- 5 hours ago
Shed and Buried Classic Cars S04E03 Model T Ford
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:04Why don't we get Bean in. Bean, come here. Come on, because we can have it nice and comfortable there.
00:11Comfortable? What? It's the worst word. Comfortable. It's a comfortable car. It's lovely and comfortable.
00:18There's one worse word than comfortable. What's that? Standard. Standard. We don't do standard.
00:24No, the worst word of all is moist.
00:33And we're off. Trawling Britain's sheds. This is absolutely unbelievable.
00:41For the most intriguing? I have never ever seen one of these. The most exciting?
00:47Oh, ho, ho. Now that is a naughty car. The most surprising? Classic cars.
00:54It is very you. Oh, I love it. We're going to buy them, fix them up.
00:59Go!
01:02And sell them for a tidy profit. Nice little earner.
01:07Wahey! This is Shed and Buried. Classic cars.
01:14We're on our way to the Forest of Dean on the hunt for a classic car.
01:22We're going to go and visit Andy and Elijah.
01:25OK.
01:25They like to buy and sell a bit, but they collect a lot of pre-war stuff.
01:30Right.
01:30And also a bit of early post-war stuff.
01:32Right.
01:32They also have things like caravans. They have trailer tents, as in ancient trailer tents as well.
01:40All that kind of stuff. Yeah. They are very much into the sort of late pre-war and early post
01:47-war era.
01:48The thing that I find suspicious and concerning is caravans.
01:51I like a caravan, you know.
01:53I know you do. That's the problem.
01:55Once upon a time, many years ago, I had a caravan.
02:00Did you?
02:00And I used to have it on the workshop yards.
02:02What did you do for washing?
02:04There was a sink in the workshop.
02:06What?
02:07I had a gentleman's wash in the sink.
02:12That's where we differ.
02:14I could not go under canvas.
02:16It's not under canvas. It was under formica and cheap wood.
02:20Some of those early ones were canvas, weren't they?
02:23Yeah.
02:23Pop-up canvas caravans.
02:28Whether we come back with something pre-war, post-war, or end up going to war over a caravan, who
02:34knows?
02:35But the Forest of Dean, here we come.
02:41Guys, how did you get into it all then?
02:43I've always been into all cars.
02:44Yeah, I've always just grown up loving cars.
02:46And, yeah, we seem to have got sort of earlier and earlier.
02:48That's really interesting, actually.
02:50Because, kind of like, I'm getting earlier and earlier in my love of things, if you see what I mean.
02:55Yes.
02:55Why is that?
02:56Yeah, that's such good fun to drive, aren't they?
02:58Yeah, yeah.
02:59Well, the market's gone down, hasn't it?
03:00So you kind of, we can kind of afford older pre-war stuff, whereas we couldn't have maybe ten years
03:05ago.
03:06Yeah.
03:06So there's a lot of goodies here.
03:08Is it all for sale?
03:10Everything bar the Swift.
03:12Okay, the Swift.
03:13Okay, well, we'll have a look at the Swift.
03:14I don't know about the Swift.
03:15That's going to be the one.
03:16Is that an old car?
03:16Yeah, I don't quite like that, but I can't have it.
03:19All right, great.
03:19Okay, so look, guys, what we'll do is we'll have a quick romage, yeah?
03:23Call you in if we need to get any info on stuff.
03:25And then, hopefully, at the end of it, we'll have a haggle.
03:28Brilliant.
03:28Sounds good.
03:29Fantastic.
03:29Perfect.
03:29Thank you so much.
03:30Where should we start?
03:31Oh, let's get the caravan out of the way.
03:33Come on, then.
03:33All right, see you later, boys.
03:35Okay, come on, then.
03:41Now, here we go.
03:42Come on.
03:42Oh, let's just get it out of the way, shall we?
03:43Take a look.
03:43Now, this could be the caravan of love.
03:48First thing in the morning.
03:49Can you imagine coming out and going, ah, morning, everybody.
03:53Yeah, and I'll be lying there, and I'll see your nether regions.
03:57What are we doing?
03:57We don't want one of these things.
03:59Is there a following for this?
04:01Probably.
04:02Yeah, I think there is, yeah.
04:03I actually think that there is a following for a vintage folding camper like this.
04:09Shall we walk away and just consider it?
04:11It might sort of...
04:12No, no.
04:13Once we've walked away, we'll never think about it again.
04:15All right, ready?
04:17One, two, three, gone.
04:24For something I might want to see again, he's got a lovely Bedford van.
04:31What have we got here?
04:32Okay.
04:33Four-cylinder.
04:34Yep, little four-cylinder petrol engine.
04:35Yeah.
04:36That is a lovely thing.
04:37Isn't it?
04:38I'd like to find out more about...
04:39I guess that must be a Vauxhall engine of some sort.
04:42I reckon this must date from around about...
04:44Yeah?
04:45I'd hazard a guess, 1949 to 50 or something like that.
04:49Oh, do you think so?
04:49Yeah.
04:50It's got an aluminium radiator with an electric fan in there, so it's built for use on the modern-day
04:55roads.
04:55Well, that's fantastic.
