14x10 - 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

[bunniefuu]

The 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer
is as American as Apple Pie.

People out here, they get a
little fizzing feeling for them.

The rare iconic car from the
uninspired period of auto design,

the Wagoneer pairs a beefy V8 engine
with a luxurious driving experience.

And to my surprise, there are
hot properties here in the States.

It actually drives really nicely.

People will pay top
dollar for nostalgia, but

what they won't pay
for is tired suspension,

broken four-wheel drive, or a car
that looks ready for the scrapyard.

This is going to cost a fortune.

It's a big risk, but it could
come with a big reward.

Just this morning, I've
had five phone calls.

And tonight, we'll
have to get past our first

impressions to separate
this diamond from the rough.

I might as well embrace it.

I've got a handshake, only just.

I'm on my way to go and see a
car that I know very, very little about.

And it's all part of this big learning
experience of being here in America.

I've got a weird taste
in cars, and apparently

this one I'm going
to see, I go crazy for.

Now, the car in question is a


To me, it looks like
just a straightforward

knockoff copy of our
great British Range Rover.

But actually, it's the other way around.

This vehicle was born a full
seven years before in 1963.

People out here,
they get a little fizzing

feeling for them, and
there's a market for them.

I've seen them change
hands for up to $40,000.

Yeah, I know it seems
a little bit mad, but

being a Wheeler-dealer,
that's what I'm chasing.

Judging by the pictures
I've seen, it looks like

this thing should be
sent to the scrap heap.

But until I'm standing in
front of it, I'll never know.

So either I've wasted a tank
of petrol, or I'm on my way to

go and see a car that may
have a future with me and Andy.

Please don't say that's it.
Please don't say that's it.

Hey, Warren.

This is it.

Oh, dear.

It really is a big car, and it
looks like it needs a ton of work.

So why are you selling it?

I have too many projects here
at the ranch. Just way too much

stuff going on. I don't have
the time to dedicate to this.

I know Americans really
love these things, don't they?

They do.

Let's start under the bonnet, is that okay?

Perfect.

I see it's been pulled already.
Is it broken?

It is not.

Look at the size of that.

Yep, it has a 5.9-liter V8.

And what have you done to the engine?

It's been completely
rebuilt. I threw a new

car bonnet a few months
ago, got a new battery.

Seriously? You spent money on it?

Yeah, good money.

It's just such a mess. I can
tell you, this dirt has managed

to keep the rust at bay. It
sort of just needs a clean.

Yeah, that's it.

Shall I wait while you go and do it?

No, no, no. I got to get rid of this.

Oh, come on,
Warren. That's not fair.

Seriously, look at the
state of that interior.

Yeah, but everything works.

Are you kidding?

Look at this. Power seats.

Oh, that still works.

That works. Air conditioning works.
The windows work.

Seriously?

Yeah.

What's that?

It's a bed sheet.

It really is sheet, yeah. It's a bit of
a shame. All of this fake wood stuff

on the side is peeling off and faded.
Please tell me the rear glass is there.

It is. A lot of these, the
rear glass just doesn't

work. The motor burns
out, but this one works.

I can't believe everything works in this.
Look at the size of that boot.

And you can see down into
the four corners of this car,

and you can see again,
there's just no rust whatsoever.

So how much is this again?

This one's six grand.

So you're going to pay me
six grand to take it away?

You drive it, you're
going to fall in love with it.

Well, listen, it's going to have to caress
me in ways I've never been caressed

before, but let me take it for a test
drive and let you know what I think.

All right.

Huh? What's going on here?

Eh?

It actually drives really nicely.

Mechanically at the moment,
engine-wise, gearbox,

free-speed, automatic,
feels silky smooth.

Even the power steering feels good.

Everything feels luxurious.

Am I really saying that?

For a vehicle that's got
no carpet in it, it should

be noisy, it should be
boomy, but listen to it.

It's nice and quiet.
I'm sitting there comfortably.

I'm in that lofty driving position that's not
so lofty anymore, because over the years, I

gather this thing hasn't had any suspension
components put onto it, so it's sagged a bit.

But other than that, it feels really good.

Let me put my foot down.

Good power delivery. Not bad at all.

I'll tell you what I am
going to do. I'm just going to

pull here, and I'm just going
to select four-wheel drive.

