15x15 - Ford Bronco

[bunniefuu]

The farmer's Mustang. Full Bronco.
The 5th generation edition to be precise.

And at first glance, this one is pristine.

So you've basically driven it
from a museum to the workshop.

So best we treat it with care.

So perfect after all Mike.

What are you talking about?

The road ahead might be bumpy, but
I'm sure it will be fine come auction day.

Worth more than that, come on!

I'm always looking for
what's hot and what's not.

Car prices and trends they tend to ebb and
flow a little bit like the stock exchange.

What was yesterday's hot ticket
might be tomorrow's scrap metal.

So this morning I left the
garage literally like Usain

Bolt when I got wind of
one locally that's for sale.

Now the car in question is the
much sought after 1990s full Bronco.

The price? Well this one's right in the
sweet spot. He's only asking $10,000 for it.

That's about £8,000.

Now these cars at the
moment are so sought after

that auction houses
are going crazy for them.

And I've seen them sell very
successfully for about $15,000.

And they've got an inbuilt marketplace.

People want them. They desire them.

So let's just hope the car's
still there when I get there.

What a bonnet's up.
I hope there ain't a problem with it.

You must be Al?

Yes.

Al, how are you? I'm Mike, yes.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, sir.

It's a 5.8 Windsor, very
durable, long-lasting model.

That is absolutely fantastic.

Okay, well the wheels, tyres look good.

Oh wow, look at that interior.
That's immaculate.

And being that this is the XLT
model, you get the electric seats,

electric windows, air conditioning,
you get all the creature comforts.

Okay, look at that.

The electric window rolls down
very nicely and then this big

torque gate pops down and
you've got easy access into the rear.

Well Al, I'm really impressed.
I suppose the only thing left

for me to do is to ask if it's
okay to take it for a test drive.

Yes, you can take it for any
kind of test drive you want.

Perfect.

Al is a smashing fella and
he really does have a nice car.

He's told me not to drive it just on
the normal roads because it just drives

lovely, but to go onto this bit of graded
road and really put it through its paces.

Now these Broncos
are pretty unwieldy. They

are tall, they're wide,
they're quite wallowy.

They're basically an F-Series pickup truck
that's been converted to carry passengers.

You can get six adults in
this vehicle. In fact, rather

impressively, a Bronco can
carry 7,800 pounds. That's a lot.

This particular vehicle has
a very, very sweet engine.

It's the 351 Windsor V8. It
pushes around 200 horsepower.

It's hooked up to an
automatic gearbox. It

looks in really good
condition under the bonnet.

I mean, there's the inevitable little things
like tiny leaks and there's the battery

lease that could be doing with replacing,
but overall I think Ant would be delighted.

The steering feels fantastic and
as for the suspension, well, this is

a rough graded road and it's soaking
up the ruts and bumps beautifully.

Inside, it's museum
quality and all the stuff

seems to work in here.
The gauges are happy.

I can see that there will be
issues that we will have to

address. I mean, number one,
it could really do with a clean.

And I can say the overdrive
button on these, it's a

little bit hit or miss. They
get moisture in them.

Now I can see why the market
is really strong and healthy

for these Broncos. They
really are a great vehicle.

They're cool, reliable,
dependable and they're pretty safe.

You're sitting up high, you're
across the rest of the traffic.

They give you an air of superiority.
And I know that all of those

ingredients added together
means a car that is well sellable.

Now Al is a fantastic guy.
He's asking just $10,000 for

this. And in my book, this
car is a bit of a bargain.

So I'm going to go back and I
don't even think I'm going to bid

him. I think I'm just going to
hold out my hand and try to buy it.

Well Al, that is one nice car. And
I did exactly what you said. I took

it on road, off road. I really did
try it out. I hope you don't mind.

But no, it's a very nice car, isn't it?

Yes it is. It's a very nice Bronco.

Now you're asking just $10,000 for it?

Yes.

This is the point where I
usually try to get some money off.

But in this instance, you
know, it's such a nice vehicle.

Ten grand it is. You got yourself a deal.

