A BIG barn find

[Kenneth B.]

Re: A BIG barn find

We had friends who worked there. The Plant being close to Chicago and Milwaukee and the product pride taken by the employees is what kept Janesville open as long as it was.
Occasionally as a Milwaukee Chevrolet dealer we would go to Janesville to pick up current components for warranty vehicles.

As I recall when GM built the new truck assembly plant in Fort Wayne IN. 25 MI from me,they needed people from Janesville that knew how to build trucks & to move there to help the new hires. Not many wanted to leave homes & family there & didn't want to go. They were told they had to move to Fort Wayne because the Janesville plant was closing & after GM got enough seasoned workers & the plant was running GM said the Janesville plant would stay open.

[John D.]

Re: A BIG barn find

I remember hearing that Janesville cancelled the evening shift one Monday night because the Packers were on Monday Night Foootball and they knew worker attendance would be an issue...

I heard when they were cranking out Tahoes and Suburbans at up to a thousand a day they were generating enough revenue to almost land on the Fortune 500

[Joe R.]

Re: A BIG barn find

Curiosity question: What would one expect the condition of the internals of these motors to look like? I guess all hoses belts and fluids would be changed before anybody attempted to start one, but would you even expect the motor to turn?
Rich

Rich,

I inherited a Corvette that sat for 20 years in a unheated, uncooled Midwest garage before I got it. We changed the fluids, then pulled the plugs. It turned over by hand no problema. So we put a little gas in the tank, it fired right up, albeit missing on two cylinders. I think that was due to bad spark plug wires. So, I don't guess that it would a problem as long as you proceeded carefully.

Joe

[Walter F.]

Re: A BIG barn find

I have to agree with Paul. How do you run a dealership with unsold inventory, one mechanic, one person who sells, preps, does accounting, answers phones, keeps inventory sells and orders parts. This whole story leaves a lot of questions. I am not saying the cars are not real but this guy had to be one of the worst businessman to leave unsold inventory which he had to buy from Chevrolet. Even if you buy cars on consignment you still have to pay Chevrolet in the end. What ever profits he made would of been eaten up with investments that did not sell. Something just does not add up.

[Rodney R.]

Re: A BIG barn find

1 mile. Probably make a movie out of this story.

[Tim G.]

Re: A BIG barn find

I've also seen some Corvette paperwork that went through the Janesville plant with Janesville on the document. Since Corvette was not built there, I never understood why the paperwork had the Janesville name on it.
I drove by Janesville many times driving from Chicago to College in Wisconsin.

[Terry M.]

Re: A BIG barn find

I once bought a '65 Impala and asked the salesman, who was also the store owner, if he could get the car built in Janesville. It was, but I am not sure if that was luck or if he did what he took credit for. That car cost just over $3000 and had over $1000 worth of options, and that was with no power robbing A/C, P/S or heavy P/W. Those were the days. I had the car in six weeks of placing the order.

When touring Janesville they had a tug that pulled several carts with fringed roofs that held a dozen people in each car. They were sort of like the trams in an amusement park. They had a PA system built into the carts so that everyone could hear the operator above the din of the plant. They were better set up for tours than Bowling Green is, but then Janesville is/was much more than three times the size of Bowling Green. Officially Janesville was not open for public tours, hut they accommodated groups with the right connections. They even had a gift store run by retired workers.

[Ray G.]

Re: A BIG barn find

Interesting Terry, you and I may have crossed paths in 1964 at the Janesville plant as I also bought new 1965 Impala SS. Was totally into SSs as they were the hottest cars at the time. A friend bought his first new 1961 SS at a nearby dealer Scwartzburg Chevrolet. His car turned out to be one of only 800 produced as I recall. Our first SS was a 1962.
OH, the memories .....................

Ray

[Terry M.]

Re: A BIG barn find

Interesting Terry, you and I may have crossed paths in 1964 at the Janesville plant as I also bought new 1965 Impala SS. Was totally into SSs as they were the hottest cars at the time. A friend bought his first new 1961 SS at a nearby dealer Scwartzburg Chevrolet. His car turned out to be one of only 800 produced as I recall. Our first SS was a 1962.
OH, the memories .....................

Ray

We might have been in the plant at the same time, but as big as that place is how would we have known?

No SS for me. 4-speed bench seat. I would love to have that car back today.

[Steven B.]

Re: A BIG barn find

'Had a Janesville '68---Impala 2 door fastback, 327/275 HP, Turbo 400, red/black deluxe vinyl, dog dish hubcaps with bsw's, radio, tinted glass, no PS or PB (tough to park). Bought it in '71 with meager AF pay. 'Wish I had that one again, too. Buddy had an Italia.

[Dale C.]

Re: A BIG barn find

Anyone know how the auction went?

[Dick W.]

Re: A BIG barn find

Anyone know how the auction went?

http://bit.ly/1auioo7 I think she did well. Here is a link to the photo taken when she opened up the dealership http://bit.ly/19q5dCg Those cars looked lost in time. Just a little dust