04:56I've got to tell you, though, as we both know, commercials are always highly desirable, aren't they?
05:01Yes, that's right.
05:02Do you know what I mean?
05:03Now, I do like it.
05:04I like it a lot.
05:05So do I.
05:05I think this is something that would be a good buy and easily to...
05:12Sell on.
05:12Sell onwards, yeah.
05:13Yeah, yeah.
05:14Yeah, so I think this is...
05:16Or is that a salon?
05:17No.
05:18No, that's a hair product.
05:18No, that's where you go when you have your hair highlighted.
05:22Have you been recently?
05:25Look.
05:26Right.
05:26How long have we known each other?
05:27A long time.
05:28Hold on, wait a minute.
05:29Have you ever seen me with foils in my hair?
05:31Well, I don't go to the same salon as you because my salon comes out with this one.
05:36Yours is the salon of life.
05:40Shall we have a look what's under the cover here?
05:42Yeah, let's.
05:45Come on in.
05:46Now, let's have a look under here.
05:50Okay, let's talk about this straight away, shall we?
05:52Okay.
05:53Obviously, we all know that the Model T was the first mass-produced car and as long as
05:59you wanted it in black, you got it.
06:01I love them.
06:05Released in 1908, the Model T Ford was the first true mass-produced car.
06:11A revolution in motoring.
06:13In fact, the earliest cars were available in several colours.
06:17But at the peak of production, when Detroit was rolling out two million vehicles a year
06:22for maximum efficiency, the only colour was black.
06:29Tell me, right?
06:31See, something like this.
06:33Yes.
06:33Is what?
06:34Between eight to twelve grand.
06:35Yeah.
06:36Dependent on what condition it's in.
06:38Yeah.
06:38Right?
06:39Why are they so cheap?
06:40You know, the heritage, the history.
06:44Yeah.
06:44It's relatability though, isn't it?
06:46Okay.
06:47Not enough people try these things out.
06:50Get into one of these and start to appreciate the history.
06:54Yeah.
06:54But also the fun.
07:00Moving undercover, there's a miniature Morgan.
07:04Now look, is that Morgan far away or quite small?
07:08I think it's intended for a small person.
07:11Okay, so it's sort of a kid's thing perhaps.
07:15And next to the swift soft top, they don't want to sell another delectable post-war van.
07:24Andy, Elijah, come on in, man.
07:26Come on in.
07:26Now look, we're fascinated about the van here.
07:30Now, does it have an exciting history?
07:33Does it?
07:34Well, sort of.
07:36The chap we bought it from, it was local to where he lived and he said it was sort of
07:41like a florist's van.
07:42Oh, okay.
07:43But apparently, sort of part-time, it was also a hearse as well.
07:46Oh, right.
07:47How wonderful.
07:47And is it all in good state?
07:49I mean, does it run?
07:50I don't think we've had it running, have we?
07:51No.
07:52We've, yeah, we've sort of bought it as a project and haven't really got around to it yet.
07:55Okay, fantastic.
07:57All right.
07:57My God, we've got one big shed to go, I think.
07:59Yeah.
08:00But we've got just a whole plethora of things to choose from.
08:02That's right.
08:03Already.
08:03Just think, no big expenses when the day comes.
08:07Off we go.
08:11Next door, the shed's even bigger and the wonders never cease.
08:17Now, look at this little lot.
08:20First up, a huge Austin saloon from the 1920s.
08:28These are capable of 65, 70, low 70 mile per hour.
08:33Really?
08:33Yeah.
08:34And all that in a car which has no front brakes.
08:38So just the rear?
08:40Yep.
08:41That's it.
08:41That's your lot.
08:42But if we look inside here.
08:44It's beautiful.
08:45So it is a tourer, which is lovely.
08:47So it has open sides.
08:48It probably will have some side screens that go in here as well.
08:53Right, right.
08:53I was going to say, because if you've got the roof down here and it's even just slightly inclement.
08:59If you're sitting in the back.
09:01Perishing.
09:02But you see, Guy and Al could go in the back there and get cold.
09:05And we could be up here.
09:06Nice and warm.
09:08We won't be able to hear them because of the wind.
09:12Moving forward in time and model number, there's an Austin A40 Sports.
09:19Now, that's an oxymoron really.
09:21Because an Austin A40 and a sports really don't really go together.
09:25Don't really go together.
09:26No, no.
09:26And so this has got, I think it's like a 1200cc engine.
09:29Right.
09:30It's a bit wheezy.
09:31They're not quick, but they are very pretty.
09:35Now, wouldn't this be lovely if it were paired up to that lovely folding caravan?
09:41Moving on.
09:43Or maybe not.
09:46At the back of the shed, there are two 70s cars,
09:49which like tank tops and Oxford bags are best forgotten.
09:53A souped up three wheeler.
09:56I think that this might be a V8 Reliant Robin.
10:01I think you might be right.
10:03Now, how much fun would that be?
10:05Relatively terrifying.
10:08And an Austin all aggro, whose hydro-elastic suspension has been suspended.
10:15It looks slightly low, down on its luck.
10:18Once they start to get a bit saggy, it might not be so good.
