St Louis Corvette Assembly - NCRS Discussion Boards

St Louis Corvette Assembly

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  • Mike E.
    Very Frequent User
    • June 24, 2012
    • 920

    #31
    Re: St Louis Corvette Assembly

    Michael with that much blackout paint on the exhaust that close to the engine I would imagine when the car was first started it would have smelled quite bad as the paint would burn off.

    I don't know if GM used blackout on other cars but I remember when we picked up our new '63 Impala wagon the odor for the first several miles was very apparent. I remember asking my Dad..."Dad what's that bad smell?" he said something like "It's just paint burning off certain parts of the car it will go away a while".

    Mike

    Comment

    • Michael H.
      Expired
      • January 29, 2008
      • 7477

      #32
      Re: St Louis Corvette Assembly

      Originally posted by Mike Eby (55078)
      Michael with that much blackout paint on the exhaust that close to the engine I would imagine when the car was first started it would have smelled quite bad as the paint would burn off.

      I don't know if GM used blackout on other cars but I remember when we picked up our new '63 Impala wagon the odor for the first several miles was very apparent. I remember asking my Dad..."Dad what's that bad smell?" he said something like "It's just paint burning off certain parts of the car it will go away a while".

      Mike
      Mike

      Somewhere here I have a pic of a 63 Chevy chassis coming down the assy line just before body drop and you can see that the front exhaust pipe and muffler are covered in blackout, just like the Corvette. If I can find it, I'll post it.

      You are right about the new car smell. Actually, a variety of different odors. It wasn't just the new interior. I suppose there were a lot of things that were burning paint. I still remember the variety of odors from the brand new 64 coupe we bought. Mostly interior smell I suppose but along with it I vaguely remember the smell of burnt paint. New rubber components etc.

      It's that "new car smell"

      Comment

      • Timothy B.
        Extremely Frequent Poster
        • April 30, 1983
        • 5179

        #33
        Re: St Louis Corvette Assembly

        It would be very interesting to see what the bottom of the frame and exhaust looked like, there had to be blackout overspray everywhere. Also looks like some black on the rubber front brake hose but non on the brake line, very interesting and certainly non near the brake rotor.

        Comment

        • John H.
          Beyond Control Poster
          • December 1, 1997
          • 16513

          #34
          Re: St Louis Corvette Assembly

          Originally posted by Michael Hanson (4067)
          Thanks Rob. Great pictures.

          The building on the corner of Union & Natural Bridge wasn't the Corvette building. The Corvette building was maybe 1000 ft further north west on Natural Bridge. Everyone that worked there referred to it as the mill building.
          Here's the St. Louis plant site in the 60's, with the Union Boulevard and Natural Bridge intersection at the lower left; most of what you see here is the main 4-story Chevrolet passenger car and truck plant and the supplying Fisher Body plant. The Corvette plant ("The Mill") is the rectangular 1-story building at the upper left, behind the water tower and the powerhouse and coal pile. At the time, the St. Louis complex was the largest assembly plant in North America.


          PlantSite1024.jpg

          Comment

          • Carl N.
            Expired
            • April 30, 1984
            • 592

            #35
            Re: St Louis Corvette Assembly

            Mike, thanks for posting hi res link - it would appear that there is surface rust in the openings of the cross member next to the holes for the exhaust pipes and also might be some on top of the frame rail near the brake line clips. I seem to remember a black & white picture of railcars on the siding next to the plant in the winter with snow on the ground. Cool shot.

            Comment

            • Ray G.
              Extremely Frequent Poster
              • May 31, 1986
              • 1189

              #36
              Re: St Louis Corvette Assembly

              Thank You for the high quality picture.
              Looks Like Base Coat, Clear Coat to me.
              And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
              I hope you dance


              Comment

              • Tom R.
                Extremely Frequent Poster
                • June 30, 1993
                • 4095

                #37
                Re: St Louis Corvette Assembly

                Originally posted by John Hinckley (29964)
                Here's the St. Louis plant site in the 60's, with the Union Boulevard and Natural Bridge intersection at the lower left; At the time, the St. Louis complex was the largest assembly plant in North America.
                John

                Interesting photo. One has to wonder why with economies of scale, GM would parcel out so many assembly operations. Where would have been what I heard one engineer describe as "final process?" I think I recall the Impala plant but not sure.
                Tom Russo

                78 SA NCRS 5 Star Bowtie
                78 Pace Car L82 M21
                00 MY/TR/Conv

                Comment

                • Dino L.
                  Very Frequent User
                  • February 1, 1996
                  • 694

