The Golden Era Unveiled: Fisher Body and the 1970s General Motors Auto Assembly Line

Автокөліктер мен көлік құралдары

"The Bodybuilders" is a documentary-style film produced by General Motors (GM) in 1970. It is part of a series of industrial films created by GM to showcase their manufacturing processes, and highlight the advancements in automobile production. Specifically, "The Bodybuilders" focuses on the manufacturing techniques and processes used in the Fisher Body division of General Motors. Fisher Body was responsible for the construction of automobile bodies, and played a crucial role in the assembly line production of GM vehicles.
"The Bodybuilders" film showcases the intricate processes involved in building automobile bodies, including the precision and skill required by the workers. This film provides insight into how interiors were designed, complete with “ergonomic” testing using gauges and machinery to measure people in order to ensure that it would be a comfortable ride for both drivers and passengers. The film highlights the line process, and the even more fascinating multitude of inspections. Take an inside look at the various stages of assembly including stamping, welding, sewing, painting, and final assembly of the auto bodies. One favorite scene of ours is a man inside the auto body on the line in a water tunnel, and he uses a flashlight to check for leaks. Through this documentary GM aimed to highlight the efficiency and sophistication of their manufacturing techniques, while also emphasizing the craftsmanship and dedication of the workers involved in creating these automobile bodies.
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  • @theoddshopltd
    @theoddshopltd3 ай бұрын

    As a mechanical engineer in his 40's I can't help but watch this and think how much we have regressed as a country. All components made in the US including the textiles, workers are all well dressed, etc.

  • @nick2128

    @nick2128

    3 ай бұрын

    That is a matter of opinion. Obviously depending on the field , I’m sure they have a dress code at modern day GM.

  • @Jay-jb2vr

    @Jay-jb2vr

    3 ай бұрын

    Uncle Sam is not #1 that's why

  • @mikepotter6426

    @mikepotter6426

    3 ай бұрын

    It’s part of the plan devised by the filthy politicians

  • @MyWillypilly

    @MyWillypilly

    3 ай бұрын

    This is about 1970. It's not far in time from the moon landing. America at it's Zenith.

  • @bmingo2828

    @bmingo2828

    3 ай бұрын

    It can all be attributed to one thing…Greed.

  • @rickintexas1584
    @rickintexas15843 ай бұрын

    This brought a 26 minute smile to my face. I graduated college in 86 with an engineering degree. I can only imagine the amount of work these men went through to bring us these wonderful cars.

  • @cheapgeek62

    @cheapgeek62

    3 ай бұрын

    I've had a 68 Chevy Impala, a 74 Monte Carlo, an 86 Corolla, a 94 Voyager, a 2002 Focus Wagon, an 08 Focus and a 15 Ford C-max hybrid. Each car was better than the last one. I don't get this misplaced nostalgia (which even sounds like a disease).

  • @lare9710

    @lare9710

    3 ай бұрын

    I agree worked for GM and studies at the tech center for a year ❤

  • @JamesK7911

    @JamesK7911

    2 ай бұрын

    @@cheapgeek62 Ikr 😅

  • @m42037

    @m42037

    2 ай бұрын

    ​@@cheapgeek62Then why are you here?? Your comment is subjective, just your opinion. Best car I ever had was a 1966 Thunderbird. Tahoe Turquoise and white, swing away steering wheel very beautiful car. SUVs are ugly and all look the same, and that's not subjective. A Ford Focus LMAO 😅

  • @chriswright2250
    @chriswright22503 ай бұрын

    I remember seeing that blue coach on the door sill as a kid.

  • @jamesmcdonnell5617

    @jamesmcdonnell5617

    3 ай бұрын

    Fisher Body - the 'Pride of Tarrytown, NY!'

  • @MisterMikeTexas
    @MisterMikeTexas3 ай бұрын

    GM was amazing at that time. Thanks to King Rose Archives for posting this film.

  • @stravis3269

    @stravis3269

    3 ай бұрын

    Fisher by general motors is classic I think he was a influence in body design

  • @user-mg3nc6iu8t

    @user-mg3nc6iu8t

    3 ай бұрын

    No car manufacturer was amazing at that time. It was the Malaise Era.

  • @stravis3269

    @stravis3269

    3 ай бұрын

    @@user-mg3nc6iu8t your wrong

  • @rodneyunderwood6236

    @rodneyunderwood6236

    3 ай бұрын

    Gm is crap now because they have a woman in charge..smh so sad

  • @T1horn

    @T1horn

    3 ай бұрын

    ​@@user-mg3nc6iu8tmalaise era starts from 73-74

  • @dalebowman3666
    @dalebowman36663 ай бұрын

    what a mammoth undertaking to build an automobile and we did it with flying colors every year back when the people of America were great.

  • @scooterp7009

    @scooterp7009

    3 ай бұрын

    We’ve come a long way.

  • @28704joe

    @28704joe

    3 ай бұрын

    We are still great.

  • @scooterp7009

    @scooterp7009

    3 ай бұрын

    @@28704joe We are a failed nation under God’s judgment.

