The Thrill of the Chase! Uncovering an Automotive Legend! 🔍🏎️
#ClassicCarRestoration #BarnFinds #ChasingClassics #VintageFerrari #AutomotiveHeritage #WayneCariniStyle #CarHunting #HistoryOnWheels
#ClassicCarRestoration #BarnFinds #ChasingClassics #VintageFerrari #AutomotiveHeritage #WayneCariniStyle #CarHunting #HistoryOnWheels
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00:05On the edge of the Lake District in Barrow-in-Furness is a family business with a reputation
00:12for bringing classic cars back from the dead. It's absolutely knackered.
00:18It's your wheelbase 911. I mean where'd you find them? To find a project band or deluxe. Very,
00:24very rare. From beetles to Daimlers, escorts to Porsches, nothing is beyond repair for the 30
00:31strong team of mechanics, fabricators, panel beaters and painters. To leave this car here you'll be
00:36criminal. It's a chicken like that. Oh there's a spine there is that look. Wee-hee. The head of the
00:46family and the genius restorer is Big Irv. I've got a convertible patina car and I live in the Lake
00:52District. Sons Aaron, Lee and Harvey are classic car royalty in waiting. You cannot turn up when you
01:02feel like it. This is a family who live and breathe restoration. That sounds fair. They're on a mission
01:09to save the classic cars no one else can. It doesn't matter how bad it is, I can always fix
01:15it. Hi-ho!
01:26We are having a mass tidy up because it is well overdue.
01:34Can you order some new parts for me please? Yeah. Yeah. We need some new headlights. A new bumper.
01:46Erv has had a lifelong love affair with Volkswagens. He's spent half his life scouring the UK for
01:52neglected VWs ripe for restoration. I'm resurrecting that. It's a principle thing that we saved that
01:58dashboard. He's just found a car that's not just close to his heart but close to home. Sons Lee and
02:06Aaron are on a mission to secure the sale. It was absolutely buzzing in the garage last night. He
02:12literally came up to me and was like, you wouldn't believe me. I was like, what's that?
02:15Phone call comes in off and customer, are you interested in buying a Beetle? I was like,
02:19well, you know, yeah, yeah. Of course I'm expecting like 1970s. So I said, yeah, what is it? He's like,
02:26oh, it's 49. Straight out of my chair, what? Straight away on the text, where's the car at? And he's
02:32like,
02:32you won't believe this. It's only just up the coast. I was like, what? So, I mean, I thought
02:38I'd covered the whole of Cumbria, the late district, looked in every single barn that there is, met
02:43everyone that I could ever meet. And there we go. We find one of the rarest Volkswagens, probably left
02:48on the planet, under an hour from me. And the fact that it's this close to home, it's almost like
02:53fate
02:53that we've got to get up here and buy it. That's why dad's jumped on it straight away and said,
02:57get up there, do the deal, bring it home. Yeah. When we're talking about rarity,
03:01early fifties cars, they start getting harder to find, but they're still about. But when you go
03:07before 1950, you're into Holy Grail territory, you don't get phone calls about them. If it was a 60,
03:1470 Beetle, it'd be scrapped. Yeah, because of what it is, it's going to be worth it. To be honest,
03:22it doesn't matter how bad it is, that car's coming back here, you know, unless the guy decides he's
03:26doubling his price when we get there. Hello. Hello, guys. You're Chris. I'm Chris. Yeah.
03:32Good to meet you. Good to meet you. Here she is. Here she is. The 1949. It's the real thing.
03:41The 1949 Beetle. And it's been on your doorstep. Technically, this model is a type one,
03:49as it predates the name Beetle by almost 20 years. And it looks like it.
03:57Have a good look around it. Yes. Everything you're going to tell me, I agree with. Yeah,
04:02it's rough. Yeah, it's gone everywhere, hasn't it, really? I've seen a lot of beetles,
04:08but that's gone in areas I didn't know it could go in. Bit of a hole in the front as
04:12well.
04:14There's holes everywhere. The spare wheel is completely gone, hasn't it?
04:19Every decade, I dreamt of restoring this Beetle, because it's a 1949. I always planned to have
04:25it done by 1999 and drive it back to Wolfsburg for its birthday. And then 2009, I thought I'll have
04:33it done for then, and it didn't happen. 2019, it didn't happen. And now in 24 is for sale.
