[Keith Seymore]

This is how we used these sheets -

There were usually a couple complete sets throughout the plant; one in the Inspection office, and one in the Production office, for example, perhaps another up front in the administrative offices.

They were stored in large three ring binders, usually with a couple groupings per book, that is: UPC 0 and 1 might be in one binder, then 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 in another, and then another for 7,8, etc. UPC 12, being fairly large, might get it's own book.

We would receive a new, complete set prior to the model changeover. We'd take the old pages out and pitch them, replacing them with the new pages for the new model (they were divided by those manila "tabs", so you could find the appropriate area relatively quickly). During the year, as changes were made, we would receive updates, and would remove the obsolete page or two and insert the replacement. All of these old pages were thrown away.

Changes were driven by the engineering release documents ("Engineering Change Authorization", or ECA; or "Engineering Work Orders" - EWO), which flowed into the plant in terms of an ECS - Engineering Change Summary. This usually handled any changes to the specifications, or part release, and if there was a corresponding PAD change it would be tied to that in the documentation. There was a specific group of "artists" that updated the drawings, derived from the original engineering blueprints but "stylized" into the more cartoon form you see here. Our own Eric White (gtoric) performed this function for a few years.

For those who don't know, the various UPC groupings break down as follows (I'm going from memory):

0 = labels
1 = body structure
2 = frame
3 = front axle/suspension
4 = rear axle/ suspension
5 = brakes
6 = engine
7 = trans & controls
8 = exhaust
9 = steering
10 = tires/wheels
11 = rad support, front end structure
12 = electrical
13 = radiator and cooling
14 = bumpers
15 = export/misc

We normally did not use the PADs or PDMs to determine how and axle or a bracket might go on (those were usually pretty obvious) but often referred to them to clarify wire routings, particularly when a harness or cable had to be "staged" somewhere other than its final position during processing. We also would refer to them to settle where the various labels and other less obvious items would go. Lastly, torques and actual part numbers were handy things to know but in recent years that information has been removed.

Finally, I should mention that the assembly line workers themselves did not refer to these documents; if they had a question it would have been addressed through their supervisor, in concert with the Inspection foreman (or some other Salaried Inspection rep), who would have checked into it and gotten back with the various operators (ie, all done through the Salaried workforce, never hourly). We have, in more recent years, begun placing this information line side for reference and documentation of workload at a particular assembly station.

The versions you are seeing were likely bootlegged out, and then copied, and copies from those copies, etc. It never occurred to me at the time that we should keep any of those discarded sheets.

K