03x02 - Mercedes W108 - A Class Act

[bunniefuu]

I'm Ant Anstead.

Restoring cars has been my life.

Come on!

I'm fixing up and flipping...
You've got a deal.

...more pulse-racing,
must-have classic motors...

Now that's an '80s hot hatch.

...which I need to sell
for maximum profit...

That's it! Yes!

...'cause the house I bought
for my parents to retire in
is still a building site...

Oh, my goodness!

...and still haemorrhaging cash.

But to turn old motors
into big money...

Hello, sir.

...and finally
get Mum and Dad moved in...

It looks magnificent!

...I'll need my family...

Urgh! Straight into my mouth.

...and my petrolhead pal, Duncan...

Whoa!

...back on board.

Whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

And to make this
mission accomplished...

She's magnificent!
Incoming!

...I'll have to go...
Whoa!

...full throttle.
Yeah!

The first bedroom
and the living room are finished.

Now I've got my sights set
on the second bedroom.

It's where I'll be sleeping
when Mum and Dad move in,

so I've got grand plans.

Right, this is the room
that worries me the most,

because this is the room
that's gonna need the most work.

- In the first bedroom,
we only exposed the cross beams
and these two beams.
- Mmm.

So what I'm thinking
for this room,

we should expose all the beams
and make this every beam on display.

So there'll be a beam
every 12 inches.

But you could be
opening up a can of worms.

- No, it's the dust
I'm worried about.
- Mmm.

Because it'll migrate
into the rest of the house.

What about this bedroom
next door and all the dust?

That one downstairs,
the nice parquet flooring
downstairs.

We're just gonna have to
tape the doors off,
keep the dust as we can.

- Right.
- The steps are simple.

Drop the roof, pull off the walls,
remove the wardrobes,

pull up the carpet,
get all of the rubble,
the dust out of the house.

That sounds like
a hell of a lot of work.
Demo's my favourite thing.

Dad's got the hump,

but I think I've found a car
that'll put a smile on his face

and be a money-spinner
for the house.

So we're setting course for Kent.

I'm actually pleased
you're playing chauffeur today,
because the type of car

that we're gonna go and see
is the perfect car for a chauffeur.

It's a 1971 Mercedes W108.

That's a big one,
like an ambassador's car.

- We are gonna go and see
the ambassador's car.
- Oh, wow.

That's the best way to describe it.

When the W108 debuted in 1965,

it cemented Mercedes' reputation
as the top tier manufacturer.

The ultimate autobahn cruiser,
it's durable but elegant design

featured a rigid cabin,
expansive glass

and an energy-absorbing
front and rear.

Its four-wheel disc brakes,
advanced fuel injection

and later finely tuned V8 engine

gave power at no cost
to smooth performance.

It should be a head-turner.

- These types of vehicles
are having a renaissance
with the younger driver.
- Really?

I mean, it's a great date-night car.

Great to take the missus out in.
Exactly.

Could you imagine how cool
that would be turning up
in a Mercedes W108 from 1971?

Mum would love it.
Mum would love it!

So this car's advertised
for £13,000.

And it's over 50 years old?
Yeah, but they are
notoriously bulletproof.

The bad news is, when they go wrong,
they go wrong big.

Are parts expensive?

Yeah, it's Mercedes.
Of course they're expensive.

But I've seen restored W108s
go for 15 grand upwards.

So if mechanically
it's in good nick,

there's potential profit here.

I'm hoping that you're Neil.

I am Neil. You must be Ant.
Yeah, nice to meet you.

That's my personal chauffeur,
my dad, Nigel.

Nice to meet you.
Good to meet you, Neil.

Property developer Neil
bought his W1O8

in an online auction 18 months ago,

after it spent most of its life
in the south of France.

After you.

Right. Come on, then.

Yeah!

Oh, wow.

It's very smart.

The colour's perfect.

Isn't she beautiful?

Wow!

There you go.