04:39It's an organisation that it's never going to happen. These early Beetles were built as
04:44economical people's cars. So after a while, they weren't cost-effective to repair,
04:49which is why over 70 years later, there are so few left.
04:55You've already discussed numbers with my dad, I think, haven't you?
04:58I've discussed numbers. Is there wiggle room?
05:01There isn't. No. My price is firm. Yeah.
05:04My comment to you would be, go and find another. Yeah.
05:10You're not wrong, to be honest. You're very, very, very expensive.
05:14I'll leave you to gather your thoughts. I'll just be in the next room.
05:17Yeah, no worries.
05:20Ideally, I'd like it to have all the correct panels on it, the correct interior, you know,
05:25be complete. The more bits that are there, the better, because most Volkswagen parts,
05:30you can ring somebody up and order them. That's supposed to be up there somewhere.
05:35But not for the cars this early. When you get into even early 50s cars, you're delving into the
05:42realms of, you know, going to the swap meets in Europe and just hunting the bits yourself.
05:48And that can take time and be very costly. Um, for example, a backlight for a 67 Beetle,
05:56it'll be like 25 quid. A backlight for a 49 Beetle, 500.
06:02It is absolutely knackered. There's holes in it everywhere. The floor's hanging out of it.
06:07This section here's really bad. It's completely gone as well. The look of the car, though,
06:12you can see the bones of it are all right. Yeah.
06:14The fact that it's this close to home, it's almost fate that we need to take it home. To
06:17leave this car here would be criminal. Hmm. So, what do we think then? Well, I know what I
06:24think to shake your hand, so. You've got a deal. Price is firm. I'm glad it's going to a good
06:29home.
06:29Yeah, well, we need, the next task is going to be figuring out how we're going to get it out
06:32of
06:32here on these wheels. Let's do whatever we need to do. Appreciate it. Thank you very much.
06:36Grab the jack, get the wheels, get them switched over.
06:45I thought I'd come to terms with selling it. I know I've made the right choice, but it's sad.
06:55We have to move on. Have a safe journey back. Cheers, guys. Thanks very much.
07:00It's exciting, isn't it? I mean, I can't wait to see it. So, with a bit of luck,
07:05they'll be back later on and we can get delving into it and see what's left anyway.
07:17It's exciting, isn't it? It's exciting.
07:18Irv's reputation is built on taking scrap-ready non-runners and turning out dream machines.
07:29Oh, wow.
07:31This is it, eh?
07:37A 76-year-old classic with holes you could put your hand through
07:42and enough rust to make you reach for a tetanus injection.
07:49Look at that.
07:51It's a 49, though.
07:53Mega, isn't it?
07:55It's pretty megaly-ron.
07:58Look how cool it is.
08:01Irv's master plan is not just to bring this rust bucket back to life,
08:05but also to sell it on for a profit.
08:09That still opens and should come in.
08:11This side's an open, though.
08:13Look at the headlining, all original headlining.
08:15It actually looks iron, doesn't it?
08:16Mega nice.
08:18Headlining.
08:18Very, very nice.
08:21Does the bonnet open?
08:22Bonnet opens, yeah.
08:23It doesn't lock.
08:24It doesn't lock, I don't think, yeah.
08:28It's got its original tags and numbers.
08:31It looks like they're wrong.
08:33No, but there's nothing missing.
08:35Absolute class.
08:36Bags and bags of potential.
08:39I think it's absolutely wicked.
08:41I mean, where'd you find them?
08:43You know, that's the top and bottom of it.
08:45And the thing is, it's all complete.
08:47There's not the correct seats, lights, the wings.
08:51From what I can see, this hasn't been messing around with.
08:55So we've just dropped on a bit of holy grail by accident.
08:59Have a look at the dash.
09:00You can still see the original cloth material in the glove boxes.
09:03Original starter button.
09:07This is wrong as well.
09:08It's supposed to have a single handle.
09:11There's a huge amount of work to do if Irv and his team are going to resurrect this beetle from
09:15the dead
09:16and get it sold.
09:31Irv got a tip off that a grail-worthy beetle was right on his doorstep.
09:35A VW Type 1 from 1949.
09:40Sons Lee and Aaron sealed the deal and now they're giving the car a quick once-over.
09:50Early fuse boards.
09:52It's just, I'm excited, excited.
09:58You know the best bit about this?
