Original subtitles

Welcome to Wheeler Dealers, the show that's crazy about classics.

We take cars that are past Air Prime, do them up and sell them on.

Mike buys the cars, then I get busy with the spanners.

This time I'm on the hunt for a car. Well, I'd say it's a car. It's more

like a Van. Or a minibus. No, it's like a camper. I'll wait and see.

The VW Type 2. When it was launched way back in

1950, it was described as an early people carrier.

Load lugging builder's truck and something in between.

If the VW Beetle was the car of the people, then the Type 2 was their Van.

Unique styling and simple mechanics have made it an icon for generations.

For our five grand budget, we'll be looking at buying a

bay-winder Type 2 with the big panoramic front screen.

Hopefully a nice camper Van.

But these classic 1970s models are now costing big bucks.

So I'm really going to have to pull it out of the bag to find one that we can afford.

Well, I've searched all kinds of sites and so

far nothing. I've even fired off a few emails.

There's some contacts of mine and nothing's coming back.

I need some of the fans out there for under five grand.

These campers, I'll tell you, they're pretty ropey. One needs

a new interior. There's one here that needs a complete floor.

There's one that needs an engine. There's one that

should be crushed into a cube, as far as I'm concerned.

No, to find one front of five grand is a bit of a

mission. It's going to be harder than I thought.

Five grand campers are a real no-no. They just don't make sense to do up.

But something else has caught my eye. A Type 2

panel Van. It has solid sides without windows.

It's all the looks, but for less money.

You know, this panel Van is really interesting.

The key parts are that it doesn't need any welding.

Plus, it's got an MOT and tax. So the decision is, do I buy a

really ropey camper Van at Drive Ed Mad for around five grand?

Or do I buy a straight panel Van for around three grand?

Hmm, I think this one needs further investigation.

Now these panel vans don't hang around for long, so I'm on the

blower straight away, hitting the cellotron with some hard questions.

What's it like to drive?

It sounds pretty straight. This Van is worth a look.

Okay then, mate. Yep, super. And you. Bye then.

Cracking. That's just what I'm looking for.

At the moment, this VW Van is the only one I've got penned in for a visit.

And as usual, if it's not up to my usual high standards, then I'm afraid I'm just going

to turn around and walk away, because vans like this can end up being real money pits.

I love getting out the big smoke into the countryside.

Nice house. Nice wagon. And this must be Tom.

Mike, how are you? Nice to see you.

I'm very well, Tom. Lovely to meet you. You've got nice warm hands.

Yeah, absolutely. It's a bit cold today.

Now, this, Tom, is the one, is it?

This is it? This is the car? Yeah.

It's got a bit of character, this car, isn't it, already?

I think they call it, Mike, isn't it?

Yeah, and it's tattooed.

That's the one. Tribal.

Tribal.

Bit of hot rod pin striping.

It's falling apart as well. What's going on here?

It's not falling apart. It needs a bit of work, don't you think?

A bit of work. It needs a new door.

Mike, it's 30 years old. Come on, there's only a few bits and pieces in 18, too.

And these wheels, they're a bit weird, aren't they?

What, these are off a Granada, aren't they?

They are, yeah, 1970s, Ford, Renault, it's very good.

Right, so it's got white wheels, it's a white Van.

Let's hope it's not all white inside, eh?

It's not quite, no.

Look at it, it is! It's a kaleidoscope of colours.

Red, brown, black.

Yeah, bit of a funny story.

The red and the brown, I'm colour blind, unfortunately.

Oh, yeah.

It's the same colour as the seats.

Obviously, red and brown's the same colour to me.

They are rotten anyway.

They definitely need doing.

The best course of action probably to replace the old seats, to be honest.

Unless you've got a good trimmer.

Okay, and it's pretty basic in here, isn't it?

Steering wheel and two seats, that's about it.

That's pretty much it, I'm afraid, yeah.

It's okay, though, it's all there. Just needs work.

Just needs work, yeah.

But it's all good, isn't it?

Yeah, all pretty solid, yeah.

Yeah, that's okay. Round here and round here.

This is all a bit rusty, though, round here.

Yeah, a little bit. There's a little bit of blistering out.

Probably need a new skin on that rear door, as well.

I'm more interested, though, in what it's like in the engine department,

because this is where you could really spend some money.

That looks alright. It's nice and dry.

No signs of any oil leaks.