Why is she for sale?

I'm not a very nostalgic person.

I'd always kind of had
a bucket list of cars.

- You're selling this
to scratch the next car itch.
- Yeah.

All right, so tell me
all the bad things about it.

I'll be honest,
there is a slight bulge
in one of the brake hoses.

The other job I would do
is probably all the bushings.

The suspension and steering
and track rod arms
and that kind of stuff.

The light behind the instrument
cluster doesn't work, which can make
driving at night difficult.

But I have worn a head torch
in the past.

Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, you see,
you're a proper classic car owner.

None of these jobs feel like
they'll break the budget.

So far so good.

Are you okay if I start it up?
Absolutely.

Press the accelerator
three times and then give it a twist
and see what happens. It will fire.

That's the cool thing
about old cars. There's always
a start-up sequence that's unique.

Okay, I'll leave you to it.
Come find you in about ten, 15?
Yep. No worries.

Thanks, Neil.

I'm going straight to the paint.
See, that's the bit that worries me.
It's such a massive car.

It still looks like
a quality factory paint job.

The chrome's really pleasing.

I can't see any dents,
I can't see any rust.

Just a polish?
Everything looks original.

Wheels are lovely,
even they're on high-polished
chrome. Badging's lovely.

The front, though,
this is where the problem is.

Oh, yeah,
it's completely torn through.

But if we reupholster it,
it could get super expensive.

Oh, yes!

It is so comfortable.

Dash top's lovely.
Very good order.

Now, this should...

- Nearly.
- Hang on, he said...

One, two, three.

He knew it,
it was the three pump start.

How does that sound to you?

I mean, it's revving really high.

It's racing, isn't it?

No, you can feel it.

Listen. See that stumble?

Yeah.

Is that expensive?

Well, I don't know yet,
but there's obviously something
going on under the bonnet.

Wow.

- Wow.
- That's an engine and a half.

There's obviously
a fuel injection problem.

You can feel it surging.
It's trying to find fuel.

This could get away from us.

It could be a nightmare.

Fixing the fuel injection system
on a W108 is complex
and time-consuming.

You can get the parts, though?
But it's gonna carry
the Mercedes logo,

so it's gonna carry a premium.

What do you think?

It's beautiful.
If the price is right.

The engine issue could end up
costing over a grand,
plus all the fiddly jobs.

Neil will have to drop
his 13-grand asking price.

So I need to haggle hard.

Okay, what is the movement?

I can come,
I can come down a bit. I could...
Ten?

Er, that, that's a bit too keen
for me, Ant, I'm sorry. Yeah.

I love it.
I know what it's worth.

- Yeah.
- Nice try.

Eleven?

I'll do a grand off the 13.

Twelve?

I... I can I can live with 12, yeah.

Twelve, happy?
Happy, yeah. Okay, go for it.

- Yes!
- Hope you enjoy it.
- Sold.

This is a hell of a lot of car
for 12 grand.

Steady, steady.

Whoa! It's really tight, Ant.
Careful!

Ant, Ant, whoa, whoa, whoa!

And if the engine issue
doesn't escalate, it could be
a quick flip with a tidy profit.

I love this car.

It's beautiful.
It looks even better in the sun.

Dropping off Dad...

...chauffeur Anstead
has one more pick-up.

Hello, sir.

What do you think?

- Wow.
- Get in.
- Let's get it in the yard.

Okay, driver, to the pub.

This is a bit swanky.

Look at this thing.
She's a monster.

She is absolutely wonderful.

You're gonna love this car.
Right, let me show you.

There you go, sir.

Thank you, James.

Looks like a villain's car
out of a Bond film or something.

It's a 1971 Mercedes 280 W108.

Well, it drove in beautifully.

Mate, I mean,
it looks like it's all here.

Wonderful, isn't she?

I mean, these twin headlamps.
Love these.

Yeah, I know.
The yellow lenses are perfect.
They're so period.

