Restorer Back Cover Winter 2010

[Chuck S.]

OK, I just got around to opening The Corvette Restorer and The Driveline package for Winter 2010, Vol 36, No 3. (Sorry, guys...I can't relate to being so enthusiastic about receiving The Driveline that I post the delivery date here. ).

The back cover of The Corvette Restorer consists of a photo of a "frame" being painted, but it's actually a complete rolling chassis from a C2 or C3. The frames were painted by the supplier during those years, and then the chassis was assembled...under what circumstances would a complete chassis be in the paint area for black?

If those that pay attention to Restorer/Driveline posts have already had this discussion, just tell me to check the archives.

[Harry S.]

Re: Restorer Back Cover Winter 2010

Chuck, that is a picture of a very early 63 pilot car. It got special attention.

[Vinnie P.]

Re: Restorer Back Cover Winter 2010

Here's a blurb about that photo that will appear in the spring issue...

By the way, the photo from Noland Adams published on the back of the Winter 2010 Restorer issue was taken by Richard Sudnick of
GM Photographic in late summer of 1962. It shows the assembled chassis of one of the new Pilot Line 1963 Corvettes being given a full
gloss black-out treatment, including the gas tank. This photo was taken at a time when 1962 Corvettes were still going down the assembly

[Chuck S.]

Re: Restorer Back Cover Winter 2010

Here's a blurb about that photo that will appear in the spring issue...

By the way, the photo from Noland Adams published on the back of the Winter 2010 Restorer issue was taken by Richard Sudnick of
GM Photographic in late summer of 1962. It shows the assembled chassis of one of the new Pilot Line 1963 Corvettes being given a full
gloss black-out treatment, including the gas tank. This photo was taken at a time when 1962 Corvettes were still going down the assembly

Cool...thanks guys. I wondered why the process was getting the watchful attention of a supervisor.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Restorer Back Cover Winter 2010

Here's a blurb about that photo that will appear in the spring issue...

By the way, the photo from Noland Adams published on the back of the Winter 2010 Restorer issue was taken by Richard Sudnick of
GM Photographic in late summer of 1962. It shows the assembled chassis of one of the new Pilot Line 1963 Corvettes being given a full
gloss black-out treatment, including the gas tank. This photo was taken at a time when 1962 Corvettes were still going down the assembly

And here's the rest of the pictures:

http://rides.webshots.com/album/575909298UnUtZk?vhost=rides

[George C.]

Re: Restorer Back Cover Winter 2010

Patrick, Almost like meeting up with Mr. Peabody & Sherman and going for a trip in the WayBack machine. 63 was a Giant Leap for Corvette and GM. Thanks for sharing them with us. Save the Wave.>George

[Steven B.]

Re: Restorer Back Cover Winter 2010

Thanks for the great pics.! Pic. 073 and the tank was great! 058 and 059; I assume the antenna hole was drilled on this car after paint, if it is the same car as in the last pic.

Steve

[Tom M.]

Re: Restorer Back Cover Winter 2010

And here's the rest of the pictures:

http://rides.webshots.com/album/5759...Zk?vhost=rides

Patrick,
nice pictures, any from 68-69 ?

regards Tom

[Patrick H.]

Re: Restorer Back Cover Winter 2010

Patrick,
nice pictures, any from 68-69 ?

regards Tom

Nope, just the 63 Pilot Line collection.

[Chuck S.]

Re: Restorer Back Cover Winter 2010

Nope, just the 63 Pilot Line collection.

Thanks for sharing the album, Patrick. There's no doubt these are irreplaceable history. The single most important thing I learned from your pictures was that body assembly hasn't been given enough respect by enthusiasts.

The only account of body assembly I had ever seen made it sound like Corvette bodies were built on a single fixture as a single event, and I didn't think about it very much. It's obvious from these pictures, that by the sixties, the bodies had gotten complicated enough that body assembly had to be done in multiple steps, with many many fixtures.

[John D.]

Re: Restorer Back Cover Winter 2010

patrick,

Great pics thanks for sharing....does anyone know what the line speed was in the body shop at st. louis ? When I started with GM some 23 years after those pics were taken the gages use to check parts were quite similar to those....

[Tracy C.]

Re: Restorer Back Cover Winter 2010

Thank you Patrick for posting that link. That is a great collection of pictures. I'm glad they have been preserved!!

tc

[John H.]

Re: Restorer Back Cover Winter 2010

patrick,

Great pics thanks for sharing....does anyone know what the line speed was in the body shop at st. louis ? When I started with GM some 23 years after those pics were taken the gages use to check parts were quite similar to those....

John -

The St. Louis line rate was seven per hour, which was a result of the 7-8 minute "kick" time for the polyester bonding adhesive.

During the Pilot build, every birdcage went through the master checking fixture, as part of the "tuning" for the birdcage welding fixture. Once the process stabilized, only one cage per shift was checked to that level of detail; one body per shift got the same treatment on the surface plate - that's what all the measurement points are for at the end of the "Bolt/Weld" section of UPC 1 in the Assembly Manual.

[Jean C.]

Re: Restorer Back Cover Winter 2010

Patrick,
nice pictures, any from 68-69 ?
regards Tom

Is it known by any member(s) of the TDB if GM archives contain previously unreleased collections of photos of the early Corvette production processes? If so, any possibility of access to them to make them available to enthusiasts or was Nolan's access one of the few granted?

The '63 Pilot Line photos are a unique collection with far more photos in one album than other Corvette line photos that I have seen posted on the TDB.

Was it at National in Marlborough where someone made a presentation of similar photos?

Best regards,

[David R.]

Re: Restorer Back Cover Winter 2010

Thanks for sharing the historical pictures. to my interest the guys in the paint booth with their jeans and cotton shirts/t-shirts didn't have to wear respirators. Guess in a downdraft paint booth you can breath easy?

And pic 110 for the rear emblem, was hole drilling by hand only done on the pilot line? Production line got a more accurate method?