03x01 & 03x02 - Volkswagen T2 Transporter (Part 1 & 2)

[bunniefuu]

Welcome to Wheeler Dealers or Rust Busters
as I like to call it, the show that loves

to put classic cars
back on the road to rude

health. What have we
got for you this time?

Well it's the turn of the old
hippie bus, the VW Type 2.

It's the only classic I know that you and
your mates can pop down to the coast for

the weekend for a spot of surfing. When
you've found yourself a nice camping spot

you can always pull over and make
yourself a nice brew up. Oh lovely.

And if you're feeling
a bit tired you can

always bed down for
the night for a nice tip.

In the 1950s, desperate
to build on the success

of their cult beetle
car, VW launched this

strange looking Van. It was an odd move but
this people carrier come pick up truck come

mobile shop was a huge
success. Fully loaded

it could only do about


it managed 30 miles to the gallon making it
a cheap go anywhere do anything run about.

The Type 2 sold well around the world
and continued in production under license

in Brazil right into the 1990s. It's one of
a kind looks and easy to fix mechanics

means it's still a cool wagon today and
they sell for big bucks. I've got just three

grand to buy one that we
can do up and turn a profit on.

I think I'm in for a tough
search to find my dream VW.

Finding a VW Type 2
camper Van is proving

more difficult than I
thought. I hate to admit

it but this one's definitely got me beat.
There's loads for sale but they seem to

start at four thousand
pounds and go upwards

and remember I've
only got three thousand

pounds in the budget. I don't know what
I'm going to do but I have got an idea a

friend of mine has got the much later 80s
VW transporter for sale. Not much to look

at I know but they are the best driving
VW Van that money can buy and it's cheap

and that means I
can do a lot with it. So

believe it or not I'm
going to go and see it.

Come down to see me
mate Simon there he is

how are you fella. Hiya.
Can't believe you've

still got the bus Simon. I can't believe
it either to be honest. And what a mess

what have you been doing to it? What's
happened here? Beastie Boys? No he just fell.

off. Simon it looks like it's been to rack
and back. Right then inside oh my giddy

arm look at the state of it. It's not
that bad. Well the seats are alright isn't

they they're quite nice.
Yeah nice and comfy. No

stereo what happened to
that? I never had one when I

bought it. But it all
looks there doesn't it. The

size of that steering
wheel it does look there.

That's a good old Volkswagen.
Does it drive alright?

It drives very well
tracking's a bit off but it's

okay. Okay I'll believe you. Right let's
have a look down the side look at the

state of this. What about the oil here
when you fill it up with diesel? Rust

bubbling up here. It's nice and straight
though Simon I will give you that. And

where's the rear bumper? It fell off I
was giving a friend a tow. You don't

tow from the bumper you tow from the
tow hitch. I know that now. Yeah but you're

just costing me yourself and whoever
has this thing off of you money. Is this

is the rear engine version? Yes.
So let's turn it over let's have a listen.

What a mess. Oh the refinement. Just listen to that heartbeat.
Fantastic. Starts first time. It does start first time

Simon. I'd like to see it on a cold morning. I can barely
hear myself think let alone talk to you. Go and turn it off.

It needs some work that engine definitely
needs some work. Then in the rear what

happened there? That was like it on the bottom. This is nice though side opening door
like this. You're having a Turkish. I didn't think you could do it that time. You are

having a laugh. Why didn't you tell me the door comes off? Well it hasn't got a sunroof
so we did it on the side. I can't believe it. What am I going to do with this Simon?

Well look I'll tell you what. You know I could swing for you. It's ridiculous.
It's stupid. It's daft. I shouldn't be even standing there having this conversation

with you but give me the keys. Go and put the kettle on. I'm going to put this
door back on. I'm going to take you for a drive. I'll be back in 20 minutes.

First impressions. It's rubbish. It really is rubbish. I can't believe I'm even tempted to buy such a thing. I mean
just look at it. It's rotten. But there's some things about it that I really like. A sense of honesty. It's what

all young men want. They want that freedom. That open road. We're not in America. You don't get on a hog, a drive
to the sunset. You get in a transporter Van, a drive to Margate. And that's exactly what I plan to do with this.

We want to turn this vehicle into our very own gym palace. A motor home. Ed is going to k*ll me when he sees what I bring him. But I've got
some really good ideas because the basis of our motor home is all here within this vehicle. This car's got everything we need. Alright the door

falls off. There's got to be a damage out the back. But that doesn't matter. We can put all that stuff right. What's important is it's got
straight panels all the way around it. It's not got rotten holes all the way over it. And once we fit it out inside it's going to be perfect.