Yeah, I reckon
little flags on top there.

I have my own coat of arms.

What are you talking about?
You don't have a coat of arms.
I do. I am actually a lord.

Well, my daughter actually bought me
a bit of land in Scotland,
and I have my own coat of arms,

and I am actually officially
Lord Cowper.

Go on.
How big's this slice of land?

It's a foot by a foot.
A 12-inch square, you couldn't even
park the car on it?

- No.
- Okay, It doesn't count.
- It does.- It doesn't count.

Handling wise, the seller did say
that there was an issue
with the suspension.

Worst-case scenario, let's say
we had to replace every single bush,

it's under 100 quid.

So what we got inside?

Well, the inside's
not as good as the outside.

There's a few rips
and tears on the seats,
but sit in it.

It's like a country house in here.

So everything in here works?

Unfortunately, for some reason
the dash lights don't come on.

But the V8 part
of this beautiful car
is gonna make you happy.

Looks solid, sounds great.

Yeah. I mean,
there is an engine issue.

You know when the car
is kind of searching...

- Hunting.
- It's hunting, yeah.
- It's hunting for fuel.

There's definitely a hunting issue.

Sometimes that's as simple
as like a vacuum hose

has perished,
a little bit of air getting in.

Do you know what?
That's what I hope for.

I hope it's as simple as a hose
because that means it's cheap.

Because the fuel injectors on these
can get a bit complicated.

So, go on.

Where are we on money?

I'm just gonna tell you straight.
We paid 12 grand.

Well, I haven't fallen over.

I mean, for 12 grand...

And if the jobs don't
turn out to be monstrous,
I think we're on to a, a winner.

A little profit in this car,
isn't there?

Will it fit in the workshop?

It is a huge car.

- It's so big, it's bigger than
a slice of land in Scotland.
- Mmm.

Keep digging me
about my bit of land.

I will not mention it again,
Your Grace.

Thank you. Lord.

Wanna drive her?
Yeah.

The first job I need to tackle
is that potentially pricey
unknown in the engine.

Can you hear that?

When it's idling,
the revs aren't stable.

Now, it could be a number of things.

It could be a faulty
warm-up regulator,
auxiliary valve problem.

It could just be an air leak,
or it might be
a fuel-injection problem.

Let's pray for the simple -
air leak.

It's getting a bit
of temperature in it now.

Yeah, now it's warm, it feels like
it's stabilised itself.

So that rules out an air leak.

If it was an air leak
it wouldn't matter how warm it was.

It's probably something to do with
the fuel injection or...
I hope it's not fuel injection,

otherwise we could have
big problems.

Right, let's get the air box out of
the way and we'll check underneath.

That looks pretty good condition.

Wonderful.

My God, look at that
throttle linkage.

That is crazy.

Can you imagine the maths
that went into creating that?

All this connects
the accelerator pedal
to the fuel injectors

and the butterfly valve
in the throttle body,

which can get gunked up,

disrupting air intake,
especially at idle.

Do you know what?
That's actually not bad.

Nineteen-seventy-one car.

I'm happy with that.
That's pretty clean.

I think next thing
is this auxiliary air valve.

That regulates the cold start
idle speed, increases air flow,

acts like an automatic choke.

If damaged, this complex
component alone could cost
about 250 quid to replace.

So first, I want to check
the idle air bypass screw.

You see this screw here?

That's how you adjust
the idle speed.

Look at that.
Look how gummed up that is.

Yeah. Leave that with me.

This screw manually
controls the amount of air

getting through to the valve,
so removing all the gunk will help.

Right. I reckon
that should do the job.

Hopefully,
that's to your satisfaction.

Oh, my gosh.
It's like a bit of jewellery,

Seeing how filthy
that screw was,

I'm also going to put some
gas treatment through the engine to
clear out any other carbon deposits.

I'm gonna put half of this in the
fuel tank and the rest of it in my
spray bottle into the throttle body.

