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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.
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MotorTranscript
00:00Look at that! That is amazing!
00:17Oh my God! That is horrible!
00:22Remind myself never to put a mirrored ceiling in my house.
00:26I feel like I'm laying in the coffin, I've got crushed velvet all around me,
00:29coffin shape above me. I don't like it.
00:33After wheeling and dealing our way across the UK,
00:36fixing up hundreds of cars, it's time for a new challenge.
00:40Look at you! You had a mullet!
00:42At least they had coloured cameras when I did mine.
00:44Yours are still black and white.
00:45So we're setting off on a global adventure.
00:51To buy some of the world's most iconic cars.
00:54Listen to the sound!
00:56And with the help of local wheeler dealers...
00:59A funny acotorote!
01:00Yes!
01:01...rescue these national treasures.
01:03I'll tell you what, brother, she's pretty tidy under here.
01:06And make a few euros, dollars...
01:08You got yourself a deal. Thank you.
01:10Well done.
01:11And Lottie in the process.
01:13Oh, you've got a convertible! Look at that!
01:15This has been a boyhood dream.
01:18Awww!
01:27For me, the Aussie coast is all about sun, sea and...
01:30...sharks, which is why you won't catch me anywhere near the wet stuff.
01:34Yeah, you're a braver man than I am.
01:40Hey, that was epic!
01:42Well, I thought you might need a nice warm drink at the end of that.
01:45I'm exhausted. You've seen the size of some of those waves.
01:47It's terrifying. It looks like all that stuff wants to kill you.
01:50Oh, I love it. I absolutely love it.
01:52But you see how many people are here.
01:53I mean, this is literally a way of life out here, isn't it?
01:55But that's one of the reasons why I brought you in.
01:57I've got an idea for a really iconic surf wagon.
02:00I think you're going to enjoy this one.
02:02I'll tell you a bit more about it once you get dried up and cleaned up.
02:05Alright, we'll hold on to that. I'll go and get changed.
02:14Now, if I was to say to you, what's the ultimate surf wagon,
02:18and this vehicle was also known as a passion wagon, what would you say?
02:22No, the Sandman.
02:23The Sandman.
02:24That icon of the 1970s.
02:26Well, it really is an icon.
02:28They were such crazy colours as well, I remember.
02:30They were oranges, they were greens, yellows.
02:32They were embraced by the youth culture,
02:35because you could go surfing and then throw a mattress in the back and...
02:39Have a little bit of...
02:40Dalliance, yes.
02:41Yes.
02:42No car says Aussie surf culture more than the Sandman.
02:47Yes, it was a genius move by Holden to take their drab panel van,
02:53add some cosmetic touches and boom!
02:56Create a dream on four wheels for the nation's youth.
03:01The Sandman was only on sale for six years,
03:04but it was long enough for this humdrum workhorse to become an icon that still endures today.
03:10Now, the only problem with the Sandman is the price.
03:16I've seen them advertised anywhere between 120,000 and 150,000 Australian dollars.
03:23That's insane.
03:24We can't pay that sort of money.
03:25No, we're not.
03:26We're on our way to go and see a Holden WB, which is a 1970s panel van that basically looks exactly the same.
03:34And it's being offered to us at 20,000 Australian dollars, about 10 grand in our money.
03:40What? More than a hundred thousand dollars less just because it doesn't say Sandman?
03:45Correct.
03:46Obviously, to turn it into the ultimate surf wagon, there's going to have to be a few adaptations to it.
03:51But that's what we're here for.
03:54First, it's got to be reliable.
03:55We need to make sure the engine's good.
03:56But also, we don't want any of that brightly coloured paintwork to be bubbling up with things like rust.
04:01And that's got to be something we've got to look very closely at.
04:03OK, yeah.
04:04When you said brightly coloured paintwork, we need to sort of manage our expectations about that.
04:09I know these things fade over time, but with a bit of a polish, you can bring those bright colours back to life,
04:13so I'm not worried about anything like that.
04:15OK, good.
04:16I'm glad you said that.
04:21And hopefully, my old trader mate Richard will surpass Elvis' expectations.
04:26He specialises in luxury classics.
04:29Come on in.
04:30Right.
04:31You're going to like this.
04:32You ready?
04:33Yeah.
04:34It's a hearse.
04:39I can see why you would say that, but it's not.
04:43This is a WB Holden.
04:45It's lovely.
04:46It's got this weird shape.
04:47It's got torque thrust wheels.
04:49It's got big slab size to it.
04:51Look, it's got windows in the side.
04:53What's not to like?
04:54It doesn't scream fun, does it?
04:57Yeah, it looks like a fun vehicle.
04:59I mean, we could make it more fun, I'm sure.
05:01Richard.
05:04Hello mate, how are you?
