02x11 & 02x12 - Beetle to Buggy (Part 1 & 2)

[bunniefuu]

Hello and welcome to
Wheeler Dealers, the show

that's in love with cars
from the 60s, 70s and 80s.

Now we pride ourselves on saving
modern classics from the crusher and

this time I'm on a mission to find a
VW Beetle that's in need of some TLC.

Finding one to buy and do up
should be easy since there are

thousands of enthusiasts out
there keeping the Beetle flame alight.

The trademark teardrop
shape is known and loved the

world over and even today
it looks like nothing else.

Which end's the front? Is that it?

Boot in the front, engine
in the back, that was the

kind of quirky idea that
made the bug so unusual.

Together with the Mini, the


the VW Beetle is one of
motoring's most enduring icons.

In fact, it was recently
named Car of the Century.

The Beetle, the brain child of Hitler
and Ferdinand Porsche, it was to be

the car for the working classes and
Volkswagen means people's car in German.

Using b*llet proof air
cooled 4 cylinder engines,

they were reliable,
durable and easy to fix.

Compared to other cars
at the time, the Beetle

was a revolution in
packaging and solid quality.

Although the shape was
dreamed up in the 30's,

production didn't start
until 1945 in Wolfsburg.

Since then, 21 million
Beetles have been sold,

making it one of the
best known cars ever.

Finding a bug isn't difficult but finding a
good, cheap, straight one is more tricky.

I need one that's right
for some TLC but not

too much because Ed
will never forgive me.

After a lot of hair pulling and
foam bashing, I was getting

nowhere through the weekly
mags. Time for some drastic action.

With over 20 million Beetles
sold since its launch, you'd think I'd

be able to find a decent one in the
country somewhere, wouldn't you?

Well, I had a word with a guy who
lives in Hampshire and he says he's

got a classic example hidden in
a barn and I love those barn finds.

Well, guess what? This is it and
what a complete waste of my time. This

car is a scrapper. It's not fit for
anything other than the dustbin.

Do you know, I'm going to
find the fella who said this

is a classic and I'm going
to make him explain himself.

Peter, Peter, Peter, I'm not
being funny, mate. This is

beyond a joke. You said it
was a classic on the phone.

The bumpers are gone, no headlamps, the wheels
are shot, no running ba*ls, the wheel arches have

gone through. I haven't even got round the other
side yet. Where is there a classic in this?

Oh, the Beetle is a
classic car. All these parts

are just cosmetic.
They're easily replaced.

Cosmetic my bum. That's going
to cost an absolute fortune to

put right. You said it was a
nice, tiny example on the phone.

I should ask you for my petrol money back.
I think you've wasted my day.

I assure you, underneath
it is really, really solid.

Underneath it may be a solid car,
but it's never going to go, though, is it?

Of course it will. I'll drive it in it.

When was that, 1985?

Ed. Yeah, it's Mike.
What a waste of time, Ed.

Now, honestly, I know you've seen
some bad cars, but this takes the biscuit.

I mean, the bodywork alone
is going to take you hours and

hours and hours. I mean,
it's not going to go, is it, either?

You're going to have mechanicals,
the work you're going to have to do to it.

No. Actually, that is the
sound of the car starting up.

Yeah. Do you really? I think you're mad.
I think you're absolutely mad.

OK. All right. I'll call you back. Cheers.

Right then, Pete.
Well, you proved your point. It does go.

Mate, I'm not being
funny. It is a shed,

though, isn't it? I
mean, it's the worst car.

It's likely to be the worst car
I've ever bought in my whole life.

And that's saying
something for me, I promise

you. I was going to
say, what, 100 quid?

No. I could break it for two and a half.

Two and a half? You
could break this for? You're

wrong, mate. It's
rotten as a pair, this car.


you want to take it or not, it's up to you.

I'm not bothered either way,
because I think he's wrong.

Well, tell you what, then. You own it.

Do I? Oh, dear. I wish I didn't.
Come on, let's do the paperwork.

Oh, dear. In the cold light of day,
my mechanic Ed's got to make good.

He's claimed that he can
make this bug beautiful.

I have a horrible feeling we've
bitten off more than we can chew.

And I think so does he. Oh, dear.

Hello. How are you? I don't even
want to shake your hand, fella.

What a waste of money, Ed.
Your face speaks a thousand words.

Did you drive it here? Did I drive it here?
Does it look like I drove it here, Ed?

Did the engine work and everything?