Thank you.

Top man.
And I just bought myself a full Bronco.

Yes you do.

This car, the devil is going to be in the
detail. And if we can shine it out where

nobody can pull any fast one on us, nobody
will be able to find a fault in this vehicle.

I know we're going to drive
ourselves a really healthy profit.

Right, let's get back to the
workshop and see what Ant thinks.

Did I nail it or what?
What a fantastic car.

Right, I can see. I'll tell you what's happening
here. He's going to walk around the vehicle, he's

going to fret because obviously he thinks that I've
bought him back something that needs a ton of work.

And he's going to be
looking at the mud and

thinking, there's quite a
clean car underneath this.

And he's going to actually start to worry
that there is going to be a huge amount of

work that he's going to have to do to it
after because that's how this usually works.

I mean, I do bring him back lots
of stuff that needs a lot of attention.

But in this case, it's a
nice refreshing job for him.

You love it, don't you?
I absolutely love it.

I knew you'd love it. I mean, other
than the mud, it's a fantastic car.

So basically you bought me a car to clean?

Not quite. Follow me.

Come and sit yourself inside here.
Look at that interior. Go on.

Are your clothes clean?
Yes, your clothes are nice and clean.

Is this some sort of Mike Brewer prank?

Do you like it inside?

I love it.

The two previous owners basically
have doted on this car like a child.

What I want to know is how
much you spent on it because these

things make big money. This is
like tens of thousands of dollars.

Yeah, well, the first generation, they've
gone now. People wanted those so

badly that they've been found, they've
been fixed up and they've all been sold.

But this is the fifth generation
Ford Bronco. These are considered

to be one of the top ten
collectors cars to buy right now.

I'll tell you about that
in a minute. First, let

me just show you underneath
the bonnet. Come on.

Under here, you're
going to see it's got

that 5.8 litre fuel
injected Ford V8 engine.

There's a bit of an oil leak there.

Other than that, it's
all pretty good, isn't it?

Right, you're going to love this
little feature down the back. You put

the key in, turn it, and the third
electric window drops down very nicely.

Yeah, that's really
nice. In fact, so is the

back of this truck.
Everything about it is nice.

Sit on the back, swing your legs.
This is perfect for us, this truck.

Yeah, it's a little bit too
perfect, so I'm worried

you're about to drop some
massive mechanical bombshell.

Either that or you've just
spent tens of thousands

of dollars on a truck
that just needs a clean.

Well, let me just break down what
you just said. First of all, we don't

know if it's got a mechanical bombshell
because we ain't started work on it.

And secondly, who said anything
about tens of thousands of dollars?

How much was that?

One ten thousand dollars. Seven and a half
thousand pounds buys us this whole truck.

You spent seven and a half grand on this?

I know. I'm good at my job. Listen,
do I ever tell you how to do your job?

Yeah. In fact, you do every day.

That's a very good point well
made. Well, listen, let's start on that

oil leak and if I was you, I'd
remove those induction pipes first.

Then you can get to the throttle
body. Once you get to the throttle

body, you can remove that and
then you can get down to that manifold.

Now, rumour has it
that Ford are going to be

launching a sixth generation
Bronco in the future.

And if that happens, it firmly
puts this car as a future classic.

Now, I reckon this is one of the
cleanest examples I've ever seen

in the workshop, but even
clean cars have dirty little secrets.

In our case, an oil leak.

Now, it's hard to tell, but it looks
like our leaks coming from the inlet

manifold or the distributor, which means
I'm going to have to dig a little deeper.

I'm disconnecting the battery
and removing the intake hoses.

I need to make room to access the problem.

I've drained the coolant as the intake
manifold has fluid running through it.

This is the inlet manifold and on
this car is actually split into two halves.

This top section here has
these really nice big sweeping

curves that increase the
airflow into the engine.

It's at this part of the strip town
where the problem is still unknown.

I mean, it could be
something really simple like an

oil seal on the distributor,
or it could be much worse.

I kind of like this detective
part of being a mechanic.

