01x08 - Land Rover: A Favourite to Finish

[bunniefuu]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

I'm Ant Anstead.

I've been fixing cars
since I was a teenager.

And I've set myself the task
of restoring...

(YELLS) Yes! Come on!

...and selling eight
crumbling old cars for profit.

It's the ultimate road cruiser.

And the stakes are high
because it's personal.

The cow room is now the bathroom.
Okay.

Everything I make is going towards
this 500-year-old farmhouse...

She goes today,
which means big hammer.

...that I bought for my mum and dad
to retire in.

So what's gone wrong there, then?
Bodged.

But it's a total wreck.

How far away from collapse is this?
A really good storm could cause
a problem.

Let's do it.

With my family by my side...

Feels like a proper brake pedal now.

...and some help from
my engineer mate, Darren...

Oh, are you joining me for the ride?
Yeah, why not?

...I've got the best team
around me...

Hey, watch out!

...as I take on
eight wrecks on wheels...

Perfect.
...and a house that's falling apart.

What, the whole thing's being kept
up with chicken wire?Pretty much.

It's a massive gamble.
(EXHALES HEAVILY) Come on, breathe.
I am losing sleep over this.

I'll be honest, I've no idea
what's going on.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ANT: The end of the summer
is fast approaching

and with the concrete render off,

the farmhouse is dangerously open
to the elements

so I'm working overtime to get it
prepped for the plasterers.

But being a heritage property,
it's not straightforward.

Where the section's filled with
wattle and daub, we have to
salvage this.

This has to be restored.

These infills, they originally had
breeze blocks in,

and we've been given listed building
consent to fill these panels

with fibreboards, which is way
better for insulation

and you can plaster directly on top.

But each one is a unique size.

(WHIRRING)

Once cut, I screw them
into the wooden battens

attached to the oak beams.

I've been told to use
stainless steel screws,

stainless steel washers.
'cause apparently

the oak reacts with oxidisation.

Doing this prep myself
saves a few quid,

but I'll need a specialist
to do the lime plastering

and that won't be cheap.
So, for my final classic car flip

Darren reckons he's found me a gem.

Oh, you're gonna love this one, Ant.
Yeah?Yep.

All right, what is it? Tell me.
Let's play a road trip game.

Are we there yet, Dad?
(LAUGHS)

What's the clue?
Your favourite car.

Land Rover?

Yup.
It's a Land Rover?

It's a Land Rover.
Oh, my God! Let's go!

Which Land Rover?
I'm not gonna...
I'm not gonna let on.

Is it a... a... a short wheel
base, a long wheel base?

Has it got a roof? No roof?
Like, give me like...

You have to give me something!

It's... it's a rare car.

Like any self-respecting Brit,

I am, of course,
a Land Rover fanatic.

It was created in 1948

by brothers
Spencer an Maurice Wilks,

the bosses at Rover Cars.

They wanted a vehicle that would
replace the World w*r II surplus
Jeep that they used on their farm.

Conceived as a short-term stop-gap,

it was made from
leftover w*r aluminium

and was easy to build and fix.

Over two million were made
before production ceased in 2016,

but its spirit lives on
in a more luxurious form.

We've driven a couple of hours
to rural Berkshire

to meet a fellow Land Rover
obsessive...

Oh, hi. You must be Simon.
I am.I'm Darren.

Nice to meet you.Ant. It's a real
pleasure to meet you, man.

...who's reluctantly selling
one of his most prized possessions.

There she is.
Wow.Yeah, she's pretty.

She is, yeah. 1978 Station Wagon.

It's got an amazing encyclopaedic
service history.

It's had a few owners,
but always been loved.
But it's only done 43,000 miles.

That's crazy.
It's got, er,

a history log
of all the miles it's done.

It's unusual for a Land Rover.
Mostly you get no history at all.
Yeah.

And a V5 document.
They go from hand to hand.Yeah.

And that's it. Nothing.
So what's your history, then?

I collect Land Rovers
and I've got far too many of them.

Er, but...
This is totally acceptable,
by the way.

(LAUGHS) But there's only so many
that you can restore, hence selling.

If you give us about 15 minutes,
we'll have a quick squeeze round.
Fantastic.

Right, let's clear this out the way.

Let's get it into the light.

