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22x10 - Sidecars, Frozen French Toast, Refrigerator Compressors, Superchargers

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "How It's Made". Aired: July 6, 2005.*
Watch/Buy Amazon



Television series that documents how various everyday products are made.

22x10 - Sidecars, Frozen French Toast, Refrigerator Compressors, Superchargers

Post by bunniefuu »

Narrator: a sidecar
is a passenger attachment

That bolts to a motorcycle.

Sidecars
are aftermarket products,

Meaning a separate company --
not the motorcycle maker --

Manufactures and markets them.

You buy a model that's
compatible with your motorcycle.

A motorcycle sidecar carries
one passenger or two,

If they're small children
or pets.

Manufacturers typically produce
several models,

Designed to fit the most popular
bikes on the market.

This one has a fiberglass body,

Surrounded by a steel
perimeter chassis.

Workers construct the chassis

Using several sections
of steel tubing.

They form each section

To the required shape
on a hydraulic bender,

Measuring as they go.

There are sections
in the front and back,

Along the sides, and underneath.

Once the sections are each bent
to specifications,

Workers clamp them into a jig,

Which aligns them all
in the correct configuration.

The smaller-diameter sections

Fit into adjoining
larger-diameter ones.

Once all the parts are in
position, a welder fuses them.

The structure of the perimeter
chassis is now complete

And ready for a coat
of baked-on powder paint

To prevent the steel
from rusting.

Next, workers mount
the suspension

And wheel to the chassis,

Then install
a fiberglass mudguard

That has a reflector,
a taillight, and a turn signal.

They make the sidecar's
fiberglass body

With upper and lower molds,

First painting each one
with gel coat,

A polyester resin

That creates a smooth and shiny
surface over fiberglass.

When the gel coat dries,
about 45 minutes later,

They lay fiberglass mat over it,

Then saturate the fiberglass
with resin.

They lay two fiberglass layers
in most parts of the mold

And a few extra layers in areas
that need a bit more strength

To support attached components.

In the lower mold,

They re-enforce the floor
with plywood

And, in specific locations,
bond in steel mounting plates

For bolting components
to the fiberglass later on.


Once the resin has cured,

They extract the upper-
and lower-body halves

From their respective molds,
trim the rough edges,

And join the halves
on the inside

With more fiberglass and resin.

Then they place
the now-assembled body

Inside the perimeter chassis
to check the alignment.

But they don't connect
the chassis just yet.

First, to snazz up the body,
they mount a nose badge

Made of stainless steel
and anodized aluminum.

Then they attach aluminum strips
to the nose badge,

Affixing them to the fiberglass
with rivets.

They gently tap the strips
with a mallet,

Shaping them to the contour
of the body.

Then they set a rubber insert
into each strip.

This adds a decorative touch,
while hiding the rivets.

Next, the sidecar's windscreen.

It's made of polycarbonate,

An ultra-thin yet strong type
of plastic,

Encased in a durable
aluminum frame.

They finish off the body
by installing carpeting

And an upholstered vinyl seat.

Workers position the sidecar

So that its wheel
is turned slightly inward.

This ensures the bike
and sidecar handle correctly.

Then they bolt the chassis
to the bike frame

With four steel arms --

Two at the front
and two at the back.

Next they fit a steering damper.

This prevents the sidecar

From causing a wobble
in the steering.

The final step is to connect
the electrical wiring

To the lights and the mudguard.

The perimeter chassis is now
ready to receive the body.

They thread bolts into the holes
of those mounting plates

That were bonded in
with the fiberglass

During the molding process --

Two bolts at the front and two
at the back, through the floor.

With that,
this motorcycle sidecar

Is ready to hit the road.

Narrator: love french toast
for breakfast

But don't have the time
or patience

To make it from scratch?

That's why there's ready-made
frozen french toast

That you simply pop
into the toaster --

No cracking eggs, pouring milk,
or dipping bread required.

Just pour on the syrup
and enjoy.

A breakfast favorite
for generations,

It's easy to get sentimental
about french toast.

To get that traditional taste
without the traditional mess,

There's frozen french toast.

They go from your freezer
to your breakfast table

In just minutes.

French toast starts
with freshly baked bread.

A local bakery supplies
this factory

With custom-made


When those
fresh-baked loaves arrive,

Workers load them horizontally
onto a conveyor belt.

