Wheeler Dealers World Tour Season 2 Episode 1

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Transcript

00:00Hats, bags, fridge magnets.

00:09I do generally want to buy a cowboy hat.

00:13I just want to blend in.

00:14You need one of those.

00:15That is you.

00:16How much is this hat?

00:17One dollar.

00:18What?

00:19They're only ten dollars up there.

00:20We've got to do some bartering.

00:21We've got to wrap it.

00:22This is what you do.

00:23Twelve dollars.

00:24Make it eighteen for you.

00:25Fifteen dollars.

00:26Fifteen dollars.

00:27There you go, that's how you wheel a dealer.

00:28Super.

00:29Senor.

00:30How much are they?

00:31Forty dollars.

00:32How much?

00:33Is it made of gold?

00:34Right on.

00:35Yeah, oh yeah.

00:36It's good.

00:37That's a real Mexican.

00:39Yeah.

00:40He looks like a real something.

00:41Twenty-five.

00:42Done.

00:43The nice thing about you mate is you're understated.

00:45Yes.

00:46I just want to blend in.

00:50I just want to blend in.

00:55I want you wearing this all week.

00:57Oh, this is my new outfit.

00:58I am super dealer.

01:00Mate, you didn't pack much did you?

01:03Mate, I don't need much.

01:04I just need my knowledge and that's all up here.

01:07We packed our bags.

01:08And our spanners.

01:10For another globetrotting car fixing adventure.

01:13Vamos!

01:14You see a photo?

01:15There you go, that's a nice one.

01:17We're hunting down some of the world's most iconic cars.

01:23Does it get much better than this?

01:24Oh, I can't believe we're standing here in front of an SP2.

01:26Leaning on local wheeler dealers.

01:27Because he really wants it.

01:28Would you take 30,000 euro?

01:29No, impossible.

01:30Hey!

01:31To rescue these national treasures on a wheel and a prayer.

01:32Please let me find a set of wheels.

01:33That's all I'm asking for.

01:34And make a few euros, pesos.

01:35I think we have a deal.

01:36Yes!

01:37And Real as we go.

01:38I absolutely love it.

01:40to rescue these national treasures on a wheel and a prayer.

01:44Please let me find a set of wheels.

01:46That's all I'm asking for.

01:48And make a few euros, pesos.

01:50I think we have a deal.

01:51Yes!

01:52And real as we go.

01:55I absolutely love it!

02:03I bet you're enjoying this, aren't you?

02:05Mexico, because of the culinary delights

02:08that you're going to get down here.

02:09Yeah, fish.

02:10I hate it.

02:11Tequila.

02:12I love it.

02:13Tacos.

02:14I hate them.

02:14Particularly fish tacos.

02:16Really double hate.

02:18We're heading towards the town of Ensenada,

02:2170 miles south of the US border.

02:24Mate, it's great.

02:24This place is amazing.

02:26We've both been here before,

02:27but this time we're here for a reason that I'm so excited about.

02:30This is a dream project for me.

02:32So yeah, I brought you down to Baja, California in Mexico,

02:35because this is the home of the Baja bug.

02:39The Baja bug's an iconic off-road racer based on the humble Volkswagen Beetle,

02:44or Vocho, as they call them around here.

02:46The original was created in 1968 by off-road racer Gary Emery to compete in the Baja 1000,

02:56a gruelling annual off-road event that runs the full 1,000-mile length of the Baja Peninsula.

03:02It's transformation from Beetle to Baja bug sees its body modified to accommodate chunky off-road tyres,

03:10and high suspension travel to soak up the unrelenting Mexican terrain.

03:14Usually, in Europe, when we get a VW, we lower it down, surfboard on the roof, and go for the cow look.

03:25And that's exactly what I did to my first ever car when I was back at 17.

03:29But the thing I remember when I used to get the VW magazines,

03:32they'd always turn to the Baja bug pages, these great big off-road machines that were so rough and ready,

03:38and they used to bounce them around the sand dunes, and I absolutely loved it.

03:42The car we're going to go and see is actually just a standard Volkswagen Beetle.

03:46It belongs to a guy called Ramon. He's had it for years. He wants to offload it.

03:51How much are they asking for this Beetle, anyway?

03:53$4,000. That's US dollars.

03:57So that seems cheap.

03:58Right now, I'm looking to save every penny, Elvis.

04:02Converting a Beetle into a dune-busting buggy sounds expensive,

04:06especially when you're used to F1 budgets.

04:10Hey, you must be with Ramon. How are you?

04:13I'm Ramon.

04:13Senior Mike?

04:14Mike.

04:14Uh, Senior Elvis.

04:15I'm Ramon.

04:17This looks amazing. I didn't realize you actually have Baja bugs here.

04:21Yeah, yeah. That's part of our family racing.

04:24That's your business?

04:25Yeah, yeah.

04:25Oh, that's fantastic.

04:26And what about this one down here?

