1971 Cadillac Assembly Line

[George Smolinski]

I'll take a dozen please.

[K8096]

Ah yes, the old Clark Street plant.   I went on a tour through it in the mid 1980s with the Cadillac LaSalle Club.  

[Paul Dobbin]

5 hours ago, George Smolinski said:

I'll take a dozen please.

   Me too.   I had a friend just home from Vietnam, bought a new black 1971 Coupe Deville.   Took it home and his mother said " If you can

   afford a Cadillac, you can afford rent too".   

[B Jake Moran]

Great period for Cadillac!  Thanks for sharing.  

[63RedBrier]

I think I see Johnny Cash in the back…

[Dandy Dave]

I don't see the 71 Blue Eldorado Convertible I use to own in the line. Had to be a different day.

[Larry Schramm]

18 hours ago, George Smolinski said:

I'll take a dozen please.

 

Clark street plant in Detroit.  The area is now a depot full of shipping containter and other industrial activities.

[60FlatTop]

That grille is made of surgical steel. I did a high detail polishing of one I bought. Kept wiping up blood.

[Angelfish]

 

[kevin1221]

I love this picture. We’re the wheel covers put on during final assembly, or were these specific cars prepped for this photo shoot? Thanks again for the photo.

 

Kevin

[EmTee]

JB grew up not far from here.  Talented guy...

[Str8-8-Dave]

I could tell you story after story about building 1971 Cadillacs at the Scotten Avenue (Clark Street) plant.  I worked there winter of 1970 to the end of the 1971 model run.  We built 51 cars an hour.  I worked on the second floor in Department 1003 Body Wiring department, starting with a job routing vacuum lines for A/C and heaters, then the brake pedal and booster job, 2 hours inside the car hanging brake pedals, 2 hours outside the car installing brake booster that had the studs that went thru the firewall the brake pedal attached to.  I got a jersey glove caught in a tap driven by a right-angle air motor and screwed up the pinky-finger on my left hand one night, so they put me on a light duty bench job assembling A/C panel ducts.   The guy who normally did the job was given the nickname "Vodka Bob" as he showed up at the steps in front of the plant with an escort under each arm to keep him from falling.  Legend had it he drank 2 pints of Vodka every night.  For some reason he was off on medical leave for a couple of weeks while I did the job. 

 

Then they put me on the serial number tag job which was the crown jewel job in our department.  Serial numbers were already on the stamped on the tags and Mr. Williams, referring to a plant broadcast sheet stamped model numbers on the tags at a Schmidt tag stamping machine part of the time and kept a rack of brake boosters and master cylinders pre-charged with brake fluid the rest of the time.  Model 8247-2dr Calais, 8249- 4dr Calais, 8347- 2dr Coupe Deville, 8349- 4dr Coupe Deville, 7500- 4dr Fleetwood limousine.  My whole job was to verify the tag had the correct model number on it, install it with 2 special rivets using a pneumatic rivet gun and install 2 5/16-24 J-nuts on the dash sheet metal the column support bracket attached to.  Occasionally Mr. Williams would have stamped an incorrect model number on a tag, and I had enough time to walk to the Schmidt tag machine and re-stamp the tag with the correct model number and get it in the car before it went by.  Mr. Williams the tag man, Bill Shankle the area foreman and Ray Boudre, the general foreman all loved me because other operators would pull the stop line handle which set off an alarm bell and sent foreman, general foreman and available relief workers to see why the line was stopped.  The also all loved me because I never let a car go by with an incorrect model number on a serial number tag, which if installed, was a major 8-hour repair job requiring removal of the instrument panel to fix.   The picture at the beginning of this thread was taken in the final inspection area, which is where a model number discrepancy would have been caught and sent for repair.

 

My mother was a schoolteacher in the Wayne/Westland school district and had her summers off.  The summer of the year I worked at Cadillac my mother and younger sister took off on a car trip to Alaska which lasted 8 weeks.  I have been told I missed quite an experience there but heck- you can go to Alaska anytime; you couldn't experience life in a GM Cadillac assembly line unless you were there at the time.

[8E45E]

13 minutes ago, Str8-8-Dave said:

I could tell you story after story about building 1971 Cadillacs at the Scotten Avenue (Clark Street) plant.  I worked there winter of 1970 to the end of the 1971 model run. 

You might want to submit this to Hemmings Classic Car for their "I Was There' column.

 

Craig

[EmTee]

12 hours ago, Str8-8-Dave said:

The picture at the beginning of this thread was taken in the final inspection area, which is where a model number discrepancy would have been caught and sent for repair.

Are those the repair stations off to the side (perpendicular to the lines of cars)?

 

[8E45E]

10 minutes ago, EmTee said:

Are those the repair stations off to the side (perpendicular to the lines of cars)?