Listen, I got a reputation to uphold. I
couldn't be seen dead in a shed like this.

Ed, I'm not being funny,
mate, but you said,

Oh, don't worry, you can get wings with it.

Wings are cheap. Buy a bump of 15 quid.

But you also said that the
running boards were missing.

I asked fair enough.
But what about the seals?

It sounds like I'm
completely knackered.

It was up to here in straw. I don't
know anything about stuff like this.

I just see cars for what they are.
Look at the interior, fella.

I mean, the amount of work you're
going to have to do, it's finished.

It's a little t*rd, obviously.

It's just a mess. I reckon that all we've
done is thrown 200 quid into a bonfire.

Hang on, hang on, hang on.

See that building? That building's
in better Nick than this car.

You said this engine runs, right?

Well, yeah, I mean like a lawnmower.

Yeah, right. Does it steer?

I don't know. Yeah, I suppose so.

Just calm down a little bit.

You're not going to turn
it around, Ed, are you?

Hang on.
See, that floor pan is pretty sound, right?

Yeah.

So, and this year happens to be the


So? So we'll turn this into a beach buggy.

I'm serious.
This is the best bit about beetles.

Everything unbolts, so we unbolt
all the rubbish we don't want,

throw it away, nice floor
pan, engine and steering.

Mate, there's a lot of grease
and oil fudging around up there.

Mate, if you unbolt the body from this,

you're going to be left behind with a rusting
chassis with four wheels bolted to it.

Okay, we might need some
new nice wheels, obviously,

and do the engine up a little bit.

Body, seats, interior, steering wheel,

lights, it'll be there, it'll be fine.

Mate, I'll tell you, you're having a laugh.

We've invested, what, a couple of
hundred quid in this pile of junk already,

and you're talking, what, a shed load
more money to turn it into a beach buggy.

What's the point?

It'll be worth about two and
a half grand when it's done.

Think of the summer,
we're driving on the

beach, Bermuda shorts,
nice loud Hawaiian shirt,

wind in the hair, it's fantastic fun.

Listen, I like the Bermuda shorts,

I'm dying to get them
out, and I like the loud

shirts, and I like the
wind in the hair thing,

but, Ed, come on.

One more time.

Yeah, but, Ed, we haven't got
months, we've got, you know.

A week? Give us a week.

A week? Easy.

Well, you can turn this into
a beach buggy in a week.

That's right.

Mate, you're having a laugh.

No, no, seriously.

Honestly, if he can turn
that into a beach buggy,

I'm gonna stop calling
him Ed Weiner, I promise.

Any chance I'm gonna get
pushed back to the workshop?

No, push it yourself.

I've got better things to do.

Mike has got some serious reservations.

about this car, but trust me,

he's got nothing to worry about.

I cut my teeth on these things,

and I know what's achievable.

Underneath this ropey exterior
is a mechanical heart of gold.

But he does have a point.

This bodywork is gonna have to go.

I'm gonna take this
body, clean off this car,

and these seats are in the
way, so I'm gonna start with them.

Okay, okay, I'm being a bit violent
with a hammer, but it doesn't matter,

because all this stuff is gonna get junked.

I'm gonna put the floor pan down.

People love beetles,
because they're easy to fix,

and that means they're
easy to pull apart as well.

Don't do this at home, kids.

The floor is the best
place for that back seat.

You'll see why these
windows are coming out later.

Watch me, no specialist tools,

just a bit of effort,
and I've already started

the transformation from
rust bug into beach bug.

That was a bit lucky.

Now, just like the seats,

the fuel tank's also in the way,
but because I might need it later,

I'll be a bit more gentle.

It's actually quite an easy job, this.

I just have to do one bolt in each corner

and then crimp the fuel line.

You'll need to crimp the fuel line even
if there seems to be no fuel in the tank.

There's usually some
lurking in there somewhere.

I'm just disconnecting the steering column.

from the steering box, two more bolts inside,
and then the whole thing can come out.

You couldn't do this with a modern car,
but on a VW, everything is child's play,

and this is the car I learned my
trade on, so I feel right at home.

I've got loads of bolts to undo to
separate the body from the floor pan.

Unfortunately, there's
one, in fact, there's

one on both sides,
just behind this wheel,

and I can't get at it because of the wing,

but luckily, it unbolts, so
I could use one of these.

But I'm gonna use one of these.

There you go, that's what I
was looking for, that little puppy

just down there, and the
best bit was it was loads of fun,

and even better than
that, I gotta do it again.