04:27Yeah, it's available.

04:28Nice.

04:29Okay, it's okay that we take a good look around the vehicle, yeah?

04:32Yeah, here's the keys.

04:33Ah, thank you very much, Ramon. We'll talk to you in a bit.

04:35Okay, okay.

04:37Well, that looks all right, doesn't it?

04:39I mean, first and foremost, the paintwork actually looks quite good.

04:42Is it open?

04:43Yep.

04:44There you go.

04:44Oh, look, it used to be yellow, mate, your favourite colour.

04:47So, wasn't your first Beetle a yellow one?

04:49It was, yeah.

04:50Well, do you know what? I'm really pleased they painted it,

04:52cos that is a horrible colour, isn't it?

04:54But it looks all right.

04:55No signs of any rust whatsoever.

04:58All looks original.

04:59I like this.

05:00This is good.

05:00Wait.

05:01Wait.

05:02We do need that to close.

05:05That is one thing I will be adamant on.

05:07Wait.

05:08Wait.

05:11Ah!

05:14Just leave it shut.

05:15Done.

05:15Well done.

05:16Have a look inside, then.

05:18Oh!

05:20So, it's seen better days inside.

05:22It's seen better days.

05:23To be honest, I've seen more inviting dustbins, but I don't care.

05:27The only thing I'm interested in is whether it starts, stops and goes.

05:33Right, so this is a 1.6, so it's got quite a decent-sized engine.

05:37Well, yeah.

05:38Even out of the factory, that was probably something like 65, 70 horsepower.

05:42Is that it?

05:43And, you know, what is this, 50 years old?

05:45Yeah.

05:45So, it's probably lost a few of those.

05:47That's got to come out, and we've either got to replace it

05:49or definitely do some work to it, cos this needs power.

05:51He hasn't even turned the key, and Elvis is already gunning for an engine rebuild.

05:57Do you want to see if you can fire it up?

05:59Yeah.

05:59I don't know if I should stand here.

06:01I don't know what's going to happen.

06:02Ready?

06:02Yeah.

06:04There she goes.

06:06That sounds fantastic.

06:07Yeah.

06:09And it died.

06:10No, mate, it actually does sound quite sweet.

06:11Give it another go.

06:16Sounds good.

06:20That's actually all right, isn't it?

06:21Shall we give it a spin?

06:22Yeah.

06:25There you go.

06:26She moves.

06:27She's got all actually.

06:29All right?

06:29Well, good.

06:31I'll tell you what, the suspension feels okay.

06:35I kind of like the suspension.

06:37Yeah, but it's definitely going to need some attention,

06:40because it's obviously going to get jacked right up in the air,

06:42so it can get some big knobbly tyres on.

06:44It's fine on roads like this, but it's not suitable for what we want it to be.

06:49A Baja Bug.

06:51What?

06:51You're not convinced?

06:53No, not yet.

06:56Mate, I reckon we get this all wrong.

06:58This is quite a decent little vehicle.

07:00It only needs a bit of titivation.

07:02I reckon we should do something you've done a load of times before.

07:05You know you can do it quickly, which is slam it to the deck, set a fooche wheels on it,

07:10knock the bumpers off, give it the cow look.

07:12We could do that in a couple of days.

07:13Yeah, I know, but where's the fun in that?

07:15When we come halfway around the world, we're not going to take the easy option.

07:18We're going to push ourselves, and we're going to end up with an amazing car,

07:21something I've wanted to do forever.

07:23And I promise you, I'll put a smile on your face by the end of it,

07:26when we're crashing down the sand dunes in Baja California in Mexico.

07:31Sounds lovely, but crashing isn't a word I want to hear right now.

07:35Mate, this is a bit of a risk.

07:37We're going down a hill, and I'm going to be honest with you,

07:40the brakes are literally in another county, they're non-existent.

07:44Well, take it steady, but just make sure we do stop,

07:47because at the bottom of this, there are sharks in that water, you know that, right?

07:49It's true.

07:52Okay, so it starts and goes, but doesn't stop.

07:55That's two out of three.

07:57But this beetle is just a blank canvas for me to build a racing masterpiece.

08:03Steady on, Rembrandt.

08:04I've done my research, and Goodbye Hard Bugs only fetch eight or nine thousand dollars.

08:10Your plans sound pricey, so if we're going to turn a profit,

08:13I'm going to have to drive a bargain.

08:17How was it right?

08:18That was an experience, blimey.

08:20So, yeah, we like the car.

08:22I think it's a nice, solid car, feels good.

08:24Engine feels nice and strong.

08:26There's clearly lots of work needs doing to it.

08:28Yes, it's a good project.

08:30We don't mind taking on the project, but yeah, there's a lot of work to do to it.

08:33The brakes, brakes are terrible.

08:35So, we was thinking, you said you wanted four thousand dollars.

08:38I'd pay a little bit more, but I'd put a four thousand.