  • @the_munkee_ranch

    @the_munkee_ranch

    3 ай бұрын

    That was a promo film made to look sharp and progressive. You would think we would have had airbags a lot sooner. How long did it take for seat belts to become standard in the US after Preston Tucker made it obvious to execs? We are great...er than most. Why do you think we have so many people coming here from other countries?

  • @michaelrenner3214

    @michaelrenner3214

    3 ай бұрын

    WE ARE STILL I SAY AGAIN STILL GREAT. YES THAT'S RIGHT. USA 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸

  • @smarthome2660
    @smarthome26603 ай бұрын

    Born & raised in Saginaw, Michigan. Sad when the music died in the 80's here. I built machines for Fisher as a machinist.

  • @JAKPM

    @JAKPM

    2 ай бұрын

    I was born in Saginaw as well, have since moved away, it’s sad to go back and see the carnage of globalization.

  • @rogerdodrill4733

    @rogerdodrill4733

    Ай бұрын

    They say modern computer technology & show what looks like a fax machine, 🤣 funny.

  • @rogerdodrill4733

    @rogerdodrill4733

    Ай бұрын

    ​@@JAKPMnice to see old cars up close when they were new & in perfect shape

  • @sasz2107
    @sasz21073 ай бұрын

    From back when America was great...

  • @stravis3269

    @stravis3269

    3 ай бұрын

    I agree gm had the best back then. Nowadays it's Bull shit

  • @jp7489

    @jp7489

    3 ай бұрын

    Yep 👍

  • @stravis3269

    @stravis3269

    3 ай бұрын

    Yes sir we are never going to see those times of great USA product. God bless the folks who preserve old classics

  • @Jay-jb2vr

    @Jay-jb2vr

    3 ай бұрын

    Yup good times they were. Never to return

  • @the_munkee_ranch

    @the_munkee_ranch

    3 ай бұрын

    It's comments like these that make the current generations swell with pride.

  • @jega157
    @jega1573 ай бұрын

    I worked at Fischer Body in willow springs Illinois from '84 til layoffs in about 87, when they closed it. I was a tool and die maker at that stamping plant. We shipped approximately 60 box cars of body panels per week to Detroit. Raw steel coils came in by train, finished panels for Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Cadillacs left on the same rails. It's now a huge UPS distribution center (at least it was last time I drove by on 294). I consider myself lucky to have worked on some of the dies that stamped out those panels. Quite an experience!

  • @user-ix1ly3hj1s

    @user-ix1ly3hj1s

    3 ай бұрын

    I live about 10 minutes from there. Back then we used to attend the ham radio "Field Days" on the grounds of that plant. It's still a UPS distribution center.

  • @jega157

    @jega157

    3 ай бұрын

    @@user-ix1ly3hj1s yes.... between emd locomotive and Fischer body, I had just enough years to get a small pension. Fascinating career.

  • @KingRoseArchives

    @KingRoseArchives

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you for sharing this story about the history. It's great to hear about your lived experience with it!

  • @sammyweed4771

    @sammyweed4771

    3 ай бұрын

    I worked at the Fleetwood plant in Detroit.B.O.C same yrs as you. Worked in the cushion room building seats. Got my 36 in and retired 2 yrs ago

  • @jakereal3604

    @jakereal3604

    2 ай бұрын

    @@sammyweed4771 Thats really cool! Did you ever do that very intricate button tufting that the D'Elegance Interiors and Eldorado Biarritz had? I always wondered WHO did this upholstery work and was it hand done or by machines of some sort? I'd love to know as its always intrigued me. Im a 1966 Model myself so I was of age when 70s 80s cars were new

  • @gregk.6723
    @gregk.67232 ай бұрын

    What a country we had.

  • @dinocracchiolo996
    @dinocracchiolo9963 ай бұрын

    It is amazing to me the quality of the parts, metal grills, chrome bumpers, idefcation badging,and trim, multipal color interior colors, quantity fabrics and door panels, unlike today with plastic used everywhere. Thoes dsys are long gone.

  • @formatique_arschloch

    @formatique_arschloch

    2 ай бұрын

    Cars were pieces of shit back then.

  • @JamesK7911

    @JamesK7911

    2 ай бұрын

    Yah and let’s just ignore the terrible amount of fuel mileage you’d get from all that. Perfect for a decade that saw 2 oil crisis 🤷‍♂️

  • @littlegp18

    @littlegp18

    2 ай бұрын

    ​@@JamesK7911Yep let's ignore the oil crisis. I worked for hess oil back then as a merchant marine. We weren't allowed to dock until they got the ok to push up the price from 60 cents to a dollar and then blame the middle east. Once they got the ok we were allowed to deliver the oil

  • @m42037

    @m42037

    2 ай бұрын

    ​@@JamesK7911You troll often to old school vids or just bored?

  • @rogerdodrill4733

    @rogerdodrill4733

    Ай бұрын

    Could return at any time. It all could be done again, just cost more now, higher wages etc.