Smashing.

I'm getting towards the fun bit
where the body will just lift straight off.

Once all the panels
are dispensed with, I'll be

able to get under the car,
release 14 holding bolts,

and the body shell should just
come away from the floor pan.

Well, that's the plan.

Ed can't build his buggy till he's got a
body shell, and I might have been skeptical,

but I've really thrown myself
into this one, and now I'm

gonna get the little lad
something decent to work with.

Today, I feel like it's me birthday because
I've come down to meet a guy called Buzz.

Now, Buzz makes beach buggy bodies, and
I've done my research into these things,

and I didn't realize
there was such a choice,

but Buzz seems to make the best design.

Now, I've ordered one off of
him, and I've come down to see it,

and as I say, if you
could stick a candle on top

and blow it out, I do
feel like it's me birthday.

I'm fairly excited over this.

Buzz?

Hi, hello.

Come and see the beach buggy body?

Sure, come and have a look.

Cracking. Wow.

Look at that. That is just fantastic.

You like it, Ed?

I'm speechless, and that's hard.

To make me speechless is hard.

What a lovely shape.

Is this your car?

This one's mine, yeah.

Show car, or?

So it's built for fun.

Oh, yeah, definitely.

Now, our one, is it the same shape as this?

Exactly the same shape
as this, only yours is orange.

And do we get all the nice stuff
like the screen and the seats?

The screen and the seats,
yes, they're the same as yours.

Now, when we spoke on the phone,

there's hidden bits as
well, bits underneath,

and there was quite
a long list, actually.

There are a few bits.

There's the steering column support,
there's a battery box to go in the back,

and one or two other little
bits, but we'll sort all out.

Well, I'm going to end up
with a huge, great new parcel.

I think it's Christmas.

Well, it's going to be brilliant.

Oh, wow, look at that.

That is fantastic.

Is it all fairly standard?

Pretty much, it's standard internally,

just cleaned up a bit with
a few shiny bits bolted on.

Yeah, shiny bits.

What's this big bar in this bit all about?

Well, you need this to
keep people off the hot bits,

and you need this to keep
people off the twisty-turny bits.

Right.

And that's what I suppose
it's all about, isn't it?

Let the engine hang out the back
and let people know what you've got.

Yeah, very much so.

I'm fairly intimidated looking at this,

not intimidated for me,
I'm intimidated for Ed,

because to get out...
It'll be fine, it'll be fine.

Just clean it up, stick a
few shiny bits on, it'll be fine.

I hope so.

So, Mike, this one's yours.

Oh, wicked, look at the colour.

You like it?

No, it's wicked. What body shape is it?

This is the Predator.

The Predator, it is the
best looking body shape.

Easily.

And do we need to do anything to it?

We need to do it together.

Talking about bolting it
together, how long will it take?

The whole thing.

You're looking at a couple of weeks.

A couple of weeks?

It's only got a couple of
days, but don't worry about it,

because I've got plenty of
midnight oil that you can burn.

Listen, mate, I'm not even
going to argue with your buzz.

Thank you very much. I love it.

I can't wait to see this thing
finish and hacking down the beach.

It's going to be wicked.

For once, Mike's done the business.

He paid a grand for the body, and
things like the seats and side panels.

have been wasted.

Now, that's a lot,

but since the car only cost
us £200 in the first place,

it's still under budget.

Let's hope it fits.

While I wait for the body to get here,

I need to get rid of this old one.

Easy to say, and actually
not that hard to do.

If this was a new car,
it would be rather easy

to separate the bodywork
from the floor pan.

There's just a row of bolts
on either side of the bodywork.

Unfortunately, this thing's about.

to come out and everything's very rusty,

so chances are the bolts may
give me a whole load of grief.

We'll have to see.



and with a bit of loosening agent, most
of them come out just using an air g*n,

which is good, as grinding
off each one would take ages.

I think I was pretty lucky there.

Only two bolts wouldn't come out.

One here, and one over there.

But I'm going to sort them out with this.

Once my angle grinder gets in there,

the body gives way
with no resistance at all.

I've undone a load of bolts,

I've disconnected
everything, and if I could just

take you back to when I
removed the rear side windows,

I've got a cunning plan.

I'm going to take the arms of the ramp,

stick them through the holes, and
actually lift the body off the floor pan.

Pretty clever, huh?

Only thing is, did I
take out all the bolts?

And off it comes.

What a perfect, magical moment.

It's out with the old, and in with the new.

Lovely, one chassis.