That's four-wheel drive.

Put it on lock, and it should jump
as you go into four-wheel drive.

Oh, no, and it's not, so I don't
know if it's just a switch or whether

it's something mechanical
underneath, but that will need to be fixed.

So the question is, is it worth the
$6,000 that Warren is asking for it?

I'm going to go back, and I'm going
to try and get this a little bit cheaper.

If I can get it for $4,000 off of
Warren, it's really no risk, because

I could break it down for parts
and sell it if it was to all go wrong.

But truthfully, I think this is such a solid
vehicle, I think it's worth the gamble.

Well, mate, did you fall in love?

I wouldn't say falling
in love with it. I'd say

we're having the
beginnings of a relationship.

But I'm going to be honest with
you, I'm surprised how well it drives.

It is so luxurious if
you've got your eyes shut.

It's not until you open
your eyes you realize

you're sitting in a tented
village. It's horrible.

One problem I did
have was the two-to

four-wheel drive selector
doesn't seem to work.

Then there's the
headliner, the carpets, the

interior, all this fake
wood on the outside.

But the mechanicals are good,
the stuff underneath is good.

So it comes down to the price. $4,000.

No.

Are you for real?

I could do $5,000.

$5,000?

Yep.

Make it $4,500 and
you've got yourself a deal.

Deal.

Yes.

I don't know if I've just been robbed
or not, I'm still trying to work it out.

But I've just bought
myself a Grand Wagoneer.

Usually at this point
they say, come to daddy.

But I don't know
whether I'm going to fall in

love with this or if it's
going to break my heart.

So $4,500 does buy you a
huge great big slice of Americana.

And look what I got. I got this Jeep Grand
Wagoneer that has the right ingredients.

The market says that it's
a cheap enough vehicle.

I just need to convince Ant of that.

It's not that bad.

Why is it here?

It's ours.

I bought it for us.

You do know what it is, don't you?

It's ugly.

It's a Jeep Grand Wagoneer.

Americans go crazy for them.

They love the nostalgia for
a great big luxurious SUV.

And they're willing to pay for it.

How much did you pay for it?

$4,500.

About £3,000.

What?

Don't say that.

Look, let me show you
some of the good stuff.

Alright, I'm going to bear with you.

Yes.

But you're going to have to sell it to me.

I will sell it to you.

First of all, let me take you through
a little jaunt up the side of the vehicle.

As you can see, it's got really good Chuck
lines and the doors are nice and solid.

Wait until you see this luxuriously
appointed beautiful interior.

This is going to cost a fortune.

You know, I thought
exactly the same as you.

But all this stuff, everything
inside, carpet, seats, it's all gettable.

Even a headliner.

And it's not that expensive.

Plus there's some
other good things as well.

It's got electric seats.

They'll work.

It's got electric windows.

In fact, there's five because
there's one for the tailgate.

It's got air conditioning.

It works.

It's got power steering.

It works.

Even the radio plays 80s music.

I like 80s music.

So that's one good thing.

Shall I show you under the bonnet?

Right then.

Have a look what's under this huge bonnet.

I was hoping it was going to get
better but it's just as bad as the inside.

It's filthy.

I can see there's a new car.

Yeah, it's got a brand new car
sitting on top of a rebuilt 5.9 litre V8.

And the engine really does pull well.

So we don't need to do anything
mechanically to the engine.

So mechanically this car's fine?

No, I said the engine's fine.

I didn't say mechanically it's fine.

Okay, but it drove in here.

This is a luxury off-roader.

But I drove in here under
just two-wheel drive power.

Right, so I'm sensing that
the 4x4 bit doesn't work.

And that's why you're here.

You're the clever man.

You'll suss it out.

Let me show you some
of this stuff down the side.

See all this faux wood?

It's all faded and beaten up.

Is that a veneer?

No, it's actually a sticker.

But you can get
replacements for all this stuff.

Or I can work out a
different way of fixing it up.

We've got to change the colour.

Oh yeah, we might as well
change it for a more luxurious

colour, which is exactly
what the market wants.

Now just imagine what it'd be like.

Oh yeah.

It doesn't get any better
in there, does it, either.

But just remember, you
know, when it is finished,

me and you will have a nice luxury 4x4.

We can enjoy this vehicle
for what it was designed to do.

