05x05 & 05x06 - Fiat 500 (Part 1 & 2)

[bunniefuu]

This is Wheeler Dealers,
the show that searches

from Manchester to
Milan for classic cars

to buy, restore and sell
on, hopefully for a profit.

We bring those cars back to Blighty
and spend time and money to make

sure that the engines run sweetly
and the bodywork shines once more.

Now, small cars, they're
really popular at the moment, so

I reckon we should go for a
classic city car, the Fiat 500.

Well, I'm up for that, but can our £5,000
budget stretch to buying and restoring one?

Well, it's going to be
up to me to find out,

isn't it, Ed? And I
can't wait to get started.

I'm really up for this challenge,
and if we can find the right car and

restore it to this kind of standard,
then we could be looking at a big profit.

When the 500 was launched in 1957, it
created a sensation. Practical, affordable

and stylish, the Cinque Cento was the
car post-w*r Europe had been waiting for.

The clever jelly mould design
with its rear-mounted engine meant

there was plenty of room inside for
Papa, Mama and the dua bambini.

The little Cinque Cento
has a big fan club. Even

Michael Schumacher has a
Fiat 500 parked in his garage.

Prices have begun to rise steeply in the
past few years because this iconic car is a

characterful classic, which still works
brilliantly as a 21st century city runabout.

Sometimes when you're trying
to find the right car, you have to

think outside the box. Well, today,
I'm thinking outside the country.

To find the perfect Fiat 500, I'm in Italy.

We're in Turin, home of Fiat and the
birthplace of the Cinque Cento. I figured out

if I was going to find a decent 500 anywhere,
then this was a good place to start.

Now, as much as I'd like to sit here drinking me lovely
cappuccino and watching the world go by, I can't because

I've only got a few days to track down the perfect Fiat


So, it's time to buy a gazetta
and get down to business.

Italy is a country in love with
newspapers and at the back you'll find

page after page of ads selling
everything from a budgie to a Bugatti.

Now, I just need to keep my phrasebook
handy and stick to simple questions.

Buongiorno. Do you speak English?

Ciel il Cololo?

Erm, automobile ruginoza?

Omgona te?

Where do you live?

Er, what?

How much money is it?

Petite?

What?

Are you having a Turkish?

I mean, an Italian?

The car?

Si.

Ah!

It may be that I've found
a couple of possibilities.

Good news, let's go
and find myself a Fiat 500.

I've got a pearly to
come to the outskirts of

Turin to come and
find this little Fiat 500.

Now, the people who've got it for sale
have said that they're going to meet me on

this street's corner and this must be them
here because there's a little Fiat 500.

Hello!
And they've got a dog, which is scaring me.

Tiziana?

Tiziana.

Very nice to meet you. Hello there.

Hello.

Roberto, nice to meet
you too, and your baby.

Hello, ciao.

Ciao.

Ciao.

The papa.

You want a papa?

Ah, right.

When you buy a car in Italy,
everyone comes out, but this is the car.

Right, let's have a look in here.

Oh, it's much better
inside than it is outside.

I love this little red interior
and the original mattes.

Look at this little steering wheel.
It's so cute.

What does it sound like?

Oh, lovely.
It sounds like a little sewing machine.

It reminds me of the


and cafe culture
and beehive haircuts.

It's quite cute in here.

It's like a little museum piece,
but the headline is missing.

Now, the reason I've come all
the way to Italy to buy one of these

cars is to avoid buying a rust
bucket like this back in the UK.

I'd go out and get one of
these easy back home, and

I wouldn't have the hassle
of shipping it, would I?

No, I suppose when you think
about it, there's chances all over the

world, and he thinks this car is
easily restored, but it's not for me.

Well, I hope that wasn't a
sign of things to come. That was

a complete washout, but I've
got a few more to see today.

Next up is a car being
sold by a motor dealer

called Diego, who's got
premises in a nearby town.

And thanks to Sat Nav, I've
managed to track him down.

