'59, gift to my daughter

[FINSRIN]

Wears black well. Chrome shows best against medium to dark colors.
You learned me something with those wheels. They are ideal on black car with black wall tires. Perhaps more so on Tbird than other cars. If I were choosing wheels for your 59, would have passed them by. Now I know better.

[V-John]

If I were choosing wheels for your 59, would have passed them by. Now I know better.

$383 new for 4, free shipping on ebay. I couldn't pass that up!

I think they make the car look a little more bad***.

[V-John]

Found this under the driver seat when I pulled it out. It is so brittle I thought it was going to fall apart opening it up:

[YellowRose]

'59, gift to my daughter

Great find! That looks like 2 different ROT Sheets! Different VIN # showing on each. I see on the top ROT Sheet the VIN # is 414648, which is interesting that it starts with a 4 and the bottom one starts with a 1. I am wondering if that ROT Sheet might be for a Lincoln? The Trim block has DSO in it and there is a Special Order Number in the block of that one also. The other information on that ROT Sheet is way different from the bottom one.

Someone must have stuffed the ROT Sheet from the previous car he was working on, into your seat, along with yours, assuming that VIN #129476 matches your VIN # on the Data Plate. Interesting. Put those in a document protector to protect them from further damage from the elements! I hope that Alan Tast or "Fuz" sees this and comments on this.

Note: I just did some checking and from what I found 1959 Lincolns also started with a 1 in their VIN # just like Squarebirds did. Maybe the "4" indicated that it was a special order going to a District Sales Office (DSO)?

John, did you find the missing piece in the top ROT Sheet where the Model number should be at? If you have it, what does it say? It is to bad that is missing!

[DKheld]

Those black cars do look nice.........

x2 Ray

Engine code "H" ???? Thought there were only Y and J code engines in US Tbirds. Was the H for the low compression export or just different codes in '59?


Apparently the ROT sheet layout changed between '59 and when mine was built in '60.

I made a color copy of my build sheet for shows and keep the original in a sealed package in the house to prevent further deterioration.




Eric

[YellowRose]

'59, gift to my daughter

In 1959, there were Engine Codes G, (332 Cubic Inch Thunderbird Special V-8 - low octane, export only) H (Thunderbird 352 Special V-8), and J (Thunderbird 430 Special V-8). In 1960, it was G (same as in 1959), Y (instead of H, but same engine as in 1959), & J (same as in 1959).

[YellowRose]

'59, gift to my daughter

I have been sitting here trying to figure out what kind of car they were building using ROT Sheet #1! It is to bad that Model Block information is missing, as that might have helped. Then I sat here and recorded the information in each of the ROT Sheet blocks and compared them. Here is what I have from them.

ROT Sheet Difference between ROT Sheet #1 and #2

ROT Block #1. 334 #2. 335
Serial No. Block #1. 414648 #2. 129476
Model Block #1. Missing #2. 63A
Color Block #1. 07-Not a color code for a '59 Squarebird #2. A-Raven Black
Trim Block #1. DSO #2. 4X
IB Block #1. A #2. 3
TOP Block #1. Blank #2. Blank
ORD. TYPE Block #1. R #2. 1
Special Order Number Block #1. 0157 #2. Blank
HA/C Htr Air Cond Block #1. 6 #2. 1
R Radio Block #1. 2 #2. 3
EDL Door Locks Block #1. #2. Blank or not readable
RDL Deck Lock Block #1. 1 #2. Blank or not readable
ED Elect Dim. Block #1. 1 #2. Blank or not readable
BL BK-Up Lites Block #1. Blank #2. 2
Misc #1 1 Block #1. Blank #2. 2
EL Elect Wndo Block #1. Blank #2. Blank
EV Elect Vents Block #1. Blank #2. Blank
TG Tint Glass Block #1. Blank #2. Blank
Misc #2 2 Block #1. Blank #2. Blank
PL Pwr Lub Block #1. Blank #2. Blank
PBS Brks Strg Block #1. Blank #2. 2
WW Wipe Wash Block #1. Blank #2. 2
RVM Rear Mirror Block #1. Blank #2. 2
SB Seat Belts Block #1. Blank #2. 2
Misc #3, 4 & 5 Blocks #1. Blank on all 3 #2. Blank on all 3
ENG Engine Block #1. Blank #2. H
TRAN Trans-mission Block #1. Blank #2. 4
X Axle Block #1. Blank #2. 1
PD Pwr Diff Block #1. 1 #2. Blank
AS, Misc #6, & RM Blocks #1. Blank on all 3 #2. Blank on all 3
F/W F-Shld W/Cvr Block #1. Blank #2. 2
Misc #7 & Bat Blocks #1 Blank on both #2. Blank on both
TT Tire Type Block #1. 1 #2. 1
TS Tire Size Block #1. 2 #2. 2
TB & GQ Blocks #1. Blank on both #2. Blank on both
Sched Date Block #1. C 13 #2. C 11
Export Options Blocks are all blank on both ROT Sheets.