They all appear to be Fleetwood/60 Specials.  Makes me think they are there for the extra hand finishing and fitment of equipment that made them stand out as Cadillac's top-of-the-line model.

 

Craig

[Ed Luddy]

Here's mine from last summer. Still original paint and interior. Just out of long term storage. Now back inside for the winter!

[Ed Luddy]

Note the remains of the dealer installed clear plastic seat covers!

[9F94M567042]

This is so COOL! I love hearing these stories and seeing old assembly line photos of the assembly lines. That probably would have been my dream job to have. 

[1935Packard]

20 hours ago, Str8-8-Dave said:

I could tell you story after story about building 1971 Cadillacs at the Scotten Avenue (Clark Street) plant.  I worked there winter of 1970 to the end of the 1971 model run.  We built 51 cars an hour.  I worked on the second floor in Department 1003 Body Wiring department, starting with a job routing vacuum lines for A/C and heaters, then the brake pedal and booster job, 2 hours inside the car hanging brake pedals, 2 hours outside the car installing brake booster that had the studs that went thru the firewall the brake pedal attached to.  I got a jersey glove caught in a tap driven by a right-angle air motor and screwed up the pinky-finger on my left hand one night, so they put me on a light duty bench job assembling A/C panel ducts.   The guy who normally did the job was given the nickname "Vodka Bob" as he showed up at the steps in front of the plant with an escort under each arm to keep him from falling.  Legend had it he drank 2 pints of Vodka every night.  For some reason he was off on medical leave for a couple of weeks while I did the job. 

 

Then they put me on the serial number tag job which was the crown jewel job in our department.  Serial numbers were already on the stamped on the tags and Mr. Williams, referring to a plant broadcast sheet stamped model numbers on the tags at a Schmidt tag stamping machine part of the time and kept a rack of brake boosters and master cylinders pre-charged with brake fluid the rest of the time.  Model 8247-2dr Calais, 8249- 4dr Calais, 8347- 2dr Coupe Deville, 8349- 4dr Coupe Deville, 7500- 4dr Fleetwood limousine.  My whole job was to verify the tag had the correct model number on it, install it with 2 special rivets using a pneumatic rivet gun and install 2 5/16-24 J-nuts on the dash sheet metal the column support bracket attached to.  Occasionally Mr. Williams would have stamped an incorrect model number on a tag, and I had enough time to walk to the Schmidt tag machine and re-stamp the tag with the correct model number and get it in the car before it went by.  Mr. Williams the tag man, Bill Shankle the area foreman and Ray Boudre, the general foreman all loved me because other operators would pull the stop line handle which set off an alarm bell and sent foreman, general foreman and available relief workers to see why the line was stopped.  The also all loved me because I never let a car go by with an incorrect model number on a serial number tag, which if installed, was a major 8-hour repair job requiring removal of the instrument panel to fix.   The picture at the beginning of this thread was taken in the final inspection area, which is where a model number discrepancy would have been caught and sent for repair.

 

My mother was a schoolteacher in the Wayne/Westland school district and had her summers off.  The summer of the year I worked at Cadillac my mother and younger sister took off on a car trip to Alaska which lasted 8 weeks.  I have been told I missed quite an experience there but heck- you can go to Alaska anytime; you couldn't experience life in a GM Cadillac assembly line unless you were there at the time.

 Super cool, thanks for telling us about that!

[Nailbitten]

Did you build one with 3 headlights? Two on the left and one on the right,but when you pull out the switch all three of 'em come,for Johnny Cash?

That had to be an interesting job.Thanks for the story.

[8E45E]

8 hours ago, Nailbitten said:

Did you build one with 3 headlights? Two on the left and one on the right,but when you pull out the switch all three of 'em come,for Johnny Cash?

That had to be an interesting job.Thanks for the story.

A mod like that would not have done by GM on the assembly line, with the Federal safety regulations already in place by then.   That would have had to been done after it left GM's hands.  Before 1968, Johnny Cash could have got his way with a factory modification like that which involved lighting regulations, and even then, GM would have no doubt sent it to a place like Creative Industries, or Mitchell-Bentley to have the extra work commissioned.

 

Craig

[Jim Skelly]

On 1/7/2023 at 7:55 AM, Dandy Dave said:

I don't see the 71 Blue Eldorado Convertible I use to own in the line. Had to be a different day.

From what I've read, the FWD Eldorado had its own assembly line.  The Administration Building had a 1903 runabout and a V-16 Phaeton on display once when I stopped by.

[Str8-8-Dave]

Eldorados did not share floor space with coupe/sedan/limo assembly.  They were built at another location, as I recall, at a Fleetwood facility, but don't quote me on that.  The Cadillac engine assembly plant was directly across the street from the Clark Street car assembly building. Transmissions came from Willow Run Hydra-Matic plant.  When I worked there it was GM's oldest assembly plant.  It had wood floors.