(ENGINE STARTS)

It's like the only Land Rover
that starts on the button.

Oh, yeah, that petrol engine
sounds in great shape.

And this is a really rare model.

You see, not many seven-seater
short wheel base Land Rover
Station Wagons

were actually factory built,

because they were classed as cars
and not commercial vehicles

which attracted extra tax.

Most were converted from
regular Land Rovers after market.

Look at this, Darren.

That's awesome. Can you imagine?

This is actually
a genuine seven-seater.

A factory genuine Station Wagon.

But in rainy Britain, 1970s
Land Rovers are prone to corrosion,

and usually in
the worst possible place.

The bulkhead.

It's a bit crusty under here.

It's the structurally crucial
section that bolts to the chassis

and separates the engine bay
from the cab.

In here, it's as bad as mine.

Someone's obviously lashed it over
with black gloss paint.

It can cost thousands to replace.

Yeah, most of it is crumbling
way over here.

This is not good.
(SIGHS HEAVILY)

It's basically everything.
Pedals, steering, dash,

wiring. It's the heart of the car.

With a bulkhead this badly rusted,

we're likely talking about
a replacement,

but that could seriously
eat into the profit margin

and make this unviable,
which would be a shame

as there are so many
other positives.

Yeah, it does have charm,
doesn't it?Yeah.

She's charming, yeah.
I love the colour. I love the roof.

Starts on the button. The seats,

the dents, the dinks. It's like...

(SIGHS) Oh, but the bulkhead.

Do you know what?
It just wants a hug.

A hug?A hug.
Are you getting romantic on me?

This is just gonna be a conversation
around... costs.

'Cause that bulkhead's gonna be
expensive to buy.

A good condition Series 3 Landy
should get well into the teens

on the open market.

All right.
Right, we're buying the car.

If it's the right money.
Yeah, definitely.

What's the right money?
As is,

I would go somewhere between
seven and 10.

(THUNDER RUMBLES)
As the heavens have opened,

I'm hoping Simon will want to get
a deal done quickly.

Right. We've had a pretty good look.

What is your expectation
for the car?

I was hoping for around the sort of
10 mark, but sort of nine and a half
would do the deal.

Come down just a little bit.
Okay.

Eight and a half? Would that work?

Six grand.
I can't do that.

Six thousand and 50.
(LAUGHS)

No, no, we're a little bit
far apart.Seven.

Seven and a half.

Seven and a half.Yes.
Seven and a half?

I'd do a deal at seven and a half.

Darren, say yes!
It's tough, but... yeah.

Okay. Yeah, I think so.
Yeah? Done.

Fantastic.
Seven and a half thousand pounds.

Shake his hand.
That's a binding deal.

It's always a monumental day
when you buy a Land Rover
because I'm a Land Rover guy.

We know that there's gonna be
this monumental work

in doing the bulkhead,
and the risk I'm taking is that

that could very quickly become
a Pandora's box of problems.

But if we get lucky,
and it doesn't need so much,

yeah, I think there's gonna be
margin in that car.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

Any profits from the Land Rover
will go towards

the work on the front of the house.

I've been working on
a heritage-approved design

with carpenter Grant Norman

and it's finally ready
to be assembled.

Morning.
Good morning. How you doing?

It's porch day!Porch day.
I tell you what, I am so excited.

It's ultimately that drawing we did.
It's gonna have a pitched roof

so it looks a bit like the dormers.
Totally open.Yeah.

So, where's the timber
for the porch come from, then?
It's, um, Austrian

reclaimed timber. The tie
which goes through the centre,

which is slightly arched,
that's French oak timber.

The arch bit's from France.
The rest of it's from Austria.
That's right, yeah.

How old is that wood?
It's gonna be a minimum of
100 years old

because I don't tend to take down
any buildings before that period.

They go through generations
of a family before they get
taken down.

Oh, man, of the whole house build
so far,

this is the bit
I'm most excited about.

I think it's the bit that'll
transform the street appeal
of the house.

It does, luckily for us.
Yeah, you come and take the glory.
We do, yeah.

The house frontage
is gonna look great,

but between the porch
and the plastering

it's costing me almost eight grand.

So now my Land Rover's back
at the workshop,

I'm keen to get it auction ready.

The elephant in the room
is the bulkhead.

This part between the base of the
screen and the chassis rail here.

