C2:67 At what point in the Assembly Process

[Gerard F.]

was the convertible top put on? With the body assembly or final assembly?

Jerry Fuccillo
#42179

[Stephen L.]

Re: C2:67 At what point in the Assembly Process

Definitely after painting... So if your definition of body assy is before paint then it wasn't put on. I'd have to think that it was installed after all body paint etc was complete and would have been installed during final assy in the "trim" phase... when things such as lights, door handles, door panels, dash, carpet, and seats were installed.

[Gerard F.]

Re: C2:67 At what point in the Assembly Process

Steve,

I guess it would have to be one of the last things. Was wondering whether they applied the vinyl covering to the frame with the frame on the car, or whether the frame was covered elsewhere and the complete top installed in the car.

The covering process seems to be a pretty elaborate process for an assembly line. I was trying to find something in the AIM on it (maybe I missed it)

Jerry Fuccillo
#42179

[Kevin M.]

Re: C2:67 At what point in the Assembly Process

It came as a completed assembly to the trim line before body drop. The A.O Smith bodies we've all see the pictures of sitting on rail cars had one or both tops already installed. I think I remember someone posting the vinyl was installed onto the frame on a jig of some sorts in each plant.

Kevin

[Michael H.]

Re: C2:67 At what point in the Assembly Process

Jerry,

Kevin's description is accurate. The conv top assy was assembled in a fixture off line and installed on the body in the mechanical trim area. The fixture duplicated the dimensions of an assembled body so no further adjustment of the top frame was necessary. I don't remember if all of the weather strips were installed before or after the top assy arrived on the line.

All of this occured while the body was still on the body truck, well before the body was installed on it's frame.

[John H.]

Re: C2:67 At what point in the Assembly Process

During the midyear era and at least through 1968 production, the convertible top was installed on the Final Line flat-top (car on wheels, after Body Drop); it was received fully-assembled from the supplier except for final attachment of the front header and attachment of the pads, skin, and weathercord to the header, and installation of the header and window opening weatherstrips. That work was done in an off-line subassembly jig before loading the finished top to the body. See the photo on page 30 of Noland's book. The process apparently changed later in the C3 era.

[Kevin M.]

Re: C2:67 At what point in the Assembly Process

OK I see that, how about AO bodies. The text says delivered with seats then removed and stored. Was it the same for tops? In the picture on page 31 it looks as if the convertibles have some sort of top in place. What a pain it must have been storing and keeping track of the seats.

Kevin

[John H.]

Re: C2:67 At what point in the Assembly Process

The seat issue is another "urban legend" that won't die. A.O. Smith bodies arrived with NO interior trim whatsoever below the belt line, no seats, no carpets, no door or quarter trim panels - the lower portion of the interior was "bare-naked". The convertible top was fully-assembled and finished at A.O. Smith, with a protective cover taped to it (on a 2-top car, the soft top was stowed and the hardtop was installed).