- 5 weeks ago
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00:00The car's just up here.
00:07What, up here?
00:08Yeah, up here on the right-hand side.
00:11What are you moaning at, anyway?
00:13Well, I'm dragging the case for the tools.
00:15Look at you, you've got just your speedos in there.
00:17We also picked the bumpiest hill in Lisbon.
00:20There she is.
00:22Look at that.
00:23We came all the way across Lisbon and up possibly the world's biggest hill to find this.
00:28We could have picked anything up from the airport.
00:29Yeah, but where's the fun in that?
00:30We're going to be driving around in a metal worker's machine union.
00:34It's an um.
00:36That doesn't make any sense.
00:37Why?
00:37Well, because the first one's an M.
00:39It's a moo.
00:40Well, nobody wants to drive around in a moo, so they switch it around.
00:43It's an um.
00:44Right.
00:46What have you got in here?
00:48Go down.
00:49How long did you travel for?
00:58Mate, you didn't pack much, did you?
00:59Mate, I don't need much.
01:00I just need my knowledge and that's all up here.
01:03We've packed our bags and our spanners for another glow-trotting car-fixing adventure.
01:09Vamos!
01:11See a photo?
01:12There you go.
01:12That's a nice one.
01:17We're hunting down some of the world's most iconic cars.
01:21Does it get much better than this?
01:23Oh, I can't believe we're standing here in front of an SP2.
01:28Leaning on local wheeler dealers.
01:30Because he really wants it.
01:31Would you take the 30,000 euro?
01:33No, he busts it.
01:35Hey!
01:36To rescue these national treasures on a wheel and a prayer.
01:40Please let me find a set of wheels.
01:42That's all I'm asking for.
01:43And make a few euros, pesos.
01:46I think we have a deal.
01:47Yes!
01:48And Real as we go.
01:50I absolutely love it!
01:59I do love Portugal.
02:01It's been really good to me over the years.
02:03Me too.
02:04I mean, I've been here on holiday.
02:05I came here racing in Formula One.
02:07It's bloody lovely.
02:08I just love it when the sun's out, you've got the top off.
02:11It's like the weather and the climate tends to look after cars a little bit better than back home, doesn't it?
02:15Yeah, they don't throw salt on the roads like we do back in northern Europe, you know, where it gets snowy and slippery.
02:22This is great, this hum.
02:24I really like bowling around in this.
02:25It's not the catchiest name I've ever heard, but I actually quite like the car.
02:29It's kind of rugged.
02:30It's like a mini Hummer.
02:32This is one of the only vehicles ever built in Portugal.
02:35They didn't have a big car manufacturing base.
02:38They've used these as firefighters' vehicles, police vehicles, forestry vehicles.
02:44They use them for all that kind of stuff.
02:46But the Portuguese are famous for another car that's very, very true to my heart, and it is the incredible Mini Moak.
02:56Wow!
02:57Meet BMC Mini Moak.
02:59Just look at that.
03:00Based on the iconic Mini, the BMC Moak was designed for the military and featured a simple steel body with open sides.
03:10Trouble is, a low ground clearance and small wheels made it a military misfire.
03:16The incredible Moak goes everywhere.
03:18Well, just about.
03:19Fortunately, somebody at BMC had the bright idea of marketing it as a beach car instead.
03:27From 1980 to 1993, over 10,000 Moaks were built here in Portugal.
03:34Moak!
03:35And to this day, locals can't get enough of them.
03:41They love it down here.
03:42They absolutely love the Mini Moak.
03:44The market for them is so strong down here.
03:46They've got like a cult following.
03:48Another little link between me and a Mini Moak is quite a good one.
03:51My wedding car was a Mini Moak.
03:54Was it really?
03:54Yeah.
03:55It was a little Mini Moak.
03:56What's this one up for then?
03:57Right, so this one is a bit rough around the edges.
04:00It's going to need a lot of our work.
04:03It's 18,000 euro.
04:05So that's about the same price as a really good mint one in the UK.
04:08The guy who's selling it is called Nuno.
04:10If we could buy this one at the right price, do some really nice work to it.
04:14I reckon, in the market down here, I reckon we should be able to push well over 30 grand for it.
04:20I mean, you said it's not mint.
04:21How not mint is it?
04:22Waiting till you see it.
04:23Is it in pieces?
04:24Just waiting till you see it.
04:27You left me in a bush.
04:31I'm supposed to get out of here.
04:33Come on, don't worry about this, mate.
04:34There's no snakes in there.
04:35Stop making it.
04:37You can make it.
04:38Go on.
04:40You know you're at the right place when there's a little Mini Park there.
04:45You must be Nuno.
04:46Yes.
04:47Nuno on mic.
04:48Hello, Mike.
04:49Very nice to meet you, Mrs Elvis.
04:50Nice to meet you.
04:51Nice to meet you.
04:52I don't know if you've spotted, but what's the least favourite colour of a car ever for
04:57you?
04:57It's going to be yellow, yeah.
04:59Hello?
05:00Yes, but I actually got married in the identical car to this.
05:04In a yellow one?
05:05A yellow Mini Moak.
05:07When I married the love of my life, Michelle, in Cyprus, we drove off in a yellow Mini Moak.
05:13I ignored the colour then, and I can do the same now.
05:18It looks used.
05:20Very used.
05:20Yes, very used.
05:21But what can you tell me about it?
