#wheelerdealers #wheelerdealersworldtour #wheelerdealers2024 #worldtour #carrestoration #carbuild #projectcar #carlover #carlife #automotive #autoworld #mechaniclife #carculture #classiccars #usedcars #carbuying #carflipping #dreamcars #motoring #carscene
Mike and Elvis are going global. This time, the stakes are higher, the deadlines tighter and the motor transformations are more jaw-dropping than ever.
Mike and Elvis are going global. This time, the stakes are higher, the deadlines tighter and the motor transformations are more jaw-dropping than ever.
Category
🚗
MotorTranscript
00:00Here we go. I've got a funny feeling. We're dropping down into the valley.
00:13Oh, I couldn't say the valley of death. Let's not call it that.
00:15No, let's not.
00:18Oh, it rattles your bones, doesn't it?
00:20I mean, I'm hanging on to this handle for dear life.
00:25This is... this is a challenge, Elvis.
00:30Yes. Yes. Come on.
00:34Oh, come on. Oh, man.
00:38Trust me, I'm failing slightly.
00:41It's all right. We're not done yet.
00:48After wheeling and dealing our way across the UK, fixing up hundreds of cars, it's time for a new challenge.
00:54Look at you. You had a mullet.
00:56At least they had coloured cameras when I did mine.
00:58I know yours are still black and white.
01:00So we're setting off on a global adventure.
01:05To buy some of the world's most iconic cars.
01:08Listen to the sound!
01:10And with the help of local wheeler dealers...
01:13A funny, a cattorote.
01:14Yes, I am saying...
01:16...rescued his national treasures.
01:18I'll tell you what, brother, she's pretty tidy under here.
01:21And make a few euros, dollars...
01:23You got yourself a deal.
01:24Well done.
01:25And Lottie in the process.
01:27Oh, you've got a convertible.
01:29Look at that.
01:31This has been a boyhood dream.
01:32This is absolutely blooming brilliant.
01:49Oh, look at the scenery.
01:51The scenery is stunning, isn't it?
01:53This is what I was hoping for from our Australian adventures.
01:57Some red, dusty roads.
01:59Us just bouncing along in a big 4x4.
02:01It's absolutely brilliant, isn't it?
02:08This is the go-to vehicle in Australia.
02:11It's all about Toyota.
02:13In fact, the Toyota Hilux pickup truck
02:16is the biggest selling vehicle in Australia
02:18out of all makes and bottles.
02:19So, the surprise that I've got for you is...
02:26I've already bought one.
02:27What?
02:28I haven't even seen it.
02:29I've kept it from you, and I'm sorry,
02:30but it just came up, and I just had to buy it.
02:34And it seems so good, I just clicked the button
02:37and bought it on an impulse purchase.
02:38But I think I've done all right, because it's a 1999.
02:42It's a dual cab.
02:44It's a 2.7-litre petrol manual, and it looks all right.
02:50Since washing up on these shores in the 1960s,
02:53the Hilux has entrenched itself
02:55as deeply in Aussie culture as cricket and Kylie.
03:00They've got the perfect balance of pickup truck ruggedness
03:03at the rear and saloon comfort up front.
03:06Whether you need to haul a ton of bricks
03:07or drop the kids off at school,
03:09their versatility is almost endless.
03:12Exactly.
03:12Which is why it's the perfect choice for my master plan.
03:18I've already got this idea for this Hilux,
03:21which is to turn it into a proper mean off-roader.
03:24You can get it into the city's liquors.
03:26You know, attractive to people that want to go out
03:29and see the outback at the weekend
03:31and take their kids with them.
03:32Yeah? OK, yeah.
03:33What do we pay for it, then?
03:34I got this one, I think, for a bargain price.
03:36It was just 11,000 Australian, which is just over five grand.
03:40What's the mileage?
03:42Let me just manage your expectations about things
03:45until we stand in front of it, eh?
03:47OK, so incredibly high.
03:48The previous owner shipped our Hilux
03:53from the other side of the country
03:55to his mate Alex's sheep farm
03:57out in the bush for us to collect it.
04:00Yeah, which sounds worryingly
04:01like the beginning of a horror movie to me.
04:04Don't worry, Elvis, I'll protect you.
04:13Ah, you must be Alex.
04:14Yeah.
04:15How you doing? I'm Mike.
04:16Mike, nice to see you, mate.
04:17I'm Elvis, nice to see you.
04:18So, you've got my ute somewhere.
04:21You sure do.
04:21It sits around the side with the keys
04:23and if you just want to take it for a spin, yeah.
04:24Lovely. Yeah, thank you very much, mate.
04:26Crazy.
04:28Right, time for us to see
04:29what Mike spent $11,000 on.
04:32Oh, there it is, isn't it?
04:34It's a little bit battered and tired.
04:36Probably had a grand by just tidying it up
04:38and cleaning it.
04:39It was covered in red dust.
04:40It's had a bit of a rough life, but...
04:42Tyres are good, but I'm not too sure
04:44I like the wheels or the tyres, to be honest with you.
04:46Maybe they could be improved.
04:47Spare wheel.
04:49Watch out for the snakes.
04:51Yeah, watch out.
04:53It's a bit rough around the edges
04:55and look, it's even got a little ding in the side here.
04:57I'm going to be honest with you, Elvis,
04:59that doesn't look like a vehicle
05:01that shows its mileage.
05:02Well, what is the mileage?
05:03Is that right?
05:11That can't be right.
05:13300,000 kilometres.
05:15Seriously?
05:16300,000 kilometres.
05:18Mate, we need to drive it,
05:19because goodness knows what the engine's going to be like,
05:22what the suspension's going to be like.