I'm going to be honest.

I don't really love it.

But I might as well embrace it.

We're here now.

Oh, top work.

I've got a handshake.

Only just.

Now when driving this car normally,

it actually operates as
a two-wheel drive car.

So if I turn the ignition on,

place it into gear,

it's going to drive the rear wheels only.

And they're working fine.

If I place it in neutral, turn the
switch, put it into four-wheel drive,

in theory, it should
now turn all four wheels.

The fronts aren't working.

So Mike was right.

There is a problem with the four-wheel
drive, and I need to diagnose it.

And I'm going to start
underneath the bonnet.

The four-wheel drive system
on this car operates by vacuum.

And what that means is when the
engine's running, it builds up vacuum,

and that vacuum is stored
inside this little bulb here,

which actually looks all right.

The hoses look intact.

And then a second bulb at the back,

which I can already see, the hose is off.

In fact, worse than that,

the little nipple that joins the
hose to the bulb is actually broken.

There's no way that this system
could hold vacuum, and that's

probably the reason why the
four-wheel drive doesn't work.

But it's not the only thing.

There's still something else I want to
check, and that's underneath the car.

To activate the front wheels,

this car uses the
vacuum stored within the

engine bay to operate
this tiny piece here.

This is called a transfer case shift motor.

And there's no real way of
testing it with the engine running,

because I know that this
car doesn't hold vacuum.

But I can test it using a hand pump.

I'm going to use this hand pump to simulate
the vacuum that the engine would create.

So I'm going to unplump the
pipes that are fitted in the car,

put my hand pump pipe on,

and then this should build
up pressure to about 15.

Ah.

The problem is that
it's not holding pressure,

which means this bit's also broken.

Mike's gone and spent $4,500
on a 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer.

That doesn't sound like
much, but we're going to have

to spend some real money
to turn this car around.

It should be worth it, though,
as the American market

is absolutely bonkers for
these weird, boxy SUVs.

Everything feels luxurious.

Am I really saying that?

But before we can tackle
the problems inside and out,

I need to fix the four-wheel drive,
which is stubbornly refusing to engage.

The shift motor is definitely a problem,

so it's the first to go.

First, I remove the split pin connecting
the shift motor to the transfer case,

then pull the clamp holding the motor.

But that's not the only
problem with a four-wheel drive,

so I get it back on the ground to pull
the vacuum bulbs in the engine bay.

Those can be replaced and replumbed.

Removing them is a matter
of loosening the fittings

holding them in place and
sliding the bulbs right out.

This Jeep is really growing on
me because it's full of technology.

There's loads of electronics in this car,
which in the 80s was pretty cutting-edge.

But for the switch to the transfer case,

Jeep didn't rely on electronics.

In fact, they used a system that
existed in loads of other cars at the time.

They used vacuum.

The engine's producing it
anyway, plus it's reliable.

Mike's got hold of a new shift motor, and
the way it works is actually really simple.

Down the middle here, there's a diaphragm

that separates the
gold side from the black

side, giving airtight
chambers in each side.

Now, if I apply pressure
in the form of vacuum,

this is the equivalent
of turning the switch on.

It pushes that rod out,
engaging the four-wheel

drive system within
the transfer case.

If I remove it, apply
pressure to the black side,

the two-wheel drive side,

it withdraws it, putting it from
four-wheel to two-wheel drive.

Now, the old one broke
down, but it did last 30 years,

and if I fit a new one, it's
going to last another 30 years.

But while the car's on the floor,

I'm going to fit the bulbs first.

As I install the new vacuum system,

my hope is that I've solved the problem.

I've checked the transfer case, and
it's not visibly distressed or leaking,

so I don't think rebuilding
it will be necessary.

Ooh!

The shift motor nestles back
up against the transfer case.

Where I clamp it in place,

we attach the split pin and
run the vacuum plumbing.

If you think about the
lifespan of the Wagoneer,

from 1963 all the way up to


and they improved.

The later cars are better than the earlier,

but there's one thing that stayed
the same, and that was that switch.

It always worked by vacuum.

They do say if it
ain't broke, don't fix it.

Right, I already know
the two-wheel drive works.

So, engage fourth.

And there you have it!

Less than an hour's work and around $150.

