Are there mistakes done at the factory on the assembly line?

[rodster]

This is what I like to see. These are things that we can learn from about the cars and am glad you have shared your "paint traveler". I would like to have a database of AAD sheets that have been left in cars that needed repairs on the assembly line. It would be interesting to see what is out there

Funny thing is that when I went to the body guy the other day, he talked about how the paint jobs back then were not that great. I pointed out some imperfections and he told me straight out that cars came that way and the single stage paint does not tolerate not being taken care of that well. I have some imperfections on one area and I think it is solvent pop or something and he said it was prob from armor-all that was over sprayed in the wheel well that attacked the paint a bit and caused some of it.

Glad to share. Based on what I've seen I think your car could have been delivered the way it was shown in your original post. It was all about getting cars out back in the day. Just my opinion. I've seen many factory defects on original cars.

In the big picture, that little item does not matter too much considering the overall quality and condition of your car. I wouldn't dwell on it any longer.

Regarding paint imperfections and solvent pops, my 83 TBird is a perfect example. I bought it new, took very good care of it, no Armor-All and I have some pops/spots on the hood and roof. Do I like it? No. Can I do anything about it? No. Has to be a paint issue from the factory. Warranty is over.

Here it is with 130k+ miles. Anyone can pick it apart, I really don't care.

[mrmustang]

Glad to share. Based on what I've seen I think your car could have been delivered the way it was shown in your original post. It was all about getting cars out back in the day. Just my opinion. I've seen many factory defects on original cars.

In the big picture, that little item does not matter too much considering the overall quality and condition of your car. I wouldn't dwell on it any longer.

Regarding paint imperfections and solvent pops, my 83 TBird is a perfect example. I bought it new, took very good care of it, no Armor-All and I have some pops/spots on the hood and roof. Do I like it? No. Can I do anything about it? No. Has to be a paint issue from the factory. Warranty is over.

Here it is with 130k+ miles. Anyone can pick it apart, I really don't care.

Infamous Silver paint, not just a Ford issue in the time period, but GM and Dodge as well. All bought their Silver paint from the same manufacturer, all had issues of one kind or another, some taken care of under warranty, others, years down the road, fought for, but lost in court. I saw plenty of these through my old shop, some coming off in sheets due to contamination in the primer paintline, others from contamination in the batch(es) of raw paint product. Others from a paintline stoppage which caused excess time in the paint drying area.....Oh so many others years later, at different manufacturers, who did not learn from the previous mistakes of others. Same occurred with certain whites of the same time period, mostly on the truck line, where the paint came off the hoods in sheets, and 6" wide and 4' long strips, like opening a cellophane wrapped product.

Bill S.

[gr79]

Errors can still happen now even if qc tightens 10x.
Seen bins, pallets, or boxes of new parts for the lines dropped, mishandled, or spilled all over the floor during handling.
If no boss is looking, they are simply dumped, swept up, repacked, if not visually damaged or dirty. No tell no see.
Parts may be ok, may not be. Sensors, pistons, belt tensioners, alum oil pans, alum rims. Seen it.
Nothing gets sent back to mfgr unless approved. Sometimes a rework or reinspection area was set up.
JIt delivery no extra parts on hand. Inventory is tight and missing new parts show up eventually during inventory checks.
If boss catches this happening, one may be headed out the door. Better be honest or have a good story.
Boss does his job because he has a family to feed too.
Especially if u-r-not unionized or fail the mandatory drug test. Work rules and safety policies.
Depends on company policy for damage before disciplinary action or how much they value you.
Even if company is short on workers. Thus adds to worker shortage. Or get suspended or wrote up.
Depends on labor market. Other companies will hire you and dismiss the past if not serious.

Never was or will be a perfect world building automotive products with perceived perfection.
Much more picky now than in the 80's. Customer pays for all. Profit vs who eats what.
Has not seemed to make cars last longer nor easier to work on.
Reduced cost of parts, labor, or manufacturing savings is passed to shareholders not customers.
Increased costs, mistakes, are passed onto consumers more now than ever.
Where have the customer's bean counters gone?

Mgmt got caught once trying to reuse reclaimed reworked diesel truck catalyst bricks. Detroit Diesel sent them back.
Someone forgot to erase all the qc markings indicating defects. Got caught even being rewelded into their metal cans.
Sent to quarantine area and were re-reworked correctly.
New parts are scrapped at last resort. Scrapping or shutting down production lines is very costly. The gray areas exist.

[1984GTTurboVert]

Infamous Silver paint, not just a Ford issue in the time period, but GM and Dodge as well. All bought their Silver paint from the same manufacturer, all had issues of one kind or another, some taken care of under warranty, others, years down the road, fought for, but lost in court. I saw plenty of these through my old shop, some coming off in sheets due to contamination in the primer paintline, others from contamination in the batch(es) of raw paint product. Others from a paintline stoppage which caused excess time in the paint drying area.....Oh so many others years later, at different manufacturers, who did not learn from the previous mistakes of others. Same occurred with certain whites of the same time period, mostly on the truck line, where the paint came off the hoods in sheets, and 6" wide and 4' long strips, like opening a cellophane wrapped product.

Bill S.

I remember there being white trucks from both dodge and ford with peeled up hoods everywhere back in the 90s.
I never heard about the silver paint thing though.

Glad to share. Based on what I've seen I think your car could have been delivered the way it was shown in your original post. It was all about getting cars out back in the day. Just my opinion. I've seen many factory defects on original cars.

In the big picture, that little item does not matter too much considering the overall quality and condition of your car. I wouldn't dwell on it any longer.

Regarding paint imperfections and solvent pops, my 83 TBird is a perfect example. I bought it new, took very good care of it, no Armor-All and I have some pops/spots on the hood and roof. Do I like it? No. Can I do anything about it? No. Has to be a paint issue from the factory. Warranty is over.

Here it is with 130k+ miles. Anyone can pick it apart, I really don't care.

Do you have any close up shots of the paint problems you have on it?
Nice car btw, have an 83 heritage me self same tu-tone exterior.