  • @MarkWG
    @MarkWG2 ай бұрын

    This was a fascinating presentation. Parts of this video were shot at the Arlington, Texas GM assembly plant. My school took us there when these very Monte Carlos and Chevelle Malibu's were being assembled in the early 1970's. They also built the Oldsmobile Cutlass here, as well as mid-sized Pontiacs. It was a field trip I will never forget. Getting to watch those gorgeous Monte Carlos & Cutlasses join with their chassis and sometimes seeing a big block 454 or Rocket 455 being installed. Hard to believe that this was more than 50 years ago. Much more automation and massive technological advances have taken place since way back then. Seeing those ancient computers was a gas. Great memories of being 11 years old.

  • @stevem5685
    @stevem56853 ай бұрын

    5:21 First year for the 454 CID. Nearly 400 HP in a 70 Implala/Caprice grocery getter. Nice.

  • @stravis3269

    @stravis3269

    3 ай бұрын

    Love the Caprice and 1970 71 and I think 72 they had the wide body. Like olds

  • @MrJohnnyDistortion

    @MrJohnnyDistortion

    3 ай бұрын

    I didn't see anything 454 at that time stamp.

  • @foxtrot312

    @foxtrot312

    3 ай бұрын

    454= huge gas hog! 5 mpg

  • @MrJohnnyDistortion

    @MrJohnnyDistortion

    3 ай бұрын

    @@foxtrot312 WRONGO! 7-10 MPG. 😄

  • @jamesrecknor6752

    @jamesrecknor6752

    2 ай бұрын

    12 mpg in my 5600 pound 1975 Cadillac limo, 500 CI. @t312

  • @carlschroeder6811
    @carlschroeder68113 ай бұрын

    GM was the absolute king of the big 3 back 1965-1975, best designs, materials, interior, fit and finish, power trains, performance, suspensions, reliability, braking and ride, did I miss anything? Sill own and drive a stock, numbers matching 1972 SS Chevelle big block.

  • @dadgarage7966

    @dadgarage7966

    3 ай бұрын

    Breaking??

  • @carlschroeder6811

    @carlschroeder6811

    3 ай бұрын

    OOPS **braking** happens to the best of us.@@dadgarage7966

  • @carlschroeder6811

    @carlschroeder6811

    3 ай бұрын

    Talk about the wrong word to misspell, haha!@@dadgarage7966

  • @johnmaranuk1842

    @johnmaranuk1842

    3 ай бұрын

    Absolutely the best! I'm a GM guy. CHEVY runs deep in my blood

  • @carlschroeder6811

    @carlschroeder6811

    2 ай бұрын

    @@BullshitdetectorA1BullDe-xo3pr I was referring to factory stock personal/family daily driver cars, not race heritage.

  • @MRLUGNUTS
    @MRLUGNUTS3 ай бұрын

    I never get tired of watching this.😊

  • @stravis3269

    @stravis3269

    3 ай бұрын

    Classic

  • @BDiaz-np8fn
    @BDiaz-np8fn3 ай бұрын

    Wow!!I the quality, the computers, the workforce, the era. These same cars hold there value today as the day they were shipped out!

  • @m42037

    @m42037

    2 ай бұрын

    Worth a lot more

  • @christopherprince3250
    @christopherprince32503 ай бұрын

    Thanks for posting. My favorite aunt retired from Fisher Body. She passed away several years back, and I keep hoping I might see her in one of these videos.

  • @artmchugh5644
    @artmchugh56443 ай бұрын

    I worked in Flint Michigan fisher body on south Saginaw st building Buick Regals !!! In 1973 Now the south unit is not even standing 😮😮😮my dad worked at Turnsted division making hardware for GM models 😊😊😊😊

  • @h3e44

    @h3e44

    3 ай бұрын

    Do yo know What models were built at fisher body plant in Detroit by the Ford Paquette plant

  • @timdodd3897

    @timdodd3897

    2 ай бұрын

    You probably sent them to Buick city. My uncle was a tool and die maker for Buick.

  • @m42037

    @m42037

    2 ай бұрын

    It's all a cesspool over there now sad ! Nothing's left.

  • @artmchugh5644

    @artmchugh5644

    2 ай бұрын

    Yes !!! They had large trucks and the bodies , firewall back would head out to final assembly chassis and engine, then to lots for truck or rail delivery 😀😀😀🚘🚘🚘🚘🚘🚘🚘🚘🚘🚘🍺🍺🍺

  • @Badge1122
    @Badge11223 ай бұрын

    The 72 Monte Caro is still a GREAT car.

  • @balconi89
    @balconi893 ай бұрын

    When I worked at GM 20 years ago, some of those huge tables at 9:20 were still around. I used to roll out harness prints on them to review and mark up.