It incorporates the firewall,
the footwells, it mounts the
pedals, the steering, the dashboard.

So our most important panel
is actually our rustiest.

We need to find out if the bulkhead
can be saved.

Getting to it should be fairly easy.

After all, Land Rovers are built
with flat bolt-on panels

and modular parts...

Down you come.

Darren, where'd you go?

...designed to be quick to repair
in rugged and remote places.

It basically comes apart and back
together with basic hand tools.

They were go-anywhere vehicles

but most importantly,
they were fix-anywhere vehicles.

You know what, Ant,
with this hinge off

you can really see the rust
on this bulkhead.Yeah.

That's pretty rusty.

Rusted bolts mean we need
more than screwdrivers

to dismantle this Land Rover.

The wings! The wings!
The wing is on fire!

And with its engine now exposed,
we need to get it undercover.

Oh, are you joining me for the ride?
Yeah, why not?

Then remove the bulkhead to see
just how bad it really is.

If a Land Rover isn't at home
in this farm, nothing is.

Right, second wing off...
and then we'll get into
the bulkhead.

Brand-new ones can be
incredibly expensive...

Land Rover jigsaw.

...so I'm praying that this bulkhead
can be saved.

Oh, my life.

Whoo-hoo!

(MUSIC PLAYING)

Yeah, there's no way
we can repair that.

No, I think we're gonna need
a new bulkhead.

2
Oh, yeah, that is absolutely toast.

This 1978 Land Rover Series 3
factory-build Station Wagon,

with just 40,000 miles on the clock,

is a rare find.

But now we know its bulkhead
is irreparable,

at seven and a half grand
it doesn't seem quite such a steal.

Right, let's salvage
dash, dial, steering,

wiper motor, pedals,

and the rest of it can go to
the scrap heap in the sky.

(DRUMS FINGERS)

Land Rovers are prone to
galvanic corrosion,

caused when the steel bulkhead
and the aluminium flooring

contact and get wet.

This creates an electric current

which makes the aluminium
corrode faster.

So this footwell panel here,
made of aluminium,

rests against the steel...

...and unfortunately that's where
the electrical current's created,

right in there.

And Land Rover actually managed
to get around it

and later cars were better
because they were carefully sealed,
carefully painted,

so that the bare aluminium
didn't make contact

with the bare steel and
galvanic corrosion was avoided.

But that doesn't help us now.

It was such a common problem
in rainy '70s Britain,

very few rust-free
second-hand bulkheads exist.

And brand-new ones can cost
a fortune.

Finding a suitable replacement
will take time,

time that Darren and I
just don't have.

But I know a man who does.

Yo, Dad.
Hey.

What is this? What a mess!

Yeah, it's a mess at the moment
but this is a rather charming

1970s Series 3 Land Rover.

Erm, rather rusty, I would say.

This is the bulkhead.
This is the steel part of the car.

In front of your feet
when you're driving a Land Rover.

But this is beyond
economical repair.

Good thing about Land Rovers is

that Land Rover community
is a salvage community.

The point of having a modular car
is you keep these vehicles running

and you interchange and swap parts
from other cars.

I've text you a number of
Land Rover people

within the Land Rover world,

that are likely to have leads

to go and find
a new old bulkhead.

You want me to go find
a bulkhead? The right one? Okay.

Start at the top, call them,
but you have to get the specifically
correct bulkhead.

You need a Type 4 bulkhead,
MRC 60 80.

So it's only made from
1975 to 1983.

If you were to get a '74 or an '84
it won't fit.

So your job is to find it,

go and locate it, and I'm okay
if it has a little bit of
tidying up to do,

like the odd bit of rust.
Okay.

But not in structural areas.
So corners.

But, you know, bits of rust
on this flat section, that's easy,

I can splice it.
Can you not go?

No, I'm better served
just getting this work done.

Okay. I'll do my best.
Think of it like you're

picking up a Christmas present.
I'll go for it, okay.You're like
a courier. A package deliverer.

You're basically Santa Claus.

Deaf ears.

Tracking down the perfect
second-hand bulkhead

won't be easy, but I've got
every faith in my old man.

Do you deal with Land Rovers?
I'm looking for a Land Rover
bulkhead.

(ON PHONE)

Um, no, I don't.

