[Keith Seymore]

Sidebar:

Whenever I use that phrase, I always think of this story:

I was sitting here thinking about some of the build conditions on my truck, and how they would never fly today, such as:

* Door gaps that vary as you walk your way around the periphery of the door
* Adhesive moldings that fall off
* "Skunk stripes" of body color that peek out from behind wheel opening moldings (when looking into the wheel housings)
* Exposed fasteners in the interior
* Exposed sheet metal (painted body color) in the interior

and etc - stuff like that.

Anyway, I thought to myself "...that's how we made 'em".

So - that's what made me think of this: back when I was at the assembly plant the UAW (the local union) was very militant. We were always butting heads over build quality and personnel issues and there was very much a "us vs them" mentality with the plant management.

As a result, "somebody" (...I don't know who...) got the idea that we should have a plant "mascot". They went so far as to design and build this giant caped "cat" costume, like a superhero, complete with a huge fuzzy plastic head. The idea was that this cat would make appearances down on the assembly line, visiting and shaking hands with the workers, generally doing zany things to lift our morale and thereby improve product quality. His image would appear on our stationary and cartoon pictures were painted on the walls in the audit area, cafeteria, and other areas where the hourly employees congregate.

They even had a contest to "name" the Quality cat, with the winner earning some highly desirable gift or activity (...I'm sure it was a day of paid vacation...). When all the results were in the winning name was chosen....




....wait for it....








"Howie Makem".

[Keith Seymore]

Ok - so now we have this giant cat costume; we need somebody to wear it.

One of the ladies in the Specifications department was chosen. She was a crusty, tough old bird (...in fact, that was her name: "Birdie"). In hindsight she was probably a pretty good choice, because I'm sure she could hold her own in a bar fight. She wasn't very happy about being chosen to be "Howie Makem".

Besides Birdie's attitude problem there were some issues with the cat suit itself. One was that it was incredibly hot inside the suit, a situation that only exacerbated the heat in the plant during the notoriously humid Michigan summer months. The huge head was also an issue, making it difficult to maneuver in close quarters. But the biggest problem was that the head prevented the wearer from seeing out - they had to cut some small "eye holes" in the neck in order to provide some semblance of outward visibility. In the end, because of the safety implications, even that wasn't enough and we had to assign an escort, leading Howie by the hand through the plant.

As you might expect, the line workers were not all that enthused. I think they thought they were being "talked down to" (...wouldn't you, being accosted by a giant cat wearing a superhero cape?...) and Howie was generally greeted with cat calls (no pun intended), obscenities and inquiries about his/her gender. The escort had to perform double duty, both as a seeing eye guide and bodyguard.

It all came back to me this morning. What a vivid memory: Birdie and her escort walking through the plant, hand in hand, her sweltering in the giant cat suit, greeting the line workers on one side and spewing profanities like a sailor on the other...

K

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by HotCat_63

Found this old photo last night while rummaging through some old files in PMD Engineering

Hotcat, are you funnin' with us? Those are some modern looking engine stands....

[mike nixon]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Ok - so now we have this giant cat costume; we need somebody to wear it.

One of the ladies in the Specifications department was chosen. She was a crusty, tough old bird (...in fact, that was her name: "Birdie"). In hindsight she was probably a pretty good choice, because I'm sure she could hold her own in a bar fight. She wasn't very happy about being chosen to be "Howie Makem".

Besides Birdie's attitude problem there were some issues with the cat suit itself. One was that it was incredibly hot inside the suit, a situation that only exacerbated the heat in the plant during the notoriously humid Michigan summer months. The huge head was also an issue, making it difficult to maneuver in close quarters. But the biggest problem was that the head prevented the wearer from seeing out - they had to cut some small "eye holes" in the neck in order to provide some semblance of outward visibility. In the end, because of the safety implications, even that wasn't enough and we had to assign an escort, leading Howie by the hand through the plant.

