C4 Production Question

[Floyd B.]

For late model C4's when were the build sheets printed and attached to the vehicle? How many were printed?

I'm guessing that at least two copies were printed as the vehicle entered the finally final assembly line (i.e. after exiting the post-oven cooling area). We all know that one ends up strapped to the top of the fuel tank. Is the date that appears on top of the build sheet represent the time and date that the build sheet was created or the time and date that the scheduling system created the build record?

[Terry M.]

Re: C4 Production Question

Is the date that appears on top of the build sheet represent the time and date that the build sheet was created or the time and date that the scheduling system created the build record?

I can't tell you for sure for C4, but for C6 the time and date on the top, right of the build manifest represents the time and date the sheet was printed.

[Bill M.]

Re: C4 Production Question

I found a build sheet for my '92 in the passenger side front spring tower.

[Pat F.]

Re: C4 Production Question

Was told that another copy was in the engine cradle. Do not know exactly where that would be, but got a large portion of mine off the gas tank.

[Floyd B.]

Re: C4 Production Question

I can't tell you for sure for C4, but for C6 the time and date on the top, right of the build manifest represents the time and date the sheet was printed.

Terry,

That's interesting and what I would have expected having worked on production systems in the CK truck plants. However, what got me thinking that it may be the date that the build record was loaded into the plant scheduling system is my build sheet has a date of 12/7/95, but the broadcast code on the front right pad of my LT4 engine reads V1219ZXD which I believe indicates a 12/19 production date for the car - assuming this code is stamped on the assembly line - not at the engine plant.

It just seems like 12 days is an abnormal amount of time for the car carrier to move from the post paint-oven cooling area (i.e. the begining of final assembly) to engine install.

Thanx,

-Floyd-

[Floyd B.]

Re: C4 Production Question

Was told that another copy was in the engine cradle. Do not know exactly where that would be, but got a large portion of mine off the gas tank.

That's an interesting point and it makes sense. I wonder when they knew a specific engine was destined for a specific car and they stamped both the pads.

[John H.]

Re: C4 Production Question

However, what got me thinking that it may be the date that the build record was loaded into the plant scheduling system is my build sheet has a date of 12/7/95, but the broadcast code on the front right pad of my LT4 engine reads V1219ZXD which I believe indicates a 12/19 production date for the car - assuming this code is stamped on the assembly line - not at the engine plant.

It just seems like 12 days is an abnormal amount of time for the car carrier to move from the post paint-oven cooling area (i.e. the begining of final assembly) to engine install.

Thanx,

-Floyd-

Floyd -

The V1219ZXD was stamped on the block pad at Flint V-8 right after the cylinder heads went on, not at Bowling Green, where the VIN derivative was stamped. The order information and broadcast code info was loaded into the scheduling system long before the car started in the Body Shop.

[Terry M.]

Re: C4 Production Question

I would encourage you to take a trip to and through Bowling Green Assembly. I think the sequence of engine/transmission stamp is not a whole lot different now than in the C4 era -- except I think they no longer stamp the VIN definitive on the transmission, and the method of stamping the VIN definitive is a lot different.

The VIN definitive is stamped when the engine starts down the dress line now days. If memory serves in the C4 era the engine/transmission were stamped with the VIN definitive just after they were mated together, but before they were joined to the rest of the power train and suspension. At this point the body panels were painted and on their way to meet their underpinnings.

[Floyd B.]

Re: C4 Production Question

I would encourage you to take a trip to and through Bowling Green Assembly.

It has been on my to-do list for quite some time. I grew up in the Detroit area so a plant tour was one of those end-of-school-year field trips we could count on and I looked forward to it all year long. As a systems engineer the most fun I ever had on the job was programming and support of the plant floor systems for the CK truck plants in Ft. Wayne and Pontiac East. Ahhhh, very fond memories indeed.

Thanks for the info.

-Floyd-

[Floyd B.]

Re: C4 Production Question

Floyd -

The V1219ZXD was stamped on the block pad at Flint V-8 right after the cylinder heads went on, not at Bowling Green, where the VIN derivative was stamped. The order information and broadcast code info was loaded into the scheduling system long before the car started in the Body Shop.

WOW!!!! Now my car absolutely makes no sense to me at all. How could the build sheet have a date that it came of the printer of 12/7 and the engine an assembly date in Flint of 12/19? I'm familiar with the benefits of JIT manufacturing, but...

[Pat F.]

Re: C4 Production Question

Gentlemen, My build sheet date is 07/20/94 @05:53:19 The engine suffix code is V0727ZUC. July 27th date. My Corvette was built on the 3rd or 4th day of regular production on August 4, 1994 with VIN 233 and Sequence Number 139. Just my two cents for discussion.

[Bill M.]

Re: C4 Production Question

WOW!!!! Now my car absolutely makes no sense to me at all. How could the build sheet have a date that it came of the printer of 12/7 and the engine an assembly date in Flint of 12/19? I'm familiar with the benefits of JIT manufacturing, but...

My '92 build sheet is dated 92/037 = Feb. 6, 1992 (?)
The engine was assembled Feb. 19, 1992

[John H.]

Re: C4 Production Question

WOW!!!! Now my car absolutely makes no sense to me at all. How could the build sheet have a date that it came of the printer of 12/7 and the engine an assembly date in Flint of 12/19? I'm familiar with the benefits of JIT manufacturing, but...

Floyd -

There's no connection between the printing date of the build sheet and the assembly date of the engine; when the order was fed into the scheduling system, it just triggered procurement to add another "ZXD" engine to the material requirements for that schedule's group of cars, which was forecast to the suppliers several weeks in advance of the projected production date.

[Floyd B.]

Re: C4 Production Question

Floyd -

There's no connection between the printing date of the build sheet and the assembly date of the engine; when the order was fed into the scheduling system, it just triggered procurement to add another "ZXD" engine to the material requirements for that schedule's group of cars, which was forecast to the suppliers several weeks in advance of the projected production date.

John,

When was the build sheet printed? I seem to recall that in the truck plants there was a printer at the beginning of the final assembly line - i.e. the point where the car carrier exited the holding area where the vehicle shells cooled after exiting the oven. A worker pulled the build sheet off the printer and taped it to the truck.

If they did something similar in BG, it wouldn't make sense to have a build sheet print date of 12/7 and an engine assembly date 12/19. I'm thinking the date on the build sheet must represent something else.

Thanx,

-Floyd-

[Terry M.]

Re: C4 Production Question

I remember seeing build sheets taped to the nose of Corvette bodies on the line at BG back in the early '90s. They still do that, or at leasst they did back in October of 2007.