And everything was made right here in the United States. Amazing.

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

I toured Pontiac Motor Division in 1968. I was 11, and I remember a few things about that place. Noisy and dirty. I got to see Iconic cars being built. LeMans, GTO's Bonnevilles, it was wild and a nice tour. I never forget it.

@telcobilly

20 күн бұрын

I'm jealous! The '68 GTO is my all time favorite car. My dad had a new '68 LeMans that he bought new in OK, $3000 when he separated from the USAF after 14 years. I'm close to your age as I turned 10 in '68.

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Very cool!

These cars were virtually hand made. No computers. What craftsmanship. All those people involved. Amazing.

@yettimannettii2039

20 күн бұрын

and you wonder why robots are taking over the industry today.

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks!

I like the guard at the end checking for stolen parts! One piece at a time - Johnny Cash

@dstragand

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

I'm amazed at the amount of hand labor involved. Can't believe they were actually using gas torches and brazing parts of body together. How ancient!

@yettimannettii2039

20 күн бұрын

Exactly you dont see that anymore.

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Truly a team effort. Glad you enjoyed it.

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Artisans at work

From a time when the men were Men and the women were happy to have them!

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

A 1959 Plymouth Savoy was my first car. My big brother and a friend were at a Kansas City Athletics baseball game in 1966. It was automotive night and his friend won the second place car which ended up being my first car

It is the Chrysler Los Angeles (Maywood) Assembly that closed in 1971. There was an actual Ford Maywood Assembly that was in operation for a decade.

Back in the day before robotics. When people worked a hard honest living.🏆🇺🇸

@dstragand

Ай бұрын

It's still a hard job today, just not as dangerous. Thanks for watching, @1957kwick!

@1957kwick

25 күн бұрын

@@dstragand not for what they’re being paid.

@yettimannettii2039

20 күн бұрын

@@dstragand People today in the automotive industry barely have to lift a finger. In this video it showed them lifting doors, probably all day long. Assemblers today have it so easy.

Thanks for posting. Nice to see the way they use to do it along with all the workers back in the day.

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@unclemarksdiyauto

19 күн бұрын

@@dstragand We had many Dodge / Plymouth produces throughout the 1960s till now. Still always seem to have a Dodge kicking around. Never had any 1950s or older though. Last Dodge car I had was a 2010 Charger in Tor red.

Welding the bodies was to me the most interesting, Chrysler cars built for1960 and later were uni bodies ,you can say cars back then were hand built.Also what was interesting is the outside supplied parts from many different companies, all USA of course.LOL.great video 👍Thanks for posting.

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it - thanks!

Thanks for this one! Really cool to see the assembly process and all of the subcontractors involved... Cheers from a happy 1959 Plymouth Fury driver!

@dstragand

24 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@yettimannettii2039

20 күн бұрын

OOH !! A Fury. Red? Christine. You still have it?

Absolutely amazing. I love this. Thank you. Fletch - Classic Restos TV Australia 👍

All put together and off to the lots for sale. Thank you for this share.

Great film! My '58 Belvedere was assembled at Maywood so this is really great to see. I have a copy of the original build document from Chrysler Historic. It's amazing how they assembled the cars from a kit of parts..very cool!

I always loved that red plad interior in the 59 Fury. I saw a Studebaker Truck delivering parts.

@dstragand

21 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching, @plunkervillerr1529!

🤠 what a great find...pretty well preserved too...thank you for sharing...❤

@dstragand

12 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

That is very , very cool! You wonder how they kept track of everything in those days without all the computers we have now! Even heavy equipment is tagged and tracked now to know it's location. There is so much inventory there.

@dstragand

7 ай бұрын

Believe it or not, they did have some very basic computers controlling the builds & inventory.

@williamkelly8237

Ай бұрын

Believe it or not people actually knew how to use paperwork at one time and actually read and do math not like today. They relied completely on a computer. I remember when everything was done with paper and it was much better because you know what the computer generates and uses more paperthan we did back in the day when we only used paper

@bobtis

Ай бұрын

So many piles of parts. No bins look at how they install a windshield just a gasket and that windshield was big

TUTTO IL FASCINO DI UN PRESTIGIOSO MARCHIO AMERICANO.