10:21Well, I know the feeling.
10:23Hey, look, right.
10:24So let's just have a reprise.
10:26We've got the big Austin down there.
10:28That's a lovely thing.
10:29I like the Bedford commercial.
10:31That is a very nice little thing, isn't it?
10:33Yeah, I like that as well.
10:34Model T.
10:35I like that.
10:36Yeah, I do.
10:37I have to say though, Andy and Elijah, good taste, don't you think?
10:41I think so, yeah.
10:42I like the cut of their jibs.
10:44Yeah, come on, let's go and relieve them of a jib.
10:46Okay.
10:47Come on.
10:53Now then, down to business.
10:56I'm going to ask about something, because I don't think it's going to be for sale,
10:59but right behind us is that lovely Austin 20, early Austin 20.
11:04Yeah.
11:04Is that for sale?
11:06Sadly not.
11:06No, I didn't think it was.
11:08A bit attached, aren't we?
11:09So we've got ourselves a Model T Ford.
11:12Is that running and riding?
11:14Yep.
11:14It's all on the road.
11:15Just needs the roof fitting on that one.
11:17The framework's all on it.
11:18Yeah.
11:19It's just the canvas that he's putting on it.
11:20Oh, okay.
11:21Which comes with it.
11:21Oh, okay.
11:22Fantastic.
11:22Okay, that would be good.
11:23Alright.
11:24How much would that be, Andy?
11:26About eight and a half for that one.
11:29Okay.
11:30Yeah, good.
11:31Easy.
11:31Easy.
11:32Okay.
11:32There was a little Bedford van.
11:35Yeah.
11:35Is it for sale?
11:36Yeah, I'd sell it.
11:37For the right price.
11:38Semi-reluctant.
11:39What is the right price?
11:40I'd probably want about eight and a half for that one.
11:43Okay.
11:43There seems to be a theme going on there.
11:45There is going on, yeah.
11:46The Model T.
11:48Yeah.
11:49Six and a half.
11:50What?
11:52I'd do seven and a half.
12:05I'd do seven and a half.
12:06We're over in the forest of Dean with automotive double act Andy and Elijah.
12:12We've bid six and a half grand on a Model T, but they want more.
12:18Seven.
12:20Seventy.
12:21Fifty.
12:22If you minded, I would go in at that.
12:25I would.
12:26Brilliant.
12:26Well done, lads.
12:28Absolutely marvellous.
12:32Two days later, back at the shed, Skid and Alan get their first view.
12:39It's lovely though, isn't it?
12:41Every panel's got a dent, so the dent doesn't notice.
12:43Fuzzle.
12:44That's right.
12:44Fuzzle, do they like it?
12:45It's amazing.
12:46Fuzzle.
12:46It's absolutely idyllic.
12:48You've never been this close to something that's a hundred years old.
12:51You look a hundred years old.
12:53Oi!
12:53I knew that was coming.
12:55I was about to pre-empt that and go, we're standing next to Alan.
12:58No, because he's the oldest.
12:59It's got wooden wheels like off a cart.
13:01Yes, I don't know.
13:02I do think it's amazing, man.
13:03I cannot believe that motoring is that old.
13:06Neither can I.
13:06We know it is, but...
13:07Yeah, it's probably more than a hundred years old, isn't it?
13:10This is the dawn of major motoring.
13:13Yes.
13:14But, of course, there was no rule book at the time when these were brought out.
13:18No standardisation either.
13:19Yeah, that's right.
13:19So, what we've got is we've got a hand throttle, a bit like a tractor.
13:23But then, we've got a lever that looks like a handbrake.
13:28And indeed, it is a handbrake.
13:29Only when you push it forwards, that engages drive.
13:33So, off you go.
13:35Then you've got pedals that do different things.
13:37You've got one that is first and second gear.
13:40And the other one is reverse.
13:42When you've got your foot on first, you put your foot on the other pedal and you get reverse.
13:47Can I just say to you?
13:48So, do you have to hold the pedal down for drive?
13:50No.
13:51No, no, no.
13:52You do in first, but not in second.
13:54I say that.
13:54I have no clue.
13:56Yeah.
13:56At first gear, you have the pedal depressed.
13:59Yes.
13:59And then when you go to second gear, you release the pedal.
14:02That's correct.
14:03What we need is a big field.
14:04Put the car right in the middle of the field.
14:06Yes.
14:06And then we can have a go.
14:07Okay, all right.
14:08That's a great idea.
14:09Okay, so basically, what we've got to do first is get this thing going.
14:12Yeah.
14:13Yeah, all right.
14:13That was going to be my next question.
14:15Does it run?
14:16Well, I don't know.
14:17Oh.
14:17Oh, does it start on the handle?
14:19Well, there is actually an electric start as well.
14:23So, there's a little button down here.
14:24Hold on.
14:25Oh, just watch the T.
14:27All right.
14:28So, look, this is fantastic.
14:29And then we will create a situation or a safe environment, shall we say, for us all
14:35to have a go driving it.
14:37But we need to get to first base and see if it actually goes.
14:40Yes.
14:40All right.
