| This view inside the "Dimensional Certification Center" is facing south located along the east wall. The employee in the foreground is Willie Younger. The platform the body shell is placed on is actually a 100 ton Granite block to dampen any vibration. The man at the right in the distance has a hand operated lift truck which was used to place and remove the body. He would place it outside the door at the left and then I would remove it to dock #03. As I recall three body's were tested per day and then placed on a scrap truck. I could fit three on a semi trailer but sometimes I also had a large 5190 basket of additional scrap to ship. The way to fit more was to compact the body's since they were now just scrap. In the photo you will notice the large opening for the radiator and condenser, this was were you placed your forks and they extended under the floor. On dock three we had a unique feature around the roof pillars of concrete encased in steel shaped like a ships hull. These were perfect for ramming and thus compacting the body shell. One particular day I had been unloading a rail-car on the other side of the factory and when I opened the boxcar door it fell off which was not uncommon. Anyways I had to get my trailer switched to get another delivered so I was short on time and left the door laying on the dock. I had also invited my friend, Bob Alexander, to come down and crush a body on this particular day,because he lost his truck driving job in a cutback in 1987 and he wanted to get back on the horse so I had to meet him. Well he crushed one so good it looked like a head-on collision with a Buick which was now stuck wrapped around the mast of the forklift. While we're busy trying to pry this mess off the front of my truck my boss Ron Hensel drives up to inquire about the door laying on the dock. He knew Bob and I well and decided to talk to us later and just drove off shaking his head. |
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