No, it's been very good to me, actually. It's been very easy.

I've done very little to it since I've had it.

Regular oil change, change to plugs, condenser, distributor cap and HT leads.

Other than that, hasn't really been that much to do at all.

Solid engine.

Yeah, been great for me. Perfect.

Super. That's what I like to hear.

Right. Nice, solid, strong panels.

What's it like underneath?

Yeah, really good underneath, actually. Very clean.

You can see it's been under sealed at some stage

in the past, which has really helped. No rust.

No, no, no. It's very clean, actually.

Yeah.

And it works. The door.

The door works.

That's a miracle. Wow. You could live in here, couldn't you?

Yeah, you certainly could, do you?

I tried it for a while, but it's a little on the chilly side at night sometimes, so.

Listen, I really like it. I just want to take

it with a test drive, if that's all right.

Yeah, no problem.

Okay, it won't be long.

Foot down, and this thing takes an eight to get up to speed.

We've only just got to 30, and listen to it.

I reckon 60 will come sometime next Tuesday.

Behind me is a little 1.6 litre engine, pushing this Van along.

Not fast, but it does work.

Well, as for handling, it's never going to be on rails as it being an old VW Van,

but it's all right. You know, you push it into a

corner, and it's sort of point and hope, really.

And as for the brakes, as soon as you stamp on the pedal,

it brings the thing to a halt, eventually.

It's okay. For one of these, it's all right.

I'm more concerned about the bodywork.

It's white, flat, dull, and lifeless.

And whatever we do with this Van, I know that we're going to have to repaint it.

Well, I've got some good news and some bad news for Tom.

The good news is he's found himself a buyer.

Me, the bad news is I'm a Wheeler dealer, and I never give the asking price.

He was 3,250 quid. He's joking, isn't he?

This thing needs a repaint and some other work, so I'm going to go back and bid him.

Well, it ain't fast.

I'll give you that.

It's a slow old girl, isn't it?

But actually quite good fun to be in.

It's good fun to drive, yeah, definitely.

It just needs all that work doing to it.

You want it 3,250? I did, yeah.

I'm going to bid you for it. I like it.

I'll give you 2,250 quid for it. Cash.

It's not enough, I'm afraid.

It's, you know, I think it's a nice Van.

It needs all that work, mate. It needs a load of money spending.

It does. It needs the work doing to it.

But I'm not asking the top price for it, so...

Right, I bought cash with me, so I will drive it away today.

Okay.

I don't believe I'm going to do this,

but I'll give you two and a half grand for it now.

Two and a half today?

Yeah, and that's it. I'm going to walk away otherwise.

Cash today? Yeah.

Come on, Tom, do it. It's going to go to a good home.

You're going to look after it.

I'll promise you I'll look after it.

I need the space. Promise? Promise. Deal.

Top work. I've got a Van.

A Type 2 for two and a half grand?

That's much less than I expected to pay.

I'm well chuffed.

But make no mistake, turning this panel Van around is going to be a big old job.

Join me again soon to see if Ed, the VDUP expert,

thinks I bought a good one.

I've just bought this old 70s VW panel Van and I really did bag a bargain.

Two and a half grand for this old Van.

It's a steal. Somebody ought to phone the law.

I tell you, I feel like I've robbed him.

With a new paint job, warmed over engine and shiny alloys,

this could be worth 10 grand or more to the right buyer.

But first, I'm on my way back to the garage to meet Ed so he can give it a once over.

Now, when I set out on this mission to buy a camper Van, I didn't think truthfully.

that I'd end up with a panel Van.

But I'm really pleased I have.

Number one, I'm enjoying this drive. It's fantastic.

Number two, we've got a blank canvas.

I mean, it's awesome. There's things we can do to it.

I can't wait to see Ed's face because he loves all this air cooling,

V-dub stuff. I just hope he's as enthusiastic as me when

he sees the amount of work I've got lined up for him.

Is there another gear?

Is that it?

All the way home, like this.

Hello, I recognise that sound you've got as a Volkswagen.

Fantastic, a type two Van.

How cool is that?

I know you love these because you worked on these all your life, haven't you?

Unfortunately though, this one's a little bit sore

round the edges. Somebody's trying to give it a personality, haven't they?

Look, they've put a moustache on the front.

A little eyebrows.

And the issues don't stop there, Ed.