10:00What?
10:00I've already sold it.
10:02You sold this?
10:03Honestly, talking to Russell, he says, what are you up to?
10:05I said, oh, I've just sent our lad up to pick up a beetle.
10:08And he's like, oh, I've got an itch for an early cable brake car.
10:11I said, what?
10:13It's a 49 beetle.
10:14He's like, what?
10:15So when I'm saying that it's sold, it's like, we're in discussion.
10:19We're there though.
10:20I'm pretty sure he'll buy it.
10:21So not exactly a done deal then.
10:24Do you reckon he'll burn that?
10:25No, he loves patina cars.
10:27He'll end up like this.
10:30Irv's a specialist at patina paintwork.
10:33And he knows he wants to keep the characterful patina finish that highlights the car's age.
10:43Total stroke of luck.
10:51The 75-year-old beetle makes a short journey into the workshop where the stripped-down team,
10:56Southie and Mark, assess its condition to make sure there are no unpleasant surprises.
11:04They're squealing.
11:09Irv's son Lee is overseeing the project.
11:13That has been sat for some time, hasn't it?
11:15Look at that.
11:17We need to get that body off for the first protocol.
11:19It's going to get a new heater channels, a new floor pan,
11:20so it's not too bad how the floor looks, because it's going to all get replaced.
11:23Renewed, yeah.
11:24Yeah.
11:25What's that across?
11:26It's a chicken like that.
11:30Oh, there's a spine there, isn't there, look?
11:32Hey!
11:33It's a rat or something.
11:35That is disgusting.
11:36Probably in a better condition as a car.
11:39They might save the car.
11:40We ain't going to save him.
11:41Give me a shout.
11:43Let's get it up, get some wheels off it.
11:46The chassis and the heater channels are completely gone, but we're going to get the wheels off it now,
11:52and then get the body away from the chassis, and we'll be able to evaluate exactly where we're going to
11:56go at it.
12:00Cheers, Sal.
12:05The Mark 1 Beetle's mechanics are relatively uncomplicated,
12:08but keeping all the original features preserved will take a lot of care.
12:16Semaphores in there are like 2,000 quid.
12:19They are unobtainable.
12:20Right.
12:21So they need to be handled the utmost.
12:23Yeah, yeah.
12:25You can't get them out of a hammer and chisel, then.
12:27No, I'm talking about chisel.
12:31Cars like this, it's all about originality.
12:34So obviously, you don't want to be breaking a windscreen that you can't freely replace with an original one.
12:41So I'd rather cut the rubber and replace the rubber than break the windscreen.
12:56There we go, one windscreen in one piece.
13:00And that is originally, it's an original, what they call, large logo security.
13:07It's this etching that was done by the factory.
13:10So that tells you it's an original windscreen.
13:12That'll clean up really well, and we'll reuse that back in the car,
13:16along with all the original windows.
13:17So they all match up with all the original etchings.
13:23I've done a few Beetles over the years, and in all fairness, for an original one, it kind of stood
13:30up well.
13:31Especially, is it right hand drive on this one, Lee?
13:34No, it's left.
13:35It's left, is it?
13:36Right.
13:36It was bought by a serviceman.
13:41The British military ensured the survival of the Beetle at the end of World War II.
13:46And it became one of the best post-war cars.
13:52The Wolfsburg factory was soon turning out the VW Beetle for British servicemen.
13:59They could buy him cheaper as a serviceman.
14:01So he bought it, he'd come back over here when he'd finished over there.
14:05He must have drove it round for a bit, and then parked it up in a field.
14:08That's what they see happen.
14:14As the team strip the Beetle down, there's always the chance of uncovering some slightly non-standard parts.
14:22The wrong door.
14:24This door is off a later car.
14:31Given how rare these cars are, that wrong door could be a big issue.
14:35But Irv's not worried.
14:38I'm pretty sure I've got the correct door for this car that I've had for a number of years.
14:53Irv has a huge collection of VW period parts in his warehouse.
14:58These are all doors that I've collected over the years.
15:02There's a time when you need bits of and body cuts from him, or we're going to put him under
15:07different vehicles, like now.
15:09If I can find the right one.
15:12Surely one of these 50 doors will be the perfect fit.
15:15It's that side door there, so it's one of this side.
15:19You're looking for a one piece window door, so that's the first thing to go through.
