Body Stamping Plants

[ZLP955]

For the major body components assembled by Fisher, how many body stamping plants are known of, and are the actual plant locations known by the first letter of the run number? For example, most of the stampings on my car are 'T' and 'H', but I have also seen 'K'. Curious if each panel came from only one plant, and if not, did Norwood and Van Nuys have separate sources?

[elcamino72]

I too am interested to know this information.  Which plants do the codes to the "T", "H", "K" correspond to?   

[Petes L48]

Here's an old link where it was speculated that K was for Kalamazoo:
http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=427.0

I also read once that the H was thought to be Hamilton/Fairfield in Ohio, which may make sense as a supplier to Norwood.  Here's shots of the abandoned plant:
http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=427.0

I think all the metal on my LOS car is code T, maybe some plant further west?

UPDATE - here's where I read about Hamilton:
http://www.nastyz28.com/forum/showthread.php?t=270603

[JohnZ]

I think all the metal on my LOS car is code T, maybe some plant further west?

There were no Fisher Stamping plants west of the Mississippi - all stampings for LOS came by rail from the same midwestern plants that supplied Norwood.

[ZLP955]

Thanks John; do you know how many stamping plants were used for Camaro, and their locations?

[JohnZ]

Thanks John; do you know how many stamping plants were used for Camaro, and their locations?

Nope, I don't recall - Fisher had eleven or twelve stamping plants in those days.

[cook_dw]

Kinda sorta related.  Just a couple interesting videos of Fisher Body. 

1959

Up From Clay



1970

Building An Automobile

[Petes L48]

I tried researching this the past two days, and it's been a little complex with not a lot of info on the internet.  From what I've found, it appears the plants were often in flux, with changing roles over the years.  Sometimes stamping operations, sometimes body assembly, sometimes hardware, interior, etc.  Also, some seemed to have been referred to by various names - sometimes the nearest big town, sometimes the actual town, sometimes the county, sometimes the street location, and the oldest Fisher plants in Flint and Detroit even went by numbers.  My best guess as to the Fisher stamping plants at the time is:

*Wyoming, MI - 36th & Buchanan
*Grand Blanc, MI - South Saginaw Street
*Flint, MI - Bristol Road, sometimes referred to as Genesee (County), appears a tool & die plant was also in Flint
*Grand Rapids, MI - Alpine Avenue
*Kalamazoo, MI - Comstock Township
*Mansfield/Ontario, OH - West 4th Street0
*Hamilton/Fairfield, OH - Route 4
*Cleveland/Coit Road, OH (not sure what the did in 1966-1969)
*Marion, IN - West 2nd Street
*Chicago/Willow Springs, IL
*Pittsburgh/McKeesport, PA (aka West Mifflin, PA)

It appears a good number of these plant are abandoned, demolished, or repurposed today, with stamping operations now moved to other locations.  

The T code is still a mystery.  The only Fisher plant I ran across with an obvious T in the location/name was Trenton, NJ.  But it appears that plant made hardware and smaller parts.  

[ZLP955]

^ that's a very good starting point, nice work!

[Petes L48]

Continuing on the T code -  there was a Ternstedt Division of Fisher Body in Detroit, but it appears they didn't do body panel stamping, and the Trenton NJ plant (and later Columbus OH plant) were expansion/spin-offs of this plant.

https://history.gmheritagecenter.com/wiki/index.php/Ternstedt_Division

Another location I though of was Tarrytown, NY.  But from what little I could find it appears this was a GM assembly plant with a Fisher Body division co-located, possibly similar to Norwood.  So in my mind, unlikely they were the source of the T code sheet metal.   

[MyRed67]

The major portion of body panels on my 11A (66) LOS built car were stamped with an H.  I had only 3 items stamped with a T;
   T43  =trunk lid.
   T42  =on center of brace between rear frame rails. (If I remember right this was                     where Floor pan and Trunk Floor pan came together)
   T38  = on top of both Parking Brake cable brackets (spot welded on inside front of Rear Frame rails)