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00:00This time on Car SOS...
00:02Buckle up, son.
00:03The ugly stepsister of the 90s hot hatch world...
00:07Do you know what I can see? An old Nissan Sunny.
00:11Gets a makeover from its fairy godmothers.
00:14It's become clear to me that I'm gonna need some help.
00:18So, can the boys transform this forgotten misfit
00:21into a powerhouse princess in time for the ball?
00:24There we go. There is our problem solved.
00:27Or will it be tears at midnight?
00:30But you're telling me that's the wrong turbo for our car?
00:34100%.
00:55Where is this fuzzball?
00:56We're in Cheshire, and it's a lovely sunny day.
00:59Today, we're going to pick up a Nissan Pulsar GTIR.
01:04Right. Fuzz, I need to come clear on something.
01:06We used to rule the streets of Sheffield.
01:08Me and my mates in our souped-up cars, right?
01:10That we spent years modifying.
01:11So you thought.
01:12No, we did, though.
01:13But then there was this rumour of this car coming out
01:16called the Pulsar GTIR.
01:18Yeah.
01:18And it was two litres.
01:20It was 16-valve.
01:21It was just under 230 horsepower.
01:23It was turboed.
01:24It was overhead cam.
01:25And you're like, no!
01:26This would, out of the box, destroy any of the work
01:29that we put into modifying our hot hatches.
01:31To me, on paper, this car is absolute perfection.
01:35Let me stop you there, because you said on paper
01:38was absolute perfection.
01:39But I think that this car is more like a margarita pizza
01:43with all the toppings put on in one go.
01:46Is it a great idea?
01:48It might seem like an absolutely brilliant idea.
01:50Don't tell me.
01:51But is it too much in one helping?
01:53Maybe less is more.
01:56Yes, this might not have been Nissan's first foray
01:59into the hot hatch arena, but the GTIR
02:02was certainly its most extreme.
02:04Because in the early 90s, this was the road-going version
02:08of their Group A rally car.
02:10Which explains why this innocent-looking hatchback
02:13is stuffed to the gills with race-focused,
02:16performance-enhancing goodies.
02:18The monstrous engine is paired with a permanent
02:21four-wheel-drive system.
02:23There's a viscous limited slip differential
02:26and close-ratio gearbox.
02:29Which meant it should have been able to run rings
02:32round its hot-hatch brethren.
02:34But, despite all its high-performance bells and whistles,
02:38the GTIR never quite achieved the same level of admiration.
02:43They were expensive and, despite a few exterior bodywork flourishes,
02:47looked an awful lot like the sensible Nissan Sunny that underpinned them.
02:52Which explains why today there's fewer than 20 left on the road in the UK.
02:57So, over three decades on from their release,
03:00can we look back on this rare beast
03:02and say this was, in fact, the ultimate hot hatch
03:05that passed most of us by?
03:07Or, simply, an overloaded slice of automotive pizza?
03:11Right, so today, folks, it's Raymond's car that we're picking up.
03:14Yep.
03:14We're going to go and meet Tristan and Rachel
03:16and sneak it away without Raymond knowing anything about it.
03:23Oh, my word!
03:27This thing is an absolute animal of a car.
03:32Hold on a minute.
03:33Wow!
03:34Are you looking at the same thing that I'm looking at?
03:36Me!
03:37I mean, take away the bonnet,
03:39and I am looking at a Nissan Sunny.
03:42I'm expecting...
03:43Sorry, we'll do the introductions in a minute.
03:45Did you hear this?
03:46Yes, I did.
03:47He compared this car to a Nissan...
03:49Tristan, right?
03:50Yes.
03:50Nice to meet you. Don't shake it.
03:52Don't even shake it.
03:53That's outrageous.
03:54Educate Foss, will you?
03:55Yeah, absolute beast of a car.
03:57I think Baby Godzilla was the nickname.
03:59Exactly.
03:59Baby Godzilla.
04:01OK, let me demonstrate something.
04:03Godzilla.
04:04Ah!
04:05Baby Godzilla.
04:08Mate, do you really know what you're saying in front of the world here?
04:12Well, I'm ready to be educated.
04:14So, let's swap places.
04:15You have a look round this car.
04:16OK.
04:17And let's go and have a chat about Raymond, yeah?
04:18Absolutely.
04:18Shall we do that?
04:19Yeah.
04:19All right.
04:20Which way?
04:24There's nothing there.
04:27Maybe it's inside the car.
04:30Let's have a look in here, see if we can find an engine.
04:33Right.
04:33What have we got here?
04:35A radiator.
04:37Body parts, grills, trim.
04:41All fantastic.
04:42But it's not the same without an engine.
04:48For your dad to be the owner of a GT-IR, right, he's got to be a massive petrol head.
04:53That's absolutely right.
04:54Always been into cars all his life.
04:56Was it an accident that he got that or would that have been through design?
04:59Through design.
05:00He knew exactly what he was buying.
05:01The amazing performance of it in its day.
05:04Yeah.
05:04You know, and how he'd hoped to potentially take that one back to that, to what it represented.
