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#81
General Discussion / Re: Van Nuys Suppliers & Timel...
Last post by KurtS - December 18, 2025, 05:09:02 PM...and that's why we keep Bill around. 
#82
1967 - Orphans / Re: 7L131384 VI22IMT 350 Motor...
Last post by KurtS - December 18, 2025, 05:05:05 PMFor the post to have value in the future, it's best to post the fb user's name so it is traceable if the car shows up some day....
#83
General Discussion / Re: Van Nuys Suppliers & Timel...
Last post by william - December 18, 2025, 11:38:15 AMHaving spent a chunk of my working life in supply chain, here's my 2ยข.
Planning starts very early, at the top. Marketing determines how many Camaros the plant will build for the MY. From that a Master Schedule is developed: Coupes, convertibles, base drivetrains. Some common options like A/C, power steering, are also easy to predict. From this, tooling capacity for parts common to all models are determined. Tooling capacity is mostly fixed; there's always overtime. That gets expensive and if not carefully planned can run the line dry later in the week. So there has to be inventory (safety stock) to cover; both at the source and in-plant. Inventory is a double-edged sword. Great when you need it, a waste of resources when you don't. Plant Managers were graded on obsolete inventory at the end of a model run.
For parts used on all builds, suppliers get the Master Scheule a few weeks out and produces accordingly: 3,000 frames this week, 4,000 next week. Drive train plants do the same; every week they ship base and probably a few common options in the quantities Marketing predicted. Since all this stuff takes up valuable space, Production Scheduling has to ensure they consume it. Dealers were encouraged and reminded to order their inventory accordingly.
Some suppliers of common parts are required to be within a certain distance from the plant. I recall John Z mentioning that fuel tanks for Van Nuys were produced there, as were jacks certainly other components. Drive train components were not, VN had to maintain a larger inventory to cover. For 02A VN Z/28s the engine date to final assembly gap is 10-18 days; at Norwood it's about a week. One or two days is not unusual.
Optional equipment was definitely a problem. Hard to predict and once locked into tooling capacity, nearly impossible to change. November 1968 Chevy stopped taking Z/28 orders as 302 engine production through the end of 1968 was spoken for. If an option was well under it's take rate, dealers were strongly encouraged to order it. When John De Lorean took over as Chevrolet GM, one of his first edicts was to discontinue any option with a take rate of less than 5%.
You should try to find his book, "On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors." Much of Chevrolet's trouble was due in large part to excessive low volume options and poor production planning. One example mentioned in his book is 2,720 possible combinations for the 1969 Camaro dash cluster. I have been able to get to that number but believe it has an error. Actual number is probably 1,880. By 1972, there were only 96.
Planning starts very early, at the top. Marketing determines how many Camaros the plant will build for the MY. From that a Master Schedule is developed: Coupes, convertibles, base drivetrains. Some common options like A/C, power steering, are also easy to predict. From this, tooling capacity for parts common to all models are determined. Tooling capacity is mostly fixed; there's always overtime. That gets expensive and if not carefully planned can run the line dry later in the week. So there has to be inventory (safety stock) to cover; both at the source and in-plant. Inventory is a double-edged sword. Great when you need it, a waste of resources when you don't. Plant Managers were graded on obsolete inventory at the end of a model run.
For parts used on all builds, suppliers get the Master Scheule a few weeks out and produces accordingly: 3,000 frames this week, 4,000 next week. Drive train plants do the same; every week they ship base and probably a few common options in the quantities Marketing predicted. Since all this stuff takes up valuable space, Production Scheduling has to ensure they consume it. Dealers were encouraged and reminded to order their inventory accordingly.
Some suppliers of common parts are required to be within a certain distance from the plant. I recall John Z mentioning that fuel tanks for Van Nuys were produced there, as were jacks certainly other components. Drive train components were not, VN had to maintain a larger inventory to cover. For 02A VN Z/28s the engine date to final assembly gap is 10-18 days; at Norwood it's about a week. One or two days is not unusual.
Optional equipment was definitely a problem. Hard to predict and once locked into tooling capacity, nearly impossible to change. November 1968 Chevy stopped taking Z/28 orders as 302 engine production through the end of 1968 was spoken for. If an option was well under it's take rate, dealers were strongly encouraged to order it. When John De Lorean took over as Chevrolet GM, one of his first edicts was to discontinue any option with a take rate of less than 5%.
You should try to find his book, "On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors." Much of Chevrolet's trouble was due in large part to excessive low volume options and poor production planning. One example mentioned in his book is 2,720 possible combinations for the 1969 Camaro dash cluster. I have been able to get to that number but believe it has an error. Actual number is probably 1,880. By 1972, there were only 96.
#84
General Discussion / Re: Van Nuys Suppliers & Timel...
Last post by Mike S - December 18, 2025, 09:39:24 AM Putting smaller commonly used items aside (ex: hardware, paint, wiring, etc...) how were the larger components like engines, transmissions and differentials stocked? Was there on-sight inventory or did GM adopt a just-in-time inventory delivery by then.
Mike
Mike
#85
1967 - Orphans / Re: 7L131384 VI22IMT 350 Motor...
Last post by MO - December 18, 2025, 01:40:35 AMThe car was likely O1A, built Jan 3rd, 1967.
#86
General Discussion / Re: Van Nuys Suppliers & Timel...
Last post by MO - December 18, 2025, 01:30:45 AMWhat a pressure packed position!
#87
1967 - Orphans / 7L131384 VI22IMT 350 Motor F...
Last post by boomer632 - December 17, 2025, 01:04:27 PM1967 350 engine posted on FB MP in OH
#88
General Discussion / Re: Van Nuys Suppliers & Timel...
Last post by KurtS - December 17, 2025, 12:55:43 PMThe scheduler made sure that the parts were on-site to build the cars. If they were going to be short YH rally wheels, he would contact the supplier and/or shipper and have them expedited. If they were actually short the parts, then he would move the Z28's to later in the schedule when the wheels would be available. This applied to all parts - blue seatbacks, vigilite cables, brake pads, 3.31 posi axles, you name it, the scheduler monitored the inventory levels.
He also knew if a corporate order was hot or not and the volume required and scheduled accordingly.
He also knew if a corporate order was hot or not and the volume required and scheduled accordingly.
#89
General Discussion / Re: Front seat latch
Last post by KurtS - December 17, 2025, 12:41:31 PMIt was never optional.
#90
General Discussion / Re: Muncie m20 id tag?
Last post by WaltZ - December 17, 2025, 10:31:08 AMMerry Christmas Byron and to all those who work to make this site the information portal that it is.