This was somewhat different than a regular assembly plant. This plant used "knock down kits" to assemble the vehicles. Notice how most items are coming in railroad cars on the same train from Detroit. Essentially, in this type of plant everything is kitted together in one location and shipped to the kitted plant for assembly. Some parts may even be partially assembled before being shipped to reduce operations in the kitted plant. This differs from a regular assembly plant where materials are received in by suppliers and from other plants and coordinated. Since Los Angeles was an outpost kitted assembly was used for most customers in the west for the most popular models. This was because you could fit more cars on a train if they were in parts vs. shipping whole cars. This also relieved the strain on the plants in the Midwest. I believe that these types of plants were also smaller and less sophisticated than a regular assembly plant as well. That also meant that if an order was received outside of the type of popular models and options that were handled by this plant for a West Coast customer, that order would have been fulfilled in one of the regular plants and the finished car would be shipped to the dealer from across the country. As demand for American cars fell in the West Coast and manufacturing got more efficient, these kitted plants were phased out and all production was supplied by regular assembly plants in the system further away.

@dstragand

17 күн бұрын

Very cool info, thanks for sharing that.

Wow, when folks used to actually work

@dstragand

7 ай бұрын

A good day's work for a good day's pay.

Wow! This is a cool video! A very good look at the 1959 model year materials handling of the in bound parts. And a very good look at just how labor intensive the whole build process was. There were people everywhere like ants at a picnic. And seeing a base model Plymouth going together, with the flathead inline six, 3 speed manual transmission and single exhaust with the base minimal chrome trim package. And of course seeing the top line plymouths with V8 motors, automatic transmissions and dual exhausts right in front of the 6 cylinder car. And the fitting, welding, brazing, leading the bodies before they were hand wiped down before the primer coats were sorta sprayed on. And the finish painting was not that uniform either. No wonder these cars did the instant rust thing. Seeing this assembly line and then the 1960 valiant assembly line video shows just how big of a technology, manufacturing process change and technology leap the unit body 1960 Plymouth Valiant was. Chrysler was really upping their game for 1960. And the changes from then to now are almost unbelievable.

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@cuda426hemi

18 күн бұрын

The rust thing was fixed by '59. It was mostly a '57 problem that drainage holes, sealant and primer fixed by end of '58s. 👀

Somebody put me in a time machine and send me back.

@justinpennington7682

5 ай бұрын

Joe biden needs you here to suffer

My dad had a '59 Chevy Impala. A great car ❤

@dstragand

14 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching, @zurcherzurich213!

Excellent video! It is amazing how much work, so synchronized, went into the building of the Plymouth, and all American cars. From inception in 1928 up to and including the 1956 models, Plymouth had more innovations than GM or Ford combined! It was the Best Buy for price, reliability, durability, roadability, safety, practicality, and long-life. Beginning with the 1957 models, Virgil Exner's "Forward Look" designs, which were beautiful and caught the competition at GM and Ford off-guard, unfortunately superceded quality and reliability to the point that by 1959 Chrysler nearly went out of business! My family had such good luck with the 1949 Plymouth for 9 years, that in 1958 my parents upgraded to a factory ordered, mid-priced Dodge --- A REAL LEMON, having nothing but trouble with it. The first year of ownership, it was at the dealership service department every Monday morning for one thing or another! The dealer, Franklin Field Motors had no idea what was wrong with the new 1957 and 1958 models. Since I was a child, I do not know if the factory issued service bulletins back then, as they do today? The dealership went out of business in 1959! At 26,000 miles all the bearings in the engine of our car failed. That soured us on Chrysler products for the next three generations! We bought GM or Ford cars after that. Some have argued that the Plymouth was not a very exciting design prior to 1957. I vehemently disagree! Chrysler Corp. was responsible for more innovations over the years, than GM and Ford combined! From inception in 1924 Chrysler cars came standard with an oil pump and filter, not available on a Chevrolet until 1955!, Ford until 1949! In 1924, it had a temperature gauge on the dashboard and hydraulic 4 wheel brakes, also not available on most GM and all Fords until 1939! Whatever was standard on the most expensive Chrysler for safety and durability was also standard on the base, entry level Plymouths, Dodges, and DeSotos since inception of those models under Walter P. Chrysler in the 1920s. My parents' first brand new car was a top-of-the-line 1949 Plymouth Special Deluxe P18 Second Series 4 door sedan. They purchased it a few months before I was born in the Spring of 1949 for $1,629.00 excluding several options. It was the first year and first model of a low to mid- priced car built with the current style ignition key system, eliminating the starter button, still used on Chevrolets and Fords. That was the first and only year until 1973 that any car (including Cadillac, Lincoln, AND Packard) had a standard inside hood release. I would like to have that particular 1949 Plymouth today!

@dstragand

17 күн бұрын

Cool story! Thanks for watching, @dr.kennethj.sacchetti2765!

