Cobalt and G5 Production is down in Lordstown

[hyperv6]

I got to go to Lordstown today and was hoping to get the VIP tour only to find the Body Shop and the End production line Dyno's working.

They rushed us into the Body Shop to see them in production before they shut them down today. The assmebly line was already down.

It was kind of a bummer till they let us check out the car at many of the prodution line stations. We got to get right on the line and get some real up close looks at various steps on the line. That was cool and something we would have never got to due if the plant was up. Kind of nice to have the run of the house!

Lordstown is hurting for engines out of the NY plant that was damaged in the Ike winds storm that trashed the central U.S.

This is some very bad timing with GM selling a lot of Cobalts and not being able to build them. Kind of like the luck they have been having of late. Even if GM has something that is going right something always seems to happen even non self inflicted.

Oh yes we even saw a rare Cobalt with Pontiac G5 trim and special edition emblems there. It is nice to see they still can have some fun in the trim department. Our guide said they still like to mess around once in a while with one of the cars.

[Oracle of Delphi]

Oh yes we even saw a rare Cobalt with Pontiac G5 trim and special edition emblems there. It is nice to see they still can have some fun in the trim department. Our guide said they still like to mess around once in a while with one of the cars.

Do you really think GM management would allow the guys in Trim to fool around that way? Pleaseeeeeeee! More likely there was a computer glitch assigning Pontiac trim to a Chevrolet car, I've seen this many times, when a plant has two or more brands on the same platform being assembled in the same plant.

[ocnblu]

Yeah when I worked at the GM dealership in MD, we used to get Chevy pickups with GMC emblems on the doors and GMC centercaps on the wheels. I thought it was rather pathetic that the trucks got all the way to the dealership before anyone noticed or cared enough to set things right.

[hyperv6]

Do you really think GM management would allow the guys in Trim to fool around that way? Pleaseeeeeeee! More likely there was a computer glitch assigning Pontiac trim to a Chevrolet car, I've seen this many times, when a plant has two or more brands on the same platform being assembled in the same plant.

This was not an error car and it was no accident.

It had a G5 stripe that I had never seen and it also has the GM special edition emblem like they use on the HHR Shadow Edition. There were a few other details they had added.

Either way it was clear from our guide this car was not an accident and it was just something they did in plant.

To be honest it had trim part that were not on any other car I saw in the plant or any Cobalt on the road. So sorry no glitch here.

Either way it was not that great of a trim package.

Now the 09 SS sedans looked good with the larger wheels.

By the way do you think GM managment would permit unwashed outsiders like us to come in and touch cars, parts and engines on an assembly line? Yes we were seen by the plant officals and they never said a word. In fact they waited till we were done.

Edited September 28, 2008 by hyperv6

[Oracle of Delphi]

Most likely started out as an error car, and instead of scrapping the car as GM would have ordered them to do, they decided to keep it in house and make the best of it.

At the Arlington, TX truck plant, I saw one suburban come down the line with GMC on one side of the truck and Chevrolet on the other side.

At the Wilmington plant, I saw a Beretta that went through the paint department that was painted red up to the a pillar, white up to door, and blue from the door to the deck lid, all because the plant's computer went down just as the paint robots were asking the computer what color the job was supposed to be, no response from the computer and the paint robots each picked a different color paint and painted the car. I actually thought it looked good. Very American.

I have also seen a Chevy exterior with a Canadian Pontiac interior. Steering wheel was Pontiac and dash was metric, with interior badging as Pontiac, and all Chevy grille and Chevy badges outside.

[Chazman]

Most likely started out as an error car, and instead of scrapping the car as GM would have ordered them to do, they decided to keep it in house and make the best of it.

At the Arlington, TX truck plant, I saw one suburban come down the line with GMC on one side of the truck and Chevrolet on the other side.

At the Wilmington plant, I saw a Beretta that went through the paint department that was painted red up to the a pillar, white up to door, and blue from the door to the deck lid, all because the plant's computer went down just as the paint robots were asking the computer what color the job was supposed to be, no response from the computer and the paint robots each picked a different color paint and painted the car. I actually thought it looked good. Very American.

I have also seen a Chevy exterior with a Canadian Pontiac interior. Steering wheel was Pontiac and dash was metric, with interior badging as Pontiac, and all Chevy grille and Chevy badges outside.

http://img72.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mypictures081ly8.jpg

I am the original owner of this car. Under the mint black factory paint, I have identified various panels which have a coat of blue paint on them - under the black.