But first of all I need to buy it. Now Simon, he's asked
£1250 which I think is a bit steep. I'll have to go in at

about £1000. I reckon I'll end up a little bit more than
that. But I'll start him off at a grand and see how far I get.

Oh lovely. To cap off quite
possibly the worst test drive

I've ever had I've just stepped
into a steaming pile of dung.

So the car. Yes. It's a mess. If you've got the dent in
the back there's no rear bumper. So how much did you want

for it? £1250. Listen I'll be doing you a favour taking
this off your hands. It would cost you £200 to scrap this.

I was going to make you an offer just because you're
a friend of mine and I know you need the money £1000.

That's not a friend's deal. That is a friend's deal.
It's £1000. I want another £100 on top of that.

So you're saying £1100 and it's
mine. It's a done deal. I'm going to regret

this but I'm going to have a deal
with you. Thank you very much Simon.

So we're committed or maybe I should
be committed because this is going to

be one of those make or break jobs.
It'll either be a triumph or a disaster.

I know Ed's a big Volkswagen fan
but I think he's going to need a lot

of convincing to turn our vision of
beige into a head turning beauty.

Ed. Hey. How are you fella? You alright?
Alright well. It's a bit rough isn't it? You

need to see beyond the rubbish and see the
scope of the vision what we can do with it.

For starters look at it at the back. It's nice
and spacious. We've got a load of room. The

engine is housing here and if you have a good
look at it it's diesel. It's incredibly refined.

It's seen many many better years.
You can hear this Van coming in another

county. So obviously it needs quietening
down. It needs a service on the engine.

But it's alright. It goes.
Bit of damage here. But I've

seen you repair these before
breakfast. Slide hammer.

Lots of filler. But think
about it. It's pretty straight. A

solid opening sliding door.
Huge amount of space. Open it.

I've never used it before.
And there's a job for you.

Thanks mate. If you can
get that fixed that'd be great.

Because it doesn't work.
Obviously it falls off. And I don't

know how it goes. But we can
have a good man handling it back on.

Slip it in there. Hang on. There
you go. That'll do for now. So anyway

yeah that needs to be fixed.
There's a little bit of rust around it.

But you know we could do
something funky with a paint job

maybe. Tires look good. A
little bit of a dent on the front.

The VW badge is missing. Maybe
we can I don't know get another

one of them from somewhere
and tie it up the front a bit.

A little bit of rust around the
side here. But nice you know the

bumper's missing at the back but
we don't worry too much about it.

But I've got a great idea for this Ed.
Think Glitterball. Think Comfy Cushions.

Okay think Passion Wagon.
That's what I think isn't it. Drop

down DVDs maybe. I don't
know how far we can go with it.

But I really feel that we could
turn this into a motorhome for

me and you to go have a bit
of fun in before we get rid of it.

Because whoever buys it from us is
going to be incredibly proud after you've

fiddled with it and turned it into
the chintz palace it deserves to be.

Then it does really
need a bit of help so that

would be cool. So I
can do anything I like.

Anything within our
restrictive budget but

yes it would be nice if
you surprised me Ed.

I could do that.

I've just driven this tatty and
thoroughly unloved Van back here

to the workshop and frankly the
experience nearly poisoned me.

I had to drive most of the way with
my head out of the window because the

exhaust system was leaking so
much it was filling the cab up with fumes.

Now I'm not going to
mess about. My first job is

to replace the exhaust
system in its entirety.

This exhaust is a disaster area.
Holes, bad repairs and awful welds.

But the good news is it's simply
a case of persuading a few tough

bolts to shift and refitting some
worn gaskets. Not rocket science.

Now all the bolts holding this exhaust in
place are as rusty as the exhaust itself.

Now the problem with
that is things like where

we've got a bolt here
coming out of the turbo.

If I snap it because it
won't actually budge then

it's going to give me a
whole load more work to do.

So a little spray of penetrating
fluid should make my life a bit easier.

Now while that penetrating
fluid is doing its stuff

I'm going to have a go
at the less rusty bolts.

This is a multi-section exhaust so I'm
freeing off the major parts one by one.

With that the old exhaust
is completely removed.

Putting the exhaust back together
is just like retracing your steps.

Start at the front and work backwards.

Make sure that you tighten each and
every bolt and screw because the system

must be 100% airtight if the engine is
going to work to its maximum potential.

With the exhaust done I need
to look at the engine and the fact

that it's a tricky starter means
the glow plugs need to be replaced.

Okay well here's our plug.

You can see it's actually
not a spark plug with your

cathode and your anode where
your spark bounces around.

It's actually a glow plug.

Now the reason it's
called a glow plug, it's very

simple, it's because it
actually glows red hot.

I can show you a little
experiment I prepared earlier.

This is a jump pack, very
nice easy supply of 12 volts.