05:23I bought this car around two years ago.
05:26I found this car practically abandoned in the south of Portugal, in Algarve, and completely
05:33full of water.
05:35The floors have utter...
05:37Full of water?
05:37Yes, like a swimming pool.
05:39Water to the middle of the floors.
05:42That's an immediate red flag.
05:44If the floor pan's riddle were rust, then the whole car could be compromised.
05:51Whoa!
05:55Blimey.
05:56That is corroded.
05:57It's brown.
05:58I think that engine used to be yellow to match the car, but it's brown.
06:02Generally a dry climate here in Portugal, but that has had moisture in here.
06:06Well, the back of the car looks all right, doesn't it?
06:08It's nice and straight.
06:09Let's have a look inside this boot.
06:11Ah, yeah.
06:11Just have a bit of surface rust, but nothing serious.
06:16I mean, it is solid.
06:16Just that little bit of rust down there, but nothing we couldn't repair.
06:19Right, let's have a look in here.
06:21I mean, this interior's horrible, isn't it?
06:23It's very, very grubby.
06:24I mean, it actually gives me chills to think about this, just sat full of water.
06:28You can tell it's got some horrible signs of corrosion.
06:32Crucial thing is going to be how much integrity has this floor still got,
06:35because that would be major work.
06:37If the car needs major structural repairs, the build could run into the thousands.
06:42And then there's a cost of paint on top of that.
06:45But we won't know for sure until we get it apart.
06:50Actually, I don't think it's too bad at all.
06:53I can see the potential here.
06:54At least one of us is optimistic.
06:59Mate, I tell you what, eh?
07:00It's looking good, isn't it?
07:01I can see it's not been smashed around anywhere.
07:04The back is really nice and tidy.
07:06Inside the boot, it's solid.
07:07It just needs a bit of a tidy up, really.
07:08I do love your positive outlook, because there's a lot of things wrong with it.
07:12This used to be a swimming pool, as he told us, and you can see the signs.
07:15The engine's got to come out.
07:17What?
07:17Well, the engine's got to come out.
07:18It's disgusting, isn't it?
07:19It's corroded everywhere.
07:20It's awful.
07:21It might need a re-spray.
07:22But isn't that what we do?
07:23We come, we buy old cars, we fix them up, and we make a profit out of them.
07:28Don't worry.
07:29But 18 grand, still a profit?
07:30I'm telling you, in this Portuguese market, it may sound like a lot of money.
07:33It's actually quite a bargain, this car.
07:35It's a strong market for these.
07:38All right, well, look, how about we do take it for a drive?
07:40Let me ask Nuno.
07:41Nuno?
07:44Right then, Elvis, set a course for Memory Lane.
07:46I feel like my wedding day.
07:50I'm looking across at Michelle right now.
07:52That makes me feel a little bit uncomfortable.
07:56Woo-hoo!
07:59It immediately pulls to the left, like massively so.
08:03Look at it.
08:04Yeah, it does.
08:04Yeah, it's got a flat tyre.
08:05I gather there is something wrong with the steering and steering rack.
08:09Oh, I can feel that.
08:10Something's just rolling off.
08:11Right under my foot, here.
08:13Oh, my goodness, that suspension's so good.
08:16It's the old mini running gear, basically, isn't it?
08:18It's those rubber-cone suspensions on.
08:20It is, it is.
08:21It doesn't give you a lot, in a way, of comfort.
08:26You've got to find the gear.
08:28Go on, you can find it.
08:29It's in there somewhere.
08:29We're going to come to the stop before you find the gear.
08:32Back in a second.
08:34It's also got very little power.
08:36And with only a tiny little engine, it doesn't weigh very much,
08:39but it doesn't feel like it's got much of...
08:40It does feel remarkably underpowered.
08:43Right, this is so slow.
08:44It's so slow going up hills.
08:46Come on, we can do it.
08:50I'm glad we're about to go down a hill,
08:52because going up it, look at the queue of cars behind us.
08:54We are causing quite a bit of traffic chaos, aren't we?
08:59Yay!
09:00Sorry!
09:01Oh!
09:0318,000 euros for this?
09:05Really?
09:05All right, point taken.
09:09Let's see what we can get him down to.
09:12Nuno!
09:13So, what an experience!
09:16Nice experience or...
09:17Well...
09:18Enough.
09:19You know what, Nuno?
09:21Clearly this car...
09:21Hard life.
09:22This car has had a hard life.
09:24It's pretty hairy, getting it down the road,
09:26but it's exciting at the same time.
09:28But look, we know that it's a popular market for these here in Portugal.
09:31We do want to buy the car.
09:33We are just worried about the amount of work ahead of us.
09:36You want 18,000 euros for it, don't you?
09:38Yes, yes.
09:39I think you're being a bit cheeky.
09:40I think you're being very brave for the price.
09:42Okay, yeah, okay.
09:42All right, so with that in mind, we'd like to offer 15,000 euros.
09:4715,000.
09:48I can't go so.
09:50Okay.
09:51Maybe 17?
09:55I think I was really at 15, but 17 is not too bad, is it?
10:00It's not too bad if it's okay.
10:02You know, it's the gamble, isn't it?
10:03Because we don't know.
10:05I mean, if you...
10:06I think that's still a bit much.
10:09Nuno, we are quite happy not to buy it,
10:13but our final offer will be 16,000 euros.
