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00:00Oh, yeah, I don't think I've ever been anywhere more Scottish. It is a very Scottish of shops, isn't it?
00:08Oh, I might as well embrace the culture. Look at this. It feels lovely as well, nice and soft.
00:14Mate, what are you doing? What do you mean, what am I doing? I'm just getting my Scottish on.
00:19I mean, you look incredibly Scottish, I'll give you that. I'm going to have some haggis later, I'm going to have some whisky.
00:25Whatever you do, just don't buy a kilt.
00:28That'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?
00:37Mate, 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.
00:48Vamos!
00:49You see a photo?
00:50Yay!
00:51Sorry!
00:52We'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.
01:06Leaning on local wheeler dealers.
01:08Because he really wants it, would you take 30,000 euro?
01:11No, impossible.
01:13That's my way to do it.
01:14To rescue these national treasures on a wheel and a prayer.
01:18Please let me find a set of wheels, that's all I'm asking for.
01:21And make a few euros, pesos.
01:24I think we have a deal.
01:25Yes!
01:26And real as we go.
01:28I absolutely love it!
01:37Right then, fella, this is the only way to travel.
01:41It's not that bad, is it?
01:42Told you, it's lovely.
01:43You can just sit back, you can relax, watch the countryside, whip past the window.
01:48Watch the raindrops.
01:49Watch the raindrops where we are heading north and the further we go north, it's going to get worse.
01:55But I am looking forward to Scotland, mate.
01:57I mean, there is a lot that Scotland has going for it.
02:00Yes, Scotland does have some stuff going for it.
02:02It is going to be...
02:03Yes, please.
02:04Yes.
02:05Nothing scares Scotland like a tea cake.
02:07Like a tea cake.
02:08Ah, yes, your beauty.
02:11But we haven't come here just for the snacks.
02:13No, we're travelling through Scotland on the trail of its most famous car, the Hill Minim.
02:18Designed by engineering trio, Tim Fry, Peter Ware and F1 driver, Michael Parks.
02:28The 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.
02:43But having been rushed into production, early imps were plagued with reliability woes, not least overheated engines.
02:51It was enough to help taint the car's reputation and overshadow the genius of its design.
02:56But here in Scotland, the Imp is a national hero and we think it deserves to be celebrated.
03:06Have you had any bites on your search for a car?
03:08There's a few out there.
03:09Yeah.
03:10They're interesting.
03:11Well, let's be careful and let's try and find one that doesn't need too much work.
03:15I've already asked my UK contacts to look out for a suitable car.
03:20And I'm hoping a specialist in workshop here in Scotland may be able to help.
03:25So that's where we're starting.
03:27Here we go.
03:28Nice.
03:29Good morning, Sterling.
03:30Fantastic.
03:31Cold and wet.
03:32Cold and wet.
03:33It has taken a mile to get her, isn't it?
03:35Mate, we could have literally got to Mexico quicker than it took to get here.
03:38We could have done.
03:39Just one second, one second, one second.
03:41Hello?
03:42Yeah?
03:43Oh, that sounds good.
03:46Condition?
03:47Okay, super.
03:49Oh, no, I'm really interested.
03:51I mean, look, I've literally just arrived in Stirling, Scotland.
03:54What?
03:55No way.
03:56Where?
03:57Are you kidding me?
03:58Okay, I'll talk to you in a bit.
04:00Cheers, bye.
04:01Mate, honestly, that was a call from the auction.
04:04You're not going to believe this.
04:06I've found a car.
04:07Yeah.
04:08And I've got to go back and...
04:09Back where?
04:10Where is it?
04:11Norfolk.
04:12Like hundreds and hundreds of miles away.
04:16Auction?
04:17Come on.
04:18I've got an auction.
04:19Yeah, I know, that's your wheelhouse.
04:20My wheelhouse.
04:21I'm going to be in there.
04:22Get us a bargain.
04:23I'll be back.
04:24I know.
04:25I trust you.
04:26While Mike goes south, I'm heading to the outskirts of Stirling.
04:31I've found these guys online who are massive imp enthusiasts and apparently they've got a workshop, they've got a spare ramp and all the gear we might need if Mike actually does end up buying us a car.
04:44I mean, this is definitely it.
04:45I can see imps everywhere.
04:47John and Patrick own a garage dedicated to the restoration of Hillman imps.
04:56John, thanks so much for having us down.
04:58I gather I'm in the right place because there's imps everywhere.
05:01How would you guess?
05:02So one or two clues.