14:42Andy and Elijah have given us a pile of tools and accoutrements, ranging from a spare lever
14:48to control the fuel mixture.
14:51You can enrich it on hills and then weaken it on the straight.
14:53Yeah.
14:55To some new canvas for the roof.
14:58That is the hood.
15:00If you look, there's a hood frame on the back.
15:02But no hood.
15:03No.
15:04Are you any good with the needle?
15:05No.
15:05Absolutely useless.
15:07I've never tried.
15:07I've never tried anything.
15:10So, we'll save that job for later.
15:12Priority for now is getting it going.
15:16I think first things first, we should check lubricant levels.
15:20So, there is no dipstick on here.
15:24And look, here's the filler.
15:26No, there's no dipstick.
15:27Where do you fill it up then?
15:29You fill it just here, but I think there's a level hole underneath the back of the gearbox.
15:31Yeah.
15:32So, I think, actually, there are two taps on these.
15:35Yeah.
15:35There's a lower one and a higher one.
15:37Upper one.
15:38Now, the low one is the lowest level at which you can run the engine.
15:43Now, you have to leave these sitting for a while so that they achieve their level.
15:47Does that mean we can have tea?
15:48Well, if you put the tea on, then Al and I can get a look and see what's going on,
15:53of course.
15:54It's got a brass tap.
15:55It's not even a bolt.
15:55You can turn this tap open and let the oil drain out.
16:00Sounds complicated, so we'll leave Alan Fuzz to get on with it.
16:05There you go, Fuzz.
16:06There's two taps.
16:06One at the top, one at the bottom.
16:09So, hopefully, if you turn that one, if I turn it, it should go in.
16:15Okay.
16:15Yes, we're in.
16:16There's no oil there, is there?
16:17No.
16:18Shall we try the bottom one?
16:19Yeah.
16:20Fuzz clears any blockages with a skewer, and out it comes.
16:25Yes, there's oil at the bottom.
16:26Okay.
16:27Just a little bit, yeah.
16:28Okay, so what we need to do is open the top one.
16:33Yeah, that's open.
16:33Okay, right.
16:34So, if you go around and add some oil, and I'll shout when it starts dribbling out.
16:38Okay.
16:39Let's get oil in.
16:42Let's hope I get it in the right place.
16:44We've got some residual dripping going on, so I think the level's not far off.
16:48Oh, it's dripping out underneath.
16:50I'm just going to check the bottom one a second.
16:52Okay.
16:53I bet the bottom one flows oil.
16:56Do we want a little more?
16:57Yeah, I think a little bit more.
16:58It wouldn't hurt.
16:59Okay.
17:02I think we'll leave it at that first.
17:04So, we've got oil.
17:05Right, let's check for coolant.
17:08Right, okay, so it's got coolant as well.
17:10Excellent.
17:11I think we might be in with a chance here.
17:13If we've got a spark.
17:14These leaves look quite new, don't they?
17:15Yeah.
17:16I'll just check to see if we've got any fuel in here as well.
17:20Now, the fuel tank is underneath the front seat.
17:23Told you this thing was idiosyncratic?
17:28Seat cushion.
17:29Oh, right, there's the petrol tank.
17:30Yeah, there's the tank.
17:35Oh, that looks quite low.
17:37It's a traditional coal level.
17:39I think it's quite bizarre.
17:41You've got to remove the seat from your car and put a petrol filler nozzle in the car to fill
17:45your tank.
17:46Yeah, but even Series 1 Land Rovers had that underneath the driver's seat.
17:50But there's a cap with an evaporation hole, so all the fumes are going into the car.
17:53That's right.
17:53Total explosion, fire hazard.
17:55Yeah, that's right.
17:56But a lot of cars didn't have the tank there.
18:00They had it in the scuttle.
18:03In goes some gasoline.
18:07I always like to fill them up a bit more.
18:10I think a full fuel tank is a happy fuel tank.
18:17Do you know, Al, I think we might be close to a start-up.
18:28Have we started it yet?
18:29No, we're just about to, actually.
18:31Are you ready for the moment?
18:31Oh, we've just turned up in time, yes.
18:34Right, I would advise you not to stand in front of this car.
18:37OK, all right, we'll stand back.
18:39Bean, come here.
18:40Honestly.
18:44Right, we'll just chuck her in the back there.
18:46OK.
18:47All right, in you get, Joe.
18:48There you go, Bean.
18:48There we go, Beaneth.
18:51Yes, yes, yes.
18:52I see it.
18:53It runs!
18:53It runs!
18:54Perfect!
18:56That sounds amazing.
18:57That sounds quite good.
18:58Hold on.
19:00I'm scared.
19:00There we go.
19:02Oh, I can get in, can I?
19:03Yeah.
19:06There we go, there we go.
19:07Oh, my God!
19:21I've decanted the dog just in case.
19:24OK, yeah.
19:25With its 2.9-litre, 20-horsepower engine, the Model T was five times faster than a horse
19:33and buggy.
19:34No surprise, it was called wonderfully terrifying by an early purchaser.
19:48So what do you reckon its cruising speed is?
19:51I reckon it will cruise along at 45 miles per hour.
