represent under the GM umbrella at that time? Thanks.
Tony

[Art A.]

Re: Circa 1970 GM Production Numbers

Tony, No I don't, but Chevrolet has always been by far the most prolific devision at GM, by, I would guess around 60 to 80% most years.

Art

[John H.]

Re: Circa 1970 GM Production Numbers

During the late 60's, the Chevrolet "B"-Body (Impala/Caprice) volume alone was 6,000 units per day (out of the 8500/day passenger car-only volume), in nine assembly plants; no stamping plant could possibly produce that many major panels in one day back then, so there were TWO COMPLETE DUPLICATE SETS of dies for all the major panels. For the Chevrolet parts (hood, fenders, headers, etc.) one set was at Chevrolet-Flint Bristol Road, and the other set was outside, at the Budd Company. The days of even ONE assembly plant being dedicated to a single nameplate are LONG gone.

[Terry M.]

Re: Circa 1970 GM Production Numbers

There was, I think, five or seven plants for the Chevelle/Cutlas, and the Buick version -- the RWD A-body. We tend to think in terms of 30,000 Corvettes being a good year. As John points out, that was one week of B-body production.
How many Camaro plants, John? Three I can think of, but there might have been more.
FWIW: I bought a 1965 Impala for a sticker of $3300 -- with $1000 worth of options.
Those were the days.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Circa 1970 GM Production Numbers

Terry,

You can do the same thing now. Just add a "0" to the end of your prices, and you're close. Base is $23010, a loaded SS over $30k sticker.

Remember, your 70 is worth "about" 10x what it was when you bought it, and likely your house. In some ways, cars aren't that much different.

Patrick

[Terry M.]

Re: Circa 1970 GM Production Numbers

I paid $6K for the 1970 -- double the price of the '65 Impala. I'd have to send it to B-J to get 10X, and I suspect it isn't shiney enough for that place.
j/k -- not for sale.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Circa 1970 GM Production Numbers

OK.

But I'd trade you a new Impala SS for it if you really wanted one.

Patrick

[Art A.]

Re: Circa 1970 GM Production Numbers

Terry, off the top of my pea brain, in 67/75 time frame, I think there were only three Camaro plants, LA Van Nuys and Norwood and later Oshawa Canada.

Art

[Terry M.]

Re: Circa 1970 GM Production Numbers

Those were the three I was thinking of, but I wasn't sure if there was something in Georgia.