The belt winds its way
to the first machine

On the production line --
the slicer.

The slicer has several
vertical blades,

Crossed in a figure eight
over two drums that drive them.

Because each blade crisscrosses,
it cuts two slices at once.

For this production run,

The slicer cuts each loaf
into 28 slices

Almost half an inch thick.

At the output end of the slicer,

Workers discard
the two end pieces.

However, these heels, as
they're called, aren't wasted.

They're used for animal feed.

Workers load the cut loaves into
side-by-side vertical columns.

The slices drop down
onto a wire conveyor belt.

The spacing between rows and
slices is perfectly positioned

To align
with the upcoming stations,

Which will transform them from
bread to frozen french toast.

First, the slicer enters
the batter station,

Which bathes their underside

In a mixture of eggs, milk,
water, and sugar.

The slices then pass
under a batter waterfall,

Which thoroughly coats
their top surface.

The slices exit the batter
station onto a wire belt,

Which feeds them
onto cast-iron griddle plates.

Gas flames underneath
heat the plates

To 275 degrees fahrenheit.

After several seconds,
the underside is cooked,

And a row of automated spatulas,
appropriately called flippers,

Turns the slices over
to cook the reverse side.

Seconds later, the fully cooked
french toast slices

Are removed
from the griddle plates...

...and deposited
onto a conveyor belt.

All of the single-file conveyors

Now converge on a larger
conveyor belt,

Which transports the slices
into the freezer.

The temperature inside --
negative 4 degrees fahrenheit.

After a frosty 23-minute ride,

The french toast
is completely frozen.

It exits the freezer,

Ready to be sorted
into packaging portions.

For this order, workers stack
the slices in fours.

Each package
will contain two stacks.

The packaging machine
inserts each portion

Into a continuous
plastic-film pouch.

Then, at both ends
of each portion,

It simultaneously
heat-seals the film

And cuts the pouch free.

An automated arm picks up
each pouch and inserts it,

Either into small retail cartons
destined for supermarkets

Or into large boxes
for bulk orders to cafeterias,

Hospital kitchens,
and restaurants.

All packaging, warehousing,
and shipping

Occurs in temperature-controlled
facilities

To keep the product frozen

Until it's time to toast
this breakfast tradition.

Narrator: behind every chilled
beverage, there's a compressor,

A crucial component
in refrigeration systems.

It pressurizes and pumps
refrigerant to the condenser

So the cooling process
can begin.

With a well-functioning
compressor,

A refrigerator is more likely
to keep its cool.

Behind the glossy exterior
of a supermarket refrigerator,

There's a substantial compressor
doing its part

To chill the merchandise.

They often remanufacture
old compressors

To save resources and money.

They immerse the cast-iron body
in a chemical bath

To remove the grime and rinse
off the residue with hot water.

That old compressor already
looks a lot less tired.

A worker polishes the cylinder
bore with an abrasive pad

Attached to an air drill.

He sands the surfaces
around the openings

So that all the parts will fit
without leaking.

Smaller parts bounce around
in a vibratory bowl

With steel pellets and cleaning
compound for a good scouring.

Out of the bowl, a worker places
a valve plate

On a magnetized turntable
to keep it in one place,

As a grinder
smoothes the surface.

This makes it look new.

He screws two new valves
to the plate.

These valves will open and close

To move refrigerant in and out
of the compressor.

The next worker assembles
the terminal plate

For the compressor's
electrical motor.

Most of the components
have been reconditioned,

Including the lugs
for the wires.

He slots the lugs in the
terminal plate from the back

And flips the plate around.

He slides new rubber seals
onto all the lugs...

...and then installs rubber
insulators and metal washers.

He secures the lugs with screws,

Using a precisely calibrated
torque wrench.

The compressor's
original crankshaft

Has also been
thoroughly cleaned.

As it now spins in a chuck,

A worker polishes it
until it's completely smooth.

This will allow bearings
and connecting rods

To operate efficiently.

He measures the shaft to confirm
that the circumference is right.

With many parts
now reconditioned

And partially assembled,

They're ready to reconstruct
the compressor.

The worker installs new bearings
and the refurbished crankshaft

Into the compressor body.

He inserts the connecting-rod
and piston assemblies.

Moved by the crankshaft,

These pistons will compress
the refrigerant gas

To pump it through the system.

He slides the rotor part of
the motor into the compressor,

And it links up
to the crankshaft.

