How It's Made: Dream Cars

Narrator: TODAY ON "HOW IT'S MADE: DREAM CARS"...

THE MORGAN AERO COUPE.

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS SUPERCAR IS MADE BY HAND?

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

LOCATED IN THE HILLS OF MALVERN, ENGLAND,

THE MORGAN MOTOR COMPANY IS ONE OF THE LAST TRULY BRITISH

AND PRIVATELY OWNED AUTOMAKERS.

FOUNDED IN 1910,

THE MANUFACTURER TRADITIONALLY HANDCRAFTS LUXURIOUS ROAD CARS

AND CARS FOR MOTOR SPORTS.

THE INSPIRATION FOR ALL MORGAN CARS

COMES FROM THE FOUNDERS LIVING IN THE HILLS OF MALVERN,

WHERE THEY NEEDED POWERFUL VEHICLES

THAT WERE ALSO ABOUT FAMILY COMFORT AND AMPLE CARGO SPACE.

FOUNDER HENRY MORGAN

GUIDED THE MORGAN MOTOR COMPANY FOR ALMOST 50 YEARS.

THE INITIAL SUCCESS OF THE COMPANY

WAS BASED ON THE ICONIC MORGAN THREE WHEELER.

KNOWN AS THE CYCLE CAR,

THIS BRILLIANT YET SIMPLE DESIGN

BECAME ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL LIGHTWEIGHT CARS

IN EARLY MOTOR HISTORY.

FOLLOWING THE THREE WHEELER,

THE TWO-SEAT RUNABOUT WAS DEVELOPED

AND EQUIPPED WITH WHEEL STEERING AND EVEN A HOOD.

INTRODUCED IN 1950, THE SHORT-LIVED MORGAN PLUS 4

LED THE WAY TO THE MORE POPULAR MORGAN PLUS 8.

PRODUCTION OF THE PLUS 8 LASTED FOR 36 YEARS.

THE AERO COUPE WAS INTRODUCED IN 2001.

IT IS ONE OF THE FIRST MORGAN CARS

BUILT WITH AN ALUMINUM CHASSIS AND BODY,

PAIRED WITH THE 4.8-LITER V8 ENGINE,

MAKING A MIGHTY 367 HORSEPOWER.

THE COMPANY RADSHAPE MANUFACTURES

PRECISION SHEET-METAL PARTS

INCLUDING THE BONDED CHASSIS FOR THE MORGAN AERO COUPE.

COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING

MAKE BUILDING THE CHASSIS PARTS EASIER AND FASTER.

THE SOFTWARE HELPS WORKERS CONTROL THE MACHINING TOOLS,

WITH DUTIES SUCH AS ROUGHING, SEMI-FINISHING, FINISHING,

AND CONTOUR MILLING.

THIS PUNCH PRESS WORKS LIKE A HOLE PUNCH FOR PAPER.

THE PUNCH PRESSES THE ALUMINUM SHEET

AGAINST THE SUPPORT DIE

AND INTO A ROUND OPENING

WHERE THE SCRAP METAL IS COLLECTED IN A CONTAINER.

CHASSIS PARTS REQUIRE NIBBLING,

WHERE PUNCH HOLES OVERLAP FORMING ANY SHAPE.

THE PUNCHING MACHINE HAS TO DELIVER MORE STROKES

ALONG THE PUNCHED PATH, CREATING A SMOOTHER EDGE.

PRODUCED IN GERMANY BY ALUMINUM MANUFACTURER ALCAN,

THE THIN SHEET PLIES ARE ALSO COATED WITH PT2,

AN ORGANIC COMPOUND WHICH INCREASES THE STRENGTH

OF THE BONDS FORMED WHEN THE PARTS ARE GLUED TOGETHER.

ONCE THE PUNCH MACHINE OUTPUTS THE PIECES,

A WORKER SHAPES THEM FURTHER WITH A MECHANICAL FOLDING,

COINING, AND AIR-BENDING MACHINE CALLED A PRESS BRAKE.

AIR BENDING THE ALUMINUM MEANS EACH SHEET IS BENT BY A BRAKE.

IT STRIKES THE ALUMINUM

WITH A PRESET PRESSURE INTO THE DIE

WITHOUT PRESSING IT AGAINST THE MATRIX WALLS.