Sooo, what kind of car was being built using ROT Sheet #1?

[jopizz]

With electric door locks, dimmer and power lubrication it has to be a Lincoln of some sort. I don't think '59 Mercury's had those options. I guess the model will remain a mystery.

John

[YellowRose]

'59, gift to my daughter

Hi John, I figured it might have been a Lincoln also, but then I did some research on Lincolns and it seems that they also started their VIN #'s with a 1 and not a 4. As for Mercury's, they were not manufactured at the Wixom plant that I know of. From what I found, they were built, back then, in a New Jersey plant. I am hoping that Alan or Fuz will see this and see if they can shed some light on what the first ROT Sheet might have been for.. May Special Order or DSO cars started with a 4, but I have never seen a Squarebird with a 4 starting Vin # before.

[simplyconnected]

ROT sheets are simply a copy of the broadcast, a convenience for the workers in the assembly plant. It's an internal 'guide' that may be referenced, or it may never be looked at.

Your 'double form' is a prime example. Whoever tore the tractor sheet off the printer wasn't careful (he did 60/hour) and he got two that were clearly never separated but they both got stuffed into the T-bird. Why? Because ROT sheets were rarely looked at. I'm sure nobody noticed one was missing or one T-bird had two. Even though it had two, only the second one applied to that car because he missed the Lincoln before the T-bird.

At the beginning of each shift, a book of that day's production was printed in each department. So, as cars go down the line, they are in order of rotation. ROT sheets were printed after the body was painted and baked. Obviously, painters could not reference a ROT sheet, they followed a broadcast and that shift's book. The Broadcast printer happened after Paint but before Trim, while the body was bare and on skids.

So what about the first car's ROT sheet? It was missing all the way down the line and nobody cared. Those sheets fell out of some cars, were never returned to other cars and were never inserted in others. They were simply a pain. Sometimes at a 'turn around' there might be dozens on the floor because the lift tables and turn-arounds jar the whole body at the end of each line.

It is a very lucky thing to find a ROT sheet because it means the guy on the line didn't make a special trip to throw it out. By all rights, once the car is assembled, the broadcast sheet is trash that should be removed from the car.

Here we are fifty years later, trying to read blank boxes which meant that option was 'standard' or it didn't apply (like tinted rear window (backlite) glass on a convertible).

Internal controls and company codes are interesting to see if you never experienced the assembly process, where different subassemblies are made off-line but the correct parts come together on the main assembly line. Today we call this stack, 'first in, first out'. Some codes are for the QC dept., or for fleet sales (like rental cars that have unique color), or for special runs (cars built for sale in California or foreign countries that have metric speedometers or different safety and emissions standards).

[YellowRose]

'59, gift to my daughter

Dave, thanks for that explanation, but now I am really confused, which I guess is not hard to do. All this time, I was under the impression that the ROT/Build Sheet was used by the line personnel to put the appropriate parts on and in the car. I thought it told them what interior trim to put in it, what radio, whether to build it with AC or not, Power Steering or not, which tires to slap on it, and everything else they needed to know to put on the car.

If they did not pay much attention to the ROT/Build Sheet then what did they go by to know how to build each car coming at them? Was it this Shift Book that told the linemen what to slap on the car? It certainly had to be something they were going by! All this time, I thought it was the ROT/Build Sheet, which I see you have called the Broadcast sheet.

Thanks for the explanation of how two different ROT/Build Sheets for two different cars could end up in the same car. I know that others have found different sheets that were not for their car in theirs when they found their sheet. I still don't understand why that first sheet has a 4 for the beginning VIN #. I hope Alan or Fuz can explain that. I think it must have something to do with being a DSO and Special Order car. Perhaps that was for a high level staff member?