Diego. Ah, you must be Diego.

Good morning.

Good morning. Buongiorno.

Buongiorno.

Buongiorno. All right, OK. Good to see you.

We spoke on the phone.

Yes.

I come to see the Fiat 500.

Ah, CZ.

Where is it?

Magna Ele.

Is it OK?

OK.

All right, thank you.

Wow.

Look at this. Where is it?

I know they're small, but woohoo.

Here it is, look.

Wow.

My baby.

Right.

Look at it in here. Let's get this
roof back, get something on it in here.

Oh, it's fantastic.

Look at it. This leopard interior and
the door cars, they're all in good Nick.

Look at the dashboard.
I mean, this thing should be in a museum.

So, the boot is down the front in this car.

Oh, look at that, and there it is.

There's enough space
in there for my wash

bag, pair of sunglasses
and the credit card,

because that's all you
ever need in one of these.

Petrol tanks up the front,
remarkably for such a small car.

You get the five wheels,
you get a fifth wheel up front.

Underneath there is the
battery, that's all in good Nick.

It's really clean and tidy,
no signs of accident damage.

You know what, I'm falling
in love with this little car.

I can't wait to get it out on the road.

Time for a test drive.

This car does naught to 60.

Well, it don't actually
do 60, so it does just

naught to something,
until it runs out of shove.

I'm doing 50 kilometres an hour, and I've
got my foot buried through the floorboard.

This car is up for around £2,400.

Back in the UK, a
similar car would set me

back around three to
three and a half grand.

So, it's good for the money, but
I think the paint looks very tired,

and a full respray will eat
into my profit on this motor.

So, I'm keen, but I have to be
realistic about the task ahead.

But you know what I'm
like, I'm going to go back,

and I'm going to offer
him a little bit less.

See if he'll take it.

Diego?

Hello.

How are you?

I'll tell you.

Water?

Yeah, it's good for this year of car.

She drives fine, she's good.

Just the paint work, yes?

It's new paint.

Yeah, but it has to be redone.

How much money is this car?





Make it a little bit less?

It's not possible.

Eh, it's possible.

Everything is possible, Diego.

Come on.



No, no, more.

More?



No.

No, come on, Diego.

I've got to repaint it.











Hold out your hand.

Yes!

I got me car.

Mella!

Right, I'm just about
to start my epic journey.

I've got 500cc's, I've
got a full tank of petrol,

I've got a map and faith that I can
make it all the way back to England.

But on the journey there's


there's a seat across,
and let's not forget the

big mountain with a tunnel
that goes underneath it.

But I'll be fine, won't I?

Right, time to hit the road.

You know what, I'm fiddling
along, crashing through the gears,

and the vibration from the
engine's coming through the chassis,

vibrating my seat underneath
me, and I feel like I'm going deaf.

It's so noisy in here.

By the end of the day, you
know what, I don't mind it

because I feel like I'm
driving a car from another age.

I love it, absolutely love it.

Paul Potts got nothing on me.

We're 750 miles from home and
heading towards the border with France.

But after 100 miles, the car is
beginning to show signs of strain.

It's not sounding good.
It's making all types of weird noises.

Listen to that, I'm getting worried now.

Oh dear, sounds like it's going to blow up.

Come on.

Oh, listen to it.

Oh, it's getting worse.

Come on, come on, come on, don't die.

Oh no.

Something's really wrong with this car.

It's finito.

This is a disaster.

What will it say? I paid £2,300 for
a car which has blown its engine.

I'm stranded in Italy and
my plans are in tatters.

Will it really be a Riva
Durci for my Fiat 500?

Welcome back to Wheeler Dealers On The Road

and my lovely Fiat 500 which I
bought in Turin for just £2,300.

I've been enjoying the
drive back to England

and was just heading
towards the Alps when

disaster struck and
the engine, it gave out.

Come on, come on, come on, don't die.
Oh no.

