Some discussion on other posts about A O Smith bodies, since it was extremely old started this one as I have always found Ionia build bodies interesting. Can anyone determine if
this is a St Louis pic or A O Smith? Since the body is on a dolly always thought this to be a Smith pic which if it is note that this '64 has the door panels in place.

 

That's on a body build/trim truck, but it's NOT the AOS "dolly" - the AOS body/trim truck had a major horizontal rear crossmember, much different than the rear of the St. Louis body/trim truck. Presence of the door trim panel also says St. Louis.

 

Morning JohnZ, Not trying to be argumentative just good old discussion. Do you know if this is a pic of the sanding process at A O Smith, was so indicated years ago in
an article by Joe Clark as was the other pic, if so the dolly looks the same in both pics? I always thought that the interior in St Louis was installed after the body was on
the frame, also in the first pic the dash has yet to be installed would not have been the first component secured in the car? Thanks Ric

 

I'd say that's a St. Louis trim truck. Compare to the three photos below, which show A.O. Smith bodies on the delivery train and turning a corner in the St. Louis plant immediately after being unloaded from the rail car - note the large front crossmember on the front of the trim truck (in the photo on the rail car) and the same type of large rear crossmember on the rear of the trim truck about to be unloaded from the rail car at St. Louis and on the body turning the corner in the St. Louis plant after delivery.

 

Evening John...Thank you for the pics, I can clearly see that the trim truck from my photos are totally different than the one under the A O Smith bodies on the rail cars.The more I studied your
photos, I asked myself how difficult would it be to assemble a body on that railcar dolly, those large horizontal supports would sure be awkward to work around. Also if you
enlarge your photo of the railcar with the A O Smith bodies facing forward (middle pic) the one on the lower level front car, the one on the middle tear appearing silver in color
and the one behind the silver one seam to have a reflection just about where the rear view mirror would be located.
This called for further research and to-day I discussed with a GM employee who was at the A O Smith plant in '64,'65 '66 and asked him about the trim trucks at Ionia, his indication
was that the trim trucks at Ionia were very similar to the ones at St Louis, and that the car bodies were taken off the trim truck and put on the railcar dollies before being loaded
on the rail cars. Further research in progress. Thanks for listening
Ric