Building an Automobile: The Fisher Body Division of General Motors Corporation (1970)

A look at the Fisher Body Division of the General Motors Corporation in 1970.

[@tommybewick]

The thing that strikes me about all these 50's- 70's educational type movies is they have such an upbeat inspiring way of presentation including the musical scores and narration and how it all weaves together. Hard to describe, but I remember watching movies in the early 70's in school and they all had this similar "feel". It was a sense of faith, optimism and looking to the future that is sadly lacking today. Thanks for posting this great movie Doug. Tom B, K2BEW

[@cnnw3929]

We also don't have the technology today that we did back then. You can see all the robotics, automation, and computers that are shown in this video, that are all overseas today. In fact, all personal computers like the ones you use to access the internet, right down to the Apple iPhones, are made overseas. Nothing is made in the United States, and now we have a shortage of medicines and medical supplies due to COVID-19 disease. This is because everything is now made in China. Many will have to suffer, some will perish. But, we must make some sacrifices to restore our manufacturing infrastructure to its former glory.

[@jerrykitich3318]

They were building the future. I'm sure all of them were super enthusiastic car fans.

[@69Applekrate]

I have owned, built and drive GM cars from this era ( Pontiacs ) all my life. They are all so nice looking and well built and easy to maintain. I rarely ever drive anything newer than 1973 or so. That 69-72 time frame is such a sweet spot. I'll drive that era car, and some a bit older, the rest of my life. No need for anything much newer.

[@mrmichael555]

I did a frame off restoration on my 1973 Caprice Classic. I had a lot of fun digging into it and seeing how it was originally made! And these videos also helped explain how they did certain things.

[@ncrdisabled]

I worked for them for 22 years. It was a great job and pay and benefits. Thanks for the great memories!!!

[@jameshuseby6290]

That's what we need those jobs back in the USA

[@McCall72]

I've got one of those beautiful 1st gen Monte Carlo's sitting in my garage right now. Great cars.

[@LMacNeill]

Great video! I was extremely impressed by the amount of computer and robot technology that was used back in those days -- I honestly didn't know that those processes were involved that far back. CNC machining, automated embroidery, even 3D modeling software and hardware -- that stuff must've cost MILLIONS back then, and must've needed very highly-skilled technicians to use and maintain properly. Thanks for uploading this -- an informative look back at an important time in the American automobile industry.

[@realtimegames3206]

You sound like you would be interested in this website about the automotive design profession and it's inventor Harley Earl! www.harleyjearl.com/ I also have a LOT of sweet GM 1950s videos on my youtube channel in the hightest quality available on the net! kzbin.info/door/QfQ_EusBnqPEJmVPQTc4bQvideos

[@LMacNeill]

Thanks! I took a quick look at your channel and subscribed. Looking forward to having the time to peruse your video collection.

[@realtimegames3206]

more videos to come!

[@tb40ford]

Wow this is a wonderful video. Times do change.This makes me sad to see what we had at one time.

[@mercedes560sel]

I have seen this before, It is amazing. I feel GM hit a high water mark right in 1970 that we will never see again. Can you imagine only 10 years later in 1980 they were building what amounted to junk for the most part. By 1990 20 years later it was all over. GM has come back and is again building very good cars but they still are no match for the quality of what was made in 1970. I remember riding in the new 1970 models. They were overbuilt by miles and would last a lifetime if taken care of.

[@jvt1226]

Agreed. Makes one wonder why they chose suicide?

[@onefootinthegroove39]

Great movie! From a time when there was pride and quality in ones work, and it sure showed. These cars are still driving reliably today. Lets see a new plastic "jellybean" do that. Added to favorites.

[@TheTarrMan]

I love the way the guy said "digitising" at 7:36. This was very enjoyable to watch, I'll have to watch this again sometime. Thanks for the upload.

[@AntiqueRadioandTV]

I was watching this and my 15yr old son took interest and watched it with me. I don't know how you acquired it, but it is a great movie of how America made a wonderful product with our engineering and manufacturing skills. What a shame, it is all but kaput now. Thank you very much and Happy New Year! Tom

[@Geoffr524]

Pretty amazing film, I lived in Livonia Mich, where there was a Fisher Body plant back in the early '70's. I really like the Internet as a repository of historical film and pictures.