  • @zvsmith2008
    @zvsmith20082 ай бұрын

    My Dad always had Cadillacs growing up all my life every 4 years he would get himself a new one Eldarado, Seville, Or a Fleetwood , I would always see that Fisher name badge on the door frame of all his vehicles , So I grew up knowing Fisher meant something to Cadillac / GM cars ..👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾❤️❤️❤️💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾

  • @richardobryan8041
    @richardobryan80413 ай бұрын

    all the comments and here's the best part, Brand new, these cars were +- $4000.00 now a new pickup to work out of is north of $100,000.00 and we had to bail GM out a few years ago, I guess plastic and electronic non necessaties are rediculously expensive or did Greed come riding in and the car buying public is just getting boned. restore something or buy restored, to hell with new, no style plastic junk. America needs an overhaul, these videos are a testament to what our nation can do.Past time to bring it back home.

  • @m42037

    @m42037

    2 ай бұрын

    I completely agree!! Fkn SUVs are look the same big chicken eggs! It's extraordinary these people today pay 40k+ for these ugly things! People evidently don't buy vehicles off looks anymore. I want another old car turn key but they start around 25k, I'd like a mid 60s Thunderbird or a old 60s Ford or Chevy wagon

  • @mr.iforgot3062
    @mr.iforgot306222 күн бұрын

    I'm a mechanical engineer rocket scientist. I worked at the Fisher assembly plant in San Francisco from 1969 till 2 years ago. I designed every single GM product since then. Corvettes, Camaro, Chevelle, you name it and it's my creation. I had some good help and that's why I'm so successful. I retired and now I'm a philanthropist. A philanthropist is a person with lots of money and helps. others.😊

  • @rexracernj7696
    @rexracernj76963 ай бұрын

    Hard work. In terms of morale, quality etc., be sure to read "Rivethead," by former GM autoworker Ben Hamper.

  • @tonychavez2083
    @tonychavez20833 ай бұрын

    good stuff... this seems to be around 70-71' overall quality was still very high for most GM medium to high priced vehicles.. especially Buick and Cadillac.

  • @chuckprahl170

    @chuckprahl170

    3 ай бұрын

    That's a 1970 Monte Carlo

  • @stravis3269

    @stravis3269

    3 ай бұрын

    Yes sir those are considered boats. Big body even Pontiac product

  • @stravis3269

    @stravis3269

    3 ай бұрын

    @@chuckprahl170 I own a custom monte 84

  • @m42037

    @m42037

    2 ай бұрын

    ​@@stravis3269Compared to what? I've been by big SUVs almost as big as a small bus and I can't see anything! Dangerous big blind spot even sitting in parking lots pulling out! BOOM!!! Gas guzzlers too not what the sticker says! The other SUVs all look the same and are very bland. People today don't buy cars of looks evidently like in these days in the videos. After the late 80s the cars were most all same egg shaped plastic rubbish. The 90s most were all chicken eggs except for some foreign car's

  • @dynaflowdave9370
    @dynaflowdave93702 ай бұрын

    Narrated by the best in the business, Peter Thomas!

  • @MrJohnnyDistortion
    @MrJohnnyDistortion3 ай бұрын

    The people that developed and built the machines and computers for the engineers and designers to work with are the real hero's.

  • @Mtlmshr
    @Mtlmshr3 ай бұрын

    I worked at Metal Crafters that built concept cars for major manufacturers one of them was Mercedes and that’s when I learned how much detail actually goes into the design of any new car it’s truly amazing how detailed everything is! From how far the door opens to the reach a person has to do to reach the actual door to the position of the driver’s Seat! In many Mercedes cars the driver’s seat is actually pointed ever so slightly to the center of the car so your eyesight is focused to a point somewhere well in front of the car while it’s driving at speed!

  • @stravis3269

    @stravis3269

    3 ай бұрын

    Idk

  • @m42037

    @m42037

    2 ай бұрын

    Back in the day ya, Mercedes was beautiful before they turned them into eggs 🤮

  • @MB-xq3ol
    @MB-xq3ol2 ай бұрын

    When i was 20 in 1980 I traveled to all 49 states and all of Canada in a ford courier and cab height shell and went to Buick's plant in flint and fisher body it was fantastic with the roll test at the end wanted to see ford rough river plant but you had to have family connections. Never broke down and stayed at holiday inn parking lots and cooked my own food on the tail gate and went to koa to use shower and had a great time and went to every cat house in Nevada. Also went to Ford casting plant in Cleveland.

  • @lr7633
    @lr76333 ай бұрын

    I have a 71 cutlass supreme a 71 chevelle and a 72 camaro

  • @printissgraham4930

    @printissgraham4930

    3 ай бұрын

    😂😂😂😂😂🧢

  • @m42037

    @m42037

    2 ай бұрын

    ​@@printissgraham4930

  • @bigdaddydaddy3203
    @bigdaddydaddy32033 ай бұрын

    Omg this was gold too watch I wonder where those poor cars are now or what barn or junkyard they are sitting in 🥲

  • @devengudinas1649

    @devengudinas1649

    3 ай бұрын

    Crushed.

