08x09 - Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

[bunniefuu]

A big hello from the
United States of America.

Yes, Wheeler dealers
has crossed the pond.

I'm in the glorious
state of California as

I hunt iconic classics
that have fallen from grace.

And Mike's going to ship the cars back here
to our UK workshop where it's my job to get

them trouble free. So
what amazing motor is Mike

going to get for me this
time? I've got no idea.

Well Ed, what's out there? It's the sun
and this time I'm looking for a car that

belongs right underneath it. It's a motor
that sums up a carefree lifestyle. It's all

about the sea, the surf
and having a good time.

The Karmann Ghia is a
design icon and although

it went out of production


legend keeps growing. Many
people think it's the best style car ever.

Italian design house Ghia and German coach
builder Karmann conceived this sporty four

seater and gave the car
its name. VW launched

the car in 1955 using
trusted Beatle mechanicals.

With a competitive
selling price of a thousand

pounds, that's about 15 grand in today's
money, more than half a million cars were

sold and an estimated


For four decades this
car has been synonymous

with the laid back
surfer lifestyle. It's.

Now, I could find a
Karmann Ghia back in the

UK. Problem is our
weather. It always appears

to be raining and cars that are 20 to 30
years of age are rotten. We're out here

in California, the sun
is always shining and

I'm more likely to
bag a rust free motor.

I really want a convertible but the price
is steep. Nicer cars start at $10,000 but

the flip side is that it
will always be easier

to sell a car from
California. The problem

is the car that's got
me going at the minute

is not in California.
It's miles away. It's

in another state. It's in Idaho but it
looks so good I've got to give it a call.

How long have you had it? This car is
the desirable late 60s spec. It's rich at


it would fetch 10 to 12,000 pounds back

home. Thanks a lot. Bye
bye. Now that is interesting

because they've only
had the car on for a

few hours and already they've had
a lot of interest. So let's go and see it.

I'm going from Cali to Idaho which is


city and I arrive at a skiing resort and
an hour after that I'm in the parks desert

plains of Nevada,
casino country just as

well because it's a
gamble for me. Going all

this way just to see one car. Now it
wasn't until I reached the lovely town

of Boise, Idaho I realized how big
it is and then it got me thinking there

can't be just one common gear for sale.
So here's a top tip for you. Just

take some time out. Get yourself a
newspaper, get yourself a drink and

relax. I found this lovely dinette
to sit in and I'm gonna have a look

through the papers because you never
know what else is out there. What do

you know there's another for sale
locally that's in need of restoration.

The seller claims it's real clean and
he restores classic VW's so he should.

know. The one thing I failed to ask
was whether it was a runner and clearly

it's not. The guy did tell me though
that it was rust free but it's also.

free of a lot of other things.
It needs far too much work for me and I

think the tall man would k*ll me.
So I think it's on to the next one.

Sometimes even I fail to ask obvious
questions. At least I know the next car

I'm gonna see is a runner. Let's just
hope it measures up to what we want.

There she is. Look at
this. Fantastic. Common

gear in red, black hood.
You must be the owner.

Hi I'm Janet. Janet it's
a pleasure to meet you.

It's nice to meet you. And
you, wow. Janet the car is

gorgeous. Oh thank you. Bit like you.
Oh thank you. Now I've come a long way to

see this car. Tell me why you're
selling it. My daughter's in college and

I just need the money. I can understand
that college is expensive. How long you

had it? 20 years. I bought about 20
years ago in Dallas. 20 years ago in

Dallas. So to get rid of this is
gonna be kind of a wrench. Oh it's

heartbreaking. So 20 years old the
paintwork looks really strong. It's nice

paintwork. It was that way when I got
it so we've just taken real good care of

it. So look down the front.
I notice as I walked up the driveway the VW

badge is missing on the front.
Yes and I don't know where that is. Some.

rapper has got it dangling around his neck.
Probably. Now in England we would

call this the bonnet but you call
this the hood but in the case of this

car this is the trunk. It
is. It's the trunk of the

car. Okay very confusing
but can we open it? Oh sure.