Now, these here are the
electrical fuel injection connectors.

You've got to be quite
careful when taking them off.

They actually have
quite a hard life under

the bonnet with all the
changing temperatures.

They're made of plastic and if you
break one, a new set of these is expensive.

It's like $450.

So, now with the coolant drained, I
can remove the upper radiator hose.

Right, I'm now down to the lower intake
manifold and there's still oil below there,

which means that now has to come off.

Now, that's obviously
one source of our oil leak.

It's going to need a new oil seal there,
but it's not the main part of our problem.

Now, to disconnect the fuel
line, I've got this little tool here.

This is the quick release size I need.

Now, the great thing about these old
trucks, I don't mind climbing all over them.

They're built to last.

It should just pop away.

It's a neat little bit of kit.

And now I can finally get to
the lower intake manifold bolts.

I'm going to go for a slightly
longer-armed ratchet, a bit more leverage.

Whoops.

Yeah, this bolt's
broken, which means the

bottom half of it's
still stuck in the head.

Now, this is part and
parcel of working on old cars.

It's inevitable that every now and
then, you're going to break a stud.

The thing is, it's made me
nervous about the rest of them.

The thing about breaking a stud is you tend
to be a bit more cautious with the rest.

So frustrating.

Yeah, it's broken and it's stuck in there.

I don't think it's a coincidence
that both the front studs are broken.

Comparing the bolt and the studs, I
think it's obvious what's happened.

Water's probably got inside, it's
rusted it, and that's ruined the integrity.

The strength's now gone.

This is only half the problem.

The bit that worries me the most
is the bit that's left in the engine.

That can be a pain.

Oh no, this is the last one as well.

It kind of worries me that
that moves away so easily.

Normally, I'd expect the
gasket to grip it a bit more.

And straight away, I can see the problem.

This front gasket is
completely compromised.

In fact, I can see where
the oil's been seeping away.

There's the remnants of those two studs.

And actually, the more I think about it,
the more it's obvious where our problem is.

Those two studs have a sole job of
holding down the intake at the front.

They've rusted because they've
not seated properly, water's got in.

The rust has built up, lifting
the intake away slightly.

That's just enough
gap for oil to get out and

water to get in, making
the problem even worse.

So there's our dirty little secret.

Not so perfect after all, Mike.

Before I get my head around
getting those broken studs

out, I'm going to give this
area a really good clean.

The first thing I'm going to do, using
this blue towel, is stuff up these ports.

The last thing I need is debris or
anything else falling inside the engine.

That'll be a whole world of new problems.

Now I'm not going to put off the
stud extraction, I just want to give

this area a nice clean up so I
know exactly what I'm working with.

Now there are a number
of ways of getting our

broken stud, depending
on the circumstances.

You see, the plan is
you want to remove the

broken stud while safely
preserving the threads.

You want the stud out of the way
while the rest of the head stays intact.

Now unfortunately for us, our broken
stud is pretty much worst case scenario.

It's broken just a few
millimetres above the surface.

So had it had broken higher,
there would have been enough meat

to maybe get some pliers on
or put a nut on and wind it out.

And I think the reason
it's broken there is obvious.

There's been a gap between
the inlet and the head,

water has got in there, and
that's where it's corroded.

Now I've taken a pretty risky path.

The plan is, I want to try and
weld on top of that bolt, little

by little, bit by bit, until I have
enough metal to work with.

I'm TIG welding here.
This is a very localised

heat source, way more
precise than MIG welding.

MIG's a bit more violent
and not recommended.

I have to make sure I
only hit the bolt itself.

Welding the steel bolt to the steel
head would present another challenge.

And it's exactly the
same for the second one.

There is a risk doing
it this way. You have

to be extra careful
where the weld is going.

Aside from welding the bolt to the
head, if any spatter gets on the mating

surface, it'll create havoc when it
comes time to reinstall everything.

That's why TIG is such a great technique.
It's so precise.

The key is, take your time. Make
sure the settings for the weld are spot

on and always do a couple of test
welds in advance on the broken top half.

