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Originally Posted by johnta1
janderson, was this 'Engine Bridge' on the 2nd floor of the engine Plant #9 or the Assembly Plant (Plant #8)?
I take it Assembly Plant (Plant #8) is where the cars for the Pontiac plant (P) were assembled like N is for Norwood.
If so, then all the engines went thru the Pontiac plant before being disbursed to all the other plants. Were they machined, fitted, and heads etc installed there also?
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Okay, I can tell you what I know, anything in particular...ask, I'll try or find out.
The motor bridge was on the second floor of Plant #8 (car assembly), also up on the second floor was the body line, a dash assembly line and large body storage area for when they came across from the Fisher Plant (which was later converted to Fiero) through an overhead tunnel.
Remember, these A-G-B body vehicles were all assembled on the first floor, the plant was multiple levels, not as today where driveline goes in from bottom, etc. The body drop was kind of in the center of the plant, chassis line, bumper build up, core support build up, roll test/alignment, repair areas on first floor, and sheet metal/paint on 3rd floor. Bodies came painted from Fisher, hoods/fenders were painted in Plant 8 and met up with the vehicle on first floor.
All came together on first level, repair area at rear of plant, then exit out the back and drive to the storage lots where the driveaway trucks would load up. In its day, they could roll 78 units an hour off the back, have heard of more. The wheel room was a separate area off to the rear of the plant. The roll test was kind of like an early chassis dyno, would run vehicles up to speed for quailty checking, etc.
And about Plant #9 (engine plant), machined/assembled/and test run on a large rotating platform. Throttles were tied open and a hat was placed over the carb to provide gas for testing. Coolant and exhaust hookups were quick connect also.
Plant #9 did complete machining, even had what was called the "pin house" where piston pins were machined. It was the only climate controlled environment on the plant floor. Bearing caps were first broached, then drilled, machined, sawed apart.
After the V/8 lines were pulled, never was the same (301 doesn't count). 2.5 liter 4 cylinder machining and assembly and the 1.8 (later 2.0) for the Sunbirds, etc. The 1.8/2.0's came from Brazil in a long block form and were trimmed out at Pontiac then shipped.
Most people don't realize that Pontiac built 3 different 2.5 liter engines then, longitudinal for S-10, transverse for 6000 series, and the short transverse for Grand Am.
After the assembly plant closed, and Fisher was converted to Fiero, Plant #8 reopened for a short period and built rear drive Grand Nationals, Regals, Monte's that the bodies were built in Flint and brought in large trailers that were refered to as vans. It was interesting when they built out the GNX's, went over to just listen...
Just FYI, most of my family worked at the Pontiac Plant, father 36 years in car assembly/reliability, myself did 22 years, mostly in Powertrain, about a half dozen in sheetmetal and Foundry (layoff/cutbacks).
Later...