And there you have it, a
Volkswagen skateboard.

You've got wheels at the front,

floor pan in the middle,
and an engine at the end.

Now, I've got plenty of work to be doing

on this floor pan, so
to make my life easier,

I'm going to drop off the engine.

Dropping an engine out of one
of these things is really easy.

There's only four bolts, a couple
of cables, and a couple of wires.

This is the bit where I
tell you to be methodical

and store all the nuts in
a safe place, but that's it.

Otherwise, it's dead easy.

Rather than have the
engine drop onto the floor,

I'm going to use the trolley
Jack to support its weight.

And that's how easy it is
to remove a Beetle engine.

This is the engine from our Beetle,

and as it's pretty
obvious, it's seen better,

but I'm convinced that deep
down there in the heart of it

is an engine that is sweet
and waiting to come out.

A bit of penetrating fluid,

some elbow grease, and the
nuts and bolts start to come apart.

These bits are bulletproof.

All they really need is
a wash and brush up.

Okay, so they need grinding
down as well, but you get my point.

Don't be scared to get stuck in.

A quick splash of primer, some satin
black, and these casings are transformed.

Our cool tin is painted and
ready to go back onto the engine,

but while it's this accessible, there
really is something else I must do.

A bit later on, we're going to change
these horrible rusty rocker covers.

for these lovely shiny chrome ones.

But underneath the rocker covers,

surprisingly, is the rockers.

There you have them.

There's four rockers, some
tappets, and the valves.

So the tappets are attached to the valves,

between the rocker and the tappet.

And for absolute perfect
running of the engine,

that gap has to be
a critical dimension.

And you measure that dimension.

with one of these, which is a feeler Gauge.

Now the way to use this is to set
the engine into the right position.

So you rotate the crankshaft
until both these valves are shut.

And you can normally tell that,

because there should
be a little bit of slack.

You then get your feeler Gauge and stuff
it in between the rocker and the tappet.

Drag it around a bit, and you should
be able to feel a light drag on the metal.

And that's even worse.

Now that's a bad thing,
because if it's too loose,

then the rockers are
slapping around, making loads

of noise, but also lots
of damage to the engine.

And worse still, the valves basically

won't be open for long enough.

And that means bad performance.

On the other hand, if it's too tight,

then basically the valves barely ever shut.

And that also means bad performance.

So it's critical that this
measurement is spot on.

Adjusting these is
actually quite an easy job.

First of all, I crack off the lock nut,

and then I adjust the screw.

to get a nice amount of
drag with my feeler Gauge.

Just a bit more.

There you go, just right.

So now I'll just do up the lock nut again.

And what I'll do is I'll
keep the screwdriver in the

screw at the same time,
make sure it doesn't move.

And I do it up.

Okay, and just check it one
more time, just to be sure.

Perfect.

All I have to do now is
the other three cylinders.

There's loads more to do on this engine.

Plenty of dressing and
shiny things to go on.

But that's enough oily stuff for now because
I'm expecting a visit from Mr. Brewer,

and I'm not too sure what
his reaction's going to be.

Ed!

How are you, fella?

You made a good start on it.

You getting ready to put the
new beach buggy body on it?

Nearly. I got the old body off.

That was quite a lot
of work, but it was cool.

And the engine's out,
and that's really good

quality, so I'm quite
chuffed about that.

But the thing is, with 60s beach buggies,

they were always best when
they were short wheelbase.

Right.

So what I had to do was take this one,

once it was at this stage, and
then you got your front wheels,

you take off sort of like
a strip out of the middle,

whiz it back together
again, and weld it up.

Right, so you're reducing the distance
between the rear wheels and the front wheels.

That's right, exactly.

It's better looks and then
better handling as well.

Only trouble is, if you
look at this rust down here,

I've got nothing to weld to.

So the thing is, I've got a solution.

I've found somebody who can do me a new
short wheelbase chassis, which is great.

Little bit of a catch.





But the thing is, you've only
spent 200 quid on the car,

so I'm thinking we're
probably going to be quids in.

We're going to be quids in?

Where's this confidence come from?

Well, it's the 40th
anniversary still, of the beach

buggy, that's good,
and the wind in your hair,

it's going to be a good project to do.

Are we going to be doing this for the love.

of God?

This sack of spares is
going to be transformed

into a California
classic, a beach buggy.

It's been 40 years since the
first beach buggy was launched,

and we're celebrating it by
building one of our very own.