Nothing for it but to
call out my old mate Paul

who drove out overnight
from the UK to save me.

Hello Mike, what have you done now?

My mechanic Ed isn't going to be
happy when he sees me arrive in the UK

with the Fiat on a trailer because
that means a lot more work for him.

But I can't worry about that now.

I've still got 600 miles ahead of me.

I can't tell you how
disappointed I'm feeling right now.

I've got a couple of
hundred miles under my belt.

and then it all went wrong.

And it's just been a bit of a
nightmare to be honest with you.

What turned out to be such a fantastic trip
is now turning into being a bit of a mare.

Ed!

Ed!

Hello mate.

I'm excited about seeing you.

It was a long trip, a long trip.

You're actually on a trailer.

You said you were going to drive this back.

It's a little car to drive
all the way back from Italy

and it's got a little
technical issue but there it is.

It is a lovely car.

I've been looking forward to
this moment for quite a while

but having said that,
although you've done very well,

I would say that perhaps
the paint is a little bit dodgy.

The car was made in 1971.

You know, it's over 30 years old.

Where are you going?

You can't fit in there.

Oh my word.

You've broken the seat.

It's a lovely interior in here.

You don't really will.

It's not like your usual Wheeler-dealer car

where you've got to rip the
interior out and replace it.

This is really good.

So it's all good.

Except?

Except for the little
problem down the back.

Right, let's have a look.

Pure look in the boot.

I've discovered what it was.

That's the dynamo or oscillator.

Yeah, that's the dynamo there, yeah.

Wobble it.

Oh my word.

Snapped off.

It's come off the engine.

So all you need to do is
replace this and we'd be fine.

Well, you say that, but where
are we going to get one from?

From the theatre shop.

I'm from theatre.

This car is 30-odd years old.

We're never going to get one out.

Yeah, you'll be able to get one out.

It'll be easy.

And also, I want to paint this car
because I think that needs doing.

Yeah, but not just any paint.

Let's do something really special.

You love to make things
hard for yourself, don't you?

All right.

No worries.

Not a lot to do then.

Our tiny Cinquecento is a
cute little car, but don't be fooled.

Just because it's small in size
doesn't mean the jobs aren't big.

I'm going to be doing a full respray,

which means I have to
take absolutely everything off.

And I mean everything.

The brightwork, the bonnet,
the chrome, the doors,

the windows, even the interior.

I'm just making note
of what wires go where,

so when it comes to
putting everything back

together again, I should
have a nice easy ride.

This next bit is a tad tricky.

I've got to push the glass out
from the inside of the vehicle.

Now, if I was to drop this and break it,

you'd have to get another one.

Not a good idea.

So I put the masking tape on
just to hold the glass just in case.

And because it is glass, I'm
wearing gloves and goggles.

One window removed.

When I said I was going to do a
full respray, I did actually mean that.

And because there is so much
bare metal on display inside the car,

we're going to have to paint in here too.

And that means I'm going to have to remove

the rear seats, the front
seats, the door seals,

the seat belts, the carpet, and pretty
much everything I can see inside.

If we were just going to respray the
car, then it might have been less work.

But because Mike and I
want to change the colour too,

then, as I said,
everything has to come out.

A garage would probably charge around
a grand to strip and prep an average car,

so doing it yourself is a real money saver.

With the panels off the car,

I can begin the long
process of rubbing down.

I've given myself a few
days to finish this job.

That's if I don't
uncover any rust or filler.

Rubbing down a car, especially like this,

is just a little bit tiring.

And I could make my life a bit easier.

by using a DA or orbital sander,

but at the end of the day, I'd be a bit
worried about digging into the bodywork,

maybe causing more
damage than is necessary.

And also, this way, by hand,

it's more tactile.

I get to enjoy the curves of the bodywork.

Now, there's no real skill to this process.

You just want a nice circular motion, kind
of keep it random or chaotic as you can.