It goes so deep into the engine,
not only does it clean out
the fuel system,

- it cleans out the valves,
even the piston rings.
- Right.

Right. Crank her over.

And if you can bring the revs up
just a little bit.

There's no guarantee this will work.

If it doesn't,
we'll have to delve deeper.

All right, k*ll it.

And that's when fuel injection parts
start to get really pricey.

I think the only way
to check if that's worked

is we're gonna have
to let the engine get cold.

In the meantime...

I'm turning my attention
to the seats.

I'm just gonna get a cup of tea.
Do you fancy one?
I do, please. Thank you.

I'm having a Mercedes problem.

Our seats, they're ripped,
they're worn, they're torn.

I spoke to a trimmer
and he wants £2,000
and we do not have the budget.

But there is some
second-hand seats online

that's only £800.

The problem is, here,
on the bottom of the seat,

looks like the colour of our car,

but the rest of it,
it does look a bit darker.

- If it's the same code number,
it must be right, 'cause they're
very specific, aren't they?
- Yeah,

but I've had it before
where I've ordered seats online
and they don't match.

But the guy says when he drops them
off, he'll take our old seats back
and knock 200 quid off.

That's worth doing.
Well, 800 becomes 600,

- and then obviously
it's a no-brainer.
- Definitely.

- Part exchange,
or whatever they call it.
Cheers.
- Cheers.

All right. I will buy these seats.

But I'll be spending a lot more
than 600 quid on my Mercedes

if that engine problem escalates.

There's only one way to find out
if she's fixed.

Right, if you start her up...
Right.

- She's definitely cold.
- Yeah.

Listen to that!

Mate, she sounds a lot smoother.

I'll tell you what,
that has fixed it.

That is not hunting anymore.

Now it's clean,

by adjusting the idle air
bypass screw, I can fine-tune her.

Then she becomes a really
beautifully usable car.

Pretty good.

Yeah, that is perfect.

That sounds perfect.

That's how a Mercedes should sound.

The fact that cost me nothing
is a huge result.

Refreshing my Mercedes suspension
should be another cheap
and easy fix.

Well, the seller said
it just needed a bush kit.

So, wishbones,
anti-roll bar, maybe rod ends.

It all feels really solid.

Get the wheels off
and have a little check.

I mean, that don't feel too...
Whoa, hang on.

Hang on, mate.

See, look.

Either the wheel's not tight
or we've got a wheel bearing gone.

That feels like more like
the wheel bearing than the bush.

'Cause that... What?

That ain't bushes.

Now that is a lot of play.

That's gotta be a...
maybe a wheel...

Are you sure the wheel's done up?
No, no. Spin that.

Can you see what... what's moving?

Oh, man!

I know that face.

That's not bushes, is it?

Oh, man, he told me bushes.

What's that mean?
Money.

It's the kingpin.

The kingpin's
the steering's main pivot point.

All right, I'll go see
what the damage is.

If it fails, it can result
in a lethal loss of control.

I have to replace it.

The upside is it's just one wheel
that has the issue.

But a quick search shows
it's still gonna be expensive.

Go on, then. How did you get on?

Yeah, it's 350 quid
for that one side.

So your quick fix, 100-quid bushes,
done, were out of here,

has now turned into 350 quid.

Yes.

Thankfully, there's always
a job in the house
that'll allow me to vent.

This time, it's demoing
the second bedroom.

I want a vaulted beam ceiling
and lime plastered walls,
which means total destruction.

And I've corralled my son Archie
and daughter Amelie to help.

So this is all going?
Wall, ceiling...

Take this entire room
down to the studs.
And the wardrobe?

We're gonna start with the wardrobe.

Grab that top one.

Archie, what was the point in that?
Straight out.

Yeah, leaving my kids
with sledgehammers
might be a mistake.

Oh, my goodness.

But I've got a Mercedes W108
to fix up and flip.

Duncan's taken delivery
of the expensive new kingpin kit.