Right, that should be enough.

Not only has the TIG
put plenty of heat into my

bolt, it's also given me
something to grab onto.

So I'm just going to use
these and gingerly move it.

Yep, it's freed up. I'm just
moving it bit by bit, but it is moving.

Yeah, it's freed up now. My risk paid off.

And there you have it.
One broken bolt. One down, two to go.

That should be enough.

Yeah, number two is crack loose.

Two out of three ain't bad.

This is when I know if this
car is my friend or my enemy.

Now in my world, that's a hat trick.

I am kind of relieved those three studs
came out. It saved me a load of drama later.

I did notice while the
top of the engine's off

that this water pump is
showing signs of a leak.

I'm undoing three of the fan bolts while
it's under the tension of the fan belt.

I'm going to use this tool here
to take the tension off the belt.

The fan is trapped within the shroud.
Both must be removed together.

Lose the fan belt and the fan pulley,
then I'm loosening the AC compressor.

It makes it much easier
to set aside the big,

bulky AC bracket,
keeping it out of my way.

And then undo the coolant hoses.

This lower hose still
holds quite a bit of coolant.

And that's it.
Finally, I can access the water pump.

The water pump has a built-in indicator
that will tell you when it's failing.

This is quite deliberate. It's a weep hole.

It's actually a kind of
warning device and tells the

owner that the water
pump itself is on its way out.

I'll give this a little tap.

Just loosen it up. That should slide off.

There. And on the underside, you
can see that weep hole right there.

The water pump is made
up of this impeller on a shaft.

On the front of here is
that pulley, and it rotates.

Using a fan belt, when the
engine rotates, it turns this.

And then the casing is deliberately
designed to support the flow of coolant.

This entire thing is
responsible for 100%

of the circulation of
coolant in the engine.

This impeller here sits on a bearing.

And as this is a consumable item, it
needs to be changed. The bearing can wear.

And as it wears,
coolant sneaks past the

bearing and comes out
of that little weep hole.

In fact, you can see
the signs here that that's

exactly what's been
happening with our water pump.

Now, if you ignore the
warning and the water

pump completely fails,
the coolant stops flowing.

Things can heat up
really quickly, and they

have a tendency of
getting really expensive.

The point of the weep hole
is it gives you a heads up.

Now, before I fit my new
water pump, I'm going

to give this surface
a nice, good clean up.

Now, I'm using a
plastic scraper. Although

our engine's made of
steel, it's quite strong.

A metal one can still
leave score marks in it,

and you definitely
don't want to damage it.

I'm just fitting a new gasket
with a little bit of sealer

to make sure this new water
pump goes on coolant tight.

We do not want any leaks.

And that is a water pump.

Right, I'm now going to hold off
from reinstalling all of my ancillaries,

because right now I've got
great access to reinstall the intake.

Now, with the surfaces all cleaned up,
I'm of course using brand new gaskets.

Now, for that front area where
our leak was, I'm going to be using

this old-fashioned cork-style
gasket and a little drop of sealer.

Make sure it never leaks again.

I'm also going to put a little bit of
sealer just around the waterways.

And then, a more modern gasket.

Now, removing the intake
of this engine is actually quite

interesting, because it reveals
part of the sealed oil system.

See, inside here you've got
these lifters and these push rods.

They're hollow, moving oil from
the bottom half of the engine up

into the rockers, making sure
the heads are really well lubricated.

As a result, the oil drips
back down into this cavity

and escapes via those
holes back into the engine.

Now, bear in mind, when the engine's
running, it's also under pressure.

So what you end up with is a
cavity, high pressure, full of oil.

And of course, if there's a hole, the oil's
going to take the path of least resistance.

In our case, escaping
out of this seal right there.

Another little dab of
sealant on top of the cork

gasket, and it's ready
for the intake manifold.

Now, knowing that the Bronco
had the problem, the aftermarket

sector has come up with a
solution, and I'm going to be using it.

It's these stainless steel bolts.

Now, we won't have that problem again.
Stainless doesn't rust.

