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Wheeler Dealers World Tour Season 2 Episode 10
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Oh
00:02Yeah, I don't think I've ever been anywhere more Scottish. It is a very Scottish of shops isn't it?
00:08Might as well embrace the culture. Look at this. It feels lovely as well. Nice and soft. Mate, what are you doing?
00:15What do you mean what am I doing? I'm just getting my Scottish on. I mean you look incredibly Scottish. I'll give you that.
00:21I'm gonna have some haggis later. I'm gonna have some whiskey. Whatever you do, just don't buy a kilt.
00:27That's a great idea. No, seriously, a kilt because you know with a kilt you don't wear anything underneath.
00:35Mate, you didn't pack much did you? Mate, I don't need much. I just need my knowledge and that's all up here.
00:41We've packed our bags and our spanners for another globetrotting car-fixing adventure.
00:47We're hunting down some of the world's most iconic cars.
00:59Does it get much better than this?
01:03Oh, I can't believe we're standing here in front of an sp2.
01:05Leaning on local wheeler dealers because he really...
01:10That's not a way to do it.
01:11...to rescue these national treasures on a wheel and a prayer.
01:14Please let me find a set of wheels. That's all I'm asking for.
01:18And make a few euros, pesos.
01:20I think we have a deal.
01:21Yes!
01:22And real as we go.
01:25I absolutely love it!
01:26Right then, fella, this is the only way to travel.
01:38It's not that bad, is it?
01:39Told you, it's lovely. You can just sit back, you can relax, watch the countryside and whip past the window.
01:44Watch the raindrops. Watch the raindrops.
01:47Well, we are heading north and the further we go north, it's going to get worse.
01:52But I am looking forward to Scotland, mate.
01:53I mean, there is a lot that Scotland has going for it.
01:56Yes, Scotland does have some stuff going for it.
01:59It is going to be a...
02:00Yes, please.
02:01Yes.
02:01Nothing scares Scotland like a tea cake.
02:04Like a tea cake.
02:05Yes, your beauty.
02:07But we haven't come here just for the snacks.
02:10No, we're travelling through Scotland on the trail of its most famous car, the Hill Minim.
02:15Designed by engineering trio Tim Fry, Peter Ware and F1 driver Michael Parks, the Imp was Scotland's first and only mass-produced car.
02:31Built near Glasgow, it was full of brilliant innovations, including an all-aluminum Coventry Climax engine that was originally designed as a fire pump.
02:40But having been rushed into production, early imps were plagued with reliability woes, not least overheated engines.
02:47It was enough to help taint the car's reputation and overshadow the genius of its design.
02:53But here in Scotland, the Imp is a national hero and we think it deserves to be celebrated.
03:00Have you had any bites on your search for a car?
03:05There's a few out there.
03:07They're interesting.
03:08Well, let's be careful and let's try and find one that doesn't need too much work.
03:13I've already asked my UK contacts to look out for a suitable car.
03:17And I'm hoping a specialist in workshop here in Scotland may be able to help.
03:22So that's where we're starting.
03:24Here we go. Nice.
03:25Good morning, Sterling. Fantastic.
03:28Cold and wet.
03:29Cold and wet.
03:30It has taken a mile to get here, isn't it?
03:31Mate, we could have literally got to Mexico quicker than it took us to get here.
03:34We could have done.
03:35Just one second, one second, one second.
03:39Hello?
03:40Yeah, that sounds good.
03:42Condition?
03:44Okay, super.
03:46Oh no, I'm really interested.
03:47But I mean, look, I've literally just arrived in Sterling, Scotland.
03:52No way.
03:53Where?
03:54Are you kidding me?
03:55Okay, I'll talk to you in a bit.
03:56Cheers, bye.
03:57Mate, honestly, that was a call from the auction.
04:01They're going to believe this.
04:02I've found a car.
04:03Yeah.
04:04And I've got to go back and...
04:05Back where?
04:06Back.
04:06Where is it?
04:08Norfolk.
04:10Like hundreds and hundreds of miles away.
04:13Auction?
04:14Come on.
04:14I've got an auction.
04:15Yeah, I know, that's your wheelhouse.
04:16My wheelhouse.
04:16I'm going to be in there, get us a bargain, I'll be back.
04:19I know, I trust you.
04:20While Mike goes south, I'm heading to the outskirts of Sterling.
04:28I found these guys online who are massive imp enthusiasts and apparently they've got a
04:33workshop, they've got a spare ramp and all the gear we might need if Mike actually does end up buying
04:38us a car.
04:41I mean, this is definitely it.
04:42I can see imps everywhere.
04:47John and Patrick own a garage dedicated to the restoration of Hillman imps.
04:53John, thanks so much for having us down.
04:55I gather them in the right place because there's imps everywhere.
04:58How would you guess?
04:59Yeah, so one or two clues.
05:01Is this all you do, imps?
05:02Pretty much.
05:03Pretty much imps.
05:04Pretty much, that's where the heart is.
05:06Mike's trying to buy us our own imp and I've got no idea when he's going to turn up.
05:10So in the meantime, have you got a kettle or maybe a cup of tea?
05:14John and Pat met at school and bonded over their shared love of this little motor.
05:20How about the love affair with imps?
