What was it like to work on the auto assembly line

[19Fordy]

[B]I was wondering if there are any Fordbarners who worked on the assembly lines building cars during the 40's and 50's. If so, please tell what it was like.
I remember going on a college field trip in 1962 trough the Ford assembly plant in Mahwah, NJ and was amazed how those cars rolled off the line one after the other. I had never seen anything like that before.

[Charlie ny]

I did not work in an automobile assembly plant BUT I did work at the GM engine assembly
plant in Tonawanda New York........at the time THE largest engine plant in the world.
I started on the 327/307 engine line and finished up on the Corvair line. The work
was boring and I entered a zone each day to get thru a usual 9 or 10 hour shift.
Saturdays were a given........you worked. As the union steward admonished me......
this is the army mr jones, get your ass in here.
Regrets.......absolutely none. After a couple years I scored a tool makers apprenticship then moved to skilled trades foreman. I retired after 31 1/2 years and
used my GM experiences for great after retirement career.
Charlie ny

[PeterC]

Charlie- they did not let you get near the 396 and 427 big block line?

[V12Bill]

Classic Cars magazine does a column every month on the assembly lines. The title is I Was There and tells the story of a current reader who worked the line right out of high school and/or worked summers while going to college. Most report that it was very noisy and very hot. Most were vacation replacements, but some worked the line for several years before quitting and going to get an education and never returning to assembly line work again. Most stories are very interesting and describe a life altering change.

[flatheadfan]

Both my brother and I started working in production for Ford in the late 1950s. I remember my first day, I was assigned to the body shop as a lead grinder. I used a 15 pound grinder which didn't seem heavy at first but after 8 hours that grinder felt like it weighed 100 pounds. After work I got in my car to go home and was so physically exhausted I just sat there for 1/2 hour before I could sum up the energy to start the car. My brother worked on the final line assembly . As the body was lifted up to be dropped on the chassis the skids fell off. He had to pick up (along with another guy helping), the body skid for the right side and rack it. Weight 75 pounds. Production rate was one unit per minute; pay $1.68/per hour. I spent 10 years with Ford the last few years as a production supervisor.

Tom

[G.M.]

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I didn't work at the plants but I sold MIG welders to several plants and took the place
of the production workers a number of times. If I recall you welded at a speed of over
48 inches per minute. The arc was so hot if you went to slow it just burnt a slot you
put mail through. The conveyer stops and you step into your position and have if I
remember about 15 seconds, a bell rings and you step back and the conveyer moves.
As the workers get experienced output production is increased by slowly turning up
the conveyer speed. You don't try to touch up any misses, a guy at the end of line
does them. This was 50 years ago, I think robots do this now. G.M.

[ole39]

Originally Posted by G.M.

I didn't work at the plants but I sold MIG welders to several plants and took the place
of the production workers a number of times. If I recall you welded at a speed of over
48 inches per minute. The arc was so hot if you went to slow it just burnt a slot you
put mail through. The conveyer stops and you step into your position and have if I
remember about 15 seconds, a bell rings and you step back and the conveyer moves.
As the workers get experienced output production is increased by slowly turning up
the conveyer speed. You don't try to touch up any misses, a guy at the end of line
does them. This was 50 years ago, I think robots do this now. G.M.

gm, you said 48 i.p.m, did you mean 480?

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by ole39

gm, you said 48 i.p.m, did you mean 480?

ole39.........Do YOU know anyone that can weld 40 FEET of bead per minute? DD

[ole39]

Originally Posted by V8COOPMAN

ole39.........Do YOU know anyone that can weld 40 FEET of bead per minute? DD

i worked at deere harvester also for 38 years. mostly mig for 30. with .045 wire, we were timed by company time study at 440 i.p.m. 0.35 wire was 570 i.p.m. flux core was much slower, but dont remember those wire speeds.

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by ole39

i worked at deere harvester also for 38 years. mostly mig for 30. with .045 wire, we were timed by company time study at 440 i.p.m. 0.35 wire was 570 i.p.m. flux core was much slower, but dont remember those wire speeds.

I certainly won't argue with that. Then again, I've never looked at a Deere machine of any size to see just how nice and strong one of those 440"/minute welds looks. I'm trying really hard to understand the significance or logic (other than savin'-a-buck) of a human welding ANYTHING at such speed, yet expecting the best penetration and quality of welds for the end user. Did Deere X-ray or otherwise test these type of welds? Do Deere welders (YOU) hold any kind of certs? DD

[G.M.]

Originally Posted by ole39

i worked at deere harvester also for 38 years. mostly mig for 30. with .045 wire, we were timed by company time study at 440 i.p.m. 0.35 wire was 570 i.p.m. flux core was much slower, but dont remember those wire speeds.

Your probly right I only "stepped in" maybe a dozen times. It was .045
wire on the frames and the wire feeder had high speed gears with the
feed speed turned way up. I just moved my arm and hand at about the
speed I remember moving and came up with 360"s per minute. So I
would say doing it every day what you claim is true. The spool of wire
also turned pretty fast. I wonder how many lbs of welding wire was
deposited per hour?? G.M.

