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Car SOS Ultimate Countdown S06E04

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00:00Hello and welcome to our little poodle down the highways and byways of automotive restoration.
00:22Today we'll be looking back at some of our greatest hits from 13 years of making car SOS.
00:2913 years, Fuzzbot.
00:31Yeah, I know.
00:32An unlucky number for some but not for us today because this is our ultimate transformations.
00:36This is when quite literally I throw this man into hell and pick up the worst cars we can possibly find that need the biggest transformation possible.
00:45Ah, but that's where the magic lies.
00:47The worse a car looks when it comes into the workshop, the better the transformation once we've worked our magic on it.
00:53Please can I choose the first clip?
00:55Okay, go on.
00:56It's going to be a blue logo with four letters and a prancing horse.
00:59It's a Ford Mustang.
01:01Actually, that ought to be Rustang.
01:04Yes, this 1965 model from series 11 was so riddled with rust, it needed the help of Mustang Sid, one of the UK's top American car wizards.
01:14But was Sid's magical touch going to be enough to save this rotting relic?
01:18Nice.
01:19All right, Sid, how are you doing?
01:21Not bad, you?
01:22Yeah, cool.
01:23Apart from the rear screen, it's a complete car.
01:37Okay.
01:38Well, luckily it's still in my truck, so, erm, I'll see you later, Tim.
01:41Hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on.
01:43Hang on, hang on, hang on.
01:44Hang on, hang on.
01:45We can change that.
01:46Yeah.
01:47Get it off the truck.
01:48It is just coming apart at the seams everywhere.
01:58I mean, there's so much rust, there's no integrity to it.
02:03Sid, have you ever been underneath a Mustang this bad?
02:05Not this bad, Tim.
02:06Look at that hole there.
02:09Well, yeah.
02:13Yes or no, will you do it?
02:16Go on, then, we'll do it.
02:17You'll do it?
02:18Yeah.
02:18OK.
02:21Good news for the boys.
02:23But Sid's about to discover that he may have bitten off more than he can chew.
02:30Fuzz, Sid, can I have a little word with you, just quick sticks?
02:32Yeah.
02:32We were just talking about how to make this car better for John.
02:35All right.
02:35I've agreed that we're happy for this car to be converted to right and drag.
02:40So that was amazing.
02:40Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
02:41Hold on.
02:42Do you know how much work that is?
02:44No, I have no idea how much.
02:46It's a massive job.
02:46Go on, then.
02:47What?
02:47Dashboard.
02:48What do you mean, dashboard?
02:49We've got to cut the dashboard and swap everything over.
02:51We've got to cut this car.
02:52We've got to swap the wipers.
02:53We've got to do the bulkhead.
02:54We've got to do the pedal box.
02:56It's a whole heap of work.
02:57It's not a five-minute job.
02:58That's a lot of work.
02:59You know, there's enough to do on this car.
03:00You just thought it was clever just to say, oh, we'll just go right and drive.
03:03So everything's gone.
03:04So everything's gone.
03:05Yeah.
03:05Yeah.
03:05As if Sid didn't have enough on his plate, because not only is the amount of work going
03:10to be staggering, it's also going to be a fine line keeping the car's original identity.
03:15But even though rust has permeated the entire car, as many original parts as possible are going
03:20to have to be salvaged for the thing not to go on a dreaded cue plate.
03:24But we've actually got a gearbox that selects gears.
03:29The gearbox can go back in.
03:32Tim's request to convert the car from left to right-hand drive has also added to the load.
03:37Because not only does it mean moving things like the steering column from one side to the
03:41other, it'll also require creating a new right-hand drive dashboard out of the old one.
03:47Then there's the car's engine.
03:49Currently, it's so rusty it's barely recognisable.
03:52That, without doubt, will need a full rebuild, if indeed it can be salvaged.
03:57So, stand by for a marathon of restoration.
04:00In go the gas cutters and off comes the front of the car.
04:05It's goodbye to that rusty floor, while the rear quarters and old boot go in the bin.
04:12Meanwhile, Sid's about to reveal plans for some upgrades and why they might run into trouble.
04:18So, originally, it would have had a steering box.
04:20But we're going to change that for a steering rack, power steering rack.
04:23Okay, so this is a modern rack, then.
04:24That's a modern steering rack.
04:25Right, so there'll be less, what, plays?
04:26There'll be less play in the steering.
04:27Yep.
04:28Double wishbone suspension.
04:29That's modern.
04:30That's modern.
04:31Yeah.
04:31It'll have coilover suspension.
04:33Oh, wow.
04:33Okay.
04:34And disc brakes on the front.
04:36This will drive like a modern car.
04:38Right.
04:38Wow.
04:39Okay.
04:39So, key to all that is this cross member.
04:42Right.
04:43So.
04:44Okay, so this is non-standard, this bit, the wrong one.
04:45This part isn't standard, so we get that fabricated.
04:48Six-week lead time, so you need to go and speak to the company and get it done quicker.
04:53Right, so you're telling me you need one of them, like, when?
04:56Now.
04:57Okay, stop getting so cross, you member.
04:59That should keep Tim out of mischief.
05:01Likewise, Fuzz looks like he has his hands full with that big old V8 engine,
05:06which we think may be seized.
05:09Ooh, that one feels tight.
05:13Break the seal.
05:16Right.
05:17Now, we have an engine that turns.
