Caddy Attack

I'm Bret Michaels. I've been on the road my whole life, and I know RVs. ♪ Got a few miles, a whole lot of rust ♪ ♪ Got her dinged up good, got her stuck in the mud ♪ So if you want a rig that's rock-star-worthy, I'm the man to help you get it. Today on "Rock My RV"... Ron and Serena are classic-car aficionados who love hitting the open road with their two young boys. Unfortunately, their '93 Fleetwood Southwind is more clunky than classy. So we're overhauling the old Fleetwood and turning it into the ultimate ride, Rat-Pack-style. We're talking a wrap like you have never seen before -- a plush interior with indoor movie screen and one-of-a-kind king-size bed made from a '62 Cadillac. Yep, you heard me. '62 Caddy. ♪ Gonna make this whole thing look like a million bucks ♪ I've rocked the world, and now I'm about to rock your RV. ♪ I'm gonna fix your old RV ♪ -- Captions by VITAC -- Ron and Serena bought their '93 Fleetwood Southwind so they could take their two boys, Charlie and Max, to the desert and camp in style. We decided to get an RV because we needed something bigger as our kids were getting bigger. So, when we go out to the desert, we had to have the bathroom and some sort of shelter for the family. Unfortunately, the old Fleetwood soon became an unexpected headache. When we first bought the motor home, we thought everything worked perfectly, but each trip we went on, something broke down. I spend at least four to five hours before every trip just making sure everything works. Aside from the mechanical issues, this rig's outdated look just doesn't fit this classic-car-loving family's style. I was born into a car family. It's just something that's in my blood since I've been little. I happen to be a big Cadillac fan. I love Cadillac's clean lines. I love how they represent a style from a long time ago. This motor home's more like my grandparents than us. Come on, now. Ah-pow! This thing needs some TLC that only we can bring. Hi. How are you? You, too. Ron, how are you doing, buddy? You feeling okay? I'm doing all right, yes. Awesome. Now, what would you like to see us do with this? Well, I like cleaner graphics. This is gonna go. What colors do you like? Yeah, gun-metal gray. Yay. You got a Caddy? Coup de Ville? All right. Love it. Yes. Ron mentioned in here he wanted something cool, Cadillac vibe. I'm thinking immediately Cadillac Coupe de Ville. There's no doubt we are gonna give this thing a very cool, vintage Caddy feel. First thing that I can tell you, it's got good room in here. SERENA: It's actually a pretty good layout. In here, if you had the ultimate dream -- I love that look where on, like, a Caddy, I totally know. And that's what you want to see in here. Ron and Serena got a family. They definitely want this thing to be functional but stylish. They got to have both. What about the kitchen? That refrigerator? We have a nice duct-tape mark here from -- Gaff tape fixes everything. SERENA: We need a bigger fridge. It works well, entertaining-wise. The upholstery obviously gonna go, right? You want a place you can come in, hang out, Exactly. Let's go back into the bedroom here and talk. [ Laughs ] What do you see not only as comfort, but style back in here? This bed, it kind of slides all over, and then the headboard part just has a piece of Styrofoam. My mind right now is going crazy with what I could do back here. I'm working on it, yeah. Ron was a lovable control freak like yours truly. I am still a little bit nervous, but I'm cautiously optimistic that he's gonna take this to the next level And the kitchen sink. I'm saving this. I'm gonna put it in the car right beside my eight-track tape player. Ron and Serena want an RV that blends coolness and comfort. Who brought the rubber mallet to the party? I have a few big ideas. One of the biggest challenges is gonna be Ron not punching me square in my face when I show him that this is not gun-metal gray. Bodie, this is right up your alley. We're going to Cadillac. JAKE: It's a car within a -- Wow. BRET: Outside, we're gonna give this rig a 3-D optical-illusion wrap like you've never seen before. When it's done, it'll look like a vintage Caddy rolling down the road. He wants everything gun-metal gray. The problem is, is I don't think it's gonna bring out their personality. It's boring. Everything he asked me to do, Right. This guy may absolutely walk out on us. I just want to say I'll take blame. Guy's crazy. This is truly me stepping out there, but Ron and Serena want classic Caddy, and I'm gonna deliver it. We'll take that chill, '60s-Caddy vibe inside, too, with a restored-vintage dash and a 100% custom king-size bed fabricated from a vintage Cadillac. Okay. I mean, look at that. Here's my first thought. Let's get rid of this carpet right here Yeah. Yeah. That's great, 'cause that will make all the upholstery pop. Soda fountain? Got a soda fountain happening right here. '50s diner meets classic Caddy. Now, back here. I want to make this room insane. Bodie, this is what I beg of you. Please don't make this come out like a kid's bed. There will be real quarter panels, real taillight housing. We'll make it look like the actual rear end of the car. I'm so excited. This is right up my alley. I know it's a big risk, and he could look at me and say, "This things sucks," but I'll tell