19:54Do you reckon, really?
19:55Yeah.
19:55I think it will, yeah.
19:55Yeah.
20:01It's very comfy here.
20:03I love it, mate.
20:04It's a cool old yoke, isn't it?
20:05You can see a lot from up here as well.
20:07It's like being on a stagecoach.
20:09But quicker.
20:12At its height, Ford's Highland Park assembly line was rolling out one Model T every 93 minutes.
20:22OK, I tried the brake there, and that did work a little bit.
20:26Great work.
20:27If I pull back on here...
20:29Oh, that's good.
20:30That's great.
20:31There we go.
20:32That's good.
20:33Yeah.
20:34Oh, man, it works.
20:38At a time when many roads were little more than dirt tracks, Model T's were known for their rugged,
20:44all-terrain qualities, and this 101-year-old car is no exception.
20:51All we've got to do now is have a fiddle with it, put the hood on.
20:56Yeah.
20:56But then we need to plan a decent adventure.
20:59Right, shall we take it back up to the workshop?
21:01Yeah, good idea.
21:10So what a great first day.
21:12But if we really are going on an adventure, we'll need to sort that hood.
21:16And that means swapping our spanners for sewing needles and learning a whole new skill set.
21:40Our Model T is looking great and driving great.
21:46It's like being on a stagecoach, but quicker.
21:51But before we take her on the road for a longer trip, there's one thing we've got to sort out.
22:02When was the last time you had a bit of paper out?
22:05Well, this is TFM.
22:08What is a TFM?
22:09The flipping manual.
22:12For the hood.
22:13It's worse than building an IKEA flat back up.
22:15Oh, for the hood?
22:16Yeah.
22:16Oh, is that why we're here?
22:18Exactly, yes.
22:19Blimey, best of luck.
22:21It's gone.
22:22I don't blame him as well.
22:24There's about 46 steps here.
22:26And it's very small print as well.
22:27Tiny print.
22:28And it's really, it's a tough read.
22:31Before we try and do any of this, should we try putting the hood frame up?
22:34Probably a good idea.
22:35Yeah.
22:35That's a good starting point.
22:37Try and keep all our fingers intact.
22:41It might look like a pram cover, but getting this thing up is definitely not child's play.
22:48That's it.
22:49More effort.
22:50That's it.
22:50There we go.
22:51Showing who's boss skid.
22:57Early versions of the Model T were mainly soft tops, but by the time this one was built
23:03in 1925, hard tops were commonplace and a lot less hassle for new owners.
23:09Oh, hold on.
23:09It's come out skid.
23:13After 15 minutes, the frame's been in and out more times than the hokey-cokey, but finally
23:18it's there.
23:20That goes down like that.
23:22And that goes in there like that.
23:25That locks it in.
23:26There we go.
23:29Next stage, Alan staples on two supporting straps before Fuzz goes back to the manual.
23:36Open up the two cloth flaps and carefully remove the cotton padding.
23:42And while Skid ponders the theory of relativity, Alan and Fuzz put up the runners and put the stuffing back
23:52in.
23:54This is really complicated.
23:55I hope we got this right.
23:55OK.
23:56In spite of universal nervousness, they make steady progress.
24:01And after hammering everything down, move on to the roof itself.
24:06OK.
24:06Over we go.
24:11There's more head scratching.
24:14There's no way that's going to reach.
24:19But our trainee upholsterers are growing in confidence.
24:22If all else fails, we'll be ready to enter a team for next year's Krypton Factor.
24:31Over the next hour, our trainee seamstresses continue to staple, wrangle, and hammer our new hood into place.
24:41Until, by the time the clock strikes lunch, they have something vaguely akin to a hood.
24:50I, meanwhile, have embarked on a very different kind of mission.
24:57Watching someone fit a hood to a Model T Ford is like watching paint dry.
25:02So, look, I've come here on my own.
25:05I've escaped to Ford's heritage site.
25:09So, they've got all the Fords.
25:12It's not up to the public, but if you're lucky, you can have a little quick whistle round.
25:23Located in Daventry in the Midlands, next to Ford's main parts distribution centre, it's home to around 130 vehicles.
25:33I'm here to meet Len Keane, who manages the collection.
25:38There are so many classic cars here, from Cortinas to Crusaders.
25:44Granadas to Escorts.
25:47As well as unique cars like this, the last Ford Capri in Brooklyn's green.
25:53And this GT40 road car.
25:57We only produced seven of these.
25:59These are Mark III GT40 road cars.
26:02We're very, very proud of this vehicle.
26:04Oh, that is beautiful.
26:05And it's got a multi-million dollar price tag on it now.
26:09Yes, I'm sure it's telephone numbers.
26:13I've come, though, surprise, surprise, to look at Ford's first ever classic, the Model T.
26:20It is amazing, isn't it?
26:23There are hundreds of cars here.
26:26And the lineage started with our Model T.
26:30With this, yes.
26:31When we launched the Model T in the UK, we outsold, in the first few years, all the six British
26:37manufacturers combined.
26:39I can imagine.
26:41This was a vehicle that you could manipulate into hundreds of different body styles.