You just want a nice even key over the
entire car, and you know what you've done

when you can't really see
yourself in the reflection.

Prepping the bodywork has been really easy.

No nasty surprises, thankfully.

Let's hope that the engine is as
straightforward to work on, too.

Now, you might remember
Mike was complaining about

horrible noises coming from the engine
bay, and of course there's that crack.

And what's happened is this
bracket has come clean off the engine.

I can't actually see in
to see what's going on.

And I do need to paint
the engine bay itself.

So the easiest thing to
do is to drop the engine.

It gives me a bit more
access to the engine

itself, gives me a nice
clean area for painting.

I don't think it's going to
be a difficult job to do, either.

I've got a mount here at the back,

and also one on the gearbox.

But the things I really
do have to undo first.

are all underneath the engine,
so I need to get it up on the ramp.

It's kind of mad to think that this car.

was actually almost
single-handedly responsible

for decimating the
Italian motorcycle market.

There were about 130-odd
motorcycle factories.

or manufacturers in Italy
before this thing came out.

And then within a year or
two it went down to about 30.

The 500cc engine isn't very heavy,

so I'm going to put one of my
toolboxes under it to support it.

The theory is that when
I disconnect the engine

and raise the car on the ramp,
then I can simply roll it out.

Let's see, shall we?

Getting pretty close now.

I'm going to make use of this
really cool feature of the Fiat.

It's got a rear bolt-on valance.

It's held on with two bolts to
this side and two bolts to this side.

And this is actually all that
keeps people from the engine

and also supporting
the weight of the engine.

So once I've unbolted this,

hopefully the engine will end
up on the toolbox down there.

And then, of course, I
can then pull it straight

out because there'll
be nothing in the way.

Well, it's going to be fun trying to put
that back in again, but we'll get there.

Okay, so the engine is now on the toolbox.

All I have to do is undo these two bolts

that hold the gearbox in
place, and I think we're there.

That's one side done.

Let's go to the other side.

Okay, I'm just going to undo this last one.

Of course, there is a chance
that I've missed something,

but again, because it's
such a simple engine,

chances are I've got everything.

Let's see, hopefully it's now free.

Fantastico!

Look at that.

How cute is that?

Actually, it looks very similar to
a miniature Volkswagen engine.

It has actually got half the cylinders,
but the gearbox is much the same.

So far, the little theatre's
cost me just a few

sheets of sandpaper, but
the big money lies ahead.

To make a decent profit, we
need to keep the cost down.

The respray will be pricey,

but I'm also worried about the
damage lurking in the engine.

Time for a chat with Mike.

All right, Ed?

All right, mate?

Wow, you really have
set the task on this one.

There's nothing left of it.

I think I've stripped everything
down and rubbed everything

down as well, and it's
been a real joy to work on.

It's a fantastic car.

When you think it's 35 years old, it
didn't give me any problems at all.

So now we've got it in this condition,
what are we going to do with it next?

Well, obviously we need to paint it.

I'm kind of really tall.

I wanted originally
to do a really special

paint job, but actually
it's so kind of honest,

and I don't know, just genuine,

I think we should do something
a bit more retro, perhaps.

Do you know what? You're right.

You have to think of this
car in its original environment.

It would have been
sat inside a little

cappuccino bar, would
have looked great in white,

with red and green stripes.

With a red and green stripe
right down the middle, see?

So we know what we're
doing with the bodywork.

What about this old engine?

This is a problem.

We've got that really bad
damage on that bracket,

also the dynamo's not looking so
good, and the fan's damaged as well.

Now, so far, we'd be looking
at a bill of about 500 pounds.

A monkey, 500 quid.

You're kidding, right?

I don't know what to do here.

Well, look, if we're going
to give the car a repaint,

why don't I look at getting a
reconditioned engine for it, a new one?

Do you think we could afford that?

Well, I don't know, I'll have to
put some investigations into it,

but if we can get a reconditioned
engine to go into this bodywork,

it'll look fantastic, and
these are back in vogue.