05:06Good, how are you?
05:07Good to see you.
05:08It's been a very long 10 years Richard.
05:09Nice to meet you.
05:10It's been a while, hasn't it?
05:11It has been a while.
05:12You're trying to sell us a hearse.
05:13That's not a hearse.
05:14It's exactly what I just said.
05:16So Richard, why should we buy this vehicle?
05:18What's good about it?
05:19Oh look, it's a beautiful panel van.
05:20Back in the late 70s or early 80s, this was it.
05:23What, when things are black and white?
05:25Yeah, exactly.
05:27Does it come with a big wooden box in the back?
05:29No, no, no.
05:31See, look, you're starting to turn round, aren't you?
05:33I can feel it happening right now.
05:37Look inside, you know, bench seat.
05:40Yeah, that is a classic.
05:41It's a classic thing, isn't it?
05:42The dashboard's all there, no cracks on the top of the dash.
05:45All the trim's alright, innit?
05:46It's a cool looking thing in there, isn't it?
05:48I have to say.
05:49It's nice.
05:50Well, let me show you the good stuff out the back.
05:52You know, we think Range Rover come up with a split tailgate.
05:55But back in the 1970s, Holden, look.
05:58We're doing a split tailgate.
06:00This one's got sand in it by the looks of it.
06:03And look at this.
06:04That is good, isn't it?
06:06It makes it so much easier to slide your coffin into the back.
06:09Yes, I mean, I can...
06:13Now it is open, I can actually see that you could actually just...
06:17Yeah.
06:18Have you got any flowers, mate?
06:19Oh, yeah.
06:20Some flowers on it.
06:21It's nice and solid.
06:22The biggest thing is we've got to change the colour.
06:24We have to be able to change the colour.
06:25And my problem with that is, as you said, it's a big old vehicle.
06:28A paint job is not going to be cheap.
06:30Maybe we could put some stickers or, I don't know, decorate it somewhere.
06:34One really big sticker.
06:36Engine, Richard.
06:37Can we have a look at it?
06:38Absolutely.
06:40Right.
06:41Oh, look at that.
06:42It used to be white.
06:43It's not even an originally black car.
06:45It used to be white.
06:46Someone's repainted it in black.
06:48It has been painted once before, which means if we did, we could do it again.
06:54See?
06:55I just want to make sure, for my own peace of mind, that there's nothing wrong with it.
06:59That inside, it's all as good as it can be.
07:01Well, why don't you pull your dipstick out and play with your plugs like you normally do,
07:06and I will look through that paperwork, Richard.
07:08Sounds right.
07:09Yep, where is it?
07:10This way?
07:11Yep.
07:12I've got to say, it is relatively rust-free, and that is a massive bonus, because that would
07:17be my very first concern with this.
07:19These things spend their life going to and from the beach, where salt water is blasted
07:24the side of the car in wind and rain, and these things can suffer as a result.
07:31It's certainly not immaculate under there, but you wouldn't expect it to.
07:35It's a car from the 1970s.
07:37The trouble is, I'm still not sure how we can turn an old black van into anything that
07:42resembles an iconic Sandman.
07:44Part of this whole vehicle, this whole scene that we're trying to pitch this car into is
07:51a look.
07:52It's got to look the part.
07:53It's got to feel the part.
07:54And at the moment, it looks anything but a surf wagon.
07:59Looks like it's up to me to find the positives then.
08:03165 spent, 315, 312, 738, 317, 762.
08:10It's had thousands spent on it, isn't it?
08:13So, yeah, that's got a very, very good service history.
08:16Absolutely, yeah.
08:17OK.
08:18Well, listen, mate, if you wouldn't mind, can we take it by a test drive?
08:20Absolutely, no problem.
08:21Top man.
08:25Right.
08:26Take it out, then.
08:27I can't wait.
08:33Well, mate, all you need is your flip-flops, your sunnies and your surfboard and we're
08:43on our way to the beach.
08:44Well, I feel like all I need is a dark suit with some sort of top hat and we should be
08:49doing about five miles an hour, paying respects to something.
08:52I love it.
08:56The steering's got some positivity to it.
08:59It feels really good under my right foot.
09:01Well, I was going to say, it's got that big old straight six engine in it.
09:04Massive.
09:05What is it?
09:063.3?
09:073.3 litre.
09:08Right.
09:09Hold on to your hat when I tell you that they managed, they managed to squeeze a whole
09:14112 horsepower out of that massive 3.3 litre engine.
09:18Yeah, it's not a race car, it's a cruiser, isn't it?
09:23Look, I'm fully on board with the idea of turning this into a surf wagon and I'm starting
09:27to see that vision, but it's got to look the part.
09:30If you're cruising down to the beach in amongst all the other surfers, you don't want to be
09:33the guy that turns up in a hearse.
