Quality control 1973!!

[fredbrad]

I have recently found an old 1973 AA magazine called 'Drive' - below is an article copied from it.


British Leyland have changed their system of production line procedure and inspection on the Morris Marina following 'Drives' discovery of a new Marina fitted with two different brake systems on one axle.
An AA member's Marina was fitted with a disc brake on one front wheel and a drum brake on the other.
A spokesman for the dealers involved in this case, Pride and Clarke of Brixton Hill, said: "There is nothing in the pre-delivery inspection check list about taking the wheels off to see if the right brakes are fitted......"
Austin-Morris said this was an 'extraordinary' case and they had naver heard of anything like it before. They have taken measures to eliminate any chance of repetition.
Les Sims, Manager of AA Technical Services, comments: "This is quite incredible - I don't know how a car could come to be built like that, never mind to be sold by a dealer. Drum and disc brakes have entirely different characteristics and the owner was very lucky he never had to make an emergency stop on a wet road; it could have been very dangerous."


What amazes me are the understatements quoted by the Dealers, Austin-Morris and the AA!!
Whatever would the media of today make of this .....?

[BarnatosGhost]

Before the days of poka-yoke. Half-eaten sandwiches behind dashboards.

[Hoofy]

BarnatosGhost said:

Before the days of poka-yoke. Half-eaten sandwiches behind dashboards.

Was that not a special option?

[TomM]

fredbrad said:

They have taken measures to eliminate any chance of repetition

Absolute class.

[BarnatosGhost]

Hoofy said:

BarnatosGhost said:

Before the days of poka-yoke. Half-eaten sandwiches behind dashboards.

Was that not a special option?

I believe spam was standard with ham and cheese the normal substitution in the case of supply issues. Prawn was a cost option available when the gaffer was around. There was a no-cost deletion option that should apply to all line-fit foodstuffs, but since this was pre-internet, the faxed order forms were often misread under the candle-light on the line.

[*Al*]

TomM said:

fredbrad said:

They have taken measures to eliminate any chance of repetition

Absolute class.

Indeed, by closing down!

[Caulkhead]

As a lad back in the eighties I used to make deliveries to Longbridge and Cowley. I was using an early 2.0 auto Montego to make an urgent delivery to the line at Longbridge and I turned up just as they were going on lunch break. I screeched into the loading bay and swung the door open only to watch the hinges detach and it fall flat on the floor. No-one batted an eyelid.

[k-ink]

I wonder why we don't have a British car industry any more

[QuackHandle]

fredbrad said:

Whatever would the media of today make of this .....?

"Braking News! Single mother claims compensation from British Leyland!"

[s3fella]

My old mate who worked on the mini line in Cowley tells who he would adjust the doors using a cricket bat on the sill then lifting the open door with it til it shut properly. He still has his particular bat!

[m444ttb]

I thought my Dad's brand new mk5 Golf (back in 2005) coming with the wrong door cards on one side was bad enough!

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

I was reading recently about someone restoring a Rover SD1.

He removed part of a chassis box section or inner wing - I forget which - but a part of the car that doesn't see the light of day once it's been built.

When he got it apart, he found a 1970's cigarette butt nestling inside

[blank]

I've known of cars built in the last few years with different brakes on one axle.

Although only different sized discs rather than drums and discs!

[ChevronB19]

MSport built an experimental Focus WRC with two doors on one side, one on the other to make it easier for mechanics. Didn't work, but they did accidentally make a few on the main Ford line (different place to MSport) - all later scrapped.

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

ChevronB19 said:

MSport built an experimental Focus WRC with two doors on one side, one on the other to make it easier for mechanics. Didn't work, but they did accidentally make a few on the main Ford line (different place to MSport) - all later scrapped.

No feckin way - you got any proof of this??

[rumple]

Must have really messed up the legendary marina handling under braking

[Watchman]

My uncle worked on the Land Rover Disco 2 production line. When putting glass into the rear side windows the hole was occasionally not the same shape as the cut window because the shell was not "straight" so they would reverse the car into a piece of wood braced against one of the walls/pillars until it was "straight".

The piece of wood was used often enough that it had an item number and you could check it out of the stores.

[LouD86]

Quality control was great!! I still love the picture of my dad, proud salesman, stood next to a very rare metro city. Its was a 4dr version, not a 3 or 5. Ordered as a 3 door, somehow, they fitted 2 doors on the passenger side, and no-one had noticed until it came off the transporter at the dealership!! Thats quality control for you!!

[NHK244V]

ChevronB19 said:

MSport built an experimental Focus WRC with two doors on one side, one on the other to make it easier for mechanics. Didn't work, but they did accidentally make a few on the main Ford line (different place to MSport) - all later scrapped.

I heard of the focus rally one, i've seen a mini with 2 doors on the passenger side for the same reason (access to spares for indurance rallys) but calling custard on the prouctuion line cockup, it takes a lot of panels to be fitted "by accident" to do that ?

[ChevronB19]

Ray Luxury-Yacht said:

No feckin way - you got any proof of this??

Not really - its a story in our local MC mag (local to MSport in Cumbria) by someone who knows Malcolm Wilson very well. I'd like to think it was true, but it was The April edition! (and yes, I've just realised that, so apologies for the massive balls up, mea culpa)