[@pdrphil8159]

My grandpa used to take me on tours at the assembly plants when I was young.. It was fascinating to watch a car go together , start up & drive off.. We went to GM & Ford plants , but my favorite was G.M. assembly plants because my dad only drove G.M. cars.. But my grandpa only drove Ford .. Before WW2 , he worked at a Ford plant. Once the war started they converted to building war machines... He was drafted even though he worked a critical job.. He went to europe & fought under Patton's command. He never spoke of his time in the war only to say , he never understood why he was drafted with a wife , four children at home and a job building bombers... My dad always said he probably pissed someone off because he should've been the last to go... Who really knows.. He told me once that he was always skeptical as to why Americans had to fight another european war , until he saw the concentration camps . It absolutely changed him . He said , I didnt know how evil humans could be , and now I know there is no limit to man's capability of being evil.. When the war ended , he went back to work at Ford where he retired with 40 yrs service (including military)... My grandpa gave me his time & understanding . Thats something I always tried to pass on to my children & grandchildren... My career has been in the auto industry & it has taken me around the world . And it was my grandpa who introduced me to it .. I think its why I still have a great love of the cars built in the 60's & 70's still today ..

[@artmchugh9283]

sitting here it makes me sad that my old town is such a dump now. I worked at Fisher body south unit , 73 Buick century, when I go home to see my sister - the only reason I have to go to flint , I took my girlfriend past the plant, and other than the office building the whole thing was demolished.

[@jameshuseby6290]

Did you know any Hudson's that worked there?

[@craxd1]

My sister used to sew those seat covers for the Cadillacs, and my brother-in-law, worked for the Chevrolet plant. Her second husband, worked for Hydramatic. Great old video. They show how they used the first robots to prime, paint, and spot weld the body, which I always did say was a mistake. That, even today, is not anywhere near as good as a human doing it, as we can catch faults, and correct them. I used to sell this type of machinery, and it can not compete with a painter or welder on this, even today. Plus, think of all the jobs those machines replaced.

[@SouthSideRalph1]

Fisher built my 64 impala.....BEAUTIFUL!

[@56Pontiac]

The best of the best that was when General Motors made exelent cars

[@cny02253]

Really interesting video! Interesting to see the beginnings of cnc automation and robotics.

[@trainluvr]

Great opening music.

[@MccoppingSalvage]

This video is fucking amazing i love car history and this is the answer!! Thanks for uploading it

[@Turkeydoodlers]

This was great doug back when we made quality cars in the USA

[@CommodoreGreg]

And it's a Monte Carlo to boot!!! SWEEEEEEET!!!!!!

[@marcc3516]

memories of bygone days...

[@mrmjb1960]

My Grandpa worked at the Fisher Body Division at the Sleepy Hollow,N.Y. division of the Chevrolet Plant,which turned into GMAC Plant!

[@Trance88]

This is a very cool video. They had a picture of a car with font and rear passenger air bags! I'm actually surprised by the computer technology they're using at this point such as touch screens etc.

[@robertwaldron9383]

Make America Great again.

[@johnpro2847]

I agree ....sack Donald

[@JPa311979]

5:20 That is a beauty!

[@planpitz4190]

The amazing Pontiac Fire bird as a clay model!I wonder how they managed to color match the front fenders and hood to the rest of the body as these parts were not painted together.

[@jerrykitich3318]

If I was lucky enough to work there, I would wear a white shirt too.

[@tillivanilli6481]

This is one of the best videos ever made about Fisher Body... I think when GM looks back, they know what they have to do in future again to get back to build cars what can make the world better. The V8, The box frame, the styling.. those 3 components mixed with the modern technologies can make the perfect car! & producing small-, mid-& Full-size 2 & 4 door hardtops too! I really think when you mix it with the moern tchnologies can bring GM up to the top. The eclectric car is a thing what is from 1900, for 1900.. that must be canceled! For future is better when a car can have a longer lifetime, even like a car like those in the 60/70s made by fisher body... with V8! (ok + 6 cylinder too ;) ) also a very good car was the CORVAIR in 2nd generation! it was better than every porsche of that time. but it was canceled early because series 1 became shame from ralf nader after he wrote his book "unsafe at any speed) & series 2 was so good! I think the box frame has future, because for example I think to produce a mid & full size car for a decade or 2 is importand in future & so you an create a very compfortable-sporty chassis what can much more than a unibody construction for a better price too! When I was too young in my head I wouldn´t see how good that construcion of the box frame is. nowdays I see the good things about that. I also think, in future the streets will go more ruff too... then you know why the box frame especially with the front-& rear end architecture of the GM full size car between 1965-1996 is the best option for it. advanced with a multi link rear end & better shocks and a optional 4wd you will become a perfect car. (rwd in standard option) Look at Dodge, they make it really perfct today with the charger & challenger! Those aren´t box frame, but the styling, the V8 & 6 cyl. engines are the must have what they have. & when you look at ford; they made the biggest fail with ending production of the crown vic with its box frame & V8´s!!! If they make a new CV with box frame, V8´s & a good US car styling like ford had in the 60/70s (i think about the LTD or 76 Grand Torino!) then they produce good cars again! ;)

[@kevinsmith7516]

R I P Fisher Lansing car assembly.