09:35OK, well that's going to be a bit of a problem for me because Richard is asking 20,000 Australian
09:40dollars.
09:41For us, it's about £10,000.
09:43Yeah.
09:44The top end we could sell this for is probably $30,000 because it's not an original Sandman.
09:49It's never going to be a Sandman, is it?
09:50Right, so that gives us £10,000.
09:51I know £10,000 sounds like a lot of money, but you know, a paint job on one of these could
09:56be £10,000.
09:57Yeah, exactly.
09:58It could be.
09:59That provides a very clever way to do it.
10:01Well, listen, I think we should go for it.
10:03If we can get it for that price and we can figure out a way to change the colour on the
10:07cheek.
10:08And if we can't, maybe we open a funeral business.
10:12We are a little bit worried.
10:27Or I say we, it's the royal we, I think he's a little bit worried.
10:31Yeah.
10:32Just about how much we're going to have to spend to turn it into what we need it to
10:34be, that's all.
10:35When we spoke on the phone you said you wanted 20,000 Australian dollars for it.
10:39That's right.
10:40Yeah, thank you so much Richard.
10:43No worries.
10:44I can't believe it.
10:45Congratulations.
10:46I'm confident we've got a good deal.
10:48We just need a solid plan on how to transform our slightly Hersey van into the ultimate Sandman
10:54tribute.
10:57And to do that we're back at Full Throttle Garage in Newcastle where we've enlisted bush
11:02mechanic Johnsy to help.
11:06Who's also a specialist in all things Holden.
11:09Johnsy.
11:10How are you doing man?
11:11How are you doing my brother?
11:12Good to see you.
11:13Good to see you.
11:14Yeah.
11:15So he already knows that we've got this WB Holden.
11:17What's your experience with him?
11:18I cut my teeth on that motor.
11:20It was one of the first motors I ever built as an apprentice.
11:22And they come in the panel van.
11:24And of course the panel van is one of those classic Aussie cars.
11:28You can roll a mattress out in the back of the panel van and you're set for days.
11:33But we're a long way off that happening.
11:36My biggest concern is the car's exterior but the engine's also looking pretty tired.
11:41So Johnsy and I need to strip down the key components to see how much life is left in this old hearse.
11:47So if that's the key then yep we've definitely got some cleaning up and some tidying, some painting and some work to do don't we?
11:53I'll start taking a look at the ignition system and we'll just strip bits away and then we'll find things to do as we go I'm sure.
12:00Oh no brother, I've got some bad news for you over this side unfortunately.
12:13Even though these were a good car, you've Aerajet but this one looks like it's had its day.
12:17A lot of carbon build up, you've got a lot of leak, fuel leakage.
12:20I can see that.
12:22And the problems don't end there.
12:25Oh man you're joking.
12:27A closer inspection of the car's water systems revealed deposits of sludge and grime.
12:33What's happened over there?
12:34It's everywhere.
12:35That water system, I mean that would have run through all the hoses, the pump, the thermostat, the rad will be full of it.
12:41The block on the cylinder head.
12:43It'll be full of it everywhere.
12:45Sediment like this could cause blockages in the cooling system and lead to overheating.
12:50We've barely even started on this car, I haven't even started thinking about the appearance of it.
12:54And the engine is already way worse than I thought.
13:06Our world tour has brought us to the stunning shores of Eastern Australia.
13:10Look at that, it's so nice to see the ocean on my right hand side, it's wonderful.
13:17While Mike tops up his trucker's tan, Johnsy and I are cracking on with the mechanicals, trying to turn our black panel van into a funky sandman surf wagon.
13:27Can you still get the parts for those?
13:28Well, you could, you'd probably have to hit up some old bloke in the middle of the stick somewhere.
13:33He still lives in a tin shed.
13:34It could be a struggle for us.
13:37But that's not our biggest problem.
13:40I need to work out how we transform our van from looking like a hearse without emptying my purse.
13:45Now I'm on my way to go and draw some inspiration for our Holden panel van because me and Elvis, we have got a blank canvas and we do need to come up with some really creative ideas of what people want and what they're looking for.
13:59Because remember, we still got to sell it.
14:00So I'm off to meet a bucket load of sand men.
14:14Wow.
14:17That is fantastic.
14:20This one looks really pucker on the end, look at that.
14:23How you doing fella?
14:24What's your name?
14:25Grant.
14:26Immediately, I'm drawn to your vehicle.
14:29Two reasons.
14:30One, it's really bright.
14:31Lovely colour.
14:32And I don't imagine it coming out of the factory like that.
14:35So what have you got underneath the bonnet?
14:38A 350 chef with a 171 blower.
14:41Oh, get in.
14:45Now that's just being greedy.
14:47So you've got a bonnet and a clamshell.