05:21How long has that been going on?
05:23That's been over 40 years now.
05:25Has it?
05:26Really?
05:26Wow.
05:26That's a long love affair.
05:28When we went down to Monte Carlo and back.
05:31What?
05:32One of the most special feelings in the world was driving through Casino Square in Monte Carlo
05:38and they all went like that with their cameras.
05:40Yeah.
05:40Because they hadn't seen two oz before.
05:42That would really upset the Lamborghini owners, wouldn't it?
05:44Yeah, certainly.
05:55Fantastic, isn't it? What a day.
05:58In Norfolk, I've arrived at Anglia car auctions near Kings Lynn.
06:03And you're going to see sales like this almost every weekend up and down the country.
06:08The perfect place to come and buy that classic car.
06:11The imp I'm here to see has an estimate of just three to four thousand pounds.
06:18There's loads of people, loads of people looking at the car, which shows there's a bit of interest in the Hillman Imp, doesn't it?
06:26If I was to walk over to it right now, start opening the doors, lifting the bonnet,
06:30people would go, Mike's interested in that, so they could be interested in it and the price starts to climb.
06:35Right, now's my opportunity to get in there and have a closer look.
06:42Tyres look good, interior's okay.
06:45With just over 230 road-going imps left in the UK, a good one is increasingly hard to find.
06:53This 1971 model has done just 68,000 miles, and on first glance, it presents pretty well.
07:00Let's look at this engine, this is an 875 engine.
07:04I'll be honest with you, the engine bay probably lets the car down.
07:08I think it would really do with having all of this taken out, because that looks a bit of a mess.
07:15That's broken, rusted through on this side, so that one they're repairing as well.
07:24As this is an auction, I can't drive the car, so as it's been moved round to the rostrum,
07:30I'm going to try and get some intel on the mechanical condition.
07:33So clubs feels good?
07:34Yeah.
07:34Yeah, brakes feel good?
07:36Yeah.
07:36Yeah, it's biting nicely.
07:39Okay, there's nothing nasty coming out the back.
07:42Looks sweet enough, let's get in the auction.
07:48With no test drive, and with a shabby-looking engine, this is a real risk.
07:52But we've restored him to sell him for around £8,000 to £9,000, I'm hoping I might be able to snatch a bargain.
08:04Ah, not the start I was looking for.
08:07The room's going mad for the car, but if I spend much more, we'll struggle to make a profit.
08:29It's too much money now.
08:38It's too much money.
08:41Go on then.
08:42Well, there you know, thanks for all the time.
08:47I even got a round of applause for that, but I did pay too much money for it.
08:50Ah-ha, he bought a yellow one.
09:10It's very mustard, isn't it?
09:11This is called Sundance Yellow.
09:14It actually looks really good on the outside.
09:15It's really good, yeah.
09:16I'm very, very pleased with this purchase.
09:19There are a few little issues.
09:21Of course.
09:21Okay, so first and foremost, you can see some of the rubbers around the window have degraded.
09:28Seat's got a little rip in it.
09:29It's another job for you, that is.
09:30Yeah, that's easy.
09:32So far, I'm impressed.
09:35Oh, mate, that is so disappointing.
09:38The outside's so nice.
09:40What's going on in here?
09:41I thought, well, if anyone's going to take an engine out, it'd be you.
09:44And then you can tidy all of this up.
09:46It needs it.
09:46As well as a tidy up, we'll have to do something about the inefficient cooling system,
09:53which was the main cause of the imps' overheating problems.
09:56I hope you got the car cheap.
09:58Oh, look, guide price, 3,000 to 4 grand.
10:02Is that what that says?
10:02So...
10:03Really?
10:03Yeah, go and watch me.
10:04But let's get it out on the road first.
10:07You wouldn't have paid the full whack, would you?
10:10I'll talk to you about the price in the car.
10:12Hmm.
10:13Something tells me you're holding this back for a reason.
10:19Keep coming.
10:20Keep coming.
10:21Yeah, nice.
10:23Yes, baby.
10:24Oh, mate, this little car looks absolutely fantastic.
10:28Let's go.
10:29Right then, son, put your slipper down.
10:37I hate to break it to you, but my foot is down.
10:39Well, it's only a little Coventry Climax engine.
10:41I mean, it's 800 and something cc.
10:43The imps' lightweight aluminium motor was way ahead of its time.
10:48Unfortunately, the cooling system wasn't.
10:52We're actually running at quite a bit of temperature at the moment.
10:55They all overheated.
10:56It was one of their biggest single issues.
10:58They all overheated.
10:59The engine feels like it's fluffy.
11:02I think there's dirt in the carburettor or something.
11:05Yeah, it feels like a car from the 1970s.
11:07It certainly does.
11:08So I was actually looking at a bunch of reviews earlier.
11:11Yeah.
11:12From when they were brand new.
11:13There's a guy that did a road test.
11:15During his road test, he said the passenger seat came loose,
11:18the ashtray fell out, water was coming in through the window,
11:21and of course it overheated.
11:23They had so many problems with production.
11:26It's like it was rushed out the door, you know?
11:28And they've just never recovered from that.
11:30You think about it, a small, lightweight, rear engine,
11:34rear-wheel drive, slanted engine, low centre of gravity.
