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Car SOS - Season 14 - Episode 06: Nissan Pulsar GTI-R
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00:00This time on Car SOS...
00:02Buckle up, son.
00:04The ugly stepsister of the 90s hot hatch world...
00:07Do you know what I can see?
00:08An old Nissan Sonny.
00:11Oh!
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.
00:26There is our problem solved.
00:28Oh, well, it beats tears at midnight.
00:31But you're telling me that's the wrong turbo for our car?
00:34100%.
00:54Where 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?
01:10We spent years modifying them.
01:11So you thought.
01:12No, we did, though.
01:13But then there was this rumour of this car coming out called the Pulsar GTIR.
01:18Yeah.
01:19And it was 2 litres.
01:20It was 16 valve.
01:21It was just under 230 horsepower.
01:22It 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 that we've put into modifying our
01:31hot hatches.
01:31To me, on paper, this car is absolute perfection.
01:35Let me stop you there, because you said on paper was absolute perfection.
01:39But I think that this car is more like a margarita pizza, with all the toppings put on in one
01:46go.
01:47Is it a great idea?
01:48It might seem like an absolutely brilliant idea.
01:50Don't tell.
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 into 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 of their Group A rally car, which explains
02:11why this innocent-looking hatchback is stuffed to the gills with race-focused, performance-enhancing
02:17goodies.
02:19The monstrous engine is paired with a permanent four-wheel drive system.
02:24There's a viscous limited slip differential and close-ratio gearbox, which meant it should
02:31have been able to run rings round its hot-hatch brethren.
02:35But, despite all its high-performance bells and whistles, the GTIR never quite achieved
02:40the same level of admiration.
02:43They were expensive, and, despite a few exterior bodywork flourishes, looked an awful lot like
02:49the 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, can we look back on this rare beast and say
03:03this was, in fact, the ultimate hot hatch that 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.
03:14Yeah.
03:15But we're going to go and meet Tristan and Rachel and sneak it away without Raymond knowing
03:18anything 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?
03:36I mean, take away the bonnet, and I am looking at a Nissan Sunny.
03:42I'm expecting...
03:43Did you...
03:44Sorry, 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.
03:51Don't shake it.
03:52Don't even shake it.
03:53That's outrageous.
03:54Educate Fuzz, will you?
03:55Yeah, absolute beast of a car.
03:58I think Baby Godzilla was the nickname.
03:59Exactly.
04:00Baby Godzilla.
04:01Okay, let me demonstrate something.
04:03Godzilla.
04:04Ah!
04:05Baby Godzilla.
04:08May, do you really know what you're saying in front of the world here?
04:12Well, I'm ready to be educated.
04:14Okay, so let's swap places.
04:15You have a look around this car.
04:16Okay.
04:17And let's go and have a chat about Raymond, yeah?
04:18Absolutely.
04:19Can we do that?
04:19Yeah.
04:19All right.
04:20Which we go?
04:20This way?
04:24There's nothing there.
04:27Maybe it's inside the car.
04:31Let's have a look in here, see if we can find an engine.
04:33Right, what have we got here?
04:35A radiator.
04:37Body parts, grills, trim, all fantastic, but it's not the same without an engine.
04:48For your dad to be the owner of a GTI-R, right, he's got to be a massive petrol owner.
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.
05:02The amazing performance of it in its day, you know, and how he'd hoped to potentially
05:07take 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.
05:16I was rubbing his hands together.
05:18Just couldn't wait to sink his teeth into it.
05:23Ah!
05:26Now, 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.
06:18The thing that everybody dreads hearing is cancer.
06:21What, three times?
06:23Three times?
06:23Yeah.
06:25Within how many years?
06:272009, 2010 was the first diagnosis.
06:32Less than 12 and 18 to then get diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the last two years.
06:37Yeah, yeah.
06:38So, 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.
06:59Yeah.
06:59Absolutely.
07:01And being honest with me, do you think that he is?
07:06Physically, I don't think so.
07:08No.
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.
07:20You wouldn't believe.
07:26Oi!
07:27Ah, it's being loaded up.
07:29He's the shirker to join the worker.
07:31How are you feeling about this bad boy?
07:34Oh, God, not a lecture.
07:36Come 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 can turn
07:53into a monster-sized headache.
08:24Okay, right.
08:25We've got this rocket in the air, FuzzBot.
08:28Get 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.
08:41And 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.
08:51Neither 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.
08:59Is 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.
09:12Thought 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.
