| Limo builders do a lot more work than most of us | | | | car is cut. The weight of the supporting steel as well |
| realize in order to create a stretch limousine. The | | | | as the act of cutting can cause the metal to bend. |
| reason is that limos are all custom built by hand from | | | | Once the car is cut these items -- at a minimum -- are |
| stock cars. There are no mass production lines, | | | | added to stretch the car. |
| welding robots, or motorized auto-picking of parts as | | | | - Extend the exhaust pipe. |
| far as custom coach building is concerned. | | | | - Attach new mounts and frame for the existing doors. |
| Here are just some of the steps involved -- in no | | | | - Add extended electrical wiring. |
| particular order -- that limousine manufacturers go | | | | - Add new floor panels. |
| through in creating a stretch limo. | | | | - Add extended frame structure. |
| First, they buy a stock car that is going to be | | | | - Add supporting steel to prevent the middle part of |
| stretched. While you can make a limo from pretty | | | | the car from sagging. |
| much any type of car, some of the more popular car | | | | - Add extended ceiling panels. |
| models used for limousines are Lincoln Town Cars, | | | | - Add new mounts for extra doors. |
| Mercedes, BMWs, Rolls Royces, Ford Excursions, and | | | | - Add more supporting structural steel and side sheet |
| Hummers. | | | | metal skin. For the interior these custom items are |
| The limo builder then strips the interior of the car. They | | | | usually added. |
| remove the rug, seats, interior vinyl top, and electrical | | | | - Interior bars. |
| wiring. Depending on the model of car the electrical | | | | - Interior side seating. |
| can be difficult to extend because of the complexity | | | | - Mirrored ceilings. |
| of the wiring between the dashboard and the rest of | | | | - TV panels. |
| the car. Mercedes cars are notorious for having | | | | - Speakers and sound system. |
| complex wiring systems. | | | | - CD and DVD players. |
| The limousine manufacturer then masks the windows, | | | | - Extended interior top. |
| dashboard, door panels, and interior to prevent | | | | - Electrical lines extended for lights, interior electrical |
| damage from cutting and welding sparks. | | | | disco lights, fog machine, etc. Finally, for the outside |
| They mount the whole car on rails with rolling dollies. | | | | there is typically new carriage undercoating as well |
| This will allow for separating or "stretching" the car | | | | final body work to smooth out the welding edges and |
| after it is cut and at the same time keep the two | | | | a new coat of primer and paint. |
| halves supported and aligned. | | | | These are just a few highlights of what limo builders |
| Next, temporary supporting braces are added to the | | | | have to do in order to build a custom stretch limo that |
| frame in order to prevent it from warping when the | | | | can take you and your party out on the town. |