15:23One piece window?
15:24One piece window.
15:26These are, they're late as well.
15:29They're all wrong side.
15:32Never.
15:33I could have swore I had one.
15:35You don't find as many parts in the UK, the swap meets out there.
15:39That's why we go to Germany, because the parts, the swap meets out there are just full of stuff.
15:45In the UK, there's hardly anything left like this.
15:50I could have swore I had an early door here.
15:54It looks like we haven't got the right one.
15:55It's a real bummer.
15:58A bit of a disaster, to be honest with you.
15:59I was convinced I've had that door here for absolutely ages for that car.
16:05So we've come down, had a look.
16:07I've got three of the wrong side that I need, that are correct for the car.
16:12And they're awfully hard to find, you know.
16:14The old door will have to be put back on the car to gap it up for welding.
16:19But for this beetle to reach its potential, Irv must find a 1949 one piece window left-hand door.
16:26Someone will have one, there's no doubt about it.
16:28But I'm probably going to have to pay God knows what.
16:32And the really annoying thing is it's more than likely going to be in Europe, where I've just come from.
16:36And obviously with Brexit import charges now, it's a bit of a pain.
16:40So we'll cross that bridge in the next few days as I find one, unfortunately.
17:03For the last few weeks, another rare VW has been in the workshop, a 1967 commercial van undergoing a full
17:11restoration.
17:12It's owner, a regular client of Irv's, wants to enter it into a concourse competition.
17:20Crucial times at the moment for the twin slider.
17:24We're going to have to be in the next few days' time.
17:27We might have made a bit of progress today, but we're certainly up against it.
17:33We're going to have to be in the next few days.
17:33Bodywork expert Gav is prepping the van for the Stanford Hall VW show, a highlight of the classic Volkswagen calendar.
17:42And it's this weekend.
17:45This is jeopardy, it really is.
17:49Basically we need to get all the last bits finished off, so we can get it over for polishing,
17:56so it can be on the trailer, ready for going for sure.
18:00Ozzy needs it in the polishing booth, sort of dinner time tomorrow.
18:06We've basically just stripped it down, cleaned it, repainted the tinware, put it back together
18:12with some new parts so it looks as neat as original as possible.
18:16What they call an air-cooled boxer engine.
18:18Basically we call it a boxer engine, because the pistons go out sideways, so they go like a boxer.
18:25On! In!
18:26It's not me long does it?
18:30She lives!
18:32We're all her bats alive!
18:52We've got a few lads who just do fabrication work, Craig's one of them guys, you know, he's a metal
18:58wizard, no doubt about it.
19:00As you'll see as he resurrects this car.
19:08I need to make the panel to go in this back window.
19:12I've already measured it out and I'm ready to cut the panel out now.
19:20Parts for this car are almost impossible to find, so Craig is making what he needs from scratch.
19:26I need to put the bend in now for the lip on the edge which is at the bender over
19:29there.
19:30It's just going to come up now and that there I'll put my edge that I need.
19:37So now I need to put some cuts in it and I'll bend it to the shape that I want.
19:46I'll clamp it where I want it.
19:49Like that.
19:50I'll just put some tacks.
20:00And then there's a tack on them all.
20:04And that should be the shape of the window frame.
20:12Craig has a huge task ahead of him to bring this military favourite post-war classic back from the brink.
20:34Irv and the team have taken on a 1949 Beetle, perhaps one of just a handful that still exist in
20:40the UK today.
20:42It was in a very sorry state, but it's been stripped down, the chassis has been media blasted,
20:47and the last couple of weeks have been all about getting the rusted old metal out and fresh new metal
20:52in.
21:01It's been a very good, but it's been a very good job.
21:02After a hard week of bringing classic cars back to life, the Irving family like to get out from the
21:07garage.
21:08OK, ready.
21:12The whole clan are at the Stanford Hall VW show in Leicestershire.
21:16Some of their resto projects are in the competition.
21:19I love the whole Volkswagen scene, and when you come to somewhere like this,
21:24you can appreciate everyone else is here for the same reasons.
21:27We're all here to look at fantastic vehicles that people have presented.
21:33Stanford Hall is the premier concourse event on the calendar for Volkswagen.
21:40And, in my opinion, the best of the best.
21:46Irv has two contenders in the competition.
21:49A blue camper and the 1967 commercial van the team only finished last night.