26:46They made them as trucks, as vans, as pickups, as four-seaters, two-seaters, you know.
26:52And it was such a multi-use vehicle.
26:55They're fixing the hood at the moment.
26:57That's why I've come up on my own.
26:58Yes.
26:59But I tell you what, it's proper complex.
27:01It is, yes, yes.
27:02I think just to get it to work is very, very difficult.
27:05I'm just getting in the way, man.
27:06Yeah, yeah, yeah.
27:07This is why you see most people driving with the hood down.
27:09Because it's a lot easier to drive them with the hood down than to all the paraffinators to get the
27:13hood up.
27:14That's so right.
27:17In total, Ford built around 300,000 Model Ts in the UK, helping to create their massive plant at Dagenham,
27:25which has been responsible for so many classic Fords over the years.
27:32Can I just stay here a bit longer?
27:34Because I reckon Fuzz won't have finished the roof by now.
27:36No, I doubt if you will.
27:37In fact, you could probably stay here for another week or so before we've got that done.
27:40Oh, great. Shall we have a coffee?
27:41Yes, let's do that.
27:46Back at the great Model T sewing bee, Fuzz is neatening up the seams, assisted by Skid.
27:54This is a highly skilled job. Stopping it twizzling.
27:58Day two? Are you having fun?
28:01I'm having great fun here.
28:02Are you?
28:03Yeah, yeah.
28:03How's your little assistant?
28:05He's doing a great job of pulling my Hydem strip tight while I get the taxi.
28:09Oh, I don't know about that mate.
28:11Sounds a bit ominous.
28:12Do you?
28:12The Hydem strip hides these little tacks.
28:16So you get these tacks, you put them in, then you kind of separate this out here, like that.
28:21Right.
28:22Pull that apart, then you put your tacks in, and then once your tacks in, close it up together.
28:27Like a lip.
28:28Oh right, the Hydem strip hides them.
28:30That's what it is.
28:31A Hydem strip hides the tacks.
28:33Yes.
28:33Couldn't they have just done one that was just fitted?
28:36I think you'll find that each of these cars is an individual.
28:39They're all one-offs, aren't they?
28:40Yeah, they're all kind of...
28:41Well, this was the first mass-produced car.
28:44How long do you reckon you'll be?
28:45A couple of days, do you reckon, Fuzz?
28:47We're on time for this.
28:49Day two.
28:50Day three, day four.
28:50Can you believe it?
28:51It'll probably only be another hour or so.
28:53Yeah.
28:54But in the meantime, yeah, it's probably another day.
28:56Would it?
28:57Yeah.
28:57Wow.
28:58Come on, Al.
28:59Hey, cut, I'll show you some bikes.
29:00Yeah, okay.
29:01Yeah, yeah, yeah.
29:05In truth, Fuzz is not far away.
29:09There we go.
29:10Look at that.
29:11It's the shiniest thing on the car.
29:18Jelly's turned up expecting a dog's dinner.
29:21But no one could not be impressed by Fuzz's industry, skill and mutt-like devotion
29:27when we've all scarpered.
29:30I can almost hear the slurping of tea and the crunch of ginger nuts.
29:40An hour later, the tacks have run out, the hide me's have been hidden and we have a brand
29:46new roof.
29:47Only question, will it go down?
29:52Before we go any further and attempt to put it down.
29:56Yes.
29:57Good idea.
29:57Done a great job, mate.
29:58It's early days yet.
29:59Let's just see if it works.
30:05In fact, it's perfect.
30:07So after Fuzz has been crowned employee of the week, Alan is desperate to show off what
30:13he can do.
30:16Right.
30:17What's next, Al?
30:18I think you've got to fit the horn.
30:19Right, okay.
30:19Where is it?
30:20I've got the horn.
30:22Is it those new tablets you're on?
30:23No, it's there.
30:24Oh, right.
30:25Okay.
30:26So, where are we going to fit it?
30:28Basically, this is the same one that's fit on my flying milliard motorcycle.
30:31Right, okay.
30:31So, I do a bit of homework.
30:33Oh.
30:33Because I've made a bracket that actually interfaces with the horn.
30:36Right, I see.
30:37To save us a bit of time.
30:38Okay, fantastic.
30:39It has a mounting stub at the back.
30:41So, I took the opportunity at the weekend to make up a little bracket that slides on there.
30:44Ah, lovely.
30:45So, now we can put this opera up to the car, weld a strap across here and put two screws
30:49in.
30:50Absolutely, I can tell that you really do have the horn there.
30:54Boop, boop.
30:58While Fuzz takes a break, Alan heads for the workshop to start on his bracket.
31:04The first thing I need to do is cut off a strip from this bit of metal.
31:06So, I'm going to put the tube on the top there.
31:08Make that little mark.
31:09I'm going to go like this and draw it along.
31:12And I'm going to cut that with a saw, clean it all up on the linisher, drill two holes,
31:15give it a little bit of a dog leg bend, weld it onto that piece of tube, go and fit
31:18it to the car.
31:21He cuts a 4mm metal strip, rounds off the corners, drills two holes and bends it like
31:28Beckham.