05:04Is this all you do?
05:05Imps?
05:06Pretty much.
05:07Pretty much imps.
05:08Pretty much.
05:09That's for the partners.
05:10Mike's trying to buy us our own imp.
05:11I've got no idea when he's going to turn up.
05:13So in the meantime, have you got a kettle or maybe a cup of tea?
05:16John and Pat met at school and bonded over their shared love of this little motor.
05:22How about the love affair with imps?
05:25How long has that been going on?
05:26That's been over 40 years now.
05:28Has it?
05:29Really?
05:30Wow.
05:31That's a long love affair.
05:32When we went down to Monte Carlo and back there.
05:35What?
05:36One of the most special feelings in the world was driving through Casino Square in Monte Carlo.
05:41And they all went like that with their cameras.
05:43Yeah.
05:44Because they hadn't seen two imps before.
05:45That would really upset the Lamborghini owners, wouldn't it?
05:47Yes.
05:48Yeah.
05:49Certainly, yeah.
05:50Fantastic, isn't it?
05:51What a day.
05:52In Norfolk, I've arrived at Anglia car auctions near Kings Lynn.
06:06You're going to see sales like this almost every weekend up and down the country.
06:11The perfect place to come and buy that classic car.
06:15The imp I'm here to see has an estimate of just £3,000 to £4,000.
06:21There's loads of people, loads of people looking at the car, which shows there's a bit of interest in the hillman in, doesn't it?
06:29If I was to walk over to it right now, start opening the doors, lifting the bonnet, people are going, Mike's interested in that, so they could be interested in it, and the price starts to climb.
06:39Right, now's my opportunity to get in there and have a closer look.
06:44Tyres look good, interior's okay.
06:48With just over 230 road-going imps left in the UK, a good one is increasingly hard to find.
06:55This 1971 model has done just 68,000 miles, and on first glance, it presents pretty well.
07:03Let's look at this engine, this is an 875 engine.
07:06I'll be honest with you, the engine bay probably lets the car down.
07:11I think it would really do with having all of this taken out, because that looks a bit of a mess.
07:18That's broken, rusted through on this side, so that will need repairing as well.
07:27As this is an auction, I can't drive the car, so as it's been moved round to the rostrum,
07:33I'm going to try and get some intel on the mechanical condition.
07:36So plugs feels good?
07:37Yeah.
07:38Yeah, brakes feel good?
07:39Yeah.
07:40Yeah, it's biting nicely.
07:42Okay, there's nothing nasty coming out the back.
07:46Looks sweet enough.
07:47Let's get in the auction.
07:48With no test drive, and with a shabby looking engine, this is a real risk.
07:55But we've restored him selling for around £8,000 to £9,000.
07:59I'm hoping I might be able to snatch a bargain.
08:02I'm going straight in.
08:08Ah, not the start I was looking for.
08:11That's me.
08:12Five.
08:13Five.
08:14Five.
08:15Five.
08:16Five.
08:17Five.
08:18Five.
08:19Five.
08:20Five.
08:21Five.
08:22Five.
08:23Five.
08:24Five.
08:25Five.
08:26Five.
08:27Five.
08:28Five.
08:29Five.
08:30Six.
08:31Five.
08:32Six.
08:33...that's too much money now.
08:35It's too much money.
08:36cinco.
08:37Fifteen.
08:38Six.
08:39Six.
08:40One more.
08:41Six.
08:43Four.
08:44Female.
08:45One more.
08:46responsibilities.
08:48Five.
08:49Five.
08:50Six.
08:51Five.
08:52Six.
08:53Five...
08:54Six.
08:55Six.
08:55Five.
08:56Six.
08:57Six.
08:58Six.
08:59Six.
09:00Aha! He bought a yellow one! It's very mustard, isn't it? This is called Sundance Yellow.
09:16It actually looks really good on the outside. It's really good, yeah. I'm very, very pleased with this purchase.
09:22There are a few little issues. Of course.
09:24OK, so, first and foremost, you can see some of the rubbers around the window have degraded.
09:31Seat's got a little rip in it.
09:32It's another job for you, that is.
09:33Yeah, that's easy.
09:35So far, I'm impressed.
09:38Ta-da!
09:39Oh, mate, that is so disappointing. The outside's so nice. What's going on in here?
09:44I thought, well, if anyone's going to take an engine out, it'll be you, and then you can tidy all of this up.
09:49It needs it.
09:50As well as a tidy-up, we'll have to do something about the inefficient cooling system, which was the main cause of the imps' overheating problems.