As you might expect, the line workers were not all that enthused. I think they thought they were being "talked down to" (...wouldn't you, being accosted by a giant cat wearing a superhero cape?...) and Howie was generally greeted with cat calls (no pun intended), obscenities and inquiries about his/her gender. The escort had to perform double duty, both as a seeing eye guide and bodyguard.

It all came back to me this morning. What a vivid memory: Birdie and her escort walking through the plant, hand in hand, her sweltering in the giant cat suit, greeting the line workers on one side and spewing profanities like a sailor on the other...

K

Thanks for the laugh Keith, After spending the weekend in the truck I needed that!

Mike

[MikeNoun]

Originally Posted by HotCat_63

Found this old photo last night while rummaging through some old files in PMD Engineering

Holy crap! Looks like they're emerging from the doorway for a fashion show. For those non-car people out there, this is like seeing Bar Rafaeli and Angelina Jolie walking into your living room wearing bikinis.

[Held for Ransom]

Originally Posted by johnta1

Just read the blurb on that pic at HPP website.

I don't believe they made a Y8 SD in 73.
But then I also don't show a ZN in 74?

John, I answered a post in the '74 section on this picture and remembered this thread. I believe the second engine is actually a ZW 455/4 bbl/unit distributor California engine.

[Rocky Rotella]

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. Thanks for the info guys, we now know more about the assembly line!

The shot on the HPP website is much smaller than the actual photo and it was clearly "ZN" in the larger shot. The only ZN I could find in any reference was a 400 in 1973.

[Greg Reid]

You know it's funny that out of all the photos in that article, the only one that gets any attention at all is that one of the SD.

[Held for Ransom]

Originally Posted by Rocky Rotella

Sorry I didn't see this earlier. Thanks for the info guys, we now know more about the assembly line!

The shot on the HPP website is much smaller than the actual photo and it was clearly "ZN" in the larger shot. The only ZN I could find in any reference was a 400 in 1973.

OK then. I had to pull out the '73 Service Manual on this one as the later '73 engines don't list the ZN. As you can see, it lists the Y8 as being a SD engine. But that was probably scrapped when they had to redesign for new emission standards and renamed it XD.

[johnta1]

Sorry, HFR, I didn't see this post when I posted that pic in the other one.

I think we still have a lot to learn about how things worked back then.

[Rocky 389]

Love the photos. It appears the engines in this photo are late 50s Pontiac or maybe even GMC's with the small water pumps and stick bellhousings. You can make out the clutch plate and disc springs in one photo...great stuff

[fiedlerh]

I'll bet the Y8/ZN photo is from early 73 production or pre-production, or whenever they started building the SD-455. Could this be one of the first SD-455s off the line? The engine is not completely dressed yet. Looks like the guy is wrestling with the unique SD distributor, so it's probably right after distributors were put in. Perhaps a staged shot since I assume the union wouldn't let management touch stuff unless it was pre-production, an emergency, and/or a staged publicity shot.

Note the lack of bar code stickers on the engine valve cover labels. I had always assumed bar-coded engine stickers started at the beginning of the 1973 production year, but obviously not. The manifest sheet you can make out
"455 Super Duty-Auto 1973"
The engine assembly number
12°
4 BBL L-S-2
"270" for the carb 7043270
"432" for the idle stop solenoid 1997432
"175-A" perhaps for the EGR valve 7040175
and a few of the other numbers.
Anyone spot a date?

Does "IAL" on the flywheel tage hide the word special?

[Greg Reid]

What are the chalk markings indicating on the second photo that Rocky 389 posted? Each cylinder has an alphabet.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

What are the chalk markings indicating on the second photo that Rocky 389 posted? Each cylinder has an alphabet.

Probably piston size. The bores were measured and then the appropriately sized piston (coded by an alpha character) was selected and installed.

K

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Rocky 389

Love the photos. It appears the engines in this photo are late 50s Pontiac or maybe even GMC's with the small water pumps and stick bellhousings. You can make out the clutch plate and disc springs in one photo...great stuff

The kid in that first photo looks like he is about 12 years old.



K

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Probably piston size. The bores were measured and then the appropriately sized piston (coded by an alpha character) was selected and installed.

