64 Assembly Line - Saving the Best for Last

[Mark J.]

During a recent foray into a local antique store I ran across several Corvette photos in the automotove memorabillia section. I favor this one as it shows how simple and the assembly process was as compared to the modern line in Bowling Green. I wonder what got installed next?

P.S.: Regarding the Bowling Green tour, you know how they pick one of the tourists to start the Corvette at the end of the line? How come it's always the cute blonde behind me??

[Michael H.]

Re: 64 Assembly Line - Saving the Best for Last

Interesting that the door trim panel is installed before the body is on the chassis. This pic also must be the Smith plant? I don't think it was done this way at St Louis.

[Mark J.]

The Dreaded Red X

My server says I exceeded the data transfer limit. I suspect the photo will reappear later...

[Mark J.]

Re: 64 Assembly Line - Saving the Best for Last

I am guessing that perhaps this photo was taken the same time as the bake room photo posted yesterday, which was presumed NOT to be at St. Louis.

[Michael H.]

Re: The Dreaded Red X

I still have the photo Mark. If it doesn't reappear, I'll host and post it for you.

[Anthony F.]

Re: 64 Assembly Line - Saving the Best for Last

Mark,

No picture came up for me. I would really like to see this one, as the bodies in St. Louis DID NOT have door panels prior to the Chassis Mounting, like Michael stated. The AO Smith units did I believe come in with them on due to the window adjustments and water sealing prior to shipping them to St Louis.

A fella was assigned to a job in the basement to prepare the AO Smith units before the came up stairs to the Trim Line. I would like to be asking him right now just what was there and what he removed from the unit for processing. I do not think that the door panels would have been a problem running through the system except for damage to them.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I am leaning to door panel removal and reinstallation in Final Trim but I am not sure.

[Mark J.]

Re: The Dreaded Red X

Michael,

Feel free to repost it at will. I enjoy the discussion surrounding it. Mine will probably reappear tomorrow.

Mark

[Michael H.]

Mark's Assy Line Pic *NM*

[Michael H.]

The Wall....And Quiz....

Tony,

I agree, I believe the St. Louis bodies didn't receive their door trim until final trim line. If Smith was installing the trim for the 64 run, I believe this practice ended for 65-67 and the Smith bodies then arrived less door trim.

The pic of this line looks nothing like the line at the Mill. There wasn't a wall on the right side, as I remember.

Quiz: There's one obvious way to tell the difference between a new St Louis body and a Smith body when viewed from the rear. Gold star for anyone that catches it. Bet you'll be the first Tony.

There's a mistake in the Burroughs book "Corvette Restoration, State Of The Art", and it's my fault. It has to do with this particular subject as the incorrect info came from me before the book was written.

[Robert Jorjorian]

EXHAUST PANEL NOT INSTALLED 4 PAINT? *NM*

[Anthony F.]

Re: The Wall....And Quiz....

Sorry about me not being first but I was away from the box filling my gut.

Robert noticed that the rear body at the attachment screws did not have bare fiberglass showing where the tail panel was attached (with 2 screws) during the paint process. The panels where removed when the unit came into Hard Trim so the trim operators could set under the rear body and install the tail lights, rear license light, antenna & rear emblem.

The rear harness and antenna wire was strung through the bodies grommet hole just before the tail light operation. Did you also know that the Tool that we used to tighten all the above mentioned was the same?

It was a small 3/8 in drive impact. We used different sockets & tips to get the job done. NOW you know why the rear emblems were almost always stripped by the speed nut and sometimes the light studs. OPP’s maybe I should not have told that little secret on the plant.

We had a board that latter changed to an aluminum panel that we would set on. It was equipped with a little padding for a seat and out tool tray with the fasteners would be set in the area under the antenna. I used my left hand to hold the lights and the right to run the impact. No torque control here just operators knowledge of what worked and what did not. Dirty job, that one with all the fiberglass dust and paint over spray that dried on the dust. It was like a limbo dance every time you got into or out from the back side of the car.