21:55I know we should change this.
21:58Owner Darren wanted his ultra-rare twin slider restored as close to factory spec as possible.
22:05The first time I saw it was on Friday night when it arrived at the show.
22:09It's nice, yeah. It's nice.
22:11Because it's got original bits on it that I never knew about that I never knew who was putting on
22:15it.
22:16It's up against some stiff competition, so it's down to the judges, isn't it?
22:24There's time before the winners are announced to browse the treasure-laden stalls of the Swapmeet area.
22:34And one of Irv's sons may have just struck gold.
22:38Aaron's just rang me. He's wandering around the Swapmeet.
22:40He's just found a door for the 49 Beetle that we're doing.
22:44I can't believe it. Hopefully it's the right one, though.
22:47Aaron might have got it wrong yet.
22:50How's it going?
22:51You all right, mate?
22:52You all right?
22:53Yeah, lovely.
22:53I've been told by my boy that you've got all we need.
22:56There it is.
22:57So which one are we looking at? What's going on here?
23:00Yeah.
23:00Yeah.
23:01It's rust-free, but it's got a little bit of...
23:03No, it is the right one.
23:04Yeah.
23:04It is the right one, yeah.
23:05A little bit of trickery here and there, and you're laughing.
23:09Yeah, no, it is the right one.
23:10So how much is this £200 dollar?
23:13A little bit more than £200.
23:15£450.
23:18Dave, come on.
23:19What about three and a half?
23:20They're not easy to find, Paul. You know as well as I do.
23:23I've got three of the wrong side.
23:24Yeah, well, there you are.
23:25Yeah, there you are.
23:26You've got them all the wrong side.
23:27That's the right side.
23:28£400 cheap.
23:29Right, go on then.
23:30Yeah.
23:31Lovely job.
23:32Thanks.
23:32You know it.
23:33Cheers, mate.
23:33There you go.
23:37There's a clump we found one, to be honest.
23:39Result.
23:41The door find is a boost for the Beetle,
23:44and the good news doesn't end there.
23:48The blue van that Irv brought along has won best in category,
23:52and the commercial van was placed third.
23:56Result.
23:57I'm chuffed that this one's won.
23:59It's been a massive, massive amount of work.
24:02It looks like we've stood proud at the end
24:03and got the result we're looking for.
24:17Three tins of Easy One body filler.
24:21It's back to work in Barrow and Furness.
24:28What are you arguing about getting here on time?
24:31I agree with what you're saying.
24:31Right, so why are you arguing about here?
24:33I'm going to get to you about a quarter past eight every day.
24:36Well, make sure you get here, and bollock them,
24:39you get here at ten to eight like you're supposed to.
24:41You're the manager, and when people turn up late,
24:43you stand there and say, what are you doing?
24:46That's what you should be doing.
24:47You shouldn't be turning up at half eight, nine o'clock yourself.
24:49I do get here every day between eight and quarter past eight normally.
24:52Sometimes I get here a little bit later,
24:53but normally every day between eight and quarter past eight,
24:55and that's a fact.
24:56Shall we get you a clocking on card?
24:59You're not like you get here at ten to eight yourself.
25:01Relax going off.
25:03It's time to get up.
25:0420 to nine, 20 to ten.
25:13The whole idea with what we're doing
25:15is obviously all the floor palmers in a sorry state.
25:19So we're renewing all the underside.
25:22He'll have all new bushes, bearings, rebuilt gearbox, rebuilt engine,
25:27and then the actual body shell is going to look like we haven't really pushed it.
25:31The body's going to look real patinas up, but the underside is perfect.
25:39The chassis is ready, so Gab trims and welds the new belly pans into position.
26:01The shell is taken back off the chassis, so Gab can continue to work on it,
26:08allowing Craig to fit Herb's swap-meat door.
26:13I've got to get the holes to line up.
26:23That's pretty good.
26:26Obviously it wants to go in a little bit there, or this wants to come out,
26:28but gap-wise.
26:32Yeah, I'm very happy with that.
26:34Saved me a lot of work.
26:37Send her for doors more often.
26:44Mala and Craig work their way around the beetle,
26:46fixing the metal until it's strong and safe.
26:59Ralphie?
27:01Mary?
27:12The car is filled and sanded down.
27:15Let's give it a blow-off outside.
27:17You can open the door.