09:38And if that wasn't disturbing enough, it's also missing its spicy side dish.
09:42That all-important and ultra-rare turbocharger.
09:45Finally, for dessert, they'll need to track down an exhaust, a mission that's easier said than done when you're dealing
09:52with a car so rare, most parts have moved off-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, except this one doesn't look at all glorious.
10:11We've got tape on it.
10:12It's probably leaking.
10:15Yes, let's hope he's 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.
10:25I 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.
10:48Just holding that, there we are.
10:50So, we have lift-out.
10:59But what condition is the roof in underneath it?
11:03We have corrosion.
11:04A little crack.
11:06A 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 GTI R 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.
11:45So, to find out what went wrong, buckle up, son, this is my first go, in a G to the
11:51T 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.
12:10Well, it's not really oversteering much, it's not really understeering much, it's got plenty of boost.
12:15It's progressive in the sense that it delivers its power well.
12:19Turbos often just give you a punch in a belly to the back of your seat and then they lose
12:24their power, but this thing delivers it well.
12:26It's almost a boring car, because you know that whatever you do with it, it's going to be capable of
12:31it.
12:32Inside, this is totally understated.
12:35Yeah.
12:35OK, 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.
12:42But, 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.
12:49You 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.
13:05I 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?
13:12They 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 the wallet out the window with this car and give you a brute force animal.
13:24Yep.
13:25We've got everything that we could possibly bomb, 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.
13:40It 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 even bigger task, turning
14:05it into the monster Nissan promised, but didn't quite deliver.
14:09Which means they're most definitely going to need to find that missing turbo.
14:13Right.
14:15Let 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.
14:21What doesn't make sense to me is that Raymond had all these bits for his car, but I feel like
14:27I've seen a turbo.
14:28The Pulsar used a Garrett T28 turbo lifted directly from the rally version of the car, which provides a huge
14:36amount of boost.
14:38The only downside was, to get the most out of it, the revs needed to be kept high, putting a
14:43lot 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 was one
14:51here.
14:52Exhaust.
14:53Arms.
14:54Heater box.
14:55Dashboard.
14:57Intercoolers.
15:01Where would it be?
15:05Come here.
15:06Come here, get right in there.
15:09Look at that.
15:11It's there.
15:12That'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,
15:33he's taking it for a once over from a man who's forgotten more about these bits of kit than most
15:38of us will ever know.
15:40There he is, Turbo Yoda. Turbo Andy. Hello mate.
15:43How are you doing? You 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. There's the turbo.
15:51That's what I found.
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.
16:12Right, 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.
16:29I am fairly sure I've got one of those.
16:32Sweet.
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 through
16:39it.
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.
16:48They 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 bodywork issues,
17:09Fuzz can get on with working out what the rest of the Pulsar's rare power plant has been
17:14up to.
17:15Now, what I can tell you about this engine, this particular one, is that somebody has had
17:22to 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's taken to pieces, and then it's
17:34left 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
18:01punishment.
18:02Even so, without knowing what condition it's in, there's no way Fuzz can simply put it back
18:07into 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.
18:23But 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.
18:36Those 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.
18:48But the timing chain tensioner has only been put in using one nut.
18:54All in all, we don't know how far the build had got.
19:01Has it been thrown together or has it got to this point and then just stalled?
19:07I think for safety, what we have to do is go back to basics, pull the engine apart and
19:14rebuild it 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
19:30in here somewhere.
19:31Oh my word.
19:33Er, turbine, er, right.
19:34Mate.
19:36There are enough turbos up here literally to send a car to Mars.
19:40The GTIR's turbocharger is the biscuits to the T that is the engine.
19:45It allowed Nissan's engineers to add serious power to what is a relatively small lightweight
19:51block.
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
20:01would help fire the car out of the corners.
20:044, 3, 0, 6 up.
20:06Right.
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
20:30tyres put them on in the garage.
20:32Yeah.
20:32Basically.
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
20:43air into the turbine wheel, spinning it up to around 1,500 revolutions per second.
20:49And by tracking the position of the magnetised nut at the compressor end, the machine measures
20:54the amount of unbalance to within a fraction of a gram.
20:59Here 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
21:11quickly and, in extreme cases, 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
21:31the rotation of the turbine.
21:35Right, real treat for you now.
21:36It's going to happen again.
21:38Blink and you'll miss it.
21:40Oh, it has come down.
21:42So, we're looking for a green line and it is green.
21:45Yep.
21:45So, it's saying, Ethan did his job well.