Okay yes very small. I
mean you couldn't get

a set of golf clubs
in here. No no. It's a

bit of a mess under here. Look at all those
wires. Oh I don't know. I just get the car

and drive it. Let's have a look under
this carpet. Oh look at that. Quite

nasty isn't it? What's that all about?
I think the person who had it for me had

an extra heater and that's what that
hole came from. Well that hole will need

fixing and patching and tidying up
but in fact underneath here it all needs a

bit of tidying up but other than that
it all looks pretty strong. Great. Right

now big issue with these cars Janet.
In Europe is rust so I'm gonna have a

good look underneath. Wow it's nice and
clean underneath here. Good solid floor.

The seals are nice and strong. Yeah
pretty impressive. We've always kept it

in the garage so it hasn't really been
exposed to much dampness. Fantastic.

Okay well that's really good news. Makes
my mechanic very happy saying words like

that. No rust. Inside Janet it is like a
museum piece isn't it? What's going on

here? Well look at this. Well she's


damaged by the sun clearly and
then the middle bit that's all cracked as

well and the bottom bit that's busted
and this that could do with some oil in

it. Carpets are a bit threadbare but the
seats are good and this hood is nice. We

just replaced this it's fairly new. You
have. Can I pull it back have a look? Oh

sure. You can see it's new can't you
because it's stiff but it does transform the

look of the car. Fabulous.
Okay now let's have a quick look under the

hood. Look at the engine that looks
fabulous. The engine bay is a bit of a

mess but you know what my mechanic
he knows the back of these cars like eating

these dinner. They're really easy for him.
Well it looks great. Is there any

chance you can fire it up for me
and I can have a listen? Absolutely.

Yes sounds like a
proper little VDUB engine.

Right time to get it out on the road.

I love America. Just a couple of minutes
away from Janet's driveway and look at

this I'm in the hills overlooking Boise
Idaho. What a great place to come and

put this little calming
gear through its paces.

The first thing to mention is the
engine slung out over the back. It's a

single port 1500 cc engine straight
out of a Volkswagen Beetle probably

delivering about 50 brake horsepower.
I think my food mixer indoors is more

powerful than this engine but what I
do love about it is that chirpy sound

coming from the rear.
It is wonderful. Very very charming.

You know one thing that has got
me worried is this. Oh there's a horrible

crunch into third gear. Fourth
gear seems alright but back

into third. Oh and there it is
again. That isn't good enough.

You know what there's a
lot to worry about on this car.

There's the mechanical issues,
the dashboard, the interior.

but Ed can do all of this.
The problem is Janet is just asking a

bit too much money for this one
with all its faults. She wants twelve

and a half thousand dollars.
That's too rich for me so I'm going

to go back make her an honest bid
and see if she'll have a deal with me.

Well I gotta tell you Janet I really
enjoyed that. That was great fun.

I do like the car but you know what
it's a nice car but it's not that nice

and the more you drive it the more
you start to notice the faults with it.

I like it though and I've sort of made
my mind up that it's the car that I want.

How much did you want for it? 12,500.

Do you know what I think you're just asking
a little bit too much money for it Janet so

I'm going to make you an offer and it
is a very fair offer ten thousand dollars.

I was really hoping for more than that. If
you pushed it and it was California and it

was the height of
sunshine you might get it

but right now I think
you'll be doing a good

thing to sell it for ten thousand dollars.
So how do you feel about it?

Well I guess I feel okay about it.
Is it going to go to a good home?

I promise you it would go to somebody who'll
have another 20 years of fun out of it.

Have a deal with me? Yes.

Yes?
Wow I've just got myself a calming gear.

The sun may have gone
in but in my head buying

this car has given me
a golden feeling all over.

I just hope that we can
swap the grungy gears

and rotten interior
for a cold hard profit.

This is the USA and I've got
myself into an uber cool calming gear.

Have a deal? Yes.

Yes. Ten thousand dollars or six thousand
pounds is bang on target for value.

Now that was a win-win
situation. Janet gets

to send her kids to
college and we get a

rust free calming gear
and I couldn't be any

more delighted with
the way that wonderful

little deal went. This car has got to go
to a shippers which is in the next state.

It's about a three hour journey across
this desert. So I've got the roof off and

I'm not going to put any stress on the car.
Just going to take it nice and easy

because I think this thing is for more
use than popping round the shops.

Well I've got a few miles under my belt now
and I'm pleased to report that all is happy

with our little calming
gear. She's zipping

along really nicely in
fourth gear. No stress,

no strain on the engine or the gearbox
and happy cruising at 55 miles an hour.

I'm totally dialed in to
this car's easy nature.