  • @rogerdodrill4733

    @rogerdodrill4733

    Ай бұрын

    They mostly crush em. Their just eyesores haven't u heard

  • @steves7896
    @steves78962 ай бұрын

    They sure had that back seat testing (11:35) accurately dialed in.

  • @ricksadler797
    @ricksadler7973 ай бұрын

    Those old monties were some of best demo derby/ bomber class races ever!!!!❤❤

  • @berniesoprano6980
    @berniesoprano69803 ай бұрын

    “Talented men”. Love that line. And I agree. Women have no business in the automotive industry. Especially running some of these companies.

  • @johnehlert4366

    @johnehlert4366

    2 ай бұрын

    Mary Barra.

  • @pjh1776
    @pjh17763 ай бұрын

    Absolutely awesome.

  • @KingRoseArchives

    @KingRoseArchives

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you! Cheers!

  • @jimbower9268
    @jimbower92683 ай бұрын

    I miss the days when you could tell one brand of car from another without having to read the name on it.

  • @rogerdodrill4733

    @rogerdodrill4733

    Ай бұрын

    Hard to even find name now, like their ashamed to even show it

  • @dwayneroth100

    @dwayneroth100

    3 күн бұрын

    @@rogerdodrill4733 And some of them should be

  • @socaljarhead7670
    @socaljarhead76703 ай бұрын

    You can get all nostalgic all you want but the truth of the matter is the 1970s is when the reputation of the American carmaker took a shit.

  • @gclarkbloomfield8848
    @gclarkbloomfield88483 ай бұрын

    …the major standouts: 1….the dominance of mid-century business wear; white shirts with black ties and slacks…a haven for plastic “pocket protectors”… 2. …with two notable exceptions, the domain of white males in the engineering and design studios… 3. …the nascent use of computer assisted design… …an illuminating look at the industry some 55 years ago..

  • @MitzvosGolem1

    @MitzvosGolem1

    3 ай бұрын

    So those are the white dudes who designed the Vega and Chevette,Citation pos 😂

  • @BlackPill-pu4vi

    @BlackPill-pu4vi

    3 ай бұрын

    Ah, the good ol' straight White Man. The engine of all real progress. When we ran the show, things worked out well and despite occasional errors (blown up and exaggerated by dual citizen media). Now that we've been deposed and replaced by Diversity Inclusion Equity and Woke, everything has gone to shttt. But, nobody is allowed to point that out in any meaningful detail. I celebrated when that deplorable dual citizen OceanGate CEO went down with his Diversity-inspired submarine project. He OPENLY dissed and punked the old straight White Men who warned him of the errors in his design. Said that he didn't want to hire White guys because we weren't inspirational. Karma put him in his place. [applause]

  • @BlackPill-pu4vi

    @BlackPill-pu4vi

    3 ай бұрын

    Today's major standout is YT's comment suppression system and its direct focus on suppressing any comment that comes to the defense of White men and a world that was better to live in because of us. We've been gaslighted, defamed, and marginalized and the West is in free fall as a result.

  • @TheDacia1410
    @TheDacia14103 ай бұрын

    Video stupendo...love from Italy 💙🇮🇹💙

  • @MegaRetr
    @MegaRetr3 ай бұрын

    Wow GM was amazing at that time)))))

  • @onemoremisfit
    @onemoremisfit3 ай бұрын

    1:21 the worker slapped that trim onto its mounting clips, which probably broke paint on the body underneath it. Not his fault, he's doing his job as designed. No time is allowed for extra care, no applications of protective coatings under the trim are added to the process. Now that trim that people thought would protect that lower rear area of the car's body will actually serve to accumulate and trap water and corrosives into continuous contact with the metal underneath it where the paint has been broken since the day it was assembled. Unless that car went to a desert climate and stayed there, it has long since rusted away.

  • @printissgraham4930

    @printissgraham4930

    3 ай бұрын

    Ok make sense

  • @onemoremisfit

    @onemoremisfit

    3 ай бұрын

    @@printissgraham4930 I did.

  • @m42037

    @m42037

    2 ай бұрын

    Ya out west (away from the coast) there's lots of old clean cars waiting to be restored or already done, just Google and shop! 💰

  • @jamesfarmer3759
    @jamesfarmer37593 ай бұрын

    Let’s hope history repeats itself on this one

  • @watchinglclowns9890

    @watchinglclowns9890

    3 ай бұрын

    Yes, But Will never happened !!!!

  • @m42037

    @m42037

    2 ай бұрын

    In a time machine, you'll never see a car with chrome on it with curves, it has to be a plastic round SUV or nothing

  • @milfordcivic6755
    @milfordcivic67553 ай бұрын

    @ 8:00 - all contained within a laptop computer today

  • @Go4Corvette
    @Go4Corvette3 ай бұрын

    I toured the GM assembly plant in 1989, in Van Nuys, CA when they were building F body Camaro and Firebirds with a friend who had worked there for over 30 years. Sadly, the plant closed soon after that.

