Re: multistory assembly line

Posted by Steve203 On 2015/1/20 2:16:36

<i>Anyhoo, back to the assembly line. As far as I have learned, there was never really a good reason given for leasing the Conner plant. Self-sabotage seems to describe it best.</i>

They needed a body plant. Nance had been looking at bringing bodybuilding in house, but they didn't have the capital to build or buy a body plant. Chrysler wanted $8.7M for Conner. Nance could only borrow $7.5M, so they ended up leasing it. Reportedly the day after Nance signed the lease on Conner, AMC announced they were closing Hudson operations in Detroit, and the shut down was effective in October 54. After sitting on the Hudson body plant for 2 years, waiting for stamping orders from Packard that never came, because AMC's prices were sky high, the Hudson body plant was sold to Cadillac for $2.1M, $6.6M less than Chrysler had wanted for Conner. What precipitated moving the final assembly line into Conner was Walter Grant's estimate that, while only using Conner for body building, and keeping the final line at E Grand would save $8M/yr, moving the final line into Conner would save $12M/yr.

<i>It seems to imply that the "120 Plant" was entirely new, when, as I understand it, the 120 and the "seniors" were made in two different production buildings at E. Grand.</i>

The drawing on the right page is of buildings 31-38, south of Palmer. I recognize the footprint.

The drawing on the left page is probably the complex north of E Grand, but I don't recognize the footprint. Even zooming in on the image I can't read the notes on the drawings.

Being in 1935, this is before the bridge over E Grand was built, and I don't see the bridge over Palmer either.