GM will spend $300 million to retool a plant.

The company said it is converting its Wilmington, Del., assembly plant to produce a new front-wheel-drive Chevrolet compact. The modernization, which will begin in March, will temporarily idle 4,100 workers at the plant, which now makes large, rear-wheel-drive Chevrolet and Oldsmobile models. The plant will begin producing GM’s new L-body compact model this summer in time for the 1987 model year. The L-body will only be sold by Chevrolet.