31:29Remind me never to get into an arm wrestling bout with Alan.
31:35That's the bracket basically made.
31:37So, when I weld that onto there, I'll mount the horn.
31:43After checking it against the car.
31:47It needs to be cut about there.
31:49Alan adjusts the bracket, welds on the second element and uses an angle grinder to neaten
31:56it all up before adding one final touch.
32:01That's the bracket basically finished.
32:02What I want to do before I put it into the car is cut a little slit this way to
32:05allow that
32:06to squeeze in nicer and clamp the horn tight.
32:08This is quite a thick bracket.
32:09We don't have any chance of it not squeezing.
32:13And after one final round of sawing, Alan checks the bracket on the car.
32:20That's just perfect isn't it?
32:22Sprays it Henry Ford's favourite colour and barely an hour after he started completes his
32:28bespoke fitting.
32:30Boop boop.
32:31Oh you've got it on man.
32:33Oh yeah.
32:34Oh yes please.
32:35That's divine.
32:36We have it.
32:37Oh it looks lovely.
32:38Boop.
32:38And sounds lovely.
32:40Proper nice.
32:41Hey.
32:41Great horn.
32:42Well done boys.
32:43I'll be back in a jiffy.
32:44No I won't.
32:45He's like a butterfly isn't he?
32:46Yeah.
32:47Just for a moment.
32:48Off it goes.
32:49Yeah.
32:53For an adventure we've decided to head for the Black Country Living Museum.
32:58Our Model T should fit in perfectly.
33:01But how are we going to cope with our first ever road trip?
33:20Now let's have a look under here.
33:22Three weeks ago we found a Model T Ford way down in the forest of Dean.
33:297250.
33:30Brilliant.
33:31Well done lads.
33:32Absolutely marvellous.
33:34We fettled it.
33:36Prettified it.
33:38And now after Fuzz and Alan have washed it down.
33:42Is that squeaky clean?
33:44And oiled it up.
33:46We're ready to take it out.
33:54First though, my mate Richard, a Model T expert, is going to give me, Skid and Alan,
33:59a driving lesson.
34:02Hello Skid.
34:02Lovely to meet you.
34:03All right Alan.
34:05Good to see you.
34:05And Mr Fuzz who knows.
34:07Hello Fuzz.
34:08Great to see you.
34:08Can I just say, you've got your work cut out.
34:11Have I really?
34:12Shall I go now then?
34:14The Model T was launched long before there was a standard layout for pedals and controls.
34:21The first thing you notice is we have no gear stick.
34:25All we've got is that handbrake and the pedals.
34:27Of course.
34:27So instead of the gear stick we're going to use our feet to do everything.
34:30So then when we start the car in a minute, we'll adjust our levers.
34:33So we've got our spark lever set and we've got our gas as they call it in America, but
34:37that's our throttle.
34:38And we've got it nicely running and we're ready to pull away.
34:40Right.
34:41In which case we'll let the handbrake into the upright position.
34:45Right.
34:45Which is still keeping us in neutral, but it's releasing the rear brakes.
34:48And we're then going to press very gently on the left hand pedal, which is still called
34:53the clutch, but it just does the opposite to a modern manual clutch.
34:57So when you press it down on this car, it makes you go forward.
35:00If you let it off, we're going to go up into top gear.
35:03So it's the opposite to a modern car.
35:05Hang on.
35:06So you push it down.
35:07For one.
35:08To go.
35:08Yeah.
35:08To go.
35:09Then you come through neutral and then we'll go up into top gear.
35:12How do you, without touching the handbrake thing.
35:14We'll let that off when we go into top gear.
35:17At the moment for safety.
35:18Oh my God, I'm confused already.
35:20Now explaining a Model T driving, okay, without actually sitting in and doing it.
35:25Is really difficult.
35:26What's the middle one for?
35:27The middle one, okay, so when we want to go backwards.
35:29Oh right, it's reverse.
35:30That's reverse.
35:31We would hold the clutch pedal in the middle position.
35:34Right.
35:35Which is neutral.
35:36Allowing us then to press on the reverse pedal and go back.
35:39And what's the one on the right?
35:40The one on the right is simply a foot brake.
35:42Oh right.
35:44This is going to be hilarious.
35:48Learner number one, skid.
35:51Keeping it simple.
35:56So when I want to stop now, I lift this up.
35:58Lean into the bed.
35:59That's it.
36:00Just let the clutch up a little bit and then on the brake.
36:03So just up a little bit.
36:04That's it.
36:05You got it.
36:06You don't release it all the way?
36:07Okay.
36:08Which one?
36:09The clutch one.
36:10No, because we're only doing first gear at the moment.
36:12On the way back, if you want to do second gear, we will release it.
36:15I'm not sure I want to.
36:24That's it.
36:27That's it.
36:29That's it.
36:31That's it.
36:32You're in top gear.
36:34We are.
36:35Hey.
36:35Ow.
36:36You're a genius.
36:39Third learner, moi-même.
36:43What do I do with this?
36:44I've forgotten.
36:45Right.
36:45If you put it in the vertical position, if we're doing just slow speed for now.