05:10Do you remember him when he got that car?
05:12Do you remember what he was like?
05:13Yeah, he's just like a big kid.
05:15It's just like going to a toy shop.
05:16Yeah.
05:17Rubbing his hands together.
05:18Just couldn't wait to sink his teeth into it.
05:23Ah.
05:25Now, that is a beast of an engine.
05:30But there are a number of components missing.
05:33I mean, where's the turbocharger for a stop?
05:35We might start having a few problems because these cars are not very common.
05:40Coming along, looking at the body, we've got rot in the sills.
05:46And also, rot at this back end as well.
05:50Now, that is a factory sunroof.
05:53But that's not factory tape.
05:55And then, there's tape around the top of the windscreen here.
06:00I'm sure that that must mean that water has been getting in here too.
06:05It kind of gets worse the more I look at this car.
06:10What happened in your dad's life to mean that that car has very sadly stayed in that state?
06:16The worst thing, I think.
06:17Yeah.
06:17The thing that everybody dreads hearing is cancer.
06:21What?
06:22Three times?
06:22Three times?
06:23Yeah.
06:25Within how many years?
06:282009, 2010 was the first diagnosis.
06:31Yeah.
06:31Less than 12 and 18 to then get diagnosed with non-Hodgings lymphoma in the last two years.
06:36Yeah, yeah.
06:37So, for the last three years, it's been ongoing for everything else.
06:40Yeah.
06:41Did it change him as a dad?
06:43Did he manage to still stay strong and positive outwardly to you guys?
06:48Every time I spoke to him, he just didn't want to let up that he'd been severely sick like the
06:53night before.
06:54Does your dad think that he's still capable of doing this car?
06:58Yeah.
06:58Yeah.
06:59Absolutely.
07:00And being honest with me, do you think that he is?
07:06Physically, I don't think so. No.
07:09What do you think it would mean to your father to know that his pulsar is going to get put
07:15on the road?
07:16The joy that this would bring him would be immeasurable. He wouldn't believe.
07:26Oi!
07:27Ah! It's being loaded up.
07:28He's the shirker to join the worker.
07:31How are you feeling about this bad boy?
07:34Oh, God. Not a lecture. Come on, what?
07:37Let me tell you.
07:38This might be a little car, but it's got some Godzilla-sized problems.
07:43Really?
07:43And those, I'm very, very scared of.
07:47Fuzz is right to be worried, because with a car this rare, finding even the smallest replacement part could turn
07:53into a monster-sized headache.
07:58Okay, right.
08:00Clearly got a leaking sunroof. Obviously, this tape's been on for a very long time.
08:05Right, so delete the tape, sort the window, sort the sunroof.
08:07What do you want me to start with? Give me a job and I'll get to it.
08:10What about you deal with the turbo?
08:12Where is the turbo?
08:13Well, I don't know.
08:14Well, it would normally be bolted onto the manifold there on the back end of the engine, but it's missing.
08:18That's right. That's correct. Well done. First job.
08:22Let's get this little, beautiful, lightweight monster, this rocket in the air, Fuzzbot.
08:27Get underneath.
08:30Right, come on in.
08:32Okay, so we've got a bit of rot around the extremities at the rear here, especially on this side, on
08:38the near side.
08:39We've got to find an exhaust system for it. And one more thing, of course, it's got a cat.
08:44A catalytic converter?
08:46Yeah.
08:47Right, so we need a full exhaust system and a new cat.
08:49Let's face facts. Neither of us have been out in one of these cars.
08:53No.
08:53And I think I should do us both the favour of getting hold of one, going on a test drive.
08:58Is this the bit where you walk off out that way and leave me here with all the work?
09:05Watch what you just said unfold in front of your very own eyes.
09:11Oh, yeah. Thought so.
09:14So, while Tim disappears off to track down a car that's rarer than a left-handed screwdriver in Fuzz's toolbox,
09:21let's take a look at what's on Chef's menu for this mechanical pizza.
09:26For starters, it's the heart of this hot hatch, the engine.
09:30It's a high-tech dual overhead cam 16-valve Japanese masterpiece, which, worryingly, isn't under the bonnet.
09:37And if that wasn't disturbing enough, it's also missing its spicy side dish, that all-important and ultra-rare turbocharger.
09:45Finally, for dessert, they'll need to track down an exhaust.
09:49A mission that's easier said than done when you're dealing with a car so rare most parts have moved off
09:55-menu.
09:56But before Fuzz tucks into that lot, he's got a little amuse-bouche on his plate in the shape of
10:02that sunroof.
10:03Here we have the Pulsar's crowning glory, the sunroof.
10:07Except, this one doesn't look at all glorious. We've got tape on it, it's probably leaking.
10:15Yes, let's hope he skipped breakfast, because this one looks like a bit of a meal.
10:20The likelihood is, if you've done one sunroof, you've probably done them all.
10:24I haven't done any yet, so this is a bit new for me.
10:28I've never taken out a whole sunroof cassette, so we'll see how it goes, but it should be intuitive, he
10:36said.