05:21Now, that in itself is a pretty good thing, because it means that, yeah, the engine might
05:27be salvageable, but this is a 260 cubic inch V8 engine.
05:33Unfortunately, parts for these are very rare.
05:38The best course of action would be to use a 302 cubic inch engine.
05:44Parts are readily available, and it's easy to rebuild them.
05:48The likelihood is, with all probability, this engine is not going to end up going back into
05:53the Mustang.
05:54Better hope Sid has a spare one, then.
05:57Stripping the car has revealed more bad news.
06:00Nearly every single panel and part will have to go, meaning this isn't just any old restoration.
06:07This is a vehicle returning from the dead.
06:10It's resurrected.
06:11It is.
06:12Luckily, being at a Mustang specialist, not only do they have most of the parts in stock,
06:17those they don't have can be fabricated in-house, meaning new chassis rails and structural sections
06:22can be lined up and welded in.
06:24A replacement floor can be cut to fit.
06:27A new cowl can be trial fitted, along with all the other inner panels to give the car
06:31some sort of shape.
06:33Oh, and there's that little matter of switching from left to right-hand drive.
06:38Right, so this is the dashboard.
06:39That is where the clocks would normally go, and they will sit there like that, in a left-hand
06:43drive.
06:44That is the glove box.
06:46Right, check this out.
06:47Not entirely that easy, my friend.
06:55Why?
06:56The support for the steering.
06:58Right.
06:59This is the main bracket that holds your steering wheel up in your steering column.
07:02Right.
07:03It's actually positioned on a left-hand drive car for the steering wheel to angle this
07:07way.
07:08So when we swap this over, the steering wheel will actually angle towards the window or
07:12the pillar of the car.
07:13So it'll be out of the car?
07:14Yeah, so we have to make some adjustments to this bracket when we swap everything over
07:18as well, so the steering wheel actually stays in line.
07:22Is that it?
07:23Um, nearly.
07:24What?
07:24We've also got to swap the heater controls over as well, because they'll be on the wrong
07:27side of the car.
07:28So we also need to move this section over there, and move that section back over there
07:33to blank that hole back up.
07:34Come on then, chop chop.
07:35So Gaz has his work cut out, quite literally, and this highly skilled and painstakingly fiddly
07:42welding is just the tip of the iceberg.
07:43For a start, all the strength has to be put back to the underside of the car, then all
07:49the external panels need to be lined up and tapped on to make sure everything fits.
07:53Once that's all been done, Tim's essential new cross member can be carefully positioned
08:02and welded in, followed by all the outstanding body panels.
08:08It's not quite building a car from scratch, but it certainly feels like it.
08:11And as the days and weeks tick down and the workshop passes the 1,000-hour mark, as if
08:17by magic, a Mustang starts to emerge.
08:20The first bit of filling and flatting takes place, and the car is ready for primer.
08:24Let's talk colours, because I'll be honest with you, you can make or break a car with colours.
08:30You get it wrong, and it looks terrible.
08:31So what do we know about the Mustang?
08:32Well, John's Mustang has been a selection of different colours, but when it originally
08:36came out of the factory, it was this red.
08:37And we're going this colour, which is a cherry red.
08:41It's the kind of colour you want to jump into it and lose yourself.
08:43So that is going to be the colour of the whole car, but we can't overlook the fact that these
08:48GT350 Shelby stripes that John has had on the car are such an iconic look.
08:54So we are going to go for the stripes, but the colour of the stripe is grey.
08:58Contrasted against this full-of-life, vibrant cherry red.
09:02And that's not the only vibrant thing about the car, as get an eyeful of this.
09:07Straight out of Sid's spare shelf, a bigger V8 engine.
09:11And the upgrades don't end there.
09:13Right, so here's our Mustang engine.
09:15Now, as delivered from the Ford factory, they were kind of muted.
09:20So they were built to a certain price, built them all the same, and then if people wanted
09:25to tune them once they got their car, then they could.
09:28And they were easy to tune.
09:30But what they didn't do back in the day, generally speaking, was to fit fuel injection to them.
09:36The great thing about fuel injection systems is that they, with pinpoint accuracy, change
09:42to suit the conditions that the engine is being run in.
09:46It's what Ford would have done if they'd carried on making these engines, and it's what we're
09:50doing now.
09:51So what do we get with our kit?
09:53Well, we get our new inlet manifold, fitted with injectors and injector rails and sensors.
10:00And that basically just drops straight on in place of the original manifold and the old
10:06carburetor.
10:06So, thanks to a spare engine from Sid and a top-of-the-range Adelbrock fuel injection
10:11unit, John's Mustang is not only going to perform better, as a quick spell on the dyno
10:15proves, it's going to have that mesmerising Mustang burble, too.
10:21Welcome back to Car SOS Ultimate Transformations.
10:25A peek back at some of the cars that have gone from zero to hero in our workshop.
10:30And we're looking at some...
10:31What are you doing?
10:35What?
10:35Muscle car.
10:37Oh, hold on.
10:38Hold on, wait a minute.
10:39Oh, very funny.
10:41You see it?
10:41Is it there somewhere?
10:42There it is.
10:43Yeah, pure power and performance right there.
10:45Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
10:47Okay.
10:47Well, cars don't come much more muscly than a Ford Mustang.
10:52Why do you carry a magnifying glass in your pocket?
