Early production... - CEG Archives

SVT Contours were not built on the same assembly line as the regular ones. Kansas City yes, but in a different part of the facility.

the made a few svt contours but only for show and marketing purposes, prolly 2 - 4 months after November of 96, production re-started..

dammn my car MUST be in magazines

Originally posted by CodeRed18s:
SVT Contours were not built on the same assembly line as the regular ones. Kansas City yes, but in a different part of the facility.

Hate to burst your bubble , but from what I was told years ago by a Ford/SVT employee , CSVTs were made on the same line , at the same time as non-SVTs . The same guys that were building the GL's , SE's & whatnot were putting the SVT's together also . An SVT could've been surrounded by base-model Contours on the line - it didn't matter . They were nothing more than just another car to the guys on the line , unfortunately . No special line , no special assemblers , no special treatment

Originally posted by Buddy Palumbo:

Originally posted by CodeRed18s:
SVT Contours were not built on the same assembly line as the regular ones. Kansas City yes, but in a different part of the facility.

Hate to burst your bubble , but from what I was told years ago by a Ford/SVT employee , CSVTs were made on the same line , at the same time as non-SVTs . The same guys that were building the GL's , SE's & whatnot were putting the SVT's together also . An SVT could've been surrounded by base-model Contours on the line - it didn't matter . They were nothing more than just another car to the guys on the line , unfortunately . No special line , no special assemblers , no special treatment .

Hentz is why it was known as the poor man's BMW, Ford wanted to cheeply put together a nice comfertable 4 door performance sedan. Something that was quick, fun to drive, and could be used as a family car to go on trips in, and thats exactly what they got out of it, which would more explain why they had it on the same production line as the rest of the contours, because it was hella cheaper to do that, rather then use their SVT engineers to put them together, that would cost more labor wise. But this makes me wounder, how much different reliability wise would the SVTC be if they had used SVT engineers to put it together? Or would it be no different?

so why was ford building 98 svtc while they were still producing 97's. or is my 97 just one of the last ones before they switched to full production of 98's

Originally posted by striker2:
so why was ford building 98 svtc while they were still producing 97's. or is my 97 just one of the last ones before they switched to full production of 98's

my car has stamped all over the place about parts being built in like early October, hell even my E0's centercap have a manufacture date of September of 96..its mind boggling how early production this car is.

Wasn't the SVT a glimpse of what the standard tours were to look like? Like mid-way through 97 they showed the SVT as "this is what the new body style will look like"?

Interestingly the new body style came out in 96 for Europe, so I would imagine that SVT had first dibs on this from US Ford's pre-production (just wild speculation though).

"the made a few svt contours but only for show and marketing purposes, prolly 2 - 4 months after November of 96, production re-started.. "

Opps, sorry, above is why.

It is the SVT motors that are built differently, not the whole cars.

Oh, and the 1998+ wasn't a new "body style", but a new front and rear end. The bodyshell, and doors stayed the same.

Originally posted by CodeRed18s:
"the made a few svt contours but only for show and marketing purposes, prolly 2 - 4 months after November of 96, production re-started.. "

Opps, sorry, above is why.

It is the SVT motors that are built differently, not the whole cars.

Oh, and the 1998+ wasn't a new "body style", but a new front and rear end. The bodyshell, and doors stayed the same.

The SVT plastics, newer stiffer suspension, dual exhaust and all that good stuff. Early production cars were made for the media such as magazines and other automotive tests to compare the car to which class it belongs to. Now I may not be 100% true but this is what the guy at SVT said when he told me my build number over the phone and was in shock himself. He took down my phone and home address too.

i dunno how many are still alive from number 1 to 8

Originally posted by SVT3Rivieres:
i dunno how many are still alive from number 1 to 8

numero 6 is on the boards, he posts here and there..

ok.. but i doubt #1 still alive... hum maybe she's in a museum

Originally posted by Stinky Brown Paki!:

Originally posted by SVT3Rivieres:
i dunno how many are still alive from number 1 to 8

numero 6 is on the boards, he posts here and there..

I believe he goes by "spdsk8r"

It makes no sense to me why they would build SVT's in a different section of the factory or give them special treatment. It's just another Contour that they had to put some minor different parts on. The differences between the SVTs and the plainjane Contours were so miniscule during production,they probably hardly even noticed it was an SVT rolling down the line.