14:49Yeah.
14:50I've never seen that before.
14:53Oh, this is nice.
14:54Look at this one.
14:55Wow.
14:56That is sitting low, isn't it?
14:57Look at that.
14:58Ooh.
14:59God, that's down on the tyre.
15:01But, dare I say, it gives it an amazing stance, doesn't it?
15:05I love it.
15:08Man, oh man, oh man.
15:10So what have we got underneath here?
15:12Iron Block LS 6 litre and 88 millimetre turbo.
15:17Those two bolted together produces how much horsepower, do you reckon?
15:21A little bit over 800.
15:23800 horsepower.
15:24Well, I love the fact that you've got all that power, but the one thing that draws me to it really is all about the stance.
15:31The stance is incredible, isn't it?
15:33It's on shockwave airbags all around.
15:35It sort of helps, doesn't it?
15:36It makes a big difference.
15:41Now that is a strong colour, isn't it?
15:45What do you think of that, Mick?
15:46I love it.
15:47Is this a genuine Sandman or a tribute car?
15:49This is a genuine Sandman.
15:50Oh, is it really?
15:51Yeah, so this is...
15:52Can I just, like, I've touched the Sandman.
15:55How do you feel about people doing Sandman tributes?
15:58Does that bother you?
15:59No, not really, no.
16:01Okay, so you're happy that somebody would do a tribute car?
16:03Yeah, they could do a tribute car, yeah.
16:04Lovely.
16:05So bright colour schemes seem to be winning over the fans, but there's always one exception to the rule.
16:16I did notice this artwork.
16:19Yep.
16:20What's the inspiration behind this?
16:22Just the fact that I really didn't want to build another stereotypical Sandman.
16:27I didn't want the waves to surf.
16:29I think you should have a lie in the back.
16:31I bet you it won't last a bit more than five seconds in it.
16:35Don't lie down.
16:40Oh, my God!
16:42That is horrible!
16:45I don't like it.
16:47At least I can tell Elvis exactly what I don't want our van to look like.
16:54At the workshop, while Johnsy's off finding us a replacement carburettor,
16:58I'm trying to give our van a more purposeful look by dropping the suspension.
17:02I've already done that one on that side.
17:05I'm about to change this coil spring.
17:07The whole kit cost just over a thousand Aussie dollars, around £500.
17:10So it seems like money well spent to me.
17:13One of the first things I've got to do is split this big ball joint here.
17:17I don't want to take the nut completely off.
17:19I just want to back it off because that's going to stop the whole thing falling apart once the ball joint breaks.
17:25And when I say brakes, I mean it.
17:29Right.
17:30There's a tapered joint in here which needs a massive shock loading to separate it.
17:34And this should do the trick.
17:36It's quite a small gap you've got to aim at.
17:49Oops.
17:50Not quite as accurate as I thought I used to be.
17:55There we go.
17:57That's got it.
17:58Where's Thor when you need him?
18:10Right, finally taking the nut off the top of this ball joint.
18:13Now that we've got all the load being taken up by this hydraulic jack.
18:17And that means I can lower it in a controlled manner.
18:21And the ball joint should separate from the hub, giving me access to the spring.
18:25Here it comes.
18:34Right.
18:35That is, I think, all the tension now taken out of the spring, which means I can now safely remove it.
18:51There we go.
18:53Let's put one in.
18:54That's just a little bit shorter.
18:59Down at the beach, I've recovered from my brush with death.
19:02And I've narrowed down my favourite paint jobs to three.
19:07Well, let me just come and stand in between your two cars, because the silver one puts a smile on my face.
19:12Orange is brilliant, and so is yellow.
19:14I've got a black WB, looks like a hearse, so I'm kind of thinking it's okay to change the colour.
19:22Mine was like a beisier creamy colour.
19:24It's a great paint job.
19:25Valencia orange.
19:26Valencia orange.
19:27Yep.
19:28It's always yellow.
19:29When I bought it, it was black like yours.
19:31Oh!
19:32Right, okay, so that, what's a black?
19:33It was black.
19:34Yes, it looks like a hearse in black, doesn't it?
19:36Yeah, yeah.
19:37Orange is a good choice for yours.
19:38You think orange is a good choice?
19:39Yeah, it would be a good choice.
19:40I mean, is there, like, the most popular colour?
19:43I think that's the most popular colour for that modern.
19:45Orange.
19:46So a good sellable colour?
19:47Yeah.
19:48Okay.
19:49Well, that's interesting.
19:50With that stripe as well, it's the stripe, it's really good.
19:57Trouble is, the cost of painting a huge slap-sided panel van could wipe out any chance of a profit.
20:03Me and Elvis need a way of changing its look without breaking the budget.
20:10Right, there we go.
20:11Old versus new.