By the way, now that I have seen the picture, I noticed that this was probably the shipping line at AO Smith where the bodies were inspected prior to shipment. You will notice that the picture is the start of that line by the wheel lead in at the left hand side of the unit. The amount of light over head by the windows suggest that the operator need so see inside as they are off set, and the position of that operator suggest that he is looking inside not working. If he was installing routing or some other type of work he would have needed to be supported better. That from being in that position when I was inspecting and other positions installing.

As far as the windows in the wall are concerned. At St Louis the North wall did have some windows but not a complete line like the ones shown. They look like the same type of panels though suggesting being made around the same years. The Final Trim line had a roll of material racks running along the trim line then there was about a 8/10 ft aisle before the wall’s surface.

[Michael H.]

Re: The Wall....And Quiz....

Robert, Tony,

Yes, that's exactly right. For lack of a more convenient place to hang the rear lower panel during the paint operations, someone suggested it be loosly bolted in position on the body during the prime/paint processes, and that's exactly what was done. As Tony mentioned, only two bolts were used on two upper tabs but none used at the bottom position. This generally allowed the panel to fit the body poorly and it often showed as the ends of the panel were coated also.

The panel that was painted along with the body was typically NOT the same panel that eventually wound up on the completed vehicle. Once the body and panel were painted, the panel was removed and placed in a rack with other panels, in no particular order.

The rear tail light panel of a St Louis body would be absolutely bare of any coating under the area where the lower panel tabs covered it. There would be primer/body color in all of the unused bolt holes on the tail light panel.

St Louis bodies typically have no overspray on the rear bulkhead, ahead of the fuel tank. The lower panel prevented this overspray from going up inside the body. Smith bodies typically do have overspray in this area.

Tony, I remember the back wall with windows but I remember that area as the final trim line which would have been after the body was installed on the chassis. I don't remember a wall on or near the final line before body drop.

In the Burroughs book, I remember David asking me about the rear lower panel and the paint process. I explained that the panel was in place during prime/paint but later learned that this was only correct for St Louis bodies.

[Anthony F.]

Re: The Wall....And Quiz....

Michael,

Just a little extra on the window thing.

If my direction confuse anyone just remember that Natural Bridge Blv. Was on the South side of the Corvette plant.

If someone was at the body drop on the Chassis Line and wanted to get to the North plant wall they would have to walk across several lines and aisles.
1. You have a aisle between the Chassis Line and the Motor Line.
2. Walking through the Motor Line you came to the Paint Repair Line. (Back to back)
3. Crossing the Paint Repair Line you had a aisle between it and the Final Trim Line..
4. Crossing the Trim Line you had another aisle before the North Wall.

Looking down the North Wall from the beginning of the Final Trim Line to it’s end you had mostly a brick wall. Some where about the seat build there was a string of windows in that North Wall that I compared the picture’s window to. I remember my friend on the Final Line opening those windows in the summer to get some heat relief. Old steel frame type windows that would pivot in the middle of the lower panel when they where opened.

You know the more we talk about this the more faces I see and the more things I remember. Thanks Guys.

[Michael H.]

Pic Of The Mill Windows

Here's a shot of the air conditionong system at the Mill. Open windows and a breeze. This one should bring back a few memories Tony. It's the West entrance area. Behind the window is the area where engine compt blackout was done.

[Anthony F.]

Re: Pic Of The Mill Windows

Michael,

You know that they used to park test cars by the AIR CONDITIONER when I first started? The South Wall had the cafeteria and we walked by that black out area every day for lunch.

For the people who might be interested, the black out operator had "Shields" that he would lay on the fenders and place around the hood edges. No other masking was done so the over spray and lack of black out depended on the "Shields" and the operator.

I also remember coming in to work one day in 63 and there was a basket of steering wheels setting in that location along with a tree stump and a hatchet. Guess what they were doing?