09:59I hope you got the car cheap.
10:02Oh, look. Guide price, 3,000 to 4 grand.
10:05Is that what that says?
10:06Really?
10:07Yeah, go and watch me.
10:08Well, let's get it out on the road first.
10:10You wouldn't have paid the full whack, would you?
10:13I'll talk to you about the price of the car.
10:15Hmm.
10:16Something tells me you're holding this back for a reason.
10:20Keep coming. Keep coming. Yeah, nice.
10:26Yes, baby.
10:28Oh, mate, this little car looks absolutely fantastic.
10:32Let's go.
10:37Right then, son, put your slipper down.
10:40I hate to break it to you, but my foot is down.
10:42Well, it's only a little Coventry Climax engine. I mean, it's 800 and something cc.
10:46The imps' lightweight aluminium motor was way ahead of its time.
10:51Unfortunately, the cooling system wasn't.
10:55We're actually running at quite a bit of temperature at the moment.
10:58They all overheated. It was one of their biggest single issues. They all overheated.
11:03The engine feels like it's fluffy. I think there's dirt in the carburettor or something.
11:08Yeah, it feels like a car from the 1970s.
11:11It certainly does.
11:12Because I was actually looking at a bunch of reviews earlier from when they were brand new.
11:16There's a guy that did a road test. During his road test, he said the passenger seat came loose,
11:21the ashtray fell out, water was coming in through the window, and of course it overheated.
11:25They had so many problems with production. It's like it was rushed out the door, you know, and they just never recovered from that.
11:34You think about it, a small, lightweight, rear engine, rear-wheel drive, slanted engine, low centre of gravity.
11:42You know, all of the ingredients could have made this an amazing car.
11:46I reckon that's what we should do. I reckon we should make it the car that it should have been.
11:50So, £3,000 to £4,000 guide price.
11:56Yeah.
11:56I cannot wait to hear what you accomplished on this.
11:58So, I was standing there, right, with my hand in the air, and I was still bidding well into the £5,000.
12:06What? You went into the £5,000?
12:09No, I went well into the £6,000. And then there's the auction fees on top of that.
12:14Hang on, what have we paid for this car?
12:16Well, this car owes us £7,125.
12:22What?
12:23So, I over...
12:24Double, that's double. That's double the guide price.
12:27I got carried away. I overpaid for the car, which means we need to underpay for all the repairs.
12:35Oh, my goodness me.
12:43Calm down, calm down. I'm coming.
12:45Do you know what, mate? I... Well, I say I slept on it last night. I actually didn't sleep that much, because I was having nightmares about what you've spent on this car.
12:55I can't believe you spent over £7,000 on a Hillman Imp.
12:58I mean, mate, it's a Hillman Imp. A 50-year-old Hillman Imp.
13:02Whoa, whoa, whoa. Show some respect for the Hillman Imp.
13:05When it's done, it's going to be great.
13:07How are we going to turn a profit?
13:08If we keep costs down, I'm still confident we'll come out of this the right side up.
13:17Blimey, you boys don't mess about, do you?
13:19Hello.
13:20Hello, chaps. How are you?
13:21This is Mike, everybody.
13:22Nice to meet you.
13:23Pat, Pat, Pat, John.
13:25Nice to meet you, mate.
13:26I don't know you.
13:27I'm Willie.
13:27Nice to meet you, mate.
13:28Nice to meet you, mate.
13:29Pat, John and Willie.
13:30Yes.
13:30How are you?
13:30Well, he's given us a little bit of help.
13:32More hands than merrier.
13:33That's amazing.
13:34I bought a good one, didn't I, boys?
13:35You've actually done pretty well, Mike, to be honest, for a car.
13:38Because compared to some of the other ones we've got here, we sweep them up off the floor.
13:41Exactly.
13:42We're not looking for mechanical cars.
13:43We're sweeping them up and putting them in the back.
13:45He's right.
13:45It would have been a lovely five grand car, that, wouldn't it?
13:49What have you found so far?
13:50Anything interesting?
13:52Fairly standard list.
13:53Rad, couplings, steering components.
13:55It's not running so great.
13:57Nice set of wheels wouldn't go a mess.
14:00Tell you what, why don't I start by getting that torn front seat off to the trimmer?
14:06And I'll try to figure out why the engine wasn't running smoothly on our first little test drive.
14:12And one of the things I definitely noticed when I drove it was that it was, you know,
14:15it felt like, to me, it felt like the car was blocked.
