Here's where your car was built [some of you]

when they were taking it away, early 2007

7124_OldsDemo_MainPlant_24.jpg

 

I don't remember the Olds having such a square look...huh.

 

Ouch!

 

There's that other F-88... I was wondering.

 

that was the boxy looking years. i worked there for 28yrs. i miss the place and the people

 

What's on that site now??

 

Guess my vista will never be able to go home.....

 

nothing there now,just some concrete that hasnt been crushed yet. all the water mains are still there,as are the parking lot lights. i drove by as they were tearing it down,ther was maintainence stock,air hose,huge rolls of wire ect.still on the racks as it was going.big tool lockers,benches all scrapped. even tools were scrapped. sad. but,harrys place is still across the street.

 

Before and after.

Pat

 

Why isnt there more pictures of Lansing Assembly on the web? I can find Pontiac assembly plant photos all day long, GTOs being built, first hand accounts from workers at Pontiac. Where are all the 442s being built? Guys that worked there in the 60s and 70s?

Photos from inside Lansing back in the day??? Would the Lansing newspaper archives have any photos?

 

Wow. That's just sad.

 

Yes, very tough to find anything. You might have to pay the State Journal for access to their archives?
After plant 1 shuttered, I tried to get pics of my cars outside of a dead plant, all request we denied by GM and their security goons!

Both of my cars were built there! Apparently there must have been some trade secrets or a security issue with me taking pictures of a closed plant!!

Pat

 

I've had very little luck finding anything, checked with the MSU library, State of Mi. Historical archives, not much. There's actually more from the very early days.

 

All of these plants are razed now!
photos of Fisher and plant#2

 

Look at this site,

http://musclecarfilms.com/Pontiac_Production.html

I cant believe Pontiac was taking photos and Olds wasnt. There has to be pictures like these somewhere. One would think the first 442 would have been celebrated right? Probably not.

 

Any oldsmobile assembly line pics out there...69-72?...

 

I would assume that the GM heritage center would have most of the archives from Olds. Also, I would assume you would have to camp there for awhile to grab what ever fits you fancy. Cost & access to files?????

Also, Setting the Pace has a handful of factory photos.

Just an an assumption here, that Olds was kinda of the guinea pig for GM?
or just the inovator of new products and did not let a lot of documention either photo or film wise?

Pat

 

Not as much as Olds lovers like to believe.

 

From the GM photo store

 

1973 ish.

 

Toronado line.

 

Very cool pics. Look at the one with the 64 gto, 500,000 something. Is that how many goat clones are out there? I doubt also, if Olds has any pictures, or even a celebration of the the 1st 442 off the line. Remember, they kind of slapped it together, to play catch-up with Pont.

 

Awesome pics! I can't remember if these are in Setting the Pace or not but either way it's always awesome seeing classic Oldsmobiles at their birth! That looks like a '73 Custom Cruiser at the front of the line.

Back in '97, I was in Lansing for the Centennial show (which was amazing by the way) and I got to tour the plant where they were currently building Grand Am's...yuk!!! Surprisingly enough, there was a mural on the wall of a '76 Ninety Eight driving down a country road. I wish I knew what happened to that when they tore the plant down. Oh well, it's probably lost to history like the plants themselves.

 

in that first picture,way up by the top,you will see a small square black spot,that is a door at the back of the area i worked at,building 21-3. paint repair.iwhen i was on nights, would go out there on my breaks and watch the sun set. the part that is torn out,was an entrance,id would park by the water main and elecric pole,go in ,up the escalator,through the torn out area and across the walkway over the rr tracks,then get on an elevator go up to the third floor. there were some days the escalator and elevator did not work. those were long days.

 

Another from 73!

 

So cool!

I think I speak for anybody that has ever done a frame-off when I say that I wish I had rig like that when I did mine!!

 

Plant 5 (diesel/quad 4 engine) they had OLDSMOBILE in raised brick protruding from the wall in the entrance area in front of the plant security,
I don't how many times I walked passed these and never gave it a thought about taking a pic.

Ryder trucking now owns this building!

 

I took a tour, too, at the Centennial, and, if it was the same tour, they were building Chevy, Pontiac, and Oldsmobile cars all at the same time on the same line. It was a very interesting tour, but if there was anything that told you that those cars of that era were completely interchangeable underneath, it was taking that tour. The only difference between the makes was the shape of the sheet metal and the badge on the fender.

 

Jaunty is correct! At that point in time the Malibu, Grand Am and Alero were being built at LCA.

Pat