Now, of course, the inlet
needs to be torqued down,

and it has to be torqued
in a specific sequence.

And you can get hold of that sequence
either online or in the owner's manual.

Now, on this car, it's
done in three passes.

The first one is
only 10 foot pounds.

It's important to follow
the correct sequence

when bolting down
large items like this.

Take your time and follow the
manufacturer's specifications

for the correct order
and the amount of force.

Now, when I started taking
the car apart, I was hoping that

the oil leak was simply coming
from the distributor O-ring.

Now, it obviously is part of the problem
because I can see that I can feel it.

Yeah, that is just broken off in my hands.

See, this O-ring is supposed to be soft and
pliable. It's made of rubber, but over time, as

the engine's getting hot, it's turned into
basically plastic, and it just snaps in my hands.

Now, the new one is nice
and flexible. That's how it

should be, and it only
takes a few seconds to fit it.

Simply slide it on,
and it slides in the gap.

As easy as that.

I know this little oil leak has taken ages
to sort. It is a long process to strip,

find, fix, and rebuild, but that's often
the way with those dirty little secrets.

What appears to be simple on
the surface often escalates into

a late night in the garage, but
it could have been a lot worse.

If those broken bolts were a bit more stubborn,
it could have easily escalated into one of those

nightmare jobs that you end up sleeping in the
workshop, and trust me, I've done those before.

So I feel like I kind of got away with it.

We're taking our Bronco to
the Barrett-Jackson car auctions.

It's worth more than that, come on!

Auctions don't get much
bigger than this, so it has

to stand up to scrutiny,
and better get a wiggle on.

You know, I can't leave the battery
cable like this. See, not only does it look

terrible, but what's going on underneath
that insulation is actually quite sinister.

And it's one of those small jobs
that's easy to let slide, because

if you think about it, the car
starts, it runs, and it drives.

Thing is, though, it's the
multi-strand wires inside

that insulation that worry
me. They're corroded.

In fact, they're now so bad that it's
starting to bubble from the inside out.

Also, that cable is right
near the battery, and when

you consider, the battery's
full of sulphuric acid.

The problem with sulphuric acid
is, when you charge it, it produces

hydrogen sulphur gas, and that
amplifies the oxidation process.

So the thing about this
cable, you can actually feel it. I

mean, it should be flexible,
but it feels all sort of locked up.

And while I'm doing
this, the Bronco suffers

from an extra issue
linked to the same cable.

Here is the starter motor,
and my issue relates

to that flat, spade-type
terminal right there.

You see, over time, with the
changing temperatures and the

fact that the engine's vibrating,
eventually this falls away.

It corrodes and slides
off, so I'm going to

part the old starter
motor and swap it for this.

And then you'll notice that the
terminal here is more robust.

It's a thread and a nut.
That really locks it in place.

Now, notice that the cable
that I'm taking out of the

car is slimmer than this
new cable I'm putting in.

It's much thicker.
There's way more copper inside.

A cable like this is measured
in cross-sectional area.

Now, this cable is 1.0, which means
it's about 8.25mm or 0.32 inches.

Now, if I grab a knife and cut
open the old cable right where

it's corroded, now you can see
right here, they're the strands.

The thing is, they're
made of copper. They're

supposed to be that
nice, bright, shiny colour.

But they're not.
They're all black and corroded.

Now, part of this old loom that I am
going to save is this O2 sensor right here.

That's going in the bin.

And then I'm just going to tape
this together so it's all nice and neat.

Now, I've opted for
cloth-style tape because it

generally doesn't harden
like the old electrical tape.

Perfect.

Now, this cable here is
wrapped in this PVC coating. It's

designed deliberately to keep
the electricity on the inside.

Now, it's relatively thin.
I mean, it's only carrying 12 volts.

The thing is, though,
the current can be huge.

And the amps can be deadly.

Compare that cable to a HT lead.

HTs have tiny amounts of copper
core because the current's pretty small.

But it has really thick insulation
due to the voltage being so high.

The insulation keeps it contained.