36:49Oh.
36:50Yay.
36:52First two.
36:56Back in the 1920s, Ford included a 15-minute driving lesson as part of the purchase price.
37:02I think us three would have needed a little bit more.
37:13Hey Richard, thank you so much.
37:14Oh, it's been a pleasure.
37:15Come on then, let's get ready for our outing.
37:20The Black Country Museum.
37:22Here we come.
37:25Oh my God.
37:26I have to tell you, I have forgotten my own memo.
37:30Yeah.
37:31Where are your period clothes?
37:34Well, I completely forgot that I sent you the memo.
37:37Do you know what Al looks like?
37:39He looks like the boy who'd go up the chimney.
37:41He does, yeah.
37:41Yeah, isn't he?
37:42Yeah.
37:43Now, I know Richard has taught us all how to drive the Model T, but I just think, seeing
37:48as we're going on a, well, a long, you're driving.
37:52Right.
37:53Oh, okay.
37:53Have you seen the size of his feet though with the pedals?
37:55Yeah.
37:56Oh my God.
37:56Oh my God.
37:59And we're off.
38:06Well, I've got to tell you, man, you look like something out of the Great Gatsby.
38:10Doesn't he look great?
38:11Yeah.
38:17can i say this is very relaxed isn't it speed yeah and it's only got two gears that's right
38:25but i think this is 28 miles an hour 28 wow we are cruising cruising on a b road
38:3484 miles later we're there oh yes oh yes look at this
38:47come on let's have a look let's have a look well driven mate i'm a bit windswept in there
38:52let's have a quick look come on in yeah the black country living museum has been opened since 1978
39:00on a site that now covers almost 30 acres there's a canal several terraces and 50 period shops
39:08including this delectable 1930s garage was this building actually a garage or has it been kind
39:16of repurposed no this is exactly a copy of the original is it the original was asbestos and
39:24for some reason i don't want to bring it so this is cement board
39:30i'm half tempted to leave our model t here for a quick service but we need to drive forward in
39:36time
39:37to a 1950s street that has just got a new public library as curator matthew tells us it was moved
39:45here brick by brick from nearby dudley we in the development the researchers our collections team
39:52work really hard to kind of pitch all the material get it all together we use photographic evidence
39:58archival research things like that wow but then there's a second phase so when we open these spaces
40:02and this library opens today when we open them up the public then respond and we get further
40:07requests for donations uh and information and oral histories so we could make them even more accurate
40:12so open today the team cut a ceremonial ribbon this morning
40:16can i just say the attention to detail here like in any restoration isn't it is incredible
40:24yes like the car garage yeah incredible yeah and this street as well the street just looks
40:30uh it looks like walking into a dream almost
40:36the museum doesn't just celebrate local industry and commerce back in the day
40:42they also knew how to have fun it's just like being in a helicopter we've got to balance it out
40:49though we're gonna have to go on the other side have we yeah because otherwise it might tip over
40:54especially if you're in the outside chair keep it on the inside
40:59no no it's going a bit quick now i don't know whether i like this at all it's going too
41:05fast
41:12when we get back in the model t it's a relief to be able to slow down
41:18oh wait a minute look there's a motorcycle shop
41:21look at that a heart hill motorcycle stop here
41:26like that garage it's full of things that i covet especially at historic prices
41:32hey but chris i tell you what the price of the bikes indeed oh i wish i could whiz back
41:38now
41:39holding some folding do you know what i mean buy a few buy a lorry and then come back in
41:44the
41:44teleporter in the lorry yeah well it gets even better because mr heart who was a second hand
41:49dealer so the box would be about three years old and half the price you see on the price tax
41:55wow are you sure you don't want to sell that spark plug display cabinet no
41:59oh chris thank you so much right come on then i can smell food yeah should we go and uh
42:04investigate
42:07and what better way to end the day what do you want then fish and chips fish and chips please
42:18what i've got to tell you what a lovely day fabulous and the car's fitted in so well
42:23the car's been great it's mesmerizing how nice it starts it always just starts i know we've been
42:28taught how to drive it but obviously he's the master yeah still it's a long drive back so uh make
42:35sure
42:35you're nice and full we've had such a grand day out that it's hard to think about selling the model
42:42t
42:43but sell it we must next day chopper roy comes a calling
42:51i think he's uh looking very positively do you like the horn yeah period yeah would you like to uh
42:58give it a squeeze give it a honk yeah squeeze me horn
43:03see that's a deep tone horn it is yeah that's quality uh so roy right 1925 model t ford and
43:11how
43:11much is it do you reckon um cheapest without the wrong phone's nine and a half so if you kept
43:16it
43:16around the nine or just under it's gonna go yeah really yeah i think so so hang on a second
43:21we
43:21bought it 7250 didn't we yes so there's a possibility here of making around the 1750 1800 something like
43:29that if it goes for nine yeah yeah yeah that's pretty guarantee though mate happy days yeah that's
43:34very good oh that is a nice little earner i want to go back to the black country museum though
43:39perhaps
43:40in something else that's right those fish and chips were lovely
43:59you
44:04you
44:06you
44:06you
Comments