10:17It's up to you.
10:19Yes, we split the difference.
10:22Nice.
10:22It will be an honour to put this car in your hands.
10:25Thank you very much.
10:26Wow.
10:27We bought a yellow car.
10:28We bought a yellow Mini-Moke.
10:30Why am I so happy?
10:31I don't know.
10:32Giddy with excitement.
10:33I never thought I'd see you happy to have bought a yellow car.
10:39Although I'm slightly worried about how much fixing this one up is going to set us back.
10:44Don't worry.
10:45It'll be fine.
10:46And I've lined up the perfect workshop just outside Lisbon.
10:51Rusty Soul specialises in restoring classic British motors like the Mini and the Mini-Moke.
10:57Wow.
11:01Look at this place.
11:03This is incredible.
11:04Aha.
11:05You must be Jiao.
11:06Yeah, nice to meet you, Mike.
11:07Jiao, Mike.
11:08Nice to meet you.
11:09Really nice to meet you.
11:10Nice to meet you.
11:10This is Elvis.
11:11Nice to meet you, Elvis.
11:12Nice to meet you.
11:12What a great place.
11:14This is awesome, Jiao.
11:15So what do you do here?
11:16Classic Minis, more resourcing and Mini-Mokes.
11:18So you know what you're doing when it comes to restoring a Mini or a Mini-Moke.
11:23You know what you're doing.
11:24Yeah, we know all the corners of the cars, how the process should be.
11:28So go on then, Jiao.
11:29First impressions, what do you think?
11:31It's yellow.
11:32It's good.
11:34Yeah, it's a little bit rusty.
11:36It's bad.
11:37When we spoke on the phone, I said that I could do reviews on a ramp and some space.
11:42But particularly some expertise, you and some of your guys, are you still up for that?
11:47Yeah, yeah.
11:47We are able to help you.
11:48You can use the shop as your shop, as your house.
11:52Lovely.
11:52Let's take it in there.
11:53Jump in.
11:53Let's get on with it.
11:55Oh, it sounds bad already.
11:58Straight, straight.
11:59Straight, yeah.
12:02Job one is to get the car stripped down so I can work out if we're going to be spending
12:06hundreds on the bodywork or thousands.
12:10Hold on.
12:10You're Joel and he's Jiao.
12:13Good job.
12:13We've got Jiao's mechanics, Joel and Gonzalo, on hand to help.
12:17Gonzalo, I hear you're the engine specialist, right?
12:21Yeah.
12:21Yeah?
12:22You've done a lot of them?
12:24Yeah.
12:24Good.
12:25Because I need your help.
12:26The moat was designed to be worked on in a battle zone.
12:30So stripping it down in this workshop is a doddle.
12:32Flying through it.
12:34And a quick look at the front end reveals the dangerous source of the moat's noisy ride.
12:41Recognise this sound?
12:42I do, yeah.
12:43That was right under my foot when we were driving down the road.
12:46Steering rack.
12:46It's a steering rack.
12:47What, it's just come loose?
12:48No, it's massive playing it.
12:50We were driving it like that.
12:52Combined with a bent suspension tie rod, it's no wonder the car was pulling to the left.
12:56All right.
13:06Hooray!
13:07Look at the exhaust.
13:09That's hilarious.
13:10Eh?
13:11That's amazing.
13:11You could use it like a wheelbarrow.
13:12With the engine and exhaust out of the way, we can finally assess the moat's lightweight
13:19body shell.
13:21Just look how solid that is underneath.
13:24That is brilliant.
13:25Yeah.
13:26All right.
13:26I'll give you that.
13:27It's not too bad.
13:29Thankfully, there are no structural issues, but there is surface corrosion right across the
13:33bodywork.
13:35Every part that's come off this car so far has revealed more paintwork than needs attention.
13:39If you looked around this place, the standard of car in here is pretty high.
13:43There's no way we can just touch this up and make it look the way it needs to look.
13:47It needs a full respray, doesn't it?
13:49You said the word again, respray, which means respraying it back the way it is.
13:54We have this golden opportunity if we've gone this far.
13:57Although I could be sort of on my way to getting a divorce if I say this, which means the wedding
14:04car colour has got to change because I don't like the yellow.
14:07And we'll choose a nice strong colour that's going to sell really easy and really well.
14:12Any colour but yellow.
14:13Where's the sea now?
14:26Where's the sea gone?
14:29Ah, we can only go right here.
14:31I think I need to go that way.
14:33But we can only go right.
14:34The lads in the workshop are going to be wondering where the hell I am.
14:37This is why I use a sat-nav.
14:42It's got to be that way.
14:44It's that way, isn't it?
14:46What?
14:46No, it's not.
14:48It's not.
14:48It's this way.
14:49The ocean's on my left.
14:50Spin it round.
14:51What?
14:51You've gone wrong.
14:52Oh, you are kidding me.
14:53You've literally gone wrong.
14:55I admire your comfort.
14:59Sorry.
14:59It's day two in Portugal, and I'm dropping Elvis off at the workshop in Lisbon because
15:07I'm heading up the coast on a mission to restore our mini-moke's ageing interior.
15:13Here you go, then, fella.
15:15Hey.
15:16See you later.
15:17Don't get lost.
15:24Sorry, I'm a little bit late.
15:26You're late.
15:26I know, it's Mike's fault.