14:17It was a bit fluffy.
14:18It just didn't give us that clean acceleration.
14:20There's probably a really good chance, Elvis, that the fuel pump is actually blocked.
14:26After there's been debris coming up for the tank there.
14:28Because these tanks actually drain down to the absolute last drop.
14:32The design of the imps fuel tank means that when it starts to corrode,
14:36particles of rust can easily be sucked into the fuel pump and ultimately the carburettor.
14:40Oh, there you go.
14:44That's what you're talking about.
14:45Look at that.
14:47Some nasties.
14:48That is nasty.
14:49That's an awful lot.
14:50Or are you saying that's quite common in these?
14:52That's quite common.
14:53Is it?
14:53I've actually seen them almost full.
14:55If that's full of that much rubbish, that probably means the tank is also full of that much rubbish.
15:00And that might need some attention.
15:02To see if our theory's right, we need to open up the top of the tank.
15:09Oh, dear.
15:10It's so rusted and corroded.
15:14Can you see in there?
15:15Oh, wow.
15:16And that point, right at the lowest point, is the pickup where all the fuel goes.
15:21And, of course, you can clearly see it's just going to drag all that stuff.
15:24It gets stuck in the pump, which is absolutely caked in the stuff.
15:27Yeah.
15:27I mean, either we're going to have to find a way to try and clean that out through a very small access hole or replace the tank.
15:33But we haven't really got a budget for that.
15:34Well, I mean, we could remove the tank.
15:36We could clean it out and then put a tank sealing solution on it.
15:40I mean, yeah.
15:41Let's look into that, mate, because we need to save as much money as we can.
15:45For a fraction of the price of a new tank, a chemical sealing kit is the type of fix we need to save the pennies.
15:51Right.
15:52He's done the one underneath.
15:53Yeah.
15:54OK.
15:56I'll let you take that.
15:57We've drained the fuel out of it, so you should be all right.
16:00OK.
16:00Perfect.
16:02Before we can repair the inside of our tank, we first need to remove any remaining pieces of rust.
16:07And I've got a brilliantly old-school method for doing just that.
16:12I'm going to use some nuts and bolts and some gravel.
16:15I'm going to put that into the hole, put some water in, seed it up, and go outside and give it a real aggressive shake.
16:21The nuts, bolts and gravel, combined with the water, help to dislodge the worst of the corrosion from the surface of the tank interior.
16:32It's got to be enough, isn't it?
16:37Oh, look at the colour of that!
16:42And whilst the tank dries, we're going to take the engine out so we can give it a proper clean.
16:49Go on, William, you get.
16:50There we go.
16:51I bet you must have taken hundreds of these things out over your time.
16:54One or two.
16:55I wish all engines was as easy as this to come out.
17:02That's us off.
17:03Hopefully, fixing that imp's front seat will be just as simple.
17:09So I found a lady.
17:10She's the interior trimmer in this area.
17:13So I've got the seats in the back.
17:14I'm going to whip over there.
17:15Hopefully, she can just sew up the tear for us.
17:18Quick job, in and out, and it won't cost too much money.
17:22Lionheart Custom Interiors is one of Scotland's premier upholsterers.
17:27Let's just hope it's one of the cheapest as well.
17:30Hello, are you Sharon?
17:31Yes, hello.
17:32Sharon, how are you?
17:33I'm Mike.
17:33Hiya.
17:34Nice to meet you.
17:35Nice to meet you as well.
17:36Right.
17:37This is one of my seats.
17:40This one's got a rip in it, so we've got to do something with it.
17:43I'm hoping if we can replace just a small section of the material, we'll be able to keep costs down.
17:49You can get the material, but you can't get it with an embossed pack.
17:54Right.
17:55This is unobtaining.
17:56We can't get it.
17:57That's correct.
17:58That's such a shame, isn't it?
17:59So how do we get this texture then?
18:00How do we get those lines?
18:02I can stitch that in.
18:03You can?
18:04Yep.
18:04Okay, that'd be good.
18:07So much for an easy fix.
18:09Stitching in the lines will be painstaking work, and it turns out that that's not the only problem.
18:14This seat, I've noticed, it's got a piece of supply board.
18:19So it's needing some strapping on it.
18:23Why do I have a feeling this job's going to get me into trouble with Elvis?
18:27Look at this old seat, isn't it?
18:28Look at it.
18:29Oh, the hair has...
18:29Sharon is not meant to be like this.
