Author Topic: Build time  (Read 9311 times)

Ed Ernst

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Build time
« on: March 30, 2008, 12:56:17 AM »
I'm sure this info is here somewhere but - How long did it take (start to drive away) for a 1st gen Camaro to be built once it entered the assembly line? 
1967 SS/RS convertible - LA 12A built

68Zproject

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Re: Build time
« Reply #1 on: March 30, 2008, 01:03:34 AM »
68Z28

Ed Ernst

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Re: Build time
« Reply #2 on: March 30, 2008, 01:44:07 AM »
"Norwood ran two shifts, and produced 57 cars per hour, or 912 per day.  It took about two days (four shifts) for a body to go through the Fisher Body system, and another day and a half (three shifts) to go through the Chevrolet system."

Thanks - So, 3 shifts or 24 hours (assuming an 8 hour shift) to fully assemble and drive one Camaro away and 56 total hours of labor, including four 8 hour shifts at Fisher for the body build, for one Camaro.  :)
1967 SS/RS convertible - LA 12A built

68Zproject

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Re: Build time
« Reply #3 on: March 30, 2008, 02:58:56 AM »
I didn't want to do the math.
68Z28

firstgenaddict

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Re: Build time
« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2008, 12:50:32 PM »
56 hours total time to produce... probably alot more than 56 hours of labor...
James
Collectin' Camaro's since "Only Rednecks drove them"
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JohnZ

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Re: Build time
« Reply #5 on: March 30, 2008, 02:37:05 PM »
3500 people (2-shift manpower) x 8 hours = 28,000 man-hours per day

28,000 man-hours divided by 912 units per day = 30.7 man-hours per car.

It took 6-7 shifts (about 3 days) for a Camaro to go from the first underbody welder in the Body Shop to the Shipping Gate.
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firstgenaddict

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Re: Build time
« Reply #6 on: March 30, 2008, 04:08:15 PM »
199.55 man hours... @ 6.5 shifts...
James
Collectin' Camaro's since "Only Rednecks drove them"
Current caretaker of 1971 LT1's - 11130 and 21783 Check out the Black 69 RS/Z28 45k mile Survivor and the Lemans Blue 69 Z 10D frame off...
https://plus.google.com/photos/112392262205377424364/albums?banner=pwa

Jonesy

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Re: Build time
« Reply #7 on: March 30, 2008, 05:17:43 PM »
Wow, that's still pretty amazing. I wish my restoration took that long and 30.7 hours to do. Guess I dont have the right tools and setup like the factory did :)
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1969 RS/SS 350 4 speed Azure Turquoise
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firstgenaddict

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Re: Build time
« Reply #8 on: March 30, 2008, 05:20:13 PM »
Wow, that's still pretty amazing. I wish my restoration took that long and 30.7 hours to do. Guess I dont have the right tools and setup like the factory did :)

We would be turing'em out by the dozens wouldn't we Jonesy? Working with all new parts would have alot to do with it...
James
Collectin' Camaro's since "Only Rednecks drove them"
Current caretaker of 1971 LT1's - 11130 and 21783 Check out the Black 69 RS/Z28 45k mile Survivor and the Lemans Blue 69 Z 10D frame off...
https://plus.google.com/photos/112392262205377424364/albums?banner=pwa

JohnZ

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Re: Build time
« Reply #9 on: March 31, 2008, 06:55:30 PM »
199.55 man hours... @ 6.5 shifts...

Nope. In 6.5 shifts, 2964 units came off the line, which took 91,000 man-hours of labor; 91,000 divided by 2964 = 30.7 man-hours per car. 
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firstgenaddict

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Re: Build time
« Reply #10 on: March 31, 2008, 07:46:02 PM »
Wow 30.7 hours is insane to build a car...
James
Collectin' Camaro's since "Only Rednecks drove them"
Current caretaker of 1971 LT1's - 11130 and 21783 Check out the Black 69 RS/Z28 45k mile Survivor and the Lemans Blue 69 Z 10D frame off...
https://plus.google.com/photos/112392262205377424364/albums?banner=pwa

KurtS

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Re: Build time
« Reply #11 on: April 01, 2008, 04:28:25 AM »
John,
What's the approximate time for a present day car?
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JohnZ

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Re: Build time
« Reply #12 on: April 01, 2008, 02:35:15 PM »
John,
What's the approximate time for a present day car?

Around 18 hours per car is considered competitive, just for assembly. Enormous strides have been made since then in automation in the Body and Paint shops; where a 60's Body Shop had 500-700 people per shift (most on spotweld guns), all welding and material handling is now robotic, and a typical Body Shop only has about 140 people, and only about half of those are production folks - the rest are skilled tradesmen tending to the robots. Paint Shops are about the same manpower comparison and level of automation - about the only manual operations today are sealing, and all spraying is automated; basecoats are waterborne, and clearcoat is 2-component catalyzed (and contains carcinogens) - no people in spray booths any more.

After the Paint Shop, Trim, Chassis, and Final Assembly operations are still mostly manual; selected operations (like windshield and backlite setting) are robotic, and many components are now received as ready-to-install "modules", with labor-intensive subassembly done by outside suppliers (seats, wheels/tires, instrument panels, bumper fascias, consoles, front and rear suspension assemblies, etc.).
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KurtS

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Re: Build time
« Reply #13 on: April 01, 2008, 03:32:35 PM »
Thanks, those are numbers that I never dealt with.

Yeah, I know it's hard to do an apples to apples comparison. The vehicle systems are more complex, but much of the subassembly work is outsourced.
Kurt S
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