On The Line, Back In The DayFrom an issue of High Performance Pontiac
By Thomas A. DeMauro
Photography by GM Media Archive
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According to Gary Gaff, this '69 Grand Prix is on the reverse trim and fit line at the Pontiac plant. The "132" on the windshield is the line number.
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"A picture's worth a thousand words."
Sure you've heard it a million times, but that's because it's true. We'll prove it with 12 examples in this pictorial of Pontiac assembly line photos from 1964 through 1973. We'll let the photos do the talking while the brief captions simply point out some interesting aspects.
For some insight as to where in the process these Pontiacs are on the line and what is being done to them, HPP contacted Gary Gaff who began working on the Pontiac production line in 1972. He says, "Working on the line was a great learning experience. Later I discovered that more money was to be made in a skilled trade, so I went into the apprentice program. Since then I have worked in Engineering, Public Relations as a technician for fleet cars, and GM Powertrain at the global headquarters. Currently, I'm a system administrator in the Quality Network Preventative Maintenance Program."
With the Division officially retired after 2010, we are concentrating on the good memories and leaving the finger-pointing to the pundits on TV. So sit back, grab a cold one, and enjoy a little trip down memory lane.
Special thanks to:Jeff Denison, Patrick Fitzgerald,Gary Gaff, Jim Mattison, and Dimitrie Toth
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This '64 GTO is also on the trim and fit line.
A pair of '66 GTOs are on the final inspection line in plant 16. Note the owner's manual on the dash. The "55" on the windshield is the line number.
At the body drop, where the body meets the chassis, a '66 GTO is born. Check out the "Pontiac" letters on the tail panel. Some letters are crooked and the "C" is upside down. A buildsheet is on the rear quarter window for the body inspector.
This '67 Bonneville is waiting patiently on the inspection line at what Gary says appears to be plant 16. This plant had repair people from Fisher Body and Pontiac to handle any fixes
This '69 Bonneville gets the once over from an inspector on a reverse line (aka "I-96" and "I-75" because of how fast they ran). A buildsheet, shown here on the dash, would receive punches from the inspectors to identify their completed tasks.
The front fascia is installed on this '68 GTO from above and underneath. Gary says,"If you were unfortunate enough to be the right height you would get a pit job. This part of the line was toward the back of the plant before it crossed over to the reverse trim and fit line and then went onto the rolls (dyno) to test the engine, acceleration and so on. Then the Pontiac would go to alignment, and finally, inspection."
A Lucerne Blue and a Polar White '701/2 Trans Am are in the inspection area. One is awaiting its Shaker installation, and the other has lots of inspection marks on the passenger-side rear tire for some reason.
According to historian Jim Mattison, this is the Van Nuys plant where '69 Firebirds were built on the same line as the big Chevys, as you can see.
On the rail dock in plant 16, workers are securing these '70 Grand Prixs to railcars for shipment.
Yes, the 16,000,000 Pontiac was a big, blue '73 four-door. Iron horses (the orange apparatus) were used to carry cars from one plant to another, as this photo illustrates.
This '72 Grand Prix is earning its inspector's approval.
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