05:23That's a ridiculous amount of miles.
05:25You're probably expecting the engine
05:27at 300,000 kilometres to be trashed, aren't you?
05:31Yeah.
05:31Well, being a Toyota,
05:33I know when you turn that key,
05:34it's just going to fire into life.
05:35Go for it.
05:36Let's have a go.
05:37Please.
05:38Please.
05:42Ah!
05:43Yes!
05:45Right, well, listen, mate,
05:46let's have a proper dig into it.
05:48Let me check out the interior.
05:49You go down the back
05:50and let's find out
05:51if there's any faults in it whatsoever.
05:55Right, OK.
05:57It doesn't look like it's done 300,000 kilometres,
05:59does it?
06:04I can see
06:06on the end of the leaf springs here,
06:07the rubber bushes have started to be forced out,
06:10started to break up and deteriorate.
06:12300,000 kilometres is a lot of mileage.
06:15I just hope there's nothing
06:16that I can't see from here
06:18that we haven't found
06:19until we really get this up on a ramp
06:20and start pulling it apart.
06:24Let's just hope the air conditioning works.
06:26It's hotter than a kangaroo's pouch out here today.
06:29Why don't you take it for a spin?
06:31I'll jump in the passenger seat.
06:37Oh, yes.
06:41Here we go.
06:44Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
06:46Easy, Tiger.
06:47That's it.
06:47Get it straight.
06:50That's all right, isn't it?
06:51Oh, my goodness.
06:53That is a lot of fun.
06:54Now that's out of my system.
07:04Let's get into the detail.
07:07Just a couple of times there,
07:08when I put my foot down,
07:10you can feel,
07:11I'm pretty sure,
07:12it's the rear axle just hopping,
07:14like skipping over the bumps a little bit.
07:16And I did notice when I was underneath
07:19some of the bushes
07:19at the back end of the leaf spring
07:21had just started to deteriorate,
07:23bits of rubber coming out.
07:24It may be that we've got
07:25a little bit of metal on metal.
07:27I think it's fair to say
07:28it's stuck back in an age,
07:30this vehicle,
07:31and there was definitely room for improvement.
07:33I mean, look,
07:34we want this to be able to be capable
07:36of taking on even the roughest terrain
07:38because if you're going to go
07:38and take it out
07:39and have some fun at the weekend,
07:40that's what you want to do.
07:41It would have been giving it the capability
07:43to properly off-road.
07:44Oh, that was a good proper off-road.
07:45It was a good one.
07:46I could feel that in my spine.
07:48I've got to say,
07:49this is a huge gamble
07:50buying something with such high mileage
07:52without even seeing it first.
07:54When I get it up on a ramp,
07:55who knows what you're going to find.
07:56There's no way a car
07:57that's done this level of mileage
07:59hasn't got something wrong with it.
08:00We just haven't found it yet.
08:03And to do that,
08:04I'm going to need to get it to a workshop
08:06and some specialist kit.
08:08Don't worry,
08:09I've found the perfect base for us.
08:11The only issue,
08:12it's a four-hour drive away.
08:14Let me see if I can get some tunes.
08:15On the old radio,
08:16maybe a bit of men at work.
08:18Yeah, nice one, mate.
08:25I'm taking us back to Bathurst,
08:27just a stone's throw
08:28from the iconic Blue Mountains.
08:30It's home to some epic off-roading terrain.
08:33And our pals at West End Garage,
08:38Joe and Sally.
08:43Right, hey, guys,
08:44this is the one.
08:46How many k's were on this one?
08:48Believe it or not,
08:49it's done 300,000 kilometres.
08:51Got it at a good price.
08:53We paid...
08:54This is the bit where we find out
08:55if we did the right or wrong thing.
08:56We paid $11,000 for it.
08:59Yeah.
08:59Should be able to get some profit out of that.
09:01Yeah?
09:01Right, should we get it in a workshop,
09:03get it in the air
09:04and see what's wrong with it?
09:05Absolutely.
09:05Lovely.
09:06Let's go to work.
09:13Go on, keep going,
09:14keep going, keep going.
09:16I reckon about there.
09:17Woo-hoo!
09:17Right, I'll leave you to it for the minute.
09:28I'm certain there's going to be things wrong
09:30with this Hilux
09:31that I didn't spot on our test drive.
09:33It's covered the equivalent
09:33of seven and a half trips around the planet.
09:37But my biggest concern right now
09:39is the state of those suspension bushes.
09:41Look at that.
09:43That is one of the worst suspension bushes
09:45I've ever seen.
09:46that's utterly destroyed.
09:48I mean, if Mike and I are going to turn this
09:50into a car that can take on
09:51even more extreme terrain,
09:53we're going to want to test it.
09:54So there's no way we can have anything like that
09:56anywhere around this machine.
10:10We're down under,
10:11celebrating the great Australian ute.
10:14A car that's so important over here,
10:16they've even turned it into art.
10:19So what do you think then, mate?
10:21Well, I think it's hot,
10:22but this place is amazing, isn't it?
10:24It is, yes.
10:24This is a celebration
10:26of everything the ute has done for Australia.
10:29It's an artwork.
10:30Like this one, look.
10:30That's a kangaroo.
10:31It's very cool.
10:33Such an iconic vehicle, isn't it,
10:34for this country?
10:36Whilst we're not transforming our Hilux
10:38into a 40-foot-high marsupial,
10:41it does need to become an off-roading masterpiece.
10:43So I need to get back to work.