15:30My first job for today is to sort the car's bone-shaking suspension, which, like regular
15:36minis, is mounted on front and rear subframes.
15:40The suspension design on the old mini and mini-moke was unusual.
15:45It was unusual because it replaced the traditional steel springs with these unusual but super
15:51straightforward cone-shaped rubber devices that sit up here in the top of the suspension
15:56towers.
15:56The rubber cones, which compress and expand as the car drives, are mounted horizontally
16:01on the rear subframe and vertically on this front one.
16:05But the unique suspension system is not without its drawbacks.
16:11What happens is, and as Mike and I found, as we bounce down the road in our old car, over
16:16time the rubber solidifies.
16:18It loses a lot of its elasticity and the springy effect that you're after.
16:22So, on a car like the mini-moke designed to bounce along bumpy beach roads, it's just not good enough.
16:28And that means these need to be replaced.
16:35There it is, the offending article, that is the little rubber cone, and look, I've got a brand new one here that the guy's had sitting around.
16:44And look at the difference between the two.
16:46Not only has this one sagged dramatically, they just don't last very long.
16:49They always end up squashed and deformed.
16:51But instead of replacing the old rubber cones with new ones, I've got an upgrade in mind.
16:56First, though, I need to get the subframes fully stripped down so they can be cleaned and painted.
17:11I'm making my way 200 miles up the coast to the outskirts of Porto, as I've arranged to visit one of Portugal's premier interior trim companies.
17:21Me and Elvis have decided we're going to change the colour of the moke.
17:26We don't know what colour that's going to be, so let's change the interior at the same time.
17:31And I'm just going to go there with an open mind and hopefully get inspired.
17:35If they can show me some good colours for the interior, it might dictate what we do on the exterior.
17:45Oh, this is the kind of place I like.
17:49I'm looking for Felipe.
17:50Hello, Mike.
17:51Is that you?
17:51I'm Felipe. Nice to meet you.
17:53Very nice to meet you, too.
17:54Finally, me too.
17:55Wow. I didn't expect this. This is amazing. So what do you do here? You do all kinds of interiors?
18:02Yeah. From old cars to full reservations, brand new cars also. The finest materials available.
18:09Now, the problem we've got is trying to find the colour of the interior when I haven't even chosen the colour of the outside.
18:16OK.
18:16I am seeing there's green everywhere in here.
18:19Yeah. It's the official colour of this company.
18:20Of the business.
18:21Yeah.
18:21So you never know. Green might be a colour that features.
18:24The company has a workforce of 28 skilled craftspeople and one skilled robot.
18:31It's a mixture of old technology and new technology together. They produce bespoke luxury interiors for cars old and new.
18:40Beautiful.
18:42Beautiful.
18:43And their clients include movie stars, top flight soccer players and now me.
18:48Hey.
18:49The green colour, you can have this one.
18:53See that? Look at that. Do you mind if I just use your...
18:55Yeah, of course.
18:56Oh, look at that. That really does work, doesn't it? Tan and green. That works, Felipe.
19:02That's a good combination.
19:03That is a really good colour combination. I like that.
19:06If you want to be braver, you can go another brighter.
19:09Ha! OK, but that's just yellow.
19:11Yeah.
19:12Right? But...
19:13A bright yellow, yeah.
19:14What, on a green car?
19:15Yeah.
19:16Oh, why have you done this to me? That's an amazing colour combination.
19:19Yes, it is. It is a bold one.
19:20I'm going to say this. I think... Can I say this? Can I actually decide right now? I think we're going to paint the car green. And I think we're going to go for a yellow interior.
19:31I wonder what Elvis would say, because I'm trying to get rid of the yellow on the car.
19:35OK.
19:36Felipe's team are going to make us a complete new set of interior leather and a hood.
19:42You've deconstructed my old seat, my old frame. How long does a job like this take to do?
19:50Around one hour to a couple of hours at the most.
19:52Really?
19:53Yeah.
19:54Pedro starts by marking out the various sections for each seat using a template, before cutting them out by hand.
20:05It's then over to the sewing machine to join the pieces together.
20:12So this is a piece of foam. This is one of the seat cushions. Yep.
20:16Yep.
20:17Oh, that's a great job. Look at that. I think that's going to look fantastic.
20:21The heat gun smooths out any wrinkles.
20:24Oh, go on. You got it.
20:27Now it's just a matter of repeating the process for the rear seats.
20:30Let's get this back to the workshop, bring it all together with the ideas that I've got for the paintwork.
20:37I think it's going to look absolutely incredible.
20:42At the workshop, the most rear sub-frame's been powder-coated in black.
20:48There you go.
20:49Looks amazing, doesn't it? Looks like new.
20:51Yeah, it is.
20:52I need to mount the new suspension arms. It's a fiddly job, so I've enlisted the help of Joel.
20:58He's the workshop's go-to guy for all things suspension.
21:01So we need to get these brackets on so that we can mount the arms, right?
21:04Yeah.
21:05So they're going to go on here. Because it's been powder-coated, we could do with cleaning those out.
21:09Have you got a tap? Because it's been powder-coated. Do you have a tap?
21:13I don't have one, but Gonzalo does.
21:15What, 5 16th imperial? Yeah.
21:17What would it be called in Portuguese, in case he asks?
21:20Mashu. Mashu? Mashu. Mashu.
