'67 Body Drop Video

[John H.]

Our Michigan Chapter had a tech session several weeks ago for a body drop on Jerry Antczak's '67 L-71/J-56 convertible, and Steve Rohde shot a video of the prep and drop activity, which will be the subject of an article in the March issue of "Corvette Enthusiast" magazine. Steve has edited the video and uploaded it to YouTube - link is below.




'67 Body Drop Video

[William L.]

Re: '67 Body Drop Video

GREAT video. Good luck John with the rest of your restoration.
Bill

[Lyndon S.]

Re: '67 Body Drop Video

Great video John

I noticed the bell housing did not have complete coverage of Chevy orange on it, I thought that the small blocks with a manual trans got spot coverage and a big block got full coverage on its bell housing?

Kelly

[Greg L.]

Re: '67 Body Drop Video

That's a great video John and thanks for sharing with us. I can hardly wait until I'm there with mine!

[Jim K.]

Re: '67 Body Drop Video

Great job John, this is the kind of stuff that would make a great TV show, nevermind that Coddington crap with people yelling at eachother all the time... Good stuff!!!
Jim

[Gerard F.]

Re: '67 Body Drop Video

John,

Great Video.

Question though. How differently did they do the body drop at the factory, and what other body components were included, for say an AO Smith car? Did they use a machine instead of 7-8 guys?

Jerry Fuccillo
#42179

[John H.]

Re: '67 Body Drop Video

Jerry -

Photo below of the body drop operation in 1966 - an overhead tackle picked the body up off the trim truck and carried it over the chassis at the end of the Chassis Line, where the operators lowered the body onto the completed chassis.

At the body drop, the body had no interior soft trim below the window line (carpets, seats, door and quarter trim panels, seat belts, console, etc.) - all interior soft trim was installed on the Final Trim Line, after the car was driven off the line, roll-tested, aligned, water-tested, and paint-repaired.

A.O. Smith-bodied cars were the same as St. Louis-bodied cars at body drop, except A.O. Smith convertibles already had the soft top installed; St. Louis convertibles got their soft top installed on the Final Line, after body drop.