10:48We're trying to create the ultimate weekend warrior
10:50to take on Australia's toughest terrain,
10:53which means upgrading the suspension,
10:55starting with replacing those ruined bushes.
10:57Having spoken to Joe, who runs this place,
11:00it turns out that this was actually a common failure.
11:03It was actually a product recall from the manufacturer
11:05because the manufacturing defect meant this happened a lot.
11:09So it's not uncommon to have to fit new ones.
11:15When we head off-road,
11:16these new poly bushes are going to improve the handling
11:19by absorbing some of the bumps
11:20and dampening the amount of vibration
11:22that passes up into the chassis.
11:24This is where things can get a little bit tricky.
11:30What we're trying to do is push
11:31this sort of U-shaped bracket
11:33with two bolts through the middle of both bushes.
11:36It'll go in the first half easy,
11:38but what tends to happen is
11:39it then wants to push the other half of the bush
11:41out the opposite side.
11:42Sometimes it works like a dream,
11:44other times it can be here for hours.
11:50Whilst Elvis fiddles with his bushes in the workshop,
11:52I've ventured an hour outside of Bathurst
11:55to the real thing.
11:57Oh, this is good.
11:58I love it.
11:59I've done tons and tons of off-roading,
12:02but I've never done any in Australia.
12:06Never.
12:06This is a first for me.
12:10I'm heading out with Simmo,
12:12the master of the bush,
12:13to figure out what mods will help us conquer terrain like this
12:17and turn our Hilux into the ultimate off-roader.
12:21I love Australia.
12:23I really do.
12:25So you've got,
12:26I call them rhubars,
12:28but you've got brush bars on the front of this,
12:30haven't you?
12:30Yeah.
12:31I've got a bull bar up front.
12:33I don't know if we'll see many kangaroos today
12:35because it's a bit wet and miserable,
12:36but we do have a lot of kangaroos and wombats.
12:39A bull bar and brush bar just gives you a bit of protection.
12:42Yeah.
12:43Yeah.
12:46We've got a pretty challenging decline and incline coming up.
12:52Stop the wagon for a minute.
12:53I just want to see with my feet how steep that looks.
12:57Yeah, don't fall out.
12:58Okay, well, I'll try not to fall down a mountain.
13:00Yeah, don't slip down the hill.
13:05Well, Simmo, this is probably steep.
13:08It is.
13:08It is, Mike.
13:09Yeah.
13:10Yeah, and it's going to get a little bit steep
13:11as we make our way down.
13:13I mean, you asked me to bring in someone
13:14to challenge the car,
13:16so I've brought you right here, mate.
13:17Yeah, but remember, we're at a brand new Toyota.
13:20Will my 99 Toyota Hilux
13:23be able to cope with terrain like this, do you think?
13:27I think so, Mike.
13:28I think, yeah.
13:30You weren't that positive.
13:32I think so.
13:33Well, I haven't seen it.
13:34With a few modifications,
13:35I think with a good set of tyres
13:36will make a massive difference to any car.
13:39Nice big grippy tyres?
13:40Yeah, that's right.
13:41Gotcha.
13:41Okay.
13:42All right.
13:42You're already spending my money.
13:43Blimey, I've got to go for tyres now.
13:45Shall we give it a try, then?
13:46Let's go.
13:47Yeah.
13:47You know, there is this perilous edge
13:56at the side of this track.
13:59There are trees to stop us, which is nice,
14:01so we'll only roll down so far
14:03before we'd hit a tree.
14:05Yeah, well, don't jinx me, Mod,
14:06but I'm not planning on doing that, mate, at all.
14:09Please don't.
14:09Very good.
14:11I thought our research mission
14:13couldn't get any more extreme.
14:15We've come down to the water's edge.
14:17I can see the river beside us.
14:19Fast flowing.
14:20Well, it looks deep in places.
14:23But I'm getting the impression
14:25that Simmo's got one final surprise
14:27up his sleeve.
14:29Ha-ha!
14:30Wow!
14:31Look at this!
14:32Right, OK, so that's got me thinking, then.
14:36We're going to have to take
14:37certain precautions, aren't we,
14:38and preparations on our vehicle.
14:40I wouldn't be doing a river crossing
14:41like this without a snorkel.
14:43That's a tough one
14:45because putting a snorkel on the vehicle
14:46means that you have to cut a hole
14:47in the wing.
14:49That's a lot more work for Elvis.
14:51Yeah, it is, but if you value your safety,
14:53you're going to have to spend some money
14:55because you don't want to drown your car
14:57or get washed downstream.
15:00It's best to do it.
15:01Right, OK.
15:02Let's take on the river.
15:04Let's go boating.
15:05Sounds great, mate.
15:13I love it.
15:14Look at that.
15:18It's so alien, isn't it,
15:19driving a car into water.
15:21It's completely alien.
15:27This is brilliant.
15:28Absolutely brilliant.
15:32That's a job well done.
15:35It's a nice cruiser one tonight.
15:36Now I've found out all the things
15:46that we're going to need to tackle this terrain,
15:48I've got to make a very difficult phone call to Elvis.
15:51I'm really hoping he doesn't answer.
15:58Always answered.
15:59Hello, Elvis.
16:00Hey, mate.
16:01How you doing?
16:02Honestly,
16:03fan-blooming-tastic out here.
16:06The landscape is amazing.
16:08Nice.
16:08But I've now discovered we need a few things to put onto our vehicle.
16:13Yeah, go on then.
16:14We are going to need proper big tyres on it,
16:17and I mean big tyres with a big grip pattern.
16:20Yeah, we can do that.
16:21Well, we've just been through this beautiful river,
16:24and it is lovely.
16:25I can hear the river in the background.