you what. Cool. Do it. BRET: I want this coach to scream Cadillac cool, and I know my man Bodie is loving this one. So, this is gonna be a huge project. This is right up my alley. I got a great friend who's a Cadillac expert. We're gonna go through this thing and see what we can come up with. I would really like a mid-'60s Cadillac dash. You got to get original steel dash. No question -- You're gonna have to add some length and some width to it. I want to throw in some emblems. There's a lot of things that we can incorporate to really make it feel like they're in a Cadillac. Maybe some "V's" replace these, and these become pulls. It's so awesome having Tony here right now. We're both Cadillac guys, and we're bouncing ideas off of each other, actually coming up with some of the same ideas at the same time. Okay. I mean, 'cause I want the rear quarters off, like, a '62 Cadillac. Yeah. I think the corners are gonna be perfect length. I really want to make sure that this feels like a real '62 Cadillac and isn't some cheesy theme-park ride at some amusement park. I'm excited about it, but I'm a little worried. Time is an issue right now. We don't have a donor Cadillac yet. I really don't have a foundation I can work off of. This may be the greatest build in RV history or the world's worst RVing disaster. Stay tuned. We got some great ideas, and we're ready to roll. BRET: We're gonna deck this RV out in Caddy style. I could only hope that in the end, Ron and Serena love the vision as much as I do. That remains to be seen. In the meantime, we've gutted the RV. So now we can really get a lay of the land and see what lies ahead on this build. All right. How are you gonna fit a '62 Caddy back into here? No problem. We're gonna have to cut the car up quite a bit. We have a problem. Yeah. That is a problem because a lot of people are gonna be mad at me. And without seeing the car here, Right. Okay. And we're gonna build a frame that the mattress will sit in. And then the other cool thing I'm thinking is a grille up over the bed. Right? I'm excited. All right. Cool. Bodie says the Caddy bed is coming along just fine except for one minor problem -- We don't have a Caddy or a bed. Somebody help me. Today, Bodie and I are down here in Seal Beach to pick up some original-Caddy parts for our original-Caddy build. After you, sir. How you doing? Now, this is what I call accessorizing, Tony. Yes, it is. I see not only good for an RV, but this is earring quality right here. Since it's a Fleetwood motor home -- so I thought maybe we could do something with the Fleetwood. The whole purpose of what we want to do is, we want to make it as authentic as possible. Not just take their dream -- We want to make that dream explode. So, hopefully -- fingers crossed -- Tony hooked us up with a donor car. BRET: Hey. Yeah. Tony, I'm not a greedy man, so I want them all. There will be something here we can work with. This is awesome. That car up there, at first glance, is gonna look rougher. But it's solid. I think the metal's better. Well, this is all surface. Just surface. That's all this is. Even if you look down the side of the body. Yeah. These things are straight. I mean, since I'm gonna be cutting it up, too, I would kind of hate to do it to this one. And the dash is complete. Steering column's there. I ain't gonna lie. This car looks pretty rough. I got to tell you. With Ron and Serena, I think it's gonna mean a lot to them that it is the real deal. Now, you need us to help load this up? I wish we could drive it. Straight to Vegas for all three of us? Let's go. Throwing money out. "Hey, making moves." I got it, man. A little elbow grease right here. I'm gonna sit in the driver's seat while you guys push. How's that sound? All right, Bret. A little faster. BRET: With the Caddy picked out, it's time for Bodie, the boys, and I [ Grunts ] ...cut into this car. [ Saw whirs ] For any Caddy purist, they're gonna love what we -- just destroying this car, and I'll tell you why. 'Cause we're giving it new life. BODIE: The odometer's gonna keep on rolling. Keep on spinning, man. It seems like we have been all Caddy all the time around this shop for the last few days. But Jake's busy, too. He and a team are building cabinets to give this family much-needed storage. All right, all right. BODIE: Yep. Honestly, Jake, they look great, man. So, in the middle of that rendering, this dinette was sort of gonna slide out. And now what are we doing in here? Yeah. Where we had the soda fountain over here, there just isn't enough room, Okay. And then we'll do a couch there. All right. That makes a lot of sense. One of the crazy thoughts I have in my brain -- It's gonna be tough to wedge a small TV up there up in the cockpit. What about actually putting a projector up here and shooting this out like it's a drive-in theater? Right. Up there, you got ample screen space. Everyone will be able to see it. Perfect. What's the status on that dash? Making it actually work, function, Right. ...it's just gonna be a lot of work. But to tell you the truth, with this particular family, I think they're gonna love having that true Caddy feel. When they both said they like gun-metal gray, my brain started spinning. Here could be the greatest thing ever done, or this guy may walk out on us. Well, guys, this is a really