08:40What about three thousand dollars, and we'll take it away now?

08:43We'll take the risk.

08:45I'll take 35.

08:483,500.

08:49Yeah.

08:51Yeah.

08:52It's a deal.

08:52Yeah, it's a deal.

08:53Well done, Ramon.

08:53Thank you, mate.

08:54Well done.

08:55Thank you very much.

08:57Could you just repair the brakes for us?

08:58Cheers.

08:59Yeah, no problem.

08:59And give it a clean.

09:00Yeah, wash it.

09:01That'd be great.

09:02Cheers.

09:05I'll tell you what, for three and a half grand, it's good.

09:08Yeah.

09:09The one worry is, and this is the one worry, don't get carried away.

09:13Right, because it's three and a half grand, you've got to buy suspension parts,

09:17we've got to get wheels, we've got to get tyres, all of those things, it's going to cost money.

09:21Don't worry about it, mate.

09:23Most of it is taking stuff away.

09:25I know there's a bit of adding, but we're taking stuff off this car.

09:27That's free.

09:28That is very true, that is very true.

09:30But let's enjoy it.

09:31Yeah, absolutely.

09:33And not spend too much money.

09:36Fear not, Michael, I've lined up a secret weapon.

09:39Baja Thousand champion and the best Baja bug builder in the business, Oliver Flamati.

09:46Oliver!

09:47Recognise that man anywhere?

09:48How are you, buddy?

09:49Hey, how are you all these?

09:50It's been a while, mate.

09:51Oliver, I'm Mike.

09:52I'm Mike, nice to meet you.

09:54Nice to meet you, yes.

09:55Elvis told me all about you.

09:57Four-time champion of the Baja.

09:59And look, in these things, look at them all.

10:01I mean, this is a monster, isn't it?

10:03This didn't start life as a Volkswagen Beetle, though, did it?

10:06No, no, slightly bigger version, but we are definitely in the right place.

10:12Oliver's one of Desert Racing's most consistent champions.

10:18Along with his four Baja 1000 victories,

10:20he's brought home the silverware in nine other World Desert Championship events.

10:24Oliver, we've brought a car.

10:29Yes.

10:29It is going to become a Baja bug.

10:31Mm-hm.

10:31But right now, it's that.

10:32Oh, this looks great.

10:34Yeah.

10:35We can convert.

10:35We can do everything you want.

10:37On hand to assist in making my Baja dreams come true are Oliver's race crew

10:42and master mechanics Patricio, Antonio, and Chalan.

10:47Come on, Elvis.

10:48You got it.

10:48Come on.

10:51Yeah, Mum.

10:52There you go.

10:52OK, it's looking good.

10:56So, first up then, boys, what do you think?

10:59Oh, it looks perfect.

11:01It's going to be a real nice project for Baja.

11:03We can leave the car.

11:05We can put lights, race lights, whatever you need.

11:08Yeah.

11:09For me, we start stripping everything off it.

11:11The whole interior's got to come out.

11:13Get rid of the wheels.

11:14Get rid of the bumpers.

11:15Yeah.

11:15Engines got to come out as well.

11:17Yeah.

11:17And then we can start working out what we want to put back together on it afterwards.

11:20There you go.

11:21Sure.

11:21We're also on a bit of a tight time frame.

11:23We've only got about five days to get this whole thing turned around.

11:26So, if you fancy give us a hand, we can get it stripped out.

11:29For sure.

11:29What do you think?

11:30We can do that.

11:30We can do it for days.

11:31Do it.

11:32I like it here.

11:33This is the attitude I want in the workplace, Elvis.

11:35Yeah.

11:35Right, let's grab some tools.

11:43I was looking for those when we were in the car.

11:45They should be on the front of the screen.

11:50How many Volkswagen Beetles have you taken apart, Patricio?

11:54Uh, we build, I build like, uh, 10 race cars in a year.

11:58Well.

12:00There are two ways to make a car go faster.

12:03Add power and remove weight.

12:05Well, we've already lost loads of weight.

12:08So that leaves muscle.

12:10And I know just the man to speak to.

12:13We need loads more power, right?

12:14This is bog standard 1600.

12:16It's probably got, what, I don't know, 40, 50 horsepower?

12:1840, 40, 40.

12:19Yeah.

12:19That's not enough.

12:20We could do twin carbs.

12:22We could, you know, up the bore, put new pistons in it.

12:25No, guys, guys, guys.

12:27If you want to build a real Baja Bug, let's do it the right way.

12:31I have another complete Baja race engine.

12:34I can send you, give you a deal for that.

12:36You can put a real racing Baja Bug.

12:38Yes!

12:39Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

12:40Yes!

12:41That's what I'm talking about!

12:41Stop spending money!

12:42What are you talking about?

12:43What?

12:46It's day two of our Mexican Baja Bug build.

12:55And before we get to the workshop, we need to have a little tete-a-tete.