THE CAR'S CHASSIS CONSISTS OF 32 PARTS,

EACH PIECE FOLDED WITH PRECISION.

THIS PROCESS TAKES FOUR HOURS PER CHASSIS.

IN THE CLEAN ROOM FOR RECENTLY MACHINED PARTS,

EACH PART IS STACKED ACCORDING TO THEIR PATTERN GROUP.

THEY WILL SOON INTERSECT

AND BECOME THE INTERNAL FRAMEWORK OF THE CAR.

WITHIN THE CLEAN-ROOM ENVIRONMENT,

SEALED AT THE ENTRANCES AND EXITS

TO ENSURE THE UTMOST QUALITY,

TWO WORKERS DELIVER THE MIDSECTION ONTO A WORK CART.

HAVING ALREADY ASSEMBLED

SOME OF THE LARGER PIECES OF THE CHASSIS,

THEY WILL CONTINUE TO BOND AND RIVET

THE MAIN PARTS TOGETHER.

THE WORKERS DELIVER THE FRONT-END BASE COMPONENT,

WHICH HAS STRUCTURAL EPOXY ADHESIVE.

THE GEL'S ORANGE COLOR

HELPS TO HIGHLIGHT ITS PLACEMENT DURING ASSEMBLY.

PUSHING THE CHASSIS PARTS CLOSER TOGETHER TO MATCHING SECTIONS,

THE WORKERS HAMMER A METAL CYLINDRICAL SHAFT

INTO PUNCHED HOLES TO AVOID ANY BUILDING ERRORS

WHILE OTHER HOLES ARE INJECTED WITH RIVETS

TO FASTEN THE CHASSIS.

TO SOLIDIFY THE RIVETS,

THE WORKERS USE SERVO-DRIVEN TOOLS.

THIS ENABLES CONTROL OF THE RIVET-SETTING PROCESS

FOR UNCOMPROMISED REPEATABILITY

AND QUALITY OF WATER-TIGHT JOINTS.

THIS PROCESS INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY

AND SAVES TIME IN ATTACHING THE CHASSIS PARTS.

USING A CARTRIDGE APPLICATOR,

A WORKER APPLIES MORE ADHESIVE TO THE CHASSIS CLEANLY

AND WITH A MINIMUM OF WASTE.

THIS HIGH-STRENGTH ADHESIVE HAS BEEN IN USE

SINCE WORLD WAR II

AND WAS DESIGNED FOR AIR AND SEA SHIP BUILDING.

MORE GEL AND ADDITIONAL PARTS IN THE CENTER

CREATE A SUB FRAME OF THE COCKPIT.

THE CHASSIS STANDS IN A CURING ROOM FOR 25 MINUTES

TO DRY THE ADHESIVE AT 375 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

A WORKER APPLIES TEST SAMPLES TO THE CHASSIS

WITH THE SAME BATCH OF ALUMINUM AND ADHESIVE.

THE SAMPLES ARE PEELED APART BY A TENSILE-TESTING MACHINE,

APPLYING BETWEEN 230 TO 670 POUNDS OF FORCE

IN ORDER TO VERIFY THE STRENGTH OF THE BOND.

AFTER 13 HOURS OF ASSEMBLY,

RADSHAPE GIVES THEIR SEAL OF APPROVAL

AND SENDS THE CHASSIS TO BECOME THE START OF THE AERO COUPE.

Narrator: THE AERO COUPE IS NO EXCEPTION TO MORGAN'S TRADITION

OF HAVING THEIR CARS BUILT AROUND A WOOD FRAME

AND METAL CHASSIS.

THE WOOD DELIVERS STRENGTH, FLEXIBILITY,

AND SAFETY IN ANY COLLISION.

THE AUTO MAKER USES A LARGE AMOUNT OF LUMBER

FROM ASH TREES IN THE CRAFTSMANSHIP OF THEIR CARS.

A WORKER USES A SERIES OF PRE-DESIGNED ROUTER JIGS

TO HELP SCULPT PARTS OF THE WOODEN FRAME

ON A SPECIALIZED TABLE SAW.

KNOWN AS THE WOOD-FRAME PROCESS,

PARTS ARE CUT INTO PATTERNED PIECES IN THE FACTORY'S MILL.