10:54What part of the body is it?
10:56Just anything that I can see.
10:58As well as all that muscle, the Mustang comes with a very racy physique to match.
11:05Helped no end by a top coat of cherry red paint.
11:09Ding dong.
11:10And the fun doesn't stop there, as no sooner is the paint dry than the reassembly begins.
11:16Starting with the right-hand drive dashboard and followed by all the 21st century upgrades,
11:21including a new steering rack to give better control.
11:24Double wishbone suspension to help the car go around corners.
11:28An upgraded disc brakes to improve stopping power.
11:31That's the handling, steering and driving experience massively improved on this Mustang.
11:37That now fully rebuilt and uprated powerhouse of an engine is dropped into place.
11:45The obligatory go-faster stripes are painted on, and the windows and doors are all refitted.
11:51This is a big moment for us, actually.
11:55The door, the driver's door.
11:57Actually, it's not the driver's door.
11:59It's a passenger door, which is great.
12:00It's a right-hand driver.
12:01He's going on the Mustang, finally.
12:03Cools that.
12:04And over on the new driver's side, the biggest mod of the lot will need its steering column installed.
12:09Starting to look like a car inside here.
12:11And with the column attached, you can really see how Tim's new cross member supports not only the rack and pinion unit,
12:18but the new wishbone suspension, too.
12:21At the back, the original rear axle is refitted.
12:24Plus, as we've gone to the trouble of switching the dash from left to right,
12:27Car SOS's resident boffin Welsh Q is not going to let the car out of the workshop
12:31without a set of his very own bespoke digital clocks.
12:35Look at that!
12:36Wow!
12:37Can we fit this now?
12:38This is ready to go.
12:39Let's do it.
12:39Come on, let's go.
12:40Yes!
12:43Guys, Welsh Q's got something he wants to show you.
12:46Right, you ready for this?
12:46Okay.
12:47Welsh Q, fire it up.
12:50Hey!
12:51How cool is that?
12:55Street mode.
12:57Yes!
12:58Brilliant.
12:59Yeah.
13:00Okay, race mode.
13:01Race mode.
13:02Yes.
13:03Fantastic.
13:05That's brilliant.
13:07They are awesome.
13:09Yes, this car's going to have more icing than a wedding cake.
13:12Even the exhaust system's custom-made, adding an extra 25 brake horse.
13:16Then there's all the interior trim, including the newly recovered original seats.
13:22The seats are here.
13:23Have a look at these.
13:23The Mustang seats have landed.
13:25The lights are all wired in.
13:28All these little finishing touches are massively important
13:31because it's these that make this car the legend that it is.
13:38And with copious amounts of good old 60s American chrome trim being fitted,
13:42at last, after 65 days of hard graft, the end is in sight.
13:46And what a journey of restoration it's been.
13:51When it first arrived at the workshop, this 60-year-old Mustang looked like it had been sitting at the bottom of the sea.
13:58A rusty wreck from top to bottom.
14:00But thanks to some workshop magic, the car was dragged from the abyss and made ready to set sail on its new life.
14:08The bodywork and paint were simply stunning.
14:13That big block 5-litre muscle car engine was fuel-injected and started at the first turn of the key.
14:21The interior was picture perfect.
14:25The car was now right-hand drive with a digital dash and power-assisted rack and pinion steering.
14:31You'd be hard-pushed to find a better 65 Mustang on the road anywhere,
14:37making this one of the boys' finest ever transformations.
14:40What a job of work that car was, Timmy, eh?
14:46Yes, but being honest, it makes me love the Ford Mustang even more. A true survivor.
14:50I know, I know. I can't believe that they're over 60 years old now.
14:54They look good.
14:54Look, come on, what's your favourite era for classic cars?
14:57You asked me that for real?
14:59Yeah, of course.
14:59You know the answer to that.
14:59Well, come on, it's the 80s.
15:01OK, there we go.
15:02What?
15:02Well, actually, you've got a treat coming up,
15:05because next, we're going to be taking a look at an 80s icon.
15:08So that will be the Ford Sierra Cosworth?
15:11Nope.
15:12No?
15:13No.
15:13The Ford Capri we did?
15:15No.
15:16The German?
15:17Yep.
15:19The Opel Manta?
15:20Top marks!
15:21It is.
15:21Yes.
15:21Oh, yes, but bottom marks for this car, trust me.
15:25Bottom marks.
15:26Yes, in Series 10, the Manta was the car that kept on giving.
15:31Problem after problem.
15:32Oh.
15:33Whoa-ho!
15:34It's wet its pants.
15:36Big time.
15:37What is that?
15:37Fuel leak.
15:38Whew!
15:41That stinks, doesn't it?
15:44Where are we looking?
15:44Hold on, here it is.
15:45Look, it's been chewed by a mouse.
15:49And that's because we've come up a hill fuzz,
15:50and it's just chucked it all to the front of the engine, isn't it?
15:52Right, OK, right.
15:53Yeah.
15:54Yeah.
15:54Right, that's stamped it a bit.
15:56You ever heard a car do a dog impression?
15:58Chuck a match on that, it'll go woof.
15:59Come on, let's get it in.
16:00Here you go.
16:01Oh, my word.
16:02OK, I'm through at the back.
16:04OK, so we've got a little rot around the rear valance.
16:06The rear axle looks like it's been used as a boat anchor.
