I was searching the net and found this interesting piece of information.

RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Break-In -Pedal to the Metal- at "The Plant"

Have read questions and suggestions for break-in techniques
on lots of posts. Thought I would pass this along as first-hand
eyewitness to the "first" break-in at a GM facility.
Not saying it's good or bad - just the way it was:

Brother-in-law worked at the GM assembly plant in Van Nuys CA
for many years. Before plant closed, GM opened it to tours.
At one time this was a truck assembly plant - but it had been Camaros and Firebirds for a long time.

When the completed vehicles came off the line, they went to the
"rollers" - not really a dyno, but same idea. Pedal to the metal
for a minute or so under full load.
Actually had a car come off the rollers under load (got a bit
sideways)while I was watching - got hung-up on front retainer (safety) bar. Took about 15-20 minutes to get it off.
[Have picture somewhere].

Then a guy hopped into each car and went about the length of two
football fields - FLAT OUT - to the parking area.
Once parked, four of the "parkers" jumped into the last (5th) car and the 5 returned in that car the same way.
Four then bailed out and repeated the procedure.

Asked bro-in-law if the parking lot drag race was exaggerated for
the visitors benefit. Asked about the obvious damage to the "roller
jumper".
A. "They can fix - almost - anything (and sell it as new)".
And - "they were probably driving a bit MORE carefully that day!"
[If you looked hard enough in the right places outside the plant
this could be verified! Brand-new "parts" cars!]

Now, I don't know what the other assembly plants did - or do now -
but for sure your Camaro or Firebird from Van Nuys during that era wasn't "babied" before you got it!


Haha, that sucks.

 

As someone who works in an GM plant I can assure you that parts of the stories are exagerated... also keep in mind up until recently all engines were given a "hot test" at the engine plant and run at low speed before they even left for the assembly plant. The rolls are not abuseive to the powertrain, there is no shockloading or anything of that nature and are needed to assure product quality..

 

I was at the plant on Aug. 27, 1992......the last day of production. Not one car was put on the rollers. They told me the cars had become so dependable that they no longer used the rollers.

Leonard

 

Even if that story is BS or not, so what. The bottom line is this: GM designed, engineered, and manufactured our cars. They have to financialy stand behind that car for 3 years or 36,000 miles, and if you bought it through GMAC, the will still own it even after you take delivery of it. They know what they are doing.

Look, if the very people that built my car thinks it's necessary to beat the tar out of it before they give it to me, well, then thats ok with me.



Hey look, a brand new car --->

 

the salesman down the road at the dealership burns the tires right off every brand new car in the lot. That would be the coolest job ever!

 

Thats funny, when I was a lot attendant at a few dealerships we used to beat the snot outta the cars fresh off the truck. My 86 was built in Van Nuys and I pulled the original motor with 286,000 miles on it still running, maybe the beating did the 305 some good.

 

Take a tour of the Vette plant and they do the same thing. Fire it up on the line and do a quick check and then drive straight into the "dyno" room. Then beat the crap out of it.

I've taken the tour 3 times since 97 and its been the same every time.

 

I used to live near Ford's Ontario Truck Plant.

One day I was driving by and saw 2 Lightnings racing side by side down the plant access road to the rail yard.

I was always impressed on how such a big truck could move so fast....

 

I have been through the Vette plant as well. At the Vette plant they start the engine, allow it to idle while charging the A/C, then it goes onto the rollers, WOT, followed by panic braking, then it is out of there at full throttle.

That is how they break-in everything, from a F-car, to a truck, to a cavalier to an Express.

 

Kind of reminds me how gm tests their crate motors(the prototypes), they load it onto the dyno run it at full throttle, then turn it down to about 4500 rpms, flick the lights off in the dyno room and let them run over night. Gives me chills watching the video of it(i'm wierd i know).

 

Very true. I've seen a video of the last '87 IROC coming off the line at Norwood and the car was idling for qutie awhile before it arrived at the rollers. Then it was hammer down! A fresh TPI IROC with 0 miles on it on it's first run ever sounds so good in surround sound!

Also back to Leonards comment about the Van Nuys plant. We went through the plant on Aug 7th and there we're cars going through diagnostic tests on the rollers. The gentleman that gave us the tour was so impressed that we flew all the way from Atlanta he let us "ride" in two of them. Also for documentation I've got the build sheets out of both the cars I "rode" in.

 

There is a local Jeep plant where I live and at work we had to deliver some vending machines to the Jeep plant. I noticed that when the Jeeps came off the assembly line, someone would get in to drive it to where the kept them. They would always gun the Jeeps at WOT right off the line...I thought "this can't be good for the engine", but with the way parts, and quality control are with Chrysler/Dodge, it didn't really suprise me. I was just thinking that I'm glad I'm not buying a Jeep!

 

my car didn't start running good till i started wailing on it a little, my dad had to have drove it like a grandma before i got it, the trans used to stick between gears at WOT, it felt slower then it is. few days of running it hard cured that right up. good ol 172,000 mile 700r4 shifts like brand new now.

 

i figured it would be standard procedure to do this when a new car comes in for check in we would run them flat out hard corners and extreme stopping to make full sure that there where no defects

becides id prefer to have cars broke in hard apposed to something feather footed my black v6 is what happens when a car is driven hard all its life
it is much faster then my red v8

 

are you for real? wow i would love to see it is there any way you can get a copy on here? or any way i can get a copy?

 

i'd love to see that as well!

 

I toured the Bowling Green Corvette plant in June 1997, the last week of production of the '97's, and I remember the test rollers, They just got the car up to speed, I don't remember them screaming and banging gears. I toured the Lordstown, Ohio Cavalier plant in 2000, and the cars went full throttle at the end of the line and on to a bunch of rollers on the floor to check suspension parts. In a previous response to this thread someone said they saw a couple of Ford Lightning pick-ups racing, It kind of reminded me of a tour I took of the Ford Plant in St. Thomas Ontario, we asked our tour guide if any Marauders were scheduled the day we toured the plant (May 2002) She told us that none were, but the week prior, one of the First Marauders were produced, and a plant mgr, took the car out and had it over 100 mph, he got cought by a cop, and the car had to be towed back to the plant. Chris