ONCE THE PIECES ARE PRECISELY CUT,

THEY ARE SANDED AND SHAVED

TO MEET THE PROPER SIZING AND WEIGHT.

AT ANOTHER WORK TABLE,

A WORKER PLACES A HIGH-STRENGTH ADHESIVE ON WOODEN PANELS,

BRUSHING THE GLUE FROM ONE END TO ANOTHER,

CERTIFYING THE PIECES ARE FULLY COATED ON ONE SIDE.

MOUNTING THE TWO PIECES BACK-TO-BACK,

THE WORKER MOVES THE UNIFIED SHEET

INTO A PREDEFINED JIG THAT'S MORE THAN 60 YEARS OLD.

THIS CLAMP PRESSURE TECHNIQUE

MOLDS THE WOOD TO REMAIN A SPECIFIC SHAPE.

WITH A RUBBER MALLET,

THE WORKER HAMMERS THE PIECES INTO PLACE

WITH THE HELP OF A PROTECTIVE WOOD GUIDE.

THE JIG ALSO HAS VARIOUS CLOSURE SUPPORTS

THAT REQUIRE BOLTING AND SECURING WITH A RATCHET,

ENSURING THE WOOD PLANKS SHAPE CORRECTLY

AND ARE EQUAL IN SYMMETRY.

COMPLETELY SECURE,

THE WOOD SITS IN THE ANTIQUE JIG FOR ONE HOUR,

UNTIL THE GLUE IS FULLY ABSORBED INTO THE WOOD

AND COMPLETELY DRY.

USING THE RUBBER MALLET TO LOOSEN THE PLANK,

THE WORKER REMOVES THE NEWLY SHAPED COMPONENT.

WITHIN THE WORKSHOP,

A WORKER SHAVES THE EDGES OF A FRAME PIECE.

USING A HAND PLANE, HE SHAPES THE LUMBER AS NECESSARY.

PLANING PRODUCES HORIZONTAL, VERTICAL,

OR INCLINED FLAT SURFACES.

A SANDING BLOCK IS ALSO PUT TO USE

TO SMOOTH ALL EDGE CARVINGS FROM THE HAND PLANE.

THE WORKER PLACES THE FINISHED PIECE NEXT TO THE OTHER PARTS.

THE WORK DONE IN THE WOOD SHOP IS VERY TIME-SENSITIVE.

IT TAKES THREE DAYS TO BUILD THE ASH WOOD FRAME

BEFORE IT IS FITTED ONTO THE CAR'S CHASSIS.

THE WORKER ASSEMBLES THE PARTS

BY PLACING A HIGH-STRENGTH WOOD GLUE IN CERTAIN AREAS

AS WELL AS STAINLESS-STEEL SCREWS

INTO PRE-DRILLED HOLES USING A CORDLESS SCREWDRIVER.

THE MANUFACTURER CALLS THIS PROCESS

21st CENTURY COACH BUILDING.

THIS LAYER OF ASH HARDWOOD WILL BE SANDWICHED

BETWEEN THE ALUMINUM OUTER-BODY PANELS

AND THE RIGID INTERNAL ALUMINUM CHASSIS.

CLAMPS ARE ALSO USED TO HOLD THE WOOD IN POSITION

WHILE THE STAINLESS-STEEL SCREWS ARE INSTALLED.

ONCE THE HARDWOOD FRAME IS COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED,

TWO WORKERS MOVE THE SUBSTRUCTURE

ONTO THE ALUMINUM CHASSIS FOR FITTING.

ADDING MORE TO THE REAR OF THE CHASSIS,

THE WORKER PLACES A FENDER SUPPORT

AND SCREWS IT INTO PLACE.

A CORE STRENGTH WITHIN THE FACTORY IS WOOD WORK.

THE CAR'S WOOD FRAME

EXEMPLIFIES TRADITIONAL SKILLS AND EXCELLENT CRAFTSMANSHIP.

THE FACTORY WOOD SHOP IS VERY SMALL.

EVERY ELEMENT OF THE WOODEN FRAME

IS FINE TUNED WITH COMMON AND TRADITIONAL TOOLS.

VARIOUS MODEL FRAMES ARE BUILT AT THE SAME TIME.

TWO WORKERS MOVE THE WOODEN SUB FRAME