16:10Tim, what are you doing?
16:12Oh, because it looks like it's been underwater.
16:16Manta ray!
16:18I know there's a manta.
16:19And how can we rain?
16:21My rear floor's gone.
16:22Straight through the front floor as well.
16:24Not a problem.
16:25Yeah, this is just splitting apart here.
16:26If it's delaminating, it's going to allow water in.
16:30Right, listen, let's swim up to the front and see what's under there.
16:32OK.
16:37That was a scary place to be.
16:40And we thought we were looking around a wreck.
16:43We've just found ourselves a very hungry shark that is going to bite our bottoms.
16:48When Tim and Fuzz took on a 1984 Opel Manta, they discovered that it wasn't just the exterior of the car that was rotten.
17:00The inside was a mess, too.
17:03Wow.
17:04Yeah.
17:08They were built to last for six years.
17:10Yeah.
17:10And, you know, if they got beyond that, they were lucky.
17:15The interior is disgusting and ripped and worn and it's got cigarette burns in, the carpet is shot, everything's scrappy and lucky.
17:23Look, Tim, Tim, Tim.
17:23Torn.
17:24I'm going to have to throw everybody at this car, doing more than one job.
17:28Yeah, I agree.
17:28Yeah.
17:29And on top of all of that, our painter has gone sick.
17:33I want you to paint this car.
17:35Do you know what you're saying here?
17:36I do.
17:37No, you don't.
17:37The pressure of painting a car would be equivalent to one penalty to win the World Cup.
17:46You're taking that penalty, you're painting this car.
17:49Do a bit of practice and let's get this thing painted.
17:53You can do it, Tim.
17:55As if Tim didn't have enough on his plate, because finding parts for a 1980s Opel Manta is going to be no easy task.
18:02They are now a very rare car indeed, and getting hold of things like upgraded headlight bezels is going to be almost impossible, and may require thinking outside the box.
18:13The car shell is riddled with so much rust that the floor and chassis rails have all but dissolved.
18:19They will all need replacing.
18:21Before a full respray, which has to be a perfect finish, even though Tim only has a matter of days to learn how to do it.
18:28And then there's the Manta's two-litre engine.
18:31After more than two decades sitting idle, even this epitome of German efficiency has had to throw the towel in, and will need a full nut-and-bolt rebuild.
18:40But job number one is to get the car stripped down to the metal.
18:43It looks far worse than ever I imagined it would.
18:48And then send it off to the dippers, where it will be immersed in acid for 12 hours, to get rid of all the old rust and paint.
18:56And whilst the shell's away, it gives Fuzz a chance to find out if the Manta's 37-year-old engine is a saver or a scrapper.
19:03This old boat anchor of a thing is the engine out of the Manta.
19:07This has a cam-in-head design.
19:10So the camshaft actually fits into the cylinder head, rather than on top of it.
19:17Just four bolts securing the clutch cover onto the flywheel.
19:22I'm surprised that these Allen-headed screws have actually come off so easily.
19:27OK, so now we have a flywheel.
19:36It'll be a heavy old thing, and it'll land on the table.
19:39These little tell-tale witness marks, or track marks, show where the oil has been leaking down.
19:47Now we can start working our way down and into the engine.
19:50So at the top here, we have six little bolts.
19:57Right. Pretty nasty, hey?
20:02I think towards the end of this car's time on the road,
20:06it was just being driven, not really maintained that much.
20:11That's, I suppose, the laws of bangernomics.
20:14Use it until it fails.
20:17Park it up. Get another.
20:19While Fuzz wrestles the engine, Tim has to learn the basics of spray painting.
20:26Normally, a course lasts a full three days.
20:29Mick!
20:30Hello.
20:31Sadly, with so much on his plate, Tim just has a couple of hours.
20:35If you're up for it, I'm up for it.
20:36Yeah, yeah.
20:37Yeah?
20:38Yeah, so a bit closer, Tim.
20:40That's it.
20:41OK.
20:42Keep it moving.
20:43That's it.
20:44That's it.
20:45Nice and easy.
20:48Nice and even.
20:50Dare I say it, but I'm beginning to enjoy myself.
20:53That's great.
20:54That'll do it.
20:57It's time for the stuff that I am most nervous of, the lacquer.
21:00That will bring the colour to life, but it also protects what we've got.
21:05And the lacquer is where you get the rums.
21:08Right.
21:10OK.
21:11Right in the corner, Tim.
21:12Yeah.
21:12So, remember, you're following your wet edge, Tim.
21:20Keep that gun moving.
21:22Look at the car.
21:23Look at the panel.
21:24Yeah.
21:24And the paint and the wet edge.
21:25Yeah.
21:26That'll do, Tim.
21:29And are we done?
21:29We're done.
21:31Woo!
21:32Wow.
21:33That feels amazing.
21:34Well done.
21:36Look at that.
21:37And he didn't even get the rums.
21:39Although he might do when he sees what's just arrived at the workshop back from the dippers
21:44and, oh dear.
21:45On the upside, at least Tim's going to have a lot more time to perfect his technique.
21:51Whoa.
21:51You know something, Tim?
21:52It's been dipped in acid and now all of the rust has disappeared.
21:58And all we've got left, we've got a gaping great hole here.
22:01What's holding any of this vehicle together?
22:03I don't know.
22:04And just think, this car was only in use for 11 years.
22:08And it's this bad.