I'm gonna have to go away again
and get some more information.

She immediately asked me a sensible
question and I did not know
the answer.

So, I've got to go away again.
What sort of Land Rover is it?
Oh, goodness me.

ANT: Oh, what have I done?

Anyway, the house needs
my attention.

Carpenter Grant has nearly finished
the new porch

and he wants me to approve it.

You weren't messing around,
were you?

No.
That's incredible.

And you've done that curved top.

And these two are curved as well.
Yeah.

Got to have them all matching.
And each one of these is pegged.

Yeah,
it's all traditionally jointed.

Yeah, that's a massive smile
on my face.

Proportionally, it's perfect.

It mirrors the symmetry
of the house. It's now...

You know, those two dormers,
with the V-style roof,

and now the porch with the V-style
roof. I've forgotten
what was on there originally,

which was basically
an ugly white box.

Salvaging the original door
just blends in perfectly.

I can't wait for Mum and Dad
to see it.

They're gonna love it.

I've had a few passing comments
from the neighbours already.Wow.

It looks like it was built
a few hundred years ago.

It's changed the whole feeling
of the house.

The whole front door, the porch
with the path, the exposed beams,

a new roof.

Yeah, the vision for the house...

Yeah, it's slowly coming together.

I've got to hand it to you, man.
That's really beautiful work.

This porch might be stunning, but
it's set me back nearly seven grand.

Any profit from the Land Rover
can go towards those costs.

Unlike the bulkhead, I'm hoping
these original vinyl seats

can be salvaged.

This just has a little battle scar.

It's weird that the passenger seat
has fared worse than
the driver's seat.

You'd figure it'd be the driver's
seat, the one that always gets
used. Let's get them repaired.

I'll send these to my mate
that fixes interiors

and with a quick patch
they'll be as good as new.

It's amazing, isn't it, that
black vinyl represents luxury
in the Land Rover world.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

After many hours of phone bashing,
Dad has had a breakthrough.

He's got a lead on a matching
second-hand bulkhead,

so he's taken my wallet,

with an instruction not to spend
more than 800 quid,

and headed off to a Land Rover
salvage yard in Ware.

Are you Sam?I am indeed.
The Land Rover guy?I am.

Well, this looks good.
Yup.

Has that been replaced,
or is that just repaired?

I would say that this has been
replaced at some point.

You can buy these repair panels
to fix a bulkhead.

Okay. I'm a bit more worried
about this.

This doesn't look very good at all.
This isn't too bad.

If you're any good with a welder
you can fix this.

Well, I guess so.
Can you turn it over, please?

Let's have a look on the other side.

That doesn't look good.
What's this all about here?

So that's just a foot.
That goes into the chassis.

Can you get a new foot?
Yeah, you can buy a new foot.

They slide up in here.
Okay.

And that's where you bolt
to the outrigger.

Okay. He explained to me that
surface rust isn't such a problem.

I get that. But that's got
a bloomin' great hole in it.

So what sort of money
are we looking at for this?

How does 1100 sound?

I was thinking more about eight.

I'd rather keep it
and just fix it up.

See, this is when I wish
Ant was here.

So, would you take nine?

I'd do 950.

Nine fifty. Thank you.

I'm a bit nervous now about
ringing my son

'cause he might go,
"Oh, Dad, what have you done?"

ANT (ON PHONE): Hey, Dad.
Hi, Ant.

Erm, I don't know if I've done
the right thing,

but I've just bought
a Land Rover bulkhead.

How much was it?
Erm, well, we got 950.

He wanted 11, I went nine.

And we've shaken hands on 950.
Um, it needs a bit of work.

One side looks really good,
but the other side

you've got holes in. But um...
Oh, and the foot thing.

The foot... One of the feet sides
looks a bit rubbish,

but I guess we can buy a new foot,
can we?

Have you paid for it already?
Um, yeah.

Yeah, I've done the deal.
I've shaken hands.
I can't go back on the deal.

Heaven help us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ANT: My Series 3 Landy
is stripped down to its skeleton,

just the way I like it.

I now have a moment to do some of
the mechanical changes
on the Land Rover.

And that's the cool thing
about Land Rovers, is that
they are completely open.

They explode into a million bits,
so changing things like dampers,

from here, is actually
really accessible.