27:18Jimmy.
27:19See you.
27:23And it's set for the paint booth.
27:29The challenge is to repaint the beetle while retaining the patina finish the buyer wants.
27:37Go on, nice and careful.
27:38Gentle as we go.
27:40Come on.
27:41Here we go.
27:42Whoa, whoa, whoa.
27:45First, anything new is primed, but only slightly.
27:56It's a weird one, prime though, because it goes against everything I've ever been taught,
28:00in the sense of, like, get loads of primer on, get all your edges nice and wet.
28:04Whereas that, you're, like, trying to cover everything, but to the absolute minimum.
28:09So it's like, cover all the filler, but don't get any primer on the paint,
28:13but because you've got a spray gun, so you can't really stop it.
28:18So I've had a few lengthy conversations with the guy who owns it,
28:21and he's decided he wants it to look.
28:24If you imagine before it went rusty, so I'm going to replicate how it would have been,
28:29probably 40-odd year ago, just like it had had a quick respray back in the day.
28:34First things first, we're going to apply the rusty paint onto the primed areas,
28:38and then we're going to add a little bit of colour.
28:40And then tomorrow, you flatter that back and let the rust come through.
28:51Urv is using a special paint that doesn't just look like rust,
28:54it also gives a real rusted surface, while protecting the metal from corrosion.
29:01At this moment in time, it very much looks like we don't know what we're doing,
29:05but it'll all come together. Trust me, once we fly it back,
29:08bring the rust paint out, it'll look absolutely original.
29:13Once the rust coat is dry, Urv adds faded black paint to any new metal
29:22to match the original colour that has faded from years of sun and weather damage.
29:36So we're just applying the black straight over the rusty paint.
29:40Once it's flashed off, we'll hit it with sandpaper.
29:43The sandpaper will go through the black, exposing the rust paint,
29:47and when you spray the activator on it, overnight it'll rust and bleed through the paint,
29:52thus creating the original style of patina.
30:04While the body patina is left to develop, Mechanic Southie fixes the brakes.
30:11What's unusual on this car about the braking system is,
30:14a normal conventional car of today's era, and from quite a long way back,
30:19works on a hydraulic system. The difference with this vehicle is,
30:22it doesn't use hydraulic systems, it uses cables.
30:25So when you push your foot on the brake, all the cables are pushed,
30:29which again, in turn, pushes out, pulls mechanisms in here,
30:33which pushes your shoes out against your drum, which causes the friction,
30:36which stops the vehicle.
30:39It's essentially a scaled-up version of the brakes on a kid's bike.
30:43It's quite a simple system, quite effective.
30:50Southie has to fit the brake mechanism together first,
30:53then fit that into the chassis.
30:54Southie has to fit the brakes on the brakes on the brakes on the brakes on the brakes.
31:01These are the stops for the pedal. You've basically got to get these under there.
31:06It stops the pedals from falling backwards.
31:13This handbrake system is what makes the car a cable brake,
31:17the feature that attracted the buyer in the first place.
31:20So that's now in. So when I push that brake pedal, this should push forward.
31:25So obviously you can see the brake drum's free now.
31:30There's the brake applied. Brake off, brake on, brake off.
31:34The handbrake's working it as well, you see. You can see it all moving.
31:48This is my little brother, Max. He's come up for a week for work experience.
31:54Dad told you to stop robbing.
31:57I do really enjoy it, though. I like the banner.
31:59Oh, it's a bit annoying working with my brother, though.
32:03By the time that my dad decides to retire,
32:07he decides to give us all the business,
32:09because the amount of stress my dad takes on by himself could be split between all three of us.
32:14I don't think one person should have to take on the stress
32:17of managing 30 lads by himself and about 150 cars.
32:23For the last week, the shell of the Beetle has been left outside,
32:26exposed to the Lake District weather.
32:36The floor pan's been fully rebuilt now, so we're going to lift the body onto the floor pan.
32:39But it's been left outside in the rain now for about a week to let the rust activate,
32:42to make it come back through. We're going to dry it off, unbolt it off the jig it's on,
32:46lift it on, and then bolt it to the floor pan.
32:50This really is as simple as it looks.
32:52We've got four bolts that go in at the back.
32:54There's two bolts on the side, but it is a fair leaping forward process.
33:07The front bolt holes are in the right place, but the back is off,
33:11and there's no room to encourage it in.