Now, there's a reason that the
electrical industry uses copper.

And I'm not just talking cars, houses,
stereos, even the phone in your pocket.

And that's because copper's
really good at delivering electricity.

It's also flexible, available
and brilliant at dissipating heat.

You know, I'm in the market
for refining the perfect Bronco.

So I've been having a look online to
see what this car's common problems are.

And one of them is at
the base of this gear lever.

In fact, more specifically,
it's the wire that

joins the gear lever
hidden by the cowling.

The problem is that
wire is linked to fuse 17.

Now, if I take out the
fuse box, have a look

at this cap, it tells
me fuse number 17.

Right, this is responsible
for the warning

buzzers, the chime module,
the warning indicators,

the gauges, the tachometer,
the electric transmission.

I mean, can you imagine all of
that goes because that wire frays.

So I'm going to take the
safe option and check it out.

Now, first up, remove
this column tilt lever.

I'll turn the key into the run position.

Place this little pick up here.

And the barrel just comes out.

Right, if I move this
gear lever up, it's

held in by just a single
pin, which taps out.

The fact that it's on
a pin allows it to pivot.

That pulls out, and there you have it.

Now, straight away, I can see the
protective sheaf has already gone.

And it's started to fray the wire itself.

But if you think about it, it's hardly
surprising because it's the gear stick.

This has to be used every
single time you drive the car.

I mean, if this was my daily driver, I'd
at least be driving it to and from work.

That's two gear changes.

And then I'd be going to have a lunch.
I'd be putting it in reverse.

I'd be moving up to the shops,
going home, taking the kids to school.

I'd be using it even more at the weekend.

So if you think about it,
in a seven-week period, I'd

be using it eight, nine, ten,
maybe twelve times a week.

Fifty-two weeks of the year.

And this truck's like 30 years old.

So when you add all those days
up, all those gear changes together,

you've got just loads and
loads of gear changes.

Are you talking to yourself? What are
you talking about, the gear changes?

There was nothing wrong with
the gearbox when I bought this car.

Are you a ninja?

Well, I could hear you talking to
yourself, and what's going on about it?

The gear shifter in this car was lovely.

It went into gear. It went into reverse.

Oh, no, no, no, no.
It's not necessarily got a problem.

But listen, I spent a bit of time
online looking on the Bronco forums.

Really nice fellas, those Bronco owners.

Anyway, it turns out that this is
a problem that's likely to happen.

So I've made a preemptive
strike, and I'm going to sort it out.

So you're avoiding any
problems for the future owner?

Exactly.

Perfect. Yeah, that's a good call.

So did you get the rest of the
thing all buttoned up nicely?

Broken studs.

Oh, what? Hello?

Yeah, three.

Oh, no, did you get them out?

Yeah, nightmare, man.

Seriously?

Yeah, deadly serious.

I wish I never asked you now.

Okay, I'll go and get this for you.

I'll leave you to carry on,
and we'll get it cleaned up.

I might as well head to the beach.

And have you ever seen a vehicle
sitting here in this environment

that looks more capable
of tackling anything?

Yeah, I mean, it's perfect. Think about it.

It's big, it's bulky, high
suspension, big wheels.

It's got loads of storage in the back.

It's got big bumpers, even got a tow hook.

But what worries me is
it's a little bit too clean.

I've seen six-figure sports cars that
haven't been cared for as much as this.

Yeah, but it begs the question, why
have we brought our super clean car here?

What, up a mountain?

We're going to test it, of course.

What, you want to get
this dirty before auction?

Yeah, you think about it, right?

The next owner is going to be down at
the auction putting their hand in the air

and we want to make sure they
buy a Mike and Ant capable vehicle.

And if it gets dirty, don't
worry about it, I'll clean it.

You'll clean it?

Every inch.

Lovely. Well, in that case...

Right then, here we go.

Look at the hole straight away.

I tell you what, this is...
Be careful on these roads.

Roads? Where we go in some, we won't
need... Oh, look at that! Look at that!

Straddle it, straddle it!

I am straddling it! Are you trying
to tell me how to drive off-road?