18:36It is really not meant to be like this.
18:40Don't say I don't graph for our projects, Elvis.
18:42you 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 and
18:55hydrochloric acid to remove any remaining contaminants it's all now completely dry
19:02as well which means I can move on to the next stage which is this I've sealed up
19:07all the holes once more I'm going to pour this in and then rotate the tank in as many directions
19:15as I can giving us that nice good seal that we're after this sealant is a compound of moisture curing
19:25polyurethane that will leave a solid plastic-like coating on the inside of the tank once it's been
19:30hung up drained and dried out at the tremors my hope of a nice quick seat fix has now turned
19:44into a full scale strip down shot somebody had a somebody had a deep fried miles bar
19:51without seat base beyond repair Sharon first needs to fit new webbing followed by new phone
20:02for the seat cushion this stuff here yep yeah that's better it I mean you can already feel
20:07that's gonna be much better with both seats needing this level of work I'm dreading the
20:14next conversation so if I was to leave you with the two front seats new cushions new webbing all the
20:23rest of it tidied up um how much would it come to in fact don't tell me out loud whisper it
20:28okay um right okay well I might need to uh I might need to take Elvis for a little drum a little dram
20:41yes that's a good idea I have a feeling that the price of the seat repairs isn't going to go down
20:49well with Elvis so I've decided to warm him up with a nice little idea I've had it had such a bad
20:57wrap this car didn't it because it just wasn't built very well so what if we're doing what we're doing
21:02like rebuilding the car what if we got a journalist to come and re-review the car to come and drive it
21:10and correct that review so yeah that's not nice this is quite I did review it now having added
21:16upgrades that's a good idea mate you know we've come up with a plan good idea some of the bottles
21:23in here look like they cost a fortune importantly at the moment I haven't spent any money so I think
21:31even though we've overspent in the car it's looking like we're gonna probably get away with it right
21:36now for the bad news I have spent some money I did I've spent some money you know the driver's seat
21:42was ripped yeah so I took the driver's seat off to a lovely lady called Sharon it's only a tiny
21:46little rip and see where this is going so Sharon has got the same material but she has to sew in that
21:52pattern and it's quite complicated to sew in and you can't do one seat without doing the other seat
21:58we are going to put new webbing new padding so essentially we're getting two new seats just hit
22:03me with it how much was it have another drink no come on that's just have one more drink all you
22:08got to do is have one more drink literally be drunk just tell me 780 pounds what on repairing two front
22:14seats you kidding me I still can't believe you spent what was it 780 quid on those seats yeah it was
22:26expensive how are we going to turn any sort of profit if we make a tenner out of this I'll be amazed
22:30whoa whoa just stop here stop here right just on the corner here I just want to run in this uh
22:35this little shop two sets hurry up two sets
22:38well in scotland you've got to have the scottish drink I'm not so keen to be honest this time of
22:48the morning but you know if you insist this is made with girders don't open it in here I'll wait
22:54till we get traditional drink they love this stuff no no mate oh my god what are you doing mate it's
23:02gone everywhere look at the state of you and the car that really has gone everywhere
23:09I'll clean the car I promise yeah well you can do that later because right now I need you to go
23:17and pick up some spare parts I love Mike's idea of a journalist reviewing our imp but the car will
23:28need to be nothing short of perfect you see where it's leaking from under there it's really the
23:34gears but it's gonna they're all perished they're all torn perished but we've discovered a new problem
23:41when I came in this morning the boys had already had a look underneath and found a couple of leaks
23:46from the steering rack I've been hoping to tackle the imps overheating problem this morning instead
23:53willie and I must now get the steering rack off to see if it could be salvaged these ball joints are
23:58dead very warm and tight as well yeah yeah okay all right well again they're not expensive so we can
24:04replace those well that's one of the nice things about these cars isn't it they were very serviceable yes
24:11it's pretty easy to work on it's had a leak and that you can clearly see where that was coming from
24:21it's got splits all over this rubber gator at around 170 pounds a new steering rack is something we can
24:30ill afford so I'm hoping we can get away with a cheap fix I think I'm just gonna text Mike with a
24:35little list of consumable bits that I can replace on this and that's not all we need to add to Mike
24:43shopping list I get on mate yeah I'm just taking these rotaflex bushes off yeah they have definitely
24:48seen better days ever name these rubber couplings known as doughnuts connect the gearbox to the
24:55driveshaft to reduce vibration I'll add it to the list of things that Mike can get for us
25:00armed with my shopping list the guys in a workshop have sent me to a rather special farm 40 minutes