21:23Are you sure? You're not stitching me up? No, I'm not.
21:25Are you sure? Okay.
21:28Do you have a mashu or mashu? Mashu. Mashu. Mashu.
21:34Do you know what that is? Yeah. Did I say it right? Yeah, you said it right.
21:37It's a tap, right? Yeah.
21:38Okay, good. I thought he was going to send me to ask for something silly.
21:41No, no. It's the right word. Okay.
21:46Okay, so how did that go?
21:47Well, he laughed. I think that was my accent, not your word.
21:51Okay. Right.
21:54The threading tap means I can clean out any remnants of the powder coating without damaging the screw threads.
22:03And with that done, we can attach the bracket and fit the new suspension arm.
22:08Feels nice.
22:10That is the lower arm on.
22:12Now, I've got one last trick up my sleeve to help transform the moat's handling.
22:17Right. So, instead of just replacing the rubber cone with a new one, which I know we can do,
22:23I've decided to go for these. Obviously, a bit more of a modern solution, a bit more modern engineering.
22:29These will last a lot longer before we ever have to replace them again.
22:32I think it's a good idea. Excellent.
22:35There we go. Lift that up.
22:36As well as lasting longer, the spring should bring an improvement in ride comfort.
22:42There you go, look. You can see how the spring takes up the compression.
22:48Beautiful.
22:48After a half day's work, I think we've earned ourselves dinner.
22:56We're going to go for resunto e casual.
22:59Does that mean you're paying?
23:00Thank you very much.
23:02Obrigado.
23:02Obrigado.
23:04As long as you promise not to choke on your prosciutto when I'll tell you about my day.
23:09So, as I was walking around, one thing that kept striking me
23:13was the whole business and their uniforms were a certain shade of green.
23:20Oh, okay. I mean, I like green. What sort of shade?
23:24The easiest way to describe it is like a sage green.
23:26That could be lovely. I mean, it's also maybe like a little nod back to military history of the vehicle, right?
23:31Yeah.
23:32Yeah, I mean, that sounds nice, man. So, all right, what about the interior then?
23:35What color do you think I went for?
23:36Cream.
23:37No.
23:39Another shade of green.
23:40No.
23:41Tan.
23:42You ready?
23:43Yellow.
23:44That's what you decided to go for?
23:45A bright yellow.
23:46What?
23:46But it will look amazing, I promise you.
23:57We're in Portugal, enjoying the delights this incredible country has to offer.
24:01This is the famous Portuguese tart.
24:06It's one of my favorite things about Portugal, you know. These are amazing.
24:09They are lovely, aren't they? Oh, you've done a onesie.
24:15Very nice. This is lovely round there, isn't it?
24:19Yeah. Love the sunshine, love the cars, love the tarts.
24:23When we're not devouring pastel de natas, we're also carrying out an ambitious
24:28full restoration on one of the few cars ever produced here, the Mini Moak.
24:35Our Moak's bodywork is currently being sanded down and prepped for paint.
24:40See how easy this comes off.
24:42Meanwhile, Gonzalo and I want to do something about that underperforming engine.
24:47Doesn't immediately look too bad. I mean, it's an old engine.
24:51Yeah, it's just too warm and just need an overall.
24:55OK, well, look, let's give it a full clean-up first of all.
24:59I'll leave you to do that. I'm going to go and clean the cylinder head.
25:01OK.
25:03OK, I've got our cylinder head here. I'm going to go through a process called porting and polishing.
25:08Effectively, what that means is we're going to take away material from the cylinder head,
25:13opening out the inlet and exhaust ports to allow the gases in and out of the cylinder head
25:17in a more efficient manner.
25:23Making these ports bigger means more fuel and air.
25:26And more fuel and air means more power.
25:28It's actually taking quite a lot of material off.
25:40If I tip it up, in fact, we might be able to get some out.
25:43Oh, my goodness.
25:45That is quite a lot.
25:46Now, that is a lot of metal.
25:48And actually, that's exactly what we're trying to do, of course,
25:50because we are removing quite a lot to give us that free-flowing of gases
25:53through the cylinder head, which is going to up our performance.
25:56Next, I'm shot-blasting the cylinder head to remove any paint, rust or debris.
26:11And now, Gonzalo is going to help to enact stage two of my engine upgrade,
26:16skimming the cylinder head.
26:20Now, effectively, what that means is we take a small amount of material
26:23off the bottom surface here.
26:25Now, that, first of all, means it's going to be perfectly flat,
26:27giving us a nice, good seal.
26:29But also, it's going to reduce the volume of the combustion chamber.
26:32That means that when we put the air and fuel mixture in there,
26:35the piston's going to compress it into a smaller space,
26:38giving us an even bigger bang for our buck with a raised compression ratio.
26:42In other words, more power.
26:45There you go, Gonzalo.
26:46Nice, clean cylinder head.
26:48First, Gonzalo uses a tool that can detect any microscopic imperfections on the flat plate.
26:57These could have come from the original casting or wear and tear over time.
27:00We're talking about tiny, tiny, little high and low spots across the surface of this head,
27:08and that's what this skim is going to get rid of.
27:11I'm always going to be flared, yes.
27:13The grinding tool, that's actually a stone spinning at around about 1400 rpm.
27:27It's that grinding surface that's taking the material off the top of the cylinder head.
27:31On the first pass, Gonzalo skims just 0.04 millimetres off the head.