11:39You know, all of the ingredients could have made this an amazing car.
11:43I reckon that's what we should do.
11:44I reckon we should make it the car that it should have been.
11:47So, £3,000 to £4,000 guide price.
11:52Yeah.
11:53I cannot wait to hear what you accomplished on this.
11:55So, I was standing there, right, with my hand in the air,
11:59and I was still bidding well into the £5,000.
12:03What?
12:03You went into the £5,000?
12:06No, I went well into the £6,000.
12:08And then there's the auction fees on top of that.
12:11Hang on, what have we paid for this car?
12:14This car owes us £7,125.
12:18That's double the guide price.
12:24I got carried away.
12:25I overpaid for the car, which means we need to underpay for all the repairs.
12:31Oh my goodness me.
12:40Calm down, calm down.
12:41I'm coming.
12:45Do you know what, mate?
12:46I, well, I say I slept on it last night.
12:48I actually didn't sleep that much,
12:49because I was having nightmares about what you've spent on this car.
12:52I can't believe you spent over £7,000 on a Hillman Imp.
12:55I mean, mate, it's a Hillman Imp.
12:57A 50-year-old Hillman Imp.
12:59Whoa, whoa, whoa.
13:00Show some respect for the Hillman Imp.
13:02When it's done, it's going to be great.
13:04How are we going to turn a profit?
13:06If we keep costs down, I'm still confident we'll come out of this the right side up.
13:11Blimey, you boys don't mess about, do you?
13:16Hello.
13:17Hello, chaps.
13:18How are you?
13:18This is Mike, everybody.
13:19Nice to meet you.
13:20Pat, Pat, Pat, John.
13:22Nice to meet you, mate.
13:22I don't know you.
13:23I'm Willie.
13:24Nice to meet you, mate.
13:25Nice to meet you.
13:26Pat, John and Willie.
13:27Yes.
13:27How's it, mate?
13:27Yep.
13:28Willie's given us a little bit of help.
13:29More hands the merrier.
13:30That's amazing.
13:31I bought a good one, didn't I, boys?
13:32You've actually done pretty well, Mike, to be honest, for a car,
13:35because compared to some of the other ones we've got here,
13:37we sweep them up off the floor.
13:38Exactly.
13:38They're not looking for a mechanical force for sweeping them up and putting them in the bank.
13:42He's right.
13:42It would have been a lovely five grand car, that, wouldn't it?
13:46What have you found so far?
13:47Anything interesting?
13:48A fairly standard list.
13:50Rad, couplings, steering components.
13:52It's not running so great.
13:53A nice set of wheels wouldn't go a mess.
13:57Tell you what, why don't I start by getting that torn front seat off to the trimmer?
14:02And I'll try to figure out why the engine wasn't running smoothly on our first little test drive.
14:08I mean, one of the things I definitely noticed when I drove it was that it was,
14:12you know, it felt like, to me, it felt like the car was blocked.
14:14It was a bit fluffy.
14:15It just didn't give us that clean acceleration.
14:17There's probably a really good chance, Elvis, that the fuel pump is actually blocked.
14:23If there's been debris coming up for the tank,
14:24that, because these tanks actually drain down to the absolute last drop.
14:29The design of the Imps fuel tank means that when it starts to corrode,
14:33particles of rust can easily be sucked into the fuel pump and ultimately the carburetor.
14:39Oh, there you go.
14:41That's what you're talking about.
14:42Look at that.
14:44Some nasties.
14:45That is nasty.
14:46That's an awful lot.
14:47Or are you saying that's quite common in these?
14:49That's quite common.
14:50Is it?
14:50I've actually seen them almost full.
14:52If that's full of that much rubbish,
14:55that probably means the tank is also full of that much rubbish.
14:57And that might need some attention.
14:59To see if our theory's right, we need to open up the top of the tank.
15:06Oh, dear.
15:09It's so rusted and corroded.
15:11Can you see in there?
15:12Oh, wow.
15:13And that point, right at the lowest point, is the pickup where all the fuel goes.
15:17And, of course, you can clearly see it's just going to drag all that stuff,
15:20get stuck in the pump, which is absolutely caked in the stuff.
15:23Yeah.
15:24I mean, either we're going to have to find a way to
15:27try and clean that out through a very small access hole or replace the tank,
15:30but we haven't really got the budget for that.
15:31Well, I mean, we could remove the tank, we could clean it out,
15:34and then put a tank sealant solution on it.
15:37I mean, yeah.
15:38Let's look into that, mate, because we need to save as much money as we can.
15:40For a fraction of the price of a new tank,
15:44a chemical sealing kit is the type of fix we need to save the pennies.
15:47Right.
15:48Er, you've done the one underneath, yeah?
15:50OK.
15:51Beautiful.
15:52I'll let you take that.
15:54We've drained the fuel out of it, so you should be all right.
15:57Good.
15:57Perfect.
15:59Before we can repair the inside of our tank,
16:01we first need to remove any remaining pieces of rust,
16:04and I've got a brilliantly old-school method for doing just that.
16:07I'm going to use some nuts and bolts and some gravel.