Here is what £350 gets ya.

All right.

Come on, let's bite the b*llet.

By fitting the W108
with independent coil spring
front suspension

and protecting the steering
components behind the front axle,

Mercedes maximised safety
and stability.

But its highly engineered front end

makes kingpin replacement
a complex procedure.

Right, let's start by stripping
off the brakes, calliper and disc.

Look in pretty good nick,
don't they, the callipers?

Yeah, the brakes are good.

The same can't be said
for the kingpin.

Oh, look.

That's proper toast.

That would handle
like a bag of nails.

But that is quite a dangerous,
dangerous bit of wear.

What's also dangerous
is removing it.

All right, let's lose
the track rod end.

There we go.

Now, when we detach the wishbones,

there's nothing holding
the front coil spring in place.

The kingpin's holding
the wishbones together.

The minute we undo that kingpin...

Zebedee wants to get out.

That spring is gonna go
and whack one of us in the face.

And that is a big old spring
in there.

I've placed an axle stand
under the lower wishbone,

hoping the weight of our hefty


will be enough
to keep the spring in place.

Let's undo the top.

Go on, then, whip her off.

I always worry
when the spring's involved.

I know, I feel like I'm sitting
in the wrong place.

If that spring goes ping,
it's only gonna do one thing.

It always hits the funny person.

That's the problem.

Right, mind your fingers.
Are you gonna whack it?

That's not good, is it?

Geez, man!

Hang on a minute.

Got any movement?

No, that is solid.

Let's get the rattle g*n on it.

Until I swap out this faulty
kingpin, my Mercedes steering system
is a disaster waiting to happen.

Now that is not coming out.

Right, I know what will work.

Done?

Fixed it.

Didn't lose any digits, then?

What have you got us
involved in this time?

Now, let's get that
bottom section off.

Right.

Now I've removed the top bolt,

the axle stand's all that's keeping
the front coil spring
from pinging free.

- Wanna use the g*n
or the hand tools?
- The g*n.

She's free!

Whoo!
The axle stand's doing its job.

Yeah, see? Look at that. Look.
Yeah, that is not good.

Yeah, the whole thing's
a bit beaten up.

Top portion's completely gone.

That bottom bolt...

- Yeah.
- Yeah, that's ruined.

Right, I think the best thing to do,
let's lose that bottom trunnion

and then give this upright
a really good clean
and maybe even a bit of satin black.

I'm leaving Duncan
to work his magic...

while I carry on ripping out
that second bedroom.

The fitted wardrobes are gone.

Now to bring my oak beam
vaulted ceiling vision to life.

Do you remember the technique?

Put a little hole in it
and just yank it down.

But basically, we want to find
where the beam is and go...

You're really good at this.
You should just do the whole thing.
Oh, my...

Firing zones,
firing zones, firing zones.

Oh.

It doesn't have the cool beams
like the other bedroom.
But it's newer.

At some point, the original
oak beams have been removed

to make way for a suspended ceiling.

This room's had roof repairs.

What a shame.

So what does that mean for
when you're decorating this room?
It's just not gonna look as good.

I'm sure you'll make it work.
We have to make it work.

Without those beams,

giving this room rustic charm
will take more thought,
and probably more cash.

But I can't sell my Mercedes
until I make good her
potentially lethal loose steering.

Now, this is the new kingpin.

Now, this sits inside
our now nicely cleaned...

Thank you, Duncan.
...upright.

Now, the way the kingpin works
is it allows that rotation,

that's for steering,
that makes the car go round corners.

Those joints pivot
off the wishbones,
allowing the upright

to go up and down
over the bumps in the road.

And hidden in the top of here,

there's a couple of little washers.

There's one.
So I'll drop in the new ones.

The kingpin can now go in.

Ooh, I love it
when it makes a good click.

Yeah, that's nice. That's solid.

Now, this bottom trunnion

has a shim, just like the top.