That's only 110 pounds, and this
car has got its off-road capability back,

which is going to make
Mike one happy camper.

Now that the four-wheel drive is working,

this Jeep has a
date with the body

shop, so I need to
start stripping it down.

I'm going to start at the back of
the car and work my way forward,

starting with the rear lights and the
panel in the liftgate protecting the glass.

That gives me access to the
bolts securing the license plate light.

And while I'm back there,

I'll remove the lock and some badging.

As a little tip,

when you're dealing with loads
of nuts, bolts and screws like this,

I like to use a bit of masking tape
and put all the screws on the panel.

That way, I know they're going to be
safe, and when I come to refit the car,

I'm not going to lose any.

Six heavy-duty bolts
secure the rear bumper.

Well, that and along
with 30 years' worth of dirt.

When it comes to the interior,

structurally, the seats are quite sound,

and remarkably, all the
electrics are still working.

A simple reskin will see them
right and save us loads of money,

so I'm putting them aside

before sending them
off to the upholstery shop.

But that stage is the easy bit.

I reckon this next bit is going
to be a bit of a nightmare,

and it's these side vinyls.

Now, the Wagoneer is
famous for this wooden side,

but these have been baking under
the Californian sun since the 1980s.

And I reckon they're going to be tricky.

I love this attention to detail.

Jeep put little wooden-colour
caps over the rivet holes.

It's a nice touch.

The majority of these rivets are spinning.

They won't drill out.

Leaves me only one choice.

These trim pieces are made
with a kind of rubber compound,

and they're still pretty
well glued to the car.

So ripping them off is
not going to be easy.

The two bits of good news are that we're
going to replace these trim bits anyway,

and this Jeep is sturdy
enough, so there's no real risk

of deforming the body
panels in the process.

I've been taking vinyls off
cars ever since I was a kid,

and back in the day, I used to use a
heat g*n and a scraper, but it took hours.

Now I can recommend this bit of kit here.

It's actually a piece of
rubber that goes on to an

existing drill, and it
acts just like an eraser.

The reason why Jeep went
for this distinctive wooden side

was a little nod back to the 1940s, when
cars like the Woodley used real wood.

But by the time they got to the 80s,

vinyls were more practical,
plus they were cheaper.

Wood would have been easier.

I could have just taken the panel off.

Instead, I've got to
spend hours removing this.

I went through three of these
rubber discs at around $35 a pop,

but it's well worth it to
get the job done properly.

People for centuries have
been trying to turn lead into gold.

Right in front of my eyes, I've watched
a man turn a piece of steel into wood.

I'm chasing the booming American market

for Jeep Grand Wagoneers with this


Ant has already fixed a
dodgy four-wheel drive,

but in order to make
any profit on this car,

it needs an extensive facelift,

so Ant stripped it down and
sent it along to the paint shop.

Getting the look of the Wagoneer right

come sale time is going
to make all the difference.

We've gone for this amazing colour.

It's called Dark Baltic Blue.

It's a stock colour,
and it looks incredible.

But now we've got the
sticky problem of the stickers

that are on the side of
the car, those wood panels.

What do we do with them?

I've been looking around to
try and find the original ones,

and I'll be honest with
you, they're really expensive.

So then I've started to
look at knock-off stickers,

and he wants to put a copied
part on a classy car like that.

So I found this guy.
He's an automotive legend.

He's called Lyle Fisk, and
he is going to hand-paint

the wood paneling on the side for me,
and he reckons it'll look just like wood.

Here he is, the man I've come to see, Lyle.

Yes, sir.

Working away.

Mike.

I'm very excited about being with you today

because I've heard the
legend that goes before

that you can turn any piece
of steel into a piece of wood.

I see you're practicing away.

Yep.

We're trying to make sure
that we don't have a problem

on the actual product that
we're going to be working on.

So what is the process?
How do we go through it, then?

The first thing you need
to do is find a piece of

wood that you like, and
you try to emulate that.

So you look at the wood
real close and see what the

ground color should be,
and then you mix up the grain,

and you just start dragging
your brush through.

That's fantastic.

I mean, look, people for
centuries have been trying

to turn lead into gold, but
right in front of my eyes,

I've watched a man turn
a piece of steel into wood.

And it drives those termites crazy.

I bet it does.