21:51And with a few final adjustments, Raymond's built from scratch brand new turbo is ready
21:56to roll.
21:59Mate, that looks absolutely beautiful.
22:02Yeah.
22:02It really does, doesn't it?
22:07The boys are elbows deep attempting to transform this mechanical pick and mix of parts into
22:13an ultra-rare Nissan Pulsar GT-IR.
22:17They've stripped the shell, repaired the rot with fresh metal including that hole in the
22:22sunroof and prepped it for a fresh coat of paint.
22:25But unlike most car SOS renovations, that was the easy bit because there's still a massive
22:31amount of work left to do.
22:33The engine rebuild still has to be completed.
22:37Fuzz needs to fit the replacement sunroof.
22:40They need to find a new exhaust.
22:42As well as somehow turn this into the hot hatch it always promised to be on paper.
22:48A task which has sent petrol head Tim into full research mode.
22:54We are deep, deep, deep inside the GT-IR 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 found, you know, this, this guy here in France.
23:11He, he just says it like it's nothing.
23:13He says, ah, one couple of, da-da-da-da.
23:15Beyond the water pump, cavitation and radiator issues.
23:20Rewind to the word cavitation.
23:22That is something which is fatal to car engines.
23:26Like, literally catastrophic.
23:29Yes, 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 GT-IR it stems from having a cooling system designed for short, high intensity bursts
23:49on the rally stage.
23:51Not 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.
24:05So 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.
24:25So 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.
24:32This 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 GT-IR 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
24:52drop 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.
25:10And 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.
25:26If you have a look at the fins on this pump here, all that pitting there is a result of
25:32those 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, so instead of trying to whizz the coolant around super quick, what we do is allow
25:48it to go around a little more slowly, thus allowing it to spend a little more time in the radiator
25:55and therefore get cooled down 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.
26:19Now, this water pump doesn't feature a gasket, so what we do is we put sealant on around there.
26:25So, I'm just going to do that now.
26:27There we are.
26:31Right, 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.
26:49And we don't want it too tight because it will 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
27:25parts 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.
27:50Tell me it's Tom.
27:51It is.
27:53And tell me that this is something to do with the Pulsar.
27:56This is going to absolutely change your life.
27:59This is a bespoke jig.
28:00Yeah.
28:01We make these for these specific cars when there's no real patent to go off.
28:06But because these cars are quite rare, parts are quite rare, we have to quite literally make the glove to
28:11fit the hand.
28:12So, 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.
28:32An incredible bit of kit that twists and turns the steel pipe to within a degree of accuracy.
28:38So, 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, rotates it.
28:48What a wonderful thing to see.
28:52And whilst that's happening, Tom and Tim can get on with building up the all-important catalytic converter.
28:59Is that what I think it is in a box?
29:01It is.
29:01That's the stuff that gets nicked, innit?
29:03That's the pressure stuff, if you like.
29:05Can I touch one? Of 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.
29:14Very precious metals, yes.
29:14Wow, okay.
29:15So, when the harmful gases from the engine, so the carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, hydrogen oxide passes through that monolith,
29:22those precious metals oxidise them into less harmful gases, carbon dioxide and water vapour.
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?
29:34Yeah.
29:34So, first, we've got these cans.
29:37Yeah.
29:38They're 409 grade stainless steel cans.
29:41Right.
29:41So, it's not going to rust.
29:42Absolutely not.
29:43And then the monolith is wrapped by David here in this matting.
29:47And what that does is it expands with the heat of the engine.
29:50So, because stuff gets bigger when it gets hot.
29:52Of course.
29:52That makes sure there's no air or exhaust gases escaping around the side.
29:57Once 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.
30:09So, 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.
30:20Well, the fuss can say the same about the replacement sunroof remains to be seen.
30:25Your God!
30:26Don't line me!
30:27Help!
30:31You're a bit stuck with that, are you?
30:32Yeah.
30:33So, with a bit of mechanical first aid from Will, it can be raised into position and bolted up.
30:39Now, it's all important that we fit these drain tubes as well.
30:44Because, if we don't, then water would just slosh around and get underneath the headlining, underneath the rooflining here, and
30:52cause rot.
30:55Yes, 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.
31:06So, I've already attached it onto the manifold here.
31:11Now, I can fit the manifold featuring the turbocharger onto the engine.
31:24Right, so, we're almost there.
31:27On 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
31:56delicacy of a ballerina dancing in a cactus patch.
32:00I just need to move the engine over this way just a little bit.
32:05It's very, very awkward.