16:27Oh, I know where you're going to go.
16:29We might have to cut holes in the car, though.
16:31You want to snorkel?
16:32We will have to cut holes in the car.
16:34You love that.
16:35Well, listen, you find me one of those.
16:37I'll crack on.
16:38Ta-la, mate.
16:39Ta-la.
16:42Fitting a snorkel is a huge amount of work,
16:46and I still haven't finished fitting our other off-road modifications.
16:51I've taken the liberty of upgrading our steering damper.
16:54This cost $168 Aussie dollars,
16:57so not much out of our budget,
16:59but it's also a much better design
17:01that's going to be able to cope
17:01with the lumps and bumps
17:02and the rocky terrain
17:03we're going to be driving over.
17:08Most off-roaders come fitted
17:10with some kind of oil-filled steering damper.
17:13It works by compressing at either end
17:15like a shock absorber,
17:17and the new one I'm about to fit
17:19has a major advantage over the old one.
17:25Right, there we go.
17:27I can already feel
17:28the steering's way heavier than it was,
17:30and it's because we've now got this additional spring
17:32over the top of the damper.
17:34It's there to give the driver a little bit of support
17:36when the road wheels go over the rocks.
17:38Instead of the steering kicking sharply out of your hand,
17:41this not only damps that movement,
17:43but also gives that extra support
17:45to stop the wheel being ripped out of your hands
17:46and protect the car in the process.
17:48For our Toyota Highlights to cope with any terrain,
17:58any landscape,
17:59we throw at it,
18:00we've established that we are going to need
18:02a few bolt-on bits.
18:03So I've taken the plunge
18:04after being with Simmo for the day
18:06that we definitely, definitely need a snorkel.
18:09The problem is,
18:11the one that I bought is stainless steel
18:12that's going to stick out like a dingo
18:14in a pack of poodles
18:16amongst the existing black metal work
18:18on our Hilux.
18:19So I've found a guy called Brett.
18:21He's got our powder coaters,
18:22and we're going to go down there
18:24and change the colour.
18:25You must be Brett.
18:41How you going?
18:42Brett, how you doing on mic?
18:43Nice to meet you.
18:44Nice to meet you.
18:45What a place!
18:46This happens to be the cleanest
18:48powder coating shop I've ever been to.
18:50We do try.
18:51So when I spoke to you,
18:53I told you about this snorkel
18:55I got for me car.
18:56Yep.
18:57It's big, it's bright,
18:59and it's very shiny.
19:00What do you think?
19:01Yeah, it's very bright.
19:03I reckon we whack some black on it,
19:05tell it down,
19:06yeah, clean it right up.
19:07Yeah, nice one.
19:07Okay, so is it just a straightforward case
19:10of just laying some powder coat on it?
19:12Nah, we would sandblast it,
19:14and then we'd prime it,
19:15and then we'd put the colour on it.
19:16Lovely.
19:16All right, well,
19:17let's go and see the sandblaster, shall we?
19:18Right on.
19:23Well, unlike your workshop,
19:25this is the dirty area.
19:26Yeah, this is where we do all the blasting.
19:29I'll get Nick out here,
19:30because we can't go in there.
19:31We don't want to lose any skin
19:33or anything like that,
19:34so we'll get him to do it for us.
19:35How you doing?
19:36Oh, look at him,
19:37the poor sausage.
19:37Well, I'll say, Nick.
19:38He's got a job, hasn't he?
19:41He does.
19:41Oh, it looks horrible in there.
19:44Take that,
19:44do something with it.
19:46Right, okay,
19:48so we've just got to wait it out.
19:49Yeah, yeah,
19:50so he'll be bringing it down to us in a minute.
19:53Sandblasting can be really dangerous.
19:56The material is launched from the nozzle
19:58at around 500 miles an hour.
20:02And in this heat,
20:03I'm more than happy to leave the dressing up
20:05to my Aussie stunt double, Nick,
20:08who's keying the surface layer of the snorkel
20:10to give the paint something to stick to.
20:14And from here,
20:15it gets a coat of primer
20:16from head sprayer Jimmy.
20:18And finally,
20:19it's time for me to roll up my sleeves.
20:21It's a mask for your pretty face.
20:23A mask for my pretty face.
20:25You're going to go a long way,
20:26let me tell you.
20:28Okay.
20:29See my guest.
20:30Right, stand back and watch.
20:31It might look like I'm spraying
20:37and praying for an even coat,
20:39but there's some invisible magic
20:40helping me out here.
20:42As the powder particles
20:43leave the tip of the gun,
20:44they're being given
20:45a positive electric charge.
20:48Meanwhile,
20:49our snorkel is being
20:50negatively charged.
20:52If you paid attention in school,
20:54you'll remember
20:55the opposites attract.
20:57So,
20:57like an electrostatic love story,
21:00the powder is drawn
21:01to the surface
21:01of the snorkel
21:02and snuggles up
21:04in a nice even fashion.
21:07How did I do?
21:08Not so bad.
21:09Not so bad.
21:10So,
21:11what do you think?
21:11Nice even coverage?
21:13It's pretty good.
21:14Yeah.
21:15Oh,
21:15just pretty good.
21:16Pretty good.
21:17Well,
21:18treating the pudding,
21:19I think.
21:19We'll put it in the oven
21:20and see what it comes out like.
21:21Yeah,
21:21let's see.
21:22The final part
21:31of the process
21:31is to bake the snorkel
21:33to cure the powder.
21:35Open her up.
21:37To do that,
21:38we're not throwing it
21:39on the barbie,
21:40but into the biggest oven
21:42I've ever seen.