Decent dampers are essential, but
they tend to wear on Land Rovers,

especially if they've been used
on rough terrain.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(EXHALES HEAVILY)

Good. That only solves
half the problem though.

I now need to drill out
the split pin.

That is stuck in there!

(MUSIC POWERS DOWN/DRILLING STOPS)

(MUSIC AND DRILLING RESUME)

Right, well I got my split pin out.

I might have broken my drill bit,
but these dampers will
massively improve

the body control
and the way the car handles.

That took longer than I thought.
(CHUCKLES)

A fanbelt. Nice and easy to do
when you haven't got a wing
in the way.

Now this one's all frayed and worn.

Next task is a new
coolant catch tank.

And this bottle here,
this is the "just in case",

because if the cooling system
gets too hot

and wants to expand beyond,

if you don't allow it to release
that pressure, it will destroy
the engine.

So inside this cap is a spring

that at the perfect amount of
pressure releases.

The coolant then spills out
and goes into here,

as opposed to on the floor.

It's a really cool little
Land Rover trick to keep the fluids.

So imagine you're in the desert
somewhere, super-hot,

Land Rover overheats,
system then releases,

cap does its job, pours the extra
fluid into this catch tank.

You let your car cool down
in the middle of the Sahara,

no fluid lost.

Done.

ANT: With the house exterior
taking shape,

my green-fingered mum is itching
to get her hands on a trowel.

So we've headed to
the local garden centre
for some landscaping inspiration,

and matching trousers from my mum.

What about an eight-foot gorilla?
(LAUGHS)

What about lavender?

No, you have to sit on his hand.
Or shall I sit on his hand?

No don't sit on his hand.
(LAUGHS)

When we were kids, Mum and Dad
worked as school caterers

and moved around a lot, so this'll
be the first decent-size garden

that they can call their own.

Right, well I think if we focus
on the front garden to start,

we can just put a simple green
manicured privet,

and it would frame from the...
the brick gates

all the way up to the porch.

Well, why don't we use
either lavender or heathers

or put the two together?
The bees love this stuff.

I love the range of colours as well.

It's nice to take a little break,
chill with Mum.

The vision is to try and get
this front section done -

wall, gate, path, porch,
render, oak -

and then give Mum the ability
to dress it.

They're not gonna be able to move in
for a while, so

it feels like connecting Mum
to the house

and ultimately get steps closer
to moving in.

Jasmine is perfect
for climbing up the...

The porch?
...porch.

Oh, this is my favourite. Wisteria.

I do love a wisteria.
Particularly on old buildings.

You know, when I was a kid,
we lived in this schoolhouse

that opened up into huge fields
and woods.

Like vast acres.

And if it was dinnertime,
it was one whistle.

My mum would come to the back door
and whistle. One whistle is dinner.

Two whistles is you better
come home pretty quickly.
Three whistles, you're in trouble.

Yeah, we got three whistles a lot.

I don't know where she's gone.

I need one of those tracking
devices. A mum tracker.

With Mum's wisteria addiction
set to cost me a small fortune,

making a profit on the Land Rover's
more critical than ever.

So I need to head back to
the workshop sharpish

as it's the moment of truth
for that second-hand bulkhead.

(KNOCK)
Yo!

Hi! I've got that bulkhead thing.

Where is it?
Come and see it.

You sent me out on a mission...

...and here it is.

All right, well it's clearly
better than our one,

but it's not perfect.It's not hard
to be better than that one, is it?

Structurally,
this A-pillar is pretty good.

The flaps are great.
Rain drip's great.

There's filler in there,
so I'll have to cut that out.

I mean
this section's completely gone.

If you go and source a new foot...

Like I'm an expert
after one purchase?

That's it. Imagine after three.
Yeah, right. Okay.

Yeah.Are you happy?
Yeah, I can work with this.
Thank goodness for that.

Marvellous. Well done.

Buying car parts can be daunting
for a non-car person,

and actually my dad's never really
been a car guy.

So I think he smashed it.

While Dad looks for new feet
and footwells,

I'm going to remove the old rusty
ones and make some repairs.

A Land Rover, it's just one big
metal jigsaw puzzle.

Each panel is made individually,

with returns folded on the edge,
that when they all sit together

and weld together, they interlock.

So I'm trying to make cuts
that leave the returns
on the old Land Rover

so that when the new panel arrives,

it has something to rest against,
a little shelf.