25:10from Sterling I mean I've been a plenty of car spares and part stores in my life but I don't think I've
25:19ever seen one quite like this this rural Aladdin's cave belongs to a man named chick as well as selling
25:26new spares he also salvages second-hand parts wherever he can he is one of the people that
25:32keep our classic cars on the road all this stuff is going to get used again absolutely incredible
25:39sir hello Mike you must be chick I am indeed chick it's an honor to meet you it really is you're like
25:49an environmentalist don't you because you're taking old cars and you're recycling the money yeah
25:53fantastic cheaper to repair an old car is to make a new car exactly that's exactly what I keep saying
25:59so we are the ultimate eco warriors hello oh blimey hello young lady what's your name Kate hello Kate you
26:10all right nice to meet you that was uh that was a good surprise wasn't it is that you uh is that you
26:15respond to him wherever he is I can never find him all right so you just yeah my neighbors can hear it
26:21I'm sure they can
26:22right so listen I've got this list of parts uh for a little helmet in only 71 if I just start the top
26:31we work way through and we've got radiator hosing uh rear window hatch struts okay can we start there
26:37yeah let's follow me oh yes baby this place is just incredible stuff like this let's steering racks and racks of
26:47steering wheels rubbers oh this is gonna be great donuts donuts donuts in that's great yeah that's exactly what I'm
26:55looking for if you're finished yep lovely okay donuts how would you know where everything is in this building I'm pretty good at
27:03remembering where everything's put as long as nobody else moves it right so uh brake shoes where am I
27:09going to find those uh that's a set of imp brake shoes there okay hoses for a set of hoses next to it
27:16what all of those take all of them that's a car set the other sundry items I mean they're obviously
27:21I've still got to get an oil filter an air filter gaskets gaskets I could do there yep oils filters are
27:29doing steels well that's a few things ticked off but with a long list from Elvis I may be here for
27:36some time at the workshop I'm finally ready to tackle a job that for the imp is literally make or break
27:46one of the hillman imps inherent problems was the fact that it overheated a lot I mean every single
27:51review that I've read about this car in every one of the test drives that any journalist was doing the
27:56car did overheat John told me this almost every car that's still in existence today has had an engine
28:05swap because the first one overheated and probably blew up at some point partly it was because the
28:09cooling system just wasn't up to scratch upgrading the system will cost money that we don't really have
28:16but it's the only way to ensure the car can keep its cool I've got a radiator here which if I hold it up
28:23and compare it to the old one the same sort of shape and size as in it fits in the same mounting
28:28points on the car but importantly the core is thicker this old original one about 38 millimeters
28:35thick the new one 45 millimeters thick means we've got more cores to flow water through we've also got
28:41more surface area in which we could pass over the cooling fan driven air giving us a greater cooling
28:47efficiency or cooling effect for added protection I've also fitted a secondary electric fan which
28:55will kick in if temperature starts to rise the new kit has cost a hefty 300 pounds but it fits neatly into
29:01the existing cowlings when I quite frankly still find it amazing that any car in scotland overheats
29:10but what we do now know is this one won't overheating may have been the imp's main achilles heel but it
29:19wasn't the only one when the car rolled out the Linwood factory back in the 60s had a dynamo to charge
29:30the battery on the move it wasn't particularly efficient but on top of that it wasn't even that reliable
29:34but the biggest issue was the concept of the dynamo itself and it's something I can easily demonstrate
29:43I'm not just out here getting my daily exercise regime in I've got a dynamo hooked up to the rear
29:48wheel remember those and it's charging all this headlight on the front of the bike and with me
29:52pedaling relatively quickly you can see the lights operating perfectly well it's shining brightly now what
29:58happens if I slow things down and take a break you can see the light gets a lot dimmer it's no longer
30:06producing the same level of current because the back wheel on the bike is going slower and that's
30:11because the way the dynamo works is using direct current it's only producing a limited amount of
30:17voltage when the rear wheel is going slowly and the same happens on the car the dynamo is linked to
30:22engine speed so as the engine speed drops the amount of voltage produced by the dynamo also drops
30:29in modern cars dynamos have been replaced by alternators which are more efficient and produce
30:39a much stronger output lower engine revs this is a classic car we want it to stay looking like a classic
30:46car and so someone has come up with this a wonderful little idea it's called a dynamator and as the name
30:52suggests it's got the components of a modern day alternator on the inside in the casing of a
30:581960s dynamo it's a lovely little solution and with the looming prospect of our car being reviewed by