They're selling for good, strong money,
they're really popular, highly collectible,

and I reckon we can
sell it on for a fortune.

Sounds great.

Well, this car's travelled a long way,

all those kilometres back from Italy,
and it's almost back to bare metal,

almost like the day it was
on the production line in Turin.

But I can't wait to see how
our cheeky little 500 turns out.

This is the cheeky little
Fiat 500 that I bought in Italy,

and as you can see, it's halfway
through its restoration project,

and hopefully there'll be a
big profit when I sell it on.

My challenge was to buy and
restore an iconic Fiat for £5,000

and make some decent
money when we sell it on.

I decided the best place to
track down a 500 was Turin, Italy,

the birthplace of the Cinquecento.

Eventually, I found this
peach of a car for £2,300.

I thought I got a bargain until the engine
spluttered and died on the drive home.

Come on, come on, come
on, come on, don't die. Oh, no.

I had to trailer the car to the UK.

Back at our workshop,
Ed stripped down the car,

rubbed down the body shell, and
pulled out that damaged engine.

So far, the restoration has only cost
the price of a few sheets of sandpaper,

but we're about to spend out
on a costly four-body respray.

We haven't got the
facilities back at our

workshop to do a really
professional paint job,

which is why I'm here in Brentford at
a highly recommended mate of Mike's,

and I'm actually quite
excited, because not

only do I get to see
the paint go on the Fiat,

but also I get to watch somebody
else do some work for a change.

The Fiat is really nothing more
than a rolling body shell at this stage.

Stripped and rubbed
down, you can see just

how simple this


Normally at this stage,
you expect to see the

car covered in masking
paper and masking tape,

but there is so much bodywork that
has to be painted on the inside of the car,

all we had to mask up
was the gear stick, the

handbrake, and a few
other little bits and pieces.

I'm really excited.

After hours and hours of work, it's
time for the Fiat to change colour,

and the man who's going to do
the spray job is a chap called Raj.

This is pretty much the only
help I'm going to give Raj today,

because although, despite the size of the
car, with all the other panels hanging up,

there isn't really an awful lot
of room for both of us in here.

So, there you go mate, is that about right?

Yeah.

He's on his own.

Raj is putting on the
primer coat at the moment,

and normally we'd then wait for
that to dry and put on our topcoat,

but this time he's doing
what's called wet on wet.

So basically, before the primer really has
time to dry, it'll still be a bit tacky,

he's then going to go
straight over with the topcoat.

You can see that Raj is
putting on the topcoat now,

and you might have
noticed that he didn't

put any primer on the
inside of the vehicle,

and that's really
because it doesn't get the

kind of abuse that the
outside paint will see,

so really we're just saving
paint and saving time.

Our little fit is looking superb,

and Raj has only got a few more coats
to put on, and then it's actually finished.

Finally, I can't get
my hands on it just yet,

because it needs to
stay in this oven overnight

to make sure the
paint is properly hard,

and then tomorrow the red
and green stripe will be applied.

Oh, it looks fantastic.

That old English Bianco is just bellissimo.

Our old engine was kaput,
so I had a bit of a brainwave.

The larger, more modern,
better performing 650cc

unit from the Fiat 126
will shoehorn into our car,

so I'm searching for an engine swap online.

I've come across an ad for a
rebuilt engine which looks fantastic,

so I'm heading off to a house
in South London to seal the deal.

Wow, the paint job on
these engines are beautiful.

Aren't they?

Yeah, beautiful.

It's all panacotene, if you see.

It's not a normal painting.

So this is all powder coated on?

Yeah, panacotene.

You've got two engines
set aside for me here.

What's the difference between these two?

The only difference is the same power.

That engine that you see over here,

it's got just the Abarth
cover and the sun Abarth.

So they run good, these engines?

Yeah, quite good.

As you can see, it's like a brand
new shell, a brand new part inside,

only the valve is ready to go
with the standard petrol now.