[simplyconnected]

...I still don't understand why that first sheet has a 4 for the beginning VIN #... ...Perhaps that was for a high level staff member?

I get a kick out of 'high level staff'. Some cars are used for internal company use, like donating a dozen cars to be destroyed on a movie set or in crash or corrosion tests. Maintenance departments get Ford trucks. If Plant Engineering needs a few, some might be a T-bird or Lincoln.

Ford uses thousands of 'manufacturer's' plates and they are self-insured. Ford owns these vehicles for internal use. Many times, people from one division needed to meet with those from another division, or from plant to plant. They use 'pool cars' for the trip rather than paying on Travel Expense Reports. Most plants have their own gas pumps including World Headquarters (outside the company car wash). No money ever changes hands, and many of these cars only see a dealership when sold as 'used'. To buy a "B" lot car (company used vehicles), an employee simply visits the lot in Dearborn, looks through the database of prices/models/years (yes, some plants changed pool cars after two years), then 'tags' the car as his and let them know which dealership he would like to pick it up at.

The point is, each building, plant, office, division, testing facility, security... all have adequate cars assigned to them with their own parking slots, scheduled maintenance, etc. Some vehicles never drove on public roads or had license plates. These would be maintenance trucks inside the Rouge Complex (of 17 plants). So, internal company vehicles were purposed very differently.

As explained, most ROT sheets were never opened. The only time one might be used is if a car was removed from the rotation or inserted into the rotation. Otherwise, plant employees could look at a more convenient list of all the cars coming in order. Assemblers could tell which wire harness to install, for example. There aren't that many choices and most cars get the same. So, he would pay attention to the 'odd' one. Obviously, when a convertible came, everyone could see that without looking at a sheet, and build the car without a dome light harness or headliner.

Some parts were assembled and ready wayyyyy before the car got there. Seat buildup is an area where there are color and material choices. Seats are covered long before the car arrives but they are still done in order, from a schedule (not a ROT sheet). Engine/trans is another subassembly done long before the car gets there. Tires and wheels, tint/plain glass, door panels with or without window crank holes (and in the correct color), dashboards w/radio options, etc. These are parts that are too large to have on hand at the line so they must be conveyed in the right order before the car comes. There simply isn't room for stacks of five different size or brand tires around the assemblers and they don't have time to go digging.

You have to imagine that there isn't enough time to check ROT sheets, unless something is wrong (out of order). If any department lost two cars in one shift, some tall explaining had to be done with the Plant Manager. Too many of those, and he'll find someone else who can do the job without bothering him with excuses. This is seriously hard work and heads roll.

Look at what's happening at GM over key switches. Whole departments are being swept very clean right now because of a product change that saved a dime over millions of steering columns and ten years. GM is still fighting the Wrongful Death suits, claiming the people responsible are no longer a part of GM's organization and claims prior to their bankruptcy must be suspended. Oh, and GM sends sincere condolences to the seventeen families of deceased victims. If GM could have somehow blamed their UAW workers, I'm sure they would have.

Sorry to get off subject. You can see, if a body is pulled from the line, someone (maybe from a different shift) might look at the ROT sheet. If it goes back into the line after the schedule is made, some might look at the ROT sheet. That rarely happens as 'scheduling' makes their changes well ahead of time. They contact everyone involved so we're all on the same page.

[YellowRose]

'59, gift to my daughter

Thanks, Dave, for the further overview regarding how things are done on the line. As I said, I always thought the car was built from the ROT/Build Sheet, and that was why, when they were done working on the interior, they just stuffed it into the seats, or wherever, so they did not have to get out of the car to throw it away. G'Night, Mate!

[V-John]

John, did you find the missing piece in the top ROT Sheet where the Model number should be at? If you have it, what does it say? It is to bad that is missing!

That was all I could salvage in trying to remove it from the seat. It's odd that they are different, but still attached.

[jopizz]

Hi John, I figured it might have been a Lincoln also, but then I did some research on Lincolns and it seems that they also started their VIN #'s with a 1 and not a 4.

I looked at a couple 1959 Lincoln's on Ebay and both serial numbers start with a "4"

John