22:10It's a proper rotter.
22:11What a lot of work that needs to be done.
22:13Yes, this German classic is certainly going to keep the welders and fabricators busy for
22:17a few hundred hours or more.
22:21Welcome back to this Car SOS Ultimate Edition, where we're taking a look at some of our favourite
22:26transformations.
22:27Right, back to the Manta.
22:28The Opel Manta, if you remember, in the 80s.
22:30They look good.
22:31Oh, yeah.
22:31But when we took that one on, man, it was showing its age.
22:35A little bit like yourself.
22:36Yeah, speak for yourself, Fuzzbott.
22:37The truth is, it was rusty.
22:39And what do we think of rust?
22:40We hate rust.
22:41We want to eliminate it from the planet.
22:43Yeah, so once it's eliminated, there's only one thing for it.
22:47And that is this.
22:50This thing could go and get e-coated like all modern cars.
22:54Yeah.
22:54And it'll prevent it rotting again.
22:55I'm going to load up now.
22:56Seriously, I'm going to get a trailer.
22:58E-coating is a method of treating steel by giving it a negative charge.
23:02Then dipping it in a special, positively charged liquid so the metal is rust-proofed at a microscopic level.
23:10Hey-up, Terry.
23:11Hello, Tim.
23:12Good morning.
23:13How's it going, pal?
23:13All right?
23:14I'm all right, yes.
23:15Good to see you.
23:16I told you I'd bring Manta for you.
23:18Right.
23:19Up we go.
23:21There you go.
23:21This first tank is the acid cleaner.
23:24Why is it an angle?
23:25That's to make sure that we drain all of the liquids out of it.
23:29OK.
23:30And also, as it goes in, it doesn't get the airlocks under the roof.
23:34So that's going to be in there for an hour now.
23:35What is that stuff?
23:37Phosphoric acid.
23:38The acid has attacked all the oxides and removed any rust.
23:42So what's next for it?
23:43Stage two, water rinse.
23:45The only stage in there are a couple of minutes.
23:46We've got to protect all the chemical stages from each other.
23:51How many tanks in total?
23:52Nine tanks, and if you include the sprays, there's 12 stages.
23:56Wow.
23:58Turn it on!
23:59How thick is it?
24:00Every single part of that car will have 25 microns.
24:03So it's a third of thickness.
24:04A third of a human hair.
24:05Wow.
24:06And that small amount of paint gives you so much protection.
24:09Oh, look at that.
24:11So how long is that thing protected for?
24:13Oh, 40, 50 years.
24:14So what's next for it when it comes out of here?
24:17Slap it in the oven, 200 degrees for an hour, and back to your yard.
24:20Terry, thank you so much for this.
24:22That is eco-ting.
24:26With Tim in charge of bodywork, he's left fuzz with one of the trickier jobs.
24:31Finding spare parts for a 40-year-old car.
24:35Ever the gentleman, Tim.
24:37Now, the headlamps on Alan's manta were broken,
24:40and the family have suggested double-barrel ones from the exclusive model.
24:45We've managed to find one side.
24:47So, Steve, is it possible to replicate a mirror image of it?
24:52Yes, it is.
24:53We can 3D scan this...
24:55Right.
24:55...and then print out the opposite version.
24:57The projector projects a fringe pattern at the part,
25:00and the software interprets that as geometry,
25:02and then send that file to the printer.
25:05And press go.
25:08Here we've got our original, and here's the facsimile in reverse.
25:13Yep.
25:13Look at that.
25:14Perfect mirror imaging.
25:16That is ready for a little bit of prep work and some paint.
25:19Thank you very much.
25:22There you go.
25:22The modern way to get old parts.
25:25Back at the workshop, and the now rust-proof shell is being filled and flatted
25:29to remove any dents and dinks and to prepare it for paint.
25:33Likewise, our new painter is going through his preliminaries.
25:36Oh, for goodness sake.
25:38Press into the earth, engage the core, float the arms high.
25:42Breath of freedom.
25:44Inhale as you bend the knees, and exhale, float in the arms up high.
25:50Engage the legs, the core, and push away what doesn't serve you.
25:54You never know.
25:55It might help.
25:56Out in the real world, though, the fully rebuilt engine is back in the house.
26:01Time for Fuzz to get mounting.
26:02So, this is the front axle sub-assembly from the Opel Manta.
26:06Now, it's a clever piece of kit because you've got this axle beam here
26:10with the independent suspension at either end of it.
26:14But the whole thing is made so it bolts up into the car in one.
26:20So, the engine and the gearbox bolts onto here.
26:23It's all a very simple way of putting a lot of stuff into a car all in one go.
26:29There we go.
26:31Okay.
26:31The Eagle has landed.
26:33That's our rebuilt engine and gearbox.
26:36This car is going to be as good as new.
26:40But not if it's covered in drips.
26:43In the spray booth, the candle's out and the car's in.
26:49The spotlight falls on Tim.
26:51It's time to face the enemy.
26:53Whoever's upstairs, look down on me.
27:07Go easy, please.
27:08Okay, let's do it.
27:10Right.
27:18Forgive me for not talking to you at the moment.
27:20I just need to get into this.
27:22Honestly, there's so much focus required.
27:25I'm remembering the yoga and the Tai Chi.
27:27Whoa, this stuff goes on for me.
27:35Yes, this needs to be the good, the bad and the ugly.