21:44Oh,
21:44gee whiz.
21:45I bet you put your lunch
21:46in there,
21:47bet you?
21:47Oh,
21:48yeah.
21:49Good luck.
21:50See you in a bit.
21:52whilst that bakes
21:55for the next 25 minutes,
21:57there's only one thing to do.
22:04Yes.
22:06Is it all ready?
22:08Ready to go.
22:09Ready?
22:10Oh,
22:10wicked.
22:12You can see the texture
22:14in it.
22:15That is
22:16absolutely
22:17spot on.
22:19How much
22:19has all this come to?
22:20150 bucks.
22:22That's a bargain.
22:24And once Elvis
22:25has bolted it
22:26onto our Hilux,
22:27I'm hoping
22:27it'll help attract
22:29a serious buyer
22:30and some extra profit
22:31come sale time.
22:33Right then,
22:34fella.
22:34How you doing?
22:35Yeah,
22:35good.
22:36How you getting on?
22:37I'm great,
22:37mate.
22:37I've done all the
22:38suspension bushes already.
22:39If you sneak your head
22:40in the side of there,
22:41you'll see bright yellow
22:42steering damper,
22:43upgraded.
22:44Nice one.
22:44The rear tub,
22:45you know that dent?
22:46Yeah.
22:46I found somebody locally
22:47that can paint it,
22:48but rather than take
22:49the whole car,
22:50if I could just take
22:50the tub,
22:51it'd be really handy.
22:52Yeah,
22:52I can whiz that off
22:52quickly.
22:53This is our snorkel.
22:54It was shiny
22:55and stainless steel.
22:56That's it.
22:57But now,
22:58I've had it powder coated
22:59with this textured finish.
23:00Lovely, isn't it?
23:01It does look really good.
23:02Yeah,
23:02nice one.
23:03All you've got to do
23:03is fit it.
23:08The snorkel relocates
23:10the car's air intake
23:11to a higher position
23:12on the car,
23:12keeping it clear
23:13of dust and water,
23:14so having one's
23:15an absolute necessity
23:16for any proper off-roader.
23:19And with no spare wing
23:20to practice on,
23:21we can't afford
23:22any mistakes.
23:24If I'm even
23:24a fraction out,
23:26it won't line up
23:26with the existing airbox
23:27and our aquatic aspirations
23:29will be in the dunny.
23:34There's no turning back
23:35after this.
23:46We're on an Aussie adventure.
23:48Yeah,
23:49this is pretty steep.
23:50How are you going, Mike?
23:51Yeah,
23:52I mean,
23:52I'd rather be holding
23:54on to the tourney bit.
23:56Trying to turn
23:57this old Hilux ute
23:59into a pucker
24:00off-roader.
24:04And with over
24:05300,000 kilometres
24:06on the clock,
24:07it's seen a lot of action.
24:09So the rear tub
24:10is being repaired
24:11and painted,
24:12leaving me
24:14to fit the snorkel.
24:14right, there we go.
24:25That is it.
24:26This is now
24:27securely fixed in place
24:28and I absolutely love
24:30the way it's turned out.
24:32It's a brave move
24:33cutting holes in bodywork
24:34but actually
24:36it's ended up
24:37looking really nice
24:38and
24:40should turn this
24:41into a proper
24:42extreme off-roader.
24:44It's looking good
24:45but no off-roading
24:46aficionado
24:47is going to cough up
24:48their cash
24:49for a ute
24:50that's rolling
24:50on the wrong rubber.
24:52Right,
24:52here we go.
24:54And whilst I've got
24:55the tyres off,
24:56I've got a chance
24:56to give these sad-looking
24:58wheels
24:58a makeover.
24:59They're in worse nick
25:00than a wombat's whiskers
25:02after a dust storm.
25:04Come on in.
25:05You get one,
25:05I'll get the other.
25:08That's a heavy wheel,
25:09isn't it?
25:09Oh, yeah.
25:11I was thinking
25:11we could change the wheels
25:13but then
25:13if you think about it,
25:15it's going to go off-road.
25:16Yeah.
25:16There's rocks,
25:17boulders,
25:18it's going to get bashed.
25:19It's going to get bashed.
25:19Yeah, so if I do it
25:20with just an easy aerosol,
25:23if it does get chipped,
25:24somebody could just
25:25aerosol over it again.
25:26Exactly.
25:28A new set of wheels
25:30would set us back
25:30over $500-y-do's.
25:32Now's the tough job
25:33of getting this big tyre
25:36off of this rim.
25:37Yes.
25:38But a Mike Brewer
25:39rattle can makeover
25:41plus a lending hand
25:43from Sally
25:44means we'll save a fortune
25:46and max out our profit
25:47come sale time.
25:49Whoa.
25:50You are so fast.
25:55Nice.
25:58Oh, yeah.
26:00Look at that.
26:01Perfect.
26:05All right.
26:05Let's give it a wash.
26:11Whilst Mike and Sally
26:12get our wheels ready
26:13for the rough stuff...
26:14..wherever I go,
26:17I'm getting wet.
26:18..I've ordered us
26:19some heavy-duty gear
26:20that's a must
26:21for any serious off-roader.
26:22The car is really coming on.
26:25Starting to feel like
26:26it can take on
26:27much better terrain
26:28than it used to,
26:29but I'm not quite finished.
26:31I've bought this kit here
26:32for around $600 Australian dollars,
26:34about £300,
26:35and it incorporates
26:36a brush bar kit
26:38and a new set
26:39of up-rated side steps
26:40to run down the side of the vehicle.
