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How Long?

nfrntau

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Messages
1,020
Location
Rosharon, Texas
I know open question.
I am now in month 36 with my resto and just got to wondering.
How long did it take Ford to make a 1968 GT/CS back in 1968 ?
I don't know how long it took to build a standard edition Mustang. But then the CS would have taken some additional time to pull it off the line and make the additions.
Anyone have any ideas?
 

miller511

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 3, 2004
Messages
567
Good question. I don't recall whether it was determined for sure that they did pull the CS's off the line. Paul N. did you get this question answered from one of the factory workers that you interviewed? I know there has been talk of CS days at the Milpitas plant.
On a side note: If you ever get a chance to take a tour of an automobile assembly plant, it's absolutley fascinating to see how it all works. I took my son to the NUMMI (http://www.nummi.com) plant in Fremont, CA a few months ago. NUMMI is a joint GM-Toyota venture where they make the Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Corolla, and the Pontiac Vibe. I believe it's the only west coast auto assembly plant still in operation. It's just up I-880 (would have been known as highway 17 at the time) from where the Ford plant was. There are two lines. The Corolla/Vibe line and the Tacoma line. I know it's somewhat apples and oranges between what went on in a plant in 1968 vs. now, but I did not see cars pulled off the line for (as an example) putting the TRD package decals on, or the different hood and fender flair options on the trucks.

To me, it would have seemed very inefficient to pull cars off the line. Especially when they were cranking them out at the rate they were those first few years.
 
P

PNewitt

Guest
There's two answers to your question.

The earliest data I have for the development of the CS was mid-November, 1967. The first part engineered was the taillight harness.

It took about three months from Lee Grey seeing Little Red, to actual development in Dearborn.

Actual factory time, I think was about two weeks overall. Jeff Speegle may know more exactly.

There is one "mystery CS" that I'm saving to tell you in the book, that didn't leave the factory until 1969.

Paul N.
 

Perkchiro

Well-known member
Joined
May 1, 2004
Messages
1,112
Location
Nixa, MO
Good question. I don't recall whether it was determined for sure that they did pull the CS's off the line. Paul N. did you get this question answered from one of the factory workers that you interviewed? I know there has been talk of CS days at the Milpitas plant.
On a side note: If you ever get a chance to take a tour of an automobile assembly plant, it's absolutley fascinating to see how it all works. I took my son to the NUMMI (http://www.nummi.com) plant in Fremont, CA a few months ago. NUMMI is a joint GM-Toyota venture where they make the Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Corolla, and the Pontiac Vibe. I believe it's the only west coast auto assembly plant still in operation. It's just up I-880 (would have been known as highway 17 at the time) from where the Ford plant was. There are two lines. The Corolla/Vibe line and the Tacoma line. I know it's somewhat apples and oranges between what went on in a plant in 1968 vs. now, but I did not see cars pulled off the line for (as an example) putting the TRD package decals on, or the different hood and fender flair options on the trucks.

To me, it would have seemed very inefficient to pull cars off the line. Especially when they were cranking them out at the rate they were those first few years.


Just a bit of trivia: that particular plant originally was a GM facility. My uncle worked there for years and built GM products before is was purchased by Toyota. I toured it as a kid. :smile:
 

miller511

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 3, 2004
Messages
567
Steve,

I'd guess your Uncle has some interesting stories.

Yes. Forgot to mention- The NUMMI plant was originally a GM plant. The video that gets shown at the front end of the public tour shows it in it's heyday in the 60s. Then it shows it completely shutdown and entirely gutted inside. (Late 70s/early 80s?) It started back up in '83 with Toyota and GM.
To see how jam-packed and busy the plant is now is just amazing. They crank out something like 400 Tacomas on two shifts a day and a similar number of Corollas and Vibes. Overall production number-wise, this may how busy it was back in '68 down the road in Milpitas with Mustangs and Cougars coming off the line. Although I'm not exactly sure what those production numbers were.

-Jeff
 
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