There's a little bit of rust appearing at the bottom of the door.

No, that's actually not a problem because we can get a replacement.

Can you also get a replacement cockpit then because this one is looking very tired?

Well, they normally look this kind of simple

and people kind of like the honesty of that

but I think maybe we'll sort the seats out.

Are you going to let me get crazy with this Van?

As crazy as your brain will take you.

I'm thinking we do some pretty special paint on these.

Oh, lovely big wacky paint job.

That would be wicked.

And if we're going to go with that,

we are going to have to sort out those horrible wheels.

So if we, something a bit bling on there maybe.

Yep, nice big chrome fat wheels with fat tyres on it.

I'm liking this.

It's going to be good.

Right, now, down the back.

What do you reckon, Ed?

Well, first of all, we're going to sort out this tailgate.

We're going to sort out the engine.

It was really sweet, didn't it?

It was really lovely.

You know where to dig around inside these, didn't you?

1600 single port, yeah, that's great.

Is it all right?

I tell you what, it sounds good.

Problem is, it's just not powerful enough.

They are a little sluggish, aren't they?

Feast your eyes on that.

It's a little underwhelming.

It's very dull, isn't it?

Yeah, it's kind of a bad effort at a kind of a day Van.

Yeah, I don't like the beddy thing and I don't like the sideboard over there.

You can spend the real money on the brilliant

paint job on the outside and a wicked engine.

So have we got a plan?

We've got a brilliant plan.

Fantastic.

We've got big plans for our VW panel Van,

but like any long journey, we've got to start with one step.

I've been trying to work out what to do first.

I've decided to drop the engine.

I need the engine out so I can get decent access for the respray.

Now I could swap this unit for something

like a powerful water-cooled Golf GTI engine,

something Type 2 fans do,

but it would be a lot of work and it would be a

shame because this engine has been well cared for.

It's a strong unit and if I bolt on some go-faster goodies,

I'm sure we can really boost the brake horsepower figure

and make this Van fit for 21st century traffic.

The next thing is the engine bolts.

I've got four engine bolts,

two at the bottom, two at the top,

and of course I've got to pull through the throttle cable as well.

But then we're actually pretty much there.

It's such a simple system, such a simple design.

That is the last of the bolts.

So now I've done everything. I've undone the throttle cable, the fuel line,

all of the bolts and I've just connected all the wiring

and just after half an hour, the engine is now able

to be removed from the Van, which is brilliant.

I'm going to drop the engine onto this rolling tool cabinet.

Then I'm going to pull it off the first motion shaft of the gearbox.

So this is it. All I should need now is a good firm tug

and I can pull it off the first motion shaft.

So here we go.

Even easier than I thought.

So now I just pop the Van up in the air and the engine is free.

It's so great how easy this is.

It's even easier than taking the engine out of a bug actually.

Look at that. Job done.

I'm going great guns, but I wonder how Mike's

getting on finding me my new engine goodies.

Rob?

Mike, how you doing mate?

Yeah, good. Right, I wanted to speak to you about these engine modifications.

Okay, no problem. Best thing to do, let's go have a look at the engine.

Now I've got something just like this actually.

An old 1600cc unit cranky old thing with single port. What can I do to it?

Okay, with its single port, first thing to do, change its twin port.

Give you more bang and more fuel air mixture.

Bolt on a set of twin carbs on top, give you even more.

Rocker assemblies, we can change the angle of the

rockers, give you more valve lift, more power.

And lastly, barrels and pistons, change the pot

sizes to 1641, give you more cc's, more power.

Brilliant. Now what's my old engine producing in terms of power at the minute?

As new, it would have produced about 40 brake

horsepower with these modifications between 70 and 80.

Double the horsepower?

Yep. Fantastic. It sounds awesome all this stuff,

but where is it? Where's all this shiny stuff?

If we go over here, I'll show you.

Right, you've got it all in the beetle, have you? Oh, look at that!

Now that looks rapid, doesn't it? Just sitting

here. Wow. So what have we got here then?

Okay, well what you're going to do, you get your twin carburetors, one

either side, with this linkage bar that controls both carbs at the same time.

We'll give you a new set of tinware, because your old stuff won't fit properly.

New distributor, and then some of the other bits you'll use off your old engine.

Fantastic. Do we need to change the exhaust?

Yeah, if we put a 4 into 1 exhaust system on there, it'll be a

little bit more grunted, give you a few more brake horsepower.