                  #38
                  Re: St Louis Corvette Assembly

                  I like the photo and noticed the Delco logo on the installed battery and brown cable as well as the logo on the oil canister and what appears to be a build sheet reflecting on the dash off the windshield which must be tinted without a shadeband, I also see the backup harness wire laying over the engine
                  Dino Lanno

                  Comment

                  • William L.
                    Very Frequent User
                    • December 1, 1988
                    • 944

                    #39
                    Re: St Louis Corvette Assembly

                    [QUOTE=Ken Robb (3882);687168]Vicki and I toured the corvette plant in May of 65 after I got our 65 in March and graduated from college in Rolla. It was a tram pulled tour so was pretty quickly over with. No photos allowed QUOTE]
                    Look something like this Robb?Teskey File 004.jpgTeskey File 003.jpg
                    Bill Lacy
                    1967 427/435 National Top Flight Bloomington Gold
                    1998 Indy Pacecar

                    Comment

                    • Mark D.
                      Extremely Frequent Poster
                      • June 30, 1988
                      • 2144

                      #40
                      Re: St Louis Corvette Assembly

                      Were ties and mini-skirts required?
                      Kramden

                      Comment

                      • Lawrence M.
                        Very Frequent User
                        • February 1, 1995
                        • 404

                        #41
                        Re: St Louis Corvette Assembly

                        [QUOTE=William Lacy (14279);687351]
                        Originally posted by Ken Robb (3882)
                        Vicki and I toured the corvette plant in May of 65 after I got our 65 in March and graduated from college in Rolla. It was a tram pulled tour so was pretty quickly over with. No photos allowed QUOTE]
                        Look something like this Robb?[ATTACH=CONFIG]49498[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]49499[/ATTACH]
                        Bill,
                        Were those pictures taken the day the 250,000 Corvette was built in November 1969 ? The 2 people in the first tram car look like the beauty queen and gentleman that were pictured in the famous publicity photo.
                        Larry
                        2002 Z51 Convertible
                        1969 L46 Convertible

                        Comment

                        • William L.
                          Very Frequent User
                          • December 1, 1988
                          • 944

                          #42
                          Re: St Louis Corvette Assembly

                          [QUOTE=Lawrence Merchantz (25805);687372]
                          Originally posted by William Lacy (14279)

                          Bill,
                          Were those pictures taken the day the 250,000 Corvette was built in November 1969 ? The 2 people in the first tram car look like the beauty queen and gentleman that were pictured in the famous publicity photo.
                          Yes it was. The story, that was told to me was, that the girl could not drive a stick shift very well and darn neer wrecked the car!!

                          Teskey File 005.jpg
                          Bill Lacy
                          1967 427/435 National Top Flight Bloomington Gold
                          1998 Indy Pacecar

                          Comment

                          • John H.
                            Beyond Control Poster
                            • December 1, 1997
                            • 16513

                            #43
                            Re: St Louis Corvette Assembly

                            Originally posted by Tom Russo (22903)
                            John

                            Interesting photo. One has to wonder why with economies of scale, GM would parcel out so many assembly operations. Where would have been what I heard one engineer describe as "final process?" I think I recall the Impala plant but not sure.
                            Tom -

                            Final Process was at the West end of the building - all Corvette operations were within the Corvette assembly building, except wheel/tire mounting/balancing and black flow-coat priming of raw metal parts, which was done in the main passenger/truck plant. Photo below shows the Final Process area immediately after the 1964 expansion of that area.


                            FinalProcess64.jpg

                            Comment

                            • Tom P.
                              Extremely Frequent Poster
                              • April 1, 1980
                              • 1814

                              #44
                              Re: St Louis Corvette Assembly

                              Originally posted by Michael Hanson (4067)
                              Timothy

                              -------------------------------------- Decades ago, I tried to explain that much of the exhaust system was coated during final blackout but no one seemed to believe it. That and dozens of other things that no one wanted to hear. -----------------------------------
                              And it continues today, as well as it did back then-----------------------just a couple of examples, 57 Airbox cars and more recently 56 SR1 cars.
                              Oh ya, then there was a wealth of FI information that was turned down-----------------which subsequently which was readily accepted by, and published in, Vette Vues! NCRS has definitely made many changes and improvements, but sometimes I wonder-----------------------

                              Comment

                              • Ray G.
                                Extremely Frequent Poster
                                • May 31, 1986
                                • 1189

                                #45
                                Re: St Louis Corvette Assembly

                                When images like this find their way into Judging Manuals, as in the newest '67, it is very valuable to all.
                                I personally like the previously mentioned possible build sheet reflecting on the windshield of the red convertible.
                                my .02
                                And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
                                I hope you dance


                                Comment

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