Right, so you don't have to
put lead replacement fuel in it?

No, no, no, no, no, no.

It's already got the hard valve?

Yeah, yeah, everything is ready to go.

It's all done?

All done.


the engine is ready to go.

So swapping your car and
go for another 20 years, easy.

So how much are these engines?

How much is this one?

This one goes with the
gearbox, secret gearbox, £1,100.

Okay, £1,100 and how much is this one?

£1,400 included, the gearbox.

Okay, because it's got
the extra bits on it, yes?

Would you take a little
bit less for that one?

No.

So it's £1,400.

Do you know what?

Ed's going to love it when I
take that back to the workshop.

I'm having it.

Toto?

Yes.

Lovely, thank you.

Thank you so much.

Congratulations.

Perfecto!

The 500 is back and what a transformation.

The old English cream suits
the car's jelly mould design

and the sexy Italian stripe
gives the car a sporty look.

It's actually a vinyl strip which we had
specially commissioned and cost £300.

The shiny red engine Mike bought
will set off this bodywork nicely

but by my reckoning, add the respray
cost to the £1,400 for a Recon engine

and the cost of the car, and we've
completely blown our £5,000 budget.

Mike thinks there's money in this car.

I just hope he's right.

Well, this is the old engine.

You may remember we had all
that problem with that broken bracket

and all the little bits
that caused that problem

and Mike had this mad idea
to replace the whole thing.

So this is what Mike bought
earlier and you can see it's a

lovely bright red engine and
it's a little bit bigger as well.

That's a 500cc unit and this is a 650cc
unit so a bit more power, a bit more torque.

It's going to make our little
beastie go like an absolute dream.

The old engine had a very basic gearbox.

The new unit comes with a
modern synchromesh gearbox

which makes changing
up and down much cleaner.

It just needs a little
fettling before I bolt it on.

Here's our gearbox ready
prepared to go onto the engine.

It'll just slip onto the studs
that are already there.

Let's put the first
motion shaft in first of all.

Right, okay, and then line that up.

And hopefully the splines,
there we go, all line up.

I'm just going to hold it in place
when I pop on a couple of nuts.

It's just so fantastic.

It's a tiny, tiny bit of engineering here.

It works beautifully.

It's so easy to handle.

These two engines came from
slightly different models of fit.

I need to change that big black
spring of an engine mount there

for the original one that
came with our Cinco Cento.

Purists might be surprised
that we're fitting a 650cc engine

but I think it's good to
update some classics.

It will be more robust, easier to drive

and the 26 horsepower
engine is a big improvement.

on the old 17 horsepower unit.

Another really cool thing
about this engine that Mike got

is actually it's fitted with an
alternator rather than a dynamo

and essentially that means it
just pumps out a bit more power

so I can either have all
the lights on at the same

time or perhaps fit a
nice big booming stereo.

I'm almost done with the
engine but there's one vital thing

that some people forget before
they bolt it in and turn it over.

Oil.

I don't actually know how
much all this thing takes

so I'm going to put in a little
bit sort of gradually if you like

because it's always easier to add a bit
more rather than trying to take it all away.

Just like cooking.

Let's check the oil for the last time.

Dipstick, fantastic.

Dipstick, right on maximum.

Ideal.

So, this is it.

The moment of truth.

And yes, the engine
slides straight into the bay.

No problems at all.

So the engine seems to fit
but will it fire into life and run?

Welcome back.

This time we've got £5,000 to spend
and we're on a mission to buy, restore

and sell on one of
these glorious Fiat 500s.

Launched way back in 1957

this tiny car is less
than 3 metres in length.

It's a 20th century design classic.

At the moment our car is
midway through a restoration.

We've got a fabulous new paint job.

and a bright red motor has
just slid into the engine bay.

Back to you, Ed.

I'm putting our new 650cc
engine into our old Fiat 500.