[Randy in ca]

Originally Posted by ole39

gm, you said 48 i.p.m, did you mean 480?

Originally Posted by V8COOPMAN

ole39.........Do YOU know anyone that can weld 40 FEET of bead per minute? DD

Originally Posted by ole39

i worked at deere harvester also for 38 years. mostly mig for 30. with .045 wire, we were timed by company time study at 440 i.p.m. 0.35 wire was 570 i.p.m. flux core was much slower, but dont remember those wire speeds.

Originally Posted by V8COOPMAN

I certainly won't argue with that. Then again, I've never looked at a Deere machine of any size to see just how nice and strong one of those 440"/minute welds looks. I'm trying really hard to understand the significance or logic (other than savin'-a-buck) of a human welding ANYTHING at such speed, yet expecting the best penetration and quality of welds for the end user. Did Deere X-ray or otherwise test these type of welds? Do Deere welders (YOU) hold any kind of certs? DD

Originally Posted by G.M.

Your probly right I only "stepped in" maybe a dozen times. It was .045
wire on the frames and the wire feeder had high speed gears with the
feed speed turned way up. I just moved my arm and hand at about the
speed I remember moving and came up with 360"s per minute. So I
would say doing it every day what you claim is true. The spool of wire
also turned pretty fast. I wonder how many lbs of welding wire was
deposited per hour?? G.M.

I think the problem with the welding speed discussion here is that you guys are talking apples vs oranges - ole39 and G.M. (I think) are talking about the Wire-Feed Speed in inches per minute (i.p.m.) while CC is talking about the Travel (or work/welding) speed, which can vary significantly depending on the wire diameter, type of weld, etc... e.g. using 0.045 wire at a Wire Feed Speed of 400 i.p.m. might only result in a Travel (actual weld) Speed of maybe 15 i.p.m. for example. Clear as mud?

[G.M.]

Originally Posted by Randy in ca

I think the problem with the welding speed discussion here is that you guys are talking apples vs oranges - ole39 and G.M. (I think) are talking about the Wire-Feed Speed in inches per minute (i.p.m.) while CC is talking about the Travel (or work/welding) speed, which can vary significantly depending on the wire diameter, type of weld, etc... e.g. using 0.045 wire at a Wire Feed Speed of 400 i.p.m. might only result in a Travel (actual weld) Speed of maybe 15 i.p.m. for example. Clear as mud?

I know exactly what I'm talking about. And you could weld the same
speed with .035 wire as you can with .045 IF you can get enough wire
feed speed with the 035. The speed of the wire or wire diameter controls
how many amps you get. I also stick with welding speed on frames to be
400 inches of weld per minute or greater depending on operator experience
and configuration of the weld joint. G.M.

[petehoovie]

I worked at the Ford assembly plant as a teletype repairman. The entire line and assembly operation was coordinated by using teletype machines which were placed at strategic locations throughout the plant....

[5851a]

Lots of great assembly lines video's on You tube. I'm sure there is a lot of staged shots in the later ones but some of the early ones look pretty miserable. I'm betting they were happy to be working in a time of world wars, no social security, no ins etc. Some of the ones with engine machining and assembly are incredible. Here's one of many.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcXfk0op6JA

[19Fordy]

I appreciate the "telling the way it was" rather than a video. It conveys a reality
of the daily grind of very hard work.
Thanks for sharing, so far. Hope more folks chime in.

[mrtexas]

Henry didn't raise the daily pay to $5 in the 20s because of altruism. He did it to reduce quiting from the very hard work.

[Charlie ny]

To PeterC.........Pete as a matter of fact the Tonawanda plant was the sole supplier
of 348/409 'W' block motors and the legendary Mark IV. The first 'Marks' were 396
and 427's. Then the 396 morffed into the 402. The last version of the 'Mark' was the
502 Mark V for which GM purchased all new cylinder block and crank shaft machines.
Two of us 'up from the rank and file' guys were responsible for the installation and
operation of these new lines. 10 - 12 hours a day......19 days on 1 off. That was the
army mr jones.
As soon as I retired in 1993 I went back to tool making in a little job shop.....
go figure.
Charlie ny

[V8COOPMAN]

Originally Posted by Charlie ny

To PeterC.........Pete as a matter of fact the Tonawanda plant was the sole supplier
of 348/409 'W' block motors.
Charlie ny

Here's some of those "W" motors......freshly-made! DD

[twostickmutt]

Originally Posted by Charlie ny

To PeterC.........Pete as a matter of fact the Tonawanda plant was the sole supplier
of 348/409 'W' block motors and the legendary Mark IV. The first 'Marks' were 396
and 427's. Then the 396 morffed into the 402. The last version of the 'Mark' was the
502 Mark V for which GM purchased all new cylinder block and crank shaft machines.
Two of us 'up from the rank and file' guys were responsible for the installation and
operation of these new lines. 10 - 12 hours a day......19 days on 1 off. That was the
army mr jones.
As soon as I retired in 1993 I went back to tool making in a little job shop.....
go figure.
Charlie ny

charlie did you guys make the Z-11's up there for the 63's