32:09I've got just a tiny bit more.
32:11That was perfect.
32:13The studs are in.
32:15We can start getting nuts on.
32:18Yes, the bodywork's done.
32:20The 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
32:36left.
32:37Say hello to Timmy's cat.
32:39Lovely. Doesn't eat much.
32:41But, unlike most failures, this one you actually do want to find underneath your car.
32:47Because it's going to filter out those harmful exhaust gases before they enter the atmosphere.
32:53Is the exhaust in place?
32:54Actually, don't tell him.
32:58Tim's done a pretty good job on this.
33:02Fuzzbot.
33:03Yes.
33:03Listen.
33:03What?
33:04I want to take it and put some chilli flakes on it.
33:07Right.
33:07I want to take it for rolling road, mate.
33:10Right, okay, so rolling road, that's fine.
33:12But, 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.
33:24The last few bits of bodywork trim are being fitted back up, as well as a new set of aftermarket
33:29wheels designed to try and shed some of the sunnies' 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
33:44a lot better.
33:47Fuzzbot.
33:48Yes?
33:48The elephant.
33:49Stop that for a minute.
33:49The elephant in the room.
33:50Let's just talk about this car for a minute.
33:52It's been an emotional journey, a bit of a fallout between me and you over this thing.
33:55Well, a little bit, but look, we've got there.
33:56You insulted it by calling it a hideous pizza.
33:59Well, it kind of is, isn't it?
34:00But it's okay, 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.
34:25But it's not complete yet, because Tim needs to give this car the injection of spice it's always been missing,
34:31which means a visit to the engine whisperer himself, Rick Wood.
34:36Right, here's the plan.
34:37Yeah.
34:38We've got to get as many horsies as we can out of this thing.
34:41So we'll run it up, see what it's doing, and then make a plan.
34:44Track on, let's do it.
34:46To squeeze more ponies out of this Pulsar, Rick's going to work his magic on the car's software,
34:52adjusting 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,
35:03and to check that none of those ponies have bolted during the rebuild process.
35:08So this car's standard is what, 227 horsepower, right, at the engine?
35:12About 185 at the wheels.
35:14At the wheels.
35:15So cars lose a certain amount through all the moving parts to get to the wheels, right?
35:20Yeah.
35:20Like a two-wheel drive car will lose what, 10 to 15 per cent?
35:2415 to 18 per cent.
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.
35:38185.
35:38OK.
35:39Right, here we go.
35:40Let's run it up.
35:48OK.
35:48OK.
35:49So that was out of the box.
35:52What did it deliver?
35:56182 horsepower.
35:57Yeah.
35:58Is that a five...
35:58At the wheels.
35:59OK.
36:00So that is what?
36:01Stock.
36:01Pretty stock.
36:02So this is as they came out of the factory back in the day, it's deliver what they said it's
36:07delivered.
36:08Yes.
36:08So 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.
36:17Right, here we go.
36:17This is the tweaked up run.
36:19So this is the one where Rick's done some...
36:21See, sprinkle some fairy dust on it.
36:26Right.
36:27Here we go.
36:29Right.
36:31Big time.
36:35Right.
36:43Big time.
36:47That felt bigger.
36:48And it felt different.
36:50It felt bigger, did it?
36:51Yeah, it did feel...
36:52Was it bigger?
36:52Was it bigger?
36:53No.
36:55233 at the wheels.
36:57Hang on.
36:58So we've got 233 at the wheels, and as standard it's 180 what at the wheels?
37:05180, 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.
37:13Right, let's get into the reveal.
37:14Next up, mate, you are a legend.
37:19It's taken over 1,300 hours of hard graft.
37:23But at last, Raymond's pride and joy is ready to be handed back.
37:27And what better place to reunite a petrol head with his dream car
37:31than the home of British motorsport, Silverstone.
37:36Hello, baby.
37:38This moment in time is emotional.
37:41Hold on, hold on.
37:42Just tell me.
37:42What?
37:43You haven't, have you?
37:44What?
37:44Come dressed as the car.
37:47Don't do this to me, yeah.
37:49I have.
37:49I thought so.
37:50I went through my wardrobe.
37:51I want to look like the GTi-R.
37:52So yes, I have.
37:53I thought you did.
37:54Anyway, shut your face.
37:55Look at it, Fuzz.
37:56I know.
37:57It does look absolutely amazing.
37:59Tell me, what is the plan?
38:01Right 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.
38:11Silverstone.
38:11Silverstone Museum, right.
