ASSEMBLING DODGE CARS

A Christchurch Industry

EMPLOYMENT FOR 100 HANDS

Wages Paid

£II,OOO Cloth and Leather Upholstery Purchased £6500 Incidental Purchases from N.Z. Merchants £2OOO Paint Purchased

.. £3200

Support this Local Industry

Dodge FousvDoor Sedans from

In a Christchurch factory, Motor Assemblies (South Island) Ltd., every Dodge car imported into New Zealand is assembled. There the various parts of the body and chassis are received and are built up before being sent to the Dodge car distributing agencies throughout the entire Dominion. This provides work for over 100 Christchurch workmen, and means, too, that the heavy customs duty payable on cars imported built up is avoided —a saving which is passed on to every purchaser of a Dodge car. Modern methods and modern machinery in the factory, which extends over an acre, ensure faultless assembly of the parts; and the best criterion of the success of the venture must be the fact that its output has increased from 3 to 20 completed cars each week in the space of little over 12 months. The factory itself, situated in St. Asaph Street and extending back to Tuam Street, is at present being greatly extended. The various stages in the assembling of the parts are all carried out under one roof. At one end duco sprays hiss out clouds of lacquer on to assembled

bodies, while at the other end workmen assemble the chassis or weld up the different body panels. At each stage the work is checked, and then the final check and the road test leave nothing to chance.

Assembling Described

The process by which the different parts of the body and engine and the chassis are assembled is an interesting one indeed. The first step in the assembling of the bodies is the welding of all the steel panels which are received in sections. The latest possible equipment is available for this work. It can be done by the gas welder, the arc welder or by a recently imported spot welder which greatly facilitates the operation and considerably reduces the amount of time needed for the work. The next stage in the assembling is the welding of the panels of the body into one unit. Next the doors are hung into place and a steel top is fitted. The whole shell is then ready to be treated with acid which removes every stain or particle of grease from the metal, leaving it as bright as the proverbial new shilling. In turn the acid is washed off with boiling water and soda and the body

is dried by hand. But this is not enough. In order that no trace of moisture might remain, the shell is placed in one of six large ovens for 15 minutes in a temperature of 200 degrees. . The Painting Next it receives its first coat of primer—a basis that ensures durability, evenness and lasting shine on the lacquered finish. In all it receives eight coats of grey surfacer or primer before being baked once more in the oven. This time for about two hours at the same temperature of 200 degrees. The method by which the heat for the ovens is generated and maintained is worthy of note. A coal furnace is used, but it is unique from other furnaces in that the coal is fed to the fire from the bottom instead of being placed on top of the already burning coal. Thus even the smoke from the new coal, which is usually lost out of the chimney, is in this case burnt before it has a chance to escape. The automatic feeder is another notable feature of the furnace. When the heat drops below a certain level the feeder automatically comes into operation and continues until the heat reaches the required level.

11 _ 'H7|| After their two hours itWHiliK the bodies are rubbed doSaHK sanded, and prepared forttSHl coat of lacquer in the our. They receive lacquer in all, and are rubbed and receive a coat of lacquer. The Upholstery -fa The trimming shop ja tKo;. 1 destination, where they srT stered with N.Z. leather and* springs equal to the world’s Accessories such as door and the glass windows fitted and then the bodies an» to be fitted to the chassis. the body is going through ous stages of its assembly the is completely fitted up with snSil!? and axles, etc., and the placed into position. ,ai 6nJe jj The body is bolted to the the electric wiring is the battery fitted, and thp i-L?’ is ready to start. Then the whd* goes back once more to thepak?!? for a final exhaustive check Lastly comes the road test, andfw the car is ready for deliv&»** worthy successor to a long foil cars as old as the industry