Have you ever wanted to see how early assembly lines worked? Thanks to YouTube it is possible to see how Chevrolets were assembled in 1936 at the Flint, Michigan plant. Each step of the building process is captured on film from the creation of the frame to the final product. The early Chevrolet production film starts out by showing the machinery used in creating the frames for Chevrolet vehicles.
This machinery looks archaic, but consider this: this machinery produced quality vehicles, many of which are still on the road today. When compared to the modern counterparts, these machines seem simplistic but pre-OSHA dangerous. As the viewer goes on this tour, it is possible to see how man and machine worked together to create coupes and sedans. Throughout the process one can see that the employees had to be on top of their game or face the potential for serious injury.
Along with the potential for injury, these employees needed plenty of strength to perform many of the tasks that modern machines handle now days. Lifting and moving large or heavy parts for hours on end helped these workers build both strength and endurance over the course of a shift.
Many parts of the process required these workers to work with both speed and precision to complete the more technical aspects of the build process. Again, finesse was required during the inspection process where workers checked for flaws in the body. Machines can do a lot of the hard work on the assembly line, but spotting slight imperfections is something that requires a human touch. Overall, this film documented the relationship between man and machine, which resulted in production of some of the finest cars on the road.