@mdogg1111

11 күн бұрын

The '49 Plymouth was a beautiful car with those ribbed bumpers, handsome grille, little fins housing the taillights, and wood grained dash. Very luxurious for a low-priced car.

My mom & dad owned a 1959 Plymouth Savoy .. dad bought it new off the lot for 2,700.00 !!

@user-wy1dl2me2p

23 күн бұрын

That was too much

@donaldperrotta8514

23 күн бұрын

@@user-wy1dl2me2p it was on the lot with : 318 V-8 , automatic push button 3speed transmission , AM push button radio , heater , defroster , 2 speed windshield wiper, backup lights. A lot of options for an entry level series.

@ericbivins8014

19 күн бұрын

Almost $29,000 in todays money.

@donaldperrotta8514

19 күн бұрын

@@ericbivins8014 and by 1959 both my mom and dad had it with manual shift !!!!! When he and mom went looking for a new car mom insisted on automatic transmission !!! Lol

I really loved watching this thanks

@dstragand

3 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!

Not a whole lot has changed. Amazing to see the dock operations, go to a modern assembly plant and you will see basically the same operation.

@dstragand

21 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching, @normanfillmore3490!

313 or 318 poly motor those 318 poly motors were pure quality 👍🏻💯🇦🇺⛽️.

I remember as a kid how commonplace Chrysler forward looks were. Plymouth being the most of

@dstragand

Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Here's a tech tip, skip to the 8 minute mark if you want to see something more than an inventory control specialist stacking boxes of parts.

@dstragand

14 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Awesome looking cars, one of my favourite 50's cars. One of Christine's younger sisters at 14:27. Pity about the rushed development and rust problems in the earlier cars :(

@dstragand

Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

I think that Our '57 Plaza 4dr sedan came off of that assembly line!

@dstragand

7 ай бұрын

Cool! Thanks for watching

So much hand labour and goods handling. So many small pieces being put together by hand. Cursory paint job and zero corrosion protection, no wonder they only lasted a few years. Ancient history now.

@dstragand

17 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching, @nicholasmurphy8634!

I really like this film very much. So much information of the time I loved the 1959 Plymouth. I was 9 yo and my friend Greg's family bought a new 1959 Fury in a metallic brown. It was beautiful I'll never forget that car in the summer sun. How much u think $4K?

@dstragand

Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

What a difference between this and Ford's River Rouge plant where iron ore came in one end and finished cars went out the other. Ford's philosophy was "Eliminate the middle man."

@dstragand

17 күн бұрын

Very different philosophies -- "do it all" versus "do what you do best". Still the same question today with vertical integration.

This is really amazing to watch how they put these cars together. Also, that car manufacturing was once very strong in Los Angeles. It helps explain the decline of Los Angeles with a large exodus of manufacturing jobs from Los Angeles county.

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the video

Each car probably gets hand tuned when it's finished. The good days.

@dstragand

21 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching, @herbienbrian2!

Great history , great cars 59 plymouth!

@dstragand

21 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

The people in todays assembly plants should be ashamed compared to the people in the old days

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Very interesting to see the individual components being delivered into the plant. Compared to the assembly line that part seemed very labor-intensive and kind of leisurely.

@dstragand

27 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@glennso47

17 күн бұрын

Many farm tractors are built from knockdown kits brought in from overseas and assembled here. AGCO does that for most of their tractors.

My DAd bought Mom a Plymouth Savoy it was Red and White

@dstragand

17 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Beautiful cars! Almost hand assembled back then. Not a safety glasses nor hard hat in sight! And the paint booth....no respirators.

@dstragand

12 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching, @RivetGardener!

Interesting film. I was imagining the amount of damage to components as they were unloaded from railcars and restacked into pallet/dollies. Being in LA explains the amount of uncovered outdoor loading/unloading and the Southern Pacific cars.

@dstragand

21 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@legalisquestae

21 күн бұрын

Same here! It is easy to underestimate the value of newer palletized and containerized transport in controlling waste and damage. Also think how much money is tied up in that inventory; Lean manufacturing certainly has benefits!

I had one, it was a Kick Start unit. You had to get out and boot it behind the Front Tire Wheel Well. It amazed passengers, but it managed to ground the Starter Solinoid.

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

WHEN FRAMES WERE FRAMES, AND NOT THIN TIN UNIBODY GARBAGE OF TODAY!!

@swordfish1986

19 күн бұрын

Strange how these "thin tin unibody" cars always destroy the body on frame classics in real life accidents. Easy to find with google.