You know what? It's not all cufflinks
and aftershave with this car. There is

an element of doubt. By the time we add in
all the repairs and the shipping costs back

in the UK, this car is
going to be expensive

for what it is. We
need to make sure that

this car is in tip-top
condition and we also

need to play upon
this car's rarity value.

It's a 69 calming gear convertible and
there ain't many of them knocking about.

The next time you
see me and our little car

I'll be back home in
Blighty. Now most people

bring home a t-shirt from
America but wait until you see the

look on Ed's face when he
sees what gift I bought him home.

Two weeks later and we're
home. The carmer needs a

lift from the port as it
doesn't have an MOT yet.

I'm unloading on a
private road outside the

workshop so at least I
can drive the last few yards.

Oh you beauty! How about that then? That
is gorgeous isn't it? I love these cars.


as old as you isn't it?

Yeah well I'd actually
be older I would suggest

but it's a lovely lovely
car isn't it? Really

beautiful lines but
I can't help thinking

that you've just gone
all the way to America

to buy a car from
Germany. The truth is Ed,

there are no good ones
in Germany, there are no

good ones for sale in
England, all the good ones

are on the west coast of
America where the sun is

shining it doesn't rain
that much and that means

no rust and the body work is strong. Very
well done. I mean how much did it cost?

I give 6000 quid press all right isn't it?
Normally for a car of this age you'd expect

to have to repaint it
and the paint's looking

pretty good on this
so I'm going to give you

a pat on the back. What?
I'm going to get a little

bit of credit from you
right at the very beginning.

Wow I'm chuffed. Really chuffed.
It is great isn't it? Have a look inside.

Now I think I don't
really fit in these little

chaps. No they are
quite a little bit teeny.

There you go you can
squeeze yourself in. All

that padded dash was
all cracked and split.

You've got this kind of imitation form like
a dashboard that's going to have to go.

Door cars are unpleasant, the carpet's bad.
I'm more concerned about the way it drives.

Start her up.

Sounds all right doesn't it?
Sounds very nice yeah.

It's got that nice chirpy beetle sound.
The problem is that chirpy sound is ruined

when you select third
gear because it goes.

Oh dear okay so it's
got something wrong with

the synchronous perhaps. All right well
that's all the bad news. The good news is

you don't have to do
anything with this hood.

Well that's cool. Yeah
the hood has been

replaced over the last few years and it's
it's relatively new so that's that's great.

That's fantastic. Have a look at this
engine. It's looking you know kind of all.

right 1500 single port
perhaps? Yes it is single

port 1500 cc and it's
got some good power.

Yeah of course it's
certainly all there obviously

you know the engine
bay does need to be a bit

tidied up I guess. We do need to repaint
that and tide it up somewhat. Yeah it just

needs to look a bit more zingy doesn't it?
Yes please. Okay right now underneath the

what's the hood you'll find all the things
you'd usually find in the boot of a car.

Spare wheel, Jack, brace, you've got
the jump leads, you've even got some oil

but you've got as an addition in
this one a really great big hole.

Wow okay so obviously
there must have been some

kind of additional heater
or air con or something.

That's exactly what it
was so what we need to

do is cover that up.
Okay cool I can do that.

Right now there's
one other thing that's

bugging me and it's
here red it's this bottom

half of the car. That
really does need to be

red doesn't it? It's
not nice. It does look

like somebody's painted
it to disguise the fact

that it's had rust in
the past but truthfully

it's got no rust there
it is what they've done

with the car so let's
change it. Absolutely

okay I can sort that out.
And then when you total

up the final bill this
car is going to owe us

quite a bit of money
so I need you to make it

the best carman gear
for sale Ed and if anyone

can do it Edd China can.
Absolutely and we can

have some fun with it
too. Of course we can

should we get it in
the workshop? Let's go.

I can't wait to get my
hands on this car it's

one of last century's
really great shapes and

in classic car terms
it's a real gem because.

underneath these
timeless curves are the

robust mechanicals of
an air-cooled VW Beetle.

Now as always the big jobs come first and
something that really needs my attention

is the third gear synchro.
Fixing the gearbox

is a specialist job that
I'll have to outsource

but I still have the task
of getting the gearbox

out of the car and that
means the engine has

to come out first but
the good news is if

you have to drop the
motor out of any car you

can't get much easier than a flat 4
VW lump. In fact it's that easy you can

even do it at home without a ramp although
to be fair that does actually help a bit.