This may look easy,

but Lyle's been developing
this process for decades,

figuring out the proper paint mixture,

finding the right brushes, and
experimenting with technique.

Now we've done a
practice on this little panel,

why don't we transfer it across
and go for real on a Jeep Wagoneer.

All right, here we are.

Yes, very excited now.

Right where I like to be.

What kind of wood do you like?

We've got a Navy blue car.

The trim that goes
around the outside of these

wood panels is going
to be a lighter trim,

so I think to make it contrasting,

we need a piece of timber in
the middle that's slightly darker.

Tight grain.

A tight grain.

I don't want it to look like pine.

I don't want it to look like mahogany.

I want something in between.

We can do that.

Is there any chance I can have
a go on this piece over here?

Sure.

What we want to do is extend it.

You want to pull the
paint out, don't you, really?

Now, once we get the glaze on there,

then we can start creating
whatever kind of wood you like.

And it really starts to
come alive, doesn't it?

You know, you want it to look as real as
you can, so you try every trick in the book.

Even when I sprayed the water,

it leaves some neat little
wood-looking textures in here.

To add interest to your grading,

you can come along and you
do what they call a heart grain,

and it adds some character to it.

That's a common thing in a piece of wood.

Oh, lovely.

We can put a knot right
there and a knot right there.

Oh, that's cheeky. I like that.

Well, you can drag your
brush all day long like this,

and, yeah, it looks like
wood from 20 feet back,

but you start putting
character to the wood.

Then that starts bringing
out the professional.

And this process seems really organic.

You know, it seems
like you're just creating

something that's beautiful
to you and to the eye.

Just by dragging the brush
and listening carefully to

what Liar was taught me, you
can see already on this side,

I've turned that into a piece of timber.

Liar, this has been just fantastic.

What a weight to spend an afternoon.

Just got the rest of the car to do now.

Yeah. Yeah, I'll be right with you.

Mike tells me the suspension is rubbish.

I'm actually going to upgrade it.

Our 1988 Jeep Grand
Wagoneer may have looked awful.

when Mike brought it in, but
that was then, and this is now.

This car is making such
an incredible transformation.

What a difference a colour change makes.

And the wood panelling on the side,

it's quite simply a work of art.

The thing is, though, I want the
car to drive just as good as it looks,

and Mike tells me the
suspension is rubbish.

It's all a bit woolly.

I could just change
it, but I'm not going to.

I'm actually going to upgrade it,

and that includes raising it just a tad.

With the wheels out of the way,

I can begin stripping
off the old suspension.

First to go is the old shock and sway bar.

This is a well-looked-after
Californian car.

There's actually not a lot of rust in
this, and it's coming apart quite easily.

Those could be my famous last words.

A gearbox stand is just the
thing to support the front axle,

relieving the pressure on the suspension.

That also makes the rest of
the strip down that much easier,

starting with the U-bolts
holding this leaf spring in place.

Then I can remove the spring itself.

The leaf spring's responsible
for the car's ride height,

and they rely on the memory
of the metal for it to work.

Now, the problem is that
over time, that memory is lost,

but it's not surprising,

considering they're around 30 years old.

So I'm going to replace it.

I'm going to put new Springs
in, and as you can see,

the new Springs are
around three inches longer.

Plus, the arc is even greater.

This is going to raise the
ride height of our vehicle.

Plus, because they're new, they're
going to have loads of rebound

because the metal's nice and fresh,
unlike these old ones which have sagged.

With new leaf Springs come new
bushings and a fresh leaf spring shackle.

Once the leaf spring is properly mounted,

I secure it to the axle
with brand-new U-bolts.

For something this critical to the car's
performance, it's not worth scrimping.

Pay the extra to put in new bolts.

A lot of larger vehicles like this have
something that most small cars don't,

and it's one of these.

This is called a steering stabiliser,
and it's kind of like a shock exorber,

and it works in a similar way.

It absorbs all the bumps and vibrations,
but instead of stabilising the vehicle,

this stabilises the steering.

I remove the old sway bar links

and install longer ones to
account for the greater ride height.

Now I'm going to fit the shock exorber.

Just going to remove this packaging wire.

Put this little protector over.

That stops any dirt or grime
getting inside the exorber itself.

Now that this side's finished,
the change in ride height's obvious.

This side hangs down.