26:41I've also got
26:42a brand-new set of spotlights
26:44to stick on the front as well
26:45just to give it
26:45that extra off-road look,
26:47but also, of course,
26:48if someone wants
26:48to take it out at night,
26:50they absolutely can.
26:53OK, this is our brush bar.
26:56This is what's going to
26:56protect the wings
26:57and the lights
26:58as we bounce
26:59through trees and rocks.
27:01That is way too long.
27:04I mean, it's all more or less
27:06in the right position
27:07going around the wheel arch.
27:08It's got clearance
27:09for the door to open.
27:11The way it fits
27:12is using these brackets.
27:14They clamp on there,
27:16and then this tube
27:16will sit in between
27:17those two
27:18and it gets clamped together.
27:20At the moment,
27:21it's very clearly
27:21sitting way too higher
27:23and that
27:24may well mean
27:26taking a section
27:27out of there.
27:32Why are things
27:33never straightforward?
27:35At least me...
27:36You got for me, Sally.
27:38Very good.
27:39You key that one.
27:40Mm-hmm.
27:40I could do this one.
27:43If you're painting your rims,
27:45it's best to put
27:46in the elbow grease.
27:47It'll make a world of difference
27:48when it comes to laying down the paint
27:50and guarantees you
27:51a ripper finish.
27:54When you're going to prepare
27:55the surface of a wheel,
27:57whether it's an alloy
27:57or a steel wheel in this case,
27:59you don't need anything fancy.
28:01You just need a scotch pad
28:02or some light sandpaper
28:03just to knock back
28:04any high spots,
28:06any little imperfections
28:07on the wheel
28:08and also give the surface
28:09something for the paint
28:11to key on.
28:12I'm going to use a very simple
28:13just a satin black paint
28:15on these.
28:16You don't need an undercoat.
28:17You don't need anything fancy.
28:18Once it lays on,
28:20it's on.
28:21If it gets chipped on marks,
28:22it's easier to just give it
28:23a little squirt
28:24and a little touch-up
28:25any time you need to.
28:28So what do you think then, Sally?
28:29Do you think this is a good idea?
28:30Painting rather than powder coating?
28:32Definitely.
28:33It's easier to fix after a chip
28:35and black always looks nice.
28:37Yeah, see?
28:37I feel like you are a girl
28:39after my own art.
28:40Right then, gloves and mask.
28:53Of course, you want to hear
28:55what I've got to say,
28:55but...
28:56So I'll try and do this quickly.
29:02How are you getting on?
29:11Pretty good.
29:12That looks amazing, doesn't it?
29:14Incredible.
29:14Oh, it's so cheap as well.
29:16It comes at $60
29:17for the cans of paint
29:18and the little bits of PPE
29:20that's laying around.
29:21That's about 30 quid
29:23and it's an instant transformation.
29:25Job well done, I'd say.
29:27Just got to do the other two, Sal.
29:29Yeah. Oh, yeah.
29:32And while my new favourite mechanic
29:35cracks on with the wheels,
29:36I'm going to buy us
29:37some proper off-road rubber.
29:41Are you Matt?
29:43Yeah, mate.
29:43Matt, Mike, how are you?
29:45I need a set of off-road tyres.
29:48I hope you're the man to help me out.
29:50Yep.
29:51You might come over here
29:51and have a look
29:52and just see what we've got.
29:53So that, as you can see,
29:55it's a more aggressive tyre.
29:57That's like a 60 on-road,
29:5840 off.
29:59Good for stone,
30:00good for dirt,
30:02but are you going into any mud?
30:04Yes.
30:04That'll be no good
30:05because that's going to block
30:06all the tread pattern up.
30:07Right, so the mud will fill this tread pattern
30:08and it'll turn into a slick.
30:10It won't clean out, that's right.
30:12Okay.
30:13So come down this way
30:13and I'll show you a tyre for you.
30:17This is looking more
30:19what I was kind of thinking.
30:20Yep.
30:20So it's got a big open block pattern.
30:22Yep, big open block tracks
30:24so you can clean the mud out.
30:25It's got the grippers on the side there as well.
30:28Use your extra grip when you're off-road.
30:30It's a big old tyre, isn't it?
30:31It is.
30:32That's a big old tyre.
30:33That's going to make a huge difference
30:35for our vehicle.
30:36All right, we'll go and price it up for you.
30:38All right, let's go and do some paperwork.
30:39Go and exercise my card.
30:41No worries.
30:46Back at the workshop,
30:49I'm taking my frustrations out on our brush bar.
30:54Which should now be the correct length.
30:59I've changed the disc to a sanding pad
31:01because now what I need to do
31:02is clean up the surface where I've cut.
31:05So we've got two flat surfaces
31:06mating against each other.
31:07I'm going to remove the paint around the edge
31:09to get a nice clean weld,
31:10any loose material,
31:11and also put a tiny little V or chamfer
31:14in each edge to allow the weld
31:16to fully penetrate the joint
31:17and get a nice strong bond.
31:30All right, that's looking good.
31:33Just got to do the same with the other piece
31:34and we're good to weld them back together.
31:41All right, here we go.
31:42This should now all be cut
31:44and shaped to the right size.
31:49So now the original bracketry system
31:51now works and clamps it in place.
31:53I can see my original mark
31:55so I know I'm in exactly the right spot.
31:57The next step is to drill some holes through here
31:59where I can then nut and bolt it in position
32:01and then go back to that end
32:03and fully weld it up.
32:13Right, the finishing touch at this end
32:15is just to address this
32:16where I've got a flat washer
32:18sitting up against the curved bracket
32:19and it just doesn't quite look right.
