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Car Assembly Sequencing and Paint Matching Late '40's-->early '50's


JerseyHarold

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Is there any literature or films describing how Plymouths were put together on the assembly line? Were the bodies shipped from Briggs with or without rear fenders already installed?  Was the front floor panel installed after the body was on the frame?  What about the steering wheel?  If the bodies were painted by Briggs, how did they match the color of the sheet metal (front doghouse, for example) that was painted separately in the Plymouth factory?  Does anyone have insights they can share?

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A good question; still an issue for automakers today, perhaps more than ever. One advantage back then was the limited color palette, with mostly solid colors. There could also be a pretty distinct separation of panels that today's vehicles don't often have. Two panels without a shared plane? You can pull off a slight variance there without anyone noticing. I suppose if one came through the line with too much difference they would just send it to the rework shop before shipment and respray what they needed. I have to wonder if there is anyone still around from that era who would really know.

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Some time ago, i saw a photo of the Briggs plant, with Plymouth bodies stored on end, firewall l down.  I don't think the bodies had fenders on yet.   Another photo showed the bodies across a truck bed, being hauled from Briggs to the assembly plant.  

 

Quality Control would just have to make sure that the paint for the bodies matched the paint for the fenders and doghouse.   Not an insurmountable problem.  

 

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