13:00Elvis, in future, just have a discussion with me before you hold out your hand to somebody

13:06and say, yeah, we'll have a race engine.

13:08Do you know how much that could cost?

13:09It could cost thousands.

13:11I know.

13:11I can tell you're a little bit upset.

13:13But, look, you know we need this and there's always a deal to be done.

13:16Yeah, but when he said race engine, I just see numbers whizzing past my eyes.

13:22And I'm thinking, that ain't going to be cheap.

13:23Mate, I'm seeing numbers, two horsepower numbers, and they're going to go up massively.

13:27And it's also going to save me a whole bunch of time, which is important, mate, because we

13:31are up against the clock here.

13:32We may be tight on time, but we can't work on an empty stomach.

13:39Oliver and Petruccio from the garage have told me this place makes the best tamale in Baja.

13:45I do like a little bit of spice in my food.

13:47I mean, not this time of the morning, admittedly.

13:49There's no toilet stop on the way between here and the workshop, you know them, right?

13:52Ready?

13:57Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

13:59Oh, my lips have gone numb.

14:01It's patty?

14:02Yeah, that's not food, is it?

14:04I've never had so much pain trying to eat some breakfast.

14:10That was very, very good.

14:14First job for me today is to start jacking up that suspension, which,

14:18thanks to the Beatles' ingenious design, costs peanuts to do.

14:24First, we unbolt and remove the front beam.

14:29That's out.

14:31I mean, he came in with, like, Thor's hammer, and now it's on the floor.

14:36That's one way to do it.

14:40Now, I've done this many, many times on my own Beatles, but always in the opposite direction.

14:44The cowl look, which was the style of Beatle I had when I was a kid,

14:47was all about lowering it, slamming it down to the floor.

14:50But it's effectively the same process in reverse.

14:53This is the torsion bar.

14:55There we go.

14:56There it is.

14:57And now that it's out of the front beam, its clever design is clear to see.

15:01What I've got here are the leaves or the springs out of our torsion beam setup.

15:08These are what we took out of the middle of the beam.

15:10I've clamped them in the middle of this vice, because that's exactly what happens in the center

15:14of the beam.

15:15And as you can see, because I've taken the spring away, if you still imagine this is the body of

15:19the car, it's being supported by nothing other than the rotational force or the torsional resistance

15:26of these springs.

15:27Simple setup, very basic, but it stood the test of time.

15:30And crucially, with just a few small modifications, we can change the way this setup works, giving

15:35us that enormous ride height that we needed a bar hard bug.

15:39I love it.

15:41To increase the ride height of our Beatle, we're going to change the angle of the torsion

15:45bar within the beam.

15:47There's a square boss in the center of here.

15:49What we want to do is cut out the section that houses that central boss and rotate it by a set amount.

15:56That's going to change the position of the torsion bars, and in turn, change the sort of resting

16:01position of the car suspension, and in doing so, jack the ride height up.

16:05Even the smallest of changes to this angle can make a big difference to overall ride height.

16:12So, we're ready to cut, right?

16:16A steady hand is vital here.

16:19Mess up this cut, and I'll be adding a brand new torsion beam to Mike's shopping list.

16:26All right, so we've now got an air gap, and effectively, we're going to turn that round.

16:31Yes.

16:31Weld it back in place.

16:33Weld it back in place.

16:35I'm putting all my faith in Oliver's experience.

16:39Too much or too little torsion bar rotation could ruin our bar hard bug's off-road handling.

16:44Now, I just have to repeat everything on the lower beam.

16:58It's like a hot knife through butter.

17:10That's the main adjustments to the front axle almost complete, and all it's cost me is the price of

17:16some welding wire.

17:17Mmm, perhaps that'll help pay for the race engine.

17:21Oliver, this is where you're riding.

17:23Yes, this is my race engine.

17:25They have a 95 horsepower.

17:27With this engine, I want one of the Baja 1000.

17:30Well, I mean, it just all depends, because race-winning engines usually cost a lot of money.

17:35I can trade with your old engine.

17:37I can sell here for a good price, and I can give you this engine for a couple of grand.

17:41Don't worry about it.

17:42$2,000 plus our old engine?

17:44Yes.

17:45Well, that's half the price that I paid for the car, but you're saying this is 90 horsepower?

17:5195 horsepower.

17:51Oh, right.

17:52And the one we've got is like 40, 45, yes.

17:55So it's double the power.

17:56Yeah.

17:56Yeah, we've got a deal.

17:58Thank you very much.

17:59Thank you, too.

17:59That's brilliant.

18:00Absolutely brilliant.

18:00It needs a clean, though.

18:01Yeah, it's clean.

18:02We're going to put the headers, the race headers, and that's going to be ready.

18:05Oh, hold on, hold on.

18:07It needs what?

18:08Race headers?

18:08Yeah, I need the race headers.

18:10So it hasn't got race headers?