Here's a nice new glow plug and
I just connect these two together.


look at that loads of current

and a lovely glowing tip
on the end of the glow plug.

This can be quite a fiddly job and
so often gets ignored but not this time.

Now the Van is going to start beautifully.

So with the glow plugs replaced it's
time to continue with the mini service.

Now this old Van has a bit of an
engine squeak, probably a worn fan belt.

So that's next on the agenda.

One old fan belt, one new fan belt.

The fan belt slots straight back in.

Set the tension and it's as easy as that.

Good bye irritating squeak.

Well the last thing I have to do
in the service is the oil change.

And of course along with
that will be the oil filter.

But first of all I
need to start up the

engine and make sure
the oil is nice and warm.

Well the engine is nice and warm
now so I'm ready to dump the oil.

I'm just going to go and turn it off.

I'm cracking off this sump plug
and collecting the oil in a container.

It's black, it's horrible, it
definitely needs to be changed.

While this is draining I'm
going to take off the oil filter.

Another easy job but one
which often gets forgotten.

The access isn't great
here but it's not long before

I've prized the oil filter
off the old diesel lump.

I'm just going to fill up the oil filter
a little bit before I put it onto the cart.

And a little bit of oil around the seal.

Finally it's back on with
the sump plug and then

a decent glug of new
oil completes the service.

Make sure you put in
oil that's designed for

a diesel and not a
petrol burning engine.

A simple but potentially
costly mistake to make.

Well the glow plug certainly made a
big difference to starting the engine.

And now all the other service items are
done this car is going to run like a dream.

You know I don't like the feel of this
Van so I'm going to cut a hole in the door.

For a window to make it a lot less
builder's Van and a bit more camper Van.

I'll sort out the door mechanism later.

For now I just need
to get the door off the

Van and onto the bench
and start working on it.

Okay well the window is going to go here.

I've actually got like a bit
of board in the way first.

I need to remove that to see what I'm
actually going to have to cut through.

Normally I take care
of this door lining but

it's being replaced
so I'm just forcing it off.

I need to first of all work out
where I want the window to sit.

So I'm just going to
get that into position.

And then I'm going to take some
measurements, draw a little sketch

so I know where the hole has to
be on the other side of the window.

And then the next stage
is to mask up and start

cutting away all this
metal I need to discard.

I'm allowing 8mm around the
window itself because I have to factor in

an allowance for the window seal
which is a vital part of this build.

Now this is quite labour
intensive but the window

did only cost £40 from
a VW salvage dealer.

Very simply I just had some measurements
to locate the window on this side.

So I had a measurement from this
side, from that side and from the top.

So I'm just going to draw those
on, place the window into position.

Now I'm pretty happy that my
measurements are working out here.

The window looks square in the
door which of course is very important.

So my next job is actually to
Mark out the hole for the window.

With the template clearly marked
it's out with the trusty Jigsaw.

Then an angle grinder
fitted with a steel cutting

blade which is essential
for this Gauge of metal.

Slices like a knife through butter.

With the rough edges
smoothed I simply fit the

seal to the window and
then offer it up to my gap.

And offer a silent
prayer that it fits because

with a job like this there's
no second chances.

Well it's looking pretty
good. The window is in the

rubber and the rubber is
now in the door aperture.

The only thing I have to do now is
lock it in position with a special beading.

And to actually
make this thing go into

position better I'm going
to use a special tool.

With the job complete it's
time to refit the side door.

The reason it kept falling off was
because of a worn bottom roller.

With that fixed it closes like a dream.

Look at this. We now have a
window in our camper Van door.

It's fantastic. Loads of light. It's
going to be a pleasure to camp in here.

Our Van is definitely coming
together but check out that colour.

Hearing aid beige is not nearly funky
enough for us so it's going to have to go.

Now normally at this
stage you'd be expecting

me to be prepping the
Van ready for a paint job.

But Mike did say I could
do anything I wanted to this

Van and so instead I'm
going to go super high tech.

I'm going to ad wrap it.
Now what does that mean?

That means getting a huge full
colour sticker and covering the

entire Van which is why we're
here at a specialist workshop.

And James over there is going to
run me through the whole process.

I'm really excited by this process
because there's so many design options.

James takes me through
some of the artwork available and

there's everything from animal
prints to fake rugs on offer.

Eventually we settle on
something suitably surfy.

Yeah this one might be
quite suitable for the vehicle.

Oh that is awesome.

Now that's cool you see
because we're going for

a camper Van. We're
going to go to the beach.

We're going to be surfing
and stuff so I think that would

be, I mean that looks quite a
simple thing to put on the Van.

Yeah because basically because
it's a generic texture we can

just take that panel and artwork
it around the whole vehicle.

And it's going to look like one
complete job at the end of it.