Listen, I've got vast experience off-road.

Shall we talk about your off-road career?

You know, where you've been
upside down, off-road, scooting along...

Straddle that massive hole.
No, no, don't go in it.

That way.
That's the only way to go around it.

You're trying to avoid the bushes as well,
because you don't want to scratch the body.

Don't worry, I'm going
to Polish it, I'm going

to clean it, I'm going
to do everything to it.

I still can't work out why Ford
stopped making the Bronco.

It's weird, isn't it?
But, you know, like all

manufacturers, they
stop making something.

Vauxhall stopped making the Viva,
guess what? The Viva's coming back.

Ford with the Bronco, they stop making
it, and guess what? Bronco's coming back.

Careful. Go round it, go round it.

I've got it, I'm picking
my way round it, I've got it.

Straddle round it.
No, no, go round it, that way.

That way. Yeah, oh!

Look at that, isn't that brilliant?
Isn't that fantastic?

I don't know if brilliant's the word.

That's great, isn't it? I mean, that
beautiful engine, now it's smooth,

it's precise, it's leak-free, and it
just powers its way through all this.

Ooh, look, we've got some
water to splash through.

Proper dirt. Now this is
really going to get it dirty.

Lovely, yeah.

Do you know what? This is
pretty good, but it's not that

challenging, I reckon the
Bronco's capable of much more.

Oh, yeah, of course it is.

Well, I tell you what, just pull over here.

I reckon, do me a favour,
just lock that front hub for me.

No worries.

Come on!

Right, hubs are locked, four
wheel drive selected, let's off-road.

Oh, and one other thing,
try not to put it on the roof.

All right!

Well done. Four wheel drive!

Easy, Tiger.

Ford, if you are bringing the Bronco
back, please can you put the grab

handle on the passenger side,
because there's nothing to hold on to.

Look at this, this is proper stuff.

You know, I can...

Gee whiz, it actually hurts.

Whoa, easy. I can clean stuff, but
I can't Polish out dents or scrapes.

That actually hurts.

That is fantastic.

There's no doubting this car is not only
capable, it's good on and off-road, it's

comfortable, it's immaculate inside here,
it is the perfect candidate for an auction.

Yes.

But my hands are now
empty, I'm now done. I'm

passing it over. The
burden is now 100% on you.

OK, don't worry, leave the rest of it to
me, making somebody very, very happy.

And hopefully count some cash after, right?

That would be nice.

Mike Brewer.

How are you, brother?

I'm good, how are you doing?

Not bad at all, not bad at all.
Save me, Mel, save me from this.

It's dirty.

I'm sort of panicking
ever so slightly

because it's going to
go to the auction block.

And auction blocks are places where
it's going to be under intense scrutiny.

Pop the hood, we're going to blast that out
with the pressure washer, we're going to

get it underneath the undercarriage and get
all that heavy mud and stuff off of there.

Then we're going to roll it in the
shop, we'll do the finite detail there.

A good degreaser, a handy brush and
a bit of elbow grease is what you need.

Now Mel is using a pressure washer, that's
to get rid of all the dirt and grease and

grime that's built up underneath the vehicle,
particularly when Ant took it off-roading.

Now you can do this yourself
at home, you can get yourself a

pressure washer from your local
DIY store or you can even hire one.

And it's really good practice
to make sure your car is clean

as it possibly can be before
you even put it in your garage.

All ready to go? You go high, I'll go low.

And I'm going to use
this silicone dressing.

Now the reason we
use silicone dressing in

the engine bay is it
won't ignite under heat.

Plus, silicone is the
enemy of a paint shop.

You know Mel, even though you attack this
with the pressure washer, there's still a

lot of dirt underneath and it looks like
it's ingrained into the fabric of the car.

We've got this cool vortex tool right here,
this actually is a pressurized degreaser.

Alright, let's take a
microfiber towel here.

Yeah, look at that, that's amazing already.

Check that out.

Underneath and the engine bay is
looking like brand new and that's exactly

what we need to get top dollar
when it rolls across the auction block.