18:11I have a friend, probably he has a junkyard.

18:14We can go to try to find one.

18:16And let's see if we've got luck, we can have a really cheap one.

18:21Race headers replace the standard exhaust manifold, increasing performance and reducing weight.

18:27But as with anything built for racing, it's another way to reduce the weight of our wallet.

18:33The new engine will increase our pulling power, so I need to take a look at our stopping power.

18:40When Mike first drove the car, it was very clear there was an issue with the brakes.

18:44He had a huge amount of pedal travel, and the car didn't stop very well.

18:48So I've decided to change all of the brake material around all four corners of the car.

18:53I've got the drum off, and there is a leak from the brake cylinder here.

18:58You can see that because there's fluid on the outside.

19:02What was happening when Mike drove the car was he was pushing on the pedal.

19:05The fluid was actually leaking out past the seals here, meaning the pedal continued to go all the way nearly to the floor, and the car barely stops.

19:13So the whole thing needs to be changed. It's fairly straightforward.

19:16But to begin with, a whole lot's got to come apart.

19:18First of all, I'm going to take the shoes off.

19:23This is the friction material. It's been contaminated with brake fluid from that leak.

19:28That's what needs to be changed. But before I do that, I'm going to get the brake cylinder off,

19:32and then give the whole thing a bit of a cleaner.

19:34There we go. Right.

19:42So this is the brand new brake cylinder.

19:44And as you can see, it's shiny and new, and importantly, the seal should work.

19:49Right, so now it's going to get through there like that.

19:53Next come the new brake shoes.

19:56Right, so that's on, handbrake cable's connected, springs are all in place.

20:01Now it's a case of hooking this back into the pistons.

20:05This is where there's a high potential, the whole thing hanging off, springs going everywhere,

20:09and you get a face fork.

20:13There you go.

20:15So that is the whole assembly now back together and in position.

20:19There's an adjuster here where you can wind these pistons in to close up the shoes,

20:23so I can then get the drum back on and then wind them out,

20:26just to the point where it makes contact, so we get maximum efficiency with our braking.

20:30Yeah, that is about perfect.

20:35And just about feel the friction between the shoe and the brake drum itself.

20:41Of course, I'm going to go and bleed up the brakes, make sure there's no air in the system,

20:45get everything back operational, and I'll check it again.

20:48For now, I'm happy that this car is not only going to go quickly,

20:51it's also going to stop quickly too.

20:53I'm heading to Oliver's mate's scrapyard on the outskirts of Ensenada in search of race headers.

21:05And whilst I'm here, Elvis has given me a whole list of other parts he needs.

21:09At least in a scrapyard, they should be cheap.

21:12Hola.

21:13Hola, hola.

21:14Seeing your mic.

21:15Hi, my name is Cruz.

21:16Ah, Cruz, you speak English.

21:17Yeah, a little bit, not too much.

21:19Not Cruz, that's fantastic.

21:20Unlike British scrapyards, which have become a bit like car parts supermarkets,

21:24this place is still very much hands-on.

21:26I love all of this stuff.

21:29Yeah.

21:29This is great.

21:30I mean, you've got everything, so you can get every kind of like Volkswagen badge.

21:34Yeah.

21:34The hubcaps, if somebody's doing a restoration, even the clocks and the dials.

21:38Yeah.

21:39You've got a lot of stuff here.

21:40Yeah.

21:41There's everything.

21:42I've got some.

21:43So this is all the exhaust, is it?

21:45Yeah.

21:45Is it okay?

21:46Yeah.

21:47You sure?

21:48Yeah, 100%.

21:49What would something like this be?

21:51100.

21:51100 bucks?

21:52Yeah.

21:52Yeah, okay, great, yeah.

21:55Next up, wheels.

21:56Elvis insists that the Beetle's stock steel wheels are too heavy,

22:00and we need a special set of super lightweight off-road alloys.

22:04I have these ones.

22:05That's lovely.

22:06Yep.

22:07Oh.

22:09You've got four?

22:09Yeah.

22:10How much would these be?

22:11200 bucks for this, yeah.

22:14200 bucks each?

22:15Yeah.

22:15Not for four?

22:16No.

22:17800 for four.

22:19Would you have tyres to go on these wheels?

22:22I think Cruz saw me coming.

22:26How much are these?

22:27200.

22:28What, for the pair of them?

22:29Yeah.

22:29Maybe 150 for you.

22:31Yeah?

22:31Yeah.

22:31You have another two?

22:32Yeah.

22:33Okay, brilliant.

22:34Next on Elvis's list is a light bar.

22:37Is it working, do you reckon?

22:38Yeah, it works.

22:41How much is something like this?

22:42Uh, 100.

22:43Everything's like 100 bucks with you, isn't it?

22:45Yeah.

22:45It either starts off 100, 200.

22:47When we become amigos, the price might come down.

22:50100 bucks?

22:51Yep.