27:39Except without the bad or the ugly.
27:42It's a tense moment and not just for Tim.
27:45So, how did he do?
27:47What are you all not doing here?
27:53Ten out of ten.
27:55And first, one.
27:57Hooray!
27:58I did all right, yeah?
27:59Yeah, you did well.
28:00Fantastic.
28:01Right, come on, let's get building it.
28:03With the paintwork done,
28:05the fully rebuilt engine and gearbox can go in.
28:09All the rubbers fitted
28:10and the rear spoiler bolted on.
28:15But there's still plenty left to do.
28:20The doors need to be hung.
28:22The exhaust needs bolting into place.
28:24And, of course, those all-important decals
28:27to give it that perfect finishing touch.
28:33Right, rear wheels on.
28:36Our 3D-printed headlamp mount looks absolutely amazing.
28:40You wouldn't be able to tell it from an original.
28:42Modern technology is brilliant.
28:45And let there be light.
28:47This rusty wreck once again resembles a car.
28:51But there's no point in looking good
28:52if the engine doesn't fire up.
28:55Timmy boy!
28:56I recognise that dulcet tone.
28:57That means we're about to start the engine, doesn't it?
28:59Oh, yeah, that's right.
29:00Right, come on, then.
29:01Come on, then.
29:02Rob, turn the key.
29:03Let's have a go.
29:08Oh, my God!
29:10Listen to that.
29:12Hang on there a minute.
29:16Oh!
29:19Sweet!
29:20This car...
29:21Yeah.
29:22OK, knock it off.
29:23...balanced perfectly.
29:26What a car, eh?
29:27Come on, bonnet, interior, windscreen.
29:30That's the lot.
29:30Yeah.
29:31Let's do it.
29:32He's got an Opel Minter.
29:33Absolutely.
29:33The Opel Minter arrived at the workshop a shadow of its former self.
29:44But after many hours of hard graft,
29:47it was like the car had been transported back 40 years
29:50to become a glorious 80s hot hatch once again.
29:53The bodywork was as spotless as the day it first hit the showroom floor in 1984.
30:01The two-liter engine was fully rebuilt and ready to rack up the miles.
30:06And the interior was clean and tidy, ready for some boy racer fun.
30:11Transformations don't get much harder than this,
30:13but blimey, did the team pull it off?
30:17Fun fishy fact, Timmy boy.
30:19Did you know that the Opel Manta got its name from a fish?
30:23Pollock.
30:24No, wasn't that one.
30:25Anyway, that Manta went from munter to minter, don't you think?
30:29Ooh, talking to minter, the next one.
30:31Ooh.
30:31Clue is series 11.
30:35OK.
30:35Missing a digit.
30:36Oh, all right.
30:36Clue.
30:37Yeah.
30:38No grills on the front.
30:39Yeah.
30:39Sounds like the thing when you go in your house, you walk through a porch.
30:42Oh, yeah, oh, I know what it is.
30:44It's a Porsche 911 Targa.
30:51They don't look quite so pretty on the underside of these cars.
30:54And this one might not look pretty at all.
30:57Stating the obvious, but...
30:58We don't have the original engine.
31:01We've got an engine that's arrived from America.
31:03Is it the correct one for the car?
31:04Don't know.
31:05Is the engine any good?
31:06Don't know.
31:06Right.
31:07We've got a gearbox.
31:08It's out of the car.
31:09Is it the correct gearbox for the car?
31:10But, again, we don't know.
31:12I'm just looking at the way the light's reflecting off the other side.
31:15It's had a wallop underneath it.
31:16It's all over the place.
31:17Whack.
31:17It's absolutely whacked all around here.
31:20Whack here.
31:22Significant impact that's happened to split the steel.
31:26I reckon it's landed on a rock.
31:27And also, it's had some terrible repairs.
31:30Because look at this sill on here.
31:33You see how it's joined on?
31:34It's just tacked on here.
31:36Seeing, like, fiberglass everywhere.
31:39Like, you've got what looks...
31:40What's that stuff?
31:41Cardboard?
31:41That's cardboard or something.
31:44There's a bit of rust as well.
31:45Look at that.
31:46There.
31:47That there.
31:48Oh, my word.
31:49So it's, like, gone bang up there.
31:51But this is the mount for the lower arm.
31:53I mean, that's the arm.
31:54That position's where your tyre sits on the road.
31:56So we know for sure that the suspension is all out of line.
32:00It's completely out of trim.
32:02Well, there's no point starting on this until we know whether this car's straight or not.
32:06Because if it's not, it's like building a house on, you know, soggy foundations.
32:10I think we should drop all the mechanical items off this, you know, suspension.
32:14And then take the body to a jig and see just how badly twisted it is.
32:20And, in fact, I think it could be terminal.
32:25After further inspection, the boys opted for something unusual with the 1973 911 Targa.
32:30It went straight back out of the garage to an insurance assessor
32:33to decide on whether the car was safe to salvage or fit for scrap.
32:38How's it going?
32:39Are you ready to cry?
32:41Really? Is it that bad?
32:42It's not great, but we've got it on a jig.
32:44The jig is basically a flatbed, so we know it's flat.
32:47We've got a reference point to sit it from.
32:48So what I think has happened is at some point, when it's been racing our rallying,
32:51it's landed on its nose.
32:53Right, so kind of heavily on this corner.