In fact, the whole front
axle looks like it's wonky.

But by the time I finish this
side, it's all going to level itself out.

The more I get to work on this Jeep,

the more it starts to grow on me.

I just kind of like its simplicity.

For a luxury vehicle, it's got simple
Springs, simple axle, simple steering.

It just kind of works.

By raising the vehicle, I've actually
altered the steering geometry.

That's because the axle's now lowered,

but the steering itself is still
in this high, fixed position.

Now, the upshot of that
means that this steering arm

is now an increased
angle, and that's not good.

Now, to compensate for that, I'm going to
remove this straight, standard pitman arm

and replace it with this
curved, dropped one.

Put that on there.

It's going to lower the steering arm,

improving the steering geometry,

and everything's going to
handle and drive perfectly.

After loosening the steering arm and
the bolts securing the old pitman arm,

I slot on a bearing puller.

By tightening the centre bolt,

I can decouple the pitman
arm from the steering box.

Then I unscrew the old tie rod, which
I'm going to replace with a new one.

The new pitman arm slots straight on.

Tackling the rear is much
the same as the front.

There's a pair of leaf Springs,
a pair of shocks, but no steering.

Now this Jeep has new suspension.

It sits a little bit higher.

Now, it will settle when
it goes on the road,

but one thing I'm not happy about is
this gap between the wing and the tyre,

but I'm going to fill that
gap by fitting larger tyres.

Now I know the space I got
to play with within the arch.

I can go big, bold and aggressive.

It'll add some much-needed
beef and ruggedness

to what is essentially
a family vehicle.

What I need to do now
is get the wheels off,

get them cleaned and
get Mike to sort the tyres.

It's actually going to be travelling
faster than the Speedo shows

and the new owner's
likely to get a speeding

ticket, and that's a
real problem on this car.

Ant, how you doing, son?

Hey.

Nice. Look at those.
Just in time, I see, with the tyres.

New wheels?

No, no, these are the originals.

You're kidding, right?

Yeah, I'm giving them a bit of a clean-up.

They look fantastic.

Now, I've got your tyres you asked for.

I can see where you was
going now because these tyres,

although they fit the original
rim, they're so much bigger.

Bigger, bolder, more aggressive.

Yeah, fantastic.

Yeah, have a look.

Oh, nice.

You've just given it a
bit of a lift, haven't you?

Yeah, it's got a three-inch lift
now, so with the bigger tyres, the lift,

it's going to feel like an
aggressive car as well.

And, hopefully, it'll drive a lot better.

And it'll look better.

Saying looking better, what an
inspired choice going for this blue.

Now, I've seen it in the flesh and
not in the paint shop for the first time.

That is absolutely fantastic.

What Lyle did as well.

This is amazing.
The customers are going to love this.

They certainly will love this,
and I'm not making this up.

I put the feelers out there and said
that we've got one coming up for sale,

and just this morning,
I've had five calls already.

Big money offers as well.

I never realised how
popular the Wagoneer is.

From an engineering perspective,
this car is absolutely brilliant.

I'll fall in love with it
when it's down the road

and we've got some profit in our
back pocket, so let's get it finished.

Now that Mike's bought new tyres, I can
mount them on the freshly restored wheel.

Next up, I'm going to
replace the valve stems.

It's always best practice to put new valve
stems in when you're replacing the tyres.

They're not expensive,
and for just a few dollars,

it's really good insurance.

I grease up the tyre to
make it easier to mount

and reduce the risk
of tearing the rubber.

I already have the wheel
clamped onto the tyre changer.

Once the tyre's on top of the wheel,

I engage the duck head which
tucks up against the rim of the wheel.

When I rotate it, the
shape of the duck head

helps channel the tyre into place.

Now it's really important
at this stage that

you declamp the wheel
before setting the bead.

What that basically
means is putting air in it.

It releases it off the machine.

After mounting a tyre, it is imperative
that you get the wheels balanced.

Balancing the wheels ensures that the weight
is evenly distributed around the wheel.

The slightest bit of difference
can cause a vibration.

I'm lucky.
I have this equipment in the workshop,

but you can get this done at a
local tyre shop for around 40 dollars.

Now it's the moment of truth.

I get to see what the bigger
tyres look like on the car.

You know what? I can already
tell they're going to look fantastic.

