From John Hinkley's (AKA John Z) Assembly Report...

Fisher Body - Trim Shop Operations
When the body was released from the Paint Shop and it was sequenced into the delivery conveyor to the Trim Shop, Fisher's computer generated their version of a "Broadcast Copy" for each car, called a "UOIT" (Uniform Option Identification Tag), which identified the color, trim, and options information for the Trim Shop build of that particular car; that document was placed on the car at the transfer station for worker reference. (CRG is actively searching for additional copies of these UOIT papers - please contact the CRG if you can supply us with a copy.)
Wiring and the roof insulator went in first, followed by the headliner and sail panel and shelf trim and garnish moldings (and rear speakers or defroster if ordered), and the windshield and backlite opening flanges had the molding clips installed and were primed for later glass installation (vinyl tops went on ahead of this so the rear edge could be trimmed in the backlite opening before glass priming). Convertible windshield frame trim moldings and latch hardware were installed, along with the power top mechanism, plumbing, and wiring.

Convertible tops were built up on an off-line merry-go-round fixture, then carried to the line where the installation was completed; a protective shipping cover was installed over the top skin after final inspection before the body was shipped to Chevrolet.

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You can read the report in its entirety here...CRG Research Report - Camaro Assembly Process (camaros.org)

 

From the CRG website. John Hinckley's The First-Generation Camaro Assembly Process. Read the Fisher Body - Trim Shop Operations section for details of convertible tops. The entire report is excellent and provides great insight and details.

CRG Research Report - Camaro Assembly Process

First-Generation Camaro Research and Restoration Data

www.camaros.org

 

Experienced top installers do it in hours not days; and I have been part of the process on my 68. If you’re good at what you do, you get better with the more of them you do.

 

When I installed my top, I often thought about some sort of jig that would help with the installation of the rear curtain (rear window) and vinyl top.

The jig would be completely external to the car. It would hold the rear bow and hold the tack strip in position exactly like as if it was on the car.

The jig would give me access to the side of the tack strip where the staples are installed. The lack of access to the staples is what makes the installation of a convertible top so frustrating.

The rear bow and tack strip are bolted to the jig. The well liner is stapled to the tack strip. It would be easy to pull the rear window tight and staple it to the tack strip and rear bow because it is all out in the open. After the well liner, convertible top pads, rear curtain, and vinyl top are stapled to the tack strip and rear header bow, the entire assembly is then transferred from the jig to the car for the rest of the assembly.

90% of the installation time and frustration has to do with the back area that is fastened on the tack strip. I really thought that is how they did it at the factory.

 

When I installed my top, I often thought about some sort of jig that would help with the installation of the rear curtain (rear window) and vinyl top.

The jig would be completely external to the car. It would hold the rear bow and hold the tack strip in position exactly like as if it was on the car.

The jig would give me access to the side of the tack strip where the staples are installed. The lack of access to the staples is what makes the installation of a convertible top so frustrating.

The rear bow and tack strip are bolted to the jig. The well liner is stapled to the tack strip. It would be easy to pull the rear window tight and staple it to the tack strip and rear bow because it is all out in the open. After the well liner, convertible top pads, rear curtain, and vinyl top are stapled to the tack strip and rear header bow, the entire assembly is then transferred from the jig to the car for the rest of the assembly.

90% of the installation time and frustration has to do with the back area that is fastened on the tack strip. I really thought that is how they did it at the factory.

The fisher body manual shows wooden stick spacers for this area cut to a certain length to hold the bow in place during top install.

 

My upholstery guy did the top and seat covers in a day. 20 years experience makes a difference.

 

The tops were built on jigs off line that allowed all the adjustments to be made then, and then delivered to the line for installation into the body of the car. I worked with a guy that installed tops at one of the pontiac plants and he said they could do it in 11 minutes. The convertibles were spaced out at least 10 bodies (and likely further apart) to account for the time spent installing the tops. There were several teams on the trim line that their sole job was to install tops. They traveled with the body until the top was completed, and then went back to the start of the trim line to pick up the next convertible. In the mean time one (or more) of the other teams picked up any bodies that arrived before the first ones got back.

 

I worked with a guy that installed tops at one of the pontiac plants and he said they could do it in 11 minutes. /QUOTE]

This is the sort of answer I was initially looking for. But... I don't know for sure I am reading part of you response correctly. Are you meaning to tell me that assembly line workers could put a new vinyl convertible top on a car in eleven (11) minutes??? Let's even just say less than a half of an hour???? I would like to see an archived film of that procedure going down in the city, without any pity or love.

 

Are you meaning to tell me that assembly line workers could put a new vinyl convertible top on a car in eleven (11) minutes???

That's the way I take it. After it's preassembled on the jig (aka "merry- go- round fixture"), taken to line, then 11 min to install on the body.....or did the 11 min include the time on the jig as well ? A video would be cool...

Good to see ya around, Mark!

 

This is an old thread but it was the time it took to bolt the already assembled top that came off the jig onto the body and make any final adjustments. I guess when you do 50 or 100 a day you would get pretty good at it.

 

I see now what you are talking about concerning the 11 minutes aforementioned. If I’m reading you right. The assembly workers took the whole convertible frame with the top already installed on the “jig.” Then, they bolted the whole kit & caboodle to a car as it moved down the assembly line. That’s kind of cheating. That’s not starting from scratch as I was imaging. 🤩Eleven minutes was kind of blowing my mind down the road a ways. So… If one adds the length of time to put a top on the “jig,” the whole time process would move up exponentially.