20:12And you can see there's a height difference, and it's that that's going to lower the car and give it the stance that we're after.
20:17Plus, in true Sandman style, they're colourful.
20:23These new springs are only 30 millimetres shorter than the originals, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it's enough to significantly change the appearance of our old van.
20:32And this is going to be a case of feeding it into position, making sure it's located properly, and then lifting the jack in an exact reversal of the process we use to get it out.
20:41The spring has to sit around a sort of location collar right up there at the top.
20:49The only way you can see it really is with a torch, and it's not quite in yet.
20:54That is better.
20:55So we're in at the top.
20:56Get it the right angle of rotation.
20:57It's about there.
20:58Hold it in place on the jack.
21:01And that looks pretty good.
21:15I've still got so much to do up top though.
21:17The engine bay work is still continuing.
21:19I need to make that look a lot nicer.
21:21And I haven't even thought about turning my attention to the outside yet.
21:24I mean, right now, even after all of this, it still looks like a hearse.
21:33That's tomorrow's problem though.
21:35Tonight, we've got somewhere we need to be.
21:37Wow, look at it!
21:38Wow!
21:39G'day!
21:40The lads here at Full Throttle have put together a special car event, and we're the guests of honour.
21:46Can we get a photo?
21:48Of course you can.
21:49Do you mind?
21:50Do you want me to take it?
21:51Yeah, of course I can.
21:53Am I done?
21:54Let me just get my assistant to take the...
21:56Hold on a minute.
21:58Oh, sorry, of you lot?
22:00Yeah.
22:01Oh, right, hang on a minute.
22:02Well done, leave it in there.
22:06There you go.
22:07Thank you very much.
22:08That's wonderful.
22:10Oh, somebody's bought a book along.
22:11Yeah.
22:12Available in all good bookstores, apparently.
22:14I can highly recommend it.
22:15I can highly recommend it.
22:16I read it on my holiday.
22:18You know at those moments where you just need to get to sleep at night.
22:21Great book.
22:25Is that rough?
22:26Yeah.
22:27Put it like that.
22:28Oh yeah, like a sash.
22:29Like a Miss World.
22:31There we go.
22:32There we go.
22:33There you go.
22:34There we go.
22:35There we go.
22:36There we go.
22:37I can't afford it.
22:38I can't afford it.
22:39It's upside down.
22:40That's brilliant.
22:41Thank you very much.
22:42Thank you very much.
22:43I look forward to getting naked tonight and wearing that.
22:46So if you've seen the film Ghostbusters and want to know what it's like to be a genuine
22:53ghostbuster, are you ready?
22:54Perfect, innit?
22:55That's exactly like the film.
22:56Your neighbours must hate you.
22:57The film is mutual.
22:58That's such an Australian thing to say.
22:59But as fun as all this is...
23:00Nice to meet you too, sir.
23:09Thank you, buddy.
23:10We've got to get back to business.
23:11I've found the dead centre of Newcastle.
23:12Come and have a look at this one.
23:13This is interesting, isn't it?
23:14Because it's a white version of what we've got.
23:15Exactly.
23:16But me and you have been discussing what to do to it, and I have been talking to so many
23:21shops in the area about availability for paint shops and how much paint here is to paint
23:39a great big Holden...
23:40It's a big old wagon.
23:41...panel van.
23:42Well, I'm going to tell you, we just can't afford to do it.
23:44There's no way I'm leaving it black.
23:46We have to change the colour of this car.
23:48I mean, I don't think we will ever sell it if we don't change the colour.