10:47Hold on, there we go. Just holding that. There we are. So, we have lift out.
10:58But what condition is the roof in underneath it?
11:02We have corrosion. A little crack and a little hole just here.
11:10So, water has been getting into here and then making its way, well, inside the car.
11:18So, that is going to have to be repaired before we go any further.
11:26Tim and Fuzz have got their mitts on an ultra-rare Nissan Pulsar GT-IR Turbo.
11:33A car that on paper should have been the ultimate 90s hot hatch, yet somehow made about as much of
11:39an impression as a chocolate sledgehammer.
11:44So, to find out what went wrong.
11:47Buckle up, son. This is my first go. In a G to the T to the I to the R.
11:54The boys are hitting the track to find out once and for all if this baby Godzilla should be crowned
12:00king of all hot hatches.
12:03Or if it's just a monstrous mess.
12:07227 horsepower, four-wheel drive. It drives remarkably well. It's not really oversteering much. It's not really understeering much.
12:14It's got plenty of boost. It's progressive in the sense that it delivers its power well.
12:19Turbos often just give you a punch in the belly to the back of your seat and then they lose
12:23their power.
12:24But this thing delivers it well.
12:26It's almost a boring car.
12:28Because you know that whatever you do with it, it's going to be capable of it.
12:32Inside, this is totally understated.
12:34Yeah.
12:35Okay, so it's well appointed for a car in its time.
12:38We've got electric windows. We've got this, that and the other.
12:41But there's nothing that says, yeah, you're in something absolutely amazing.
12:46I don't want to say this, but I'm going to say it.
12:48Go on.
12:48You throw everything at this car and it's wonderful on paper, but in real life, it just misses personality.
12:55It's not, it's not, wow, that thing's an animal.
12:59No, it's not raw, is it?
13:00No.
13:04I don't want to say it.
13:06It doesn't have much character.
13:08Do you know what I think went wrong with this car?
13:11They packed it all into a Nissan Sunny.
13:14Yeah.
13:14And they left as much Nissan Sunny in the DNA as they possibly could.
13:20They should have thrown all that out the window with this car and give you a brute force animal.
13:24Yep.
13:25We've got everything that we could possibly want, except excitement.
13:31It needs something else.
13:33It's like, it's like a plain, ordinary meal.
13:37Yeah.
13:37It needs a little bit of spice.
13:39It needs a bit of danger.
13:41You need to get a little bit in awe of it, a little bit, I'm not scared of it.
13:45It needs a sprinkle of chilli flakes.
13:49It does, doesn't it?
13:50Yeah.
13:50It needs something to terrify you.
13:52Yeah.
13:53That's it.
13:53Come on, back to the workshop, see what we can do.
13:57So, if rebuilding this super rare hot hatch wasn't hard enough, the boys now face an
14:03even bigger task, turning it into the monster Nissan promised, but didn't quite deliver.
14:08Which means they're most definitely going to need to find that missing turbo.
14:13Right.
14:14Let me show you inside the stores.
14:16This is where we keep all the stuff that is yet to be worked on, because I've got a hunch,
14:20right?
14:20What doesn't make sense to me is that Raymond had all these bits for his car, but I feel
14:26like I've seen a turbo.
14:28The Pulsar used a Garrett T28 turbo lifted directly from the rally version of the car,
14:35which provides a huge amount of boost.
14:37The only downside was, to get the most out of it, the revs needed to be kept high, putting
14:42a lot of strain on the engine's other components.
14:45I know I sound like an absolute nut job, but I really do think there was one, there
14:50was one here.
14:52Exhaust.
14:53Arms.
14:54Heater box.
14:55Dashboard.
14:56Winter coolers.
15:01Where would it be?
15:04Come here.
15:05Come here, get right in there.
15:09Look at that.
15:10It's there.
15:11That's the waste gate.
15:14You absolute beauty.
15:16It's a brand new one.
15:19And it's wrapped up, that's why I didn't, oh man.
15:22Honestly, because it wasn't on the engine.
15:24That makes sense.
15:25It wasn't on the engine, because Raymond bought himself a brand new one.
15:28It may look new, but as Tim has no idea what condition the internals are in, he's taking
15:33it for a once over from a man who's forgotten more about these bits of kit than most of us
15:38will ever know.
15:39There he is.
15:40Turbo Yoda.
15:41Turbo Andy.
15:42Hello, mate.
15:43How you doing?
15:43You look pleased to see me.
15:45That's the first.
15:46Let's see how we get on.
15:47Well, let me show you what I've got here.
15:48It's from a Nissan Pulsar GT-IR.
15:50There's the turbo.
15:52That's not off a Nissan Pulsar.
15:54That's off a RB26 Nissan Skyline.
15:58Told you he knew his stuff.
16:00But you're telling me that's the wrong turbo for our car?
16:03100%.
16:04It's similar.
16:05It is similar.
16:06Some of the flanges are the same, but it won't fit.
16:11Right, so how rare is the turbo that we need?
16:14I would say the Pulsar unit, they are really hard to get hold of, very rare.