It's the uncomplicated mechanicals
of the car that make this job so doable.

First up you've got to isolate
the engine so the hoses,

air filter and heat shield need to go.
Then disconnect and remove the battery.

Under the vehicle I can get to the heater
control cables, the heat exchanger hoses.

and the fuel pipe which
needs to be clamped.

Now I can start the important
part freeing the engine.

The trick is to crack off the engine bolts
then lower the car onto the tool chest.

Then fully undo the last two
bolts that hold it onto the gearbox.

Well here goes.

Cool so the engine is now off, make
sure that the rubber is out the way.

And then with the engine
clear I raise the car away.

Well here's our engine
it looks pretty good leak

free in fact many of the
parts seem to be new

as well new dynamo got a
fuel pump there distributor

in fact even the
carburetor looks new-ish.

If I just check the oil
it looks good smells

all right as well
smells pretty fresh and

Mike says this engine dries beautifully
and in fact is also the original engine

for the car so for once I'm actually
very happy the way he's bought me.

Now is the perfect time to
check the condition of the clutch.

If the center plate is worn
it'll need a replacement.

Well it was worth checking because it
is actually rather badly worn you can see.

where it's actually
wearing through these little

lines here but actually
if you look at the

end you can see this
side is actually more worn

than that now it's not
going to be the bit that's

causing the kind of
crunch in third because if

it was going to cause
any crunching of gears.

it'd be all of them but
basically it was well

worth checking because
I need to replace it.

A new plate is only 45
pounds small potatoes.

now to the gearbox but
there's one crucial job to do first.

Now a classic thing
that people forget when

they're taking a gearbox
out of a Beetle or a

disconnect the gear
rod that's quite a simple

thing to do all you
have to do is just lift up.

the seat underneath
there you can see a little

metal plate undo that
just the one screw holds

it in place and then
you can see the shifter

so just wiggle the gear
stick around you can

see it moving around
so and then that little

bolt is what we're
looking for and you can

see it's got a bit of
wire around it well that

is locking wire and
that stops it undoing.

which means it stops obviously the gears
disconnecting when you're driving along.

I'm getting there now I
only need to disconnect

the drive shafts and with that usual VW
simplicity the gearbox is well calming out.

Having got the gearbox
out the crunchy bit I

need to fix is deep
down inside there now it's

easy enough to get in
there but the problem is

you then need some
specialist tools and it's

quite a lengthy job and
I've got loads of other

things to be getting
on with it'll be much

quicker for a specialist
to do it so that's

what I'm going to do
I'm going to send it away

to a professional he'll sort out
that dodgy third gear synchromesh

and then it's going to come back to
me shiny and working as good as new.

Before I left the USA
I had a little sniff about

to find somewhere that
would sell Carmen spares.

Now I can buy the parts for a Carmen gear
back in the UK but they're a pretty rare

car and the prices they're expensive here
in America a much bigger country you get

much more choice plus the
prices they're a lot smaller.

This place in California only sells gear
gear and was established 20 years ago.

Hi how you doing?

Pretty good.

I'm Mike.

I'm Rodney.

Rodney nice to meet you.

Now Rodney I've got a 1969 Carmen gear
convertible it's looking a little bit sorry

for itself it needs some parts and I
understand you're the firm to help me out.

You're at the right place
number one place in

the world for Carmen
gear restoration parts.

Well hopefully you've got the bits that
I need in fact I can see some of the bits

right behind you on the ball I
need the top dash that middle

part and also the lower panels
can I have a look at them?

Sure.

They're nice aren't they?

That's the show quality
replacement dash pad.

Oh I like that it's very
nice and very good and do

you still get these from
Volkswagen are these made?

Nope the owner has had those reproduced
to factory specs they are a perfect fit

they look identical to the
original and they're show quality.

Brilliant and how much is that?

Two hundred forty two dollars.

And then this which is made out of
that very famous 1969 plastic tree.

Now what's this about twenty bucks?

Hundred nine.

That's a hundred and
nine bucks is it really?

Yes sir.

Wow it's expensive for what it is isn't it?

Well it will lift the car up because it
hasn't got no marks or chips in it at all

and that one's finished and also
these bits how much are these?

As the two pieces hundred
twenty seven dollars.

Hundred and twenty seven dollars.

Okay but then once all this
is installed in the car properly

it's going to give it a
whole new look isn't it?

