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Automobile Assembly Line - 1936 at the Chevrolet Plant in Flint, Mic

I have seen this. Excellent! And good luck getting that to ever happen in this country again.
 
thanks for posting. i dont see how some of these workers even had a chance to use the toilet, let alone a coffee break
 
clemul said:
Interesting video of '36 chevy's being wrought:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b43_1377825945
Click to expand...


Thanks Clemul I love stuff like this.

69roadr said:
thanks for posting. i dont see how some of these workers even had a chance to use the toilet, let alone a coffee break
Click to expand...

I imagine they had a pool of guys that knew multiple jobs who would go stand while they went to use the facilities. They would certainly need that to keep from shutting down the line if someone got injured, sick, heart attack, whatever.
 
Interesting! In the opening scenes, the movement is called a "ladder-line" transfer. It is still in use today at my plant, those machines appear to be "cold-heading" rivets on the frame. Thanks Clemul! I actually work at an auto assembly plant, and it's amazing to see that, other than technology, the process really hasn't changed that much.
 
most of them have been replaced by robots now
 
69roadr said:
thanks for posting. i dont see how some of these workers even had a chance to use the toilet, let alone a coffee break
Click to expand...

I put in 35 years at GM plants;MANY on various assembly lines. That line rules your life;when you piss,****,fart,scratch your ***,sneeze or whatever. Utility men(and women) were the folks that were fill-ins. Oh;someone has a heart attack? Tough ****;the line keeps moving and you work around the body and the bodies of those attempting to revive it. Body part caught in machinery? Again,tough ****;the machinery keeps moving. That's the way it always has been in factories;Scotts74birds will verify this. First time I saw someone die a violent death was in the shop. It's an image that haunts me to this day. I've been in fights,broken up fights and stood around and watched fights. I've seen retribution against management,and thwarted said retribution when it was wrongly directed. Seen theft and stopped theft,both from hourly and salary. Was I a perfect employee? Oh,hell no. But,I gave a damn,and will always feel that,for the most part,I earned my pay.

Yeah,they've replaced most of us with robots. Robots don't buy vehicles-or any other effing thing-by the way.

Thanks for the vid;educational as hell.
 
The closest I've ever been to assembly line work was at a steel mill. Worked in the pipe shop for awhile and saw how large diameter pipe was pressed into shape from steel plate and welded. Talk about huge machines and plenty of noise. Now I know why so many older farts are damn near deaf and now I'm one of them but most of my hearing loss is from drag racing, guns and concerts lol. In the steel mill, the relief guys were called a spellman. Working in the structural mill, we got three 30 minute breaks a shift and being a spellman was a decent job because you hardly ever got bored with doing the same old crap all day long.
 
My dad told me that when his brother ( my uncle ) came back from Vietnam he got a job at one of the BIG 3 plants. He worked one of the presses. Said when they pressed the buttons and the press came down, it shook the whole floor and him across it. He said one day of that **** was enough and never went back. Lol
 
I served my apprenticeship at the, now gone, Fisher Body Plant #1 in Grand Rapids so I really enjoyed this. Every time I hear someone put down the fine people that worked in the Auto plants as "uncaring dimwits" I get pissed and set them straight as to how hard the work was.
Sure there were some a$$holes but every company has them, most of the problems stemmed from bad management driven by unknowing financial guys.
 
What's always amazed me about this kind of manufacturing back in those days was the ingenuity of the people that designed the machinery in the plants. It was all mechanical, or at best electromechanical. The computer designed and operated machinery in today's plants is obviously more efficient in almost every way but it just doesn't have the same beauty of design that the old stuff does. (for me anyway).
 
The really sad part is, when the plants closed Flint died. That town is a shell of it's former self.
 
BigBlock61 said:
The really sad part is, when the plants closed Flint died. That town is a shell of it's former self.
Click to expand...

the whole area around Detroit, is a shell of it's former self... it's really sad to see today
 
BigBlock61 said:
The really sad part is, when the plants closed Flint died. That town is a shell of it's former self.
Click to expand...

I still live just west of town. It is pretty much utter devastation. I'll go around someday and get pics of where the plants used to stand and give you people an idea of what it's like around here now. I'll get some pics of a few other formerly prosperous businesses that have fallen because of a lack of decently-paid customers.

The same can be done with Detroit,Pontiac,Saginaw,Bay City and so many others.
 
Always fascinated by these older MFG clips. The awesome part is no computers, all electric, hydraulic or pneumatic drives using cams, levers, tracks and pivots. Currently my life is manufacturing. In upper management now, but started out as a line guy 30 years ago and have never forgotten how hard the vast majority of us "line" guys/gals worked and still do today. We don't use automation in final assy., as it wouldn't work in this industry. A strong back and a brain, along with a good attitude and good wages gets it done. 5mm per week out of 18 mfg plants.

- - - Updated - - -

turbo36 said:
I served my apprenticeship at the, now gone, Fisher Body Plant #1 in Grand Rapids so I really enjoyed this. Every time I hear someone put down the fine people that worked in the Auto plants as "uncaring dimwits" I get pissed and set them straight as to how hard the work was.
Sure there were some a$$holes but every company has them, most of the problems stemmed from bad management driven by unknowing financial guys.
Click to expand...

It's so true when it comes to how much you like you job. Most of the people that criticize the industry or work force don't have a clue about how tough the work is. For that matter they usually dont have a clue about Life in general.

I alway remind my guys; "There are three reasons good people either stay or leave a company; Management, Working Conditions and Pay."IN THAT ORDER."
 
Amazing technology for that time. I respect those employees and the people with the Vision to create that stuff. My closest understanding was stamping oven doors at Caloric in Topton. Serious consequences for those who did not pay attention. Wow.
 
I’m suffering from Repetitive Strain Injury just watchingthat.
At least workers had nice music to listen to whileworking.
 
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