27:41About the width of a human hair.
27:47Can you see?
27:48Between the two and three cylinder, a very low spot.
27:54Number four is very low.
27:56So the spinning grinding stone just skimmed over that, didn't touch it.
28:00So we need to go a little bit deeper to make sure that we get everything off the top,
28:04give us a completely flat surface and a good basis to work from.
28:09Round two, and another 0.04 millimetres is going to come off.
28:15The cooling fluid is super important.
28:17Without it, temperatures could really spike,
28:20and that could introduce a risk of distorting the cylinder head if it gets too hot.
28:23But also, the stone itself could get so hot that it might disintegrate.
28:27Yeah, there you go.
28:31There you go.
28:32That's done it.
28:33It's now perfect effect.
28:35Top work, mate.
28:40Almost half of our spend on this car is on the bodywork and paint.
28:44And as the last bits of prep work are completed, it's time for me to choose the right shade of green.
28:50No pressure.
28:54Yes, baby.
28:54Oh, yeah.
28:56Green.
28:56See, green works, doesn't it?
28:58That is brilliant.
28:59We have a darker one.
29:00I'm just going to say no straight away.
29:02It's too dark.
29:03Yeah, it doesn't do anything.
29:04I like that.
29:06That's going to sell, isn't it?
29:07Yeah.
29:07That is going to sell in this market.
29:09Thank you, sir.
29:10Right.
29:10Decision made.
29:11Citrus interior.
29:12Love it.
29:13Absolutely love it.
29:13Well done.
29:14Nice one.
29:15But before I pull the trigger on the colour change, I better check with the boss.
29:21Hi, Michelle.
29:23Hiya.
29:24All right.
29:24What's up?
29:24Did you get the pictures I sent?
29:25You had a little yellow mini-moke.
29:27Like the one we got married in years ago.
29:29Exactly.
29:29It's just like our little wedding card.
29:31The thing is, the reason I've rung you is,
29:33would it upset you if I was to change the colour?
29:37Well, I think you look amazing.
29:41Oh, dear.
29:42I just don't think, I think the yellow's too bright.
29:46It's too garish.
29:46If that's what you're going to do.
29:48Well, listen, it'd be nice.
29:50I promise you, it'd be nice.
29:52And we're still married after 36 years.
29:54I love you.
29:56Yeah, I can't believe it.
29:57Bye.
29:58Bye, bye, bye, bye, bye.
30:02I might have just got away with that.
30:03Not too sure.
30:04I have a sneaky suspicion you'll be paying for that one later, mate.
30:09Anyway, moving on.
30:12When I drove the car, I really struggled to select some of the gears,
30:15and it wasn't just my bad driving.
30:17I've taken the selector mechanism off the car,
30:20and fully expected at the bottom of the gear lever here,
30:22to find loads of play.
30:23There's a ball joint at the bottom of here.
30:25It's quite a common failure on these things.
30:27But actually, this one's fine.
30:28There's nothing that I need to be too concerned about.
30:30However, if you follow the system along, along the selector rod,
30:34this is the problem.
30:36This piece on the end has so much play in all directions.
30:40That is exactly the reason I was really struggling to select a gear.
30:43And the reason is, over time, somebody has replaced what should be a nice roll pin
30:49fitted to the two holes with this, a nut and bolt.
30:52The problem is that, first of all, that nut and bolt is probably too small,
30:56introducing a little bit of play.
30:57But also, instead of it being a solid surface, it's threaded.
31:00So it wears away way quicker than a roll pin would,
31:03meaning the play just gets worse and worse and worse.
31:06Now, what I need to do is take this apart,
31:07and hopefully, Zhao has the correct roll pin to go in its place.
31:11Do you know what?
31:13It's so heavily sort of deformed or bent,
31:15I think I might have to take it in and use a vice,
31:18try and tap it out with a hammer.
31:21Hello, mate.
31:22Hi.
31:23Two problems.
31:25First of all, I'm sure you've seen it before,
31:27someone's put a nut and bolt through here.
31:29Yeah.
31:30Second problem is, I can't get it out,
31:31so I wonder if you've got a hammer and punch that we can tap it through.
31:35Okay.
31:39Yes, there we go.
31:41There you go, look at that.
31:42That's why it wouldn't come out very easily.
31:45Okay, so the next question is, do you have the correct roll pin?
31:49Yeah, I am.
31:50Yeah? Amazing.
32:00Yeah, look at that.
32:01So there's a tiny bit of play, but that's fine.
32:03It needs to have some of that, but it's way, way better than it was,
32:06and most importantly, it's now correct.
32:08Thanks, mate.
32:09It's a new day, and with our car getting a lick of paint,
32:18there's nothing Elvis can do in the workshop.
32:22It's nice down here, isn't it?
32:23Love it.
32:23Notably warmer as well.
32:25Yes, love it.
32:28Mike and I have travelled 155 miles south to the Algarve
32:31to do some market research at a Mini Moak meet.
32:34People love putting their personal touches on these cars.
32:39There's going to be all sorts going on.
32:41We're still from areas of our car still to be finished.
32:44Yep.
32:44I'm looking for inspiration.
32:49Oh, mate, look at this. Wonderful.
32:52Walking around the multitude of Mini Moaks, one thing stands out.
32:56Lots of the cars are Restomods.
32:59I love these cars.