Edited September 28, 2008 by Chazman

[ocnblu]

That's a very nice looking Z, Chaz, and I like the all-steel roof. How much does it weigh?

[Oracle of Delphi]

http://img72.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mypictures081ly8.jpg

I am the original owner of this car. Under the mint black factory paint, I have identified various panels which have a coat of blue paint on them - under the black.

I've seen that too, I've also seen cars that went through the paint ovens 8 times, the paint became so brittle that a fingernail could chip it.

[hyperv6]

Most likely started out as an error car, and instead of scrapping the car as GM would have ordered them to do, they decided to keep it in house and make the best of it.

At the Arlington, TX truck plant, I saw one suburban come down the line with GMC on one side of the truck and Chevrolet on the other side.

At the Wilmington plant, I saw a Beretta that went through the paint department that was painted red up to the a pillar, white up to door, and blue from the door to the deck lid, all because the plant's computer went down just as the paint robots were asking the computer what color the job was supposed to be, no response from the computer and the paint robots each picked a different color paint and painted the car. I actually thought it looked good. Very American.

I have also seen a Chevy exterior with a Canadian Pontiac interior. Steering wheel was Pontiac and dash was metric, with interior badging as Pontiac, and all Chevy grille and Chevy badges outside.

Finally now your thinking!! I am shocked it took a couple post for you to figure this one out.

They take cars that are to be scapped more often than you think and do some things to them. I once saw one car converted to be used in the plant for some kind of job that I don't recall at the moment.

Also there is actually a G5 running around the complex with LNF Turbo engine and Cobalt SS wheels and options. The guy who told us said this is one that will never leave the plant.

Infact one of the cars on the roof of the plant is a G5 body shell and the older Cobalt SS/SC wheels with the big Cobalt SS wing. Not something you see often.

[Chazman]

That's a very nice looking Z, Chaz, and I like the all-steel roof. How much does it weigh?

Thanks! Probably around 3350 pounds. It's a G92 LB9/T5/BW 3.45 combo which you could only get with a hardtop - which is what wanted anyway. It also has N10 dual cats and decal delete. I had to wait a while for those dual cats due to certification issues. And the decal delete was an option no one even heard of, even the dealer.

I've got about 10,500 miles on it.

Edited September 28, 2008 by Chazman

[91z4me]

That is a 90 right Charlie?

[Chazman]

That is a 90 right Charlie?

1989.

Probably one of the last cars off the assembly line with the IROC-Z/Z28 steering wheel.

[longtooth]

Finally now your thinking!! I am shocked it took a couple post for you to figure this one out.

They take cars that are to be scapped more often than you think and do some things to them. I once saw one car converted to be used in the plant for some kind of job that I don't recall at the moment.

Also there is actually a G5 running around the complex with LNF Turbo engine and Cobalt SS wheels and options. The guy who told us said this is one that will never leave the plant.

Infact one of the cars on the roof of the plant is a G5 body shell and the older Cobalt SS/SC wheels with the big Cobalt SS wing. Not something you see often.

Wilmington's got their 'batmobile' Solstice for yard duty. They're down next week too. They were 'spec-ing' two hardtops on Friday.

[poly]

Wilmington's got their 'batmobile' Solstice for yard duty. They're down next week too. They were 'spec-ing' two hardtops on Friday.

Batmobile isn't in it's usual spot in the yard. There's a drop dead yellow targa in the lot though

[longtooth]

Batmobile isn't in it's usual spot in the yard. There's a drop dead yellow targa in the lot though

Yes, I saw that. I admire the lines of the hardtop very much and the all-yellow look of the car suits it's personality I think. Like to see a liquid-silver paint scheme adopted someday.

[BigPontiac]

Wilmington's got their 'batmobile' Solstice for yard duty. They're down next week too. They were 'spec-ing' two hardtops on Friday.

What's the batmobile?

[longtooth]

What's the batmobile?

She's a black Solstice rag-top with the black and yellow bat-signal emblem on the doors used for running around the assembly complex at Wilmington, Delaware.

[ocnblu]

HUGE SIGH... damn my budget... a Solstice Targa would be absolute HEAVEN.