C2 St.Louis Production Floor Basement?

[Alan D.]

Most descriptions of the factory assembly line mention storage/assembly areas in the basement.

Galloway/Hinkley reference storage, zinc chromate, rear subassembly, and ?

Tony Avedisian, Gregory Keith and Marty Fowler mention the N03 option, others say nothing was done in basement.

So just what was in or done on a C2 in the basement?

References to above people were taken from other NCRS posts, sorry for spelling or wrong references.

[Gary C.]

Re: C2 St.Louis Production Floor Basement?

Consider that John Hinckley was at the St. Louis Corvette plant in 1966 & 1967

Excerpts referencing St. Louis Corvette plant basement work from John Hinckley's 2011 Seminar - Midyear Corvette Assembly Process

- Underbody panel sent up to main floor level and loaded/bolted to pedestals on steel body build truck.

- After the birdcage was completed downstairs, it was sent up to the main floor in the Body Shop and was loaded/bonded/riveted into the underbody, forming the foundation for the rest of the body build.

- Cowl & Dash subassembly (including the female hood latches and cross-cable), also built up downstairs, was loaded and fixture-located to the underbody and build truck and bonded in place.

- There was no raw-metal prime or paint facility in the Corvette plant other than the small crude zinc chromate primer system in the basement used for the birdcage.

Gary
....

[Alan D.]

Re: C2 St.Louis Production Floor Basement?

And from that same Seminar, page 12

Install rear suspension module (subassembly from basement

included the suspension crossmember and cushions, differential and

nose bracket, half-shafts, trailing arm assemblies, strut bracket and

rods, and rear spring with the ends free)

[Alan D.]

Re: C2 St.Louis Production Floor Basement?

So, does everyone agree that a basement existed and some assembly was done there?
At present, John Hinckley is our reference from his 2011 Seminar - Midyear Corvette Assembly Process
These are:

1 underbody panels, 2 birdgage, 3 cowl & dash, 4 chromate primer, & 5 rear suspension