Oh that's it then.
That's our choice. So what's next?

Next thing, get it printed.

Well this looks fantastic and
the print quality is amazing.

So is that ready to go on the Van now then?

Yeah there's just one more thing to do.
Next we're going to laminate it.

We do that for two
reasons. One it protects the

print from any abrasion
once it's out on the road.

The other reason it
makes it more removable.

With the vinyl printed and laminated
it's offered up to the Van body and the

layer of glue on the inner side is
exposed by removing the protective backing.

Now we're ready for action.

Right now this is exposed it's
going to be trying to suck in every bit

of dust it can so it's important to
do this part of the process quickly.

So let's get it offered up to the vehicle.

Remembering our gutter
to line the print up by.

And if we can put it as tall as
we can trying to create a drum

skin effect over the whole
print to keep it nice and tall.

Come this way.

Yeah so if we can just
move it up towards Ed so

he's got enough material
to go beyond our panel.

Bit more.

There's a real skill
to making the vinyl fit.

Right I'm going to take my felt
squeegee now and we're going to

use this to just push, ease the
air out from beneath the glue.

Allowing the vinyl to
stick to the paintwork.

Okay.

Of course trying to get a few bubbles
or creases in the vinyl as possible.

It's a very slow and methodical process.

So what happens if you get a bubble
sort of trapped actually in the vinyl?

Well as we can see a certain amount
of bubbles are going to be inevitable.

When that happens you've got two options.

With this material
I can choose to get

underneath it, lift that
material and reapply it.

That's often time consuming you're
going to get dust underneath it again.

Yeah so another option simply
take a scalpel and just push that

air out of that bubble and
there'll be nothing left behind.

I'm giving it my best shot but James
has spotted a flaw in my technique.

Basically I'm rubbish.

If I can just stop you a minute there Ed.

What you want to be
doing is to get a really good

application you've got
to have a great technique.

Now what you're doing there is
actually sort of stabbing at the vinyl.

What you really want to be doing
is a gliding action straight through.

Okay.

If you can see that.

More methodical you're
not going to miss any

patches which are
then going to be bubbles.

Okay.

Even after a masterclass
I'm still making mistakes but

this material has a remarkable
ability to bounce back.

There seems to be a few.

Alright thank you.

Apply some heat to the vinyl
and any marks will come out.

That's incredible.

The heat also allows
us to stretch the material.

Oh wow.

You can see it distorts it.

The heat also allows the
material to shrink back to shape.

This is clever stuff. Simply reapply it.

Now if you can imagine how much
that would cost as a custom paint job.

It would be thousands of pounds
and it would take weeks to do.

But Damien and James
are making light work of this

Van and it's so definitely
the right way to go.

The whole job will probably
take two men one to two days.

The big sheets go on
quite easily but it's all the

little fiddly details which
seem to take time and energy.

I think I need a lot more practice at this.

Now there are a few details
that need to be finished off on our

Van but I think you'll agree
it's become a real head Turner.

Now Mike did want me to
surprise him with this project.

And I'm pretty convinced
that our freshly wrapped

camper Van is actually going
to render him speechless.

Ed, how are you mate?

I'm great mate. You alright?

Yeah, a lot better now. Look at the Van.

What a transformation.
That piece of rubbish that I bought.

It looks awesome.
What does it have an airbrush in it?

Well no, this is a kind of new technology.
It's called vinyl wrapping.

Basically you print onto a big sticker
and then cover the Van in that sticker.

So it's just one big sticker?

Yeah.

It's awesome. Still very beige
inside but we got to address that.

But that is just cracking it. Well done.
What else have you done?

Well, come round the back.

First of all, we've got a
nice new exhaust system.

Lovely.

So there's no more leaks and
therefore no more smoke in the cab.

But also down there is a
freshly serviced engine as well.

So it's got new glow plugs that
now starts on the first turn of the key.

And also if you look straight
through there you can see a window in

the side door which means we've
now got loads of light inside the Van.

Well done Ed. You've done so well.

This was never my idea of a dream
drive but I could see the potential.

And Ed, well, he loves
VWs and he couldn't wait

to fit a new exhaust
and overhaul the engine.

We needed to throw a bit
more light on the situation

so he cut a window-sized
hole in the side door.

Then it was on to the fun stuff and
our hearing-age beige motor become

a bubbly blue surfer wagon with
the aid of high-tech vinyl wrap.

We've got a three grand
budget to buy and restore

this bus and we've
already blown a big wodge.

But there's some left for
the interior and a bit of bling.

So it's looking good but
there's still plenty of work to

do before our cool camper
is ready to cruise to the coast.

So while Ed gets on with it
I'm off to meet a guy called Mick

who's going to give me a tour
of his much-loved motorhome.

