How Corvettes Are Made: The Birth of America's Sports Car

My husband, Nick, helped delivere a "baby" in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Cradled in her leather, ivory seat, he inserted the key into the dashboard, and with one turn to the right, she let out "her" first mean cry - Vvvvvvrroooommm....rooom rooooom rooooom. Like a new father, Nick admired this 50^th Anniversary Edition Corvette, proud to have aided in her birth.

The end of the assembly line at the Bowling Green Assembly plant is where all new 'Vettes come off the conveyor to touch the ground for the first time. It takes 36 hours for them to wind through seven miles of conveyor systems, laid out in a building that covers the size of almost 22 football fields. This doesn't include the years of design, planning, testing, and camouflaging the car to avoid spy photographers, anxious to get a glimpse prior to production.

Approximately 18 cars are "born" per hour, with a total of 160 per day, and almost 37,000 in a year, including coupes, convertibles, and the fastest car ever made by Chevrolet and General Motors - the Corvette Z06.

Monday through Friday, tour guides take 50,000 visitors, annually, through the plant to shed light on how Corvettes are conceived.

"Let's talk first about paint," says the guide, a studious looking, local college student with glasses, as he pointed to the color wheel in the lobby. "There are eight color options for 2006: Black, Artic White, Machine Silver, Le Mans Blue, Velocity Yellow, Monterey Red, Victory Red, and Daytona Sunset Orange."

"Dupont manufactures the paint and keeps engineers on site to ensure quality. All exterior panels are made of a plastic polymer material, which receive three coats of paint: one coat of primer, one coat of color, and a final clear coat application. Paint is applied primarily in enclosed booths by robots programmed to ensure every edge, corner and flat surface of a panel are properly covered."

To keep dirt out, employees wear lint-resistant uniforms and must enter a special chamber which blows all dust and lint off them before entering the shop.

Motioning the group to follow him, the tour guide led them into the dark, dreary assembly plant. Its walls were towering and encompassing - a universe of its own. Once you got in, it seemed difficult to get out. Dim fluorescent lights are affixed to the factory-high ceiling, providing minimal lighting. The floors are concrete and the walls are painted a dismal gray. Equally dull, steel equipment is scattered everywhere and cords and wires seem to overtake. Line workers are spaced every so many feet in their individual work cells, each responsible for one part of the car.

Instructing his group to stay within the yellow lines for their safety, the tour guide shared some interesting facts.

"We currently have 387 parts suppliers from which we receive all of the 1,376 parts we need to assemble the Corvette," the tour guide yelled over the deafening noises. "All of those incoming parts need to be transported from the receiving docks to the assembly line."

Forklifts whizzed around picking up and dropping off parts. They flew in like a bee and buzzed right off.

A yellow curtain conceals the body shop where the structural frame is welded to the engine cradle and the floor of the vehicle, made of balsa wood, the kind thin model airplanes are made of. 48 robots and manual welders create bright light and sparks as they concoct the structure of this American icon.

Merry, instrumental music, reminiscent of childhood nursery rhymes, jingles in the background, but is there for more than just entertainment. The music is used to inform others there is a problem, or that an employee needs a break or is out of certain parts. They simply pull on a cord in their workstation and sets the music off. There are different tunes for each area. This system effectively keeps the production line running without interruption.

"Our hydroformed frame rails are the best in the industry," says the tour guide. Long steel tubes run the length of the chassis on both sides and serve as the key to its structure. They are formed at another GM plant using water pressure so great, that it actually shapes the steel into the tubular shape you see. And when the shape is tubular, there is no 90 degree angle that may weaken over time as often occurs with stamped steel. This is a process pioneered by General Motors."

Workers in gas installation equip the car with two gas tanks which allow a more evenly distribution center of gravity and allows for more trunk space.

In the trim shop, bright Corvette parts come together. Workers affix urethane front and rear bumpers, and composite fiberglass body panels. Quarter panels, doors, and trunk lids are attached, carpets are laid down, and seats are installed.

At the back of the plant, hidden from the public eye, the engine, transmission and suspensions were assembled into a chassis.

And then for the big moment.

"Probably the best part of the tour is when you see the "marriage" where the body and the chassis come together," said Jack, plant visitor and 2000 Peter Coupe 'Vette owner. "It is simply amazing how all the steps to build the car seamlessly come together. It's like a ballet in motion."

Our tour guide explained, "The engine and the chassis are connected to the body with about 26 different attachments, taking about 3 minutes to complete."

Further down the line, the tire mounting operation adds four tires, 18 inches in the front and 19 inches in the rear, which are the ticket to the owner's freedom. Fitted with Goodyear Eagle F1 GS Extended Mobility Tires, the need for a spare tire is a thing of the past. These run flat tires allow the driver to go 50 miles without full tire pressure. The self-supporting sidewalls handle as well at zero pounds of air pressure, as they do when fully inflated.

The wheels come next. Standard aluminum, high-polished, brushed or gray painted wheels, adorn the car.

Features and options are added, making each 'Vette unique. Rolling down the line, each car has a build manifest taped to it. Employees refer to them often so they know what options and features to add to each particular vehicle.

"Some of the standard features for the 2006 Corvette are: dual air bags, AM/FM stereo with CD player and new Bose speakers, Driver Information Center, which relays information in four languages, low tire pressure warning system, leather bucket seats, remote release for the hood and trunk, a theft alarm which shuts down the fuel supply and a remote keyless entry system," says our tour guide.

Jim Nelson of Kentucky, watched as his 2003 Coupe in Torch Red hung overhead, following it down the assembly line for four hours. He paid the $500 option to watch his precious "baby" being created at the plant.

"I got to put in the first gas, added headlight covers and put on two tires and wheels," said Jim. "I also gave "birth" to my car, starting it for the first time."

Sitting in the passenger seat, in the Dyno booth, Jim was a part of the testing for quality assurance.

"The lady who checked my car put it through its paces," says Nelson. "She tested everything. She plugged a line to the car's computer and a screen came down in front of the driver's window, rollers came up out of the floor and she hit it. She ran it up to 95 miles an hour, using all six gears. She was pushing buttons so fast I could not read as fast as she pushed. A green screen popped up - my car passed. It was a wonderful day. The workers were very friendly. They explained everything."

Employees at the plant take pride in their work. Many say they are the cream of the General Motors crop. Their workstations are neat and clean. It's like their inviting visitors into their own home. Many even have American flags in their workstations, paying tribute to America's true sports car and the country it's built in.

It's not uncommon for the employees and visitors to talk with each other.

"I try to interact with everyone I come in contact with, says Daniel Garrett, assembler at the plant. "I've even been asked to sign a couple's car as I installed their carpet.

Quality is a concern to the staff and many precautions are taken to produce a good quality car.

Cars are pulled aside and sent to the end of the assembly line as soon as it is realized there is a problem with it. This prevents holding up the line, and in turn, production. Once the car is repaired and is in satisfactory condition, it's rejoins the assembly line and picks up where it left off in the production process. All cars are sent to the Dyno booth for testing just as Jim's did, and random cars throughout the day are taken for test drives out in the hills of Kentucky, for rigorous audit tests, leaving farm animals in the dust. Tour visitors are always curious about how they can get that job.

Corvette owners and lovers alike, visit and return to Bowling Green, Kentucky, "The Home of the Corvette" to see where these precious vehicles begin their lives.

"I'll go back again next year," says Scott Sparkman, owner of two Corvettes. "It feels like going home. This time I'll take my '03 Anniversary Editon to visit her birthplace."