Factory Underside paint?

[Keith Seymore]

Not front; the wheel house (the black part) was not assembled when the fender goes through paint.

There is a front end sub assembly line after paint where the wheel inner, side trim and wheel opening trim are added to the painted fender and then conveyed to the main assembly line in sequence. The radiator support (with grill) and hood are on the same carrier.


K

 

[eddiericks]

Hi Michael,

unfortunately, they are completely brown with surface rust at this point. I believe this truck has spent its entire life outside. I would imagine these areas would be touched up to a solid color (dary gray or black) prior to leaving the factory. but i cannot be certain.

Ed

 

[Keith Seymore]

Looking at the last photo “where did I park my truck”. My Square was built across the border in Canada and they probably had the same kind of lot.

We did occasionally lose a truck or two back in the yard. Sometimes we wouldn't find it until the end of the model year (or Christmas break) when production was stopped and the repair backlog was worked down to nothing.

By then we had already built and shipped an identical truck to replace it.

There are signals used to indicate where the truck is to go next (ie, heavy repair, paint repair, rail head for shipping): the direction the truck is pointed, hood up/hood popped, or where the repair ticket is placed (rolled up and inserted in the door handle, rolled up and smashed in the vent window, under the windshield wiper).

God forbid a young engineering student pull the ticket to look at it and put it back in the wrong spot.

K

 

[crowe-t]

Not front; the wheel house (the black part) was not assembled when the fender goes through paint.

There is a front end sub assembly line after paint where the wheel inner, side trim and wheel opening trim are added to the painted fender and then conveyed to the main assembly line in sequence. The radiator support (with grill) and hood are on the same carrier.


K

There would only be body color overspray on the rear inner wheel wells?

 

[Keith Seymore]

There would only be body color overspray on the rear inner wheel wells?

Yes - rear wheel wells and along the body side.

Not front wheel inners.

K

 

[SS1019]

My 78 is red oxide and hasn't ever been repainted, yet. So assuming it was red oxide from the factory.

 

[crowe-t]

My 78 is red oxide and hasn't ever been repainted, yet. So assuming it was red oxide from the factory.

Is there body color overspray on the underside red oxide?

 

[84GMCSierra]

Agreed!

In picture #15, in the middle of the firewall, is that wiring? My eyes aren't that good so can't tell. The AC setup is on the left and the MC on the right but can't make out the middle part.

 

[Keith Seymore]

My 78 is red oxide and hasn't ever been repainted, yet. So assuming it was red oxide from the factory.

Which assembly plant?

I know Flint was using the ELPO dip by 1979, which is black.

That's the only time I ever fell asleep at work. I was a student and we were monitoring the chemical composition of the ELPO dip tank. It's about as exciting as - well - watching paint not dry.

I woke up right as my mentor was behind me about to prank me.

K

 

[Keith Seymore]

One other thought about ELPO: the body sheet metal is electrically charged, which opens the pores to the metal. The body is dipped and the charge cut off so the paint is trapped.

The excess is then immediately rinsed off with water and the body sent into the ovens for drying.

K

 

[Blue Ox]

They did; maybe not quite as big (Flint ran a lot of repair; Oshawa was probably the highest quality plant).

K

FINALLY! A benefit to owning a Canadian squarebody.

 

[Craig Nedrow]

Most would be black, with body color overspray around the edges.

Scroll down for insightful commentary:http://www.73-87.com/7387info/Assembly Line.htm

K

Keith, that is amazing, thanks for sharing. Pic 11 the guy doesn't even have a resperator on. Rules were a much less than....