Background information sought for the Freight & Ship of 1978-79 Models

[David R.]

Re: Background information sought for the Freight & Ship of 1978-79 Models

Tom, picture source corrected to Tom Hendricks from a December 2010 thread.

[Edward J.]

Re: Background information sought for the Freight & Ship of 1978-79 Models

Tom, the blue fasteners were color coated so you would know if they were a metric thread and the head of the bolt was generally a 10MM for the spoiler attachment. This started sometime around 78 I believe. even some of the engine brackets started showing up with the blue colored fasteners.Then around 84 the corvettes were pretty much metric every where, and the blue color disappeared.

[Tom R.]

Re: Background information sought for the Freight & Ship of 1978-79 Models

Tom, the blue fasteners were color coated so you would know if they were a metric thread and the head of the bolt was generally a 10MM for the spoiler attachment. This started sometime around 78 I believe. even some of the engine brackets started showing up with the blue colored fasteners.Then around 84 the corvettes were pretty much metric every where, and the blue color disappeared.

Got it. I have tracked and documented other pastel blue metric nuts and bolts. They were used to secure both the transmission and the tank straps. I believe those were some type of plating rather than painted. Its interesting that they were used for the spoiler and a 10mm would be small compared to those used on the tranny and rear frame.

[John H.]

Re: Background information sought for the Freight & Ship of 1978-79 Models

Yeah...that be the shot. I'm sure John H is monitoring but would really like to have a scan of the original for the Restorer piece. The quality of the resolution...as is...would be marginal for print publication.

Tom -

That's not my photo, so I can't help you with a higher-res version of it; maybe Tom Hendricks has a better one.

[Mike M.]

Re: Background information sought for the Freight & Ship of 1978-79 Models

Intresting Pic john posted of the two tone paint!!!How about the over spray getting on the other color on the rest of the car????

[Tom R.]

Re: Background information sought for the Freight & Ship of 1978-79 Models

Tom -

That's not my photo, so I can't help you with a higher-res version of it; maybe Tom Hendricks has a better one.

Hey John

Yeah...reached out to Tom and those photos went the the #3 and #6502 Pace Cars when sold.

[Tom R.]

Re: Background information sought for the Freight & Ship of 1978-79 Models

Intresting Pic john posted of the two tone paint!!!How about the over spray getting on the other color on the rest of the car????

Interesting you picked up on that. This past week at BG two low-mileage Pace Cars had overspray on the front stabilizer bar. Those with few cars, it shows up better along with overspray in the coves especially on the emissions canister...driver's side. A rather common observation on low-mileage Pace Cars

[John H.]

Re: Background information sought for the Freight & Ship of 1978-79 Models

Intresting Pic john posted of the two tone paint!!!How about the over spray getting on the other color on the rest of the car????

Mike -

Look at the extreme bottom of that photo, and you'll see open steel grating as the floor; that booth had blowers and suction with downdraft airflow through the floor, which tended to eliminate overspray issues ABOVE the level of the masking paper. Didn't do much for the lower areas on the car, in the wheel wells. The St. Louis Final Paint Repair system, like the main Paint Shop, was pretty primitive and overloaded well beyond its design capacity. It was at its limit in the midyear era at 120 units per day, and those photos were taken when the plant was producing 200 units per day.

[Mike M.]

Re: Background information sought for the Freight & Ship of 1978-79 Models

John, Great pics!!! I love the archives u have, I did see the grating but just cant believe that it wouldn't still get on the upper paint and every where else for that matter!!!!! John I have a couple of questions about some other mid year processes that went on, is there any other way to talk about them????Mike

[Tom R.]

Re: Background information sought for the Freight & Ship of 1978-79 Models

Look at the extreme bottom of that photo, and you'll see open steel grating as the floor; that booth had blowers and suction with downdraft airflow through the floor, which tended to eliminate overspray issues ABOVE the level of the masking paper. Didn't do much for the lower areas on the car, in the wheel wells. The St. Louis Final Paint Repair system, like the main Paint Shop, was pretty primitive and overloaded well beyond its design capacity. It was at its limit in the midyear era at 120 units per day, and those photos were taken when the plant was producing 200 units per day.

John

From what I had heard in the past, I am assuming the photo in #5 above is a separate building from the St Louis Corvette assembly plant. Would this also serve as the assembly point for the decals in the photo referenced in #13 above? I had remembered them as final process but you describe it as the Final Paint Repair system...did it serve all the models at the St Louis assembly campus?

[Tom R.]

Re: Background information sought for the Freight & Ship of 1978-79 Models

A most interesting discussion thread and appreciate the great comments, contributions and insights.

[John H.]

Re: Background information sought for the Freight & Ship of 1978-79 Models

John, Great pics!!! I love the archives u have, I did see the grating but just cant believe that it wouldn't still get on the upper paint and every where else for that matter!!!!! John I have a couple of questions about some other mid year processes that went on, is there any other way to talk about them????Mike

Mike -

PM sent.

[John H.]

Re: Background information sought for the Freight & Ship of 1978-79 Models

John

From what I had heard in the past, I am assuming the photo in #5 above is a separate building from the St Louis Corvette assembly plant. Would this also serve as the assembly point for the decals in the photo referenced in #13 above? I had remembered them as final process but you describe it as the Final Paint Repair system...did it serve all the models at the St Louis assembly campus?

Tom -

The photo with the guys working on the hood may have been shot in the main plant's Final Process area, as there's a "B"-body Impala in the background, which would not be seen in the Corvette Final Process area.

Corvette paint repair was done in the Corvette building, and passenger and truck paint repair was done in the separate main plant; in the later C3 years, it's possible that some overflow from Corvette (like stripes and decals) was done in the main plant, but I left St. Louis in 1968 and never returned as my career progressed.