So I want to do that up,

and then check
if there's any kingpin lift.

In fact, yeah, there is
a little bit of play there.

Now that knock would become annoying

when you're driving the car
on your country lane drive
to the pub.

So I will undo it...

...and put in
the slightly thicker shim.

It's fine tolerances, but
those tolerances are gonna change
the driving dynamics of our car.

That thicker shim

is gonna tighten it up
and make it handle correctly.

The remaining tabs and washers
from my new kit fitted...

Perfect.

...my fully refreshed kingpin
and upright can be bolted back
between the wishbones.

I just need to do this top bolt up
and we can get the brakes back on.

But to get the brakes
working perfectly, I'll need a hand.

- Hello.
- Archo!

So, it's another job for Archie.

Oh, my God.

I know, it's like an armchair.

No, it's like a bloody boat
steering wheel. Why is it so big?

Right, brake bleeding.
You know your part of the job.

Pump the brakes,
let you do the messy bit.

That's my boy.

First, it's crucial I replace
the faulty brake hose.

Now, you see that bulge?

It's because the brake fluid
has burst through the reinforced
centre of the hose.

And if you leave that, brake hard,
it's gonna basically
explode through

and then you lose your brakes.

That's also an MOT failure.

A new one cost me just £14.50.

Now I can top up the brake fluid
and the bleeding can begin.

Right, give me three
really nice gentle pumps.

So, does each pump push liquid out?
Yeah, you're pushing through
the liquid.

When I close the bleed nipple,
there'll be no air in there.

So when you do press the brake
pedal, you're pushing the fluid

onto the pistons
inside the calliper,

pushes the pads onto the disc,
stops the disc, stops the car.

Right. One last push,
and then hold it down,

Holding it down.

That is... the brakes bled.

While my Merc's
coming together nicely,

my second bedroom's
proving a conundrum.

Without any original
oak beams to play with,

I need to come up
with a whole new plan.

What a mess! Sheesh!

Wow! It's dusty.

But we do have a problem.
If you come up here and look.

So that bedroom has the beams
going that way, the wavy ones.

But this one doesn't have
any beams at all. Nothing.

- Oh.
- Yeah, oh.

But if it can hold
with no beams across,

and just have vaulted,
it'll look amazing.

It needs to be safe, Ant.
Well, I know that, obviously,
but...

It's a bit worrying.
It's not worrying.

It's stood this far.

Whoa!

Can I get out first, please?

- Go for it.
- Thank you very much.

It's decided.

Even without the oak beams,

tomorrow I push on with my vision
for a stunning vaulted ceiling.

- Ant?
- Yes?

My 600-quid seats have arrived.

Are they the right colour?

Right, let's take this one out.

I mean, they're very,
very different.
They're not even close.

It does match the carpets,
but we're gonna have
a door card problem.

Well, that might work
as a contrast to the door colour.

I mean, contrast is a very good
salesman word to get us out
of having the wrong seats.

Let's get these out,
let's get those in
and see what it looks like.

I just hope this works...

Oh, that was easy.

...as these were
the only ones I could find
and I can't afford a retrim.

I think that looks good.
It does look really good.

That's great. Plus, we're gonna get
some cash back for those ones.

There's one more vital interior fix.

The dashboard light doesn't work.

I suspect it's the rear stat that
adjusts the illumination at fault.

So I've ordered a replacement
for 66 quid.

It's like a mechanical way
to change brightness on lights.

Getting behind
the instrument cluster...

...requires a bit of yoga.

- Ant, you in here?
- Ah!

Lord Cowper,
you bless us with your presence.

What are you doing under there?
Well,

you remember we had
the dash light issue?

Yeah. Whoo!

This...

...this is what I needed.
Very nice.

This plastic screw is the sole thing
keeping the clu...

- Oh, you're sitting in the back,
are you?
- I see new seats.

Very comfortable.

This is how it used to be,
when the chauffeur
used to have to fix the cars.

