Is my car hand-built?

[sander]

I ordered the History Channel Automobiles episode on Porsche. Pretty good - wish it were longer, though.

I enjoyed the footage from the Factory assembly line back in the 60s, when they were still putting each car together by hand.

Anyone know approximately when Porsche first started moving to automated assembly? I know it probably happened in stages. I guess a different way to ask the question is, What was the last year that the car was entirely built by human beings with tools?

I was wondering how much of my '71 p-car was built by machines vs human hands.

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'71 911E with Webers
Golden Gate Region PCA
http://www.geocities.com/edrecinto/

[Obin Robinson]

no robots at all until i believe the early 1990s. and there are still only a few robots.

take a free tour:

http://www.us.porsche.com/english/company/onlinefactorytour/default.htm

obin

[sander]

Particularly interesting were those pictures of the man scanning the leather quality into the computer.

Kind of represents the collision of the old and the new...

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'71 911E with Webers
Golden Gate Region PCA
http://www.geocities.com/edrecinto/

[phillocks]

Went to the factory last year.
Lot of the work is still done by hand.
Toyota came in in the early 90's and robotised the body plant.
The body is fully built by robots now.

[old_skul]

I heard that up until the 90s each engine was assembled by one man, and that the engines were run at redline for an hour as quality control. And that same man was responsible for a 50 mile test drive when the car was complete.

I wonder how much of that is BS.

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Mark Szabo
1986 911 Targa 3.2
1987 Escort 5-speed 1.9 RIP
The Porsche Owners Gallery

[911pcars]

Here's a pic from '71, first production day of '72 model year. When I was there, there was a body team following the car around until it got to the paint shop. There was automation and an assembly line, but a lot of hand work went into finishing the car.



I'm planning to put more on my site, but so far, not enough time. Please check back.

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars

[cds72911]

Incredible photograph! Can't wait to see more of these.

Charlie
'72 911

[sander]

Yeah, great picture. Please let us know when you get more up on your site.

Too bad we don't know the chassis numbers. Imagine if you could have a picture of your car as it was being built at the Factory!

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'71 911E with Webers
Golden Gate Region PCA
http://www.geocities.com/edrecinto/

[911pcars]

Going camping this weekend, but I managed to squeeze in another pic on my site. Getting the serial numbers of these would be awesome and truly 4th dimensional.


Have a good weekend everyone!

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars

[Roland Kunz]

Hello

@Old_Skul

Yes the 50 mls Testdrive done by the mechanic is BS ( Bullen Sche...e ).

But in the early 356 days this things happend. Whenever there was a problem with the engine it was him to find out what and he eventually had to start researching and development to avoid that in future. Also early 356 where braked in by testdriving up to Weinsberg and have a snack ( If the mecanic was good ) or adjust the engine there. If it didn´t run well down to Stuttgart the mechanic hat to find out why it isn´t in specs.
Back in the early days the material needed much more attention. Correct adjusting to peak power startet with the first bolt on the engine.

I.E: Rolf Wütherich was a normal Mechanic at Porsche.

Today "Testdriving" is done by a Inspection driver who has to check the complete car. Testdrive is usally around 15-20 mls. You can see them driving on the puplic roads and follow them. Some trafficlights are suitet to the Porsche needs ( test the left to Stammheim after Autobahnexit Möglingen ). Most of the inspection drivers have startet as mechanics and went up trough the production. They are much pickier then any costumer. But they don´t judge the things like on a Porsche parade as they also rate how the car drives. If you drive new cars every day you well feel the slightes change.

To protect the new paint Porsche used stone chip and bug & tar protectors today well known in the US ( bra´s ). Today the protectors also have pumperettes reflecting the risks in Stuttgarts stop & go.
Wounder who will replicate it first.


1 hour full load redline is AFIR only done to the Flight engines.

Speaking from old times evry engine was built by one mechanic and after finishing he handed it over to break in. Break in is also done by enginemechanics. Braking in the MFI was a hell of a job becourse the operator had to work short time beside the hot full screaming engine to gain the correct power.

The brake in mechanics had been something like the chief mechanic. They find out who made good engines and those people got the interessting engine then. Or say it an other way the race engines where made my the best mechanics who proved there "golden hands" on constant numbers on the engine break.

All those mechanics tried to be the best on the charts.

With the 993 came the new engine assembly with the "moving carpet". Engine and mechanic are moving together to the parts stations.

The first robots came in the 80´s for the 928 assembly. The next step was the 964 who was constructet to more modern robozized manufactoring. But even they had still "handcraftet" outher structure.
The 993 was also still a high worker skill needed car.
When Mr. Oda "Kaizen" came they analyseed the factory and led there input to the new Boxster plant.

Porsche wouldn´t be able to build an old 911 as most of the craftsmen are not on the marked anymore. A roboter can not make a 911

Grüsse

[Obin Robinson]

Roland (et al),

if i scanned this in it would be too big, so i'll take the time to type it, i thought everyone would get a kick out of it:

"No matter how different Porsches may be from each other, one thing about them is always the same. The care and high standards that go into building them.

If you were to visit the 924 assembly line, the first thing you'd probably notice is that it isn't automated. And that much of each 924 is assembled by hand.

You'd see Porsche craftsmen welding sheet metal by hand. Adding melt-bituminous pads to deaden noise. Filling seams to prevent leakage. Hand-brazing external seams. And hand-sanding any irregularities in the metal.

You'd see upholstery being hand-sewn and hand-fitted. Porsche bodies (which are already extremely rust-resistant due to our new zinc galvanizing process) treated with polymer under-coating, for added protectin against rust, corrosion and stone damage. And you'd see 924's being painted and painted again. By hand.

But no matter how meticulously our craftsman put a 924 together, it doesn't automatically become a new 924.

There are inspectors along the assembly line who check each part and system, paying particular attention to safety. They use x-rays to check some of the tinier and more complex parts. Dynamometers to test engines. And if anything isn't exactly right, it's rejected.

Impressive? Perhaps, but Porsche doesn't stop there.

That's why, at each shift, a supervisory group of inspectors selects a car at random and has it completely checked out. They go over all the parts our craftsman have put together so skillfully, and our inspectors have checked with such scrutiny.

And it isn't until all of our inspectors are completely satisfied, that a 924 rolls off the assembly line."

copyright 1976 Porsche+Audi Division, Volkswagen of America, Inc.
33-76-76011 Printed in Germany, SVA Ludwigsburg.

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if i had the bandwidth, i'd scan the brochure in and post the pics here. they are HUGE though, and to properly see them, you'd want them to be high-res.

obin