PRESENTER: The first stretch
limousines, built around 1928, usually transported big bands
and their musical equipment. Luxury sedans with
an extended chassis are typically associated
with special occasions, such as weddings, proms,
or night on the town. It takes about 475 hours
of work and painstaking detail to transform a luxury
sedan into a stretch limo. Workers cut an
ordinary-sized car in half using cutting wheels. Before cutting begins,
the inside of the car is stripped away, along with
other components such as the gas tank and drive shaft. Workers cut away the
inner support structure and cut across the floor of the
car with a reciprocating saw. The car is now
completely cut in half. Workers wheel the
back half of the car away from the front half. They place the back
half on the exact spot where the limousine will
gradually be assembled. The construction
department employees insert steel frame rails into
the front half of the car. They insert the rails on
both sides of the front half before inserting the rails
into the back half of the car. They measure the
length of the frame rails to make sure that
the frame is square and that the two halves
are the correct distance apart to build the limousine. A worker welds the rails
to the frames of the front and back halves of
the original car. They position the drive shaft
tunnel, which houses the steel drive shaft and exhaust
pipes, and weld it to the original vehicle tunnel. They position the floor, which
is made of galvanized steel, and weld it to the
frame rails and tunnel. They weld the steel
roof rails into place. They connect the new
rails to the roof rails in the original vehicle. A worker welds a vertical
side post into place. With a level, he checks that
the post of hardened steel is perfectly vertical before
welding the base of the post to the floor frame. A roof panel made of galvanized
steel is put in place. Workers install the
limousine's bar. They've already installed
the steel seat frames. Next, they install an outer body
panel complete with a hardened steel crash bar. They screw the panel into place. The screws will be removed
once the panel has bonded solidly to the limousine frame. A worker sprays on
three coats of paint then applies two coats of
protective clear coating. Once the painting
process is complete, workers install the
laminated safety side glass. Another worker
sprays contact cement on the roof of the limousine in
preparation for the vinyl top. He stretches the vinyl across
the roof and, with his hand, presses the fabric
down into the crevices, then he carefully
trims off the excess. He presses a strip
of chrome molding into place on the
top of the vinyl. Workers in the
interior department install the back of a leather
seat and a leather bench seat. After reupholstering the
original rear seat to match, they return it to
its original spot in the back of the limousine. A systems installer connects
the electrical systems for the control center located
behind the driver's seat. A panel lists relays and fuses. The original center console
is then reinstalled. A worker installs a video
monitor in the limousine. Next, he rolls out
the floor mats. The acrylic disco bar
lighting system is tested. In just 21 days, the
original car is transformed into a luxurious limousine. With test drives and
quality control checks complete, enjoy a ride
in the lap of luxury.