Totally different feel it's going
to be like driving a new car.

Fantastic okay they have
them bits I definitely need them

but I also need some rather urgently
some inner door panels can you help me out?

Not a problem let's go.

Among the half million dollars worth of
spares on the shelf I said I wanted door

cards and out of a choice of six plump
for the stay but standard black vinyl.

How much are these?

Those are ninety eight
dollars with the pocket.

Ninety eight dollars?

Yeah I'll definitely be having those.

You're going to need door panel clips also?

I will be.

How about the booties?

You are a proper salesman ain't you?

Whatever it is I need it.

All right we'll get you going.

Okay that's big
bucks on interior kit but

we're also shelling
out for a gearbox repair.

Then there's the paint work to come.

Even allowing for a high sale price
the cost against this car are racking up.

We might be fighting for a profit.

This is our common gear
all the way from the US of A.

But we're walking or driving
a financial tightrope here

as we approach the
point where further spend

on this car will
seriously squeeze profit.

Ed's got to get the cosmetic
jobs done for pocket money.

With the engine out it
is pretty clear that the

engine bay itself has
seen much better days.

Now obviously normally
this is mostly hidden

but Mike's under the impression that if we
don't sell this car for absolute top money

then we're not going to
make any money at all.

So really this space needs to
be much much better than this.

Some simple metal tangs hold in
the tatty sound ending and heat shield.

I need to strip these
away to see whether

the metal underneath
is in better condition.

Well the good news is there's
no rust in here whatsoever.

So it's just dirt and grime which means
it just needs a really thorough clean.

Degreaser helps me get
rid of most of the oily mess

but for the muck that is determined to stay
I need to get a wire brush onto the job.

The engine bay is looking tidier already
now it's been cleaned and prepped

and of course we're going to be putting in
some replacement sound ending material

which is going to smarten
up the firewall on the sides

but of course that leaves
the apron looking a little

bit untidy so I think it's
time for a lick of paint.

I'm calling on my old friend a
can of satin black stone shield

paying particular attention to the battery
tray which is a problem area for rust.

If you do this check
you have adequate

ventilation as the fumes
can be rather dangerous.

While the paint dries
I'm going to get on with

another cosmetic issue that's
been bothering both of us.

Now having just sorted out something that
most people aren't even going to look at

I really need to turn my
attention to this eyesore here.

Now Mike and I both agree that the sills
can't be black they need to be body colour

they need to be red
and the first job is

basically take all the
chrome off and get sanding.

It always alarms me when
people paint black over body colour

the suspicion here is that it's hiding rot.

I hope it's just a bad style choice.

Getting busy with the
sander could save a couple of

hundred quid but another
reason for doing it yourself

is to get a very good look
under the skin of your motor.

And good news our bodywork
underneath is rot free.

Now thankfully the bodywork on
this car is actually in pretty good Nick

it needs a bit of a buff but because of
that we only need to paint this local area

and because of the chrome strip the blending
in is going to be an awful lot easier

but thankfully again I'm
not going to have to do that

because it's going to go off to the
paint shop to get a really really mint job

but before it does I've got loads
of work still to do under the bonnet.

When Mike looked at the
car his eagle eyes picked out

something we don't usually like
seeing in a boot floor a big fat hole.

Now this nasty hole has
been left by an auxiliary heater

it's not that surprising
the gear was fitted with one

because of course it spent most of
its time in the cold mountains of Idaho

but now it's gone it does
leave rather a gaping hole

so what I could do
is either reinstate a

heater that's going to
cost us about 700 pounds

and frankly I don't really
think we're ever going to

see that money back I
think the better thing to do

especially considering that the standard
heater is fine for our climate over here.

is just to weld in a new piece of metal.

For safety reasons I'm taking out
the fuel tank before doing any welding.

don't forget to clamp the fuel hose as
it's a constant source of expl*sive vapor.

I'm using an improvised
shield to protect

the cabin from sparks coming
through the hole I know it's nasty in there

but I don't think setting fire to the
interior is a particularly good idea.

Next I trim the hole and
then grind away the paint

around the edges as I'll
be welding to these later.

I've got to say it would be kind of
tricky to find any way harder to repair.

certainly on this area of the vehicle

because you've
got all these different

complicated shapes I've
got to try and account for

you've got first of all this
kind of sloping area here

and on this side there'll be a big
radius that joins those two together

got a little bit on the top that's
not so hard and you've got

this juggled part here this
kind of little hump in the metal

but I've also got to try and kind of
redo to make it look much much better

I reckon it's going to take at least three
little card templates to sort that out

and it's going to take a
fair amount of time as well.