  • @m42037

    @m42037

    2 ай бұрын

    Well good because the last nice bodystyle Camaro/Firebird was 1981. The aero style is ugly. My favourite is the 77-78 TAs

  • @hueyman624
    @hueyman62411 күн бұрын

    My favorite worked at the GM Doraville plant for 24 years in the paint department. I remember a family tour there in about this same time period. I believe they were building full size cars. It was a great experience for a 11 year old. I really wanted to see the truck plant at Lakewood. I'm not sure when the Doraville plant closed, but Lakewood closed in 91 I think. Their last model was the box body Caprice and the last few were for the GA State Patrol. I remember seeing them at the delivery lot when the plant had closed. We bought some plant surplus from time to time. Today in WA state I still have a set of long forks we bought at the Lakewood GA plant in the 80s. I still use them daily in my shop.

  • @monnimonnickendam7289
    @monnimonnickendam72892 ай бұрын

    good old days - pride in industry

  • @CSltz
    @CSltz3 ай бұрын

    Back when you actually felt like you could afford a new car. I just saw an article for a $107.000 Ford pickup. Two-wheel drive. But loaded. It's hard to believe that they used to change body styles every year. And most of them really looked different than last years. Now it's all Mexico and it shows.

  • @Mattology1
    @Mattology13 ай бұрын

    I miss my late 80's Buick Skylark. Body by Fisher.

  • @m42037

    @m42037

    2 ай бұрын

    Buy one, Google

  • @floorpizza8074

    @floorpizza8074

    2 ай бұрын

    Dad had a 1964 Buick Skylark that he kept as a beater for us kids to use as training wheels. Got my license in 1982, the last of the three kids to drive it, it was beat to hell by the time it finally reached me. Front left quarter panel was replaced with a junkyard panel, not even the same color. Driver side door was caved in. Paint worn through, upholstery in ribbons. And I loved that car dearly. If I could go back in time, I'd time capsule that car so I could restore it at a later date, which happens to be now.

  • @domingodeanda233
    @domingodeanda2333 ай бұрын

    That was so awesome

  • @7477238
    @74772383 ай бұрын

    If you worked for the big 3 throughout the 70s to the 90s you made an absolute killing and could retire with a lot.

  • @warrenlewis3977
    @warrenlewis39772 ай бұрын

    I get annoyed when a 35 year old tells me that the factory "didn't care" about door gaps in the decades past. Young people rarely know what they're talking about.

  • @malcolmhamilton5200
    @malcolmhamilton52003 ай бұрын

    Weld those door hinges on that Nova. We'll never need to change them later.😆

  • @lvsqcsl

    @lvsqcsl

    3 ай бұрын

    Oh come on! When those door hinges wear and the door won't close you can roll the window down and push up on the window frame while closing. Of course, you can't do that if the window is frameless.

  • @malcolmhamilton5200

    @malcolmhamilton5200

    3 ай бұрын

    @@lvsqcsl I grew up when these Novas were new, used and bent. You and your Chevy buddy are in the junkyard looking for a door when it dawns on you they're welded on. I can't tell you how many Novas I saw going down the road looking like they were permanently turning left, or right forever more, after the mildest of front end impacts. Several buddies had the very front of their frame rails rot out, completely liberating the steering box from that very frame. One had just spent a fortune getting his Nova resprayed only to find out his steering was done permanently. I saw several attempts of pounding wood inside the frame rails and trying to secure that steering box. And who doesn't remember a pushrod coming through the 307s valve cover because of "push in" rocker studs......on a moving parts engine! Push in studs! The fact you couldn't fit anything wider than an E70 series tire in the wheelwells ensured you couldn't get traction, even if it had a suspension that could plant the tires. I remember when back halfing and tubbing hit the streets in the mid 70s, Novas were the FIRST to get this done to them, to correct the terrible GM engineering in these cars. Never owned a GM, never will.

  • @tomrogers9467

    @tomrogers9467

    3 ай бұрын

    @@malcolmhamilton5200. Every GM had its defects.

  • @hassanzaib3525
    @hassanzaib35252 ай бұрын

    Beautiful, I really enjoyed watching this....

  • @dennisduran8500
    @dennisduran85003 ай бұрын

    I can't even find a bathroom scale made in USA in 2024.

  • @axjason
    @axjason2 ай бұрын

    Back in the day when you really needed to wear sunglasses on the production line handling all that chrome real bling, no plastic bullshit crap

  • @mohsintai9699
    @mohsintai96992 ай бұрын

    old is gold car for the history

  • @dane-xxx-8713
    @dane-xxx-87132 ай бұрын

    Wauw! I had a 1978 2 door Malibu with a fisher body back in 2000, and I always wondered how a car was developed, designed , and put together😊 and now I know. Amazing documentary 😊

  • @m42037

    @m42037

    2 ай бұрын

    Buy another one

  • @17Onager
    @17OnagerАй бұрын

    Such amazing technology. And this was half a century ago!