Ed, my mechanic, has
already removed the old

bodywork and taken
the car back to basics.

Well, I don't know about you lot, but I'm
feeling slightly nervous about this build.

Ed has got a long, long
way to go before I'd have any

chance of selling this
car on later on in the show.

What I need is some inspiration,
so I'm off to meet a guy called Dave,

who's going to show me what a real beach
buggy should look, sound, and smell like.

So I'm praying for a little bit of sun.

Well, David, thank you
very, very much for bringing

this beautiful-looking
beach buggy down for us.

I've got to ask you a question.

Why a beach buggy? What's the appeal?

Fun vehicle, back to enjoying yourselves.

A lot of cars now are
just ordinary street cars.

This is a bit of fun.

Right, and what made this car so
special when it was first introduced?

I think just the cheapness of it all.

There was a lot of old
Volkswagens lying around.

A cheap item. They were about $400 to buy
us a kit in the States in the early 60s.

And then it's become a real cult thing,

and it's 40 years down the line.

There's more interest now than
there was, probably sort of 70s and 80s.

Right, now this buggy is a work of art.

I mean, it's stunning. It's a great color.

Can you just tell us some of the things

that have gone on with
this buggy in particular?

We wanted to make it look like a proper


So we put it on a set of very early

street rod-style wheels,

raised white leather tires, lots of chrome.

It's just exactly like a little whiz
wheel beach buggy should look like.

And the engine?

That's a 1600 Volkswagen engine,
but we've changed the cam, twin carbs,

lots of chrome, nice exhaust, good sound.

Everything it should have.

So what's the basis of having
a very, very good beach buggy?

I mean, obviously, the first thing's first.

You need a donor car.

Yeah, a donor car. You're looking
for any Volkswagen, early Volkswagen,

preferably up to sort of 1973,

any of those will do.

Once you've got a
basic car, it doesn't really

matter too much about
the corrosion side of it,

as long as the running gear and
everything else is at your sound.

I'm so pleased you said that,

because air cars like Alka-Seltzer,

it's just getting the right
pieces to go on the right car.

Everybody looks at a set of wheels,
I buy them, and they just buy them,

and then they realise
they're not going to fit.

Just find out, get a book, read it,

what bits will bolt on,

and it will come together.

It's quite simple.

Once you start, it's pretty simple.

Well, they certainly look fun,

and I bet they are
really good fun to drive.

And to be honest with you,

I've never actually driven a
beach buggy before in my life,

so no problem.

Well, as you can see,

I certainly pick me days, don't I?

I can't think of a worse car for
this lovely English summer's day.

But even so, this beach
buggy reeks of fun.

It's quick on the throttle,

handling is go-kart-type,

and there's that wonderful
wow from the twin tailpipes.

It feels very different from its
beetle donut car, which in truth,

I was never a huge fan of.

Too slow, too heavy,

and too many on the roads.

No, this'll do me.

California cruising, here we come.

That's if Ed can ever put
our mammoth bill to bed.

With our beach buggy,

essentially I'm building a kit car,

and as with most kit car projects,
they are fraught with danger.

You never know where the
next problem's gonna come from.

Take our old floor plan, for example.

Little bit embarrassing,
eating quite a bit of humble pie

right now because Mike
thought it was rubbish,

and I was convinced
it was gonna be great.

Unfortunately, after further inspection,

it turns out it was rubbish.

Now, it was loads and
loads of rust on there.

I could've fixed it, but we just
haven't got that kind of time.

So we've blown the budget and
bought a ready-shortened floor plan.

Now, it's pretty much
complete, so it saves me

a whole load of time
and a whole load of grief,

but to get another floor plan made up.

I just couldn't bring
myself to put rusty old

parts onto our nice
new shortened floor plan,

so what I've done is clean and paint
all the old parts I'm gonna be reusing.

The back axle and gearbox
assembly are ready to go,

but I'm gonna be
concentrating on the front beam.

Now, you may have noticed that the drum
brakes have been changed for disc brakes.

That way, it's actually gonna
help with its stopping power.

Now, putting this onto
the car couldn't be easier.

It's held on with four bolts.

This is the rear axle
and gearbox assembly.

It's actually called a
transaxle because it

combines a transmission
and an axle. Very clever.

Now, these tubes here hold
the drive shafts, and of course

you've got the drums, which
is where the wheels attach.

Now, to get it onto the
car is actually very easy.

The transaxle bolts
onto these rear forks, and

then the hub area bolts
onto these spring plates,

which of course is
part of your suspension.