31:05a modern day reporter in a classic car magazine well this might edge us a little bit closer to getting a
31:11positive result so all i've got to do now is bolt this onto our engine
31:18with some of the imps biggest issues addressed the car is starting to come together
31:24down a little bit more then please but with plenty more to do we won't be going home anytime soon
31:30don't worry elvis i got a perfect little energy boost for you all
31:37so what i'm after i hear up here in scotland a delicacy is deep fried mars bar is that a real thing
31:44yes okay okay so that is a real thing can you deep fry anything else argus spicy argus jumbo argus
31:52what what else can you deep fry can you do um a sister she said stop it yes that must be sacrilege
32:00you're an italian you take a pizza you wrap it in batter and deep fry it go i'm having one of those
32:06so jeff make me some nice healthy food oh and a little side salad for me right that supper sorted
32:13let's just hope the boys are hungry all right fellas i've got everyone some food i've got you some
32:19food as well hello fellas how are you guys deep fried pizza up here yeah this is a standard dinner after
32:26a half day's work right here we go boys here we go how are you prepared this is strictly dessert oh look at
32:33that that that's a deep fried mars bar i'm going straight in go straight in that's good it's very
32:39good isn't it it is surprisingly good there's no way that should work no but it's amazing it's like
32:46feeding time at the zoo with the crew filled up we better crack on we're tantalizingly close to
32:56finishing our imp but we still have several key jobs to complete with a strainer fitted to filter out
33:02any debris the renovated fuel tank is ready to go back in there we go all right that's now back in
33:11place i've just got to get it all plumbed in of course but then we should have a fully working
33:16and operational fuel system that won't cause us any problems anymore after a successful parcel at
33:23chick's farm i've got us a new set of brackets for the rear screen which was another cause of the
33:28insport reviews one of the journalists said that he was driving along and the rear window popped open
33:34as he was driving along so hopefully these new brackets do the job
33:42let's just see if it closes now mike oh oh lovely that is absolutely perfect isn't it almost back to the
33:51recommended vehicle isn't it that won't be popping open mike's also managed to get new gaiters for our
33:58steering rack so for around a tenner in parts it's now as good as new it's only really the seats that
34:05have cost any serious money and they're worth every penny i'll tell you what isn't this job absolutely
34:13astonishing sharon has stitched this pattern in to the seats and it just matches the rear seats perfectly
34:18look at these like them oh yeah that is pucker that is yeah no mate we're on the right track nice one
34:30but we'll also need to do something about the car's weedy looking wheels
34:34so i've had a spare set of mine shipped up from home john
34:38i dug these out of my container and i thought it saved money on the build
34:47love it a lot of money like only problem is mike it's uh two inches too short so i've i've got the
34:53wrong size wheel so what size wheel do i actually need then 12 12 or 13 inch pretty much like these
34:59ones here mike all right so i need to find a set like this is there any possibility that i can swap my
35:08four wheels for your four wheels
35:23i'll tell you what that looks absolutely perfect now it's all complete what do you look like
35:29well i'm in scotland we're at sterling castle this shows respect didn't notice dressing up day but mate
35:36you've pulled it off it's dressing up and dressing down because like all true scotsmen oh my god you
35:42haven't oh yeah no get them off no anyway what do you think because it's amazing on a gray day like
35:49today here in scotland this car just sings
35:55when i bought our little hillman input auction it was a far cry from the scottish pinup that stole the
36:01country's heart but with help from every corner of this proud nation it's been transformed into a car
36:08any scott would be proud of sharon's seats have transformed the interior and the new wheels complete
36:15the look
36:18but most importantly we've addressed some of the mechanical issues
36:23that blighted this otherwise brilliant car
36:25that sounds like our cue to get it out on the road
36:39it's a good little bit of road isn't it oh yeah this is a wicked little car this is whoa
36:45the way it handles that is fantastic it's really good isn't it even though the engines all down the
36:52back they handle really well it's fan blooming toxic this car it really is i think the point is
36:58every single thing that we've both done to this car has just made it a little bit better that fuel
37:03tank's been cleaned out if you remember when i drove it it was a bit stuttery and there was so much
37:09rubbish being dredged up from the fuel tank and it doesn't feel like this car's gonna overheat at
37:13all i know it's a little bit colder up here in scotland but you can feel that the car actually has got
37:18a lot more pep steering's lovely yeah as well you can see the way it's turning in do you know what
37:23with the work we've done in tidying everything else up it looks amazing now i've seen the seats
