bee71
Well-Known Member
Were all stamping plants say in the case of a fender, using the same dies or were there discrepancies depending on where in the country they were produced and sent to assembly plants.
Assembly plants
- Thread starter bee71
- Start date
Typically, dies for sheetmetal parts were used
at the same plant where the car was
manufactured, or were vendored out to
suppliers within close proximity to the plant
to cut down on shipping and engineering
cost. There was rarely an instance where two
vendors cranked out the same part at two
separate locations. Factory parts must
remain available for a certain time period
due to warranty issues. After that, proprietary
rights are released, and parts can be produced
by different manufacturers after purchasing
either the original dies, or build their own from
the manufacturer's original drawings.
At least that's the way it was when I worked
for GM, then for the company that bought
all rights to the 04 GM Motor Coach.
at the same plant where the car was
manufactured, or were vendored out to
suppliers within close proximity to the plant
to cut down on shipping and engineering
cost. There was rarely an instance where two
vendors cranked out the same part at two
separate locations. Factory parts must
remain available for a certain time period
due to warranty issues. After that, proprietary
rights are released, and parts can be produced
by different manufacturers after purchasing
either the original dies, or build their own from
the manufacturer's original drawings.
At least that's the way it was when I worked
for GM, then for the company that bought
all rights to the 04 GM Motor Coach.
I'm bashing two of the same vehicles together to make one car.... one built in LA and the other in MI. I'm discovering all kinds of differences in the sheet metal, bolts, etc. For example, I swapped a partial quarter only to find the light hole was not punched out in exactly the same. There is a 1/4 inch difference between the two.
I'm not sure about stamping operations in the 60s but I have worked for Chrysler for almost 30 years and most plants do not stamp their own parts. Twinsburg OH was a major stamping plant until it vlosed in the early 2000s. Warren truck and Sterling Assembly both have stamping plants next to them and supply other plants as well. Belvidere added an on site stamping plant in the 90s for the neon. Other than those I think Mexico must have stamping plants too. The most recently closed plants in Newark and St.Louis did not have their own stamping plants that i am aware of.
Belvidere does
They stamp all their own parts? I've been gone for 12 years, I stand corrected if they started something new.
Not all of their parts are stamped there but alot are. There are 4 press lines and the ability to stamp most of their own but because of company politics Belvidere stamping is under utilized for the Cherokee model so we also get alot of parts from warren and sterling stamping plants too.
If I remember correctly the LA plant was strictly an assembly plant,parts were shipped in from other facilities.
They had talked about bringing a stamping facility to St. louis years ago to cut shipping cost. I was told by the engineers that the cost of preparing the ground and floor for the weight and constant pounding was not worth it in the long run. If they changed the vehicle being built there, they would have to change the stamping operation also. That's what they told me anyway.
Had a 70 Challenger that I bought a NOS rear trim piece for....the one that's argent silver and covered the trunk key area and had the end trim pieces. Heck, can't remember what it's called. Anyways, it fit my 70 ragtop but not the car I bought it for. Each car had been built at different locations. It was 1/4" wider than the one I wanted to use it for and neither car had been wrecked. Another E body had a wider wheel house on one side vs the other side. Go figure. Body sheet metal wasn't always on tolerance....at least for where it was built.
MIKESPOLARA
Well-Known Member
Are we talking Los Angeles plant? If so I worked there in 1969 assembling the 70 cars. All parts came in on train cars then
Yes,that is what I had heard.
I didn't work for Chrysler in the sixties and seventies, but, I've known dozens of people who did. I worked in every corner of the building, top to bottom and knew everyone and their jobs. There was no quality in the early years, period. There was no need for it. You basically had three car companies in this country and the other foriegn cars makers didn't add up to much. Everything was done by people and make no mistake, some things just weren't held real tight, so to speak. When I got there they were just starting to phase out using lead for filler. They could run dozens of parts the were stamped wrong before they caught it and then they just shipped them. We started with one robot to get the windshield sealer applied uniformly and when I left they had 849 and fit and finish went up expeditiously. I have no problem believing your cars had different tolerances.
bee71
Well-Known Member
Well, the idea behind my question was I have to replace my front fender due to a deer hitting it. It'll be interesting to see how well a replacement fender from a different stamping plant in another part of the country will fit as my car is from Lynch Road Assembly.
Polara426
Well-Known Member
I knew a guy that worked at Twinsburg stamping plant he said that roofs that didn't pass inspection were marked for vinyl top cars. There was a stamping plant in Toledo not sure if it is closed now.
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