You're just gonna give me
motivational lines
from the rear seat?

I'm not giving you any motivation.
I just need to relax.

Can you say something motivational?
It'd be nice
if you could do it quieter.

Thank you.

Right, there is two
tiny little screws

that hold that rear stack in.

Will you hold this? I mean...

Yeah, there it is. That's it.

That's it. Lovely. Don't move.

Okay.

It should just slide out now.

The offending item.

Yeah, look.

The old one's all over the place.

This is nice.

Well, that is it.

Right, before we properly
refit that... Moment of truth.

...let's check it works.

Look at that!

You got lights! Have you seen
in the grille here, as well?

Green and red on the heater.

Yeah, that's gonna look awesome
at nighttime.

- Success.
- Good job.

Ant?

Anthony!

- Yeah?
- Look what I've just found.

- Is that a roof tile?
- Yes, it is.

Where was it?
It was down here,

which means it's come off
from up there somewhere.

It's not bad, though. Only one tile.

Until I find the next one.

I've made incredible progress,
ripping down the suspended ceiling

and opening up the vast
vaulted roof space.

Ant!
The hell have you been doing, man?

I thought we was gonna
have a conversation
about what we was doing in here.

- We had it. Were you not there?
- No.

Okay, well, we had
the conversation, but...

And how did that go? Did I agree?

- You agreed wholeheartedly.
It was unanimous.
- Right.

Have you taken beams out?

Yeah, but there were
these kind of thin ones
that held the suspended ceiling.

Mate, you can't take
any more beams out.

And I mean not even one.
We need to put some collars
in there a bit lively.

I don't think you realise
how much weight is on this roof
and it doesn't just go slowly.

If it goes, it'll just...
And the only thing stopping that
is these beams going across.

It's got to be braced.

We need some proper, proper
big-style collar beams back in.

With 30 years' experience
renovating and plastering
heritage timber homes,

I have to bow
to Duncan's expertise.

So, demo's on hold.

But what I can do is put
the finishing touches to my
Mercedes W1O8 and get her sold.

And there's one little fix
that will make a big difference.

Mercedes paid special attention

to the quality of the W108's
door fittings.

Even now, it's a selling point
manufacturers obsess over.

And that's down to psychoacoustics.

It's the science behind the way
our brains interpret sound.

So if you hear a really good
solid door like this...

...that shuts like a bank safe,

it makes you feel that
there's luxury and security
and safety in the car.

Whereas if it sounds tinny...

...it makes you feel like
the whole car's tinny.

We do not want to fail
getting maximum money
because of psychoacoustics.

We need more clunkage.

We need more clunkage, yeah.

The way the locking mechanism works
is there's this kind of
cone-shaped locator pin.

Can you hear that?
Just dragging before it comes in.

Do you want to grab
a bit of masking tape?

This little trick will show me
exactly how misaligned
the door catch is.

Right, look.
If we place that there...

Yeah, it's striking right
at the bottom section of the circle,

which means this needs to come down.

Now, that should be enough...

...just to locate it again.

I reckon that is there. Right,

go on, then.
Give that a firm Cowper slam.

Ooh!

Now try that one again.

That was a fix worth doing.

We are acoustically perfect.

That's our new band name.

What, not The Doors?

Moving the fog light
and adding pre-1980 plates

will give this continental classic
period-perfect British citizenship.

- That's a bit of class that is,
innit?
- Yeah, it does adda little bit of class.

All the bodywork needs
is a clean and polish.

And then she's ready to sell.

So what are we hoping
to get for this, and what
have we actually spent on it?

I think we're in a good place,
'cause remember, we paid


- Yep.
- Three fifty on suspension.

£14.50 on the brake hose.

Rear stat was 66 quid from Germany.

The seats, our single
biggest expense, were £800.

But the guy took our old seats back
and gave us £200 back.

So the seats ended up costing £600.

£24.98 on the number plates.
Worth every penny.

