Nice Assembly Line Documentary

[Bingster]

You may have seen this, but I thought I'd post it because it's a great 30 minute documentary on a Ford assembly plant from the thirties.

 

[Dodgeb4ya]

WOW....

What an amazing assembly line rhythm!!! So cool to watch..

That's when men were men!

Thanks for posting.

 

[likaleica]

Incredibly detailed and well filmed documentary............thanks very much for posting it.  Does this plant still exist or has it long since closed like most of the great car factories here in the UK such as Jaguar, MG, Austin, Morris, Riley, Triumph to name just a few?

[Flatie46]

Thanks for posting, I had never seen it before. Looks like installing a cam is easier with block standing on it's end.

[Bingster]

I thought it was interesting how we work and work with our "hand tools" to get our cars back to original and this plant just knocks 'em out so routinely.  But I've gotta think that some of those workers jobs weren't the healthiest.   

[Flatie46]

Yea that guy spraying the car with the small filtered mask made me wonder about that. My wife's uncle worked at the Ford plant in Ohio from the late 60's. enjoyed hearing him tell about it. Said he went in thinking he might get a job there for a while til h e figured out what he wanted to do for a living, ended up staying for over 40yrs.

[Bingster]

Can you imagine that guy's arm and shoulders after a day of painting?  I was wondering if that was primer or top coat.  He didn't seem to be laying it on too particular.  But I guess only the best painters applied the topcoats. They must have run the car through an oven.  I was intrigued by the engine castings that came out of the molds so rough and all the finishing work that was done to them.  Did you see how they hand-ground off rough spots and casting sprues? 

It also made me appreciate and wonder how the car companies have to re-tool every year.  They must be working on the next year's tooling while they use the current year's.  I really do wish that we'd get away from the boxy car body and see some real styling.  Chevy has come very close with their model - what's it called? - that has fender impressions and an old Chevy truck type of grille.  I have been hoping they'd make a full-size sedan like that. 

[Dan Hiebert]

Awesome video.  Thanks for posting.  The River Rouge plant does still exist, but no where near as "soup-to-nuts" as it was when this film was made.  Now instead of everything being created and assembled in one place, the components are made elsewhere and shipped to assembly.  Still an amazing operation.  I went on a tour of the Rouge plan wen we were living in Michigan. 

[Flatie46]

Seeing those engine blocks being cast made me think of what a couple old timers told me about flat head fords. They said they had problems getting all the sand out of them when they made them. They said that was one reason ( not the only ) why they were prone to overheat. They also said the sand would be clumped up in the block and might not turn loose til many miles after you bought it.

[ssnowden]

On 12/18/2016 at 6:31 AM, likaleica said:

Incredibly detailed and well filmed documentary............thanks very much for posting it.  Does this plant still exist or has it long since closed like most of the great car factories here in the UK such as Jaguar, MG, Austin, Morris, Riley, Triumph to name just a few?

Yes it is. They build F150 trucks there. You can take a tour too. https://www.thehenryford.org/visit/ford-rouge-factory-tour/

i remember the Top Gear where they went to all the shuttered car factories in the UK. It was a sad thing to see.