As for myself,I build the seats for thy Chrysler LX cars (300,Charger,Magnum),and we run the seats for all 3 cars down the same lines,whether they be 60/40 split rears,fullback rears,Charger,Magnum,300,power buckets,manual buckets,whatever. The only differences in our day is the occasional run of SRT-8 seats we get,which require a small amount of extra work,like making sure the proper larger bolstered foam is used,they take a few extra hog rings,you have to take more care rolling the covers,ad then when the seats are done being build,they are taken offline and ironed and finessed until they look as perfect as we can get them,whereas all other seats just roll down the line. At the Chrysler assembly plant,they run all 3 cars down the same lines as well,300s,Chargers,Magnums,and an SRT8 will follow a base model SE down the line. It's just another car to us/them,it makes no difference. I beleive all DCX assembly has to do is a little bit of paperwork for the SRT8s,like Ford did with the SVTs. Up until recently,we had tracking sheets for the SRT8 seats when we built them,but they are no longer used. As far as I know all the SRT8 cars have a limited production sequence badge in the engine bay or something,somewhere in the vehicle.

hahashahhaahhahaaa

Originally posted by Zetec_B:
As for myself,I build the seats for thy Chrysler LX cars (300,Charger,Magnum),and we run the seats for all 3 cars down the same lines

You guys ever purposely mess up and put the wrong stuff in a car?

My high school vocational auto instructor told us stories when he worked for a Lincoln-Mercury dealer how they'd get a new Town Car with a Lincoln badge on one side, and a Ford badge on the other.

He always told us the story of his 69 Cougar Eliminator that he special ordered... was always telling us how "I ordered it yellow but it came orange, right from the factory."

You know, stuff like that...

--------------------

Oh, and I bet at least 1 of the early SVTs was a crash tester.

Originally posted by Zetec_B:
It makes no sense to me why they would build SVT's in a different section of the factory or give them special treatment. It's just another Contour that they had to put some minor different parts on. The differences between the SVTs and the plainjane Contours were so miniscule during production,they probably hardly even noticed it was an SVT rolling down the line.

As for myself,I build the seats for thy Chrysler LX cars (300,Charger,Magnum),and we run the seats for all 3 cars down the same lines,whether they be 60/40 split rears,fullback rears,Charger,Magnum,300,power buckets,manual buckets,whatever. The only differences in our day is the occasional run of SRT-8 seats we get,which require a small amount of extra work,like making sure the proper larger bolstered foam is used,they take a few extra hog rings,you have to take more care rolling the covers,ad then when the seats are done being build,they are taken offline and ironed and finessed until they look as perfect as we can get them,whereas all other seats just roll down the line. At the Chrysler assembly plant,they run all 3 cars down the same lines as well,300s,Chargers,Magnums,and an SRT8 will follow a base model SE down the line. It's just another car to us/them,it makes no difference. I beleive all DCX assembly has to do is a little bit of paperwork for the SRT8s,like Ford did with the SVTs. Up until recently,we had tracking sheets for the SRT8 seats when we built them,but they are no longer used. As far as I know all the SRT8 cars have a limited production sequence badge in the engine bay or something,somewhere in the vehicle.

Cause SRT-8 is just another trim model whereas SVT used to be a Seperate identity.

and there are actually a bunch of things different on the cars. Its not just "throw intake manifold B on car 2"

In 1970, I bought a new 340 Duster off the showroom floor. Couldn't figure out why it was so much faster than other 340 Dusters until two years later when I put a 440 in it. My Duster had the 340 sixpack (from the AAR Cuda) motor with a 4 barrel intake and carb on it.

When I talked to the guy at Ford SVT, he told me the first days production were monitored, tweaked and inspected by the SVT Engineers. He also said mine was used for journalistic evaluations.

Originally posted by spdsk8r:

When I talked to the guy at Ford SVT, he told me the first days production were monitored, tweaked and inspected by the SVT Engineers. He also said mine was used for journalistic evaluations.

in other words, it was beat to hell!

Originally posted by ElKy:

Originally posted by spdsk8r:

When I talked to the guy at Ford SVT, he told me the first days production were monitored, tweaked and inspected by the SVT Engineers. He also said mine was used for journalistic evaluations.

in other words, it was beat to hell!

yeah, remember the SVT guy that was at SZ 04 that talked about a black one that was crashed at a track/press event in PA and that they had to drive it back to Michigan afterwards

Originally posted by BrApple:

Originally posted by ElKy:

Originally posted by spdsk8r:

When I talked to the guy at Ford SVT, he told me the first days production were monitored, tweaked and inspected by the SVT Engineers. He also said mine was used for journalistic evaluations.

in other words, it was beat to hell!

yeah, remember the SVT guy that was at SZ 04 that talked about a black one that was crashed at a track/press event in PA and that they had to drive it back to Michigan afterwards

are you talking about when he was telling us he rolled a brand new lightning?