16:20The internal part, so the centre part, the core assembly, that's common bits.
16:25We've got those in stock.
16:26Okay, sweet.
16:27Compressor housing, I'm fairly sure I've got one of those.
16:31Sweet.
16:32An actuator.
16:33It's the turbine housing.
16:35Because the turbine housing takes all the punishment, it has all the hot gases going
16:38through it.
16:39They tend to crack very badly over time, and then especially if people are pushing the
16:44car and they've modified it, temperatures are increasing again.
16:47Okay.
16:47They just take an absolute hammering.
16:50Dude, honestly, I've never known you'd be beaten by something.
16:53We will get the part number and we'll see if we've got anything around.
16:58Right, let's leave Tim and Andy to their turbo treasure hunt.
17:02Back at Car SOS HQ, with the team busy fixing the leaky sunroof and other body work issues,
17:09Fuzz can get on with working out what the rest of the Pulsar's rare power plant has been up to.
17:15Now, what I can tell you about this engine, this particular one, is that somebody has had
17:21to pile it apart because bits are very loose.
17:26So that is a worry.
17:28The other thing that's a problem is that when an engine is taken to pieces and then it's
17:33left lying around for a number of years, then pieces go missing.
17:38And I think this is what we've got here.
17:41So with the engine partially stripped, we cannot take it that it's in good condition.
17:47So we've got to go in and have a look.
17:53These engines were designed to be absolutely bulletproof.
17:56After all, it's the same unit Nissan used on their rally car, so it had to survive enormous punishment.
18:02Even so, without knowing what condition it's in, there's no way Fuzz can simply put it back into the car.
18:08The cylinder head is very clean.
18:11I can actually see down onto the tops of the pistons.
18:16They seem clean as well.
18:19Seems to rotate freely, which is good.
18:22But before anyone gets too excited, it's not all good news.
18:27I can see a number of other parts that we have, such as the oil pickup and also this baffle
18:35as well.
18:35Those should be inside the sump.
18:37So if they're not in there, what else is missing?
18:43Also, we've got the timing chain tensioner.
18:45Now the timing chain is nice and tight here, but the timing chain tensioner has only been put in using
18:52one nut.
18:54All in all, we don't know how far the build had got.
19:00Has it been thrown together or has it got to this point and then just stalled?
19:06I think for safety, what we have to do is go back to basics, pull the engine apart and rebuild
19:15it from scratch.
19:16If we don't do that, we'll never know if it's okay or not.
19:22So, it's not good news for the engine.
19:25Let's hope Tim has more luck tracking down a turbo because, well, there's got to be one in here somewhere.
19:31Oh my word.
19:32Er, turbine, er, right.
19:34Mate.
19:36There are enough turbos up here literally to send a car to Mars.
19:39The GTIR's turbocharger is the biscuit to the T that is the engine.
19:45It allowed Nissan's engineers to add serious power to what is a relatively small lightweight block.
19:51There's one bit.
19:52That's the actuator you need.
19:54Okay.
19:55Which meant, critically, on the rally circuit, it delivered a huge burst of low-end grunt that would help fire
20:01the car out of the corners.
20:044, 3, 0, 6 up.
20:05Right.
20:06There we go.
20:07Is that it?
20:08This is it.
20:10Well, this is great news.
20:11Yep.
20:13Yes, Turbo Andy's Ample Parts store saves the day once again.
20:17And, with a little help from Tom, the components are brought together.
20:21Before it heads over to Ethan for the final part of the process, balancing.
20:26So, this machine here is very similar to when you get your wheels balanced when you've had tyres put them
20:31on in the garage.
20:31Basically.
20:32They put the little clips on it or whatever.
20:34It's a little bit better than that.
20:35Yeah, absolutely.
20:37The vibration sorting rig, as it's known by the experts, fires a stream of pressurised air into the turbine wheel,
20:45spinning it up to around 1500 revolutions per second.
20:48And, by tracking the position of the magnetised nut at the compressor end, the machine measures the amount of unbalance
20:55to within a fraction of a gram.
20:59You're right.
21:00Here we go.
21:00Get ready for this.
21:01You're going to love this.
21:02This is a big one, this one.
21:04If a turbo's left out of balance, it will vibrate violently, wear its bearings far more quickly, and, in extreme
21:13cases, even self-destruct.
21:15And there it was.
21:16Hey.
21:17We saw nothing.
21:18We heard something.
21:19What just happened?
21:20So, we can see there that we've got a peak.
21:24That's a peak of imbalance.
21:25To rectify the problem, Ethan very gently removes a tiny amount of material to help balance the rotation of the
21:32turbine.
21:35Right, real treat for you now.
21:36It's going to happen again.
21:37Blink and you'll miss it.
21:40Oh, it has come down.
21:43So, we're looking for a green line, and it is green.
21:45Yep.
21:45So, it's saying, Ethan did his job well.
21:50And, with a few final adjustments, Raymond's built from scratch, brand new turbo is ready to roll.
21:59Mate, that looks absolutely beautiful.
22:01Yeah.