So I'm just taking out areas
where the rust has gone

beyond the point of saving.

The main areas of rust
are now cut out.

It's a case of dressing the area,
exposing the good metal,

then making little bits of puzzle
pieces to weld in the holes.

Right, now I get to glue
some metal back in.

I've fabricated small steel patches
to weld into the gaps.

Right, that is one patch down.

Grind that back
and that'll be good as new.

It's not just my Land Rover
that's being totally rejuvenated.

The council has given me permission

to lime-render
the front of the house

and restore it back to its original
exposed oak beam look,

and plasterer Duncan's made
amazing progress.

Wow, what a difference.
Yeah. Looking a picture.

It's hard to believe this
entire wall was just concrete.

Replacing all the concrete render
with lime isn't just about the look.

It'll also prolong
the life of the house.

With the render on there, you're
probably nearly 50 kilo a metre.

So we've taken some
pressure off it?Yeah,
you've probably taken

probably two and a half ton
off this wall.

And that's why the building
struggled,

'cause of the amount of render,
and it sweats.

Now all the timber can...
(EXHALES HEAVILY) ...breathe again.

I mean this is an old, traditional
mix as well, so it's all
lime and chalk.

And it's insulated as well.
So the rooms are gonna feel warmer?
Yeah.

Right, so what happens next?
This is a scratch coat,

and then top coat,
which is a lime coat,

goes on the top. Then we've just
got to wait a few days
with some of this lovely weather.

Man, it's just a completely
different home.Yeah.

It's gonna look good.

So is it gonna last
another 500 years?Yeah. Yeah.

Give me a call in 450 if it's not.

(LAUGHS)

My dad's been trying to track down
footwells for our Series 3
Land Rover.

Yup.
And he's not having much luck.

Bye-bye. Thank you.

How's it going?
So I've patched it here.

With the greatest of respect
to your welding,

I managed to speak to a few friends

and I found a bulkhead that's new
for a really good price.

Oh, man. He spent 900-odd quid
on this.How much?

Do you know how much I paid
for the new one?How much?

Um...

Seven hundred and fifty quid.
It was less?Less than this one.

Well, being the car god he is,

Darren has pulled off
an incredible deal.

But now, well,
we've got two bulkheads.

The new one is a mechanical win,

but there's still money to be made
on the second-hand one
that Dad bought.

I am committed to finishing this
because ultimately this has

substantial value in it.
It does, yeah.

There's over a thousand...
I can't believe you paid 750.

I know. I owe the guy
a really big favour.

(WOLF-WHISTLES)
Special delivery.

Oh, my gosh, that looks fantastic.

So cool, isn't it?
Right, go on, then.

It's so much better, isn't it?

And I think this will really sell
the vehicle.

Might need a bit of mallet action.
Yes.

Oh, my God, look!
(KNOCKS ON METAL)

Solid.
Pretty solid.Right.

I mean it is impressive.

Don't tell my dad. He was so proud
he went and got a Series 3 bulkhead.

2
Having fitted a new bulkhead,

replacement parts
and the restored seats,

I'm switching focus to my
Land Rover's rugged good looks.

Instead of respraying it,

I want to enhance and celebrate
its aged bodywork -

a process called patina.

It makes the car unique and will
hopefully raise its value.

So I've called on the expertise
of paintwork guru Matt Lawson.

Right, well, there she is.
Wow.

Yeah, it's a cool, cool car.

It's actually had a new bulkhead.
Right, okay.

There's kind of age and patina
that exists on the car already,

like this bit here. What if we took
this type of patina

and did it across the whole car?

Make a 30, 40,000-mile car

look like a 240,000-mile car.
Yeah, okay. Yeah.

So, where there's a touch point,
around the handles,

this edge here where you'll be
scuffing it to get in and out,

the bottom of the panel,
make it look like a car

that's had a Land Rover's life.

The new owner will have the benefit
of a completely really good,
usable car,

but have the character and patina
that you'd expect

from a car of this age.
In the auction room,

'cause this is an auction car,
people are gonna be like,

"This is a properly weathered,
it's a storied car.

This car's been to Africa,
it's been to, er, the desert."

So, how long have I got on this?

Realistically. A week?

(CHUCKLES) No, no.
It's today.