They had presence and style. Remembered with affection in N. Z.

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Funny thing the last guy had to slam the trunk lid , for many years Chrysler cars trunk lids had to be slammed or they wouldnt lock .

@dstragand

21 күн бұрын

Yup. The thick trunk seal requires a pretty hard slam.

That was a very awesome video. Any for the 57?

@dstragand

Ай бұрын

Working on it!

@I.Live4oldcars.prospecting

Ай бұрын

@@dstragand awesome 👍

I toured the former Chevrolet plant in Janesville Wisconsin in 1972. The first thing they did was take my camera away and wouldn’t give it back until my tour was over. Sucked. A lot of the workers looked like they were strung out or drunk.

@dstragand

17 күн бұрын

Well, the 1970's, man, you know... wild place. 😀 Thanks for watching!

I'm guessing my late father's 1958 Plymouth Suburban was assembled the same way. 🤔 Playlist on my channel.

all american made,none of that over seas garbage nowadays

@dstragand

Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Gracias, que gran video, reviviendo el pasado. Hoy día se ven menos que Ford y GM porque se fabricaron y se vendieron menos. Menos concesionarios en su momento y también con el correr de los años, menos piezas mecánicas y de carroceria en oferta para reposición o restauración. Me alegro que pude verlos, aún con años de uso, en circulación. Slu2 desde Rivera, Uruguay 🇺🇾

@dstragand

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching, @RafaelRodri66!

I wonder are any of those Plymouths still around today? Im guessing the majority were rusted out by the late 60s and ended up being crushed. In 2024 some might be rusting into the ground where they were parked up decades ago.

@dstragand

14 күн бұрын

There are still a good number of them around, but remember that 50k miles on any 1959 car was consider high mileage back then. They were made to be somewhat disposable.

My father bought a new 1959 Plymouth Savoy. The damn thing burnt oil.

@dstragand

14 күн бұрын

Not unusual for then, the tolerances weren't like today. At least a quart in a 1,000 miles was common.

Mom-and-pop carmaking

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

At the beginning of the video when they’re unloading frames, I kept thinking, “Well, that’s the last year they’ll be doing that.”

@dstragand

6 ай бұрын

Unibody has advantages at times. 😀

@creativeloafer9792

21 күн бұрын

Same! They’d be unloading sub-frames in a few months.

I think I spotted my dad's '59 Belvedere!

@dstragand

25 күн бұрын

Always fun to see a car your family once owned.

Missing the 'Bad to the Bone' music

@dstragand

17 күн бұрын

Never thought of that, but yeah, that would have been a great choice, 😀

That wasn't Christine coming off at 14:22 was it?

@dstragand

21 күн бұрын

Christine was a 1958 -- these are 1959's -- but they are very similar in appearance! Thanks for watching

When Cars were real and not woke or lap top 💩.

Watch your fingers if there´s a red Fury on the line :D

@dstragand

5 сағат бұрын

🤘🤣

Great video except for the doofus music, which I simply muted 😎

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Yup. Royalty-free music can be a bit rough. Thanks for watching!

THE REAL AMERICA LOVE IT😊😊😊

@dstragand

14 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching, @ferenckovacs6728!

At the end the security slamming that trunk😂 it was probably necessary right?

@dstragand

14 күн бұрын

Actually, yes. They used a pretty thick trunk seal, so even on a restored car today it does take some effort.

The Plymouth fury from 1957 to 1961 Were simply stunning cars If I only had the money I would have the full range (00==v==00) 😄👍

@dstragand

2 ай бұрын

Agreed! Thanks for watching!

Back when Americans cared about where their cars were made.Not a Toyota in sight,and it’s beautiful.

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

I am no efficiency expert, but I have some idea of how the flow should be. I recently read a book, "The Arsenal of Democracy" which was mainly how Ford Motor Company built WWII Liberator bombers- Edsel Ford and his team starting with a farm field, was quickly setting up a system that was putting out a fully operational bomber every 55 minutes! From this film, I am watching so much wasted time.

My grandparents lived in Maywood. Their cute neighborhood looks like a third world country now

@dstragand

14 күн бұрын

Sorry to hear that. Thanks for watching!

back than WE were the leaders in "industry"..!...& "quality"...!..!..how did it all change in 60+ years...!..!..wish i could say 4 the better..!..but id be lie'n..!..damn shame...!

@dstragand

14 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

These cars actually had horrific build quality. Windshields would leak cause rust problems after only a few months. That’s why you see so few of these cars. Monday and Friday cars had problems. UAW contract talks affected quality.