22:51Yeah, I'll take it.

22:53And finally, we need safety nets to stop the rocks flying in through the open windows.

22:58Please tell me they're not expensive.

23:00They look like...

23:01Uh, not a lot.

23:02It's 100 bucks for a pair.

23:03100 bucks for a pair?

23:05It's more expensive if you buy a new.

23:07That means we are $1,000 for the wheels and the tires.

23:12Yep.

23:12$100 for the exhaust.

23:13That's $1,100.

23:14Yep.

23:15$1,200, $1,300.

23:17Yep.

23:18So is that what I've got to pay you, $1,300?

23:20Uh, $1,200.

23:21I know $1,200 is a really good price, but $1,000 is a much better price.

23:25So if you have some problems with things, uh...

23:29I can't come back.

23:29Yeah, yeah.

23:31So nothing's got a warranty or...

23:32So if this doesn't work, tough.

23:34Yeah.

23:35Yeah, okay.

23:35Uh, I'll take that gamble, yes.

23:37Okay, okay.

23:37Lovely.

23:39Bit of face-to-face negotiation.

23:41Got myself a bit of a deal as well.

23:42Let's get it back to the workshop, see what Elvis thinks.

23:54Our Mexican Baja bug build is taking shape and Elvis is ready to fit the $2,000 race engine.

24:02Bump it.

24:03Bump it.

24:04Unfortunately, the uprated exhaust system is too beefy for our bug's body.

24:09Is the exhaust catching?

24:10Yeah, that's not a problem.

24:14We have two options.

24:16I could carefully fabricate a new section of exhaust to allow it to squeeze beneath the body,

24:21or we could sort it Baja style.

24:24Let's just cut this.

24:25This is a perfect example of why form follows function when it comes to Baja racing.

24:40It's a good thing.

24:42Job done.

24:42as the sun sets on day two of our Baja build Elvis and I have come up with another way to

24:52lighten our wallet but it sounds lively tonight doesn't it this is the oldest bar in Ensonida

24:591892 they used to come in the cowboys tie their horses up there come in for a drink

25:05so how are we getting on there please give me some good news I mean I've already jacked up

25:12a suspension so it's up it's up what's it look like on the wheels

25:15but how much was suspension new dampers $200 so far we've spent $2,000 on the engine

25:27we still need seats still do belts so yeah the costs are adding up much as I'd love to talk

25:34budgets this place won't let us

25:35it's about to get a whole lot noisier

25:39it's about to get a whole lot noisier

25:46a sniff of tequila and Mike's budget worries have completely disappeared

26:11we're halfway through our Baja bug build and Mike's still worried that we're spending too much on

26:26our desert racer but I know the perfect way to get him on board an off-road meet in the Baja hills

26:34you're going to come away from today absolutely fully involved and invested in the whole Baja situation

26:42it's going to change I would imagine I'm going to come away from today covered in dust

26:46the event's called Vochos Roll and the organizer Lino is meeting us at the ranch entrance to make

26:55sure we don't get lost in the Mexican outback

26:57what's the whole Baja thing mean to people of this region well here in Mexico

27:04bugs is part of the culture of Mexican guy you know yeah even ladies have a lot of Bajas or

27:12love bugs this looks like it's going to be amazing

27:15mate this is incredible I've never seen so many in one place

27:24hello gentlemen how are you chaps we're looking for inspiration the things we should do the things

27:31we shouldn't do so any advice I'm sure the number one thing you're all going to say is power you just

27:36need a big engine you need a strong money I would say money and an understanding wife

27:43with so many machines in one place it's a wonderful opportunity to look learn and of course listen

27:52yeah that's noisy

27:58skid plate I was thinking I wonder if we need one of those you know because they're going to be

28:04launching over you don't want to dig into the ground there's so much to take in here isn't there

28:08is the roll cage an absolute must yeah yeah it throws us to the back really yeah because it takes so

28:14much punishment as you're driving up is this your one say little bit protection around the wing

28:18mirror yeah just in case the wing mirror gets damaged you compete well I know I say much I know

28:25it's a long time ago yeah yeah see so now just for fun yeah she has 25 years with the car yeah

28:3325 years yeah me primer car nice where's the guy who owns this I bet there's not tools in here

28:39I don't know what it's beer yeah of course it is yeah of course it is his beer in there

28:44I've always wanted that that's brilliant here we go

28:54I didn't expect that

29:01there's a few that haven't made and they've already got from here to there

29:11and they've come down we do need a set of seats we do need a skid pan and they could be coming our way

29:17this is incredible it's so good watching but I've done enough watching I'm gonna go have a go

29:36go on you go for it enjoy yourself be safe I've managed to swing a ride in a class 10 racing buggy

29:43this is a focused machine built to cover vast distances across the Baja sand dunes fast

29:50this is unlike any race car I've ever experienced it's insanely quick it's ridiculously uncomfortable

