vettebuyer6369

I opened my NCRS Driveline yesterday and was interested by the cover story on Bowling Green plant tours ending, because my wife and I were discussing going this year.

The article says GM will officially halt tours on July 16.

Got my magazine on July 20.

SDVette

Yep. If you follow the hysteria on the mid-engine C8, this was announced a few months ago. Rumor is they are re-tooling the factory to build the C8.

vettebuyer6369

A day late and a dollar short again.

SDVette

I had planned to go to BG next month to see the total eclipse (it's in the path), and tour the factory... Kill 2 birds..... but NOPE! Going to Oregon now.

C1 driver

I am still waiting for my Restorer in Mass.

Randy G.

We get ours after all the want adds are picked over.

MikeM

Having retired from an assembly plant that produced 80-90 jph's for years, it's hard for me to relate anything at all to the Corvette plant pace.

I personally don't think there's much to see there.

tuxnharley

Is this just an interim closing while the new line gets built, or is it thought to be permanent?

Will they reopen at some point in the future after the new line is in production and the news is already on the street?

I have been there twice and would like to go back again - hopefully to pick up a C8, depending on how the styling strikes me.....

vettebuyer6369

The article says the tours will go on hiatus for 18 months.

Oh, and it says "for those looking to order a 2018 Corvette and have it before the shutdown, the cut-off date is JUNE 12th, 2017."

wmf62

interesting... that implies that at least the early 2018s are no different than the 2017s as it would logically follow that if the shutdown is to change to make the C8, then there would be no C8s until it is completed...

Bill

Railroadman

Gee, if you had read Corvette Forum C1 & 2 section, you would have learned that 2 months ago.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...il-2018-a.html

Oh wait a minute........

tuxnharley

QED - 2019 C8 in the fall of 2018.....

bradc6

The plant will be closed for 13 weeks so they can reconfigure the line for the new paint shop which is on the opposite side from where the current paint shop is located. At that point, 2018 production will resume.

The 18 months without factory tours is an estimate based on all that is involved with transitioning to the new paint shop.

mjdart

I was at the Plant for 4 days at the end of April this year. I built the LT4 engine for my Z06 and then spent three days on the line as they built my car. I used to work in a GM factory - Rochester Products Division, 30 years ago and I loved being back on the inside. The new Corvettes are very much hand assembled like the old days, as robots only do the heavy lifting. They are making some drastic changes inside from what I saw parts of. They will open up tours and the engine build experience in 18 months or so from what I've heard.
Showing up to build my car (Buyers Tour) after completing engine.

Mike Terry

A lot of the shut down has to do with moving the PAINT BOOTH AREA from one section of the plant to another part of the plant. So I was told. The did make several 2018 in advance and will be delivering them to there new owners but after they are gone there is going to be a big gap before anymore Corvettes come out of the plant, so I have read. . At about 110 cars per day that is 550 per week and about 2200 per month that are not being built and NO money (profit) coming into the plant to pay the bills. So you know there has to be one hell of a markup on the new Corvettes to pay for all the down time and all the new tooling and changes that are being made.