K

Well, that was my first thought...but then I figured, heck, they're brand new engines....They couldn't get the bores the same size?

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

Well, that was my first thought...but then I figured, heck, they're brand new engines....They couldn't get the bores the same size?

Nope. Not back then; plus you are talking ten thousands of an inch.

They did eventually get to the point were they did not have to hand select specific pistons.

K

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Nope. Not back then; plus you are talking ten thousands of an inch.

They did eventually get to the point were they did not have to hand select specific pistons.

K

That's interesting. I never knew or even thought about that.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by fiedlerh

I'll bet the Y8/ZN photo is from early 73 production or pre-production, or whenever they started building the SD-455. Could this be one of the first SD-455s off the line? The engine is not completely dressed yet. Looks like the guy is wrestling with the unique SD distributor, so it's probably right after distributors were put in. Perhaps a staged shot since I assume the union wouldn't let management touch stuff unless it was pre-production, an emergency, and/or a staged publicity shot.

I agree. In fact, I said as much in post #3 of this thread:

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

a) The caption for this picture reads "...a worker is putting the finishing touches, etc". Actually, this looks like a line supervisor to me, since he is wearing a necktie. Since he is doing some work, rather than an hourly employee, it means there is something wrong and he is desperately trying to get it fixed before it is too late (like before the engine leaves the last station and is conveyed over to the chassis). Given that background, you can kind of "feel" the tension in the photo and see the look of determination in his face.

When you see "neckties" working on the line, it usually means there is something "bad wrong"....(lol)

Thanks for blowing up the picture of the manifest, by the way. For some reason I couldn't see it (had a red X) until just now, and it is quite helpful.

K

[Keith Seymore]

Now, relative to "union wouldn't let management touch stuff": makes me think of a story, if I may. In fact, this will show how "militant" the union was at my home plant, Chevrolet Flint Assembly -

At the time of this story, I was a supervisor on the Line 2 (Blazer, Suburban) Chassis line. Among other things we hooked up the brake lines, evacuated and filled the brake system, tested the brakes and did any last repairs before sending the chassis over to "motor set".

It had been quite a day, probably like any other, which means frenzied frenetic activity on your feet for 8 or 10 hours, and then, once everybody else goes home you get to stay late and do the paperwork, inventory and get ready for the next shift. All of my workers had gone and I was kind of wandering aimlessly, trying to get my head back on straight. I noticed the repair bench was kind of a mess; Without really thinking, I started picking up exhaust hangers and brackets and was hanging them back on the appropriate pegs when, quite suddenly and out of nowhere, the Shop Committeeman pops out from behind the bench.

"WHATINTHEHELLDOYOUTHINKYOU'RE DOING!!" he starts screaming, spit flying from his reddened face. "YOU BLAH BLAH UNION WORK BLAH BLAH I OUGHTA BLAH BLAH" reading me the riot act. Truth be told, I sorta tuned him out, for one thing because I was so tired but for another thing because his response was so far over the top that it just wasn't even registering. I'm sure I tried to explain that I was just doing what seemed like what a normal human being would do and...whatever... and, after an uncomfortably long time somehow he finished up and left. I don't even recall my response but I probably just shook my head and went on about my business and forgot about it.....



...until....


...





...the next day. I was up in the front of the building, where the offices are, in the Personnel area. As you might guess, that's also where the Labor Relations office is and - no big surprise - this guy was in there chewing on one of the salaried workers. I didn't think he saw me but as I came in the door without even taking a breath he wheeled around and, with great fanfare, pointed directly at me and very loudly says "...and HIM!! HIM!! I CAUGHT HIM 'VIOLATING' DOWN ON THE CHASSIS LINE LAST NIGHT!!"

"Violating"?! What kind of word is that, I thought. To this day I still think it makes it sound like I was sodomizing sheep on the assembly line!



Geez. I was just a kid, maybe 19 or 20 or so, supervising probably 25 or 30 hourly employees. Even now I still just shake my head in wonder.


K