It might sound like lots of trouble just to
weld a hole that will be hidden by a panel

but this car is all about
a lovely body shape

so why can't it look as good on
the inside as it does on the outside?

I'm using three little templates to
account for the different profiles.

that will appear in my panel fix.

Here's a tip when you need to make
a complicated channel in the template

something as simple
as a pen will work fine.

So I've got my templates ready

they're a little bit rough and
ready but they're going to do the job

I'm just going to place them
onto the steel Mark out the steel,

trim it a few times and
eventually it's going to fit perfectly.

I'm relieved our car doesn't
have bodywork issues

otherwise I'd be making up little repair
panels like this dozens of times over.

Obviously metal's a lot
harder to bend than paper.

so I'm using a bolt to make
an imprint rather than the pen.

I hold the new metal in position with
a magnet and then weld it into place.

Next up I just need to clean off the welds

grinding them back
into a nice smooth finish.

Well that repair is looking pretty good now

but I just want to finish
it off with a bit of paint.

Mike told me our remaining
budget is dwindling

and so ever helpful I've just saved
us up to £350 on garage labour.

Now with all that primer now dry
I have to say it's a pretty good job

I mean it actually looks pretty
much like it would have done

when it came out of the
factory which is fantastic

so all it needs now is
a bit of nice red top coat

and as the seals are
going to be done at the body

shop I'll get them to
do that at the same time.

So without further ado

the carman is dispatched to the
paint shop for a fast turnaround.

Well the car's back from the paint shop

and it does look pretty
good in fact you can see now

where the seals are red rather than
black it is a dramatic improvement.

Unfortunately not so
good in here in the interior

it is actually pretty awful
so that has to be my next job.

Lots of fun has been had in this car
but I don't think it was all good clean fun

because the carpets are solid with grime
and the door cards died many years ago.

They've got to go.

That's about as far as I
can go without some new kit.

I need Mr B.

Ed how are you doing?

All right son.

You're up buddy.

I'm very good.

Now we're at that point where I rock up to
see how you're getting on with our motor.

How's it going?

I've been actually quite busy the gearbox
is out and being serviced as we speak

also I've tidied up the engine bay
it looks much neater in there now

they've actually painted both seals
so they're now red rather than black

and also I've welded up that funny
hole that was under the bonnet there.

You have been working hard well to reward
you I've gone and got you some presents.

What am I going to get?

Well I've got you some bits
that I picked up from America

because they're so much
cheaper in the States.

The interior of this car is pretty nasty

so I've got you some
door cars, look at those.

They're very smart, fantastic.

Easy fix as well.

Yeah that's gonna make
a big difference actually.

And the dashboard is horrible it's all
cracked and crazed so I've got you this

it's beautiful, it's quite
heavy, are you ready?

Oh it's a bit of plastic.

It's like kind of like
imitation formica perhaps.

I mean that is as nasty
as the interior is now.

Do I really have to fit this?

You do because this is an
original part and when you

put it on the car apparently
it's going to transform it

especially when you
put the dials in and the

radio and I've even
got your little car box lid.

It will give the interior a
complete transformation

and it'll make it much more
sunnable so just get on with it really.

Yeah the next job is going to be the interior
so I guess I'll put it on if I have to.

Cool well look at
that halfway through.

and I think you can get a motor out of you.

There's still plenty of time for that son.

Now as I was saying to Mike
this dashboard is properly nasty

and it's made out of
this really cheap imitation

with the plastic split and
it's kind of bubbling away.

I mean there were other
models of coming here

that had a metal dashboard
that was often painted

and I'd be much
happier with that in place

but because this car
actually came out of the

factory like that if you
can actually believe that

and Mike's gone to the
trouble of getting us a

replacement part I am going
to have to swap them all over

but really it's not
everybody's cup of tea is it?

The top and bottom of the dash
are split too and need replacement.

Most of the interior
trim on this car seems

to be clipped on but
no such luck this time.

Now it would appear that the knee pad

is actually attached by
screws along its length.

That should be quite easy to get undone

and there are some screws
either side of the top pad

but everywhere else seems to be kind
of hidden so I'm guessing the access

which is going to be kind of
tricky is from inside of the bonnet.