It goes to auction tomorrow.
Okay.

Yeah, no problem. Um...
Right, what do you need from me?

Um, a cup of tea.
Right.

White? Black? Sugar, no sugar?
White, no sugar. I'm sweet enough.

And, um, a bit of electric.

First thing I've got to, er, do

is stick with a super-fine, er,
dual-action oscillating sander.

I don't know how thick
this paint is.

I don't want to chew through it
too fast

and leave any damage on the
aluminium, so I'll keep it nice
and fine and build it up like that.

The thing about patina,

if you go too far, you've lost it.

If you don't do enough,
it doesn't make sense.

We've got to find
that perfect balance

and I'm confident that's exactly
what's gonna happen today.

It's got to look authentic.
I don't want it to look

like it's been prepped for paint.

It's got to look like it's been
weathered over time.

Okay, so I've took what I think
is enough off

on this top area here
with a dual-action sander.

Even though I've kept the grade
very fine,

there will still be sanding marks
in the aluminium

so I'm gonna go over it now
with a wet and dry 2,000
bit of paper,

and that'll help me
when I come to the polishing

to get a nice shine
back on the panel

and these areas.

Now that I've, erm,
sanded the panel down

to where I think is acceptable,

I'm gonna use a, erm,
a medium and fine-cut compound

to try and get some shine to this,
er, exposed aluminium.

The medium grade's got more of
a grit in it. It's more like
a toothpaste,

which will cut into the, er,
sanded areas a little bit easier.

And then you finish off with
a finer, which is a lot smoother,

which should put the shine
back on the panel.

This should have a spare wheel
and tyre on the bonnet

and over time, you would expect it
to wear around it,

who what I'm gonna do is
put wear marks all the way around

the circumference of where the tyre
should be

and hopefully it'll make it look
more authentic.

It's been a long day,
but in a matter of hours

Matt's added years of history
and character to my Land Rover.

This is epic! I love the fact that

the high-traffic area
of the handle...Yup.

Yeah, love it. I love it.

I think that's my favourite bit.
Yeah. I really like it.

You think about the psychology
of an auction,

this is gonna stand out to somebody.

It's not gonna be for everybody,
but ultimately it's a Land Rover.
This says history, story.

Apply this, original paint,
to the low mileage,

and it's all recorded
in that notebook.

Right, we're here, we're committed.
We are financially committed.

What do you think the numbers are?
I know what the numbers are.

I think we've probably spent...

...three grand.
I mean ultimately,

I know we had
the little bulkhead mishap,

which right now we're 950 quid
down on,

I'm not worried about it.
'Cause I've been on forums,

I know I'm gonna sell that bulkhead
easily.Yeah. Get your money back.

I think I'll get a bit more back.

So, total, weirdly, is 3,006.

And six?
And 29 pence.

So yeah, you were
six pounds and 29 out.

And remember, we paid
seven and a half.

So right here, this car owes us
10 and a half grand.

But before we sell her,

I want to savour a moment to bond
with my all-time favourite car.

Now there's something really fitting
about a British car boy,

me, driving a British icon
around the British countryside...

...amid British summer weather.

It's grey and gloomy
but I'm smiling like a lunatic

because I'm beaming with pride.

It's been such a wonderful build.

I have loved every single moment
of this,

and now that I'm sitting in the car,

driving her around
these country lanes,

going through the gears,

this isn't a car to go out
and get the wind in your hair,

it's a Land Rover.
It's just a car that goes

from A to B
and guarantees to get you there.

What I love most about Land Rover
is it's truly a classless vehicle.

The King of England
could drive this Land Rover,

or a mechanic.

Love her! I love her!

Wow! (LAUGHS) Wow!

I mean, it's just so lovely.

It's not like driving
any other classic car.

It's not about performance,
or speed, or adrenalin.

It's just about nostalgia.
It's about reliability.

It's about everything that Britain
represents.

And on the scale of things,
when you do restorations,

you can get carried away with costs.

To be able to put that car back
on the road and only spend around
three grand, that's good value.

And combine that with the purchase
price of seven and a half, it stands
us in today at 10 and a half grand.

And anyone who pays
10 and a half grand for that

is getting an absolute bargain.