32:55Yeah.
32:55So it's crushed up and lifted this left-hand wing.
32:59As a result of that, it's made this A-puller and this gap here tighten up.
33:03Shoved that all back here.
33:04Yeah.
33:05So it needs to be not only pulled out, because it's squashed everything in a little bit on that side,
33:11but also because it's raised up here, it's got to be pulled down.
33:15Yeah, it does. So you need to replicate that force, but in reverse.
33:18So like a slow reverse accident?
33:21Absolutely, yeah.
33:22We can actually reverse back time.
33:23It'd be nice if we could.
33:25Then we'd simply go back to 1973 and buy a new car,
33:29because saving the one we've got has just turned into a phenomenal amount of work.
33:34As to rectify the crash damage, the front of the car is going to have to be stripped back to the substructure.
33:41Then the steel will have to be stretched and squeezed with hydraulic rams
33:45till it goes back to its original shape.
33:47Dramatic stuff.
33:48But the bodywork doesn't stop there, as once the tub is straight, to get all the door gaps to line up,
33:55virtually every single existing panel will need replacing, including the front wings, doors and rear quarters.
34:02Those bodywork repairs will occupy the whole team.
34:07But Fuzz also needs to find time to inspect the 2.4 litre engine.
34:11It's a second-hand replacement.
34:13Borders are drop-in-and-go rebuild.
34:15So, hopefully, it's the one part of the car that won't need a load of work.
34:20If an engine's been rebuilt, that generally means that everything's tightened up on it.
34:26If there's one loose thing, well, in fact, in this case, three loose injector pipes,
34:30then surely there's going to be more loose stuff.
34:34I'm just marking up the fuel pipes.
34:37It just makes it a little bit easier when we're putting it all back together.
34:40It's a bit like one of those puzzles that you get in crackers at Christmastime.
34:46You've got to work out how to get the metal bits apart.
34:51Ah, and another little thing that's loose.
34:54These linkages are all loose.
34:56It's not right, is it?
34:58My fuzzy senses are telling me this is a wrong'un.
35:02Intake manifold bolts.
35:04Finger tight.
35:05If we'd tried to start this car up, if indeed it would have started up with everything being out of trim
35:12and everything being loose, might have run for a little while.
35:17Get a bit of petrol vapour igniting and end of car.
35:20Look at these hoses.
35:26Oh, look at that.
35:29That's rubber.
35:30Supposed to be flexible.
35:33Rebuilt?
35:35My.
35:36Dear, oh dear.
35:38That entire engine's going to need to be sent off to a specialist for a full nut-and-bolt rebuild.
35:43Could things get any worse?
35:45Well, the short answer is yes.
35:47The Targa shell has just returned from the dippers,
35:54revealing it's riddled from top to bottom with rust holes.
35:58Time for another chat with the insurance assessor.
36:01Look, Tim, we've got a big problem.
36:03It's come back like a lace doily at the front.
36:06It's full of holes.
36:07There's no structural integrity, so if we try and pull it, it's just going to rip apart.
36:12There's no other option other than you're going to have to chop it all off, mate.
36:14You're going to have to go right back to the bulkhead.
36:15Yeah.
36:16To the point where you've got a straight data point, and then you have to rebuild it back
36:20panel by panel.
36:21On a jig.
36:22On a jig.
36:23Sorry, mate.
36:23That's the only way of doing it.
36:24That's made this job a whole heap worse.
36:28It's turned a rough and rotten job into a total nightmare.
36:34Yes, the only way to keep the car on the road now is to cut off all the crash damage from
36:39the front.
36:39Oh, this could be nasty.
36:40Bolt what's left to a straight jig, and then reconstruct a car from new steel, matching
36:47the exact factory measurements.
36:50I've had to cut into a few cars before, but I've never cut the whole front end of a classic
36:55Porsche.
36:56It's a massive responsibility.
37:00After plenty more cutting, it's finally time to rebuild the front end, bit by bit.
37:06It's sitting on the jig.
37:08We've got all of this braced.
37:09It's about to be the hottest car on the planet, because it needs so much welding.
37:15And it's not just welding.
37:17Inner panels are having to be fabricated out of sheet steel to get the car's structural
37:21integrity back.
37:22But the beautiful 911 outer panels are a different matter.
37:26As they're almost impossible to find in the UK, Tim has resorted to the only place he can
37:31think of.
37:32Germany.
37:33I mean, hello.
37:34I've done 10 hours in this old banger.
37:35We're here in Stuttgart.
37:37You are joking me.
37:38Look at the top of that spike up there.
37:40That is an early 911 with all the bits we need on it.
37:43So I've got a mate called Jan, who works at Porsche.
37:46He said, Tim, meet me around the service entrance.
37:48That's not happening.
37:49We're not coming to Stuttgart.
37:51I'm not going inside Porsche.
37:53I am coming in all guns blazing.
37:58Wow.
38:01What's this place?
38:02A workshop for historic and special vehicles.
38:05So we have a lot of different Porsche models here.
38:08Okay, there are lots of very special cars.
38:10The new 992 GT3 RS.
38:14Yes.
38:15Is that the real deal?
38:16So that is a pre-production.
38:17That's like a prototype one.
38:18Yeah, it's a prototype.
38:19It's a RSR.
38:20It's a race car.
38:21Just chilling?
38:22Just chilling.