  • @lvsqcsl
    @lvsqcsl3 ай бұрын

    The only GM car my dad ever owned was a 1974 Chevrolet Impala wagon. with the small-block 400 cid engine. It was a VERY high quality car. The clam-shell tailgate leaked into the car, the dashboard cracked down the center, the glue-on trim fell off, they even welded up the upper control arm shaft bushing nuts so to replace them you had to buy the whole shaft. To top it all off we had to replace the engine; you know, the one with those "low-compression" deep dish pistons. Of course, that 400 small-block was externally balanced. One of the worst pieces of crap ever. GREAT VIDEO!

  • @m42037

    @m42037

    2 ай бұрын

    That was mid 70s. My 1966 Ford County Sedan with the little 289 was a great wagon, no leaks, vinyl seats had no tears, motor ran quiet as a mouse. It died from road salt, had to get rid of it. I'd like to buy a rust free one out west but I don't have 25k to drop at the moment

  • @josephackeret7911
    @josephackeret79113 ай бұрын

    Looks like around the time I got married! The child safety car seat was just like the one my mother - in - law got us. That was G M s design. She worked at Delco In Oak Creek Wisconsin we still get the GM Employee discount. I’ve bought 20 new cars with that discount.starting in 72 till my new 2024 Cadillac XT6. Loved every single one.

  • @m42037

    @m42037

    2 ай бұрын

    The last beautiful bodystyle Cadillac car ( now the early Escalade was nice up to about 2012) was the 1992.5 Cadillac Brougham, then in 93 they went plastic aerodynamic crap

  • @JT-ee1ii
    @JT-ee1ii2 ай бұрын

    Enjoyed the video. Is the "King Rose Archives" water mark necessary?

  • @bshingledecker
    @bshingledecker3 ай бұрын

    1970 Monte Carlo. Could be 71-72 as well. Personal Luxury as they would name it.

  • @johnsorensen2088

    @johnsorensen2088

    3 ай бұрын

    1970 in the description

  • @chuckprahl170

    @chuckprahl170

    3 ай бұрын

    70, front parking lights in the bumper are rounded. 71 are rectangular and the 72 are in the grill.

  • @tomrogers9467
    @tomrogers94673 ай бұрын

    I seemed to have missed the part where they installed the rust accelerator.

  • @jetsgardner5490
    @jetsgardner54903 ай бұрын

    At 19:57 The sudden asinine substitution of glaringly loud music for the original narration is unforgivable. 👎👎👎👎25

  • @jetset2174

    @jetset2174

    3 ай бұрын

    And watermark

  • @mbabcock111
    @mbabcock1112 ай бұрын

    Thank you for making North America great!

  • @m42037

    @m42037

    2 ай бұрын

    Those days are long over look at the ugly SUVs everywhere uhhh terrible

  • @tedf.5055
    @tedf.505521 күн бұрын

    I love the diversity of the people in this video. I saw Poles, Italians, Germans, Irish, I saw blue eyes, Brown eyes, blonde hair, black hair, I saw detached earlobes, round heads, oval heads, pointy heads. Not once did I see a African, Indian, Asian or Mexican, but it was diverse.

  • @westhavenor9513

    @westhavenor9513

    21 күн бұрын

    I smell a racist

  • @taylorh3930
    @taylorh39303 ай бұрын

    Back when quality actually ment something 👊

  • @user-mg3nc6iu8t

    @user-mg3nc6iu8t

    3 ай бұрын

    Somebody has rose colored glasses on.

  • @axjason
    @axjason2 ай бұрын

    There were some interiors that were pretty ridiculous, but there weren’t very many cars that looked all the same

  • @dopeytripod
    @dopeytripod21 күн бұрын

    great stuff!

  • @billb89
    @billb8917 күн бұрын

    Body by Fisher! The Kansas City Mo plant was a behive of activity in the 60s and 70s.

  • @Mudnuri
    @Mudnuri3 ай бұрын

    Remember when we gave tours to the Chinese and then gave them tool and die equipment? Beginning of the New World Order

  • @abc33944
    @abc339442 ай бұрын

    I wonder what happens to all the body stamping dies,, do any get bought or preserved?

  • @MindsEyeVisualGuitarMethods
    @MindsEyeVisualGuitarMethods2 ай бұрын

    were can I get the background soundtrack for cruising in my 78. 8track would be perfect.

  • @heinrichgerhardt6119
    @heinrichgerhardt61193 ай бұрын

    Even showed the prototypes of the airbag from 2:36-2:53. Those came out in 1973-74.

  • @mariocooldude9092
    @mariocooldude90922 ай бұрын

    Had no idea computers 🖥️ played such a role in the design back then wow😮

  • @axjason
    @axjason2 ай бұрын

    Back in the day when Chevy, Cadillac, Buick and Pontiac and Oldsmobile had more chrome than you could shake a stick at

  • @mlez7197
    @mlez71973 ай бұрын

    We need to bring those machines back

  • @holeeshietpyro4072
    @holeeshietpyro40723 ай бұрын

    love that pontiac in clay,

  • @rogerdodrill4733

    @rogerdodrill4733

    Ай бұрын

    Would like to know what a full size clay mock up weighed?

