All Things Buick: Factory #09 Inside

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Factory #09 Inside

Wheels ready for shipping in factory #09.

Enough chassis for four Buick's being crated.

A mostly assembled Buick being readied for shipment.

This photo has much to look at. This particular one is on it's way to Buenos Aires. This photo dated November 25, 1919 is just over a year after the Armistice was signed ending the Great War and putting the world on the path to World War II. The V for victory is on the left and the one on the right shows a list of major battles and is for selling war bonds (no borrowing from the Chinese back then) reminiscent of other propaganda slogans from any of our other wars for getting young men full of testosterone riled up and signing up . Examples: Remember The Alamo, Remember the Maine and Remember Pearl Harbor. My grandfather Adolph Godin was called a "SLACKER" because he chose not to fight in "THE WAR TO END ALL WARS" as the first world war was also called. The more common "World War I" designation was not part of our language until after the war 20 years later, which became World War II. The small banner above these two posters is another bond drive (the fourth). I better end my history lesson here or I may go on all day. I wish I could read the dial on the gauge. The weight has not yet been stenciled on the crate. This and the following two photos were sent by Leonard Thygesen who got these copies from former Buick office workers who worked in the main office. I know some of these photos have been distributed with the four winds. I know Lawrence Gustin and Terry Dunham cataloged some for the Buick Gallery in Flint. I know that duplicates like these were given out to employees. I seen a four drawer file cabinet with the lions share of photos being put up for sale on Ebay some years back. The starting bid was $50,000 and was dropped after only a couple of days. The Buick Gallery personnel asked me if I knew what happened to all the photos after the war because they do not have many of those in their collection.

This Buick is on it's way to Amsterdam.

As you can see, this Buick will require some assembly when it reaches it's destination. Some were shipped fully assembled and some were shipped partially assembled. Other crates shown further below contain just parts and would be destined for one of the numerous assembly points around the world.

From the photos I have seen I suspect the finished car would sometimes be brought into factory #09 as a finished car and disassembled there for shipment.

Here are front and rear spindles and brakes.

These inner rear body panels are packed 12 to a crate.

If I'm seeing right these parts are headed for Osaka, Japan.

Crates of Buick parts at the rail dock of factory #09. This view would be facing south at the east wall of the factory along Division street.

Inside factory #09 in 1929.

Many different parts packed in groups of four as usual. I see pistons, gaskets lug wrenches, piston rings etc.......

Here are all the wood body supports for 4 complete Buick's. This particular shipment is headed for Port Elizabeth, South Africa for final assembly. Many factory's did this back then. Shipments to south Africa began in 1913 with the assembly starting in 1926.

One whole chassis and cowl ready for shipment. This would probably be going to a custom body maker.

Four six cylinders per crate just like the other crated parts.

Here are some top of the line 1930 Buick's lined up along Division street in front of the old train shed #02 where I spent some of my final year at Buick. This was the main shipping point at that time. That is #03 forge in the background. This view is facing west.

The major sheet-metal parts for assembly of 4 new Buick's crated for shipment to another assembly facility. There were other assembly points in other country's and also other locations in the U.S.