special build, so let's get on it. Let's do it. Trying to make the '62 Cadillac dash into this thing has become quite the challenge. Bodie is just in love with this. I'm renaming this one "Bodie's Baby." JAKE: A 51-year-old dash. You're gonna put it in an RV. What do you say about you taking the dash and getting it upholstered? I'll get a nice, vintage Cadillac '62 red. [ Smooches ] I got a lot of work to do, so you got to get out of here, man. Quit bothering me. I got more work than you. Okay. Bye. BRET: Even though Bodie may be carrying the heavy load in this build, it doesn't mean Jake and his team are getting off easy. They build a new, comfy dinette, hang some retro wallpaper, and lay down some gray carpet right up Ron's alley. Now, I wanted to put in a vintage soda fountain, but it seems that the build has hit a little snag. The idea for the soda fountain has kind of fizzed out. The practical applications just aren't there. You know, there's plumbing to think about. Instead of the soda fountain, we're gonna build just a really cool, sleek '50s bar. BRET: A bar will definitely fit the bill in this rig. So, while work is breezing along inside the coach, the fabricating team is sweating as they try to figure out how to make a 50-year-old dash work in an RV. Not only is the build a risk style-wise -- If it doesn't function like new, we're in a lot of trouble with the family. The challenges of taking the dashboard out of a 1962 Cadillac and putting it in an RV are simple. It's never been done before. I have to make the whole dash-pad cover from scratch, all new bracketry. It's Bodie that I'm worried about. He's taken most of it on himself. BODIE: The car we got is in bad shape, but we've got a huge process ahead of us. BRET: This is a huge build for the team, and a big part of making my vision come to life is falling on Bodie's shoulders. So, we pulled this carefully out of the Cadillac. I've made some mounts. I got it into position. Started building some dash skins. This thing's gonna feel like they are driving down the road in a '62 Cadillac. BRET: This dash is gonna be the ultimate dream when it's done, but right now, if you know what I'm saying, it's a nightmare. I have to make the '62 Cadillac dash work with the original wiring on this motor home. There's a lot of integrating the old wiring with all of this new stuff. We have GPS-controlled speedometer. We got to hook up all the blinkers, the radio. We go to do a lot of wiring splices. We got to move wiring. Not a very easy task. I've given Bodie a lot on this one. As if putting a Cadillac dash into this wasn't enough, Bodie is going out of his way to make a Cadillac bed. ADAM: Right now, I got both sides of the bed done. The bumper's been cut and fitted for the bed. Right now I'm making the headboard. After that, we can send it to Bodie, and he can paint it. [ Whistling ] BODIE: We have to get things re-chromed. We have to repaint. We've got a huge restoration process. I will actually make this thing look like it came from the factory as a '62 Cadillac. The red looks beautiful. Now we got to spray some black so the underneath disappears. Then we'll start installing it. I got the heavy part. Yes! Man, that's a lot of work. [ Sighs ] What I'm doing right now is actually dying. That was a long walk. It's in. It's good. I'm happy. Fits perfect. Done. BRET: This has been one of the biggest transformations for us ever, and making this thing into a true Caddy has been, let's just say, an adventure. Inside, this thing is definitely starting to feel like a Caddy, but outside, it still screams '93 Fleetwood. That's about to change. This wrap is pretty interesting to me. This is a fine line, toeing it between amusement-park kind of goofy and Cadillac cool. BRET: Most RVs have pretty standard exteriors. You've seen hundreds of them rolling down the road. But it doesn't have to be that way anymore. Custom paint jobs can come in any color, from bright red to mat black like my bus. Then there's wraps, where the sky is the limit. We've even done a polished-metal exterior that is truly unique. But nothing -- and I mean nothing -- comes close to the ***' look of this Caddy RV. Wrap went on this thing -- pow. Home run. Awesome. Mr. Michaels desires a projector. I don't know what entails making it a blackout projector. Definitely some obstacles with this thing, so I hope I'm not scrambling to figure it out. BODIE: We're down to the 11th hour, but I think we're gonna be able to wrap it up here pretty quick. It is the 11th -- move -- 11-1/2th hour. Have no time. We're hustling. BRET: The guys have truly been hauling *** on this rig, and time is the enemy. I can almost guarantee you anytime you're reworking an RV, where you start is definitely not where you're gonna finish. But in the end, we all push through and bring this thing across the finish line in true Caddy style. There you go, college boy. Step aside. Let me handle it. BODIE: I love the old Cadillacs. I love what we did to this thing. And I always love to be the first to do something new. And I think we've done it again. Guys, how you feeling about everything in here? I love it. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. It's clean. It's crisp. The roll of the dice on this one is not the inside. The inside's just insane. We took a chance on the outside. Ron and Serena are on their way. Let's hope, yeah. Let's hand it over, man. Awesome. I cannot wait to see the look on Ron's face when he sees this thing revealed, because he's either gonna love it or hate it. I hope the Weddles are blown away. The excitement building for coming down here has been pretty big, actually. I hope my personality shows a little in the RV in that it's kind of fun. Kind of a classic, subdued style. My only worry is that it would be a little bit over the top, but can we just get this on? I am so ready to see this RV. Let's do it! Ron and Serena, are you ready? Yes. Let's rock. [ Crowd cheering ] Oh, my God! We are moments away from this big Caddy reveal. I do have somewhat of a vision of what I'm hoping it's going to look like, even though I've tried not to think about it for the last few months. Ron and Serena, I see you brought some awesome family and friends with you here tonight. I know you wanted classic and cool, but knowing your personalities, I added a little kicker. I hope you're gonna dig it. Ron and Serena, are you ready? Yes. Erica, Victoria, are you ready? Ready. Let's rock. [ Crowd cheering ] Oh, my God! Hello! No way. Come on. There was a lot of nervousness for them and me, but when that curtain dropped, there was a moment of magic. I mean, this thing looked bigger. It looked badass. Ron lit up, and I looked over at Serena, and she was tearing up. And you know right there, emotionally, we've hit a touchdown. You wanted classic Caddy. I got a Caddy. And it's a '62. It's a '62. Now, you remember what this was before, right? Hard to believe that's the same motor home. The kids on the rope swing. A couple fitted, swirled stripes. You have no idea what we've done. Oh, my God. That's so cool. And, again, you remember what this was, right? RON: It was very forgettable. Yeah. We'll leave it at that. And I thought, "There's got to be a way "I can put that fun personality, "but keeping it classic, and hopefully you feel we've achieved it." It's beautiful. This thing is uniquely, uniquely yours. They're gonna know when we're coming. Then I cannot wait for you all to see what we have done inside, because you want to talk about '62? I think you're gonna be blown away. Come on into classic awesomeness. Oh, my God. Just take it in. What do you remember this being? RON: Lots of torn upholstery -- foam sticking out. It was a little beat-up. That is still a bed. You got the custom Cadillac-inspired upholstery. Oh. The upholstery is amazing. Look at this. Little metal flake in there. No way. So, you got jukebox vibe but modern technology. I can't believe that. Now, you remember what this was before, right? I mean, it's incredible. We've kept everything nostalgic but new. What do you think of the stainless-steel countertops up here? Awesome. And there's so much more room now. It's beautiful. Feel the build-out on this. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. That's exactly what we pulled all these pieces from. I was trying to do everything to divert his attention. Not a chance. Right to the cockpit we went. Look at the dash. No way. BRET: That is the real deal. How the heck did you guys do that? Now, you remember what this was before, right? You guys actually took the dash out of a '62 Caddy? That's the real thing, and it's all functional. Got your modern technology mixed in with your classic, 'cause we want to keep you safe with the family, but when you get in there, you're really riding a '62. That is crazy. The fact that he put that much into this thing for us, I'm grateful. Serena. We got you the bar you wanted. The party bar right here. It's beautiful. That is unbelievable. Now, don't look up at this beautiful projection. We have got you a Rat-Pack-inspired custom indoor-drive-in movie theater. Are you kidding me? You've got your own drive-in. The boys are gonna love that. This thing is an entertaining dream -- possibilities I can't even go into. It's gonna be fantastic. So, what are your first impressions? Not a grandparent's RV anymore, Bret. It just seems so much roomier in here, Yeah. There was a lot of love and attention in here. I absolutely am in love with this vehicle. And I've got one more big surprise for you. Let's go to the back. This is the crème de la crème. No way. This is the ultimate bed right here. That's it. Right there. No way. This is full-on restoration-quality, everything. Oh, no way. The details of the fins of the Cadillac and the grille up above -- just amazing. BRET: We have hung the grille. I mean, remember what was all back in here? Yeah, there were funky cabinets up above there. Yeah. There is no bedroom in the world like this. There is definitely not. I had a racecar bed when I was little. Now I got a Cadillac bed now that I'm big. It's unbelievable. We're sleeping in a Caddy. SERENA: Our kids are gonna grow up in it. We're gonna make a lot of memories in this RV. Bodie and the Jakester. Guess what. These are the keys. Awesome. ♪ She was born to ride ♪ We're gonna probably keep noticing the details they have put in here for weeks. SERENA: Bret and the team, we want to thank you so much. This has really touched our hearts, this vehicle. Thank you very much. ♪ I love the way she ♪ That there is a cool Caddy-inspired RV. ♪ Uh-huh ♪ Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.