38:12Yes.
38:12Yes.
38:13These 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 scale-extric racing.
38:27If you can beat him, you win a little car.
38:29Fantastic.
38:30But what happens if we run out of cars?
38:31Yeah.
38:32What 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 that?
38:40That is absolutely brilliant.
38:41Can I have one of the cars, boys?
38:42No.
38:43OK.
38:44Yes, playtime is over now, Fuzz, because Tristan and a completely unsuspecting Raymond have
38:50arrived for their tour with curator Rob.
38:53Hi.
38:54How 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...
39:03With what you guys are wearing, I'm assuming you're probably quite interested in this.
39:08Upstairs, 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.
39:18As part of your tour, you get to do this.
39:20Let's go, let's go home.
39:20Well, here's the deal.
39:21Any of you.
39:22No, no.
39:23Any 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.
39:31Hello, mate.
39:31How are you doing?
39:33Right, so you're in a cosy there.
39:34Are you happy with a cosy or do you want the RA?
39:36Oh, no, the cosy.
39:37The cosy, yeah?
39:38All right.
39:39Okay.
39:41Race faces.
39:42Game on.
39:43Here we go.
39:44This is it.
39:45It's lights out.
39:47Beat Tim over one lap of Silverson and Ray wins something a little more exciting than a toy car.
39:53No, no, no, no, no, no!
39:55No!
39:56No, no, no, no!
39:57Not having that!
39:58Well, where are the prizes?
40:01We'll get you one from the stock room.
40:02You can choose your own one.
40:04Come on, follow me to the stock room a minute.
40:06But Ray's prize is a little bigger than a toy car.
40:20Come on guys come on come on
40:23There's a bit more going on today than I think you realize pal
40:27Recognize that number plate
40:28Yes I do
40:32That's your car mate
40:34There are also if it's not sinking in yet
40:36There are a few people here you might recognize
40:38Can we bring out Ray's family please
40:42Come on guys come on
40:44Come on
40:49Right listen
40:50This is your moment to talk to your dad
40:52Talk to him we're not here
40:54There's no cameras here talk 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
41:03And this was kind of
41:05My way of trying to
41:06Make you feel special
41:08And let you know how special you are to everybody else
41:11I know it's something that you wanted to do
41:14And this helped you achieve that dream
41:17Give him a round of applause
41:19The Raven and his Pulsar GTIR
41:23The last time Ray saw his beloved Pulsar
41:27His dream car project was stuck on pause
41:30Seemingly destined to never turn a wheel again
41:33But with a little car SOS magic
41:36It's been transformed into the road going weapon it was always meant to be
41:40The battered bodywork's been repaired
41:43A replacement sunroof fitted
41:45And the whole thing resprayed to factory fresh perfection
41:50Under the bonnet the engine has been stripped and rebuilt
41:54And that new turbo stand's ready to feed the fire
41:57It's been finished off with fresh wheels
42:00New shocks
42:01Sticky rubber
42:01And a custom remap
42:03Giving this hot hatch the punch it always deserved
42:06They may have been overlooked in their day
42:09But this is proof that when done right
42:11Nissan's baby Godzilla really can breathe fire
42:17How does it feel
42:18I'm so pleased to say these words
42:19To be sitting in your GTIR
42:21I'm having difficulty
42:24Absorbing
42:25What's just happened to be perfectly honest with you
42:27Really
42:28Why is that Raymond?
42:29Why are you struggling getting your head around this?
42:32I didn't think it would ever happen
42:34Really?
42:35Yeah
42:35Because I didn't think I would be here
42:38What does this car mean to you Ray?
42:42It gives me hope to carry on now
42:43And give me some pleasure in life
42:45Which I haven't had a lot of
42:48It's brilliant
42:48You know what I mean
42:49It's going to give me some memories
42:53I can build with the grandkids
42:56So the Nürburgring, here we come
42:59Seriously?
43:01Oh yes
43:01So I'm going to give you the key to this
43:04And tell you that you have been car SOS
43:14How's that feel
43:17It's got to be in game now, hasn't it?
43:19Yeah, how's that it?
43:19Thank you
43:20Thank you ever so much
43:27Wow
43:28That sounds amazing
43:31You can't see the smile on your face
43:35That is brilliant
43:36Honestly, just to see the smile
43:39You'll never get tired of that noise
43:41No you won't
43:45How did you feel when you saw it when you came out of the lift
43:47And saw your car with the lights
43:48It was absolutely stunning
43:57Amazing
43:57Amazing
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