I was just wondering if any of you older folks use to work on the assembly line at the Oshawa plants in the mid 1960's to 80's putting interiors together or nightmarish electrical wiring harness under the dash or in door panels of Parisienne, Beaumont...If so my hat is off to you ! That must have been real hard work, I thought it was hard just to remove it...
There are videos on Youtube showing the Pontiac plants in the States in the late 60's. They show the Instrument panel line and everything is all assembled before the dash goes into the car. They merely bolt it in and they are done. It was the same at CAMI when I worked there a few years ago.
I was just wondering if any of you older folks use to work on the assembly line at the Oshawa plants in the mid 1960's to 80's putting interiors together or nightmarish electrical wiring harness under the dash or in door panels of Parisienne, Beaumont...If so my hat is off to you ! That must have been real hard work, I thought it was hard just to remove it...
I don't know if you were removing the Parisienne dash or started on the Lemans? With the Lemans ....It's not to bad taking it out all at once. Most of the nuts you can get to by the glove box. Pull the heater controls at the box(they are wrapped around a post held down with a screw. The wiring you have to dissconnect is steering column, door light pins,console light,rear blower etc. Bolts at the bottom of each side and then drop the column.Then you slide it out and crap.....forgot a wire and have to balance the dash to unhook it
Keep in mind we are often taking a car apart, or putting it back together in somewhat of a different order (and without the specialized tools) than when the car was built. I did a dash swap in my green 70 2+2 this summer. I removed the dash assembly in one piece (the entire assembly, including instrument cluster, heater controls, etc). Getting it out wasn't too bad, except the darn steering column was kind of in the way. I presume at the assembly plant, the column would have been added after the dash. Because of the column, I put the dash in first, then the instrument cluster. It was somewhat of a pain, but not too bad. Fortunately I removed the drivers side seat to give me more room to work.
I was talking about the 1970 Bonneville, all the connectors that haven't been taken apart for years ie. probably 39, and lying on your back with the pedals beside your head and the old dry insulation falling in your face, I still love my hobby ! I removed all the dash, rally cluster and wiring all the way to the engine compartment sensors included, steering off and steering column lowered, seats, power window motors, regulators... wiring...everything is pretty much gutted. The 75 Grandprix dash... cluster wiring was even worst ! Anyway, It was a great experience and will help me out when it come time to do the Lemans. In the past I had done a 69 GTO and 73 Parisienne. All I am saying is that the people at the Oshawa plant... sure had a tough job doing that.
I know what you mean, I've spent my share of time with my head under the dash of my 70's. Nothing like having the brake pedal in the side of my ear. (maybe that's what's wrong with my right ear) A few years ago my nephew had a problem with the brake light switch on his Honda Accord. There was no way I was going to be able to fit in there and fix that.
the break light of a honda accord is kinda easy to fix. here's how i do it i just follow this honda accord repair procedure for break light.
The plastic lamp housing in step 1) can be removed simply by turning it counter-clockwise. Removing the cables going to the lamp should make it a little easier. To remove the cables, push the small plastic tab in the middle of one of the longer edges of the rectangular connector and pull it out. I was able to replace my bulb in a couple of minutes without the need to remove the whole lens housing as described in steps 2) and 3)
-- Edited by samuelsansmith on Saturday 27th of August 2011 12:58:18 AM
the break light of a honda accord is kinda easy to fix. here's how i do it i just follow this honda accord repair procedure for break light.
The plastic lamp housing in step 1) can be removed simply by turning it counter-clockwise. Removing the cables going to the lamp should make it a little easier. To remove the cables, push the small plastic tab in the middle of one of the longer edges of the rectangular connector and pull it out. I was able to replace my bulb in a couple of minutes without the need to remove the whole lens housing as described in steps 2) and 3)
-- Edited by samuelsansmith on Saturday 27th of August 2011 12:58:18 AM
You win for most useless post!!
After me
-- Edited by Paulish on Saturday 27th of August 2011 10:05:43 AM
A red light that flashes in a government office signifying "break time". This light flashes constantly where I work!
__________________
Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
In answer to the first question, I grew up in Flint Michigan ( long time home of the Buick) and after I turned 18, I looked in the phone book and found there were about 13 GM facilities in or just outside of Flint. I was hired at the first one I appllied and required to start that afternoon on the 2:30-11:00 shift. All that was needed was a high school diploma and pass the physical.
That facility was the Chevrolet Flint Engine Plant and in 1964, we were building all the 6 cyl and small block V-8 motors for Chevrolet. I worked both off and on the assembly line during my time there. On the line, I installed soft plugs & screw plugs in the blocks. I also inspected a number of parts including main bearing caps and tolorances on the cam bearings after they were installed. Later, in 1965, I installed all the small block cams on my shift.
Main bearing caps are cast in one piece at the foundry. when they come to the engine plant, they are washed and then go through a machine with 4 vertical blades like a band saw, that slices the casting into 5 separate caps like slicing a loaf of bread. My job was with heavy gloves, because they were hot, I turned each one over and checked them for defects from sand holes in the casting.
I took a leave of absence to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps both in Vietnam and the U.S. in California and North Carolina.
When I returned to the plant in 1968, I worked another year on the line installing distributors mainly in, small block chevy V-8's, car and truck motors.