Originally posted by ElKy:

Originally posted by BrApple:

Originally posted by ElKy:

Originally posted by spdsk8r:

When I talked to the guy at Ford SVT, he told me the first days production were monitored, tweaked and inspected by the SVT Engineers. He also said mine was used for journalistic evaluations.

in other words, it was beat to hell!

yeah, remember the SVT guy that was at SZ 04 that talked about a black one that was crashed at a track/press event in PA and that they had to drive it back to Michigan afterwards

are you talking about when he was telling us he rolled a brand new lightning?

yeah either before or after that

Originally posted by spdsk8r:

When I talked to the guy at Ford SVT, he told me the first days production were monitored, tweaked and inspected by the SVT Engineers. He also said mine was used for journalistic evaluations.

yupp I was told that too, mine was more for shows is what he was telling me but I agree with elky, it was beat to sh!t before auctioned off to someone else

Originally posted by Tourige:

Originally posted by Zetec_B:
It makes no sense to me why they would build SVT's in a different section of the factory or give them special treatment. It's just another Contour that they had to put some minor different parts on. The differences between the SVTs and the plainjane Contours were so miniscule during production,they probably hardly even noticed it was an SVT rolling down the line.

As for myself,I build the seats for thy Chrysler LX cars (300,Charger,Magnum),and we run the seats for all 3 cars down the same lines,whether they be 60/40 split rears,fullback rears,Charger,Magnum,300,power buckets,manual buckets,whatever. The only differences in our day is the occasional run of SRT-8 seats we get,which require a small amount of extra work,like making sure the proper larger bolstered foam is used,they take a few extra hog rings,you have to take more care rolling the covers,ad then when the seats are done being build,they are taken offline and ironed and finessed until they look as perfect as we can get them,whereas all other seats just roll down the line. At the Chrysler assembly plant,they run all 3 cars down the same lines as well,300s,Chargers,Magnums,and an SRT8 will follow a base model SE down the line. It's just another car to us/them,it makes no difference. I beleive all DCX assembly has to do is a little bit of paperwork for the SRT8s,like Ford did with the SVTs. Up until recently,we had tracking sheets for the SRT8 seats when we built them,but they are no longer used. As far as I know all the SRT8 cars have a limited production sequence badge in the engine bay or something,somewhere in the vehicle.

Cause SRT-8 is just another trim model whereas SVT used to be a Seperate identity.

and there are actually a bunch of things different on the cars. Its not just "throw intake manifold B on car 2"

Not really,the SRT8's and Charger Daytonas are all limited production special models just like the SVT's were. They are the top of the line models,and while the main structure of the car might be the same as every other one,they get all the upgraded parts like the SVT's did. Engines are different,interior trim is different,suspension,brakes and wheels are all different.....hmmm.....aren't SVT's like that?

I'm not gonna argue,I don't work at Ford,I don't know how they built the cars,but it just doesn't make sense for them to have built them off in a corner while Chrysler can run several models down the same line,and build a base model Magnum wagon with cloth seats,steel rims and a 2.7L V6,and the car behind it can be a Charger SRT8 with all the options. SRT is Chrysler's performance division,so it's no different than SVT is to Ford.

well I believe that variable assembly line that can run several models at once are a relatively new thing, I know Toyota was the first a few years ago, so at the time the contour was made it might not have been possible to run them at the same time as the regular contours

I think what you're talking about is completely different cars. Ford definitely could have ran SVTs on the same line as regular Contours and probably did, I haven't heard definite fact what was done.

sorta off the subject but one of my CVST's has "Road & Track" stamped on the metal plaque that is riveted onto the radiator support... anyone know what the hell that means? Anyone else have that on their car?

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
I think what you're talking about is completely different cars. Ford definitely could have ran SVTs on the same line as regular Contours and probably did, I haven't heard definite fact what was done.

I'll say it again ... The SVT Contours were run down the same line , at the same time as all other Contours . They were not made on another line , not off in a corner , not by special hands , not in another facility , etc , etc . Apart from the pre-production CSVT's getting a couple "extra looks" , they were surrounded on the line by all other trim levels of Contours . There is no mystery here .

Originally posted by spdsk8r:
In 1970, I bought a new 340 Duster off the showroom floor. Couldn't figure out why it was so much faster than other 340 Dusters until two years later when I put a 440 in it. My Duster had the 340 sixpack (from the AAR Cuda) motor with a 4 barrel intake and carb on it.

