Starting From Scratch
Each Camaro begins its journey down the assembly in several places. The body begins to take shape as the floorpan and steel bodysides are welded together. Ste. Therese doesn't stamp any of the sheetmetal parts; they're delivered pre-made. Some other GM plants, however, have an on-site stamping facility.
As the body is welded together and the composite body parts added, it continues down the line to the paint shop. (Camaros are painted with an environmentally friendly waterborne paint system.) Once painted, interior and exterior trim are added. At the same time, the drivetrain is assembled on a different line within the plant.
Just like the computerized tracking system ensures components are delivered "just in time," so, too, does another computer system ensure that the components are installed correctly. Throughout the plant many work stations have computer-controlled torque wrenches, for example. Not only are the wrenches programmed to cinch bolts to the specified torque, but the tool senses whether the bolt was installed correctly. If it detects, say, a cross-threaded bolt, the computer alerts the worker, and the bolt is removed and reinstalled.
Checked And Double-Checked
As fascinating as it was to watch the progress of a Camaro going from small scraps of stamped steel to a rolling finished product, the reality of the process is mostly unremarkable-and we mean that in a positive way. The workers move efficiently and quickly through their jobs, and the line rolls along virtually silent. There were no giant stamping sounds, nor the whir of air guns.
The biggest sound we heard was the blare of French-language pop music emanating from many a work station. As French is the dominating culture in Quebec, it is the dominant language in the plant. Asking workers about their jobs often required a translator...that 10th grade French class obviously didn't stick with us.
Near the end of the assembly line, a battery of final inspections is performed under bright fluorescent lights. Once drivable, the cars scurry off the line, over a series of tall bumps in the floor (to help settle the tight, new suspension), and into a chassis dyno-type bay. Here, the wheels are aligned, the headlamps are aimed, and other various adjustments are completed.
From here, most of the cars are driven outside to Ste. Therese's on-site rail yard. Some, though, are selected for a special 12- to 15-kilometer road test. These "audit" vehicles are put through a series of surface-street and freeway checks. Z28s that are destined to become SSs are loaded onto trucks for a trip to SLP's nearby conversion facility. They're returned to the same rail yard upon completion.
Like we said at the beginning of the story, this isn't about the death of the Camaro, it's about its birth. However, the F-car platform won't conform to certain 2003 Federal side-crash standards. So, the end is coming.
Our advice is to get yourself a new Camaro while you can. It's a heck of a performance value, and those Quebecers sure know how to build 'em.