Original subtitles

Welcome to Wheeler Dealers, the show that

takes iconic cars that have seen better days

and turns them back into dream machines. Now, I

buy the cars, and I get them looking fantastic

and running great, and then we sell them on for a profit. And that's the challenge.

Now, this time we're on the hunt for one of the most distinctive classic cars to ever

grace British roads. This one is a tad different.

The name's Bond. Bond Bug, 100% British. Three

wheels, no doors, with its orange colour as

standard, this is a car that wears its 70s origins with pride.

40 years ago, British car maker Bond asked the designer of the seminal classic, the

rally chopper, to come up with a new kind

of transport. The result is an unforgettable

shape that's surprisingly fun to drive. Only

2,200 were ever made. This attention grabbing

motor is a legend. I've got five grand to

spend on a car to buy and restore. This one's

going to be a laugh. I can't tell you just how excited I am to be looking for a.

Bond Bug. It's one of those cars that I've always wanted to drive, I've always

wanted to own, but I never have. At the moment, values for Bond Bugs are going

through the roof. One minter just sold for

6,500 quid on an Internet auction. It's because

there are so few out there. Bugs hardly ever appear on regular car sites. You could

spend months trying to find one. Now here's a clever way to go. Out there

is a whole online scene dedicated to a little

Bond Bug, including fan sites, forums, chat

rooms, spares and advice, plus fan cars offered

for sale. Now I'm going to tap into that scene to see what it throws up. On the main

Bond forum, I'm stuck in a wanted ad saying I'm

looking for a car that needs a bit of restoration and will pay up to three

grand. That's the going rate for a road-worthy

bug. It's slim pickings in the owner's car

section. Only three cars are on sale, but one has caught my eye. Now this one sounds

rather surprising because I found a guy who's looking

for a quick sale. It's got a little Bond Bug. It needs a

little bit of work like they all do. It's got

a few leaks and it needs a bit of a service.

Typical stuff and that sounds perfect for me and Ed. I know with the prices of these

cars rising, it's definitely worth a look. Plus, at the same time, I've had a response

to my wanted ad. He's got a little Bond Bug and judging by the pictures, it looks

a bit tatty, but it's only 1,500 pounds. I'm definitely

going to hit the road and see the pair of them.

Right, I'm on my way to go and see the 1,500-pound

bug. Now, I know it sounds too cheap, but

you never know. It could be someone just desperate for a sale and it could turn out

to be a bargain. And there it is. Wow. Look at the state of it. Needs some work,

doesn't it? Look, the brackets are missing for the bonnet to start with or the canopy.

What's this? Look. It's falling apart. It's got a big hole inside. The interior's

completely shut. I mean, it doesn't even have a gearbox. Oh, this car looks like

a mess to me. A real mess. And they want 1,500 pounds for this? Are they mad?

The owner told me to give him a ring when I got down there and he'd come and

meet me. To be honest with you, I don't even fancy picking up the phone for him.

The lesson here is don't buy a car off the Internet without looking over it first.

Next up is the 3,000-pound bomb bug. Now, this one has lived its life on a farm

just as a weekend fun motor. It drives and it's got an MOT. That's pretty much.

all I know about it. Let's just hope it's worth the long drive to go and see it.

This looks like the place. Nice farm in the middle of nowhere. Now, the owner

is not going to be here, but he has left a friend to show me around it. And I think

I'm in the right place. This must be him. You, Dave? Hello, mate. Hello, Dave.

How you doing? I'm Mike. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you too, fella.

I found it at last. Some drive. Is this where the car is? This is the one.

Can I pull the cloth off? Yeah. Be my guest. Wow. Look at that. Fantastic.

Just a great big blob of orange joy. Now, what do you know about it?

Not a lot, really. All I know is it's been looked after. He loves it.

It tinkers with it. Does he? Yeah. It's nice and original,

isn't it? Even got the original stickers on the

front. The paintwork's got a bit flat, though.

Well, it's not bad. It's 40 years old, you know. 40 years old. Nearly as old as me.

It's original. That's what I like. I like originality. And that's very good.

All right, to have a look inside. Yeah, sure.

How'd you get this? Just twist that, is it?

That's it. Wow. Look at it inside. It's all original. That is fantastic.

It is. It's good. It's like looking at a museum. Do you know if it all works?

As far as I'm aware, yes, it does. I have seen him

going out there, actually, a few times, bombing

out, nipping around. Big smile on his face.

Wicked. It's got the alloys. I like that. It's

very nice. Has he mentioned any problems? No, he's not mentioned anything. As far as

I'm aware, it's as good as gold. Right, cool. Now, just this canopy,

it looks like it's had a bit of damage down here and down there. It's all split. It's

possibly had a bit of a knock in the past,

hasn't it? I really don't know. I don't know.

That could be trouble. But probably what he did

say is that I could take it for a test drive?

He did indeed. Yes, he did. So I can take it

for a spin, right? I'll give it a good run round the block. I'll come back and I'll

talk to you in a minute. Cool. Thanks, Dave.