Sports, utility and it's a vehicle from
the 90s, picture perfect inside and out.

It's like looking at a brochure
from 1992 in a Ford dealership.

Leaving Ant with some minor servicing.

This is when I know if this
car is my friend or my enemy.

Before a leisurely spin in the countryside.

It's a little spit and Polish
and she's ready for her public.

We got the Bronco for $10,000.

Gasket seals and bolts, 83.

Water pump, 53.

Starter, 109.

Shifter electrical repair parts
and overdrive switch, 260.

Battery, cable materials, 70.

And detailing was just 350.

This gives us a grand total of $10,925.

That's around £8,500.

All done in 28 man hours.

Was it a wise investment?

I'm here at West Palm
Beach in Florida and I'm

here for the world's
biggest collector car auction.

This is Barrett Jackson.

Look at it, our Bronco
has made it in one piece.

No marks, no damages, just as
we finished it with me and Mel.

While we've got gaps
around it, they're now

getting the cars ready
to go through the auction.

This is lot number 618.2, it's an
early one so it's going to go in a minute.

I'll just check it over quickly.

Excuse me sir, I have
to take this to the block.

No worries, you go ahead.

Enjoy it, enjoy the drive.

I'm going to.

There she goes.

This is it, no turning back,
car's on its way to the block.

I just hope the room is full of people
and they've all got money in their pockets.

Want a ride?

Yes, I'd love a
ride in it, it looks

absolutely, it looks
amazing, it looks so clean.

And here it is, this is our
Bronco, this is the staging Lane.

Staging Lane's really important
because this is the last opportunity

that members of the public get
to actually touch and feel a car.

And you'll see that people
will start to dive into the car.

And my recommendations to people are if you
come to a staging Lane and you see the car,

take some time, read the sheet
and then get a word with the driver.

So if I get this driver, what
was it like, did it drive it right?

Oh yeah.

Yeah, see that's exactly
what you should be doing.

Asking the driver, does it drive it right?
What do the brakes feel like?

Did it start up on the button?

Because you're never going to
get to test drive this car before it

goes to the auction and this is
the closest you're going to get.

Now in just one moment's time
this car is going to leave this little area

once all the eyeballs have been on
it and it's going straight into the hall.

No matter what, it's
going under the hammer.

Here she comes!

This is the moment,
isn't it? The butterflies are

going in, the room's packed,
there's people everywhere.

Come on in!

Line number 618.2, 1992
Ford Bronco XLT, prepared

by Motor Trans hit television
show Wheeler Dealers,

where it was the star of an
upcoming episode, getting

the full treatment from
Mike Brewer and Ed Enstead.

Powered by an optional 5.8
liter, this Bronco's retained

its original Mojave Ford
dealer license plate frame.

Yes it is!

Come on!

We're full tonight, come on!

There we go, come on, up we go, come on!

$13,000!

This is our $14,000!
Well done everyone, thank you very much!

Thank you out there!

Give me five!

The console!

How about that?

Yes!

Bronco has got what I
need on it, it's got that.

The sold sticker of Barrett Jackson, it
crossed the block and sold for $14,000.

That shows us a little bit of a profit.

To be honest with
you, it's more about the

excitement of putting
this car back on the road.

I'm just hoping now that the person
who's bought the car is going to come.

Was you the guy that bought this?

You were! Give me a hug man!

Nice to meet you!

What's your name?

Monty, thank you very
much for buying this Bronco.

You've bought yourself
an incredible vehicle.

It's been breathed on and worked
on by me and Anne in our shop.

We love this vehicle, we really do.

Are you a fan of Broncos?

Yes I am.

Hold out your hand,
you've got yourself a deal.

You've just bought
yourself a cracking Bronco.

Well done!

This car did what it needed to do.

It returned us a lovely little profit
and we can't say fairer than that.

Monty has got a car I know he's
going to love for years to come.

If you want to see more cars like this
being turned around by me and Anne,

then join us again soon
on Wheel Of Dealers.

Ta-ta!