If you think all this is going together
like a dream, then you're right.

That's because I was up all last night
stripping, wirebrushing, and cleaning

all the components to make sure they're
in top-notch condition for reassembly.

If you're keen to build one of these cars,

don't kid yourself that it's a job.

for you.

Shock absorbers.

You can choose off-road
shocks if that's where

your car's going to
spend most of its time,

but I've gone for standard road kit.

The front and rear
suspension is now bolted to

the chassis, so I get
to fit these funky tyres.

You've got the skinny rubber for the
front and these fat boots for the back.

Now, we've bought lovely,

long, 500 pounds.

If you keep an eye out on
the Internet, you might pick

up cheap ones from projects
that never got finished.

Looking good, but the
observant amongst you

may have noticed we're
missing one major thing,

the engine.

I'm halfway through the rebuild,

so it's time to get back to the bench.

Our engine dress-up is
coming together nicely,

and it's now time
to fit the fan housing.

I've been out lying
around the workshop and

thought it'd be nice
to use on this project.

Now, on the Beetle fan housing,

it's fitted with a
generator, and to be fair,

they're not that good
at charging your battery,

whereas this is fitted with a
much more modern alternator,

and they're way more efficient.

You may also have noticed
these little ducts here, and they

were originally designed to
heat the interior of the Beetle,

but as we don't really have.

enough room for them.

If you're not mechanically experienced,
it really is a good car to get started on.

It's also a great engine to dress
because so many parts are exposed.

Filters like this look
cool and just bolt on.

Once you've adjusted the fan belt,

there's a shiny case that will hide
away all the dangerous spinning bits,

safety and style combined.

Now, we couldn't possibly
build a beach buggy

without using a loud
in-your-face exhaust system.

It's a cool Cannon style like these.

Now, they're a doddle to fit.

They just bolt straight on.

It's up to you how far you
go with the engine dressing.

In the end, it's a matter of taste.

We've gone for matte black
with minimal chrome highlights,

a bit like my hair color.

No, this isn't an exotic hot tub
from one of Mike's country mansions.

This is actually the new
body for our beach buggy.

Now, it is gonna take some considerable.

space, but I do have
to offer it up just to

see where everything
else is going to fit.

The good news is getting
into position is very easy.

I just need a pair of gloves.

Gloves are essential to protect
both the body and my hands.

This is made of fiberglass,

which has a lot of rough edges
and will pick up nasty scratches

and marks if you don't
take care with the fitting.

And there you have it.

I've got to drill holes.

as a guide.

I'm not even gonna clamp
the car down as the weight of

the body is enough to
keep the shell stable as I drill.

With the bonnet off, I can get
down to one of the trickiest jobs.

Although our buggy has an engine,

it isn't gonna go
anywhere without any fuel.

Now, traditionally, in a
Beetle, the fuel tank sits here

in the front, and on this
kit, it's exactly the same.

This is an early Beetle fuel tank,

so it doesn't fit very well
yet because I have to cut a

hole into the fiberglass
and then drop it into position.

I'm masking off a shape
which I'll then cut out,

nerve-wracking stuff,

so measure twice and cut
once, as a wise man once said.

Use a drill bit to make a hole big
enough to get your Jigsaw blade in.

Then it's just a matter of keeping.

your nerve and your aim.

With the hole cut,

I'm gonna put the bonnet back on.

Here's another hole
for the fuel filler cap.

I've chopped it off the fuel
tank, and once I've made my cuts,

located the tank, and
lined up all the body panels,

all I need to do is weld
it back together again.

The finished job will look seamless,
and everyone will wonder how I did it.

Another day, another hole.

This time, it's to locate the windscreen.

This funny-looking thing is custom-made

and costs a pretty packet,

£175.

But using something sound
and garbage from a scrapyard just

wouldn't do it justice, so
I'll have to swallow the cost.

Trouble is, it's all adding up.

Beach buggies are notorious
for their lively handling,

but you're not gonna get any
handling at all without a steering wheel.

And here it is.

Now, I've already prepared the holes
I need to actually get it into position,

so now it's just a case
of sliding into place.

This steering box has
come from the original car,

and as ever, I've refurbished
it from top to bottom.

The dashboard on this
car is gonna be pretty

spartan, but legally,
we do need a speedo.

Here's the one we managed
to get out of the original Beetle.

Now, I've already cut
the hole in the dashboard,

so it's just a case of
bolting it into place.