Why a VW Transporter?

Natural progression really. I always
said they had an old Transporter type 2.

Got a bit old, long in tooth, a bit rotten.

Wanted something a bit more
modern, still a Volkswagen.

So I went for a later Transporter.

Bit better to drive, still plenty of
room in it, still got all my kids in it.

Bit of luggage, bike humpback.

Now you just said bit
better to drive, that's wrong

isn't it? Because people
say these don't drive very well.

Ah no, spot on.

Uprated suspension, nice wheels on it.

Tweaked with engine, different cab on it.

Drives like a car.

So what should buyers look out
for mechanically with one of these?

I think really with water cooled ones like
this one, just got to watch heads on them.

Because it's like if heads go
on them, it's a lot of work and it's

an engine out job and you're
looking at a reconditioned engine.

So if you look for like
green g*ns round heads.

Look for green g*ns round the head.

Wet antifreeze has
been leaking and drippers.

Anything like that, any sign of
water leakage, it's a bad sign really.

This is very nice inside Mick.

So what have we actually got in here?
We've got two very nice seats facing you.

And what do these seats do?
Do they fold into a bed or something?

No they spin round, you can
have it as like a mini bus if you want.

So you can turn these seats round?

Yeah they'll spin right round,
just like a seven seater mini bus.

This falls down into a bed.

Does it?

Yep.

Keep in there, just a little off there.

Oh look at that, you've
got a little cooker and a sink.

Like a brew, yeah.

You had any lovely holidays in this?

Yeah I've been away quite a few
times and I've been to France twice.

Have you?

Yeah, me and my wife went lying
on, went camping, that were good.

We went with kids, I got four kids.

You had four kids in here
going down to France?

Yep.

That was nice and peaceful then.

Yeah, peaceful, stressful I think.

Well it looks amazing.

If you tidy away the cups and saucers, any
chance I could take you for a little try?

Yeah, certainly.

Oh you're a gentleman.

I have to cast my mind
back to when I was a

young lad to think about
this car's competitors.

We only had the doormobile, which was this
old bread Van with some windows slapped in

the side of it, dripped by people
with blue hair with nasty knit curtains.

All we had cars like the Ford Transit,
which somebody had cut the panels out, stuck

some glass in it, a few bench seats in
the back and they went camping in that,

but they never really had the core
chic appeal of the VW campervan.

The old hippie type 2
bus was really the one

to go for, but unfortunately
they are fragile

now and that's what
leads us up to this 80's

recreation of what was
an iconic campervan.

Now this one is fantastic,
it's got everything

you want out of a nice
comfortable cruiser.

It's got a really good
driving position, I'm

sitting upright in the
seat, nice big chunky

steering wheel and this
chair is brilliant, it's got

an armrest on it, everything
is within easy reach.

Obviously Mick has done quite a bit of work
to his car, he's tidied up the suspension,

he's sorted out the engine, he's made
it drive that little bit better and it's

nothing like ours, it really does handle
the road, there's hardly any body roll with

it whatsoever,
although with these alloy

wheels and low profile
tyres it does compromise

the way it rides over the rucks and bumps,
but putting it in comparison with our

vehicle is like chalk and cheese because
our car is basically a rusty old builder's

Van with nothing
going for it and to pull it

up to this level is a
nigh on impossibility,

but Ed does know VW's inside out and he's
quite excited about the prospect of working

with our campervan and whether he can do
it or not, we'll just have to wait and see.

The outside of our Van
is now looking pretty

cool, but let's face it,
the inside is disgusting.

It looks like we've had squatters living
in here, the floor is filthy, the rest of

the Van is horribly beige
and then somebody's

had a half-hearted
attempt at painting it black.

Now this Van is
supposed to be inviting,

it's supposed to be a
home from home, so I've

got an awful lot of work to be doing,
starting with a bit of spring cleaning.

Now I know this isn't an interior
design show, but let's face

it, I'm in the interior and it
does need to be redesigned.

Now we often talk about themes on
that kind of show and we have got rather a

water-based theme, so I'm going to keep
it simple and go with a whole load of blue.

Now I'll deal with the floor and
these horrible broken panels

a bit later on, but I'm going
to get a bit cheeky first of all.

I'm actually going to paint the ceiling
with a water-based paint with a roller,

and over this black, which is a bit
harder to cover up, I'm going to go over

with some primer and
then some blue aerosol.

As with any paint job, it's all about
preparation, but this is just a quick fix.

I'm going to go over all
the surfaces with some

pre-paint just to get rid
of any grease and dirt.

Now as we know, primer
is quite poisonous, I'm in a

very confined area, so I'm
going to be wearing a mask.

This looks like bog-standard
emulsion paint, because it is.