16:12I'm going to put that into the hole, put some water in,
16:15seed it up, and go outside and give it a real aggressive shake.
16:22The nuts, bolts and gravel, combined with the water,
16:25help to dislodge the worst of the corrosion from the surface of the tank interior.
16:31It's got to be enough, innit?
16:34Oh, look at the colour of that!
16:37And whilst the tank dries, we're going to take the engine out,
16:42so we can give it a proper clean.
16:46Go on, William, you get it.
16:47There we go.
16:48I bet you must have taken hundreds of these things out over your time.
16:51One or two.
16:52I wish all engines was as easy as this to come out.
16:59That's us off.
17:01Hopefully, fixing that imp's front seat will be just as simple.
17:05So, I found a lady. She's the interior trimmer in this area.
17:09So, I've got the seats in the back. I'm going to whip over there.
17:12Hopefully, she can just sew up the tear for us.
17:14Quick job, in and out, and it won't cost too much money.
17:19Lionheart Custom Interiors is one of Scotland's premier upholsterers.
17:23Let's just hope it's one of the cheapest as well.
17:26Hello, are you Sharon?
17:28Yes, hello.
17:29Sharon, how are you? I'm Mike.
17:30Hiya.
17:31Nice to meet you.
17:32Nice to meet you as well.
17:33Right. This is one of my seats. This one's got a rip in it, so we've got to do something with it.
17:40I'm hoping if we can replace just a small section of the material, we'll be able to keep costs down.
17:45You can get the material, but you can't get it with an embossed pattern.
17:51Right. This is unobtaining. We can't get it.
17:54That's correct.
17:54That's such a shame, isn't it? So, how do we get this texture then? How do we get those lines?
17:59I can stitch that in.
18:00You can?
18:01Yep.
18:01Okay, that'd be good.
18:04So much for an easy fix. Stitching in the lines will be painstaking work,
18:08and it turns out that that's not the only problem. This seat, I've noticed,
18:14it's got a piece of plywood. So, it's needing some strapping on it.
18:20Why do I have a feeling this job's going to get me into trouble with Elvis?
18:24Look at this old seat, isn't it? Look at it.
18:26Yeah, it is.
18:31Sharon, it's not meant to be like this. It's really not meant to be like this.
18:37Don't say I don't graph for our projects, Elvis.
18:41Do you know what? It's amazing how clean the inside of this tank actually is now.
18:48As well as a good wash, I've rinsed the tank with a solution of sodium hydroxide
18:52and hydrochloric acid to remove any remaining contaminants.
18:58It's all now completely dry as well, which means I can move on to the next stage,
19:02which is this. I've sealed up all the holes once more.
19:05I'm going to pour this in
19:09and then rotate the tank in as many directions as I can,
19:14giving us that nice good seal that we're after.
19:19This sealant is a compound of moisture curing polyurethane
19:23that will leave a solid plastic-like coating on the inside of the tank
19:26once it's been hung up, drained and dried out.
19:29At the trimmers, my hope of a nice quick seat fix has now turned into a four-scale strip-down.
19:42It's short.
19:46Somebody had a deep-fried Mars bar.
19:48With our seat base beyond repair, Sharon first needs to fit new webbing,
19:58followed by new foam for the seat cushion.
20:00This stuff here?
20:01Yep.
20:02Yep.
20:02Yeah, that's better, isn't it? I mean, you can already feel that's going to be much better.
20:07With both seats needing this level of work, I'm dreading the next conversation.
20:11So, if I was to leave you with the two front seats, new cushions, new webbing, all the rest of it tied it up,
20:22how much would it come to? In fact, don't tell me out loud, whisper it.
20:24OK, um, right, OK, well, I might need to, uh, I might need to take Elvis for a little...
20:36Dram.
20:37A little dram, yes, that's a good idea.
20:43I have a feeling that the price of the seat repairs isn't going to go down well with Elvis,
20:47so I've decided to warm him up with a nice little idea I've had.
20:51It had such a bad rap, this car, didn't it, because it just wasn't built very well.
20:56So, what if we're doing what we're doing, like rebuilding the car,
21:01what if we got a journalist to come and re-review the car,
21:05to come and drive it and correct that review?
21:08So, yeah, that's not a nice idea, you know, so you did review it now, having added the upgrades.
21:13That's a good idea, mate, you know.
21:15We've come up with a plan.
21:16Good idea.
21:17Some of the bottles in here look like they cost a fortune.
21:22Importantly, at the moment, I haven't spent any money.
21:27So I think even though we've overspent on the car,
21:30it's looking like we're going to probably get away with it.
21:32Right, now for the bad news.
21:34Yeah, I have spent some money, I did, I've spent some money.
21:38You know the driver's seat was ripped?
21:39Yeah.
21:40So I took the driver's seat off to a lovely lady called Sharon.
21:43There's only a tiny little rip, you can see where this is going.
21:45So, Sharon has got the same material, but she has to sew in that pattern,
21:50and it's quite complicated to sew in.
21:52And you can't do one seat without doing the other seat.
21:55We are going to put new web in, new pad in, so essentially we're getting two new seats.
21:59Just hit me with it, how much was it?
22:01Have another drink.
22:02No, come on, that's enough.
22:03Just have one more drink, all you've got to do is have one more drink.