22:02It really does, doesn't it?
22:06The boys are elbows deep, attempting to transform this mechanical pick-and-mix of parts into an ultra-rare Nissan
22:15Pulsar GTI-R.
22:17They've stripped the shell, repaired the rot with fresh metal, including that hole in the sunroof, and prepped it for
22:24a fresh coat of paint.
22:25But, unlike most car SOS renovations, that was the easy bit, because there's still a massive amount of work left
22:32to do.
22:33The engine rebuild still has to be completed.
22:36Fuzz needs to fit the replacement sunroof.
22:39They need to find a new exhaust, as well as somehow turn this into the hot hatch it always promised
22:46to be on paper.
22:48A task which has sent petrol head Tim into full research mode.
22:53We are deep, deep, deep inside the GTIR Owners Club website.
23:00What keeps coming up here is problems with the water pump.
23:04And then I've dug a bit deeper, as in, what's wrong with the cooling?
23:07And I've found, you know, this, this guy here in France.
23:11He just says it like it's nothing.
23:13He says, oh, one car blew up, da-da-da-da.
23:14Beyond the water pump, cavitation and radiator issues.
23:19Rewind to the word cavitation.
23:22That is something which is fatal to car engines, like literally catastrophic.
23:28Yes, it turns out, spicing this car up is going to take a little more than a sprinkling of chilli
23:34flakes.
23:35Because cavitation is an issue manufacturers spend huge amounts of time and money trying to avoid.
23:42It's rare, but on the GTIR it stems from having a cooling system designed for short, high intensity bursts on
23:49the rally stage.
23:50Not sustained high RPM over tens of thousands of road miles.
23:57And to show just how destructive it can be, Tim's put the kettle on to some hoses.
24:03Now that represents the engine, so that thing there is generating heat.
24:07The water pump on the front of that engine there is now here.
24:10It's just your average sort of like hose pump.
24:12And the radiator is that, that blue box there.
24:16So, how does this system work?
24:18Well, I'm just going to basically turn on this water pump, give it some speed.
24:24So what's happening here is it's taking that hot water away from the kettle, through the water pump, and dropping
24:30it out into the radiator there.
24:31This is exactly how a car's cooling system operates under normal driving conditions.
24:37Everything operates under a steady pressure and flows smoothly.
24:40But what happens when you're in your GTIR giving it the beans?
24:45As you increase the RPM, the speed of the water pump, the acceleration of that water, you actually get a
24:51drop in pressure on the inlet side of the water pump.
24:56And because a drop in pressure reduces the temperature at which the water can boil at, it starts to heat
25:02up so much that it turns into a gas.
25:05It creates these tiny, weeny bubbles, which is known as cavitation.
25:09And as a result of those things, what happens is they move up the system.
25:13When they get to an area of high pressure, just beyond the water pump, they collapse with massive amounts of
25:21power.
25:22And that destructive force can actually destroy, if you have a look at the fins on this pump here, all
25:29that pitting there is a result of those water bubbles collapsing with so much force.
25:35So what's the solution? Well, that's Fuzzy's department.
25:38Here we have it.
25:40It's a bigger pulley.
25:41So instead of trying to whiz the coolant around super quick, what we do is allow it to go around
25:48a little more slowly, thus allowing it to spend a little more time in the radiator and therefore get cooled
25:57down a little bit more quickly.
26:00So now the pump and pulley will spin slower, though pressure will be reduced, the speed of the water constant,
26:06and those destructive bubbles won't be able to form.
26:09So, I'm going to fit the water pump, fit the new pulley, and then the job's a good one.
26:18Now this water pump doesn't feature a gasket, so what we do is we put sealant on around there.
26:24So I'm just going to do that now.
26:27There we are.
26:30Right, we've got my bolts.
26:35Let's put the pulley on.
26:42So here we go.
26:44Here's our tensioner for the belt.
26:46We don't want it too sloppy because it will jump around, and we don't want it too tight because it
26:50will wear all the bearings.
26:52Finally, let's fit that larger pulley.
26:57Right, there we go.
26:58There is our problem solved.
27:02That is excellent.
27:10Slowly but surely, this GT-IR is being turned into the finished product it always promised to be.
27:16That is, as long as Tim can find it an exhaust.
27:20But with fewer than 20 of these cars left on the road, this isn't going to be something the local
27:24parts store have out the back.
27:27I think I've come to the right place.
27:29So he's had to make a special journey to the experts at BM Catalysts.
27:34They've been cranking out aftermarket pipe work for over half a century.
27:39So if they can't help, no one can.
27:41The scale of this place is ridiculous.
27:44I didn't know there were exhaust manufacturers in this country this big.
27:49Tell me it's Tom.
27:51It is.
27:52And tell me that this is something to do with the Pulsar.
27:56This is going to absolutely change your life.
27:58This is a bespoke jig.
28:01We make these for these specific cars when there's no real patent to go off.
28:05But because these cars are quite rare, parts are quite rare, we have to quite literally make the glove to
28:11fit the hand.
28:11So this thing here contains all the information, all the dates and points we need to make one.