Will it sound the same?

It'll be a little bit more grunted, more beefy,

but generally like an air cooled engine would.

Sounds fantastic. But it also sounds like it might be expensive for all this stuff.

Not too bad. The whole thing, including the exhaust, probably about £1600.

Oh, 1600 quid, but for that I get double the

horsepower, and it gives the engine a new lease of life.

It'll go on for many years, no doubt. All things

considered, I think it's a bit of a bargain. Shall we do it?

Yep. Lovely.

Without a doubt, the bodywork is the biggest job on this old Van.

At first glance, it does look pretty straight, but the reality is, I'm

going to be spending a lot of time rubbing down, prepping and mending.

The good news, however, is I won't be doing any welding on

the underside of the vehicle, because that is 100% solid.

Let's crack on.

What's great about a vehicle this old is that

you can strip it down with a very basic toolkit.

Most of this will come apart with the aid of a flat and crosshead screwdriver.

The strip down is going very well. I've now got to try

and turn my attention to this bit of vinyl sticker.

I could soften up with a hairdryer, but actually I think it's going

to be okay just by using this special razor blade and a holder.

Take it very gently. There we go. Look at that. It comes off nice and easy.

It's now time to remove the rear bumper. It's attached

with four bolts, two on each side. They're 17mm heads.

I'm going to treat you a little bit and use a windy gun.

This rear window seal is perished, so I'm cutting it out.

The window I will, of course, reuse. Sadly,

I think the tailgate will have to be junked.

As is plain to see, this tailgate is in a pretty

sorry state. There's rust and corrosion all over it.

I've decided to swap it for a brand new one. Of course, before I can do

that, I need to remove this from the Van, but there are a few issues.

To undo these hex screws here, I'm going to be

using one of these, which is an impact driver.

You can see you've got a little Allen head on

one end, and that's where I hit it with a hammer.

If you look closely, you can see there's a left and a right symbol there.

This can be turned to undo or do up, depending

on which way your bolt is designed to work.

What happens is, basically, I put it in here,

hit it really, really hard with a hammer.

Each time there's a jolt, it'll try and pull slightly

to the left or to the right, depending on my setting.

In this case, obviously, I want it to go to the left, so there we go.

It's just like putting a screwdriver in, putting it under tension and then hitting

it with a hammer, but it's much more accurate and you can use a lot more force.

Here it goes. Of course, a bit of eye protection, because it could get a bit messy.

One tailgate.

There are so many things I love about air-cooled V double E's, but

the best thing has got to be the way they come apart so easily.

This sliding door, for example, just slide it

along. There's a little break in the runner there.

Just lift it up and then pull the door away. It's as simple as that.

Then Paul's just going to give us a hand lifting the bottom.

Again, we just roll it to the very, very back of the

runner and there's a little slot, and out it comes.

Just as simple as that.

At some point, we're going to need to take the screen out of the Van.

Normally, I'd wait until all the sanding has been done, because

otherwise I'm going to end up filling the interior with dust.

But actually, on this occasion, I do need to prep the

dashboard, because that's looking pretty sorry for itself.

Also, we're going to be painting the interior, so it's kind of academic.

Now, you might better see that the rubber here

going around the screen is actually pretty perished,

so I'm going to have to buy a new one when we put it all back together again.

Rather than risk damaging the screen on its removal, I'm actually going to cut it out.

Ed is really getting through the jobs on our Van.

The engine's out, the bodywork is being stripped,

and I've got a great feeling about this panel Van.

So far, Ed's still got a smile on his face,

but there's a whole heap of work to get through

if we're ever going to end up with a top drawer Type 2 capable of turning a profit.

This is our lovely V-Dub Type 2 panel Van.

With a wicked paint job, it'll be a real head Turner.

And we've also got some big plans for that slow little engine at the back.

Is there another gear? Is that it? All the way home, like this?

Ed's already pulled out the V-Dub lump, and

I'm hoping the new parts like the twin carbs

and bigger pistons will almost double the horsepower.

He's well on the way to stripping down the bodywork.

Now it's time for him to crack on with the inside of our panel Van.

Oh dear, this interior is in a pretty nasty state, and

I will get around to sorting that out a bit later on,

but obviously we're going to be painting the metal inside here,

so we're going to need to strip everything out as

part of this prep process ready for the paint shop.

