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Ever imagine watching your very own vehicle shuffle down the assembly line? Just like that awesome scene in Christine, I've often thought it would be cool to watch a vehicle I owned get built.
My current licensed vehicles are a '95 Tahoe and 80 Chev 3/4 ton Camper Special Pick Up.
The Tahoe was built in Janesville Wisconsin, and (UE Alert) that plant has closed this year, except for some minor parts or something manufacturing. Would be an awesome explore to go through a plant that's just shut down... Locals check it out. 
Anyone know where the '80 P/U was built, or my 80 Malibu or 69 Toronado? Thanks.
[last edit 4/11/2009 3:53 AM by A. Lien - edited 1 times]
My sister is Charlotte Light and Dark. Who am I?
Farewell and thank you... "I was doing something that I thought could have some impact someday. In many ways, it's really these photographs that kept me going creatively." Dennis Hopper | |
I've definitely thought about that, and like you said, that scene in Christine was awesome.
Every car I've had has been older, ('84, '85, '86) so I imagine they look a hell of a lot different now than they did new. Especially my '85 S-10, which has been wrecked, repaired, and customized through it's life. I'd like to see what they were born as.
Won't you help me, Mr. Jesus, Won't you tell me, if you can
When you see this world we live in, Do you still believe in man? | |
My M3 was originally purchased through European delivery. The owner has pictures of it being picked up at BMW in Munich and of it being loaded and unloaded from her journey across the Atlantic. As close as I think it will ever get.
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I've been on a tour of Janesville Assembly. It was one of the coolest things I ever saw. The tour took you EVERWHERE in the plant. I was amazed at the fact after they put on the emblems, they put fluids in the car then fired it up for a test and it just started up.
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My old 74 Impala was built at Janesville. The trunklid had a dealer emblem that said "Gillespie Cambridge" and the only thing I could find was that the car might have been from the Chicago area originally. It was from Maine before I got it and after I had it someone parted it out, I saw the craigslist ad. Idiot.
The 74 I have now which is almost identical to my old one was built in Tarrytown NY. The GM plant was next to the Tappan Zee bridge I believe, and that car was sold new in Springfield MA at Beaulieu Chevrolet, which no longer exists except in the incredible amount of paperwork, records, and brochures I was given with this car. Either way I think it'd have been cool to have seen them built.
I don't know where my Blazer was made. Maybe Janesville if the Tahoes were made there subsequently...?
"Walter, what are you doing, man?"
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It's fairly common if you order high end European cars that you can arrange to see it on the assembly line.
Even A Genius Has Questions!?!
I do things because I choose to, not because I have to. My Life, My Rules - No Exceptions! | |
Posted by MattTrakker
My old 74 Impala was built at Janesville. The trunklid had a dealer emblem that said "Gillespie Cambridge" and the only thing I could find was that the car might have been from the Chicago area originally. It was from Maine before I got it and after I had it someone parted it out, I saw the craigslist ad. Idiot.
The 74 I have now which is almost identical to my old one was built in Tarrytown NY. The GM plant was next to the Tappan Zee bridge I believe, and that car was sold new in Springfield MA at Beaulieu Chevrolet, which no longer exists except in the incredible amount of paperwork, records, and brochures I was given with this car. Either way I think it'd have been cool to have seen them built.
I don't know where my Blazer was made. Maybe Janesville if the Tahoes were made there subsequently...?
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Blazers were made in 3 places; New Jersey, Louisiana, and Ohio.
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Posted by Agent Skelly
Blazers were made in 3 places; New Jersey, Louisiana, and Ohio.
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I have a Blazer, not the S10, if that clarifies things. I should just check my VIN I suppose.
EDIT: Just found out it was made at Janesville.
[last edit 4/12/2009 3:31 AM by MattTrakker - edited 1 times]
"Walter, what are you doing, man?"
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Posted by MattTrakker
I have a Blazer, not the S10, if that clarifies things. I should just check my VIN I suppose.
EDIT: Just found out it was made at Janesville.
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Oh wait, thats right, you have a K5 Blazer. Then yeah, Janesville.
When I did the Janesville plant tour in 1993, they were producing the last 50 of those cars actually.
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Haha that's pretty cool, who knows you may have seen mine as it was a late production one I believe. It was sold in July of 1993.
