How It's Made: Stretch Limousines

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[enceladus]

I'm pretty surprised how janky this process actually is. Cut the car in half, measure and weld some beams on. This is like a backyard project.

[seyalcops]

Looks like a fun DIY project, gonna give this one a try

[chlorophyll]

Lol after I watching this James May, Jeremy Clarkson and Hamster legitimately are engineers

[xXHatsuneMikuFanXx]

i don't know what i was expecting, but cutting a regular sized car in half is the last thing i would have guessed lmaoo

[Mike-fzcj]

If the flimsy construction of a stretch limo scares you, don't ever look into how most RVs are built. They're essentially a commercial truck frame with a wafer thin aluminum and plywood body bolted on top.

[brianp]

I owned an '89 Town Car limo for a few years privately and worked on it myself. They're not made to last very long; no rustproofing, sloppy welds, lots of leaks. This was a California car but you could easily identify every piece of custom metal because it was covered in surface rust - next to rust-free factory panels. They used a two piece driveshaft and a single carrier bearing for mine (a 72" stretch). Limos are a lot like RVs... there are a couple of companies that make parts for a multitude of limo manufacturers. Mine had a secondary HVAC box behind the driver's compartment with a second heater core and AC evaporator. It had air shocks, but otherwise looked like the original Lincoln coils in the rear. Two batteries and a 200A alternator - may have been an option from Lincoln. The rear compartment solenoid looked the same as one used for a 1950s Ford starter. The biggest issue was glass, lots of custom, curved glass. Once some kids broke the rear door glass. The doors were stretched about 8" and had custom glass. I had to have a polycarbonate window custom made because the original supplier was out of business. They literally spliced the original wire harness going to the back of the car to extend it. There are a surprising number of circuits going back there. It was a remarkably reliable car though, easy to work on too.

[speedrider]

I cut the car in half to show you the strength of flex tape

[EddVCR]

I never knew that limousines are just normal cars cut in half and extended! I’m gonna go build a Yugo stretch limousine. After that, the Reliant Robin stretch limousine!

[thedarklordtiberius]

Wait galvanized steel and screws borrowed from your aunt 😂

[chipsahoyboy]

Best quote. “Workers wheel the back half away from the front half.” Never could have guessed that’s how it all started.

[swifttone]

Surprising how all the measuring is done by hand with simple tape measure and level and not computers. Shocking that it could actually drive straight down the road

[VKSgtSLaughter]

What about showing the modifications to the suspension that handle all the extra weight?
Good video 👍

[thinkiamsad]

2:11 "...which is made of galvanized steel..."

and they're just welding that without any breathing equipment? good way for your employees to get metal fume fever

[heyokaikaggen]

The first stretch limousines usually transported bands and their musical equipment; currently they transport bands and their erm...other equipment.

[kmtqepv]

POV: Little John saved a lot of money to buy a small car, but doesn't have enough space, so he expands it with galvanized steel.

[Parapresdokian]

I made this car all by myself when I was 11 years old with my dad's panoramic camera.

[samspencer]

It seems so... flimsy? Plus as others have said don't they need to completely redo the suspension and wheel bases? You just added hundreds of kilos of weight??

[heavyizthacrown-]

This is so simple, I cannot believe they literally *_stretch_* an already complete sedan!

[JustJacob]

I remember first seeing this as a kid and showing my mom this.
For over a month I asked her if we could turn our car into Limo.
Good times.

[jdogmcnasty]

“A luxurious sedan” 😂 riiiight. Either way it’ll break down before 50k miles….it’s a Chrysler after all