Sure enough with the bonnet open
I can unbolt the back of the dash.

Sounds easy but I can't actually
see the bolts to undo them.

No way around it I need to use the force.

With both padded panels
out of the way I can get on with

removing the dials as they
partly hold in the plastic fascia.

This stuff has been in place for 40 years
and the electrical contacts can be fragile.

A top and crucial tip is to Mark the
wiring so I know what goes where later on.

With everything removed
I can now try and peel

away this nasty bit of
plastic dashboard cover.

Now it's been here a long
time and the sun's got to the glue

I'm hoping it's going to
peel away reasonably easily.

You can see it's already
split in quite a few places.

And there we have it.

Look at the state of that.

So this is our new
veneer for the dashboard.

You can see they have vacuum
formed it but what they haven't done

is actually cut all the holes out that
I'm going to need in the right positions.

So rather than me do
that right now what I'm

going to do is glue this
to the metal of the car

and then use that metal as a kind of a
template so I can just run the knife around

and cut the holes in
exactly the right place.

But first things first,
I need a bit of glue.

The quick drying glue needs
to be evenly spread or later

on sections will lift and
we'll be back to square one.

You must be careful with a scalpel.

If you overcut the hole the bezel of the
dial won't cover the mistake so go easy.

Labor rates to swap a
dash are around 300 pounds

and yes it is a DIY job
if you have the Patience.

And the final piece
of the Jigsaw is the

glove box which I have
to cut out separately.

Well you know what?

Actually maybe I was
being a little bit harsh

earlier on because I
think now it's all in place.

It does actually look a lot
smarter than what we started with.

Obviously the new padded
parts look pretty good

and this wood nearly
looks like actual wood

so I think that's actually
a pretty good job.

So all I've got to do now
is door cards and carpets.

After a fiddly job comes a dead easy one.

In a flat two minutes the
door cards are replaced

and an extensive
carpet set is installed.

As Mike says on a Saturday night, bingo.

Well after all that I
think it's fair to say

that this interior is a
much nicer place to be.

The VW Karma gear is getting there.

The cosmetic jobs are complete
but we can't cash in just yet.

The car does lack an engine
and gearbox which is kind of useful

if you want to sell one
of these for top dollar

and with the money we
spent so far we really need to.

This is our wonderful 69 Karma gear
convertible and we're very nearly at the point

where it's going to cruise into new
ownership and off into the sunset.

I went all the way to the USA to find a
Karma that was worthy of the workshop

but it wasn't fit for sale
and Ed's been tackling

both mechanical and
cosmetic jobs inside and out.

And with a hefty parts and import bill.

the Karma will only turn a profit if
we can collect a very high selling price.

The last job is to
reinstall the drivetrain.

I'm laying in new fire resistant
panels that line the engine bay

and together with the
satin black base panel

I think it all looks pretty good.

Before I can get the engine back in

I need a gearbox.

Well the gearbox is finally
back from the repair shop.

They've replaced anything
that needed changing.

They've also done the seals
as well given a bit of a refurb.

So now our gearbox is
ready to go back in the car.

I've topped up the oil
so let's get on with it.

At 400 pounds the gearbox
repair and service was not cheap

but it's about half the
price of a refurb unit

and to me a satin black
gearbox looks the business.

Too bad nobody will see it.

I've got to get the gearbox
mounted in the car and connect it up.

Then the engine will
bolt into the back of it.

It's important to grease the CV joints
before you connect them to the gearbox.

I might have mentioned before

how much I love the easy bolt in
bolt out simplicity of Beetle engines.

In only two hours I'm able to
reinstall the gearbox and motor.

The ancillaries are a
doddle to get back in place.

Now we're really cooking
on gas, or petrol at least.

Well there we go, one refurbished
gearbox replaced in double quick time.

I love Volkswagen mechanicals.

It's time for the finishing touches.

Back on goes the lovely chrome
trim that looks so great on our car, man.

When we bought this car there
was a bit of chrome trim missing.

Well unfortunately you can't
actually buy replacements individually.

You have to buy an entire set.

So that's what we've had to do.

But the good news is, at least now
the chrome's going to look super shiny.

Very blingy.

And on goes the nose badge.

That feels to me like a full stop.

Well look at that, our Carmen is complete.

When this V-Dub first
turned up at the workshop

it was clear to see that it had been
enjoyed but not exactly cherished.