22:05I'll literally be drunk, just tell me.
22:07£780.
22:08What? On repairing two front seats, are you kidding me?
22:18I still can't believe you spent, what was it, £780 on those seats?
22:22Yeah, it was expensive.
22:24How are we going to turn any sort of profit?
22:25If we make a tenner out of this, I'll be amazed.
22:27Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, just stop here, stop here.
22:29Right, just on the corner here.
22:30I just want to run in this, uh, this little shot.
22:33Two seats, all right?
22:34Hurry up.
22:34Two seats.
22:38Whoa, whoa, whoa.
22:40Well in Scotland, you've got to have the Scottish drink.
22:43I'm not so keen, to be honest, this time of the morning,
22:45but you know, if you're in the seats.
22:47This is made with girders.
22:50Don't open it in here.
22:51I'll wait till we get to the world's shop.
22:52It's a traditional drink.
22:52They love this stuff.
22:53No, no.
22:54No, mate.
22:55Yeah, they do.
22:56Oh my God, what are you doing?
22:59Mate, it's gone everywhere.
23:02Look at the state of you.
23:03That really has gone everywhere.
23:04And the car.
23:05That really has gone everywhere.
23:09I'll clean the car, I promise.
23:11Yeah, well you can do that later,
23:13because right now, I need you to go and pick up some spare parts.
23:21I love Mike's idea of a journalist reviewing our imp,
23:24but the car will need to be nothing short of perfect.
23:28Can you see where it's leaking from under there?
23:30Yeah, it's running at the gears, but it's kind of,
23:33they're all perished.
23:34They're all torn and perished.
23:36But we've discovered a new problem.
23:38When I came in this morning, the boys had already had a look underneath
23:41and found a couple of leaks from the steering rack.
23:46I've been hoping to tackle the imp's overheating problem this morning.
23:49Instead, Willie and I must now get the steering rack off to see if it can be salvaged.
23:54These bowl joints are dead.
23:56Very worn and teat as well.
23:58Yeah, yeah, okay.
23:59All right, well again, they're not expensive, so we can replace those.
24:02Well, that's one of the nice things about these cars, isn't it?
24:06They were very serviceable.
24:07Yes, it's pretty easy to work on.
24:14It's had a leak, and look, you can clearly see where that was coming from.
24:19It's got splits all over this rubber gator.
24:23At around 170 pounds, a new steering rack is something we can ill afford,
24:28so I'm hoping we can get away with a cheap fix.
24:30I think I'm just going to text Mike with a little list of consumable bits
24:34that I can replace on this.
24:37And that's not all we need to add to Mike's shopping list.
24:41How are you getting on, mate?
24:42Yeah, I'm just taking these Rotoflex brushes off.
24:44Yeah, they have definitely seen better days, haven't they?
24:48These rubber couplings, known as doughnuts,
24:50connect the gearbox to the driveshaft to reduce vibration.
24:53I'll add it to the list of things that Mike can get for us.
25:01Armed with my shopping list, the guys in a workshop
25:04have sent me to a rather special farm, 40 minutes from Stirling.
25:08I mean, I've been to plenty of car spares and parts stores in my life,
25:14but I don't think I've ever seen one quite like this.
25:19This rural Aladdin's cave belongs to a man named Chick.
25:22As well as selling new spares,
25:24he also salvages second-hand parts wherever he can.
25:27He is one of the people that keep our classic cars on the road.
25:31All this stuff is going to get used again.
25:34Absolutely incredible.
25:36Er, sir.
25:37Hello, mate.
25:38You must be Chick.
25:40I am indeed.
25:41Chick, er, it's an honour to meet you.
25:44It really is.
25:45You're like an environmentalist, aren't you?
25:47Because you're taking old cars and you're recycling them, aren't you?
25:50Yep. Fantastic.
25:50It's cheaper to repair an old car than it is to make a new car.
25:53Exactly. That's exactly what I keep saying.
25:56So we are the ultimate eco-warriors.
25:58Chick!
25:59Ball!
26:01Hello.
26:03Oh, blimey.
26:04Hello, young lady.
26:05What's your name?
26:05Kate.
26:06Hello, Kate.
26:06You all right?
26:08Nice to meet you.
26:09That was a good surprise, wasn't it?
26:12Is that how you respond to him wherever he is?
26:14I can never find him.
26:15All right, so you just...
26:16I need to get up!
26:17Yeah, my neighbours can hear it.
26:18I'm sure they can.
26:22Right, so listen.
26:23I've got this list of parts for a little helmet in.
26:26Oh, there you go.
26:26Only 71.
26:27If I just start at the top, we work our way through them.
26:29We've got radiator hosing, rear window hatch struts.
26:32Okay.
26:33Can we start there?
26:34Yeah.
26:34Let's follow me.
26:37Ah, yes, baby!
26:39This place is just incredible.
26:41Stuff like this.
26:42Look, steering...
26:43Racks and racks of steering wheels, rubbers.
26:47This is going to be great.
26:47Donuts?
26:50Donuts in, that's right, yeah.
26:51Yeah.
26:51That's exactly what I'm looking for.
26:53Two if you're finest.
26:54Yeah, lovely.
26:55Okay, donuts.