There's a mass of cabling which
needs to be connected up inside the car,

the speedo being just one of them.

Because we've shortened the chassis,
many of these cables, like the brakes,

will also have to be cut down or replaced.

It's often said that cars have a face,

and a prominent feature of
a beach buggy are its eyes,

so we couldn't possibly build one of
these things without some pod headlamps.

Our kit comes with some pretty
convenient mounting points,

so all I need to do is drill into them,

boss the light in, and there we have it.

Now, I could have used the
original Beetle wiring loom,

but by the time I've cut it apart and
reattached it and wasted all that extra time,

I might as well have started from
scratch, which is what I've done.

And there you have it,
our buggy now has a face.

I'm getting comfortable.

In fact, I'm actually
fitting the driver's seat.

Now, it's fitted with adjustable runners,
which give me about nine inches of travel,

so it'll fit somebody as tall
as me or as tiny as Mike.

Now, once I've actually
got it into position,

I can Mark that position, drill some
holes, and then I can bolt the seat down.

I've custom-fitted these seats
straight onto the floor pan,

giving a seat of the
pants driving experience.

Well, the seats are firmly bolted in now,

but you may be thinking
they look a little uncomfortable.

Well, that is because
they haven't got these.

Now, for a beach buggy, that is luxury.

We could have used the old Beetle seats,

but they would have looked
naff and been hard to fit.

These have been specially
designed for a buggy.

The front lights look
quite literally brilliant,

but we're gonna need some on the back, too.

These come off a four-by-four, but they're
gonna look just as good on our buggy.

That's the beauty of this kind of machine.

No two are ever the same because
everybody chooses different parts.

I've gone for these.

Other people might go for single units.

It's all down to that word, taste, again,

and I'm glad mine's so good.

As it stands, our buggy's looking pretty
cool, but I do have a little something

that's gonna make it look even cooler.

The side pods.

As you'd expect, there's one for each side.

The side pods are an extra
with the Predator body shell,

and I think they're worth every penny.

After days and nights
of ridiculous hard work,

they're the final touch that transform
our kit car into an instant classic.

This has been a full-on epic build,

and I can understand why
Mike was beginning to lose faith.

To be fair, there were times when
even I thought it was looking dodgy,

but when you look at the finished
article, you know it's been worth it,

even though it's just for the love of it,

even though we've
blown the budget sky high.

When you think of this on the open road,

when you think of this on the beach,

it's because of this kind of
fun that the car was invented.

Wow.

As you know, I'm really lost for words,

but, but...

Oh, come on.

Wow.

A couple of weeks back,
this beach-hut beauty

began life as the rustiest,
most unappealing car

it's ever been my misfortune
to shell out money on.

£200 bought me this shabby body,

but I was interested in
what was lurking underneath,

the old VW engine,
mechanicals and rolling chassis.

So began the long and
time-consuming transformation.

The old body was gradually
persuaded to leave the chassis,

and we had lift-off.

The tired old engine was removed
and given a fettle and a chrome dress-up.

The rusty old floor pan was chucked.

in favour of a specially shortened new one.

Work could begin fitting
the new front beam,

rear transaxle, suspension and engine.

It was a big day when the
body finally sat on the chassis

for the first time, but
there was still plenty to do.

The steering column was fitted,

the windscreen was lined up,

the seats slid into place,

lights fitted and wired,

the list of jobs was never-ending.

But then, one day, there were
no parts left on the workshop floor.

The buggy was born.

So what did it all cost?

Well, an arm and a leg,

and another arm and a leg.

The donor beetle was 200 quid,

and the buzz-bug predator
body and seats 1500 quid.

The shortened chassis was 500 pounds,

windscreen was 175 pounds,

wheels and tyres 650 quid,

the engine dress-up and
exhaust cost 220 quid,

lights for the car set me
back another 100 pounds,

and there were countless other bits
and Bobs that came to 355 pounds.

Total spent, ready for this?



Oh, dear.

No way! No way, Ed!

This isn't the 200-pound rust-bucket
piece of rubbish that you made me buy.

It definitely is, mate. How are you doing?

I can't believe it! Look at it, Ed!

Look what we got! We got a bush buggy!

This is so much fun. Obviously,

there's been thousands of
hours of work to get to this stage.

They've had to put on a new shortened
floor pan, got a disc brake front beam,

all this bodywork, of course,

shortened steering column, a
new fuel tank, lovely tyres, of course.

It's just the whole lot, mate.

They've changed everything.