23:50color we're down under in Newcastle Australia trying to transform a gloomy
24:03looking panel van into a funky surf wagon inspired by the iconic Holden
24:09Sandman but with a paint job way out of our budget we're at stalemate over how
24:15to give our van a much-needed injection of color it's a surf wagon it can't be black so we're gonna
24:22have to find another way but there is only one way there's only up one other way if it's not
24:26going to be paint and we're not going to paint it by rattle can the only other way to do it is
24:30wrapping it then that's what we got to do while Mike finds us a rapper with enough orange vinyl
24:37to cover this old beast Johnsy's back to breathe new life into our engine bay with a brand new
24:42upgraded Holley carburettor that's the part in it this thing will just give that modern fuel
24:49efficiency the metering of fuel and air will be you know the way that it's supposed to be and we've
24:54done our calculations so it's the right size for this motor well the problem is people want to go
24:58as big as they can because they think it's going to give them even more performance but you know as
25:03you know the reality is you can only put one that matches the size of your engine it's a it can only
25:09cope with a certain amount of air and fuel going in and if you over fuel it or if you over carb it
25:14you're going to pump more fuel in than it can cope with and it'll be a disaster yep and 350 is the
25:19perfect sort of streetable carburettor and that's the size that we've chosen for this car you get a
25:27chance can you just check that my vacuum advance hose there is connected to that distributor yep it is
25:33yeah you're all good look at that looks like a race car bro you'd be used to that wouldn't you
25:42does look good doesn't it
25:43all right there we go brand new Holley carburettor on our engine it's not even something I was originally
25:58planning on doing now that it's on there I'm very pleased that it is it looks the part it will make
26:03the engine more reliable and so this whole engine bay it's just starting to turn a corner the Holley
26:09carb will add value to our VA engine but it'll all be for nothing unless we can shift that nasty sludge
26:15from the water system mate we haven't got time for cocktails what you up to some bush flushing agent for
26:22yeah is this what you use well the citric acid in the lemon juice is perfect for getting rid of all
26:27of that corrosion it's a very mild acid yeah and you know we've got a lot of calcium in our water
26:32down in Australia and there's a lot of gunk as you know in there I reckon it's a natural way to do it
26:37you are full of surprises I can honestly say I've never done this before
26:41it feels so wrong and it's also making me thirsty all right well you open your mouth and I'll pour
26:48some in you and you can pour some in the motor flush me out yeah get rid of all that gunk you
26:53wouldn't have much gunk you you're the fittest bloke I've seen in 5,000 miles but just remember
27:01that I'm to tell your mum that you're stealing your lemons or you're taking a lemon juice so she can
27:06remember to go to the shops and get some more once you're done I mean it is going to work in exactly the
27:12same way as a traditional flushing agent I love it yeah and just like a traditional flushing agent
27:17you leave this in here you let it work its way through the system yeah water pump will let it
27:22flow through yeah and it'll just work away at all of that corrosion right here's some water to top it
27:29up look like you're watering the garden the lemon tree bro see how accurate we can be not very
27:36that's the way the system's now full of lemon juice a sentence I never thought I'd say
27:44should we get it get it fired up let's do it
27:46well there's life in there yet mate there is mate it's going to take a couple of days for
27:58the lemon juice to work its magic which means Johnsy's work here is done
28:02how are you brother good brother good excellent Elvis you're right yeah good to see you man so is
28:10everything done mission accomplished have we used him as much as we possibly could mate we've got so
28:16much done together haven't we we've just ploughed through so much work and there's no way I could
28:20have got through everything we've done without you being here so mate I really appreciate it yeah
28:24thanks Johnsy I mean Elvis has said every single day about how much of a benefit you've been to us in
28:29the workshop plus you brought some of your bush mechanic skills to us of what we'll never forget
28:34so thank you mate well at the beginning of the week I looked at my jobs list and you're down at
28:37number five and I thought maybe I should prioritize that number one and I don't regret it
28:42while Johnsy heads back to the bush we're heading across town to my vehicle rapper Sam who's done us a
28:51great deal on the price on the condition we get stuck in and do some of the work ourselves
28:56what could possibly go wrong yay all good yep straight over the bonnet nice one fellas if you
29:03get a good hold of it and sort of pull fairly taut yeah and make sure all your edges are covering
29:07pull out all your corners I'm not being funny instant transformation and the colour is exactly right
29:16that is fantastic I mean if we were going to choose a colour of a period the 1970s you can't get any more
29:23funky than that King it's absolutely perfect not only does it look great but it's also much cheaper
29:29than a respray wrapping this entire wagon is going to set us back just five thousand dollars
29:35so is this got like microscopic holes in it to let the air out yeah like microscopic channels almost
29:43like almost like a crisscross channel like that underneath the vinyl so if you make sort of like a bubble here
29:48you have a little bubble there you can kind of just rub it away rub it away love it right so
29:52come on then let's get it flattened down a simple soft edge squeegee should smooth out any bubbles
29:58without damaging the vinyl I'd usually sort of start from the middle I'd make sure my grooves are down
30:04nice and flat start squeegeeing down overlapping about sort of 50 percent every time so you can see