In case you didn't know, all interiors back then were assembled at the Fisher Body Plants and shipped by over head conveyors, out of that plant and usually next door to the assembly plant where they were installed on the line. My brother worked for a time in a Fisher Plant building seats and hated every minute of it. His hands really got tore up by the springs and hog rings and sharp edges of the tracks and frames.
I won't bore you with anymore, but I did go on to spend time in the Chevrolet Disc Brake Plant, Chevrolet service parts plant, Chevrolet Grey Iron Foundry, Chevrolet Nodular Iron Foundry and finally the GM Saginaw Steering Gear Division. All of this time from 1969 to 2001 was as a Salary Supervisor in the Accounting Office. During these 32 years I took every opportunity I could get to walk through the plants in order to understand how the manufacturing process worked. I stood many times within 25' of the hot metal cranes as they whizzed by on an overhead rail with their open buckets out in front of them full of molten glowing gold metal.
Thank you for asking, Norm
-- Edited by forespeed on Monday 29th of August 2011 08:24:12 PM
As an aside when my Dad was called-up in 1946 he worked for a company making brake shoes. When he returned, even though he had been in the Mid-East, Greece, etc. and been shot at, he was treated as an 'irk' again [junior dogsbody]. That prompted him to leave as soon as he could.
__________________
Automotive Historian, Author and Journalist Deputy Editor, VINTAGE ROADSCENE Southampton, England
Cool stuff Norm. I can picture it all in my mind! Tell us more. Any humourous stories?
I worked in plastics factories from age 18 to 22. At one place I worked, we molded vinyl armrests and console covers under contract to GM for the new, upcoming '82 Firebird. My buddie bought one, and had an endless supply of tan armrests and console covers.
__________________
Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
worked in Oshawa for 32 years 1961 to 1994 and would like to thank you ,for not many have any idea what we did? and as I see our militery driving the cars of their choice I wonder why ? only 10% are one of the big three ford ,GM and Chrysler. Support our troupes that drive our cars (I Do) seems lacking some how as a lad in 1957 I was a member of the Royal Canadian Navy and drove my Oldsmobile super 88 this was my idea of support your country
Toughest part of serving my country was the lack of support for what we were doing. My father had served in the Army Air Corp in WW II and it was an honorable thing to do. He was a belly gunner on a B-24 and had been shot down more than once. His knees were bad in later years from his jumps but he never asked for help. He came home and became a fire fighter for 26 years until he could no longer climb the ladders. In June of this year he celebrated his 90th birthday but still will not discuss his time in the military to any great extent. I know he has at least one purple heart and several other medals in a chest drawer.
I came home to people shouting and trying to spit on us as we filed past the protesters in Calif. Several months later in Flint, MI I was out with a couple friends having a beer and a drunk at the end of the bar, broke a bottle on the bar ledge and approached me with a challenge to go out back to the alley. He said he wanted to see how tough a real Marine was. The first thought that came to mind was, I did not survive 12 mos of booby traps and land mines and sniper fire just to come home and die in a back alley trying to prove my toughness. Several people ushered him out of the bar.
Next time some humorous stories, yes I do have them.
There is a gentleman that posts on PY Forum who lived the Woodward days as his Dad was one of the Royal Pontiac "factory" drag racers. He works for GM. His posts are interesting too:
I really appreciate the stories that forespeed is telling. i always wondered how and who built these magical engines and cars that we all love and to hear some insights really helps respects the people who did it. It kind of reminds me of the movie Gran Torino where these guys know what they did and what they earned. I'm sure the factory life couldn't have been easy. i worked in a sawmill for a while and aside from making you sure feel you earned your money you could also see where it was kind of mind killing and that you had to dig pretty deep sometimes to make it through the day.
I worked in an auto plant from 91-97. I was in the welding shop. Back then there were still a lot of manual welding jigs-both spot and MIG. I remember it took a while to learn how to manipulate one of those big spot welders suspended from the ceiling. I was on the "Front Underbody" line. We built the front unibody structure from the cowl forward. I remember cursing those damn sparks when they hit me in the face. Unfortunately the product we built wasn't very exciting- Geo Metro's and Trackers...
how about west plant Oshawa Truck body weld in 1962 80 spots per job 18 per hour oshawa had built Trucks from 1919 and lost it to Mexico and the USA Guarnish moulding making trim parts for all car lines and Box steel straps from a rolling mill, Battery plant in Oshawa West plant 1963 dry cell and wet charge for Oshawa production. Worked on tilt cabs and sleeper cabs in West plant too overtime. Building 59 1964 tail pipes mufflers crossover pipes and propshaft build for Mackinnon industries. Commitee man in 1964 radiator build inspector,lift truck .Shipper Receiver PPH Absent relief Material Handling. Wire @ Harness Radio department (mexico bound) Clusters tail lights. Door pads . Stamping plant Overhead crain opperator draw press opperator oil pans and truck wheel housings then things got bad 1980 truck plant lift truck.and on and on ended up working in Detroit as a Plant rep for Buick and Lumina loved the job retired after 1994 so from 1961 to 1994I can tell you some great things and then not so great Historians will tell you Oshawa trucks started in the plant built in 1964 but in fact Oshawa built trucks in 1919 full production and Buick trucks before that so much history on R S McLaughlin and Durant the Historians are not sure who Named General Motors as General Motors of Canada was in fact called that before General Motors was founded, Durant made a deal with McLaughlin for the build of his cars for 15 years with Buick Motors and went back after the deal to start General Motors.