@dstragand

6 ай бұрын

Quality was not a high point for any manufacturer then. It was not unusual to see any manufacturer's 1950's cars scrapped at around 60k miles.

@T-41

3 ай бұрын

1957 models indeed had a whole bunch of problems resulting from being the first year for this body and chassis which would have benefitted from another year of refinement before production. The 1958 model year was quite a bit better. 1959 was the last year , and most problems had been solved. The primary exception was severe body rust damage , the worst in climates where roads were salted in the winter.

Mayfair

@dstragand

3 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Can you imagine them unloading vehicle frames 1 at a time today out of a rail car!!! The Supervisor would be going ballistic!😮😊

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Chrysler used a primitive teletype card based production system by the 50’s

@dstragand

7 ай бұрын

Chrysler Historical can get you copies of those cards for many of the years with all the original build information.

CHRISTINE

@dstragand

5 ай бұрын

Christine was a 1958, but very similar.

It’s a shame those cars were rust. Buckets because Chrysler was too cheap to use galvanized steel.

@dstragand

17 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching

Good UNION jobs gone 😮

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@steveatlas3492

3 күн бұрын

Union's are the problem unfortunately.

I never buy new cars they are expensive crap. I buy old classics that appreciate every year. In my stable now are a 1971 Cuda, 1969 Super Bee, 1970 Power wagon, 1969 Dart, 1969 AMX, 1968 Javelin, and the 1959 Plymouth Fury with the Golden Commando engine. I bough the 1971 Cuda for 3000 dollars from the original owner. My wife drives a 1969 Charger RT.

@dstragand

Ай бұрын

That's a great collection! Thanks for watching!

Where the heck is Maywood? 😮

@dstragand

3 ай бұрын

Los Angeles, CA. It operated from 1932 until 1971, at 5800 Eastern Avenue and Slauson Boulevard.

@louislepage5111

3 ай бұрын

@@dstragand Thanks for the info 😀

@glennso47

17 күн бұрын

Right next to Maywood-not. 😂

These guy had to a lot of hands on, back breaking worik back then.

@dstragand

Ай бұрын

They sure did. Thanks for watching, @bobtis!

Those frames were made in America with American hands and American Steel, not China or Mexico, or do they even make cars with frames anymore or is it pressed tin foil

@jimmyday9536

20 күн бұрын

Very cars are 100% "American Made" anymore, because no one wants to pay $425,000 for an F150.

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

Most are unibody except on heavier trucks. Thanks for watching!

Actually Plymouth is a town in England, and has been for hundreds of years...if you don't believe me do a search.

Back when life was good. No left wing craziness.

@dstragand

14 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching, @dougharding5231!

Very good video tho the music was sooooo annoying no need for it.

@dstragand

4 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching

Flathead 6

@dstragand

2 ай бұрын

"Flatheads forever!" 😀👍

Car's made in America by company's all across America from Connecticut to California!!!😂😂😂😂😂

@dstragand

14 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching, @billfeld5883!

Sadly were rust buckets in 6 months...

@dstragand

24 күн бұрын

Rustproofing measures are a lot better today. Thanks for watching!

Wait, nothing made in China? Everything made here? Yep.

@dstragand

17 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

“Christine’s” birth place……….😈

@dstragand

5 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

The music sux

@dstragand

19 күн бұрын

That’s why we have mute buttons . 😀 Thanks for watching?

That incessant music!😖

@dstragand

21 күн бұрын

Yeah, but had to do something. Trust me, it's better than watching 15 minutes of silence though.

@rob5944

21 күн бұрын

@@dstragand I was thinking a narration of the various processes going on, perhaps with some information on the model of car, life in the the factory etc? 🙂

This was quite uninspiring.

@dstragand

14 күн бұрын

Ok. I hope you can find inspiration somewhere...

Good engine but rusty junks.

@dstragand

Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching.

1000's of suppliers. Chrysler made nothing. Just an assembly plant. Pretty ugly car. That 3-speed was the first thing to go.

@dstragand

26 күн бұрын

Sounds like you might enjoy my Early Ford V8 Museum video more. It will be out next Sunday. Thanks for watching.

@daveframe3671

20 күн бұрын

The LA Assembly plant wasn’t in Maywood it was at 5800 Eastern Ave. & Slauson Ave. in the City of Commerce,Ca. Maywood was west of there. I used to work at that plant putting in the engines 0:00 from the 225 cu. in. 6’s to the383’s