There's nothing wrong with using stuff
from your local DIY store on your car,

you just need to make
sure it adheres properly.

I'm using aerosol spray on these
panels because they're going to get a

lot of wear and tear, and this
stuff is a bit more hard-wearing.

With all that Pacific Blue
sorted out, I now need

to turn my attention to
these really tatty panels.

Now, you're right, this
damaged panel is definitely going

to end up in the bin, but I
do have one job for it left.

If I had all the time in the world,
the easiest way to replace these

panels would be to buy brand new
ones, but I haven't got time to wait

for delivery, and also we
are working to a budget.

So I've decided to make the new
ones out of plywood, and that's where

this panel comes in really useful.

I'm using it as an exact template.

The clamps keep the two sheets together,
then excess ply is cut off with a Jigsaw.

It's simple and cheap.

I'm using five 8x4 plywood panels.

At £10 a piece, that's just 50 quid.

Well, that's our ply-lining
finish, and I think the interior is

looking pretty smart now, but
of course, the main core of our

campervan is missing. I need a
bed in here, so that is my next job.

The bed platform is now
finished, and what is it all about?

Well, first of all, it's about storage.

We've got some storage places
here and here, and then if you open

this bit up, you've got access to
the engine bay, which of course

is very important for maintenance,
but more than that, it actually

has a big mattress fitting
on top of here, which

becomes a huge, or
half, of a huge double bed.

Now, the other half I haven't
actually built yet, and it's quite

special, so I'll explain about that
while I'm building it on the bench.

Now, obviously it's still in bits,
but this is the other half of our bed.

As you can see, it's very
similar to the one in the Van.

MDF, you can have your
cushions on top of this, but what

makes this so special, it's called
a rock and roll bed, and that's

down to a pair of clever hinges here.
With a rock and roll action,

you can actually turn this bed
into a comfortable sofa, so not only

can you sleep in the Van, you
can actually chill out in it too.

There are loads of companies
supplying aftermarket parts for VWs.

We bought this whole rock
and roll kit from a specialist.

It's a bit fiddly, and you'll have to
be good with the carpentry skills.

But with just an afternoon's work,
I've built and fitted this bench c*m bed.

And there we have it, one double
bed that looks very comfortable,

but the best bit is, if I use
this rock and roll hinge,

I now have a super comfortable
sofa as well, but I need some more

creature comforts, maybe, I don't
know, maybe a cooker, maybe a sink,

maybe even a table.

Now, me and Ed are determined
to turn the interior of what is our

plasterer's Van into a campervan
that we can both be very proud of.

Now, I've had a look around, and
there are a few options open to me,

one of which is to go down to an
old auto jumble, buy myself some

white melamine units, and
get Ed to fit them in the back.

But it would look nasty,
and it would be like

something my grandmother
would have in her kitchen.

The other option is to get
a firm to custom build me.

A nice interior, great idea,
but incredibly expensive.

So, after a little bit more poking
around, I've found a new firm

that's out there.
They do modular, easy-fit-yourself units,

and this is their demonstrator vehicle.

I've come to meet the guy, and he's going
to show me what options are open to me.

Right, this is Ewan.
Hello, Ewan. How are you?

Ewan is the guy that is
responsible for this completely new,

funky modular system.

Lovely. It's all very nice.
What is it, then?

It's all made with sustainable
birch plywood, finished with an oil.

It's all waterproof. So, how does it work?

What you've got is this
track, and this screws onto

your wall with some
self-tappers, and that's it.

You put all your units into this track.

It's simple as that.
You just screw that to the wall,

clip your units into these slots.

That's it, yeah.
It's all quick release as well,

so you can pull it all
out whenever you want.

So, we've got this
completely modular system.

So, what do these units actually do, then?

Well, you think they all look
the same, but have a look.

You've got your cooker here.

Look at that! There we go.

Very nice. Nice cup of tea.
Let me get myself a cup out.

Wonderful. Your gas is at the bottom here.

Lovely.
Right, you want to do your washing up now.

So, you've got your little sink here.

How cute is that? That's fantastic.

You've got your dish drainer.

Lovely. I want to imagine underneath here.

You've got, yeah, water storage.

Plug it into your 12-volt
socket, and you've got water.

Away you go. Fantastic.

So, we've got what is
commonly known as a Type 25.

I think you know it as the Wedgie.

It's the VW transport with
the bit at the back here.

We want to fit that out.
What would we need?

Well, I reckon on your
bulkhead, you've got two sections.

So, you know, one unit either
side, so you can walk through.

Your cooker at one side,
and your sink on the other.

Lovely. And the table?

Yeah, we could put that on the
side, so you could sit on your bench.

Lovely. And how much are these units?