33:00And this is a beach car, this is a car for the summers.
33:03Restomodding means keeping classic car looks,
33:06but adding some modern technology and convenience.
33:10Which one's yours?
33:10The red one.
33:11Oh, the red one, that's nice.
33:12I recognise those wheels, they're off a Renault Turbo.
33:15Yes.
33:16It completely changes the look of the car, doesn't it?
33:18It certainly does.
33:19Look at that over there.
33:20That is a proper-looking Mini Moak.
33:25Hello, my name's Mike.
33:26Hello, hello.
33:27This is Elvis.
33:27Hi, Giles. Nice to see you.
33:29Nice to see you.
33:30This is amazing.
33:31This is a Restomod car.
33:32It's really, really popular at the moment.
33:34The main purpose on the Restomod is having a car more modernised and more comfortable,
33:38a bit more sporty as well.
33:40Nice.
33:40As we walked up to this, you've noticed some of the tricky bits.
33:42Like, it's got these flash sort of LED lights on the front, indicators,
33:47slightly lower suspension, bigger wheels and tyres.
33:50It's incredible.
33:52Yes.
33:55Restomodding classic cars might be pricey, but it can have a massive impact on resale prices.
34:02Restomod like this, if you do a full paint job on it and modernise, 30 and above.
34:06Wow.
34:06What?
34:07Over that, yes.
34:0730,000 euros and upwards?
34:09And upwards.
34:10What?
34:10Yes.
34:10Seriously?
34:11Yes.
34:11This is spectacular.
34:12And I love it.
34:14And I really can't wait to bring ours to something similar.
34:16I feel like I've had a little lottery win.
34:18Uh, Jael, thank you so much.
34:20Nice to meet you.
34:20Really, really nice to meet you.
34:21Nice to meet you as well.
34:22Top stuff.
34:23That was interesting, wasn't it?
34:24Oh, God.
34:25That was fantastic.
34:26With the suspension and engine upgrades we've made so far,
34:29plus the new interior, we're definitely on the right path with our Moak.
34:34But I reckon we need to look at a few Restomod additions to pile on the profit.
34:40Now you're talking, Elvis.
34:41Time to do some shopping.
34:46At the workshop, our Moak has emerged from the paint booth.
34:52Look at that colour.
34:53It's amazing, isn't it?
34:54Hey, mate.
34:55Hey.
34:56What do you think?
34:56What do you think of the colour?
34:57I like it a lot.
34:58I just think it pops next to that yellow.
35:00I mean, the whole car is now really looking good coming back together,
35:03but there's still quite a lot to do, so should we crack on?
35:05Let's go.
35:06Nice one.
35:07The value of some Restomod upgrades is clear,
35:10so I've decided to fit a set of upgraded adjustable dampers.
35:13These will complement our new springs and provide a smoother ride.
35:22That is the nut on top, nut on the bottom.
35:25I've also got to tighten everything up.
35:26That's our nice shiny new damper to match our nice shiny new springs,
35:30nice shiny new subframe, and a nice shiny new Mini Moak.
35:33Looking good, isn't it?
35:35But of course, that's not all.
35:39Because I've also replaced the steering rack to eliminate
35:42the massive amount of play I felt on the test drive.
35:46The other problem was this.
35:48If you remember, this piece, which sits down here,
35:51controls the track position of the front wheels.
35:54And if you remember, the car was sort of pulling to one side,
35:56difficult to keep in a straight line.
35:58And look at that little close-up inspection.
36:00Shows you just how bananed, how bent that is.
36:03And because it's so thin, this is actually a common problem,
36:05particularly around the bumpy roads here in Portugal.
36:08So the lads here, well, they've got another upgrade.
36:11This is way thicker, much more sturdy, much more up to the job.
36:15But also, it's adjustable like many of the other components on here too.
36:18So when we fit it, which I'm about to do,
36:20we have an element of control over just how well this car behaves and drives.
36:24That end slots through that hole in the chassis.
36:27I'm just going to pop the rubber slots over there.
36:31Might need a little tap.
36:33Even small mechanical upgrades like this are in keeping with the resto mod approach.
36:39There we go.
36:39It should transform the way the car drives.
36:41Elvis, oh, hello mate, you all right?
36:44This colour mate, look at it.
36:47I absolutely love it.
36:48I've thrown a few new bits at it, as you can see.
36:50I can see that I've actually spent a bit of cash.
36:52Well, you know we learned at the show that the top money comes from having a car in the top spec.
36:57Yes.
36:58Well, this is now the top spec.
36:59Well, I can see that.
37:00It's all new.
37:00I've also been out shopping.
37:02I've got these fancy LED headlamps.
37:05They are fancy.
37:06Yeah, I've got some other lights in there as well.
37:07I mean, they're going to look incredible on the car.
37:09They've got beauty rings, the indicator works in the beauty rings as well.
37:14They're LED, so they're going to be really bright for the road.
37:16I love them.
37:17I mean, it's going to look, I think, magnificent.
37:20Right, now, um, Zhao, he's obviously known in this world.
37:27Obviously, people know that we've got this car in build.
37:30So, he said that he's got a customer who's really, really deadly, seriously keen
37:35at the kind of money I'm hoping for that he'd like to see the car.
37:38Can we just sort of jump on and it looks like we've only got to put lights and a grille on
37:43for some wheels on it.