I can't believe it, Ed.
When I turned up halfway through

and there was that rusty
skateboard that was nothing going on,

how you ever pulled
this one off is a miracle.

I actually lost faith a bit myself, to be
fair, because that really was quite bad.

It was a bad call on
my part, but, you know,

after loads and loads of
work, we have rescued

this, and it is now an
awesome bit of gear.

What a bit of kit. It's ours as well!

It is ours. I can't...
Do we have to sell it?

Well, unfortunately, yeah.
We need to get some money back in.

But before we sell it,

and the beach is calling, give me the keys.

It's buggy. It's something you can have
fun with, and this is what it's all about.

On the beach, the sun
out, the sunglasses on,

having the time of my life. Wicked.

Well, Ed, my boy, you've
done it, haven't you?

You've pulled off the
dream build of our series.

I had no George Michael
about you whatsoever,

and that means faith,
but now I have got faith,

just look at it.
It's beautifully put together.

It's got the right lights on
it, these big chrome wheels,

the little whippy 1.3 engine
sticking out over the back,

and that's the original engine from
that lump of junk, and it sounds fantastic.

And I can make the car dance,

and you can't do that with a lot of cars.

And that's the fun of the beach buggy,

and that's one of the reasons
why I just don't want to sell it.

Well, this is unique, isn't it?

And a first for me, because
I've never been at a beach.

picnic in families and screaming
kids to go and sell a car,

but hopefully it should all be worth it,
because behind me is a guy called Tobin,

and Tobin's hot to trot. He's got cash
in his pocket, and he wants to buy a bug.

And it's going to be a sad moment for me,

because that car, I think, is
the best car we built this series.

So wish me luck as I try
to put our little bug to bed.

Tobin.

Hi, Mike.

You all right, fella? So what do you think?

Yeah, looks great.

Cracking, innit?

Looks a lot of fun.

It is a lot of fun. This is the
short-wall-based version of a Predator body kit,

which I think is one of the
best-looking body kits out there.

It's high off the ground.
It's got these big chrome wheels.

It's all fibreglass.
Apparently, it goes together quite well.

And I've got to tell you, down here on
the beach, I've had some wicked fun.

It makes a cracking noise, and
that's thanks to this exhaust system.

It's got a free-flow exhaust on here

that makes all the right noises
as it goes down the beach.

Also, we've got this whizzy
distributor cap at the back,

and that lights up at night.
It looks really trick.

Twin-pore?

Twin-pore. It's only a 1.3-dish, you know,

but don't worry about that,
because the body weighs

about the same as a basket of soup,
so it gets down the road quite quickly.

You'll be pleased with that.

And as for the wheels,
we went the whole hog.

You know, no expense spared.

We've gone for the full chrome, bling,

bumplarky, big fat tyres,
white-lettered wheels,

just to give it that
classic beach buggy look.

Great. New suspension?

It's got new suspension,
yep, and it's all fine.

It all works nicely.

And because it's fibreglass, this body,

obviously it never rusts.

So as soon as you've been to the beach,

you come home, just hose it down.

As long as you hose off the
underneath, it should be fine.

And is it all sealed then?

It's all been sealed.
Everything's been done, yep.

And my only regret with this car is now

is having to sell it, because I reckon

that we should keep this one.

But unfortunately, it needs
must, and we need some readies.

What are you looking for?

It's worth that, but you
know, I'm not greedy.

£4,200. Just pay me and Wyndall, go home.

How about three and a half?

Three and a half grand!

Where do you people come from?

The blood, sweat and tears that
went into this for three and a half grand?

No way. Four grand cash.

It's not quite the
colour I was looking for.

You sound like my wife.

Don't worry about the colour.

The colour's fantastic.
It looks great on sand.

How about three nine?

£3,900.

Cash?

In my pocket.

Really? I bet you've got
more than that in your pocket.

Hold out your hand.

The car's yours.

Tobin, he's a lucky man.

And if I was Ed, I'd be
crying into my tool case

to see this car go, after
all the hours that he put in.

Still, I'll take his mind off it by
buying another car for it to mend.

I'm thoughtful like that, me.

Well, this show's had it all, hasn't it?

It's had some drama
in the workshop with Ed.

It's had some fun down here on the beach.

And unfortunately, it's had some sadness,

because we've had to say
goodbye to our little bug.

But at least it's found
a new home with Tobin.

Join us next time on Wheel of Dealers,

when we'll be breathing
life back into some

more motoring classics.
See you soon. Tala.