Before the auction,
I've arranged to meet Mum and Dad

back at the house. Getting them
moved in is my big aim,

but before I can tackle
the inside of the house,

I needed to fix the outside,
and the progress has been huge.

I can't wait to show my parents
how it's looking.

(LAUGHS)
That is amazing.

So, do you like the beamed look?
I think it's wonderful, actually.

It's not what I was expecting, but
that looks like it should have been

in the past.
Yeah, the beams were exposed.

It looks amazing.
So, can you imagine moving in?

I think so. I'm beginning to see it
more clearly.

It is amazing, Ant.

A huge amount of work.
I don't know how you've done it.

It's not me that's done it.
It's actually taken

a big team of people,

and it's way more work
that I'd thought.

But ultimately, it's been fuelled
by this motivation to get

a home prepared for you guys.

It's awesome standing in front of
this half because

it just shows you the vision
for the entire house.

And if this is the benchmark
for the work that we're gonna do,

this is gonna be
a sensational house.

It is amazing.

You can just tell,
by looking at that,

if everything else is to
the same standard as that,

it's gonna be
absolutely eye-popping.

I think, knowing you've had
a lot of help,

but even so,
I'm amazed at your vision.

You've driven it.

I wish I could drive it. That's why
cars are cooler than houses.

You have driven it, and you have
been the force behind it. Well done.

(IMPERCEPTIBLE CHATTER)

My grand plan to help fund the house

by restoring and selling classic
cars hasn't always worked.

The Series 3 Land Rover market
used to be really buoyant,

but, like the rest of
the classic car market,
it's suffered a dip recently.

But if I make anything
over 10 and a half grand,

it will be a win,
and it will go towards

the porch and the plastering.

I can do no more.
The car is now handed over

to the auction house.
It's in the room.

I think she looks great.

It's a weird moment.
It's like handing the child over.

And there's nothing I can do now.

I'm so glad I got Matt in
to do the patina.

The safe option was just leave it,
or repaint it.

But this car tells a story now.

I mean, I don't know whether that'll
translate to bidding.

But Land Rover world -
those people will get it.

Welcome here to the classic car
auctions sale.

The auction has started.
We've got lot number 761,

the 1978 Land Rover Series 3,
88-inch

factory Station Wagon, as we say.

This is it.

Straight in with you online, then.

Eleven thousand with you.
Eleven thousand the opening bid.

Okay, the opening bid's 11,000
and that's good.

That's a strong first bid.
...factory Station Wagon

with the hard top.

It owes us 10 and a half. Right,
we're already into the profit.

(EXHALES SHARPLY)
We're into profit.We are.

Eleven thousand, five.

Any more bids, then?
Eleven thousand, 500.

Twelve thousand and one.
Yes.

Canterbury, you lead now.

At 12,000. Twelve, two.

Thank you. Twelve, two.

Twelve, five.
Back online, 12,500.

Going anywhere else now?
At 12,500.

Any further bids, then?
We're selling at 12,500.

Go on, another 500.
Come on.

There's a number of you
waiting online, then.
Twelve, eight if you wish.

Otherwise you'll miss it.
We'll sell at 12,500.

Fair warning to all, then.
At 12,500...

Twelve and a half.
All done. All sure, are we?
It's two grand profit.Yup.

We'll take that.
Bought online, 12,500.

Brilliant! Two grand.

I've made a couple of grand profit,
and I did a little Google.

What does Land Rover themselves make
as a profit margin?

Because we've made 20 per cent
on our car.

And Land Rover today
make about eight per cent

on their new vehicles.

So, we've made double the profit
that Land Rover themselves make.

It's such a win when you set out

with this completely new
business model -

fix some cars, make some profit
to fix the house.

And look how far it's come. And it's
been made possible because

we took some risks on some cars.

So why doesn't it run?
There's no starter motor.

Some of them paid off
and some of them didn't.

Guys, we've got a problem here.

Yes!
But overall,

from day one of starting
this project, cars and houses,

the progress is visual.
You can see how much we've done.

It looks so good.

I'm so proud of everybody
stepping up,

pulling my family in.
And it's not just about

making profit and fixing homes,

it's about connecting with
everybody I grew up with.

It's been awesome.

But man,
we've got so much more to do.

I feel like a pint to celebrate.
Yeah, I'll go with that.

Yeah, but you're buying.

(THEME MUSIC)