He aligns the rotor to
the crankshaft with a long pin.

He secures the rotor to the hub
with a substantial bolt.

The next part is the stator.

It's the magnetized mechanism

That drives the rotor and,
subsequently, the crankshaft.

He connects protruding wires to
the lugs on the terminal board

We saw reassembled earlier.

He sets the terminal board flush
to the compressor

And bolts it to it.

He fits the valve plate
on the cylinders,

Adjacent to the terminal plate.

He places the cylinder head
over the valve plate

And bolts it to it.

The remanufacture
of this compressor is complete.

To test the compressor, they
pump dry nitrogen through it.

A machine measures the suction
and discharge pressure,

As well as the electrical draw.

And still running dry nitrogen
through it,

They immerse the compressor
in water

And check for bubbles
that would indicate leaks.

They make repairs if needed

And then spray the compressor
with enamel paint

To protect it from rust.

Remanufacturing this
refrigeration compressor

Has taken 24 hours.

It's given it a whole new lease
on life.

Narrator: an engine

Naturally takes in air
from the atmosphere

To burn the fuel with oxygen.

If you're looking to give
your car a boost,

A supercharger compresses air

And force-feeds it
into the engine.

The increased mass of oxygen
burns more fuel,

Giving the engine more power.

A supercharger is particularly
popular in drag-car racing.

It attaches with a belt
to the engine's crankshaft,

And, voilà, the car's
on steroids.

They begin with a plate

That forms the rear of the
supercharger's aluminum housing.

Using a press that applies
several tons of pressure,

They install
two steel ball bearings.

These will enable

The supercharger's two rotors
to spin,

Which is what compresses air
and forces it into the engine.

After bolting the steel cap
over each bearing,

Workers insert steel dowels
into holes

Along the perimeter
of the plate.

These dowels, which they now
fully seat with the press,

Will align with receiving holes
on the adjoining housings.

They take the plate that forms
the front end of the housing

And press a steel ball bearing
into it.

This bearing will enable
the supercharger's input shaft

To rotate and, by doing so,
spin the rotors.

They press a rubber-lip seal
on top of the bearing

To keep oil in and dirt out.

Next, they apply
a retaining clip

To hold the seal in position.

Using the press, they seat
the clip in its groove.

Next, they insert
the input shaft.

Its flanged end will protrude
out of the supercharger,

Where a belt and pulley
will rotate it

So that it turns gears
which spin the rotors.

A computer-guided mill

Machines each rotor out
of extruded aluminum.

Once both rotors are ready,

Workers take the central section
of the supercharger housing

And apply sealant
to one end of it.

They affix the rear plate

Containing the two bearings
for the rotors.

They secure the plate
to the main housing

Using socket-headed screws,

Which they tighten
with an air driver.

Flipping the housing
to the other side now,

They install the first
of the two rotors,

Inserting its shaft
into the first bearing

In the just-attached rear plate.

Then they install
the second rotor,

Inserting its shaft into
the second bearing in the plate.

The second rotor lies
perpendicular to the first.

This positioning allows
the spinning rotors

To capture air at the top
of the housing, compress it,

And force it downward
to the bottom of the housing.

They close up the housing
with another plate

Which also contains bearings
for the rotor shafts.

However, on this end, the shafts
protrude beyond the bearings

In order to receive gears.

Then to this, they'll attach
the housing

Containing the input shaft,

Which, driven by the belt
and pulley,

Rotates these gears
to spin the rotors.

Before continuing further,

The team puts the supercharger
through a performance test.

The machine,
called a dynamometer,

Assesses the ratio of speed
to air flow

To ensure the rotors
are compressing air

The way they should be

And therefore outputting
the required boost.

If the rotors pass the test
with flying colors,

Workers then hand-polish
the aluminum housing

To a shiny finish.

A key component
in the supercharger

Is a feeler gauge --

That fan-shaped part
shown on the lower left.

It ensures that the distance
between the rotors is correct,

Which is critical, because if
the rotors are too far apart,

They don't compress air
adequately.

And if they're too close
together, they jam.

It's the customer who, when
installing the supercharger,

Attaches a pulley to the end
of the input shaft,

Then a belt onto the pulley.

The other end of the belt

Loops around the car engine's
crankshaft pulley,

Connecting the supercharger
to the engine

For a mega boost of power.

[ Engine revs ]

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