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interesting.

Another great find Motts!

Every six seconds KA-Boom a steel part is formed KaA-Boom Another....THese machines are frequently left in place because of their size and cost to move is usally more than waht the purchase price was of the machine when it was new. And it probably is still functional with little more than a lube and cleaning.
I remember when my dads shop had a new press put in they had to dig out 20feet of dirt from the floor to set it in place Hugeness abounds!

Looks like it was last service in 96 so I would geuss Tom is right, a simple service call and you could be cranking out Studebakers.

Nice contras- white on green. Beautiful

I am thinking this plant must be located in South Bend, Indiana? I lived there for almost 35 years before moving to Cali recently. South Bend has been trying to demolish the Studebaker Corridor area of the city for many years. It has been a big eyesore to the area to say the least. However, the new Studebaker Museum opened recently and it seems a good number of people do a nice job preserving some of the history. Are these photographs from the South Bend Studebaker plant?

Ah, I found the writeup and answered my own question. Part of the Studebaker facility was torn down years ago and a nice modern jail was built on the location.

Motts, You should have stopped by the ND campus for lunch or something. I would have like to meet the man behind the masterpieces.

Kind of sad really. Like some part of the building is just waiting for the whistle to blow and for work to start tomorrow. Like those ghosts you hear about who don't know they're dead.

Thanks for putting the info from that press data sheet in your text. Though my folks worked for Studebaker I know Mom never worked in the Stamping building, and never heard Dad mention it either. I really love these shots because the presses had been removed a few months before my son and I had our "tour" of this facility. There were only the press pits remaining, with a weak 2x4 guard rail around them. It is no wonder they did not want tourists in here. It was dark and dangerous if you were not careful. I work in the Toyota Stamping department at the Kentucky Camry plant. The basic technology on our older presses is no different from these. There is no way they could stamp a panel every six seconds in these however. We use high speed robots to load and unload our presses and I struggle to get them to run 6 second cycles. I have original factory photos of men working on these presses making parts in the early 50's. there would be a team of 3 men on one side lubing and loading the blanks and and 2 on the other side removing the stamped panel. I am only guessing but I think they could probably produce 2 or 3 panels a minute at best. The speed was probably set in the union contract. More than the old buildings, the union was a larger factor in the demise of Studebaker's automotive division, and I say that as the son of a Studebaker UAW Local 5 Steward. (Studebaker Corporation never failed, they just got out of the car business.) I would be happy to scan some of my historic Studebaker press images for inclusion your site if you are interested.

When I worked here in 1992, the presses would need oil on a daily basis, break, and we would often play cards while the pipe fitters and oilers would do their job to get the line back up again. This site brings back memories.

Your "finds" always make me feel as if the folks who used to occupy these places literally just got up and walked out one day leaving everything "as is" which is why your photography is so thought provoking. With your photos.. you tell the story behind all things abandoned! Thanks...

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scrambled brains think alike:
All above told the truth. We can communicate on this theme.

I worked for Tecumseh Metal products when they occupied part of the old Stusebaker plant. I remember parking near the big S on the foundry building.

The presses at that time were pumping out Ford Van parts and aluminum parts for the military Hum Vee.

I remember thinking when I would visit that plant that the hardwood block floors soaked in oil would really go up if they ever caught fire. I guess sadly I was right.

Nice to see some of the history of a once great Marque preserved.

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