It's time to lose my bonbon virginity and

get out on the road in this orange dream car.

This car is a riot hoot. I've seen them on the road here and there, and I've often

wondered what they'd be like to drive and

what they would feel like. Well, for a start,

you know you're in something different. This

car just feels different, sounds different, even

smells different. It almost feels like you're in an airplane. Well, not really.

More like you're in a bumper car. I'll tell you what, you always get the feeling

that there's something missing. Oh, I don't know what it is. It's a fourth wheel.

Oh, the one issue I do have with this car is

all that noise that's coming from the gearbox.

Although this car is no hot hatch, it's got rather much better gearbox than that.

It's no good for me.

The engine though is whittling 3700cc. Listen

to that. Singing along. It's nice and powerful.

It's got good pickup, nice delivery. I reckon this little motor's awesome.

So do I want this little bug? Well, for free

ground, I certainly do. But you know what

I'm like? I like a bit of a deal. And if I can use this gearbox...

There's a bargaining tool and Nick it for two

and a half and there's a decent profit in it

for me and Ed because I reckon we can turn this around quite cheaply. When we do,

we'll have a cracking little bug in our hands.

I can't tell you, that was one hairy test drive. Really hairy. It's exciting,

I'll tell you. Getting round the corners, it feels like it's going to tip over.

You enjoyed it?

I did enjoy it. There are problems with it

though. On the test run, I noticed that it makes

a hell of a noise when it's in first gear. The canopy's rattling all the time. I mean,

these are all problems that I can see on the

surface and we haven't even got under the skin

yet. So he wanted how much free ground for this? I can tell you what, I'm not giving

anything like that for it. So what are you offering? Two and a half grand.

Well, I know he did want a bit more than that, but also having said that,

it did say that I wanted to go low two and a half grand. So if I'm offering two and

a half grand, we're in agreement. I got myself

a bomb bug. What have I done? What have I done?

I can't wait to see Ed's face when I turn up in this. I told him it was a special

motor from the 70s. So this little car is going to be a big surprise for him.

I don't even know for sure if he'll be able to fit in it.

I got hold of a rare bomb bug, an iconic car like no other. It's different. It's a

car that people stop and gawp at. And I only gave two and a half grand for it.

I got myself a bomb bug. What have I done? But it's not without its little thoughts.

The canopy rattles like a Baton and the gearbox is on its way out.

I need to get back to the workshop and show Ed what I've got us into.

Now this is no grand tour. It's actually a 70s city car. On a journey like this,

it's going to be a bit of a challenge. Anything

that overtakes me or anything that's big

coming the other way, when it feels like my whole world, whoa, it's shaking.

I have got one nagging doubt and it's this

canopy, the bit above my head. I can see gaps

all the way around it. It's a bit drafty. It just doesn't fit right in the frame.

Listen, as I've said before, I'm a bit of a bomb bug virgin, and I don't know if we're

going to pull this one off. I do know for one thing,

Ed's really going to have his work cut out for it.

How are you doing mate? I'm all right Ed, how are you?

When you said you were going to get me a 70s

icon, I was thinking maybe a Lamborghini,

Aston Martin, not a wedge of cheese.

It is a little slice of Gloucester driving down the road, isn't it?

This is much better than any old Lamborghini.

That is pretty wicked.

He's got the old flip up canopy jumping.

I was a little bit nervous about this, but you're in.

This is such a cool interior. I love the dashboard.

It's very retro, isn't it? And it works.

It's four simple buttons. You've got wipers,

you've got lights, you've got indicators, you've even got a...

That is really lovely, isn't it?

Great.

Did you look at the engine?

No, actually I didn't, because I can't find it. I don't know where it is.

It's under there.

Is it? I thought it was behind me.

I was wondering why it's all nice and toasty.

It was nice and warm in here, but if the engine

is under there, I'll tell you why it's a cracker.

And what does it drive like?

Well, it drives all right. It goes around the corners scarily.

There is an issue with the gearbox, because when

you put it in first gear, it makes this sort.

whirring noise, which isn't very good.

Okay, well, these are based on a Reliant Robin,

so we should be able to get hold of a replacement gearbox if I can't fix this one.

Now, one of the other problems is this canopy

rattles around a bit when you're driving it, and there's a lot of wind noise.

How do you get out of it so easily, I don't think?

Well, I can do it because I'm like a slim, athletically built racing driver.

As you can see, when it's down there, look, big panel gap at the back.

Down the sides here, it's all a bit skew-whiff, isn't it?

And I was kind of wondering if you could take these

hinges off and slide it back a bit and readjust it.

Well, the thing is, all that damage, you'd

probably be better off just getting a replacement.

What, just replacing the whole thing?

Do you think I can just go to a bond shop and get a replacement canopy?

Well, they made loads of them. There should be loads of spares out there.

It's going to be as rare as hen's teeth.

All right.

That's another problem you've created for me.