37:43It doesn't quite work that way, but let's have a go, mate.
37:46Yeah.
37:46Right, OK.
37:50This is quite possibly, and I'm going to say it loudly, quite possibly one of the best
38:07wheeler dealer builds in history.
38:10Yeah, mate, it's got to be up there because I just can't find anything wrong with it.
38:14The moat may be mini, but this build has been epic.
38:20It's been anything but straightforward, but cruising in this iconic car through the stunning
38:24Portuguese countryside makes it all worthwhile.
38:27Can I?
38:33What about that, eh?
38:35That is just epic.
38:36I mean, it's just unbelievable.
38:39Mate, the colour choice is inspired even that yellow interior.
38:42It looks so good, doesn't it?
38:44It is just fantastic.
38:45I knew it would work when I held that colour lever up against that guy's uniform.
38:50It actually fits this scenery perfectly, doesn't it?
38:53I mean, that is incredible in itself, but it does fit perfectly there.
38:56And I have never gone to this level of detail on one of our cars before.
39:00It is unbelievably good, no matter where you look.
39:04When we bought this little car for €16,000, there were signs of rust everywhere we looked.
39:11But after some extensive repairs and a fresh coat of paint, along with a new interior
39:15and some restomod upgrades, the car now looks incredible.
39:21And a full engine service combined with a whole new suspension system means it now drives incredibly well too.
39:28All in all, we've spent around €11,000, which means we need to achieve €27,000 just to break even.
39:36I've actually got this guy called Ricardo and I've got him on the hook at around €34,000 for it.
39:46Yeah, worth every penny, mate. I mean, you know, it's the highest spec you'll find, isn't it?
39:50And I did say that I'd meet him at the beach because this car, it deserves to be on the beach.
39:54So, yeah, let's get it down there.
39:57This might be our only chance to take it for a spin.
40:01Oh, the seat cushions are nice. They're lovely, aren't they?
40:03It really is good. So, I want to make the most of it.
40:12It is gobsmacking what you've done with this.
40:14It really is incredible, isn't it? The transformation, it's like it's a different car, isn't it?
40:20It does ride over the ruts and bumps really, really smoothly.
40:24Oh, look at this nice little left-hander. I mean, especially with that nice little wooden steering wheel,
40:29it just feels better, doesn't it?
40:30Well, it looks better, but I can see it feels better as well. There's no play.
40:35It's transformed the whole experience. It's well worth it.
40:44Sounds amazing. Sounds great, doesn't it?
40:47It does.
40:48It's so nice, Elvis, that we come together as a team of all the boys at Rusty Soul to get this finish,
40:58and we can put it in front of Ricarno today. There is not one thing it could pull apart on this car,
41:05not one. It's absolutely perfect. It's better than showroom condition.
41:09So, let's put it in front of him, and let's see if we can get it sold. Great.
41:18Look at that. That looks amazing, doesn't it? I can seem to see. Yes.
41:21Ha ha, look at her.
41:24So, this is where we're going to meet Ricarno. Let's hope his pockets are bulging with cash.
41:30It's the guy there. That's Ricarno, yeah. So, position the car nicely.
41:35Let's turn it round here, look.
41:36Nice. You must be Ricarno. Yes.
41:40Ricarno on mic. So nice to meet you. This is Elvis.
41:43Nice to meet you.
41:44Hey, Ricarno. Nice to meet you.
41:45So, Ricarno, what do you think?
41:47Lovely. I think the car looks amazing. I love the colour combination.
41:53We've really gone to town with it. Not only has it got a leather interior, it's got a leather roof.
41:56The suspension's all been reworked. Let me show you inside the bonnet.
42:00Yeah, the engine is absolutely fantastic. It's all been ported, polished, skimmed.
42:05The engine block's been painted. You can see it's almost like brand new, isn't it?
42:09Yeah, it's new. Yeah, it's new.
42:11It's got LED lights all over it. It drives absolutely superb. We're hoping to get 34,000 euros for it,
42:18which I think in this marketplace, the way it looks, that's a great price.
42:23I'm not saying it's not fair, but I honestly would like to go a little lower, if possible.
42:31Like what? 30.
42:3230,000 euros.
42:34Ricardo, we've spent way too much money on this car.
42:37And we are quite happy to get in and drive it, market it and try and sell it.
42:42I understand.
42:42There is one price. It's the last price. We can't go any more than this.
42:46And that would be 32,000 euros. That's it. What do you say?
42:53I say it's fair.
42:54Yes. Hey, well done. Congratulations.
42:58Thank you, man. Well done.
42:58Well done you, mate. Yeah, nice one. So 32,000 euros, you got yourself a dream little car. So congratulations.
43:04Yeah, that's true. Thank you so much.
43:05Well, mate, I'll tell you what. We bought the right car at the right price. I think it's fair
43:14to say we've done the right jobs. 100%. You know, we properly went to town on this car.
43:18Yeah, we've turned a lovely profit. We have really enjoyed this trip.
43:22Yet again, Portugal comes through. It's been really good to us, hasn't it?
43:26Never fails to deliver this place, does it?
43:28It's been really good to us, hasn't it?
43:30Never fails to deliver this place.
43:31Never fails to deliver this place.
43:33Yes.
43:37Then you're in the right place.
43:46Bye.
43:50Bye.
43:53Bye.
43:56Bye.
43:57Bye.
43:58Bye.
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