It seems to fit

but even so, I'm a bit nervous as I
edge the body down and fiddle it in.

Well, I've done up all the bolts
that bolt the engine to the car

so, theoretically, when
I lift the car up now

the engine should stay attached
to the car so, fingers crossed.

Oh, no, it's looking good.

Job well done, I think.

Well, not far off now I've got to connect
up a load of wires, pipes and cables.

Once I've done all that underneath
the car I can then lower the car down

and finish everything
off inside the engine bay.

So, not too long to go.

Music Well, everything's
now connected up

on the engine, just got this fuel
line to do just pop that on there.

do that up, and of
course I can't test drive it

or fire it up until I've got the fuel tank
connected so that'll be my next job.

Well, there we go, that's done.

Now, this fuel tank is quite interesting.

because, yet again, it's
very, very simple often on fuel

tanks on older cars they take
off with the fuel underneath

it makes it very fiddly,
but this is nice and simple

and it takes the fuel from the top
here so I'll just pop it into place first.

Now, it's mad that this fuel tank
is about the size of a Jerry can

but that's because, of course, the engine
isn't much bigger than a little generator

in fact, the car is just
tiny it's just, it's all so cute.

I'm just going to connect
the wires for the fuel sender.

Now, I really want to get this thing
started so I need to fit the battery

but, of course, I can't actually connect
it up because I've got loads of loose wire

because I haven't fitted
the lights yet so, even

though we're nearly
there we're still miles off.

As I go along, I'm
checking for weak joints in

the wiring loop these
wires run to the headlights

so it's definitely worth replacing these
crude twist joints with soldered ones

so the connections are
good and long lasting.

With the wiring all sorted

I now have to fit a headlight and, of
course, this car came from a foreign land

so the headlights are actually
pointing slightly that way

and they should be
pointing slightly that way for a

UK spec so we've managed
to get hold of a salvage.

or second hand UK spec
headlamp so I'm going to fit that now

and it's very important because
otherwise it wouldn't go through the MOT.

Well, perhaps a little
premature but a finishing

touch with the front
of the car the badge.

With the fuel tank in,
battery fitted and lights

connected up it's
time for the big turn on.

I've been looking forward to
this moment for quite some time

I'm going to turn the
engine over for the first time

and hopefully, once this fuel filter is
full of fuel it should just fire into life.

Oh-h*-h*-h*-h*!

h*-hey!

Listen to that! That is superb!

Oh, that is just fantastic!

At least that works!

I've got four windows to fit
and they all go in the same way,

which is very handy and it's
quite a simple way of doing things

it's not bonded, it's actually
a rubber seal that goes

around the glass and then
the inside lip of this rubber.

just fits over this metal
edge on the car and all the

different windows and to get
it in, I'm going to use paracord

this is like a kind of a
thick, strong string that

actually attach, I suppose,
paras to their parachutes.

and it just goes into this little groove
there I'll just put it all the way around.

it doesn't really matter which end.

I start with.

I've now got that in place and
I've got to pop this into the aperture.

there's a nice little circular motion.

still a bit of pressure.

so I'm just going to work that bit of
rubber over the lip and there we go.

it really is as simple as that.

I'm now beginning to see the light at
the end of the tunnel on this restoration

it's pretty much just reassembly now
so it's a case of focusing on one job.

after another and working out the
order let's do them before you begin.

now I think I'm going to
start with the door cards.

but actually before
I can put those on.

I need to fit the door handle

because of course I'm
not going to see anything

after that so I'm just
going to pop that through.

just make sure that the
rubber trim is in the right place.

there we go.

now these door cards are rather
easy to fix there's no electric windows

no central locking it's just this door handle
here if I can just pop that into place.

ok I said it was easy it's a little
fiddly but it's not too bad there we go.

and then that pops.

up into there.

and it's held into
position with two screws.

and this side one on the other.

there's a little cut thing that just slides
over here there we go door handle done.

