Photos of Vintage Auto Dealerships, Repair Shops, and Gas Stations

Ford design studio with designer Dean Beck and a clay model of the "Unitron". Some history of both with the connection to Elwood Engle. MotorCities - Remembering the Great Ford automotive designs by Dean Beck | 2023 | Story of the Week

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Buick Factory#12, Flint, MI

Looks like a publicity picture showing the size of the press. The die set has been removed and the Buick is just sitting on the bed of the machine.

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Anderson Ford, Sarasota, FL

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Now Sarasota Ford. Looks like they've kept much of the great architecture.

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Buick Factory#12, Flint, MI

Looks like a publicity picture showing the size of the press. The die set has been removed and the Buick is just sitting on the bed of the machine.

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Located in the Buick City complex in Flint.

Plant #12, at one time 100+years ago, was biggest stamping plant in the world. Buick City is gone now.

When these presses were running, it literally was "seismic" and loud.

Dunno what this particular press did (alleged to be a press used to stamp hoods for the 1958 Buicks), but as a "sheet metal" plant, we can infer floor pans, hoods, and/or roofs, quarters, etc -- BIG one-piece stampings. When they were made of "real steel" (like 18(?) gauge) in the old days.

1958 Buick
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All of us know that old iron used thicker steel .. just use your knuckles and lightly knock on you '66 C-quarter, then your '96 & newer whatever --- you'll hear/feel the difference. Took mighty presses to shape that thicker, old stuff.


Tangent : Factory #12 Sheet Metal Plant
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