Hey guys, did some of the late 1992 camaros leave the factory with the black mesh (gta style) wheels? I had never heard this before, until today.

 

Don't think so.

 

Thats what I thought. I had never heard of that. I like the look though.

 

Pretty sure that rumor got started because someone was talking about 1LE and mentioned the wheels were available (referring to Firebird 1LEs) and the other person interpreted it as applying to the Camaro.

FWIW.

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/1989-chevy-camaro/

Don't look at me man, that line was in there long before I worked on the document.

The other possible start of the rumor is the 92 Heritage concept car that never got produced. But you know how magazines write about things and people just assume that it all gets built for real? Yeah.


https://www.thirdgen.org/1992-chevy-camaro/

 

Definitely not.

 

no, never on a production camaro

 

However.....lol When the first IROCs were produced, the wheels hadnt arrived yet, so they came off the line with TA rims on them and set aside til the wheels arrived. So there was a time...lol “ Keep the line moving fellas, Stack em in AGR and we will fix them later.”

 

Do you have documented proof of this, or is this hearsay

 

Z28cop worked at the factory, so he has 1st hand knowledge, but it doesn't matter if there is proof or not. The cars were not released to the public with the Pontiac wheels installed.

 

With all due respect to him, it probably didn't happen then, regardless of his factory experience. Which I think we're saying we agree.

As I am sure you know, a factory is an assembly point. It's not where the cars are put together for special projects of programs. That's not to say someone at GM could not have grabbed "something" from the line and placed it on the "other" F-Body, but as you pointed out, it wasn't released to the public, so it would not matter.

That happens in special circumstances, like show cars, engineering programs, etc. But in the case of normal assembly, parts are sequenced-in, and based upon production forecast, individual vehicles are broadcast for production. If a part or assembly isn't available, that option or model is placed on constraint. If there is a problem with parts on-hand and the line has to stop, each supplier has a rep at the factory to address and get things moving. But again, parts or assemblies are ordered in advance or actual production, so "swapping parts" to keep things rolling, just doesn't happen on modern production - if one considered 3rd gen to be modern

 

Well, things do happen on the assembly line. When I was at Van Nuys in 92, the line ran out of cloth headrests for either the Camaro’s or Firebirds(I need to look back at my notes to confirm which one). I was in the office when they brought in both the Camaro and Firebird headrests. They decided they were a close enough match to go ahead and use them on the wrong cars to finish up the production. This doesn’t have anything to do with wheels, but they do make exceptions in a pinch. There are some late 92’s with the wrong headrests.

 

On gen 3 Norwood ran with "just in time" parts arrival for scheduling, and the line did not stop once the car was committed for production and locked in sequence past one of the set off points.

Specifically the main computer scheduled unit assembly around parts in plant arrival, So lets use rail as an example- if the B+O Railroad has problems and the rail car with the "IROC wheels" does not arrive on the siding on time to be unloaded in plant, then the car is built and the parts are replaced as part of a repair order later. The substituted wheels that were removed were shipped to plant salvage and then inspected where they were either re certified for reinstallation on another car or thrown in the trash hopper.

Automotive General Repair was a busy place, as well as the repair lot in the rear of the plant.

Repairs to assembled units were commonplace.

 

Ain't that the truth! As an Service Technology Group (STG) employee, we used to travel to assembly plants for validation work during pilot builds. I was assigned to truck engineering, so I spent my time at van plants in Baltimore and Wentzville. We always got along well with the end of line repair group, because we would bring them early drafts of our service manuals, and help as we could with new content on the pilot vans.

An assembly plant is a very interesting place.

 

 

Well, we were not allowed to have cameras in the plant back in the day, so no documented proof. But my friends had one of those first IROCs and his was built with T/A Wheels. Also took that car back to the factory when the plant was closing and had a new set of Eagles put on it. Once again, no proof, but I know its true because i was there.

 

Many things took place at the plant that most of you would not believe, but crazy things did happen. It's not like vehicle production today. My car is almost completely covered underneath with undercoating. A purest would say, there is no way that left the factory like that, the underneath was exposed primer with paint overspray. True, except when you work there you can have certain things done to your car, such is the case of mine. i have undercoating covering the complete floorboard, and a ton in the wheel wells, so much so I imprinted 2 of my fingers in it on the night it was sprayed. i was telling the guy spraying I wanted it to last, so he said, I'll load it up. We made a joke about how much more the car probably weighs than the door tag states. Had we had cell phones back in the day, I'm sure I would have snuck a few pics. Just like all the parts I have that I snagged, I don't have GM Boxes for them, but they are NOS parts from the factory, or the "extra parts" the guys put in my spare tire well. or the Console Quartz Clock that was hooked up and running underneath the console as it rolled out the back of the plant. No inspector knew. When I got the car home, I simply removed the console and clock and drilled a 3 in hole and reattached the clock. You either believe things or not. I have many many memories I will take to my grave without proof from that factory and how we built cars. The line did not stop unless absolutly necessary. If another part would work to get the car off the final line, then it was substituted. That would probably not fly today, but it did back then.