Ford Wixom Assembly Plant Glory Days (Part 1)
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- This is a video of some of the last memories of the greatest Ford Motor Company plant to ever exist. It was like family where everyone knew everyone. Everyone for the most part got along like family including management. It was a great place to work!!!! There were great memories there and some great friendships that were made and still exist. It has a long history and it as a very sad day when we found out it was closing. It was even harder to see when it was being torn down and till this day it is so weird driving by there and not seeing the plant. But with it being gone we can still hold on to all the great memories.
The Wixom assembly plant was one of Ford's largest and oldest manufacturing sites. It opened April 15, 1957, and was ultimately expanded to encompass 4.7 million square feet, and replaced the former Lincoln Motor Company Plant located at 6200 West Warren Avenue (at Livernois). Over the plant's 50 years of operation it produced 6,648,806 automobiles. The last car produced was a white chocolate Lincoln Town Car which rolled off the line at 12:55pm on May 31, 2007.
During its long history, the plant was mainly used for the manufacture of Lincolns and the Ford Thunderbird. The Lincoln Town Car and the Ford GT were also produced there. Production of the Lincoln LS ended in early April 2006[4] and production of the Ford GT stopped on September 21,[5] leaving the Town Car as the plant's final product. Wixom was the most profitable plant in the industry during the 1980s when Cadillac downsized its lineup and lost ground to Lincoln. Due to Lincoln's falling sales, Ford announced on January 23, 2006 that the Wixom plant would be idled in 2007 as part of The Way Forward. Some analysts argued that the plant might not be closed. A report in The Oakland Press stated, "The fate of the Wixom plant, however, will depend on the shape of Ford's future product plan, which seems to be currently in flux." Michigan governor, Jennifer Granholm, reportedly offered $115 million in tax cuts to keep the plant open. The plant was nonetheless idled in 2007, and by mid-June 2008, while Ford was able to find buyers for other idled plants, Wixom remained unsold.[6] A couple of alternative energy uses were announced, but none came to fruition. In 2012, Ford began tearing down the old plant. The next year the Baidas family, owners and operators of General RV Center, sought and were awarded[7] mixed use zoning permits for a portion of the old Wixom property. In 2014 the family broke ground on 33 acres of the old Ford Wixom property to build a new corporate headquarters and RV Dealership. A Menards outlet has also been built on the site.
Thanks to all of Wixom! You built my 1987 Lincoln Town Car all of those years ago. I put well over 400K miles on that car and sold it in 1996 to a taxi cab driver in New York City. I now have a 2002 Lincoln LS that I ordered in 2001 and it just broke 119K and still looks just as good as the day it was delivered.
Got hired in back in 95 very cool place with great people left in 07 when it idled such a cool facility
My Late Grandpa is in this video at 2:26... It was nice to see him... He passed in 2004 but he not forgotten... R.I.P Wilson Blackburn
Your grandfather helped make an amazing car.
wow that must be so great seeing him as my mom worked there also was hoping to see her she's gone now also 2010
Thanks to the Folks that worked at Wixom. You built my 1989 Town car!
History and they closed and tore it down...you would never know that special building even existed...what a shame
I never knew Christopher Walken used to work on the Ford assembly line!
I have this mark 4 at 22:22 love that car
amazing how much junk came out of there
It's a shame that American factories are closing and the work shipped elsewhere.
Don't know if you remember Ross Perot... when he mentioned that giant sucking sound was jobs leaving during the 1990's
@johnward6699 I remember quite well, and it has only escalated since then, unfortunately 😕
This was when they made real good American cars.
My lincoln town car came off the line on June 1991. Still runs and looks like new. Lincoln will never produce cars like this
Back then it was about ride quality, styling, comfort. Now it's about touch screens, self driving, apps, face recognition, etc.
I like the positive vibe of this era.
I have a 2006 Lincoln town car made in Wixom. It is an awesome car.
Devalued fiat currency caused the loss of US manufacturing.
Globalist doing it on purpose.
We should go back to the gold standard.
Hard to believe that practically everything you see in this video: the entire complex, every machine, almost every car, a good majority of the people, are now buried in the ground somewhere. It's been a decade since they tore it down but it still looks so strange not seeing it there. It helped raise a lot of families with good benefits and pay. Sadly the complex it was replaced with pays minimum wage and none are union jobs.