38:24And a 959, yes.
38:25It's a genuine Dakar and Group B rally car.
38:28Yes.
38:29You've got the best job on the planet.
38:30Kind of.
38:31What's that?
38:32Oh, these are your parts.
38:33This is the reason why we're here.
38:35Okay, forget all this nonsense.
38:36This is what, this is, we're here for Ben's car.
38:38Wow.
38:38Doors, wings, rear quarters.
38:40This is pretty much the whole car.
38:43Yes.
38:44Dude.
38:44Original Porsche parts.
38:45Made in Germany.
38:46So, all the Porsche panels we could possibly want, and not a moment too soon.
38:51Welcome back to this very special edition of Car SOS, looking at our ultimate transformation,
38:56and in particular, this one, the Porsche 911 Targa.
38:59Sweet.
39:00But, hold on, I've just got something I want to pick up on, and that's because you keep
39:04swanning off on overseas trips.
39:07Swanning off?
39:08Yeah.
39:08If anyone around here swans off, you've got, you've swan off to the shared restroom in
39:12the workshop, you've swan off under the ramp, you've swan off to get a potato when the
39:16potato wagon turns up, and you've just swaned off to the insurance assessors.
39:20That's not glamorous, though, is it?
39:22And you've also swaned off to do this.
39:26There was certainly no swanning off when it came to the Targa, which, after thousands
39:31of hours of hard work, was finally looking straight.
39:35No wonder Fuzz was in a good mood.
39:37Mustard, vinegar, pepper, salt, mustard, vinegar, pepper.
39:41Having a workout and restoring this Targa bar cover all at the same time.
39:47Now, this is made from brushed stainless steel.
39:51It's got scratches all over the place, lots of muck that's embedded into there, a little
39:56bit of lubricant and a scotch pad along the grain.
40:01This is going to look dynamite.
40:03And my new workout video will be available online.
40:08Salt, mustard, vinegar, pepper.
40:10Don't think Jane Fonda's got anything to worry about then.
40:13But it's not just on the Targa top where the elbow grease has been applied, as the welders
40:18have now made leaps and bounds with the shell.
40:21And thanks to Tim's new panels, the Porsche is starting to look a bit like a car again.
40:26And, of course, the advantage of so many new panels is that there's less filling and
40:30flatting to do.
40:31And then came the biggest transformation moment, the paintwork.
40:38And in this case, back to the car's original factory colour of metallic blue.
40:45Paintwork done, the electrics can be wired into the now perfectly straight front end.
40:50The glass is fitted all the way around, including the rear screen.
41:01Followed straight away with the new Targa roll bar cover that Fuzz had shined.
41:06Here we go.
41:07OK, let's give this a trial fit, see what we're like.
41:09This is the bit that was actually included for safety.
41:11Yes.
41:12But the truth is, it's become a stylistic icon in its own sense.
41:15It's going to look absolutely brilliant.
41:18One other original feature that's looking to business is the newly restored 2.4 litre engine.
41:25Then the doors are fitted.
41:28The dashboard clocks wired up.
41:32And the paintwork buffed.
41:34And slowly but surely, the car starts to take that familiar 9-11 profile.
41:39Getting these in.
41:42It's not that easy a job, but look at that.
41:46Those light lenses are absolutely iconic.
41:50Yes, the car has started to look the business.
41:52If only it ended there.
41:54But of course, that moment that everyone dreads is yet to happen.
41:58The start-up, or not.
42:00OK, you ready?
42:01I'm going for a start.
42:03OK.
42:03You sure you want to be around the back there?
42:05Yeah.
42:05Yeah, but you've been working on the engine.
42:07I wouldn't be anywhere near it.
42:08Just start it up, OK?
42:093, 2, 1.
42:12Yes!
42:13Yes!
42:15Yeah, hold on.
42:18Yes, and it sounds sweet as well.
42:20Not only is...
42:21What's the oil pressure reading?
42:23It's about to blow!
42:24No, it's not.
42:25It's fine.
42:26Mate.
42:27OK, all right, OK.
42:28Knock it off.
42:28Knock it off.
42:29Not only is that a stunning-looking car, but it's also a car that sounds utterly awesome.
42:35It's nearly there now that I really feel like we're very, very close.
42:40Come on, there's loads more to do, but that is a real win.
42:43When this 1973 Targa hit the workshop, it was in danger of being written off as unrepairable.
42:54But the boys never take no for an answer.
42:57After some major surgery, this Targa was brought back to life, and the result?
43:03Stunning.
43:03The twisted shell was expertly straightened, reinforced, and made as solid as new.
43:11The engine?
43:13Completely rebuilt from top to bottom.
43:15Every missing part replaced with precision.
43:18This Porsche Targa was now a car as shiny, both inside and out, as the day it first hit the road.
43:25Now that's what you call a true transformation.
43:29What a turnaround.
43:30You've just got to love a Porsche.
43:32You've never owned one, have you?
43:33No, but I'd love to.
43:35Until now, Fuzzball.
43:36What?
43:36As I reach into my pocket for my jangly-janglies.
43:38Put your hand out.
43:39Tonight, you are driving home in the car that you came in with that in your pocket.
43:44Your very own Porsche Targa.
43:46Thank you very much for watching The Ultimate Transformations, right here with me and Fuzz.
43:54We'll see you again soon for more.
43:58So you don't want that then?