 

Here is a pretty good Detroit history article RE: Cadillac Clark St.    MotorCities - Cadillac Clark Street | Southwest Detroit Auto Heritage Guide

 

Here is a 2hr YouTube video of end of the line for Cadillac Clark St. shot in 1987.   It will give you a feel of life at the Clark St. plant...

 

[rocketraider]

14 hours ago, Jim Skelly said:

From what I've read, the FWD Eldorado had its own assembly line. 

To my knowledge ALL of the GM E-body cars had their own dedicated assembly line. I know Toronado and Eldorado did. Stands to reason Riviera, being Buick Division's halo car, would have also.

[Dandy Dave]

6 hours ago, rocketraider said:

To my knowledge ALL of the GM E-body cars had their own dedicated assembly line. I know Toronado and Eldorado did. Stands to reason Riviera, being Buick Division's halo car, would have also.

I have one of them now. I would not trade it for the 71 Caddy Ragtop back.

 

[8E45E]

14 minutes ago, Dandy Dave said:

I have one of them now. I would not trade it for the 71 Caddy Ragtop back.

 

 

Your convertible was diverted off the assembly line near the end to American Sunroof Corporation for fitment of the top, rear quarter windows, and anything else specific to it.

 

Craig

[Jim Skelly]

I just found this Flint Assembly photo from the 1963 model year.  Note the Riviera is followed by big Buicks.

 

 

[Str8-8-Dave]

1 hour ago, 8E45E said:

Your convertible was diverted off the assembly line near the end to American Sunroof Corporation for fitment of the top, rear quarter windows, and anything else specific to it.

 

Craig

American Sunroof,  another story in my past.   I sat in Ford NAAO timing meetings with Heinz Prechter who started and owned American Sunroof.   He was a great guy,  we were shocked when he died.  ASC did the sunroof for Taurus/Sable cars. 

[rocketraider]

25 minutes ago, marcoteer said:

That would have had to been done after it left GM's hands.  Before 1968, Johnny Cash could have got his way with a factory modification like that which involved lighting regulations, and even then, GM would have no doubt sent it to a place like Creative Industries, or Mitchell-Bentley to have the extra work commissioned.

 

Didn't someone already say that a few posts ago?🤨 

 

I smell spam cooking...

[Jim Skelly]

12 hours ago, Jim Skelly said:

I just found this Flint Assembly photo from the 1963 model year.  Note the Riviera is followed by big Buicks.

 

 

Now that I think about this photo, I don't see any assembly going on.  It appears to be an inspection line.

[Larry Schramm]

22 hours ago, Jim Skelly said:

Now that I think about this photo, I don't see any assembly going on.  It appears to be an inspection line.

 

That would be the final inspection line just before the car goes onto the roll test station and front end alignment station.

[dship]

12 hours ago, Larry Schramm said:

 

That would be the final inspection line just before the car goes onto the roll test station and front end alignment station.

Yeah, I don't think those guys in white shirts and ties would be in any previous production lines.

[Larry Schramm]

11 hours ago, dship said:

Yeah, I don't think those guys in white shirts and ties would be in any previous production lines.

 

Those guys would probably be supervisors checking the quality of the vehicles coming off the line.  They might also be engineers depending on when the build date.  If early in start up during the launch period they would most likely be there.

 

As for not being on any previous production lines, if production supervisors I would bet most of them came from the hourly ranks that worked on the line. 

 

I know I started life at GM working on the line and got off when I finished my undergraduate degree and ended my career in Engineering.

Edited January 13, 2023 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[Dandy Dave]

On 1/12/2023 at 7:28 PM, Larry Schramm said:

 

Those guys would probably be supervisors checking the quality of the vehicles coming off the line.  They might also be engineers depending on when the build date.  If early in start up during the launch period they would most likely be there.

 

As for not being on any previous production lines, if production supervisors I would bet most of them came from the hourly ranks that worked on the line. 

 

I know I started life at GM working on the line and got off when I finished my undergraduate degree and ended my career in Engineering.

Larry was there when this was built. We have talked about it in the past.

 

[Larry Schramm]

2 hours ago, Dandy Dave said:

Larry was there when this was built. We have talked about it in the past.

 

 

Yup, and I know about "the shake kit"

[EmTee]

8 minutes ago, Larry Schramm said:

Yup, and I know about "the shake kit"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy02vIFXlnY

[Larry Schramm]

8 minutes ago, EmTee said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy02vIFXlnY

 

That's not a kit, that is a package.

[8E45E]

3 hours ago, Dandy Dave said:

Larry was there when this was built. We have talked about it in the past.

 

Would yours have gone back to GM's final inspection line after its circumcision by ASC?

 

Craig

[Dandy Dave]

22 hours ago, 8E45E said:

Would yours have gone back to GM's final inspection line after its circumcision by ASC?

 

Craig

I would not know. There's a question for Larry Schramm.