And then I've put 100 quid in there
for, you know, nuts, bolts,
cleaning stuff, miscellaneous.

That brings a grand total
to £1,155.48.

And I think a car like this, I mean,
it's got to be mid-teens, got to be.

Like, if we got 15, I'd be happy.

I'll say cheers to that.

There's a couple of other things
we can do to make it really sing.

- So the face of the Mercedes
is really important, right?
- Yeah.

But what gives this the extra lift?

Lord Cowper flags. Your very own.

Hey! Look at those!

I might have to buy it myself.

At the very least,
Lord Cowper deserves

to be taken
on a chauffeur-driven test drive.

Super impressed with this.

We should have a bit of Mozart
or something on the radio.

You want to put the music on?
Yeah, a bit of Les Miserer.

- Les Miserables.
- Yeah.

How comfy is it?

- Go on, nestle your bum cheeks
into that chair.
- I'm just saying,

I mean, I'm stretched out here,
but I should be in the back, really.

I mean, the way it rides,
it just glides along.

This car was always
engineered brilliantly,

but now that we've done
the suspension, new bushes,
those kingpins...

You can feel it, can't you?
Oh, yeah! You can really feel it.

This is quality.

Wanna see how she corners?
Yeah, go on, give it some.

It just wafts.
Wafting is the word.

There is exceptional wafting
going on.

We've got some good wafting.

Now, listen.
Can you hear the engine?
Only just.

Bear in mind, that's a V8.

And remember it was all stumbling
and it was hunting for fuel.

But now...

it's like a Swiss watch.

Wanna do a brake test?
Go on.

- Worked.
- It worked. It works.

My God,
that is a big car to stop as well.

This has got to be,
like, two tonnes.

You know, I hate
to sound like my dad...

But...

- ...they don't make them
like they used to.
- No.

We've arrived.

Okay, let's park her up.

I've decided to sell her privately,
and I'm meeting a prospective buyer

at the Enfield Pageant of Motoring.

I like this colour in the sun.

I feel like we've got
the perfect backdrop.

She looks great.
Doesn't she look great?

Anything over roughly 13,200 quid
will cover our costs.

Anything more will be
a welcome cash injection

for that second bedroom,

so I'm asking Gary for £15,750.

This is a proper car.
These are quite rare now,
and you can see this one

is a low ownership, low mileage,
really well-preserved version.

I've had one before.
You've had a W1O8?
I've had one before, yeah.

But a coupe version.

So you're the perfect,
perfect customer.

Look at that.

It's like an armchair.
Nice, innit?

And it drives perfectly.

This car is... floats down the road.

The last one wasn't a V8,
so I prefer the V8.

Well, pull the bonnet
because the engine on this car
is absolutely beautiful.

- Oh, aye.
- It feels really specialdriving this car.

Yeah, it looks really nice.
Love it.

- Well, this is the good news.
You understand Mercedes.
Yeah.
- You've had them before.

What's the damage?

How much is it?

Twelve grand car,
gonna cost me.

That's a fair price.

There's not a chance you can
take this car home for 12 grand.
No, I've got it up at 15,750.

So I'll do a bit of haggling,
but I'm not going from 15,750 to 12.

Taking a bit off? Thirteen?

I mean, 15,750
is a pretty fair price.

Right, let's...
let's meet in the middle, then.

Fourteen and a half.

Fourteen.
And I'll drive it home today.

Fourteen, she leaves today.
Yeah.

And I'll cherish it.

Done. Sold. Yeah, 14.
You're driving it today.
Congratulations.

Thank you.

Hey, Dunc.

We will call this
victory ice creams.
Quickly, it's melting, Mate.

Because we have just sold
our Mercedes and made profit.

Yeah, we've made
over 800 quid profit.

That is a quick turnaround.

It's covered the cost of ice creams
and some of the work on the house.

That sounds like a winner-winner.

It is a winner,
but not enough to get two flakes.