Very large addition being added to Flint assembly.

revrnd · October 8

16 minutes ago, Z45 said:

Oshawa built LD and HD Silverado's, per their web site

https://www.gm.ca/en/home/company/canada/oshawa.html

I hadn't heard that they were only building Chevs. If I'm on a dealer lot, I'm not looking @ GMCs, so I wouldn't have noticed none had a VIN starting w/ a 2.

revrnd · October 8

18 hours ago, 64BAwagon said:

I will break this down as best I can. This is my understanding of the mix based on what I have been told and my history in Pontiac.

The Flint plant is building the 2500 and 3500 trucks in multiple configurations, I believe single, double and crew. The 2500/3500 pickups are built in crew cab primarily right now.

There is no longer any medium production in Flint. Those are produced in a collaborative with International.

Fort Wayne is double cab 1500's right now and the 1500 crews I understand are built in Silao Mexico and maybe ? Arlington TX.

Oshawa builds I believe just the 2500/3500 crew and no other.

The Pontiac complex had quite a few plants that produced pretty much every conceivable GM truck from RTS busses to Astro class 8's to RV's along with every pickup configuration and the S10 blazer, GMCS15 Jimmy and Olds Bravada in Plant 1. Their engineering center was there also. It was a sprawling complex and has all but disappeared and been torn down.

I'm guessing the MDs were built on a separate line? Yes, I was aware the current MD is a joint venture w/ Navistar.

After Oshawa's closure in 2009, guys I knew were avoiding the 1500 crew cabs, so they would be buying a truck built in the US.

Yes, GM Truck & Bus was HQed in Pontiac. I don't recall my father spending much time there. If he was in Pontiac it was when he was involved in HD truck production in Oshawa prior to the 1965 Auto Pact when MD & HD production ended.

Other plants he travelled to Baltimore in the 70s when it was still a truck plant (our '79 crew cab was built there)

Morraine S truck plant. To check out a multi spindle tool for bolting the TBI to the intake.

Possibly Paquette Ave in Detroit when Oshawa was building P truck & school bus chassis. I know he mentioned being there at some point.

Edited October 8 by revrnd

revrnd · October 8

17 hours ago, 64BAwagon said:

I know things have changed and it hard to keep up. Last I heard was Ft Wayne didnt build crews but obviously that has changed. I had heard that Oshawa had built flexibility into their lines so the 1500 builds there make sense. I was told the big addition in progress at Flint was for the body shop so that may also bring some future changes. I know they focus on crew cabs there likely due to the higher values. I forgot about Oshawa building just Chevys. This could all change tomorrow, who knows.

It's possible the cab & box changes are such that the existing tooling can't be 'kitted' to build the next generation? I know some of our changeovers were complete new body shops. The GMT800 to GMT900 was basically retooling existing equipment. After a certain point we were able to build both models w/o any line stoppages.

I don't have anyone on the inside after the 'interim' Truck Plant closed & everyone (including my younger brother) was 'retired' so no details on operations.

Edited October 8 by revrnd

64BAwagon · October 8

The 2027 HD will be a mid cycle mechanical refresh. Some minor changes to the body cosmetics, not much else.

Both the gas and the new 8.3 Dmax will have significant changes in order to chase EPA mandates.

@revrnd Oshawa seems like the utility infielder of assembly plants. LOL

Edited October 8 by 64BAwagon

revrnd · 2024-11-20T21:29:38Z

After reading the thread about no production OT, I got to thinking about this thread. Are any trades working weekend OT? I know during the lead up to the GMT900 changeover (the last 1 I was involved w/ back in the day), quite a bit of the retooling was done on weekends to rework/install/verify new tooling. Is it possible the no production on Saturdays in Flint could be tied to this? Or is it too soon for that stage of the program?

redwngr · 2024-11-20T23:34:36Z

On 10/8/2024 at 11:04 AM, revrnd said:

I hadn't heard that they were only building Chevs. If I'm on a dealer lot, I'm not looking @ GMCs, so I wouldn't have noticed none had a VIN starting w/ a 2.

And maybe only crew cab?

revrnd · 2024-11-21T00:13:41Z

39 minutes ago, redwngr said:

And maybe only crew cab?

I'm not sure. I'm in the city next week, so I can drive by & check.

Their website is kind of vague:

I know when we were looking for a truck in Sept', we tried 3/4 ton, 6.6 L gasser double cabs w/ the LT trim & only about 3 came up. Change it to crew cab & there were at least a dozen.

Edited 11 hours ago by revrnd

redwngr · 2024-11-21T01:38:16Z

Webpage does say what cab/box versions

Oshawa Assembly | General Motors Canada

redwngr · 2024-11-21T01:47:54Z

This video was put out when truck production restarted at Oshawa. (and everyone was wearing masks....)

All vehicles seem to be crew and standard box -- but this may have changed since then,

redwngr · 2024-11-21T02:07:33Z

This is a recent tour of Oshawa -- but it's not GM produced.

They did say no 8 ft boxes, so all HD's are standard box.

Unless I missed it, they didn't say if 1500's are built with both short and standard box

revrnd · 2024-11-21T02:12:33Z

I guess the old Truck Plant (the 1 worked in) was ahead of it time. We built short & long boxes (step sides & fleetsides), 1/2, 3/4 & 1 tons (SRWs) & dually chassis cabs.