The great thing about these vans is that once you've stripped them out,

you're left with something you can spray up

for that really cool exposed paintwork look.

Bad thing is, it means a lot more rubbing down to do, eventually.

Our new tailgate has arrived. It's looking very tidy,

but there is a slight difference because it comes from a much later model Van.

You can see there's a recess here for the badge, but I think I can live with that.

But I have to say, it's a lot lighter than the

original tailgate I removed from the vehicle,

and that's perhaps one of the disadvantages of having to buy aftermarket products.

Sometimes they're not made to quite the same quality as the good old days.

If you imagine the weight of our replacement driver's side door,

it is properly heavy, just like the one I took off,

and that's because it's made out of good quality German steel.

You can see it's in really good Nick even though it's the same age as the Van,

and I reckon that's because somebody's imported it from

sunnier climbs where they don't have those rust issues.

Once again, the simplicity of this vehicle is so charming.

Lifting the tailgate into place, I'm just securing it with four countersunk screws.

An easy job for the home mechanic.

The critical thing, first of all, is that the swage lines

here line up, which they do beautifully, which is great.

And then, if you imagine holding the door out slightly,

because there will be a door rubber in there holding it all flush,

and I want to make sure that then that's flush and so is that.

There are plenty of independent VW parts suppliers around, so many prices stay keen.

Our tailgate costs £120.

It's essential I check that they do fit.

because the shut lines are perfect before they go to paint.

Well, it definitely fits.

It's a little bit low at the moment, but I'm not too bothered about that

because the paint shop will be removing all of

the doors when they paint all the door shuts.

Once it's painted, then we can put all the door furniture back on.

We're some way from that at the moment.

We've done all of the easy stuff, so now the really hard graft starts.

We've got so much work ahead of us, it doesn't really matter what

order we do it in, so I'm going to start with a bit of sanding

and then deal with any problem areas as I come across them.

I don't even know what colour we're going to do this Van yet,

but obviously I've got a lot of thinking time ahead of me.

The respray means every panel will have to be rubbed down and prepped.

By getting this Van in the right condition,

I think we'll save at least £1000 on preparation labour from the body shop.

Inside and out, this is a huge undertaking.

It's twice the size of some cars.

Wow! Look at this! Look at the work you've done!

Well, thank you, yeah, it's got a bit to go,

but actually we've been working so hard it's now nearly ready for the paint shop.

Paint, I'm getting excited.

I've got some great ideas, I reckon.

Matte black, baby blue, big yellow colour.

You did say this is a blank canvas for me to surprise

you with, and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

That was then, and this is now, so what are we going to do?

Alright, I'm thinking bright colour, something really trick.

But that's it, that's what I'm going to give you.

Right, what about the engine then?

Yeah, how did you get on with that?

Well, I went over to that place that you recommended, and I've got some good news.

We've got some stuff coming to the workshop that's really going to impress you.

Pistons, barrels, new carburetors, new exhaust system,

it's going to double the horsepower up to the grand old heady heights of 80!

That is really good because it's going to

make such a fantastic difference to the Van.

It will make a difference, I'm just a little bit worried about a couple of things.

All that work's still in the engine, and that's got to be off to the paint shop.

Have we got enough time to do it all?

I've got a huge amount of work ahead of me,

so thank you for that, you're going to owe me.

I'll owe you big style.

Next day, a box full of engine parts arrived from Mike.

Christmas and birthday rolled into one for our little V-Dub air-cooled lump.

What a lovely selection of shiny new parts.

Now, it might look a little bit daunting at this stage,

but believe me, Volkswagen engines are nice and simple to work on.

Everything unbolts or bolts back on again.

Now, I do think that Mike is a little bit optimistic

in thinking we're going to get double the

horsepower out of our engine and all these new bits.

All I've got to do is unbolt all the stuff off our original engine

and then bolt on the new barrels and pistons,

new heads, new rockers, new rocker covers.

I've got an oil cooler there, alternator, fan

shroud, carburetors, air filter, exhaust system.

I've got tons to be getting on with.

I'm just undoing the sump cover here.

I've got a slightly tricky nut, but once that's undone, this plate will come off

and then all of the oil in the sump is going to then drain out of the engine.

To rebuild our engine, I've first got to strip off all the ancillaries.

The fan belt, exhaust system, fan housing, carburetor and the heads.

