1957 partially built Nomads being shipped from the Clevland Ohio plant straight up by train

[nomad]

I once saw a picture in black and white of 1957 Chevrolet Nomad bodies 3/4 of the way built and being shipped to one of the 12 Chevrolet assembly plants by train standing up on their rear bumpers with a 10 *degree angle . These cars the way I have heard it where already painted , and had their matching interior's installed . Then one of the 12 Chevrolet Assembly plants would finish installing the drive train , mount and paint blend in the nose ect. Has anyone else ever seen this picture ? Dose anyone know where I can get a copy of it ?

[Rick_L]

I don't know if I've seen a photo or not, but that's essentially the way it was done. No bumpers though, because they were shipped without a frame - and the bumper attaches to the frame.

[nomad]

Your right no frame no bumper's . I have had a friend or two claim that they remember seeing this sort of picture . They were standing up pitched forward about ten degrees . Maybe I'll call john Chamber's he may know . Thanks for the info .

[BamaNomad]

I suspect this is it, Domenic...? Shows '57 wagons as they are prepared to leave the Cleveland OH Fisher body plant... ALL Nomads and many wagons were built in this Fisher plant, complete with interior, paint, etc but minus the chassis (frame and drive train, and front body panels which were completed at one of the 10 assembly plants.

Cleveland body plant 1957.jpg

and Here are some '56 models as they arrived at an Assembly plant (in 1956) which shows the bodies on the body bucks used for shipping.

56 chevy body on buck at assembly plant_n.jpg

PS. I think I recall seeing a photo of Fisher bodies (maybe Nomads?) on a train also, but don't have a copy of it... may have been in an old NNC magazine, but as Rick said .... they didn't have bumpers at that point.

[nomad]

Bama , you say the 10 assembly plants ? They were using St. Louis for all the Corvettes, and Clevland made all the
Nomad bodies is this why you say 10 and not the 12 plants that they had ? The picture I remember seeing had all the Nomad bodies upright and loaded on the train .

[busterwivell]

I remember as a kid seeing frames stacked at an angle on railroad cars, headed to some assembly plant. We lived 3 doors from the railroad tracks, and that was an every day occurance.

[nomad]

The 1955-57 Nomads had very strange beginnings. Because the 1955-57 Nomad bodies were so different than Chevrolet's regular offerings , they used the Clevland Ohio plant to make all the " Nomad bodies ". They were painted with full interior's and then the partially completed wagon's went on a train standing almost straight up, tipped forward 10 degree's to the 12 Chevrolet assembly plants to be completed . This was so costly that these 1955-57 Nomads cost more to build, and to sell , than the Convertibles and the Corvette's.

[BamaNomad]

Domenic,

No, I stated '10' assembly plants from memory; maybe I should have verified...

I just went and checked the assembly plants for 1957, and found that they were: A - Atlanta,GAB - Baltimore,MDF - Flint, MI J - Janesville,WIK - KansasCity, MOL - LosAngeles, CAN - Norwood,OHO - Oakland,CAS - St. Louis,MOT - Tarrytown, NY. That's 10 isn't it? Am I missing one? What are the two I'm missing if there were 12 as you stated?

[nomad]

Bama , my restorer friend Bob has my worn out copie of How to restore your 57 Chevrolet by Harold Luisiana .In the rear of this book they list the assembly plants my Memorie could be off . I live about 10 miles away from the old GM assembly plant in Tarrytown NY. My friend who started working their in 1958 told me that they were making 500 cars a shift two shifts a day . That's 1,000 cars a day . Only the Oakland California plant was making more end of the year production totals than that , and not by many cars . Ancor Motors were hauling 9 cars on a trailer out of their every three min. X-2 one trailer going North and one going South . Thier were always two trailers three min . behind them . They were moving 1,000 cars a day out of the Tarrytown NY assemble plant . These were GMC tractors with big block Chevrolet gas engines , and standard transmissions .

[nomad]

Bama , you are right 10 assembly plants . I still have a place in Tarrytown NY . and can remember "Ancor Motors " delivering the loaded trailers . My friend who worked their and started in 1958 said that they made 500 cars a work shift ,with two shifts a day = 1,000 cars per day , closed Saturday and Sunday unless it was needed to be open to catch up . Just moving the 1,000 new cars out of there per day was amazing . Only the Oakland California GM plant was producing more year end totals than the Tarrytown NY. GM plant.