30:10where you're squeegeeing and chasing all your air out as you go it's gonna go yeah come on to go Sam yes
30:17no worries look at that silky smooth if you rip that I will laugh my head off
30:28so Sam amazing job eh the colour does look good doesn't it you can really see it coming to life
30:43the only thing is uh once this all gets done you can see it's going to be a big block of colour
30:49yeah I am talking to some people about getting some decals down the side and you know some script for the
30:55back of the car on the sides of the car uh and I think you know that's going to break this up and
31:00we're going to need to break it up because it's just going to be too much yeah we'll finish it off
31:04nicely while Sam and I crack on with the tricky wing sections so pull nice and tight and just sort of
31:13straight over like that yeah all good
31:17I'm off to sort out the crowning glory of our Sandman so I've looked around and you can actually
31:25buy just a set of Sandman decals but that's too easy so I've found a company that can actually print
31:31and make up the stickers for me do it all in a nice font and I can choose my own colour so I'm on my way to
31:38go and see them now decals are all the rage back in the 70s a cheap easy way to make the Sandman stand
31:44out exactly what we need wow this looks like the place I was expecting to turn up to a little unit with
31:53a roll-up door but this looks rather swanky I'm here to meet sticker specialist Steve and put my artistic
32:03skills to the test this is a very nice so with the with the Sandman script what does it look like
32:10on that orange in a color okay let's go have a look blue and green and red quite jarring colors
32:16aren't they they sort of hurt your eyes don't they what about something that's more yellowish on the
32:22outside yeah and then that red color can we put in the where the blue is I should be a sticker designer
32:30oh wow great work hey I should be a sticker I should like the look of that what if the white was green
32:36um if we were to change that green for I don't know orange boom wow oh yeah now we're talking
32:48excellent okay so could we put like tribute underneath or even like wheeler dealers tribute underneath
32:57great idea so I'm sort of owning it and saying it's not a Sandman it's a tribute of a song
33:01sure we let dealers tribute how does that look oh Stevie you are that looks fantastic looks great
33:15doesn't it really does look that's gonna look really hot on the back the final piece of the
33:21puzzle is to traditional Sandman stripe which breaks up those huge slab sides mate honestly
33:28with Sandman written underneath that it's gonna look epic that's gonna look great on the side
33:31can you send it to the printer let's do it nice one after you sir
33:36it's not long before the Holden's back in the workshop and it's not just the outside that's looking
33:48fresh we've tidied up the engine bay and given it a fresh coat of paint so there's now just one last
33:54job under the bonnet right now this engine is full of John Z's lemon juice it's been in there for a
34:01few days doing its magic I've run the engine up circulating it through all of the little waterways
34:05and channels where it's been breaking down using that citric acid all of the gunk that's probably
34:10been in there for years I'm now about to drain it all out hopefully along with the gunk and then
34:15replace it with some fresh coolant if John Z's trick has failed and the gunk still in there we'll be
34:23back to square one we're in Australia trying to turn this old Holden WB panel van into the ultimate
34:41sandman tribute we've nailed the color change with our money-saving wrap but has John Z's lemon juice
34:47trick cleaned out our cooling system just looking down the top of the radiator I can already see
34:57it's done its job it's taken away a lot of the gunk and even just that little bit there I can see
35:02it's cleaner so if that's the case everywhere I'll be very happy that was a nice little trick from John Z
35:06I'm gonna flush this out with some clean water change the hoses and the thermostat and then refill
35:12it with some nice clean coolant and we're good to go here we go there's the old thermostat and we can
35:19actually see it has been gunked up all the sludge that's inside the engine but interestingly as the
35:26lemon juice has been in there doing its magic you can see how the bottom of it has actually been cleaned
35:31right back to bare copper if that's the effect of it going through the entire engine we should be in
35:37much better shape I mean given they're only about five bucks I'm going to change it anyway
35:41we go time to replenish the system with a fresh amount of antifreeze or coolant and you might wonder
35:55why on earth are you putting antifreeze in a car's coolant system down here in Australia where right
36:01now temperatures about 40 degrees actually it's not just about stopping the system from freezing this
36:07fluid has anti-corrosion inhibitors it has elements in it which raise the boiling temperature of the
36:13fluid as well and prevent sludge from building up like we've seen can happen so with about 40% mix
36:19of this to water we should be good to go before you ask it is the same car we started with ah we have
36:39absolutely smashed that haven't we oh wow it's so much better than I would have ever dreamed it's hard
36:47to envisage it isn't it until it's actually done but it's transformed and your stickers how good do
36:51they look on the side look fantastic see it's got wheeler dealer tribute yeah I love it it absolutely
36:57sets it off and look it looks like a surf wagon importantly it no longer looks like a hearse we've
37:02literally raised the dead haven't we hey so it's all this end done the wraps done so what have we got
37:08left to do well there's a couple of things you can give me a hand with actually I need to get the
37:11roof rack on which is probably a two-man job and then carpet in the back and then that end is now
37:16done but mate we're almost there and I mean look at it it's got to be more sellable right yeah I