That is interesting. Aside from the intake and 3 carbs, was there really that much difference in the two 340's? The heads were different but really only as far as valve angle. The valves were the same size AFAIK. Not sure about compression ratio but if it was different, it wasn't much. Maybe rear end ratio had something to do with it being quicker (faster?). I'd sure like to find a six pack motor for my Cuda.

Karl

Compression was higher, different cam, more efficient valve angle. The power curve was slightly higher, this motor pulled to 7K. Duster ran 13.90's stock with just carb and distributer tuning. That's with 3.55 gears.

Originally posted by NVMYSVT:
sorta off the subject but one of my CVST's has "Road & Track" stamped on the metal plaque that is riveted onto the radiator support... anyone know what the hell that means? Anyone else have that on their car?

maybe it was used by them, or maybe beat to crap by them. who knows

Originally posted by Buddy Palumbo:

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
I think what you're talking about is completely different cars. Ford definitely could have ran SVTs on the same line as regular Contours and probably did, I haven't heard definite fact what was done.

I'll say it again ... The SVT Contours were run down the same line , at the same time as all other Contours . They were not made on another line , not off in a corner , not by special hands , not in another facility , etc , etc . Apart from the pre-production CSVT's getting a couple "extra looks" , they were surrounded on the line by all other trim levels of Contours . There is no mystery here .

Exactly. The multi-model assembly lines are not new. Longbranch in England that produced The Austin Minis ran the standard saloons down the line,as well as all variations of the Mini models including the pickups,panel vans,wagons and convertables......for 40 years.

Originally posted by Zetec_B:

Originally posted by Buddy Palumbo:

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
I think what you're talking about is completely different cars. Ford definitely could have ran SVTs on the same line as regular Contours and probably did, I haven't heard definite fact what was done.

I'll say it again ... The SVT Contours were run down the same line , at the same time as all other Contours . They were not made on another line , not off in a corner , not by special hands , not in another facility , etc , etc . Apart from the pre-production CSVT's getting a couple "extra looks" , they were surrounded on the line by all other trim levels of Contours . There is no mystery here .

Exactly. The multi-model assembly lines are not new. Longbranch in England that produced The Austin Minis ran the standard saloons down the line,as well as all variations of the Mini models including the pickups,panel vans,wagons and convertables......for 40 years.

When I worked at the GM plant in Van Nuys, CA, it was common to mix differet models. The Corvair was assembled on the same line as full size Chevies (Impalas and the like) for a few years. When the Camaro was introduced, it also was mixed with full size Chevies for a while. When the Firebird was introduced, it took the place of some of the Camaros. For a while, full sized Chevies were also mixed with Malibus. There was also a while where only Camaros and Firebirds were produced. A nearby plant in Southgate, CA, produced Buicks, Oldsmobiles, and Pontiacs on the same line, and that was when they all used different engines.

Although I never saw the Contour assembly line, I'm certain, from my general assembly line experience, that the Contour SVT was just another car on the same assembly line. It would have been far to expensive to have done it any other way.

Again, it was the C-SVT 2.5 motors that had a separate [sorta] assembly, with some getting 'autographs' on them.

Originally posted by Y2KGreenSE:
Again, it was the C-SVT 2.5 motors that had a separate [sorta] assembly, with some getting 'autographs' on them.

I have yet to see one with an "official" autograph on it ...

Originally posted by Y2KGreenSE:
Again, it was the C-SVT 2.5 motors that had a separate [sorta] assembly, with some getting 'autographs' on them.

I thought only the cobras (maybe lightnings) got autographs?

Originally posted by Y2KGreenSE:
Again, it was the C-SVT 2.5 motors that had a separate [sorta] assembly, with some getting 'autographs' on them.

I thought only the cobras and (maybe lightnings) got autographs?

Originally posted by spdsk8r:
When I talked to the guy at Ford SVT, he told me the first days production were monitored, tweaked and inspected by the SVT Engineers. He also said mine was used for journalistic evaluations.

Maybe yours is also the car on the front of all the 1998 brochures and sales paperwork?

Originally posted by Y2KGreenSE:
Again, it was the C-SVT 2.5 motors that had a separate [sorta] assembly, with some getting 'autographs' on them.

No way. Our motors were not built on the niche line.

Originally posted by Y2KGreenSE:
Again, it was the C-SVT 2.5 motors that had a separate [sorta] assembly, with some getting 'autographs' on them.

My engine has a autograph!

Decpeticon is the shitz EH!

Would that be autographed with an Arc Welder?

-Steve