The coolest thing about Jeep’s World War II-esque 75th Wrangler Salute concept was the fact that, unlike any other concept vehicle I can think of, the Jeep was actually built on the assembly line alongside standard run-of-the-mill Wranglers. Jeep has released a time-lapse video showing the assembly process of the concept, and it’s actually really cool.
Assembly lines are fascinating. Dozens of vehicles slide simultaneously along rails up and down multiple levels as workers use specialized tools to install axles, engines, seats—the whole lot—until the vehicle rolls off the end as a finished product.
The video shows much of the assembly process of a modern Wrangler at the Toledo South Assembly Plant. I say “much of,” because the body and chassis assembly aren’t included in the clip.
Still, there are few things as classic as watching an olive-drab Jeep come together on a Toledo assembly line, just as hundreds of thousands did during World War II.
The coolest part of the assembly process—when the body is “decked” onto the pre-assembled chassis (which includes the engine and axles)—is really hard to see because the video is moving too fast, so here are some screen-grabs of the majestic event, which occurs about 20 seconds in.
First, the chassis moves in. It’s right at the center of this photo (the Toledo area code 419 is on the passenger’s side of the bumper.)
Then the body comes in on a kart on the right side of the shot. Here it is just before it’s lifted up, moved left, and dropped onto the chassis:
And here it is after the machine finally mates the body to the frame:
It’s a beautiful sight, and the line workers seem to agree.