Mike is going to love this.

I'm fitting all four tyres
on the car while it's

in the air, then lowering
it onto the ground.

I'm using the weight
of the car to tighten

the wheel nut to the
desired torque setting.

This looks so much better.

That is exactly the
stance I was looking for.

But there is a problem.

And that's because on this model of car,

the speed I'm reading is taken
from the end of the gearbox.

It takes each one of those
tiny little gearbox revolutions

and translates them into
miles per hour at the Gauge.

The problem is now the wheels are bigger,

the car's going to travel
further per revolution.

And a simple way of explaining that

is with a smaller and a larger tyre.

Now if I put these side by side,

and with a pen Mark 12
o'clock here on the big tyre,



and then push them one single revolution,

so they're both doing exactly
the same amount of work,

the smaller tyre stops here,

whereas the bigger tyre travels further.

And that's a real problem on this car.

It's actually going to be travelling
faster than the Speedo shows,

and the new owner's likely
to get a speeding ticket.

But there is a solution.

And it's this.

A new Speedo gear.

And this is correctly worked
out for this size of wheel and tyre.

Put that on the car, and our new owner's
not going to get in trouble with the law.

Now the Speedo takes a
mechanical reading from up here.

So I'm just going to
remove the Speedo cable.

Because in simple terms what
happens is the gearbox is turning,

it turns the gear inside the gearbox,
and that gear is joined to this cable here,

and turns, like so,

all the way up to the
speedometer giving the reading.

So if I remove this bracket,

I'll be able to take the old
gear out and put the new one in.

And here it is.

This green one, this
is for our factory tyres,

and the new red one, this
is for our new larger tyres.

And there is a general rule of thumb.

There's one less tooth
for every extra inch of

tyre, and we've gone
from 29 inch up to 33 inch.

So our new one has four less teeth.

And that just slides straight back in.

So that's the tyres and the Speedo done.

Now I need to get us
shipped off to the interior shop,

plus I've got a load of
loose ends to button up,

so that Mr Brewer can get us sold.

Our Jeep Wagoneer is
back from the upholstery

shop, and is nearly
ready to find a new owner.

New seats, carpet and
head lighter weren't cheap,

but they'll make a huge difference
when it comes to sale time.

I'm just finishing putting on a trim kit.

Now I just have to fit on everything else.

I've spent hours cleaning and
polishing the trim to a high shine.

We've left no stone unturned
in making this car look its best.

This is one of the original bumpers
and it's cleaned up really nicely.

So we've saved ourselves a few
quid, which will keep Mike happy.

I'm desperate to see how she drives.

The 88 Jeep Grand Wagoneer
is a broad-shouldered SUV

that belies its boxy looks with
luxury and technology aplenty.

Powered by a 5.9-litre V8,

equipped with Jeep's signature
four-wheel drive and loaded with extras.

Grand Wagoneers are incredibly
hot property here in America,

which is why we put in extra
time and money to get it right.

This is a luxury off-roader.

And sorted out the performance end,

getting the four-wheel drive
system back up to factory spec

and improving its stance with
upgraded suspension and new tyres,

while I pitched in with
one-of-a-kind painted wood panels.

Just got the rest of the car to do now.

Yeah.

The Jeep costs us $4,500.

The new suspension set us back $1,600.

New tyres was $700.

Refurbishing the interior costs $4,000.

Paint, including Lyle's
wood grain, costs $7,250.

New parts cost $1,300.

With 65 man-hours in,
our total cost is $19,350,

or around £13,800.

That's a lot of money to spend,

but we're hoping this
investment pays off in a big way.

Before we hand it over,

Ant and I are going to find out
just how comfortable we can be

driving through some actual
Southern Californian snow

in the mountains just
outside of Los Angeles.

It's about time you showed up.

What a place to come
and see this wagon here.

It's the perfect countryside for it.

It is sensational up here.

I've been walking around it,
just checking the chassis number,

making sure it's the same car.

I've used this cliché before, but I genuinely
thought that was a different vehicle.

I assure you, that is the exact same
car that you brought in at the beginning.

Just a little bit better.

I just can't believe how far it's come.

When I found this, it was white, it
was nasty, it was all a ripped interior,

but now it just looks like a triumph.

As the restoration's gone on,

I have totally fallen in
love with this vehicle.