26:56How would you know where everything is in this building?
26:59I'm pretty good at remembering where everything's put as long as nobody else moves it.
27:03Right, so, er, brake shoes.
27:06Where am I going to find those?
27:07Eh, that's a set of imp brake shoes there.
27:10Okay, hoses?
27:12A set of hoses next to it.
27:13What, all of those?
27:14Take all of them?
27:15That's a car set.
27:16The other sundry items, I mean, obviously, I've still got to get an oil filter,
27:20an air filter, gaskets.
27:23Gaskets I could do there, yep.
27:25Oil filters are downstairs.
27:29Well, that's a few things ticked off, but with a long list from Elvis, I may be here for some time.
27:36At the workshop, I'm finally ready to tackle a job that, for the imp, is literally make or break.
27:40One of the Hillman Imp's inherent problems was the fact that it overheated a lot.
27:48I mean, every single review that I've read about this car, in every one of the test drives that any
27:52journalist was doing, the car did overheat.
27:54John told me this, almost every car that's still in existence today has had an engine swap because
28:02the first one overheated and probably blew up at some point.
28:05Partly, it was because the cooling system just wasn't up to scratch.
28:09Upgrading the system will cost money that we don't really have, but it's the only way to
28:14ensure the car can keep its cool.
28:16I've got a radiator here, which, if I hold it up and compare it to the old one,
28:22the same sort of shape and size as in it fits in the same mounting points on the car,
28:26but importantly, the core is thicker.
28:29This old original one, about 38 millimetres thick, the new one, 45 millimetres thick.
28:35It means that we've got more cores to flow water through. We've also got more surface area
28:39in which we could pass over the cooling fan driven air, giving us a greater cooling efficiency
28:45or cooling effect.
28:48For added protection, I've also fitted a secondary electric fan, which will kick in if temperature
28:53starts to rise. The new kit has cost a hefty 300 pounds, but it fits neatly into the existing cowlings.
29:00I mean, I quite frankly still find it amazing that any car in Scotland overheats.
29:08But what we do now know is this one won't.
29:13Overheating may have been the imp's main Achilles heel, but it wasn't the only one.
29:22When the car rolled out the Linwood factory back in the 60s, it had a dynamo to charge the battery on the move.
29:28It wasn't particularly efficient, but on top of that, it wasn't even that reliable.
29:33But the biggest issue was the concept of the dynamo itself.
29:36And it's something I can easily demonstrate.
29:40I'm not just out here getting my daily exercise regime in.
29:43I've got a dynamo hooked up to the rear wheel, remember those?
29:46And it's charging all this headlight on the front of the bike.
29:49And with me pedalling relatively quickly, you can see the lights operating perfectly well.
29:53It's shining brightly.
29:55Now, what happens if I slow things down and take a break?
29:59You can see the light gets a lot dimmer.
30:02It's no longer producing the same level of current because the back wheel on the bike is going slower.
30:07And that's because the way the dynamo works is using direct current,
30:11it's only producing a limited amount of voltage when the rear wheel is going slowly.
30:16And the same happens on the car. The dynamo is linked to engine speed.
30:20So as the engine speed drops, the amount of voltage produced by the dynamo also drops.
30:25In modern cars, dynamos have been replaced by alternators,
30:34which are more efficient and produce a much stronger output lower engine revs.
30:40This is a classic car. We want it to stay looking like a classic car.
30:43And so someone has come up with this, a wonderful little idea.
30:47It's called a dynamator. And as the name suggests, it's got the components of a modern
30:52day alternator on the inside in the casing of a 1960s dynamo.
30:57It's a lovely little solution. And with the looming prospect of our car being reviewed by a
31:02modern day reporter in a classic car magazine, well, this might edge us a little bit closer
31:07to getting a positive result. So all I've got to do now is bolt this onto our engine.
31:15With some of the imp's biggest issues addressed, the car is starting to come together.
31:20Down a little bit more then, please.
31:24But with plenty more to do, we won't be going home anytime soon.
31:27Don't worry, Elvis. I've got a perfect little energy boost for you all.
31:34So what I'm after, I hear up here in Scotland, a delicacy is deep fried mars bar. Is that a real thing?
31:40Yes. Okay, so that is a real thing. Can you deep fry anything else?
31:45Agis, spicy agis, jumbo agis. What? What else can you deep fry? Can you do a sausage?
31:52Pizza. Pizza and batter. Stop it. Stop it. Yes.
31:55That must be sacrilege. You're an Italian. You take a pizza, you wrap it and batter and deep fry it.
32:00Of course. I'm having one of those. So Jeff, make me some nice healthy food. Oh, and a little side salad for me.
32:07Right, that's supper sorted. Let's just hope the boys are hungry.
32:13All right, fellas. I've got everyone some food. I've got you some food as well.
32:17Hello. Hello, fellas. How are you?
32:18How are you? Deep fried pizza up here. Yeah, of course.
32:22This is a snack on dinner after a half day's work.
32:24Oh, right. Here we go, boys. Here we go.
32:26How are you prepared? This is strictly dessert.
32:29Oh, look at that. That's a deep fried mars bar.
32:33I'm going straight in. Go straight in.