Half an hour later and the engine is stripped.

Now, I'm into the guts of it.

We're going to boost the power of our unit and one of the best ways to do this is to

increase the bore size of the barrels and pistons.

So, I'm carefully removing the barrels and pistons from our 1584cc engine

and I'm going to add new ones with a 1641cc capacity.

That's about as much as this engine block can safely take.

Any more and you'd need to modify the engine

crank case, which can get very expensive.

Now the barrels and pistons are removed, you can see the con

rods and the crankshaft spinning around inside the engine.

So, the next job is to put the new barrels and pistons back on,

but of course, I think maybe a bit of cleaning wouldn't hurt.

Engine degreaser costs around a fiver a litre, cheap and useful stuff.

To ensure decent combustion in the engine, it's essential

that the piston rings sit correctly around the pistons.

Top tip, I'm using a ring compressor to compress the rings,

then I gradually slip the pistons into the barrels,

then the rings are released and they expand and form a seal inside.

With the pistons in place, it's time to slip all four

barrels of our flat-four engine onto the original block.

The barrels and the pistons are now attached to the block,

so the next obvious thing to attach is our new twin-port head,

and this is slightly better than our single-port head,

because more fuel and air can get into the engine, giving us again a hint more power.

I'm slipping the twin-port cylinder head where the

valves are housed into place and torquing it down.

Too little torque and you won't get the necessary seal with the barrel,

then over-torque and you'll potentially damage the cylinder head studs.

So I'm using a special torque wrench to guarantee I get it right.

This air-cooled engine still needs its oil cooled, of course,

so I'm bolting on a new aluminium oil cooler.

The aluminium helps dissipate heat, but it looks trick too.

Our engine was originally fitted with a dynamo,

and this is a little bit old-fashioned these days.

It produces a lot more voltage the faster it spins,

but it's not so great at producing loads of

current, which is actually what we really want.

So we're going to fit a nice shiny new

alternator, which is much better at doing that.

I'm going to pop it into our brand new fan housing.

The engine is really flying together.

Cosmetically, the black tinware makes a big impression,

but what I'm really after is something shiny to draw the eye and up the performance.

And here it is.

Mike has got us these twin carburetors, one for each side,

and then of course they're going to be sitting on these manifolds here,

and these are twin port manifolds because we've now got our twin port heads,

and that means you can get more fuel and air mixture into the engine,

which means a bigger explosion, which means more power.

To finish these chaps off, we've got these

lovely shiny air filters that go here and here.

Loads more soft to put on them.

This engine rebuild has taken me hours,

but it should be all worthwhile when I turn the key.

Our Van will have a new engine note though,

because this four into one exhaust has been specially designed

to draw the exhaust gasses out faster than a standard unit.

Well, the engine's now finished, just doing the last job,

which of course is making sure I've got enough oil,

which I have, and I think overall this engine is looking really rather good.

I reckon if this engine goes as good as it looks,

mission is accomplished.

I am hugely excited, I'm here at a very busy body shop

to see the colour go onto the body of our panel Van.

But what colour have I chosen? Well, let's go see.

Don't worry, it's not grey, that's just the primer.

No, I've got something much more funky in mind.

Let's go.

Yep, I've gone for metallic orange.

And doesn't it look great?

As the layers build up, you can see the depth of colour come through.

It's always a gamble going for a new colour on a car,

but there is method in my madness.

It's a very modern, bronzy, burnt orange colour,

and the reason I went for orange in the first place

is because it's very much a Volkswagen colour.

In the 70s, loads of vehicles came off their

production line in that very famous, brilliant orange.

I know there are lots of Volkswagens out

there that have been painted in similar tones,

but I'm yet to see some in exactly this colour.

I think that's going to give us the edge when it comes to finding potential buyers.

When the colour's gone on, Chris will lacquer it too,

and we should end up with one very shiny VW.

I've seen what I need to see,

and I'm really looking forward to when the Van's finished,

but for now, better get back to the workshop.

A few days later, Paul collected the Van,

and here it is.

Oh yes, now that is gorgeous.

It's even better than I ever imagined,

and this is the first time I've seen it in the sunlight.

What do you reckon, Paul? I like it, it's really eye-catching.

Oh yes, this is one kick-ass colour.

It's modern, but with a nod to the past.

A one-off without being too custom.

I'm so excited to see it back in the workshop.