37:29sharon's craftsmanship is second to none it's quite incredible yeah and you have to pay for that don't
37:34you oh yes the thorny issue of money which has been a challenge on this one thanks to your auction
37:42antics will i ever be allowed to forget it it's a rough ballpark idea of how much we think we're
37:49up to in terms of spend i reckon we're approaching eight and a half grand just under just under yeah
37:56around there okay all right good right now though making money is the least of our worries because
38:03we've got a respected motoring journalist coming up to drive our car and we're hoping the imp finally
38:09gets the great review it deserves so i reckon we've addressed every problem yeah but it still
38:18doesn't make me feel any less nervous than the fact that david sinister editor of classic car weekly
38:25is on his way and he's coming to drive this car and give it a proper review like it was back in the
38:3170s and it will be a proper review he won't mess about he's not going to fudge the numbers he's going
38:35to give us an honest review of what this car feels like so making me feel more nervous now
38:43well fortune favors the brave time then to bite the bullet
38:50david david how are you how you doing good to see you how you doing so david thank you for giving up
38:57time i know you're a very busy man uh first impressions i think it's looking really straight
39:01it's a really nice example thank you very much i mean the proof's in the driving but i think
39:05visually it's really really working with this lots of little touches all the sort of things
39:09that were inherent problems when this car rolled out the factory we hope we've fixed exactly that
39:15so uh we're gonna set you off on a test drive uh we want you to just review it yep uh and just
39:21come back and tell us what you think there you go david your chariot awaits oh it sounds sweet
39:29looks good for me doesn't it well then here we go we're in the lap of the gods now let's just hope
39:36that little imp behaves itself rylan hillman let's see what you've got
39:42we are stuck in a set of lights this is a good chance to test the hillman imp's famous uh cooling
39:52issues i hope he's getting on all right the pressure we put ourselves under here is immense because
39:58he's driving the car and he's going to review it as if it's like a new car i know and that is going
40:03to account for a lot right steering is nicely weighted there's no bumps or plunks from anything underneath
40:12while david's out in the car i need to let mike into a little secret
40:17oh you're kidding me how are you buddy great to see you good to see you now you kept that one from
40:24me how did that happen i did well listen i know he's a fan of classic car so give him a ring
40:29classic car nut dan bought our paddy hopkirk tribute mini last year and i've lined him up for another
40:35potential sale you want to add a hillman imp to the collection to the family yeah so why a hillman imp
40:40rear engine it was always a rival for the mini um yeah why not why not i love that that's right
40:47why not yeah why not oh there's just one more thing i haven't told you we've already kind of
40:54agreed a price so the money hold on hold on this is my job yeah what's going on you don't see me going
41:01in the workshop and pulling an engine out so if we've got david simister coming back and rolling in
41:07and saying what a great car lads i mean it's going to be all done isn't it dan yeah yeah really that
41:12kill yeah oh hang on i forgot to ask what price you agreed oh how the tables have turned i guess
41:20you'll just have to wait and see exactly okay so uh here we go a moment of truth come and see the cost
41:27so uh david what do you think i think you've done scotland proud oh yes get in i knew it was a good
41:35little car you know it is a really well sorted sweet little example of an impeding you've clearly
41:40done a lot of work so it feels cherished it feels sorted probably one of the best examples of an
41:44input oh david you have just turned yourself into the smartest salesman you just heard from a horse's
41:50mouth there how good the car is good yeah first impressions i love it i like the color i didn't think i
41:55would but i do like the color yeah it's really good it really does stand out here we teed this up
41:59on the phone yeah and mate you can i go i feel like i feel like a spare i feel like a spare party
42:05you two have done this deal without me knowing i don't know if you've seen how this works before
42:09but dan are you happy that was my part dan congratulations thank you thank you david
42:19absolutely absolutely awesome well done it's a brilliant result and a great way to round off our
42:28global adventure cheers buddy cheers mate sounds amazing you we should fix anything i am super dealer
42:43that's basically yeah that's not food is it well i've got to say this world tour has been one of
42:52the best things that's ever happened in my lifetime it's been incredible unbelievable and there have
42:56been some amazing places including right here in scotland met some great people and the cars we've done
43:01have been spectacular but come on elvis put me out my misery did we make a profit on the imp
43:07so let me remind you again the car owed us eight thousand four hundred and ninety two pounds which is
43:16great news because it does show us the profit that profit is in my pocket hold on
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