28:17So where do we start with this incredible piece of information? Where do we go first?
28:21So the first step is actually bending the pipe to fit it.
28:24To create the exhaust from scratch, the team feed the measurements from the jig into a robotic mandrel bender.
28:31An incredible bit of kit that twists and turns the steel pipe to within a degree of accuracy.
28:37So it's just doing a little section at a time and then a very specific rotation round of a number
28:42of degrees.
28:43Grabs it again, bends it, lets it go, rotate as you can see, rotating.
28:48What a wonderful thing to see.
28:51And whilst that's happening, Tom and Tim can get on with building up the all-important catalytic converter.
28:58Is that what I think it is in a box?
29:00It is.
29:01That's the stuff that gets nicked, innit?
29:03That's the precious stuff, if you like.
29:04Can I touch one?
29:05Of course.
29:06That is called a monolith or a brick.
29:08It's coated with platinum, palladium and rhodium.
29:11Three very, very rare metals.
29:13Very precious metals, yes.
29:13Wow, okay.
29:15So when the harmful gases from the engine, so the carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, hydrogen oxide passes through that monolith, those
29:22precious metals oxidize them into less harmful gases, carbon dioxide and water vapor.
29:28Okay, so bad stuff in, less bad stuff coming out and they go into a shell. How do they get
29:33fitted in then?
29:33Yeah, so first we've got these cans, they're 409 grade stainless steel cans.
29:40Right, so it's not going to rust.
29:42Absolutely not.
29:43And then the monolith is wrapped by David here in this matting.
29:46And what that does is it expands with the heat of the engine.
29:49So, because stuff gets bigger when it gets hot, that makes sure there's no air or exhaust gases escaping around
29:54the side.
29:56Once David's brought everything together, the steel can is placed into the robotic welder and the whole thing is sealed
30:03up.
30:05And it presents us with a finished cap.
30:08So we need one of those for our car.
30:11Absolutely.
30:12I need an open boot and an exhaust system.
30:17That's another major job ticked off the list.
30:20Where the fuss can say the same about the replacement sunroof remains to be seen.
30:25Oh, god, blimey.
30:26Help!
30:30You're a bit stuck with that, are you?
30:32Yeah.
30:32So, with a bit of mechanical first aid from Will, it can be raised into position and bolted up.
30:38Now, it's all important that we fit these drain tubes as well, because if we don't, then water would just
30:47slosh around and get underneath the headlining, underneath the roof lining here, and cause rot.
30:54Yes, with that, the bodywork jobs are complete, and Fuzz can get on with bringing everything back together under the
31:01bonnet.
31:02First up, the new turbocharger needs bolting into position.
31:05So, I've already attached it onto the manifold here.
31:10Now, I can fit the manifold featuring the turbocharger onto the engine.
31:23Right, so, we're almost there.
31:26On we go with the remaining manifold nuts.
31:30Then, once I've tightened those, I can then set my sights on getting the engine into the car.
31:40Yes, Raymond's dream machine is really starting to come together now.
31:44The engine has had a new timing chain, head gasket, and full set of seals.
31:49And, with that all-important turbo in place, the entire power plant could be raised back into position, with the
31:55delicacy of a ballerina dancing in a cactus patch.
31:59I just need to move the engine over this way just a little bit.
32:05It's very, very awkward.
32:08I've got just a tiny bit more. That was perfect.
32:13The studs are in. We can start getting nuts on.
32:18Yes, the bodywork's done, the engine's rebuilt, and the sunroof's back where it belongs.
32:24Meaning, stage one of the mission, getting it back to a factory-fresh state, is nearly complete.
32:29But, before Tim can move on to stage two, adding those missing chilli flakes, Fuzz still has one important job
32:35left.
32:36Say hello to Timmy's cat. Lovely. Doesn't eat much.
32:41But, unlike most felis, this one you actually do want to find underneath your car, because it's going to filter
32:47out those harmful exhaust gases before they enter the atmosphere.
32:52There's the exhaust in place.
32:55Actually, don't tell him.
32:57Tim's done a pretty good job on this.
33:01Fuzzbar. Yes?
33:02Listen.
33:03What?
33:04I want to take it and put some chilli flakes on it.
33:06Right, OK.
33:07I want to take it for rolling road, mate.
33:09Right, OK, so rolling road, that's fine.
33:11But, if it's going on the rolling road, the ride height's got to be right, hasn't it?
33:15Here we go.
33:16Off you go.
33:18Just go and sit on your hands for a few more minutes, Tim, because it's the final race to the
33:22finish.
33:23The last few bits of bodywork trim are being fitted back up, as well as a new set of aftermarket
33:28wheels designed to try and shed some of the Sonny's sensible styling.
33:34Normally, I'm a proper stickler for originality, but in this case, well, I've got to say that I like these
33:43a lot better.
33:47Fuzzbar.
33:47Yes?
33:48The elephant, stop that for a minute, the elephant in the room.
33:50Let's just talk about this car for a minute.
33:51It's been an emotional journey, a bit of a fallout between me and you over this thing.