32:35That's good. It's very good, isn't it? It is surprisingly good.
32:39There's no way that should work. No.
32:41But it's amazing. It is like feeding time at the zoo.
32:47With the crew fueled up, we better crack on.
32:51We're tantalizingly close to finishing our imp, but we still have several key jobs to complete.
32:58With a strainer fitted to filter out any debris, the renovated fuel tank is ready to go back in.
33:05There we go. Right, that's now back in place.
33:08I've just got to get it all plumbed in, of course.
33:10But then we should have a fully working and operational fuel system that won't cause us any problems anymore.
33:18After a successful parcel at Chick's Farm, I've got us a new set of brackets for the rear screen,
33:24which was another cause of the imp's poor reviews.
33:27One of the journalists said that he was driving along and the rear window popped open as he was driving along.
33:33So hopefully these new brackets do the job.
33:35Let's just see if it closes now, Mike.
33:41Oh! Oh!
33:43Lovely.
33:45That is absolutely perfect, isn't it?
33:47Almost back to the recommended way of closing it.
33:50That is... That won't be popping open.
33:51Mike's also managed to get new gaiters for our steering rack.
33:56So for around a tenner in parts, it's now as good as new.
34:00It's only really the seats that have cost any serious money and they're worth every penny.
34:05I'll tell you what, isn't this job absolutely astonishing?
34:10Sharon has stitched this pattern in to the seats and it just matches the rear seats perfectly.
34:15Look at these, like them.
34:19Aw, yeah, that is pucker, that is.
34:22Yeah. No, mate, we're on the right track.
34:25Nice one.
34:27But we'll also need to do something about the car's weedy-looking wheels.
34:31So I've had a spare set of mine shipped up from home.
34:35John!
34:37Ta-da!
34:39I dug these out of my container and I thought it saved money on the build.
34:43Love it. Love a mini light.
34:46Only problem is, Mike, it's two inches too short.
34:49So I've got the wrong size wheel.
34:50So what size wheel do I actually need then?
34:5312. 12 or 13 inch.
34:55Pretty much like these ones here, Mike.
34:57All right, so I need to find a set like this.
35:01Is there any possibility that I can swap my four wheels for your four wheels?
35:13I'll tell you what, that looks absolutely perfect now, it's all complete.
35:24What do you look like?
35:26Well, I'm in Scotland.
35:28We're at Stirling Castle, this shows respect.
35:31Didn't know it was dressing up day, but mate, you've pulled it off.
35:34He's dressing up and dressing down because, like all true Scotsmen...
35:38Oh my God, you haven't.
35:40Oh yeah.
35:40No, get them off now.
35:42Anyway, what do you think?
35:44Because it's been a little good.
35:45Well, the car looks amazing.
35:45On a grey day like today, here in Scotland, this car just sings.
35:49When I bought our little Hillman Input Auction, it was a far cry from the Scottish pin-up that stole the country's heart.
35:59But with help from every corner of this proud nation, it's been transformed into a car any Scot would be proud of.
36:06Sharon's seats have transformed the interior, and the new wheels complete the look.
36:13But most importantly, we've addressed some of the mechanical issues that blighted this otherwise brilliant car.
36:24That sounds like our cue to get it out on the road.
36:36It's a good little bit of road, isn't it?
36:37Oh yeah, this is a wicked little car.
36:41This is...
36:43The way it handles, that is fantastic.
36:45It's really good, isn't it?
36:47Even though the engine's all down the back, they handle really well.
36:50It's fantastic, this car.
36:53It really is.
36:54I think the point is, every single thing that we've both done to this car has just made it a little bit better.
37:00That fuel tank's been cleaned out.
37:01If you remember when I drove it, it was a bit stuttery, and there was so much rubbish being dredged up from the fuel tank.
37:08And it doesn't feel like this car's going to overheat at all.
37:10I know it's a little bit colder up here in Scotland, but you can feel that the car actually has got a lot more pep.
37:16Steering's lovely, as well you can see the way it's turning in.
37:20Do you know what, with the work we've done in tidying everything else up, it looks amazing.
37:24Now I've seen the seats, Sharon's craftsmanship is second to none.
37:28It's quite incredible, and you have to pay for that, don't you?
37:34Oh yes, the thorny issue of money, which has been a challenge on this one thanks to your auction antics.
37:40Will I ever be allowed to forget it?
37:42It's a rough ballpark idea of how much we think we're up to in terms of spend.
37:47Yeah, I reckon we're approaching eight and a half grand, just under.
37:52Just under?
37:52Yeah, around there.
37:53OK, all right, good.
37:57Right now though, making money's the least of our worries.
37:59Because we've got a respected motoring journalist coming up to drive our car,
38:04and we're hoping the Imp finally gets the great review it deserves.
38:11So I reckon we've addressed every problem, but it still doesn't make me feel any less nervous
38:18than the fact that David Simister, editor of Classic Car Weekly, is on his way,
38:23and he's coming to drive this car and give it a proper review, like it was back in the 70s.
38:28And it will be a proper review, he won't mess about, he's not going to fudge the numbers,
38:32he's going to give us an honest review of what this car feels like, so...
38:36You're making me feel more nervous now.
38:40Well, fortune favours the brave.