First of all, the colour.

This blue is just sensational,

and set off against these wood trim
panels that are hand-painted by Lyle.

It is an absolute work of art.

The fact that you've kept the
original sized wheels with a bigger tyre

in that lofty driving position,
it just looks so purposeful.

The chrome round the
front, it just looks fantastic.

I love the roof rack as well.

If you think it looks
good from the outside,

do you remember what
it looked like inside?

No way! That is fantastic.

Now it just looks like a brand
new 1988 luxurious vehicle.

I've driven it here, and trust
me, it is slippery and icy out there.

Four-wheel drive on.

This thing drives like a dream.

In fact, get your bum in
there, let's hit the mountains.

Lovely!

When I bought this, it was
already a good driving vehicle,

but now you fiddle with the suspension.

It just drives beautifully.

Look how smooth it is inside this c*ck.

It is literally floating,

but it's about what happened
underneath that big lift.

It's had a complete suspension overhaul.

It just feels brilliant.

You're sitting above the traffic,

you're sitting above
the ruts and the bumps,

you can climb over rocks
and boulders a little bit more,

and it's made it feel, I think,
just a lot more purposeful.

And also, you can now go off-road.

I can go off-road properly, thanks to
you fixing that four-wheel drive system.

You do feel like you can just turn this
car absolutely anywhere in this scenery,

and you've got a feeling
it's just going to conquer it.

It's very good.

And the 4x4 system in this car is genius.

You know it was the
first time anyone had

coupled an automatic
gearbox to a 4x4 system?

Who knew?

That was in the 60s.

This is a vehicle that pioneered
that in the Grand Wagoneer.

We're going to sell
this vehicle quite easy.

Every single car manufacturer
out there is making an SUV.

Most of the modern cars have
more or less turned out of a computer.

They're all generic and
they're all curved at the edges.

This doesn't conform to any of that.

People want that nostalgic, boxy look
that you get from this vehicle of the 80s.

We spent quite a bit of money
on it, but I'm convinced we'll get

somewhere between
$25,000 and $30,000 for it.

That's a lot.

That's over 20,000 pounds.

That is a lot of money.

That's new car territory.

It's new car territory, but look at it.

This is a lot of car, thanks to you.

Did we now confess that we actually
really love the Jeep Grand Wagoneer?

I will gladly stand up on a big box,
wave my hands in the air and say,

this is a fantastic car.

The moment I first clapped eyes
on the Jeep Grand Wagoneer,

there was a little voice
inside my head saying,

walk away, walk away.

And I'm so pleased I didn't walk away
because look, the gamble has paid off.

I advertised it out there on the Internet.

Honestly, my phone
has been ringing nonstop.

This is such an easy vehicle to sell.

The first person to get down
there is this chap behind me.

He is called Walter.

Now, Walter is a fan of ATIS 4x4s.

He's already been for a drive.

That went well.

Let's see if we can put a deal together.

Sorry, Walter.

Do you like what we've done to it?

You knocked it out of the park.

I love the blue color, the wood paneling
that's painted on, which is incredible.

The lift in the tires,
the interior is gorgeous.

It does come at a price.

I've advertised it for $28,000,

and I'm expecting to get that.

Well, you know what?

It is a beautiful car, so I'm
thinking I got to go $25,000.

$25,000?

$25,000.

Wow.

I'll be honest with you.

I've got somebody sitting
in their car not too far away

waiting for you to walk
away so we can walk in,

and I'm convinced I can
get $27,000 off of him for it.

So I'm afraid you're going
to have to do better than that.

Okay.

How about $26,000?

$26,000.

Make it $26,500, and
I'll have a deal with you.

$26,500. Deal.

Well done, son.

Thank you.

You just bought yourself a Grand Wagoneer.

Wonderful.

Shotgun.

Cupid's arrow really
didn't strike me or Ant

when we first see our Jeep Grand Wagoneer,
but as she started to put on her dress

and put her lipstick on,
love was bound to happen.

Now, we sold the car to Walter, and I
know he's going to love it for many years,

and me and Ant, we put a
nice profit in our back pocket.

So yes, me and Ant have fallen in love.

If you want to see more iconic
cars like this being turned around,

then join us again soon
on Wheel of Dealers.

Ta-la.