I'm devoting an afternoon
to fitting the interior

and it all goes together
remarkably well.

fitting the seats back
in is actually very

easy just line up the
runners on the floor.

the runners on the chair.

and then slide it back.

I like this car a lot.

when you think this is one of the
oldest cars we've had on Wheeler Dealers

you'd expect it to be
a pile of dust on the

floor but actually it's
in perfect condition and.

despite its size it's
not actually been fiddly

jobs it's just been really
simple just because of the

cleverness and the simplicity
of the design we've given

it a hot engine we've given
it a really cool paint job.

and I've loved every minute of it.

at last the Fiat 500 is finished
and I have to say what a result.

when I first saw the Fiat I loved it but
the tyre bodywork needed new paint.

the engine had broken down on the
way back from Italy so that was pulled out

the Fiat came back with a fantastic
paint job and a sporty tri-colour stripe.

the shiny red engine and
reconditioned synchromesh gearbox

gave the car modern road manners in the
end we spent big money on the little Fiat

the respray and new engine pushed us
over budget can we make that money back?

the car cost $2,300.

travel expenses came to $500
the reconditioned engine $1,400.

paint and respray $1,000
the big stripe set us back $300.

the odd spare parts came to around $200

total a rather
substantial £5,700.

wow look at that is it done?

well that was the finishing touch Ed it
looks fantastic you must be a proud man

I am a very proud man and I
think this looks actually very good

but I am going to be so
sorry to see this thing go

don't panic just yet because before
it goes I reckon we deserve to live

the Dolce Vita lifestyle and we are
going to give this car a nice day out.

right then Ed my first drive.

of the little 500

right I remember what this
car was like when I bought

it and you know the engine
unfortunately was knackered.

already I can feel this
one's got more power.

it's a lot smoother
gearbox feels amazing.

I think this one's a
synchro I don't think the

other one was it was a
bit crunchy in the gears.

and it just feels great.

look what we got Ed.

I'll tell you what we do.

let's sell it for £6,500

I know we can get a lot
more for it but £6,500 let's

get this on let's make
something very very happy.

I'll tell you what I'm going to do I'm
not going to take a single penny off

for £6,500 and how hard they try
hold your ground I will hold my ground.

I put the car up for sale with a
classified ad on a major website

and organised a viewing
day three people turned up

and I gave them the tour.

now you've got to push that little button
and there it is look at that what a beauty

it's looking clean it's
brand new that engine.

brand new the thing
I'm most pleased about is

the paintwork I think
it's perfect don't you.

paint when it goes to
the car yeah it's the right

colour isn't it so you're
pleased with that then?

very.

lovely isn't it all totally original
inside as well nice isn't it? it's lovely.

this last guy Graham seemed the
most keen so I gave him the spiel

and then left him to have
another look round on his

own for five minutes
before going in for the deal.

so Graham I advertised it for £6,500
and I think it's worth every penny.

well you say that Mike but I didn't come
here really to spend £6,500 on a small car

well I'm not being funny you should
have wasted your time coming down here

£6,500 for this it's got a new
engine with a years guarantee

new paint job look at the interior
it's like new it's essentially a new car

you say it's new but it's a second
now mate I'm not being funny Graham

it should be in a museum
this car look at it it's

absolutely pristine and for
£6,500 it's worth every penny.

I'm sorry mate £6,500 that's it.

well.

okay I'll go for it then £6,500 do you
know you've got yourself a cracking deal.

a cracking deal on a good car well done

thank you.

well I never thought
Graham was going to fold

that easy I guess the
not a penny less attitude.

that I agree with Ed really paid off

that's £800 profit to us.

Graham got himself a cracking car
for the money but sometimes this show

isn't all about the money
it's about keeping iconic cars

on the road and I'm well pleased

with this result I think it's the best car

we've ever done and we've
taken something from the.


again in the new millennium.

if you want to see some more cars getting
the Wheeler dealer treatment join us soon.

teller.