33:13But we need the full body to go that way a tiny bit to be able to get the bolts
33:16in,
33:16but it won't move because that engine's tight against there.
33:19The whole thing wants to go that way about five mil.
33:34There we go.
33:39That's it. Fang off.
33:49The team are working on a 1949 Mark 1 Beetle, brought back to Britain by a Tommy at the end
33:55of the Second World War.
33:57The new owner wants this car to show its age, so they've been working on a patina finish.
34:03The car has had a complete overhaul. They fixed the shell, found a replacement door, fitted the cable
34:10brake system, and got the car back together.
34:14Acroblast it.
34:19The team are replacing the old electrics with something that is up to modern spec.
34:26This is Ian, the auto electrician.
34:29He comes up and fits the looms for us to make sure everything works.
34:32The plan is a simple one.
34:35Get the rubbish out, the original loom.
34:39Runs up over the roof along the inner gutter line. Get rid of that.
34:45Usually there's no headliner in it, so there is an headliner in it.
34:49So what I'll have to do is tie a pull-on cord onto this, and then pull it forward from
34:57the front,
34:58leaving me a cord to be able to attach the new loom onto and feed that back over this way.
35:06Kind of only really get one chance with it if it goes wrong, you see.
35:16Still going, yeah?
35:22Right, semaphore bit.
35:23While Ian is sorting the electrics, Irv is digging out the semaphores for him.
35:28He can mint them, aren't he?
35:32All right, mate?
35:33All right, buddy?
35:35Perfect.
35:36On pair.
35:38Reproduction?
35:38No.
35:39No?
35:40Originals.
35:44Should get there with a bit of jibri-pokery.
35:52Let's go and see if it works.
35:59Perfect.
35:59I'm happy.
36:01We are a bit all over the place with this.
36:03We're coming down to the final stages.
36:06I'm waiting for loads of little bits and bobs, like the correct felt wing beading.
36:12We've got bits on the wiring to finish.
36:14But as luck would have it, I put the word out and managed to get a set of 49 seats,
36:21same material that the car would have had, same door cars.
36:24Honestly, they're pretty old and rugged, should we call it.
36:30But they're dead right in here, they're going to look perfect.
36:36It's a scramble, but after another fortnight's work, the Beetle is ready.
36:42And it's just as the owner Russell wanted.
36:45Faithfully restored and finally roadworthy.
36:48The underside of this car is completely done now.
36:50Floor pans, everything was sort of rotted away.
36:52It was in a hell of a state.
36:54And now we've gone back to as new underneath.
36:58So everything about it, crash gearbox, which is the original one for the vehicle,
37:03the original motor, we've got all the lever shockers, the cable brakes.
37:08This car is just how it left the factory.
37:11So really speaking, it's ready for another 50 or 60 years use.
37:25Unfortunately, Russell's absolutely swamped with work at the minute.
37:28So he's absolutely gutted.
37:29He can't make it himself.
37:30So we've brought someone in to have a look at it.
37:33Obviously, I'm a little bit nervous now because, you know,
37:36hopefully he sees everything that he wants to see,
37:39which I am confident that he's perfect.
37:42But let's see what someone else thinks.
37:46Heyo, man.
37:47How's it going?
37:48How's it going?
37:50Looking forward to seeing this.
37:52No pressure.
37:55It looks incredible.
37:57Oh, I love the preservation already.
38:00I think it's right, isn't it?
38:01Well, for a 49 as well, like, it's just unbelievable.
38:05It's still on its wheels, so.
38:06I know.
38:07This is pretty cool.
38:08Oh, yes.
38:09What do you reckon of that?
38:10Well, you know I love a 25 or a 30 horsepower engine.
38:13I mean, I just wanted to make it as untouched as I could.
38:17Yeah, perfectly right.
38:19And like, good details.
38:21Looks incredible.
38:22Right, ready for a drive?
38:23Oh, let's give it a go.
38:25Fruit's in the pudding.
38:30Time for the verdict.
38:37I mean, straight away feels really strong.
38:42Lovely gear change.
38:44You know how bad that is, is it?
38:45Almost feels brand new.
38:46You know how bad that is, is it?
38:48What a privilege to drive a 49 as well.
38:53Well, what can I say?
38:56I think, you know, Russell's going to be chuffed a bit.
38:59Yeah, I think we have been here.