30:13and I absolutely love it

30:20oh my god man that's incredible this is um an unbelievable machine man this is crazy huh

30:31the braking is so good it just like it defies physics man now that looked like a whole barrel of fun

30:39mate that is one of the best things I've ever ever done right you can stop having fun now right you've

30:45got a car to build I've got to get some seats and some other bits but nice one fella good driving

30:50oh yeah thank you very much appreciate it is it too late to swap the bug out and build one of these

30:55instead far too late unfortunately

30:57now that my adrenaline levels and stomach have returned back to earth I'm going to set about

31:05adding some of the features that we saw in the desert races to our Baja bug starting with a skid plate

31:11all right here we go got myself a nice big plate of five mil thick aluminium that's going to bolt to

31:19the underside of the frame that Patricio is currently measuring up on the car I just need to cut it to

31:23size with an angle grinder the skid plate will act as a protective barrier against rocks when we take the

31:31car off-road I'm going to mount the plate to the beetle chassis using two pieces of heavy weight steel tubing

31:40adding a curve with this pipe bender will allow the tubes to fit snug to the chassis underside

31:50pull up and it's done it's a nice bit of kit

31:55oh Patricio has done a brilliant job under here all the metal work is now done so our frame is in place

32:07welded up too which means I can now get my skid plate in position

32:11not sure it's quite a draw the holes in the right place but we'll make it work

32:22honestly there's so much rubbish all over this floor I can't even roll my creeper board around

32:31I do like a clean workshop and there's flies that every 10 seconds or so keep landing on your face

32:41there you go done it's good plate attached and that is going to protect the front of our car

32:54as we're crashing over those jeans of course the car isn't the only thing that will need protecting

33:02let's get this in so we've got kind of a half roll cage in here which is kind of all we need here the

33:08uprights are all in I'm just getting this final cross member in up a little bit more yeah happy day

33:14the roll cage will protect the driver in the event of a big shunt but it also stiffens up the chassis

33:23minimising flex allowing the suspension to work more effectively it's actually starting to look

33:29really good I mean almost looking like a Baja dare I say I just hope that Mike has found a couple of

33:34good racing seats to go in here fair would be Elvis this door claims to be the one-stop shop for

33:41wannabe Baja racers do you speak any English no I need some race harnesses for my Baja bugger

33:50estoy buscando algunas piezas para mi Baja y necesito algunos arneses de carreras

33:56yeah okay that's good isn't it technology comes to the rescue ah okay okay yeah these are good

34:06that nice red as well it's quite nice color I see you've got seats here are these for sale see these

34:14are good don't they they look brand new and you've got a pair that's exactly what we need okay um and

34:21then one other thing I need a steering wheel ah that's a good one oh yes that's nice my trip to the

34:32scrappy resulted in a serious assault on our wallet so I'm preparing myself for the worst

34:38500 US dollars see that's a bargain thank you very much much just gracias okay it's fantastic

34:52as we saw in the desert Baja bugs come in every color in the rainbow and sometimes all of them I'm

35:00got the money all the time quite frankly to do a full paint job so what decided just repaint the

35:06wings and actually because we're up against it in terms of time only about 24 hours left on this

35:11project I'm going to do it with a rattle can I've chosen though one of my favorite colors one of Mike's

35:17least favorite but I've actually matched it to the original color of the car citrus yellow

35:22painting a car yourself might not give the same finish as a professional respray but with careful

35:30prep you can still get great results I love it that actually looks really good doesn't it I know

35:38it's yellow but I even think Michael like that next fitting Mike's lightweight alloys complete with

35:50those rugged desert ready tires this is going to really totally change the look of the car isn't it

35:57we put like a three to four inches or or hey the grand clearance or the car it's going to be like a

36:04race car I think we need to get it on the floor yeah how it actually sits when it's at the axle stand

36:10yeah this is a big moment it's the first time we'll see our bug riding on its new

36:17jacked up suspension oh yes look at the ground clearance we've got that is exactly what a Baja

36:26bug needs to be able to ride the rough terrain ride over rocks and all sorts of lumps and bumps and

36:31look we got it real nice look definitely great job from you and the final flourish for our Baja's

36:39bodywork a set of custom vinyls what's the craziest design you've ever been asked to put on a I think

36:47there's one this one yeah hopefully it's going to look good be fast and entice somebody to part with

36:54a whole bunch of cash to buy it off us oh wow I can't tell you oh wow look at that what transformation

37:04eh you absolute legend that is absolutely fantastic well I've been shopping I've managed to get us the

37:11seats a steering wheel and the full race harnesses nice mate now let's get these last bits bolted on

37:18Oliver's lined up a potential buyer and they're desperate to view the car let me guess they want

37:23it ready by tomorrow Elvis you read my mind oh yeah baby look at that it's gonna look great

37:31I wasn't convinced that transforming a Mexican beetle into a Baja bug was the greatest of ideas