This fantastic colour, with the extra little bit

of Pearl I got them to put into the lacquer mix,

really gives us a stunning transformation that I was looking for.

When you're trying to paint a vehicle of this size, shape,

and with this much paint on so to get the colour right,

but I'm definitely happy with what I've chosen,

let's just hope Mike is.

The total bill for this respray was three grand,

and I reckon we'll make every penny back when we sell on,

because this baby is unique.

After all of the excitement of our Van coming back,

I now need to get back on with some work.

This little chap, our engine, needs to go back into

our VW, and it did take an absolute age to rebuild,

but thankfully the refit should take less than an hour.

Paul is helping me drop the body over the engine.

It's a snug fit, but it goes straight in and bolts back together.

Just these last few bits to connect up and we'll soon be ready to turn over.

Even though I must have rebuilt hundreds of these engines,

that first key turn always fills me with trepidation.

Fingers crossed, because we're almost there.

So here we go, this is the very moment of truth I've been waiting for.

Fuel in the carburettors, we should have a spark now.

Go on Paul, give it a go.

Oh, nearly, one more.

I'm very happy with that, that is fantastic.

A Volkswagen lives to fight another day.

Okay, the engine's running, the body is looking sweet,

we're so close to completing our classic Type 2,

but there's still the interior to go in and the seats to sort.

Only then will we have a drop-dead gorgeous VW.

Welcome back to Wheeler Dealers,

the show where I buy the cars and Ed fixes them

up and hopefully we sell them on for a profit.

So far our trusty Type 2 panel Van has had the engine rebuilt and the body resprayed.

Together those jobs cost a mighty £4,600.

The exterior is now looking mint,

but the interior is in a sad state.

There's only one man who's up to this job.

Over to the nation's favourite mechanic, Ed.

Now with the mirrors on, the exterior is finished.

I'm thinking it's looking rather smart,

this chrome really sets off our lovely paint job,

but of course that means that the interior is rather low, letting the side down.

To keep it simple, because orange is quite tricky to work with,

I'm going to go with some black vinyl panels on the inside,

a bit of nice carpet and I've got a great idea for the seats.

Now these panels are going to make all the difference to our interior.

They come already cut but not actually covered.

So we've got a friend of ours to this lovely tuck and roll design,

a little bit of piping, a little bit of leatherette.

It's going to look so smart.

Here's our new carpet.

Strictly it isn't necessary, but it will give the back of our Van an air of luxury.

It's a giant deep shack pile carpet,

but it only costs £30, so it is a bit of a bargain,

and because I got it from a carpet shop rather than a specialist VW store,

I will have to cut it to fit.

Double sided tape keeps the carpet by the door looking neat.

Look at these tired old plastic seats, they really do need to be replaced.

And if you're a fan of Wheeler dealers, you may remember

the Sierra Cosworth we did where I swapped out the interior.

Well, this is one of those leather Recaros that actually came from that car.

I could recycle these.

So what I've done is I've got an upholsterer friend

to actually replace some of the damaged foam in this bolster

and also put in a nice new panel of leather, and I think they look pretty cool.

£150, bit of a bargain.

And to make sure that they actually fit into our

Van, I've also added this modified seat adjuster

and a bit of extra bracketry.

They're going to look fantastic.

The replacement leather for the front seat bolster

actually came from the rear bench seat of our old Cosy interior.

Bob the Builder was so right.

Reduce, reuse, recycle.

That's the way to go.

Okay, that's all done.

These are looking very smart indeed,

much better than the ones that VW fitted back in the 70s, and with this headrest,

they're even safer too.

I'm so close to the finishing line.

Next up, or should I say off,

are these tatty alloys.

Check these out.

They're a classic aftermarket wheel, a real crowd pleaser

that should at least please most of the potential buyers.

Now, I've gone for a 15 inch MP5 spoke and that should

give our Van a really fantastic hot rod kind of rake

and make the whole thing look really cool.

Big alloys, fat tyres will help fill the arches and give that hot rod look.

Well, it's finally all done and dusted.

That dull old Van that Mike dropped off has been transformed into this cool cruiser.

In fact, it's completely unrecognisable.

Modern paint job,

it's a 20th century classic with a 21st century future.

I love it.

Check it out.

Our 70s Type 2 has gone from an anonymous white

Van to a stunning one of a kind street cruiser.

It's taken a load of new parts and a monumental amount of work,

but just look at the results.

