South Bend Assembly

[kmolinel]

In a few months I plan on driving to a car show in the Midwest and wanted to make a stop in South Bend. It will have been 55 years this winter since my GT Hawk was assembled and the trip would be its first homecoming.... The production order said it was assembled 29 December 1961 - that would have been a Friday, the day before a three day New Year's holiday and a work day or so before the strike started. Once it shipped it went to California and it lived out there most of its life.

I realize the final assembly line in late 1961 probably emptied into a staging area, but I would like to get the car as close to the endpoint of the assembly line as possible. Does the building used for final assembly still exist? If not, is there a street address or intersection that would approximate the location of the end of the line?

I know, crazy, right?

[White Hawk]

If you google "650-730 united drive, south bend, in" it should get you close to where assembled vehicles left the plant.

[StudeRich]

So is this IT? They Rolled out of the left end of that building near United drive?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir//650+United+Dr,+South+Bend,+IN+46601/@41.668597,-86.2567879,71m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m8!4m7!1m0!1m5!1m1!1s0x881132d2e6775209:0xd3f5268322ea1fbb!2m2!1d-86.2575081!2d41.6688285

[Studebaker Wheel]

So is this IT? They Rolled out of the left end of that building near United drive?

https://www.google.com/maps/dir//650...1!2d41.6688285

No. It would have been just NW of the intersection of Franklin and Stull streets. Now vacant and part of Ignition Park.

[StudeRich]

No. It would have been just NW of the intersection of Franklin and Stull streets. Now vacant and part of Ignition Park.

I didn't think that was right, because the Assembly Building; Final Line, has been gone for awhile.

All that is left is the Body Plant and the Admin. Building.

Too Bad, a empty Field does not have much Historic or Nostalgic value.

[8E45E]

I realize the final assembly line in late 1961 probably emptied into a staging area, but I would like to get the car as close to the endpoint of the assembly line as possible.

Do you have your build sheet? The shipping instructions would give the best clue to where your car was placed once if left the plant. I presume rail shipments were staged on one lot, cars/trucks to be shipped by transport truck were staged on a different lot, etc. Some even have the exact parking area stated, ex. 'Lot 151'.

But if you want to know which door of the plant it left, see BP's December, 1983 article on what the buildings were being used for at that point. Bob will reassure you Hawks did NOT start with a four foot drop to the pavement.
Craig

[556063]

These are photos that I took in 1983 of the assembly building. The corner of Franklin and Stull would be accurate to my recollection. The picture in the bottom left corner would have been the location of the "end of the line". Studebakers shipped via rail would have exited the building through those doors. There used to be a lumber yard just south of the end of assembly. These photos were taken while South Bend Stamping occupied the far South end of the complex.



If you number the pictures 1-2-3 and 4-5-6 down a column, 2 and 3 are of the main assembly building. 6 is a picture of the Foundry from the open area opposite the street side of main assembly. The racks in 6 are full of dies for late model at the time Thunderbird, Mustang. etc. fenders, being run for parts operations at the time, not Studebaker dies.

[White Hawk]

Kmolinel, check your private msgs.