Paint Drips on Original Parts? - Here is Why

Ever tried to spray paint a coil spring? or a boxed control arm and get COMPLETE coverage? If you can I guarantee you will have used A LOT more paint!!! :TU:

 

I'm with ya on the coil spring. Its a real challenge to get full coverage. I have to hold the light at all different angles to see all the places I missed and then a week later I'll be looking at it and see more bare spots!

I'll say it again, this is a great post. Always most interesting to here stories from folks who worked the assembly line.

 

I am curious to hear this one.

 

X2! How did they do it? o No:

 

Leaded seams were applied to all of the cars, regardless if they had a painted top or a vinyl roof.

There were large pots of molten lead by the assembly line. They had propane burners underneath to keep the lead in a liquid state. The workers would use a flux to the joint, then take wooden paddles to spread the lead on the joints and "work it" until the lead was reasonably smooth. Then, the cars went into a large chamber where other workers in space suits (with air hoses) would use air grinders to semi finish the joints. As the car exited the chamber, other workers would use an assortment of files and sanders to get the finish seam completed. Keep in mind that the cycle time for every step was 60 seconds.

The strangest (or worst) thing was that there was about an inch of lead dust EVERYWHERE. A lot of the folks doing this work eneded up with lead poisioning. I never saw any OSHA folks either.

Remind me to tell you about the UAW and what they did to control management.....:shock:

 

Somehow I knew that somebody was sacrificing their health in that department.

 

Same here. I knew it couldn't be good when he said "lead".

 

that is as bad as dipping your t-shirt into a vat of benzene to cool yourself off in the summer..

 

On a side note; anyone know when they stopped using lead based paint on cars?

 

Hi Paul,

Do you know why the seams between the quarter panel and deck lid filler panel were filled and smoothed on convertibles but not on hardtops?

Cheers

 

Now THAT'S a good question!

 

I believe that hardtops had less body flex, thus the added joint was not needed.

Believe me when I tell you that GM did not add ANYTHING that was not absolutely required....not one thing.

If something is on your car, is is a design requirement.

 

One other thing: when the bodies were spot selded together, every joint got a thick bead of a maroon color caulking between the panels. The spot welding was then done.

If you wonder why the spot welds are evenly spaced, it is due to a fixture that clamped on the parts being spot welded, and it guided the operator to place the spot welds in the same position on every car.

The bodies (from the firewall back) were dipped in a huge vat of primer. The entire body was submerged, and then baked before paint. The hoods and fenders were done separately, and then mounted later.

That is why there may be a slight color difference from the front clip to the rear body......ou:

 

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the replies. It also explains why my floor pans are red oxide primer.

One more thing, were chalk (crayon) marks applied to the firewall at the Framingham plant? I have looked everywhere (including under the booster mounting bracket) and have not found anything. My firewall appears to be original.

Cheers

 

For what it's worth - this also works with corn on the cob!

Use a quart jar of hot water and melt an inch of butter on top.....

 

The inspectors at GM Framingham did not use chalk. There was a QC (quality control) traveler that each inspector punched using a uniquely shaped punch.

This hung from the cowl, and was used as a final QC when the car left that part of the plant.

The paint daubs were a visual quality control check so someone doing the next operation would know that the prevoius step was completed. This was used anywhere there was torque specs.

The water test area was cool - they had a full size carwash type chamber that the car went thru. Someone would sit in the car and look for leaks. All leaks were marked and corrected.

 

Finally something useful:laugh:

 

I actually TRIED Pauls paint trick years ago when I read it in a muscle car mag. I used the rustoleum paint and it promptly sank to the bottom. I riuned a can of paint and a 5 gallon bucket not to mention having a toxic mess on my hands. Was my water magic? What the hell happend? I spray everything now. You guys can have your drips.o No: >>>>For what it is worth Flint did not use Chaulk on the cars etiher. It was more a type of crayon.

 

Maybe it would float better

 

Someone should write Mystbusters as this would be a good myth to (re)prove even-though we already know the results.