They're looking at 130
quid for a flat pack, so...

And something we can do ourselves.
We can just screw it together ourselves.

How much would it cost to fit it out, then?

With all these sink
units, your cookers,

everything, you're
looking at about 600 quid.


Yeah, that's all there.

Yeah, I'm going to do it. Lovely.
Thank you very much. I love it.

That kit sounds great, but
will it really be easy to fit?

I've just cut the tracks to length,

and they do just screw onto
the walls with a few self-tappers.

So far, so good.

Now, the racking's all attached, and
I'm ready to put the units into the Van,

but before I do that, I need to
sort out a problem with the floor.

It's still very much builder's Van.
There's concrete all over it.

It's badly painted, but I
do have just the solution.

Artificial grass. It's really fun.

It's actually easy to clean, very
hard-wearing, and it's quite soft underfoot.

Now, I think this way, the grass
will always be greener on the inside.

The final part of the interior fit-out

is to simply clip in the cabinets
and our fold-down table.

The units are fitted with a cute little
cooker and a mini sink and drainer.

Add a portable cool box,

and that's really all
you need for a road trip.

Now, granted, the rock-and-roll bed was
a bit tricky, but in a short space of time,

I've completely
transformed this drab interior

into quite literally a home on wheels.

I've got a bit of living room here.

I've got a bit of bedroom, a bit
of kitchen, even a bit of garden.

I reckon this is definitely
something for the weekend.

Our ex-builder's Van is
looking pretty cool now,

but I've got quite a problem with the
gap between the wheel and the wheel arch.

It's a good five inches.

Now, you expect that in a trade Van.

It's going to have a couple
of pallets of bricks in the back,

and that's going to lower
that suspension right down.

But this is our cool campervan.

We're going to go cruising with this,

and if I had my way, I would
slam this right into the ground.

I would have the bumpers in the weeds,
but of course, that would be impractical.

So I found a spring set,

which is actually about five inches.

It's about halfway between the two.

It's not going to be too
high, and it's not going to

shatter your spine when
you go over those big bumps.

With the camper up in
the air, I can get cracking.

Now, I should dismantle the whole
suspension to fit these Springs,

but I'm being a bit cheeky
by compressing the spring

with a clamp and then
just manhandling them out.

And there we have it.

One spring removed from the car.

This is the spring I've
just got off the Van,

and this is our new shortened version.

You can see there's quite a
marked difference in height here,

but critically, it's got the
same number of coils,

and the steel is the same diameter,

so the suspension characteristics
will be roughly the same as before,

but obviously, it's going
to be that much lower,

and it's going to look that much better.

Now, the cool thing about
this spring being much shorter

is I reckon I should be able to get it back
in place without the spring compressors.

Sometimes things just work out really well,

and this suspension changeover
is going like the clappers.

I love VWs.
They're so simple and easy to work on.

Now, you might remember, before
I changed the Springs on this Van,

it actually had a gap of five inches
between the wheel and the wheel arch.

Well, now...

that's less than two and a half inches.

I've actually halved that gap,

so not only have I improved
the looks of the Van,

but also I've slightly
improved the handling as well.

Now the camper rocks, but
these wheels are atrocious,

so I need something with instant impact.

I'm going to take a tip
from the hot-rodding scene.

I'm going to fit some really
rather wonderful moon discs.

At 60 quid for the set,

these covers are very reasonable,

and they suit the Van perfectly,

giving it that final
Californian surf-style detail.

When I first drove this Van into
the workshop, I was not impressed.

It smelt, drove, and
sounded like a builder's Van.

I thought Mike had bought us a pup,

but after many hours of hard work,

I think I've transformed this thing
into a particularly groovy camper Van.

It's just a shame I'm
not going to get to enjoy

the fruits of my labour
before it has to go.

And so our lowly Van has been resurrected

as a trendy camper that's
ready to run to the sun.

I can't believe I bought this rusty old
bus for 1,100 quid off my mate Simon,

and I bet he wouldn't
believe how it looks today.

Before we could do any cosmetic work,

we had to rip out the old exhaust
and give the diesel engine a kiss of life.

But it's a reliable old lump,
and it's cleaned up well.

The sliding door was a joke
until Ed worked his magic

by slicing through the steel bodywork
to fit a salvaged camper window.

You either love it or you loathe it,

but this bodywork
stands out from the crowd,

and it was a cost-effective
way of turning all those acres

of beige into something
eye-catching and original.

The interior looked like a building site,

but a new liner of plywood and a
lick of cheapo paint worked wonders.

We saved enough cash to splash
out on a proper rock-and-roll bed,

and when I found these
units, the look was complete.

Ed threw the fake grass in for free.