37:45but the past four days have proven me wrong I knew you'd come around in the end now do you get it I

37:52get it being here with a Baja bug in Baja California I completely get it it is absolutely perfect it looks

38:00incredible isn't it the wheels and tires the fact that it's jacked up the car looks rugged and it's

38:05in this rugged terrain right my scrapyard alloys and chunky go anywhere tires really look the part

38:13and the performance-tuned engine will provide the power we'll need to soar across the Mexican dunes

38:21but don't forget that the entire suspension lift skid plate and roll bars were all fabricated by yours

38:26truly for next to nothing which more than covers that pricey engine a master class in make doing

38:33mend Elvis Oliver who's been amazing helping us with this build he has got somebody who's interested in

38:40buying it they want to do a bit of rallying themselves yeah there is a potential profit at

38:44the moment with the stickers nothing we've done it's about seven four fifty I've got somebody on the hooker

38:49around nine grand but of course we can't sell a car without testing it and there's an off-road course a

38:56few miles up the road where we can properly put it through its paces for the unthemed time Elvis don't

39:02get carried away I was thinking that maybe when you put it together you could have put a silencer on the exhaust

39:10well it's part of the Baja experience mate it can't sound this way what the engine sounds like a proper race

39:17engine and it sounds mega strong but driving it through the Baja bush is the only way to really

39:30test its performance all right are you ready I am ready keep me in one piece please

39:39oh listen to that engine that roars the engine whoa oh keep me straight keep me straight whoa whoa whoa whoa

39:56whoa whoa oh that is fantastic Elvis oh this is brilliant I absolutely love it

40:02yeah

40:07just right over everything but that raised suspension that you've done is absolutely awesome

40:15what side way

40:17and

40:22it like you start había

40:25remember we don't have fun Apple this

40:29it work

40:30The car's driving better than I could have ever imagined, but before we sell her, there's

40:40something I can't resist.

40:43You don't have to go all four wheels off, just a wheelie.

40:48Mate, it's the bar hard way.

40:51Here we go, ready?

40:54What are you doing?

40:57Oh, wow, wow.

41:05You lunatic.

41:09Well, look, the skin pan's done its work, I can feel that.

41:14The suspension's incredible, the wheels and tyres, they're mega.

41:18I feel safe in the car, all strapped in.

41:21I reckon this bar hard is now ready for sale.

41:23Don't really want to let it go, but you're right, it is.

41:26We've built a good car, and we've done it on a reasonably limited budget

41:30and on a definitely limited time frame.

41:33I'm really proud of what we've turned out here, man.

41:37Sorry, mate, but playtime's over.

41:41We're getting on a plane in a couple of hours, so we need this car sold.

41:46Sarah, the potential buyer, has arrived with her family.

41:50Thank you very much for coming down. We really do appreciate it.

41:53We understand, through Oliver, that you had some interest in buying a VW Bug.

41:59Here it is.

42:00It's very nice.

42:01Well, we've had this car in the workshop, and we spent the whole week transforming it.

42:06If you would have seen it a few days ago, it looked like a little Volkswagen Beetle, like Herbie.

42:11Can I get in?

42:11Yes, of course you can. Are you interested in going racing?

42:15Yeah, I want to race, and I think it would be really iconic to do it in a Vochel.

42:19This is based on a sort of Class 11 Vochel.

42:22So you've got your roll cage in there, motorsport steering wheel, you've got a little racy engine in the back,

42:27and motorsport seats as well, jacked up the suspension.

42:30I hope we've done a lovely job. I hope you like it.

42:32It's very nice. I loved it. I really loved it.

42:34You like the colour combination?

42:36Yeah, sure.

42:36Yeah? We know what we've got invested in the car. We was hoping to get US$9,000 for it.

42:43I mean, I was hoping, like, US$8,000, US$8,500, but I'll take it. I mean, it's really nice.

42:50Really?

42:50Yeah.

42:50So, US$9,000?

42:52Yeah, US$9,000.

42:52Oh, thank you so much. That's brilliant.

42:54I can tell you US$9,000 puts a massive smile on your face. I can vouch for that today.

42:59And I can tell you it puts a smile on my face, one of relief.

43:02So enjoy the car.

43:04Thank you so much.

43:04Really enjoy it. It's an amazing little car.

43:06Well done.

43:06Another happy customer. Another great country. Another fantastic deal. We come away with a

43:14little profit.

43:14It's been absolutely amazing, mate. I mean, I don't know where we go from here next.

43:18To the airport. We head 6,000 miles south, and we go to a nice little city, because there's

43:23a car down there I've always wanted to do, called Sao Paulo.

43:36We go to a nice little city. It's hard to check my car down there while we go from here next.

43:48We gotta go.

43:51We gotta go.

43:53We gotta go.

43:55We gotta go.

43:56We gotta go.

43:57We gotta go.

43:59We gotta go.

44:02We gotta go.

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