39:00It feels great, feels great, looks great.
39:02So, well done.
39:04Great.
39:05Thanks, mate.
39:06Glad you're happy.
39:07Can't stop smiling.
39:12Erv couldn't have asked for a better reaction.
39:19Pretty good day today, actually.
39:20We've got Chris coming in, who we actually bought the car from originally.
39:24Erm, he owned the car for like 34 or 35 years.
39:28Never ever got right out of doing it up.
39:30Er, always had it in the back of his mind he was going to do it and never, never did.
39:33So he sold it to us.
39:34So we, er, we got in touch with him and asked him if he'd like to come down and have
39:38a look at it.
39:38Now we've got it finished.
39:39So, er, yeah, I'm excited to see what he thinks to it.
40:02What have you done?
40:03What do you reckon?
40:04Oh, that's...
40:05Good to see you.
40:07Absolutely incredible.
40:08It's cool, isn't it?
40:09Yeah.
40:10At first, at first glimpse, it doesn't look much different to what I sold you, but, er, it's got to
40:15be.
40:16I think it is.
40:16Because it had just about rotted away.
40:19I mean, that's the whole idea, wouldn't it, with this one?
40:22Wow.
40:22It just looks like we haven't done it.
40:23It's an incredible process.
40:25Mad, innit?
40:26Yeah.
40:26Er, I mean...
40:27What do you do to that so it doesn't actually rust?
40:30That can't be rust.
40:31Well, believe it or not, it is.
40:33And then you've got this new technology now, this rust paint that you can buy.
40:37So some of it's rust paint, some of it is real rust.
40:39You just use, like, a patina oil on them and it just really brings you back to life, doesn't it?
40:43How many hours?
40:46A lot.
40:46A lot.
40:47A lot.
40:47Hundreds?
40:48Hundreds.
40:49Yeah.
40:50You could restore one full-blown concourse, the same, same sort of timescale.
40:53But it's done half work, doesn't it?
40:56I'll take my heart off to you.
40:58I had it for over half of my life.
41:00Really?
41:01Yeah, yeah.
41:02How mad's that?
41:03Yeah.
41:04And I dreamt and dreamt that I would get round to restoring it myself and reality takes over.
41:10You blink and a year's gone.
41:11Yeah.
41:11And it just, before you know it, five years, ten years.
41:14For me, it was a wrench to part with it.
41:18But I'm glad I did.
41:19After a lot of them for time.
41:19When I see it now, I'm glad I did.
41:21It's ready to fight another day, isn't it?
41:23Yeah.
41:23And that's the main thing.
41:25Herb did explain to me this concept of preservation restoration.
41:32And I must admit, at first, I was taken aback a little bit.
41:36It was in a very sorry state when I sold him it.
41:40The bottom was falling out of it.
41:42And to have put all those hundreds of hours into it and created something that looks like that,
41:48I think it's truly marvellous.
41:51You know, it just looks like it's been in a time warp since 1949 somewhere.
41:56I think she'll fight on for another, or maybe even 100 years, who knows?
42:01We're only custodians short term, aren't we?
42:03It's got to live on.
42:04So, do you want to go for a spin in it?
42:05Shall I take you for a run?
42:06I'd love to.
42:07Yeah?
42:08Absolutely.
42:08I'd love to jump in.
42:09Yeah.
42:28Tell you what, though, we've got a real day for it, haven't we?
42:31It's cracking.
42:33The flat-four air-cooled engine in the boot purrs.
42:3725 horsepower, which is next to nothing.
42:39But the Beetle is so simple, that's all it needs.
42:43Sound-proofing was yet to happen.
42:45Absolutely.
42:46In 1949, I mean, yeah.
42:49No seatbelts, no seatbelts, no headrests, no radio, even the semaphores for signalling are manual.
42:55I'm really impressed.
42:57I'm just glad that we got you to come and see it.
42:59Yeah.
43:00It's the number of times I sat in that seat when it was a wreck.
43:05Really?
43:05All of the steering wheel.
43:07That blow away.
43:08Someday, someday, but it's always the intention that it was going to be me that did it.
43:13But this, well, it's the next best thing.
43:17And it really does make me feel happy.
43:21Happy that you got it.
43:22Happy that you've done what you've done.
43:26Isn't it awesome?
43:28Well done.
43:58We'll see you next time.
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