Finally, it was time
to drop the suspension

and give the camper a
meaner, moodier look,

topped off with these moon-eye wheel discs.

It might look cheap and cheerful,

but this baby set us back a pretty penny.

The donor Van was £1,100.

Exhaust and engine work cost £160.

The salvaged window was £50,

and the vinyl wrap came in at a grand.

The interior ply, flat-pack cabinets
and bed racked up a cool £1,300,

and I shelled out £215 for
the suspension and wheels.

The total, just shy of four grand.

Oops.

Ed!

How you doing, Mike? You all right?

Yeah, very well.

Wow, we're nearly there
with our camper Van.

I can't wait. I'm so excited.

Now, look at the colour.

That doesn't surprise me.

I've seen that before.

They look really funky.

They do.

I mean, basically, we couldn't afford
our wheels, and they look fantastic,

and they didn't break the bank
either, but this is where the real work is.

Check out inside.

Oh, yes! It's fantastic.

Oh, look at the flat-pack furniture.

You did so well with it.

Such a great purchase.

You've got your cooker, you've got
your sink, you've got your table as well,

and, of course, we've
got our lovely, comfy sofa,

and that's not all.

This turns into a bed, so we
can have a kip in here as well.

Not together.

Well, no, no, of course not.

We take it in turns, and look at the floor.

We've got a nice carpet.

Well, yeah, it's a bit of fun.

I just thought this way,
we get outdoors, indoors.

Very nicely put.

I love it, Ed.

We've got all the creature
comforts we need in our camper Van.

But does it drive it right?

It drives fine, actually.
Do you want the keys?

Yes, please.

Well, it was always a
Van, and it still is a Van.

No matter how much money
you Chuck at this thing,

it's always going to be a Van,
but it's a different kind of Van now

because no longer
have I got big clouds of

smoke following me,
thanks to the engine work.

Also, it handles that a little bit better.

It's a little bit more
rougher over the bumps.

That's because Ed has dropped the
suspension and slammed it to the deck.

That's street talk.

Also, I love the way it looks.

It's fantastic.

Wherever I go, it gets a lot of attention.

People love it.

Kids wave as you drive by it.

What with the trendy bubbles,

it feels like I'm driving
around in a giant fish tank.

But we've spent quite a bit of money,

and I'm never, ever going
to sell it for that money.

But then it was all a bit of a punt in
the first place, and it's a bit of a laugh.

So I'm going to sell it for £2,000,

but I've got a very, very small audience
who will buy this car because it's so wacky.

So I'm going to have to find
somebody equally wacky to buy it.

Wish me luck.

Now, this is a first on Wheel Of Dealers
because our campervan behind me,

I haven't had to
advertise it because, look,

it advertises itself.

Wherever I go in it, I
get a load of interest,

and I've got one such
bloke sitting in the car,

rattling around it right now,

and I think he's keen to do a deal.

Let's go and meet him.

Ed!

Hello, mate.

Is it really you?

It really is me.

Do you really want to buy this?

Absolutely.

You've worked me really
hard, and I need a rest,

and this would be perfect
for a weekend away.

A weekend away where, though?

Where are you going to go in this?

I reckon a bit of surfing
down at the beach.

It's going to look fantastic
parked up on a beach, isn't it?

You're going to get so much attention.

I think it will.

And also, I've got all the facilities.

I've got a nice bed, comfortable sofa,

all my cooking stuff.

I've got everything I need.

Fantastic.

Well, you know, Ed, this
vehicle does owe us some money.

It doesn't come for free.

No, it was a bit expensive
to put together, wasn't it?

It was a bit expensive.

I was going to advertise the car.

I think it's probably worth,
you know, three grand,

but that's been a bit greedy, so I was going
to advertise it at round two grand Mark.

But have you got that kind
of money to spend on this?

Not really, and I think a grand maybe.

A what?

Well, come on, you
know, I've done all this

extra work, and, you
know, I need a break.

I know we're mates here, but, you
know, I love you, but not that much.

I'll tell you what, I'll
tell you what, I'll use it in

the summer, right, and then
at the end of the summer,

maybe we'll sell it and
we'll split the difference.

Okay, 1,500 quid, it's yours.

That's it.

Go on, then.

Good lad, well done.

You've got yourself a cr*cker.

Well, you know, you built it.

So, we've lost the fortune,

but who knows when Ed
sells the VW on later this year,

we might make some money back.

Until then, there's plenty of fun to be had,
and if you see the camper out and about,

knock on the door and say hello.

Ed is bound to have a brew on.

Well, this one turned
out all right, didn't it,

because Ed's got himself this
wacky camper Van for the summer,

and I've been promised a trip
of a lifetime down at the beach.

Join us again on Wheeler Dealers.

Right, Ed, cruise to the coast.