  • @qualityman1965
    @qualityman19653 ай бұрын

    Bodies by fisher. They used poke fun at it and call it coffins by fisher back in the 80s.

  • @donk499
    @donk4993 ай бұрын

    so cool

  • @Freedom1776usa
    @Freedom1776usa11 күн бұрын

    Love to have that yellow firebird!

  • @markbehr88
    @markbehr8826 күн бұрын

    The good old days of Made in USA. Bring it back!

  • @ilc-nl3yy
    @ilc-nl3yy3 ай бұрын

    It looks like these companies and employees took much more pride in their products back then, than they do today. These days, it's recall after recall. I will never buy a new American vehicle, again. Toyota all the way.

  • @Dreadnought16
    @Dreadnought162 ай бұрын

    God I long for those times….

  • @herrunsinn774
    @herrunsinn7743 ай бұрын

    03:35 Someone must have made a fortune selling these guys "pocket protectors". 🤣

  • @DeutschlandGuy

    @DeutschlandGuy

    3 ай бұрын

    04:06 And "guys" they were. "Every man is encouraged to submit ideas". There were no female or non-white designers, apparently.

  • @williamflack5767

    @williamflack5767

    2 ай бұрын

    During Archie Bunker year's.

  • @KEEPTRUCHA94
    @KEEPTRUCHA942 ай бұрын

    RIP Fisher Body

  • @morr2010
    @morr20103 ай бұрын

    That’s pretty cool scanner @ 6:40, an old school version of a modern day 3D scanner…photogrammetry

  • @karenfyhr2363
    @karenfyhr23633 ай бұрын

    Love seeing those clay models of the second generation Pontiac Firebirds. And that formula undergoing testing. This is back when American car manufacturing was so great. Before robotic automation replaced people

  • @rogerdodrill4733

    @rogerdodrill4733

    Ай бұрын

    Don't think robots ever replaced people, just helped them work faster& easier

  • @m42037
    @m420372 ай бұрын

    See the airbags? 1974 some cars had them and they worked perfectly, also ABS aka Automatic Skid Control

  • @chriswisenot6888
    @chriswisenot68882 ай бұрын

    What they aren’t showing is upper management and the bean counters hamstringing engineering, sacrificing quality and customer satisfaction to make as much money as possible in the short term- that’s the American management style I’ve worked under for over 40 years

  • @akshonclip
    @akshonclip3 ай бұрын

    You are lucky if you can find a new car or truck with a chrome bumper these days.

  • @johnehlert4366

    @johnehlert4366

    2 ай бұрын

    They are plastic and you can lift them with one arm. I know because I replace them on my pickup with grill guard/bumpers from Ali Arc or Truck Defender that bolt to the frame.

  • @NoNo-iz8hd
    @NoNo-iz8hd3 ай бұрын

    Everything rusted on those models very quickly. Not only GM but Ford and Chrysler too.

  • @johnehlert4366

    @johnehlert4366

    2 ай бұрын

    Need to wash them everytime you go out on salt covered roads. Probably not easy to do in some areas of the US.

  • @bryanphipps9131
    @bryanphipps91313 ай бұрын

    Sad to think that between 1970-1980, prices of new cars went up 3-4 times, design, looks and the quality crashed that much.

  • @devengudinas1649

    @devengudinas1649

    3 ай бұрын

    Inflation was insane back then

  • @portsidebear
    @portsidebear3 ай бұрын

    The "King Rose" watermark is annoying.

  • @jayelbee1111
    @jayelbee1111Ай бұрын

    Correct me if I am wrong, so Fisher Body Divison was responsible for the quarter panel, glass, doors, trunk, glass, rear bumper, and interior trim while the GM car divisions were responsible for the hood, fenders, grille, and front bumper?

  • @steves7896
    @steves78962 ай бұрын

    That music, I'm waiting for Steve McQueen to come crash the party in a green Mustang.

  • @kraftcraft2934
    @kraftcraft29343 ай бұрын

    Cool 😊

  • @jspriver
    @jspriver3 ай бұрын

    …..all (most) destined for a scrapyard… That’s the crazy part.… All this production and effort to something that’s going to get thrown away

  • @rogerdodrill4733

    @rogerdodrill4733

    Ай бұрын

    Think of all the development for ice engines they want to obsolete w ev.

  • @dominikz.1376
    @dominikz.13763 ай бұрын

    Wow

  • @MindsEyeVisualGuitarMethods
    @MindsEyeVisualGuitarMethods2 ай бұрын

    Thank goodness they had the turbo-hydramatic, and not the turbo-encabulator like the guys up the block.

  • @MindsEyeVisualGuitarMethods

    @MindsEyeVisualGuitarMethods

    2 ай бұрын

    Their swivel seats were so much better without the dual sperliod bearings, connected by the inverse grammeters.

  • @jamesrockford6416
    @jamesrockford64162 күн бұрын

    A mighty American cars❤️❤️ Toyota is Toyota today simply because of the American Auto industry experiences, specially GM❤️

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