33:54Well, a little bit, but look, we've got there.
33:56You insulted it by calling it a hideous pizza.
33:58Well, it kind of is, isn't it?
34:00But it's OK, I've just put the banana on top.
34:02No, shut your face for a minute.
34:03Honestly, how do you feel about it?
34:04Do you like it now?
34:05I do.
34:07I appreciate its engineering.
34:09It just needed a little bit more development, and hopefully we've put that in now.
34:14Yes, the boys have poured over every inch of Raymond's GT-IR.
34:20Repairing, replacing, and refurbishing.
34:24But it's not complete yet, because Tim needs to give this car the injection of spice it's
34:30always been missing, which means a visit to the engine whisperer himself, Rick Wood.
34:36Right, here's the plan.
34:37Yeah.
34:37We've got to get as many horsies as we can out of this thing.
34:40So we'll run it up, see what it's doing, and then make a plan.
34:44Come, let's do it.
34:45To squeeze more ponies out of this Pulsar, Rick's going to work his magic on the car's
34:51software, adjusting fuel and air delivery timing, as well as how much boost that new turbo kicks in.
34:58But before that, he needs a baseline run to give him a figure to beat, and to check that
35:03none of those ponies have bolted during the rebuild process.
35:07Yes.
35:07So this car is standard, it's what, 227 horsepower, right, at the engine?
35:12About 185 at the wheels.
35:14At the wheels.
35:14So cars lose a certain amount through all the moving parts to get to the wheels, right?
35:19Yeah.
35:20Like a two-wheel drive car will lose what, 10 to 15%?
35:2415 to 18%.
35:25And a four-wheel drive will be up to what?
35:2725.
35:2720.
35:28So a quarter of the engine's power can be lost in just getting that movement to the wheels.
35:33Yeah.
35:34So what are we hoping for in the wheels with this?
35:37185.
35:37185.
35:38185.
35:38OK.
35:39Right, here we go.
35:40Let's ride it up.
35:47OK.
35:49So that was, out of the box, what did it deliver?
35:55182 horsepower.
35:57Yeah.
35:58Is that a five...
35:58At the wheels.
35:59OK.
35:59So that is what?
36:00Stock.
36:01Pretty stock.
36:02So this is, as they came out of the factory back in the day, it's deliver what they said
36:07it's delivered.
36:07So now we need to give it a bit of a tweak.
36:10Yes.
36:10Time to see what a few button presses and some Rickwood magic can achieve.
36:16Right.
36:17Here we go.
36:17This is the tweaked up run.
36:19So this is the one where Rick's done some, see, sprinkle some fairy dust on it.
36:25Right.
36:26Here we go.
36:29Right.
36:31Big time.
36:35Right.
36:42Big time.
36:46That felt bigger.
36:48And it felt different.
36:49It felt bigger, did it?
36:51Yeah, it did feel...
36:51Was it bigger?
36:55233 at the wheels.
36:57Yeah.
36:58Hang on, so we've got 233 at the wheels, and as standard it's 180 what at the wheels?
37:04180, 185.
37:06So he just slapped on another 45 horses?
37:08Yeah.
37:09Mate, Raymond's going to be buzzing with that.
37:11You'd hope so.
37:12Yeah.
37:12Right, let's get into the reveal.
37:14Next up, mate, you are a legend.
37:18It's taken over 1,300 hours of hard graft, but at last Raymond's pride and joy is ready
37:25to be handed back.
37:27And what better place to reunite a petrol head with his dream car than the home of British
37:33motorsport, Silverstone.
37:36Hello, baby.
37:38This moment in time is emotional.
37:41Hold on, hold on, just tell me.
37:42What?
37:42You haven't, have you?
37:43What?
37:44Come dressed as the car.
37:47Don't do this to me.
37:48Yeah, I have.
37:49I thought so.
37:50I went through my wardrobe, I want to look like the GTi-R, so yes I have.
37:53Exactly, I thought you did.
37:54Anyway, shut your face.
37:55Look at it, Fuzz.
37:56I know, it does look absolutely amazing.
37:58Tell me, what is the plan?
38:00Right this second in time, Raymond is in the car with Tristan coming down here, because
38:04guess what, Dad?
38:05I've won a pair of tickets for a VIP tour at the greatest F1 museum in the world.
38:10Silverstone.
38:11Silverstone Museum, right here.
38:12Yes.
38:12These tickets entitle you to a behind-the-scenes tour with Rob, the curator of this particular
38:17museum.
38:18Yeah.
38:18And at a certain point, he's going to bump into, oh, that's that geezer off Car SOS.
38:22I love that show.
38:23Yeah.
38:23What's he doing in there?
38:24Rob's going to go, oh, he's doing some Scalextric racing.
38:26If you can beat him, you win a little car.
38:29Fantastic.
38:29But what happens if we run out of cars?
38:31Yeah.
38:31What can you win?
38:33Well, I'll tell you what, Raymond.
38:34Yeah, mate, come with me to the storeroom.
38:36Yeah.
