Prototype production new model enters the prototype phase

1.2.6 Prototype production
The new model now enters the prototype phase.The mock-ups give way to the first genuine road going vehicle, produced with the aid of accurate drawings and without complex tooling and machinery. The prototype must accurately reproduce the exact shape, construction and assembly conditions of the final production body it represents if it is to be of any value in illustrating possible manufacturing problems and accurate test data.
The process begins with the issue of drawing office instructions to the experimental prototype workshop. Details of skin panels and other large pressings are provided in the form of tracings or as photographic reproductions of the master body drafts. As the various detailed parts are made, by either simple press tools or traditional hand methods, they are spot welded into minor assemblies or subassemblies; these later become part of a major assembly to form the completed vehicle body.Car Repair Talk's forum.