[@OlegKostoglatov]

You can thank the triple blow of corporate mismanagement and arrogance, the backhand of government policies, also the greed and stupidity of many of the labor unions for the decline of the Detroit car companies. The average wage of an assembly line worker was about $5 an hour when this documentary was made, at the time of the bailout it was close to $45 hr, not including benefits, the commensurate wage compared to then should be between $25 and 30 an hour if inflation was taken into account.

[@beyonbeach]

yup they build awesome impalas before so beautiful cars and today's cars are crap

[@persinitrix]

Quality!

[@DanOConnorTech]

I loved this. Thanks for uploading it. I couldn't help but notice that, along with its automotive history, it also shows a snapshot of "diversity" in 1970 America. The engineers/managers were all white males. The women/minorities were mostly seamstresses or on the production floor. In certain ways maybe some things are better now. I still have a "Body by Fisher" metal tag from an old Chevy door frame somewhere.

[@jamesslick4790]

Those women and minorities in 1970 had solid,secure and well payed employment. All of the modern lip service payed to "diversity" today means little to the unemployed (or underemployed) minorities and women now. Just saying.

[@cnnw3929]

@@jamesslick4790 And you can bet they all had enough money to not only buy the cars they made, but to also purchase houses that would cost a half million dollars today!

[@harryrez]

So this is how it worked until GM did away with fisher in 1984? I have an 86 Chevy that has the body by fisher tags on it, was it really made by fisher?

[@kw900lkevin]

body by fisher was used into the mid 90's

[@servicarrider]

1994.

[@senorkaboom]

I wonder if GM still builds them that way today?

[@TheWsh64]

Where do you find these videos?

[@briansokoloski776]

The computers sure where hudge years ago with those disks and reels and a hundred flashing lights and cars with 40 gallon fuel tanks

[@fromthesidelines]

Peter Thomas is the narrator.

[@ducklandwikeno]

Thats when americans made cars in detroit michigan . now only a handfull are made over there now . We Need to buy are own cars once again when we buy american cars you will employe many americans by doing this not just at gm but also outside small business as well to make parts ad so forth

[@jameshuseby6290]

If the car companies won't still have them built in Mexico and other countries for the cheap labor

[@maxwebster7572]

GM was building Jet engines under license to the Nazi's before we had them. The allies bombed out their factory in France building tanks for the Nazi's and then paid something like 14 million dollars to GM to rebuild it. All the money was siphoned through the Bank Of International Settlements. They collected dividends on ALL SIDES of the matter. Now, if you still conclude that ANY corporation gives a rats ass about you, your family or anything other than their personal agendas, YOU ARE SADLY MISTAKEN. You may as well buy an offshore vehicle from the enemy, cause the people whom you think are friends are snakes in the grass preying on the next victim. Ford was no better and the Luftwaffe could not fly without Standard Oil's tetraethyl lead. Fuck Detroit.

[@llanamejia]

What happened to that good American Pride

[@jameshuseby6290]

There being built in other countries for cheap labor

[@robertgoidel]

Just wished they would have engineered better reliability and performance like the the foreign car makers did.

[@alexandreadomaitis2377]

21/2/21×17:52 sab chevy!!!!!

[@realtorman2]

Occupation “body builder” I work my lats and traps...

[@Jallge]

What car are they manufacturing there?

[@vinsetta]

Monte Carlo.

[@kellycollison3611]

GM A bodies. Both the Chevelle and the Monte Carlo which shared chassis and drive train components.

[@xlMustanglx]

That's how cars are were rally made well and look great unlike today's cars are ugly and cheaply made plastic bags...

[@CKGM990]

Just watched Roger and Me by Micheal Moore, sad to know that only some 20 years after this most of what you see came to an end to be replaced by mexicans

[@jvt1226]

The workers all look bitter. They’re pissed.

[@dwayneday2895]

Oldsmobile owner of the Pontiac pontiera as the arrow car company of oldsmobile an Pontiac both company's to sell three production plants for 12.6 million to pay on lien of company plus build the pontiera rear turn signal an up angle square backup a brake light on a wrap bumper plastic an steel frontend an aerodynamic frontend an olds hideaway lights frontend to a solid crome grille an arrow V eight in the upper right of the grill as a luxury line of the A an J body lines of the arrow car company patent under oldsmobile an Pontiac pontiera

[@SuperBooboo02]

unfortunately now all we get 15 different suvs, off 3 chassis, with a bunch of wheezy 4 cylinder engines...what a downfall...miss all the new cars coming out, now we get ugly suvs and gigantic, gas sucking trucks...wow

[@sabajupicuda7655]

Those cars were shit back then and their shit now!