I saw this picture on Facebook earlier. Did the factory use jigs to hold or

position body panels? I work in a Big 3 plant, on the assembly lines you have just enough time to complete the task. I I seriously doubt it was any different then. can’t imagine the guys on the lines having time to lovingly try this shim or that shim, move panels, whatever for a decent fit.

Just curious how it was done.

 

The jig was attached to the trunk lid.
The lid and jig were lowered on to the body and attached to it.
The worker zapped the bolts on the hinges with an air gun.
Then the jig was removed and attached to another lid.

 

There are no shims. There are later dudes with hammers and bars. Movable panels were and are, bent into position. That guy is at the tail end of the body weld shop, in what my plant calls customer satisfaction line. If he's banging along at a 60 second, whatever GM called what my company calls takt time, he's got about half that time to mount the decklid.

 

future 62 Impala based on the position of the emblem holes in the rear qtr and the 3 x 3 tailight holes in the trunk & qtr (?)

 

Yup.

 

I started at FMC Chicago Assemly plant in 1973 fresh out of college with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. What an education that was. I was assigned to the trim department where a freshly painted body (body only, no doghouse) would enter the line. We assembled a lot of interior and exterior trim. My favorite station on the line was door adjustment/setting. The cars were all two door Torino Elites so there was no front door/rear door coordination.You had an A pillar and a quarter panel to align the door to for flushness and margin. Both guys at that station were 250 lbs + and had a 4 ft long 2x4. Flushness was set primarily by adjusting the striker but up/down was, up = stick the 2x4 in the door opening on the rockker and pry up. Down was to put the mass of your body on the door and push it down. We ran 50 cars an hours and the operator was assigned 53 seconds out of every 60 seconds to complete his task. A guy I graduated high school with started there in 1969 and when I started there he was a relief man who filled in for various jobs when the operator went on break (the line never stopped). He taught me so much and and introduced me to the line operators which made my engineering "life" immensely easier. To this day I have the upmost respect for the operators on an automotive assembly !!!!!!!!! PS We had process sheets for every operation which idenified what the operator was supposed to do tep by step and the time he had to do it.. Many,many, many process sheets had a final step whch read "Caulk to suit". This meant, hit it with a rubber malet until it fits correctly. You can't make this **** up.

 

That's neat info. You were a whole career ahead of me doing the same.

 

KODA,
Where are you doing the same ? Kentucky truck I'm guessing.

 

almost Charlie, the fixture clamped to the body, by 2 people, next 1 person get id from rack, 2 people slide lid on fixture, run in the bolts, flip levers on ech side, repeat. net 2 people would align the lid with a big hammer, bolt on the latch, upper and lower mark any stripped bolts for repair, every other car. this is one of the jobs i started on when oi hired in. 9 10 76. at fisher lansing, this job was right after the solder /grinding booth for door facers and roof seams, facers are where the a pillar and roof meet and other seams on body door openings..