Ford is on its worst decline that I have seen in decades. The Wixom Plant was heavily talked about in Chicago when they made the Lincoln LS, Ford GT, and the Ford Thunderbird. People were proud even in Illinois of the Ford Lincoln Wixom Plant. My Dad now retired from Comed, use to love the Towncar and even the guys who worked at Comed. It was sad to see it go because of Bill Fords bad management skills. The guy is a straight loser. Look how bad he ran down Ford and Lincoln in 2022
Yes very crazy to think that. I guess everything has a lifespan it really puts what we all do in perspective. I don’t buy much because it will be thrown away someday.
is this where my 94 Town car came from??
I worked in sales and marketing offices at the plant. I started in the parts and service division and moved to Ford division later on. I drove a number of Town Cars that were built there. It's hard to believe the plant is gone.
Opportunity for employment, pride, WOW, gone...😢
At 3:23 I always wondered how they did the dual paint stripes. That's a very complicated looking rig.
Quite a few of those faces I remember! Thanks for posting.
I use to work there 19yrs. Worked in body, did weld tear down on ls and tbird.
It’s cool seeing the people that worked to build the Town Cars.
A friend I know has a 1974 Thunderbird Bordeaux edition. It was built in April of 1974 at Wixom assembly plant. It is fully loaded with all the toys. dual reclining seats, AM/FM stereo radio with quadraphonic 8-track, electric rear window defroster, automatic headlights, moonroof, power passenger seat, sure-trac differential, 4-wheel disc brakes. Bought the car from the estate of an elderly owner who passed away in 1997.
Bring back the town car!!!!!!! The car of the year
I wish they could. The closest you can get to the Town Car in 2023 is a Chrysler 300. And they are going fast.
This makes me want to hunt down and buy a 90-92 town car. 4.6 Triton V8 was a gem.
Yes, but I still live the old 5.0.
Nice Video! Budd Co. supplied all the major class 1 assemblies - roof, doors, hoods, deck lids, quarter panels, and front fenders to Ford Mo. Co.
Wixom was a real clean plant.
All that you mentioned were manufactured at the Budd Co. hunting park ave plant in Phila..
@@pat5882 Budd Gary plant closed and Budd Detroit supplied Lincoln model assemblies to Wixom too. Take care!
@@tonytrotta9322 had a Mazda 626 about 25 years ago. The car was assembled in a Ford plant and all of the body panels were from Budd co Phila..
@@pat5882 I worked at Budd for 24 years and they made parts and assemblies for the Big 3 - Chrysler van doors, Econoline, Ford - Bronco and Ranger. Also, foreign cars. Phila was the orig. plant - also there was Detroit, Gary, Kitchner, Shelbyville.
@@tonytrotta9322 I know, my dad was at the phila plant ‘52-‘82.
Indicates 1964 but shows 1962 Thunderbirds being assembled. Who knew?
aware ah! Good job!
Its hard to believe that America once has actually had factories, and people were making stuff! Oh man, the things they never tell you about in school!
I love my 1960 Continental
After all of these decades the doors and body still fit perfectly .. wish they still made real Lincolns
we use to hunt moose way up in northern Ontario and put half a moose in the trunk with plastic first of course then fuel wood for the week. That thing would pull a two axle camper 16 foot long with no problem think it had the 460 in it big growl going up hill...early 80s where the best. Big block ford cigarettes bad hair brill cream and bad gas mileage,,aaaa yes try doing that with shitty cars of today
Man I wish I could have seen the days when ford was built tough now today their like every other vehicle today just a crappy computer with tires.
I miss bench seats, wing windows, and roll up door windows. Cheep plastic and tinfoil what cars are now made from. Thanks St. Paul.
2:39 I bet that guy/girl running that thing was pretty good at playing those claw machines.
I have a 2001 Crown Vic made in Canada.
If you had the seniority you got to put the owners manual in the glove box.? In the 70s you put the “unleaded gas only” sticker by the gas fill door.
Ford is on its worst decline that I have seen in decades. The Wixom Plant was heavily talked about in Chicago when they made the Lincoln LS, Ford GT, and the Ford Thunderbird. People were proud even in Illinois of the Ford Lincoln Wixom Plant. My Dad now retired from Comed, use to love the Towncar and even the guys who worked at Comed. It was sad to see it go because of Bill Fords bad management skills. The guy is a straight loser. Look how bad he ran down Ford and Lincoln in 2022
I"ll have to agree with you on this; Ford is and always will be my favorite car, but they"re not doing good these days. wish we could back to the glory days but dont think it"s going to happen!