32:21So a very easy tip is to take a hammer
32:23and just knock it over
32:24so it follows the same radius.
32:25There we go, that's lovely.
32:38Well, that turned into a way bigger job
32:40than I thought it was going to be.
32:41I mean, it wasn't quite the bolt-on kit
32:42straight out the box, was it?
32:44But it is nearly there
32:45and it's starting to really look the part
32:47and become much more capable
32:49as an off-road vehicle.
32:50I just need to fit the icing on the cake
32:56and hope Mike hasn't traded me in
32:58for a younger model.
32:59Don't worry, mate.
33:00There's only one Kylie to my Jason.
33:02I tell you,
33:08you see every time I come in
33:09I get a little bit happier
33:11because it's starting to look the part,
33:14isn't it?
33:14I love it.
33:15What do you reckon to these?
33:16Well, they are going to light up
33:17the next town, aren't they?
33:18That looks like we could land aeroplanes, Elvis.
33:22I'll see you've got brush piles on it,
33:23which is nice.
33:23I want you to fit in the snorkel.
33:25Yeah, looks good, doesn't it?
33:25Very good.
33:26And one arch extensions?
33:28Yes, which should really help
33:30with the look of these.
33:31Hey, I've been hard at work.
33:33Not only have I painted the old wheels.
33:35That's the original wheel.
33:36Yeah, me and Sally did it
33:37and this is a much more gnarly tyre.
33:39Mate, that's amazing.
33:41I mean, the whole thing's
33:41really coming together, isn't it?
33:42It's starting to look like
33:43a proper extreme 4x4.
33:45I suppose we've just got to hope
33:46it performs like one.
33:47One week ago, we set out to transform
33:58this old workhorse of a Toyota Hilux.
34:00Oh, God, it's heavy.
34:01Are you all right to get round those?
34:03Into an off-road stallion.
34:06A little bit further forward.
34:08Yeah.
34:09It's not been easy.
34:10Really?
34:11That's pretty close.
34:12But now, the finish line's in sight.
34:15Right, let's get it bolted up.
34:16Yep.
34:16I reckon around there
34:20that should be good enough.
34:22Yep.
34:26How are you getting on?
34:27You all done?
34:27Hold on.
34:28There you go.
34:29Done.
34:30I'm just going to bring it down
34:31and we'll get that roll bar on.
34:32Nice.
34:39This has come a long way.
34:40It's looking so remarkably different.
34:42I mean, that just totally
34:44changes the appearance, doesn't it?
34:45This looks the business.
34:46We bought our Hilux for $11,000
34:53and a fair few repairs later
34:56adding in some essential off-roading kit
34:59and we've turned this tired old ute
35:03into the ultimate off-roader
35:04which owes us just shy of $16,000
35:08around £8,000.
35:12But have we done enough to conquer
35:14some of the region's most unforgiving terrain?
35:17Snare a serious off-road fan
35:19and turn a profit?
35:24To find out, we've come to the Morangaroo National Park
35:28owned to over 1,600 hectares
35:31of the most axle-bending terrain around.
35:33Mike's got his best Steve Irwin clubber on
35:38so let's put this thing to the test.
35:40Oh, look at the scenery.
35:41Look at the scenery.
35:41The scenery is stunning, isn't it?
35:44Blooming amazing.
35:45Look out for kangaroos.
35:46You might see wild...
35:47Here's kangaroos.
35:48Look right there.
35:49Look at that.
35:50Kangaroos right here.
35:51Right there.
35:55This is absolutely blooming brilliant.
35:57Look at this.
36:00We're in the bush as well.
36:01You know, the proper Australian bush.
36:04Watch this.
36:05Look at us.
36:06Look.
36:07No problem whatsoever.
36:08It's easy, isn't it?
36:09Brilliant.
36:10I just swore I was so excited.
36:13You put a little bleep on that.
36:17The mission for us is somehow to get down the bottom of this valley,
36:23through a river, and back out again in one piece.
36:29But this adventure isn't just testing for the Hilux.
36:32After an hour of being jostled about in the seat,
36:35it's not just the car that's feeling the strain.
36:37I might pop that for a bush wee.
36:42Wish me luck.
36:43Stamp on the ground as you go.
36:45If I don't make it back, this has been great.
36:47I've loved it.
36:48Just stamp on the ground, seriously.
36:50Tell my family I love them.
36:51Stamp as you go.
36:54Make a big noise.
36:57This feels like a good moment to remind everyone
37:00that 21 of the 25 most toxic snakes in the world
37:03live here in Australia.
37:06The trouble is, right,
37:06every single stick on the ground looks like a snake.
37:10You're just terrified to go anywhere, aren't you?
37:12If it wiggles,
37:13if it's the stick that wiggles, run.
37:16Sorry, let me rephrase that.
37:18If it's the stick that wiggles, run!
37:20Now I'm back in the safety of our Hilux,
37:28it's time to put our upgrades to the test.
37:32Right, here we go.
37:33I've got a funny feeling we're dropping down into the valley.
37:37I was going to say the valley of death.
37:38Let's not call it that, eh?
37:39No, let's not.
37:43It rattles your bones, doesn't it?
37:45Eh?
37:47I'm hanging on to this handle for dear life.
37:49And it's only going to get worse.
37:54We're about to face our first off-road obstacle,
37:57a 60-metre indirect river crossing.
38:01Are you ready?
38:01Yeah, here we go.
38:02Here we go.
38:03Toes in.
38:03There you go.
38:04Oh, so we're actually driving along the river.
38:06We've got to drive along the river to get out of it,
38:08the other side.
38:09This is a bit more of a challenge.