I think this Van is going to make us big money.

When I first showed Ed the Van,

he was enthusiastic and realised there was a lot to do.

But bless his heart out, he got right down to it,

pulling out the old engine.

I bought a rebuild kit.

Ed got to work and the results looked fab,

sound superb and a really boosted performance.

The bodywork needed a lot of expert care.

Stripping down, replacing doors and rubbing down took ages,

but when the Van came back from the spray booth,

it was clear it had all paid off.

A new black vinyl interior,

salvaged front seats and some retro chic alloys and our panel Van was reborn.

How much did we spend?

Well, we bought cheap, but then we spent a lot.

Engine parts, a big respray,

interior panels, upholstery, alloys.

The cost kept coming.

In the end, we got through £8,465.

Big money, but this is one pristine VDUB Van.

Ed, how you doing?

Wow, look at the Van.

It's really merry, that colour.

Looks like some football player's wife who's been on the sunbed too long.

No, trust me, orange is very much a nail colour on the VW scene.

This is what all those air-cooled fans want.

It's very eye-popping.

I will take your word for it.

What about the interior?

Well, I got a bit creative in there too.

Do you like those recycled seats?

Wicked. I love it. What a transformation.

Who would have thought it was the same white old knackered Van I delivered to you?

Because it looks brilliant.

It looks like you've really had your work cut out for you.

It has been very hard work, yeah.

I suppose you want a nice day out on the coast?

Are you going to drive?

It will be my pleasure, Edward. My pleasure.

We decided to head off to one of my favourite seaside places,

the Isle of Wight, for some sun, sand, and a very special test drive.

Oh yes, Ed. You've done it again, son.

Fantastic.

What can I say, Ed?

Last time I drove this old Van, it was really pedestrian.

I could have got out a warm faster, but now it feels really nipping.

Listen to that engine, though.

Ed, it's wicked.

I mean, it's never going to win any naught to sixties,

but no longer do I feel like people are going to hoot at me for going slowly.

I can pull out into fast traffic.

It feels like a modern motor.

Well done, my son. Well done.

Well, thank you, sir. Yeah, it's nice.

I think even sitting here in shotgun,

I think it feels like a proper motor.

This is one seriously cool air-cooled VW.

And the way that we've left it a bit open-ended

at the back where it can be transformed into a camper Van,

it can stay as a Van, or even as a part-time people carrier,

we'll let the people decide.

And I reckon we've got a real proper winner on our end.

Absolutely. I think we've got the spec exactly right for the sale.

I think the new buyer is going to decide what to do with it.

Well done, mate. Well done.

I've had a cracking day, you know, Ed.

Test-driving this Van. It's really been enjoyable,

and what a way to end it.

Down here at the seaside with the Van looking the part.

Well done, son. Well done.

Well, thank you very much. It has been a great test

drive, but we now need to talk about hard cash.

We have spent a whole load of money on this Van.

Well, I've seen good ones going for about eight grand,

but this is exceptional.

And I reckon I can push it up to ten grand.

Okay, it might be just a little bit strong, but I kind of see your point,

because if somebody was to fall in love with this Van,

it would be really hard for them to walk away.

It is very distinctive.

It's going to come down to whether you can

persuade somebody to part with that kind of money.

Watch and learn, Edward. Watch and learn, my son.

I've advertised our VW Van, and I've had quite a bit of interest.

And why wouldn't I? Just look at it.

Sitting here, gleaming in the sun, it looks magnificent.

Only problem is, I've only had one serious offer of 8,000 pounds,

and frankly, that just isn't good enough for a vehicle that looks as good as this.

However, something surprising has happened.

Through word of mouth, an army major has been in touch,

and he tells me he's very keen on the vehicle.

So I sent him some pictures,

told him about all the details we've done

on the mechanical side of things, and he's hot to trot.

The only problem is, he's currently serving on the

front line, but he did tell me when he gets back,

he'd like to offer me 9,450 quid.

I consider that a result.

So we ended up with 985 pounds profit.

Good stuff.

And I'm very proud to have sold the Van to a member of our brave armed forces.

What a fantastic end to our Type 2 tail.

If you see this unique Van driving down the road,

make sure you give it a big old wave.

And if you want to see more classic vehicles getting the Wheeler dealer treatment,

then make sure you join me and the tool man again soon.

Salah!