But now we've lavished it
with a serious dose of TLC.

It's obvious it's had the
pampering it's always deserved.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you
a 1969 Carman gear convertible.

This might be one of
the best style cars ever

but I think ours is surely
the best of the breed.

Where do you go to get a decent Carman?

The land where the sun always shines.

The west coast of the USA.

I knew this car was good
and I won a cracking deal.

The gearbox crunch
was a recipe for disaster

so Ed removed the
ailing box and sent it away.

It's a VW folks, so almost
no sweat for the big man.

Next Ed filled a gaping hole that
really shouldn't have been there,

tidied up the engine bay and
stripped off the nastily painted seals.

The interior wasn't fit for a
king, it wasn't even fit for Ed.

So every single dash panel and
door card got swapped for new.

All back together and we've got a Carman
that has decades of motoring left in it.

It's all about the money
and here's where we are.

Gearbox service was 400 quid, paint 400,

spares 600 quid plus my import costs
and expenses and I'm in for £10,450.

Nice car but big numbers.

Ed?

Alright mate.

Wow, look at the little Carman gear.

I know it had strong paintwork
when I bought it in America but.

oh look at it, all of a sudden it feels
like she's got a new set of clothes on.

Well the thing is because the
paint was in really good condition,

I didn't have to do a respray
or any of that kind of stuff,

which meant I had time to
sort out the fabric of the car.

So now we've got a good as new interior,
the gearbox is as good as new as well.

Really she just kind of feels
herself again, you know?

Certainly does, looks fantastic.

Running right, she looks right and look
at this, she's even got a nose badge back.

Somehow I feel like this
car's got her heart back.

Well I think this is
exactly the car you

want to go for a bit of
a pose in, you know?

Well I think we should
put that theory to the test.

What, go for a test
drive and a bit of a pose?

Absolutely.

I'm in for that.

This is the perfect place to drive
this car in Sussex on the South Downs.

It's just right for this
car's laid back vibe.

It does all seem very agreeable.

It does.

You know what, it's over 40
years old and there's no luxuries,

there's no electronics, it's just
the car, the driver and the road.

Now this car's come from a desert
region all the way in the United States.

It started off a little bit poorly,
travelled thousands of miles to be cured

and now it's been reborn
and it just goes to show

what you can achieve
with a little bit of egg graft.

Do you know what, this
car makes me so happy.

I reckon it's the best
common gear in the country.

Well as usual, your
enthusiasm is intoxicating,

but we really do need to think
about how we're going to sell this car.

Are we going to strike gold?

There's too much that's good about
this car not to turn the dime on it.

I mean come on, it's a 69 car, I mean gear.

It's super clean, it drives perfectly.

Thanks to you, everything works.

Yeah but what about the price though?

Well the car does owe us
a few quid and the price is

going to have to be high to
claw back some of that money.

So I was thinking 12 grand
which I know is high for the market,

but I reckon we could pull it
off if we can find the right punter.

Now I'll be honest with
you, the common gear

hasn't shifted as
quickly as I would like.

Maybe rain had stopped play but the
emails and the phone calls have dried up.

This guy behind me is called Alan though,

he phoned and said that he
wants to see the car straight away.

So let's see what I can do.

Oh well you're tapping away
there Alan, what do you think of it?

Very impressed.

I'm here on behalf of a friend of
mine who saw this on the Internet.

He said get over there
and have a look at it.

So can you negotiate
on your friend's behalf?

I have that permission yes.

As you know I've advertised the
car for £12,000, what do you think?


what he wants you to play.

Okay, so what are you thinking?

£11,000.

I'm not selling it for £11,000, I'd rather
keep it and drive it into the sunset.

Um I'll have it, I'll let you have it
for £11,500, will you go to that?

I think you'd be pleased at that.

Oh I should have gone for more.

Go on then hold out your hand, I bet
you just bought yourself a Carman gear.

Well done.

An £11,500 shake is a high price for
the market and turning the £1,000 profit

is not bad considering I was
worried we'd make nothing.

Plus I'm satisfied we secured
the car a new beginning.

It's all good.

Amazing isn't it?

Me and this Carman gear first
met thousands of miles away,

halfway around the world and
now she's just turned me a profit.

I think we both benefited
from our relationship.

If you want to see more
iconic cars getting turned

around then join us again
soon on Wheel of Dealers.

Ta-ta.