Re: What was it like to work on the auto assembly line
twostick,
Tonawanda was the sole supplier for the mighty Z-11, all aluminum
427. The alum heads and high rise intakes were purchased items from Winters
foundary. Tonawanda fully machined the alum block on a huge Sundstrand Omnimil,
the precourser of today's machining center. The bare block after machining was 98
pounds. Each Z-11 was run in on our dynos. The dynos ran 24 hours 6 days a week.
If a Z-11 didn't make 450 hp (I think) it did not get shipped.
Some Z-11's were extremely blueprinted. After full assembly the piston to
deck height was determined and the blocks were brought into the tool room, where
I worked at the time, and we ground the decks plus or minus .001. After reassembly
and using cc'd cylinder heads and degreed cams and cranks these babies blew right
thru 450.
Seems like yesterday.
I will close with an observation.......during my apprenticeship I learned under
MEN who fought the Japs and Germans in WWII, till this day I revere them all !
Charlie ny
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