"Walter, what are you doing, man?"
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Posted by MattTrakker
Haha that's pretty cool, who knows you may have seen mine as it was a late production one I believe. It was sold in July of 1993.
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Ooo...that could be right...I took the tour as part of some summer camp thing as a child so around then it could be right.
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i had a Pinto built in Metuchen NJ (same place the original Mustangs were built)
VIN#: 0T11A116655
One Cavalier was a Lansing Final car
the rest have all been Lordstown OH Final Assembly.
my two Cobalts have been Lordstown OH Final cars.
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Cool stories everyone. The Janesville plant is one of the oldest in the U.S. Awesome you had a tour Skelly. It should be good timing to check out now, but a tour of an active assembly line would rock. I keep meaning to check out the Boeing plant tour in Seattle. Plus they sell shiny bits!
Those chrome dealer badges should add value to any car, and build sheets, papers and all. I looked at a '71 Satellite a few years ago, the guy pointed out all these assembly line check marks and stuff in various places.
Wikipedia: Janesville Business and Industry:
"On June 3, 2008, General Motors announced plans to close the Janesville assembly plant as part of a significant restructuring effort.[23] Begun in 1919, when GM bought the Janesville Machine Company and merged it with the Samson Tractor Company, the Janesville plant was the oldest General Motors plant in North America. It assembled large trucks and sport utility vehicles,[24] which have declined in popularity as gasoline prices increased. The Janesville GM plant was closed in December 2008. Its last produced vehicle, a Chevrolet Tahoe sport utility vehicle, rolled off the assembly line on December 23, 2008."
My sister is Charlotte Light and Dark. Who am I?
Farewell and thank you... "I was doing something that I thought could have some impact someday. In many ways, it's really these photographs that kept me going creatively." Dennis Hopper | |
I spent a fair amount of time in Toyota assembly - Cambridge, Ontario which at the time was producing Corolla & Solara models (now assembling Corolla, Matrix & RX330) ... what an amazing place!! Also in years gone by I toured Honda assembly in Alliston, Ontario - at the time producing just the Civic. Equally as cool but didn't get to see as much of the off limits shit being a public tour
Even A Genius Has Questions!?!
I do things because I choose to, not because I have to. My Life, My Rules - No Exceptions! | |
i've only been in one assembly plant, GM's Doraville GA final assembly. Our company had sent GM a run of bad instrument panel assemblies and we were sorting through them. HUGE place.
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Yeah, I highly suggest for ANYONE to take a tour of a car plant. Its just one of those great American and Canadian things that everyone should do. They treat you like royalty there; they give you a GM hard hat to wear along with goggles and every section supervisor stops to say hi to our group and wants to know where where we were from and explained what each section does.
On the way out, I remember there was these giant boxes of little bits of parts like spark plugs, bolts, sensors, etc that our tour leader said "we could take something". I grabbed a weird spark plug which I have around here somewhere.
I found out later that UAW actually operated the tour and not GM itself. It apparently was something they bargained before in the 70s as a PR tool.
I was looking to see if GM offered some sort of tour for Oshawa Car Assembly and sadly they do not.
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don't worry about not having a tour offered. Show up at their business office, introduce yourself and tell them you are really interested in seeing how cars are built. 9 times out of 10, you'll get a tour.
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Posted by Samurai
don't worry about not having a tour offered. Show up at their business office, introduce yourself and tell them you are really interested in seeing how cars are built. 9 times out of 10, you'll get a tour.
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Well Oshawa is the HQ for GM Canada...that a big enough business office? 
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I did some dock work at the GM plant here in nearby Arlington, where they make Tahoes etc. Its a really nice place for the car enthusiast.
When I would finish on a job out there I would spend an hour or so just wandering around.
Hey Sam do you know which GM plants are under the Axe? The one I mentioned above I think is in for it, they had a mandatory shut down for a while.....I dont know if they are even up running again.
"It's not a fanny pack, it's an exploring pouch!"
-"Yes it is, it has fanny written all over it" | |
BustedKnuckle
Here's a wikipedia list of all GM plants. I have no idea how accurate it is
http://en.wikipedi...st_of_GM_factories
Even A Genius Has Questions!?!
I do things because I choose to, not because I have to. My Life, My Rules - No Exceptions! |
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