38:12Look at this.
38:13This is great.
38:14I love it.
38:16Look how deep it is now.
38:17That is high.
38:25All the bits that we've attached to the car,
38:27the snorkel, the tyres,
38:29everything is now grabbing and working as it should do.
38:32I'll tell you what.
38:33It's been so wrong.
38:34This is why they invented boats.
38:41So far, so good.
38:42But to achieve ultimate off-road status,
38:45our Hilux must conquer one final rite of passage.
38:51We're going to attempt to summit one of the highest peaks in the park.
38:56Is that a good-to-go for us, John?
38:59Over 1,000 metres above sea level,
39:02between us and the top,
39:03is a perilously steep, loose, gravelly tract.
39:07Yeah, off you go.
39:08Off you go.
39:08Good luck.
39:10Yeah, we're on our way.
39:12But before we can head up,
39:14we need to negotiate a bum-clenching 40-degree downslope.
39:19Right?
39:20You're not nervous?
39:20All right, here we go.
39:22I'm slightly nervous.
39:23I can't see anything out past the front of the bonnet right now.
39:26Oh, here we go.
39:26Now I can.
39:27Oh, yeah.
39:28Oh, that's the...
39:29This is just the beginning of it.
39:43Oh, my goodness.
39:44Somehow we've got to get up there.
39:51You've got to be very careful and intentional
39:53about which lines you choose, haven't you?
39:55Because you're looking for grip.
39:56You've got to search the grip out.
39:57The car's going to do a lot of the work,
39:59but we've got to make some very good decisions here
40:00about exactly where we put it.
40:02OK, any suggestions?
40:03Gratefully welcome.
40:04I think I'm all right on this line?
40:06Yeah, you're good.
40:06I mean, too far near the edge,
40:07it's very, very loose.
40:08That's where all the small stones are.
40:14Yeah, here we go.
40:14Here we go.
40:15Here we go.
40:15I'm going to hold on.
40:16OK, hold on to something.
40:17Oh, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.
40:20Come on, girl, come on.
40:22Oh, yes.
40:23Oh, yeah, well, I should stay to the right here, shouldn't I?
40:25Oh, no, we've lost it.
40:27That's all right.
40:28A little bit of traction loss.
40:29Let's just think about it.
40:31It's either extreme right or extreme left.
40:33Come on, come on.
40:38Come on, you can do it.
40:41Oh, that is jumping around.
40:44Trust me, I'm just failing slightly.
40:47It's all right.
40:48We're not done yet.
40:52Come on, keep it going, keep it going.
40:54Yes.
40:55Yes.
40:55Come on.
40:57Oh.
41:02Look at that.
41:04Yes.
41:06Oh, what a beast.
41:08I cannot believe we got up that now.
41:10Come on, just have a moment.
41:11Just a moment.
41:13Seriously.
41:14I am...
41:15It feels like we should be sticking a flag in the top
41:18without climbing a mountain.
41:19What have we built?
41:20We built something so capable.
41:22It's blooming amazing.
41:24We have literally conquered everything
41:26that we can throw at this Toyota Hilux.
41:30I'm so pleased with the vehicle we turned out.
41:32Oh, mate, what a car.
41:34What a day.
41:34It's under 300,000 kilometres,
41:36but I bet you none of them have been as challenging
41:38as the last couple.
41:39We've built a vehicle
41:43that's more than proved its capability off-road.
41:50Right.
41:50Oh, I think they're here, Elvis.
41:53Get me a dealing cap out, please.
41:55But will our potential buyers agree?
41:58Or will the 300,000 kilometres on the clock
42:02ruin our chance of an off-the-scale deal?
42:04G'day.
42:05G'day.
42:05Hey, did you not get the memo?
42:07No, sorry.
42:08Some people have to work, you know?
42:10Mate, I didn't even get the memo.
42:11Where's this come from?
42:12I was straight in the dressing-up box
42:13when I knew we were doing this today.
42:15Well, ta-da!
42:17Awesome.
42:17Hey?
42:181999 Toyota Hilux.
42:20Been through the Wheeler-Dealer workshop.
42:22Elvis has done his magic on it again.
42:24Yeah, it's had all sorts done to it.
42:26Have a look inside.
42:27Look at this.
42:28You'd never know the mileage it had done.
42:31It's lovely, isn't it?
42:32Yeah.
42:32It looks like new.
42:33Amazing.
42:33What is it that you want to do with it, Thomas?
42:35It's actually for our son.
42:36He's turning 21 tomorrow, believe it or not.
42:39Yeah.
42:39He's been looking for a ute for many years now,
42:42and, yeah, today is the day.
42:45So, as you know, I advertised it out there on social media.
42:48Yep.
42:49I put it up for, I think, what was a fair price.
42:52So, if you've got 18,000 Australian dollars, it's yours.
42:55Yep.
42:57Can you do 17?
42:59Do you know what?
43:00Can you do 19?
43:01After what this has been through, I reckon I'll get 19.
43:04How about we meet in the middle?
43:0618,000.
43:0618,000 is like a good price.
43:08That sounds like a really good price.
43:09You got yourself a deal.
43:11Well done.
43:15Hasn't this been the perfect adventure?
43:18It's been amazing.
43:19I mean, not only have we turned out an amazing car,
43:21but it's allowed us to go and explore bits of Australia
43:23we could have never done otherwise.
43:25And, look, we've got a couple of happy customers.
43:27Yeah, it's like we've just made a dream come true.
43:29It's really good, isn't it?
43:30I've absolutely loved this.
43:31I've absolutely loved this.
43:33We'll see you next time.
Comments