$24.00 adjusted to today's money, but $3-$4 per hr back then.

 

I'm glad I read all 3 pages of this! I just pulled the frame out from under my 71 of "unknown history". After seeing all what has been said, I was beginning to think this was a salvage car that had been in a Baja race or two!! Wow.

 

Yeah it`s ike I heard an old timer tell a young kid one day when he asked the old guy how his welding looked. The old guy took a long look at the young kids welding and said " I am afraid to walk by it to close your welding it will snag my shirt and might rip it"

 

so you know that is the reason it was allowed? I suppose now if there were better welds from a non union shop GM would reject them

 

B.S! I hired in in 1977 at $7.50 ish per hr. UAW. When I finally called it quits in 82 for a career in aviation it was in the neighborhood of $12.00 per hr. Just saying.
From my perspective, I know what a good weld looks like. I've been NDT certified in many methods of inspection. I did a complete frame off, meaning there was not one fastener left in any part of my frame when I was done. Yes it had a lot of spatter, yes it had some ugly welds. But I think I worked on the frame for about 2 weeks before sending it off to blasting and powder coat. I didnt see any welds, save for the trans mount that had been damaged by someone during a trans drop, and the typical bashed in front cross member that really required any attention. I could have ground all that spatter off, I did some.
Today its not going to be hand welded, a robot is going to be the majority of your welding. I recall in 77 there were a couple of robots over on the body shop line, which was next to my line. The first line of trim out of paint. Majority of the welding was done by workers. Done while the car was moving down an assembly line. Not stopped. I'm sure you all could have done better. Although I was working on unibody cars, it was the times. Its how it was done.
I digress, I was at a car show recently and saw first hand some fine welding. Welderup yes the rat rod guys out of Las Vegas, had a rat rod parked at a cars and coffee. Oh my god, that thing was a work of art. Seriously. The weld s were so perfect. I was all over that thing. I noticed so many little things that made that car a work of art. And Im not a rat rod guy! but man oh man someone over there can weld!

 

My Dad was a welder back when everything electric was "stick" in the shipyards. His welds never looked like that!

I will do some light grinding around the suspension attachments in the rear so any alignments or maintenance won't draw blood. They're strong, but they sure are messy!

 

I started in a shipyard as a scrap iron welder to work my way through college ended up loving it and when I graduated I was a nuclear pipe welder on submarines, got my degree in metallurgy and retired as a nuclear inspector. When I was younger we used to call that kind of welding gorilla welding because it was ugly but strong but I don't see calling those frames gorilla welded because they sure are ugly but I don't even consider them strong. One of the A arm attachments on my car has already been rewelded. Like I said my El Camino was production welded but it looks far better than either my 72 or 73. I strongly suspect they were welded at the A.O. Smith welding school by students.