37:21mean it's hard for people to see beyond the death wagon we previously had but now it's had this
37:28done to it I'll get pictures up online mate I'll tell you what keep your fingers crossed I'm gonna
37:33get this sold quickly yeah like it all right well let's get it out you can give me a hand with those
37:36couple jobs lovely along with the exterior changes carpet in the back of the van will add value by
37:43making it a more usable space down at the beach it can come back to you a bit yeah that's it yeah
37:49it's got a cut around the arches and for any self-respecting surfer a roof rack is simply essential
37:57well I don't know how we can improve on perfection it looks absolutely mega I think it's about time we
38:04took it out thank you just need to strap aboard to the roof yeah when we bought our Holden panel van
38:15it looked like it would be more at home outside a funeral parlor and a beach bar but together we've
38:21transformed it into the ultimate surf wagon I worked with Johnsy to overhaul the engine bay and boost
38:27performance with an upgraded car and thanks to a brand new set of suspension calls we've lowered
38:34the car starts while I channeled by in a surfer dude and found the perfect color to appeal to the
38:41crowds down at the beach in total we spent just under $10,000 around 5,000 pounds
38:49money well spent to create an authentic sandman tribute and now there's only one place to go
38:57to put it to the test unbelievable isn't it look at that view
39:03I'll be honest with you I didn't think this moment would happen
39:17there are people that are sort of giving us a little cursory wave as we go by because they
39:23acknowledge the fact that we look super cool in our bright orange sandman tribute
39:29the sun is glistening off this beautiful orange car I mean yeah it's what a transformation eh
39:38you have done some great work this engine is purring like a kitten so tell me about what you and Johnsy did
39:47to it because it's beautiful that big old holly carburettor has made it more reliable but also more
39:53efficient definitely got a little bit more performance you've also changed the ride height
39:58I mean it feels it feels a little bit well slicker the whole look of this car was wrong wasn't it
40:03everything from the color but also to its stance it's sat too high so I've put a lowering kit on it
40:08and it cost me about $1,100 so not a fortune but it's definitely made it sit in the way that
40:14it should to sort of match its new fun surf-like appearance well talking about its surf-like appearance
40:20I'm really surprised just how cheap this wrap come in to be honest with you because to paint the car
40:27to throw a bucket of paint over this I was well honestly I was panicking I was getting quotes of
40:34$25,000, $30,000 Australian dollars that's double what we pay in the United Kingdom crazy isn't it
40:41so the wrap coming up $5,000 which when you think about it it looks like paint it's transformed
40:48the car with the stickers down the side that little Sanskrit and a little tribute that we've done
40:53I think for five grand it's an utter bargain yeah it's transformed the way it looks hasn't it
40:59it has so I've been running through the figures we're up at around 30,000 Australian dollars about
41:0415 grand in our money that's all right in it that is all right considering what we've done
41:08considering what we've done to it I think it's a cheap old wagon for this for 15 grand so I've
41:14advertised it out there at 35,000 Australian dollars I've got this guy on the hook he's called
41:19Stephen he's on his way to Bar Beach which is just outside Newcastle New South Wales he's seen the
41:26pictures I've spoke to him on the phone he can't wait to see the car it seems like it's perfect for
41:32him and if we get 35 for it that'd be good I'll tell you what if we can get 35 grand mate that is a
41:37tiny little profit
41:37parked up next to the beach with a board on the roof our Valencia orange sandman tribute looks
41:46right at home but will Stephen agree and have we done enough to part him from 35,000 dollars
41:54Stephen I am Stephen how you doing very well nice to see you this is Elvis how you doing um mate I can't
42:01tell you how much I appreciate you coming down when I spoke to you about this I did tell you that
42:05we had a long way to go to get it finished it started off black uh but we have changed its
42:10colour what do you think of it brilliant Mike absolutely brilliant you like the colour I love
42:15the colour what is it you like about these things I mean why do you want one I mean are you a surfer
42:19yourself uh I'm not but I'm definitely going to take it up the sport it's this is the iconic
42:24Australian car isn't it I just love it to death we put sandman and then we put look wheeler dealish
42:29tribute fantastic because it's not really a sandman it is a tribute of a sandman so I hope you're
42:34happy with that absolutely thrilled yes well look mate we've been through this uh little van from
42:38front to back engines all been sorted and service engine bay's been tidied up we've changed the
42:43stance of it lowered it a little bit so it just sits nicely over those cool wheels and of course the
42:48colour the colour we've decked out the rear as well it's got that roof rack on it so you can strap a
42:53surfboard to it um and I feel that we pitched it in a marketplace me and Elvis that opens it up to
42:59kind of a wide market uh so I'm kind of hoping you're the guy who wants to buy it I'm asking I
43:04think a really fair 35 000 Aussie dollars what do you think deal deal really hold out your hand
43:11got yourself crack it deal well done well done Stephen thank you
43:14we started off this journey on the beach wanting to embrace Aussie surf culture with a vehicle yeah
43:24I've got to say mate boom smashed it and we've got a brilliant customer who's so happy with it
43:29it's even going to take up surfing no it's great absolutely we've nailed it mate we have nailed it
43:33and we've returned a profit
43:34time down
43:40yeah
43:44you
43:47yeah
43:49yeah
43:56yeah
43:57yeah
44:01yeah
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