38:42Time then, to bite the bullet.
38:47David!
38:48David, how are you?
38:49How are you doing?
38:50I'm all right, buddy?
38:51Good to see you, how are you doing?
38:52You too.
38:53So David, thank you for giving up time, I know you're a very busy man.
38:56First impressions?
38:57I think it's looking really straight, it's a really nice example.
38:59Thank you very much.
39:00I mean, the proof's in the driving, but I think visually, it's really, really working.
39:04Well, with this lots of little touches, all the sort of things that were inherent problems
39:08when this car rolled out of the factory, we hope we've fixed.
39:11Exactly that.
39:12So, we're going to set you off on a test drive.
39:15We want you to just review it, and just come back and tell us what you think.
39:19There you go then, David.
39:20Your chariot awaits.
39:23Oh, it sounds sweet.
39:25Yes.
39:26It looks good for me, doesn't it?
39:28Well then, here we go.
39:30We're in the lap of the gods now.
39:32Let's just hope that little imp behaves itself.
39:34Well then, let's see what you've got.
39:44We are stuck in a set of lights.
39:45This is a good chance to test the Hillman imp's famous cooling issues.
39:50I hope he's getting on all right.
39:51The pressure we put ourselves under here is immense, because he's driving the car,
39:55and he's going to review it as if it's like a new car.
39:58I know, and that is going to account for a lot, right?
40:01Steering is nicely wasted.
40:04There's no bumps or clunks from anything underneath.
40:09While David's out in the car, I need to let Mike into a little secret.
40:14Oh, you're kidding me!
40:15How are you, buddy?
40:17Yeah, lots of fun.
40:18Great to see you!
40:20No, you kept that one from me.
40:22How did that happen?
40:22I did.
40:23Well, listen, I know he's a fan of classic cars, so give him a ring.
40:26Classic car nut Dan bought our Paddy Hopkirk Tribute Mini last year,
40:30and I've lined him up for another potential sale.
40:34You want to add a Hillman imp to the collection?
40:35To the family, yeah.
40:36So why a Hillman imp?
40:38Rear engine.
40:39It was always a rival for the Mini.
40:41Erm, yeah, why not?
40:42Why not?
40:43I love that.
40:43Just try it.
40:44Why not?
40:44Yeah, why not?
40:46Oh, there's just one more thing I haven't told you.
40:50We've already kind of agreed a price, so the money...
40:53Hold on.
40:54Hold on.
40:55This is my job.
40:56Yeah, yeah.
40:56What's going on?
40:57You don't see me going in the workshop and pulling an engine out.
41:01So if we've got David Simister coming back and rolling in and saying,
41:04what a great car lads, I mean it's going to be kill done, isn't it, Dan?
41:07Yeah, yeah.
41:07Yeah.
41:08Really?
41:08Especially that kill, yeah.
41:11Oh, hang on.
41:12I forgot to ask what price you agreed.
41:15Oh, how the tables have turned.
41:17I guess you'll just have to wait and see.
41:19In fact, he's buried.
41:20Okay, so here we go.
41:22A moment of truth.
41:23Come on, come see the car.
41:27So, David, what do you think?
41:28I think you've done Scotland proud.
41:29Oh, yes.
41:31Get in, eh?
41:32I knew it was a good little car.
41:33Do you know, it is a really well-sorted, sweet little example of an Impa.
41:36I think you've clearly done a lot of work, so it feels cherished.
41:39It feels sorted.
41:40Probably one of the best examples of an Impa.
41:42Oh, David, you have just turned yourself into the smartest salesman.
41:46You just heard from the horse's mouth there how good the car is.
41:48It's pretty good, yeah.
41:49First impressions?
41:50I love it.
41:50I like the colour.
41:51I didn't think I would, but I do like the colour.
41:53Yeah, it's really good.
41:54It really does stand out here.
41:55We teed this up on the phone.
41:57Yeah.
41:57Mate, you can...
41:58I'd go, I feel like a spare, I feel like a spare party.
42:02You two have done this deal without me knowing.
42:05I don't know if you've seen how this works before, but Dan, are you happy to...
42:08Wait!
42:08Hold that round.
42:09You've cut yourself a deal.
42:10That was my part.
42:12You just sold it.
42:13Dan, congratulations.
42:15Thank you, David.
42:16Always a pleasure.
42:17Thank you, David.
42:18Absolutely awesome.
42:19Mate, where's that?
42:19Well done.
42:21It's a brilliant result and a great way to round off our global adventure.
42:26Cheers, buddy.
42:29Cheers, mate.
42:30Sounds amazing, Elvis.
42:34Me and you, we should fix anything.
42:35I am super dealer.
42:38That's crazy.
42:40Yeah, that's not food, is it?
42:43Well, I've got to say, this world tour has been one of the best things that's ever happened in my lifetime.
42:50It's been incredible.
42:52Unbelievable.
42:53And there have been some amazing places, including right here in Scotland.
42:56Met some great people and the cars we've done have been spectacular.
43:00But come on, Elvis, put me at my misery.
43:02Did we make a profit on the Imp?
43:04So let me remind you again, the car owed us £8,492.
43:12Which is great news, because it does show us the profit.
43:16That profit is in my pocket.
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