Author Topic: 1959 GM Assembly Line Vintage Photos  (Read 3380 times)

Offline rodster

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1959 GM Assembly Line Vintage Photos
« on: November 27, 2012, 09:42:45 PM »
OK, don't ban me....  ::)  I'm a Ford guy but stumbled across this link while reading about the Tarrytown NY GM plant location that is in the final steps of being cleaned up.

The pictures are a fascinating look back in time.  I'm sure some of the same methods and suppliers were used on Ford lines.

If you are a 'car guy' you will enjoy these, if you a diehard Ford guy...sorry.   :P

But the last factory building there came down in 2000, 86 years after General Motors took over the property. Now the Detroit company’s 97 acres is a ghostly testament to America’s industrial past. Faded yellow lines mark where gleaming automobiles fresh off the assembly line rested, and sets of concrete steps lead to nowhere.

The property that once helped foster America’s love of the automobile is at another turning point in its history — one that will shepherd it from an almost-forgotten industrial site to promised homes, shops and a hotel.


http://www.xframechevy.com/tarrytown-ny-assembly-plant-1959-chevrolet/
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Offline Ivygreen65

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Re: 1959 GM Assembly Line Vintage Photos
« Reply #1 on: November 28, 2012, 12:25:59 AM »
Chevy or not, that is a great series of pictures.  Thanks for posting.

Offline CharlesTurner

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Re: 1959 GM Assembly Line Vintage Photos
« Reply #2 on: November 28, 2012, 12:47:34 AM »
Chevy or not, that is a great series of pictures.  Thanks for posting.

+1!
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Offline kowalski

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Re: 1959 GM Assembly Line Vintage Photos
« Reply #3 on: November 28, 2012, 06:29:21 AM »
Those are sensational photos.
Hard to fathom 53 years ago....

priceless

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Re: 1959 GM Assembly Line Vintage Photos
« Reply #4 on: November 28, 2012, 09:49:47 AM »
Wow,,,thats what its all about guys, we all on here are car guys at heart, and these photos are absolutely amazing.

I especially like the photos of getting down and dirty with the elbow grease sanding and priming, truly a work of art.

Also really like the photos with 3 guys in the car at one time, with homemade seats to sit on before seats were installed,,,Amazing....Thanks for sharing.
« Last Edit: November 28, 2012, 09:58:47 AM by priceless »

Offline midlife

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Re: 1959 GM Assembly Line Vintage Photos
« Reply #5 on: November 28, 2012, 09:48:42 PM »
The one job I could not possibly handle would be the hand-sanding the primer for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week!  Ughhhh!

I do have a question, though.  I presume the purpose of the light booth was to bake the paint, right?  But there was an awful lot of work done on the car between paint and baking, if this is true.  Is there another purpose of the light booth?
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Offline svo2scj

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Re: 1959 GM Assembly Line Vintage Photos
« Reply #6 on: November 29, 2012, 12:13:20 AM »
The one job I could not possibly handle would be the hand-sanding the primer for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week!  Ughhhh!

I do have a question, though.  I presume the purpose of the light booth was to bake the paint, right?  But there was an awful lot of work done on the car between paint and baking, if this is true.  Is there another purpose of the light booth?

I'll be the SIDE LIGHTS are for contrast.   They don't look like heat lights.   It is just before plants started to use plastic filler.   My guess is the panels were pretty straight to start, the lead filling was done.   This is also just red oxide primer that time cured.
ALMOST looks like the bodies were sprayed just prior to the series of photos on this line.

It would be nice to see an VIEW of the floor plan for all these stations (had to turn at some point)

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Offline cmayna

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Re: 1959 GM Assembly Line Vintage Photos
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2012, 12:15:11 PM »
Pretty cool,,,,,,if you like them Chebbies  :thu

Offline Armond

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Re: 1959 GM Assembly Line Vintage Photos
« Reply #8 on: December 03, 2012, 09:54:58 PM »
Having been driven around in a 59 Chev station wagon as a kid until 1971, I had great time looking at those pictures.  My dad had a 59 Impala stashed away at the ranch and when I was 16 I tried to get my dad to bring it down so I could put a motor in it. He bought me a 69 Mustang instead.  A bit later one of my stupid cousins ran down a line of some of my dads cars with the CAT. including the impala. They still sit there today, flat. Tragic.  Thanks for posting the link.
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