Thank you. It's been a while since I've seen some of those faces. God Bless.
Wixom and Michigan Truck were the best plants back then.
My 1986 Town Car was built there. What a great riding car it was. I had a friend who worked for a company that onetime supplied the Lincoln's with cloth interiors.
Solid cars. I've owned a Town Car, and a Crown Vic. Was very happy with them.
Good man. Do you like any Ford Motor Co products of today?
@@moonbeamskies3346 Yes, a 17" Explorer XLT. And it's been great.
My Fav Era Of the Lincolns!
Ford built such great Automobiles !! I love every Ford I have ever owned
Every Ford I owned I loved, but were rust buckets.
My 1988 Town car came out of this plant in September 1987.
Do you still daily drive it?
@@moonbeamskies3346 no, parked it in 2004 and just sold it in 2021. It needed a new battery cable and a front-end alignment I just never got into it. Couldn't find a mobile mechanic.
Ford focus and Windstar the worst cars I ever seen
I would kill to see a video of the 2000 ford excursion being built on an assembly line it's something I really want to see before I die.
I've owned 3 Wixom cars. 1960 Thunderbird, 1969 MK III, 1989 MK VII LSC. They were memorable machines.
@ 13:47 Screws vs. Rivets for window surround trim.
Methinks that buried in the Ford Archives is a file 6" thick from the later 70s or early 80s that definitively proved that a change to screws from rivets would save...
It would be interesting to see that study to learn how many cents were saved per car and how long / how many cars was the projected payback period. Then to see the unexpected costs because the rivet gun required a human with a certain level of strength but that station was assigned to persons that didn't meet that strength threshold. Then to also see why and who was responsible for allowing the position to be assigned to persons whose arm and hand strength didn't exceed the actual threshold necessary. Is it possible that the Ford engineers that undertook the original study neglected to consider what could occur if less robust persons were assigned to this station? Surely not.
Easier to re-design the rivet gun and make a simple, 1 easy-touch operation button. General Motors Corvette have had them for years.
@@bobolulu7615 ooh. Another armchair engineer. 🤦🏻♂️
Donald Peterson; one of the best CEO"s FORD has ever had!
My grandfather’s 77 Lincoln was built there. What a gorgeous car! Black on black, my father called it the “Mafia Staff Car”. We would turn heads in Ludlow, MA as we rolled around town. I got my driver’s license in that TANK! 😂
They need to bring back the Town Car, so comfortable. FORD has lost their way, no sedans and charging too much for their vehicles.
if i wanted to watched fast forward thut s i would this sucks
Very nice
3:01 that town car is the exact same color combination as the one I had.
All my high school buddies that were 89 day wonders there, slaves who had their hopes dashed.
REMEMBER ROSS PEROT AND THAT GIANT SUCKING SOUND... YA...NAFTA DID THAT
Why don't ford have a go at making the convertibles a again
They don't value workers like that anymore
So cheazy
Why everyone glasses so damn big
So they can see, SEE?
@@Lucille69caddy nah I mean why everyone frames so damn large compared to the smaller ones of today
@@UnionPacific1997 Styles my man, STYLES.
@@Lucille69caddy I fuck with em, but I don't need glasses so oh well
Some lenses as large as Pinto windshields 😂
This administration is about to get rid of the gasoline engines and jobs to go with it so changing my vote.
You can't be that naïve.
I didn't expect my dad to make a cameo in this 😂. He'll get a kick out of seeing this.
Yup, nobody wanted 8 huge cylinders of gas guzzling cars anymore. They fell far behind the Asian manufacturers in quality and efficiency!
My 1962 Thunderbird was built here! BUILT FORD TOUGH!
The most efficient, award winning, and most highly profitable Ford plant in the company's history ended up being closed down, torn down and ended up being a dirt hill where the Wixom plant used to be. That's Ford Q1. Quality that doesn't mean s**t.
Looks to be mid to late 80s, at least in the beginning.
1988 or 1989 as the front wheel drive Continental came out in 1988 and the style of the Town Car changed in 1990. The old style Town Car was shown in the beginning of this along with the front drive Continental.