38:36Comes in the back, comes downstairs.
38:38Bang.
38:38How's about what?
38:39Fantastic.
38:40That is absolutely brilliant.
38:41Can I have one of the cars, please?
38:42No.
38:42Okay.
38:44Yes.
38:44Playtime is over now, Fuzz, because Tristan and a completely unsuspecting Raymond have
38:49arrived for their tour with curator Rob.
38:53Hi.
38:53How are we doing, guys?
38:54Hello, young man.
38:55How are you?
38:56Yeah, good.
38:57Loving the outfits you've all got on.
38:59So, while Rob gives them the VIP treatment...
39:02With what you guys are wearing, I'm assuming you're probably quite interested in this.
39:07Upstairs, Tim is getting his index finger warmed up for the big showdown with Raymond.
39:12You've taken the lead already.
39:13This isn't right.
39:16Come on, this way.
39:17As part of your tour, you get to do this.
39:19Let's go, let's go home.
39:20Well, here's the deal.
39:21Many of you.
39:21No, no.
39:22Any one of you, one lap round Silverson.
39:25If you can beat me, you win.
39:26This man did.
39:27He's won himself a scale extra.
39:29Have a quick go.
39:30Go on.
39:30Hello, mate.
39:31How are you doing?
39:32Right.
39:33So, you're in a cosy there.
39:34Are you happy with a cosy or do you want the RA?
39:35Oh, no.
39:36The cosy.
39:36The cosy, yeah?
39:38All right.
39:39OK.
39:40Race faces.
39:41Game on.
39:43Here we go.
39:44This is it.
39:45It's lights out.
39:46Beat Tim over one lap of Silverson and Vray wins something a little more exciting than a toy car.
39:53No, no, no, no, no!
39:54Yes!
39:55I'm not having that!
39:58Well, where are the prizes?
40:00We'll get you one from the stock room.
40:02You can choose your own one.
40:03Come on, follow me to the stock room a minute.
40:06But Ray's prize is a little bigger than a toy car.
40:10All right.
40:13Oh, are you joking?
40:20Come on, guys.
40:20Come on.
40:21Come on.
40:23There's a bit more going on today than I think you realise, pal.
40:27Do you recognise that number plate?
40:28Yes, I do.
40:31That's your car, mate.
40:34There are also, if it's not sinking in yet, there are a few people here you might recognise.
40:38Can we bring out Ray's family, please?
40:42Come on, guys.
40:43Come on.
40:43Come on.
40:44Come on.
40:45Come on.
40:49Right, listen.
40:50Yeah.
40:50This is your moment to talk to your dad.
40:52Talk to him.
40:53We're not here.
40:53There's no cameras here.
40:54Talk to him about why you wrote to us.
40:56Because I just felt that you should feel like you've been put first for once.
41:00You've had a very difficult couple of years.
41:02And this was kind of my way of trying to make you feel special and let you know how special
41:09you are to everybody else.
41:10I know it's something that you wanted to do.
41:13And this helped you achieve that dream.
41:17Give him a round of applause for Raymond and his Pulsar GTI R.
41:23The last time Ray saw his beloved Pulsar, his dream car project was stuck on pause.
41:30Seemingly destined to never turn a wheel again.
41:32But with a little car SOS magic, it's been transformed into the road-going weapon it was always meant to
41:40be.
41:40The battered bodywork's been repaired, a replacement sunroof fitted, and the whole thing resprayed to factory-fresh perfection.
41:50Under the bonnet, the engine has been stripped and rebuilt, and that new turbo stand's ready to feed the fire.
41:57It's been finished off with fresh wheels, new shocks, sticky rubber, and a custom remap, giving this hot hatch the
42:04punch it always deserved.
42:07They may have been overlooked in their day, but this is proof that when done right, Nissan's baby Godzilla really
42:13can breathe fire.
42:16How does it feel, I'm so pleased to say these words, to be sitting in your GTI R?
42:21I'm having difficulty absorbing what's just happened, to be perfectly honest with you.
42:28Why is that, Raymond? Why are you struggling getting your head around this?
42:32I didn't think it would ever happen.
42:34Really?
42:35Yeah, because I didn't think I would be here.
42:38What does this car mean to you, Ray?
42:41It gives me hope to carry on now and give me some pleasure in life, which I haven't had a
42:47lot of.
42:47It's brilliant, you know, I mean, it's going to give me some memories I can build with the grandkids.
42:56So, the Nürburgring, here we come.
42:59Seriously?
43:00Oh, yes.
43:01So, I'm going to give you the key to this and tell you that you have been car SOS.
43:14How's that feel?
43:17It's got to be gay now, hasn't it?
43:18It has, hasn't it?
43:20Thank you ever so much.
43:20That's what it sounds like, alright?
43:26Wow.
43:28That sounds amazing.
43:31You can't see the smile on your face.
43:39You'll never get tired of that noise.
43:40No, you won't.
43:45How did you feel when you saw it when you came out of the lift and saw your car with
43:48the lights and clear?
43:49It was absolutely stunning.
43:56Amazing.
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