Yeah, one of the issues I do have, Ed, is when I go and get a newspaper

and park this on any hill or gradient, because I go in the shop and when I come out,

people are clearly laughing.

Obviously.

Then once they've stopped laughing, I notice the car's no longer there,

rolled off down the hill, so the handbrake doesn't work.

Could you adjust it for me?

I'll have a look.

I mean, I don't think it'd be too hard, but actually,

you can see that the oil on the back of the brake back plate,

so oil from the differential is actually leaking out onto

the pads, and of course, that's why it's not working.

And can you fix that for us?

Well, of course I can, but it'd be a bit of a faff, that's all.

Nah, it's not going to be a faff, it's going to be great.

And when we get this little baby up together, we're going to have a 70s icon,

I'll tell you, and it's going to be worth a few

quid, because it was cheap in the first place.

How cheap was it then?

It was cheap.

How cheap?

It's not bad, is it, really?

I know, I know.

It's not bad.

Oh, go on, round the back.

Thank you very much, two and a half grand.

I reckon, up together, it could be worth almost double that.

Really?

Yeah, really, genuinely.

And then when we do get it up together,

I'll have a look at finding another one for your other foot.

Well, give us a hand carrying it into the workshop, then.

Let's get it in the door.

Now, I know this isn't the Lamborghini that I was expecting,

but it's just as iconic, and it's exactly the kind of car that I'm into.

It's quirky, it's kitsch, it's very groovy, but I haven't got all day to admire it.

I need to crack on with some of the jobs.

And, of course, the first one is a rather worrying leak from the back end.

Now, I can see the signs of this leak on the inside of the tyre here,

but also on the rear of the back plate from the brakes.

So, obviously, something is going on with this back axle on our Bond bug,

and there shouldn't be any oily residue or moisture showing at all.

So, to get a much better look, I need to get this car up on the ramp.

It's not unusual to find a bit of leaking on a car of this age,

but oil around the brakes is bad news.

The bug has drum brakes,

and if the internal shoes get contaminated,

braking performance will be affected.

And one of the first things that strikes me about this car is it is so simple.

I mean, it's based on an Alain Robin,

and nobody can accuse that of being a complicated car,

but, really, everything's very easy to get to,

and, hopefully, it should be a joy to work on.

But, of course, like with any car, if you've got oil leaking out of your back axle,

you've got a bit of a problem.

And if I look closely, I can see that it seems to be coming from

kind of the join or the flange of the tube and the back plate there.

Chances are it's the half-shaft oil seals that have gone,

but to be absolutely sure, what I want to do is take off the wheels,

take off the drums, and get a really good look inside.

If the half-shaft oil seals have failed,

at least they are readily available and cheap.

But swapping them over requires a fair bit of fiddling.

With the wheel off, I need to get the drum off, the casing that holds the brakes.

Undo the brake adjuster,

and a light tap will help it off the hub.

Now, with the drum removed, I can now see the three bolts

that hold the back plate to our axle tube, but I can't really get to them,

so what I'm going to do is actually remove this hub.

And to keep things nice and safe,

I'm actually going to put the nut back on, finger

tight, and should this come off at any high speed,

this will stop it going into my face.

Now, pop the puller on,

because you've got the two arms here of the puller.

I'm just going to wind that into position, like so.

And then, very carefully, just start doing it up,

and that's going to pull this carriage towards me,

put some tension on the arms, which in turn puts the tension onto...

There we go, you see?

Well, that came off pretty ferociously, but the nut did the trick,

it stopped it from flying off, which is great.

So now I can just undo that, and remove the hub.

Okay, and you can see there's lots of oil around the end of this hub here,

which means that there is oil coming through that seal.

So I think we're definitely on the right track here,

so the next job is to get those nuts undone.

This oil leak has affected both of the half shafts,

so I'm removing the back plates on each side of the car.

The back plate contains the whole braking assembly,

and this will come off complete.

without having to disassemble the brakes.

Well, with the back plate out of the way, I can now see the half shaft,

but what does it actually do?

Well, of course, you've got drive coming from the engine,

going through the gearbox,

that flows down the prop shaft.

into our differential at the back there, and then you've got a half shaft

coming out of each side of the differential,

and that transfers the power to each of the rear wheels.

Now, if I just put a nut back onto the shaft there,

it gives me something to hang on to, I should be able

to just pull it straight out of the differential,

and then hopefully we'll reveal the seal behind the bearing.

So here it goes, there we go.

Now that is interesting.

What we should be seeing here is loads of oil pouring out.

If you look at the drain plug here, it's about halfway up the differential,

and it's therefore halfway up the tube for the

drive shaft, which means that all this oil in here.

should then be pouring out at the end,

but it's not, which means we probably rescued this just in time.

Now, because the oil has been leaking out,

the differential's still okay,

because it's all going to be sitting in this bath of oil here,

but it means that the bearings on either end of our axle

are actually going to be getting dry, and then they're going to get hot,

and eventually they might actually seize up,

basically melt into position, and that can be a really expensive fix.

So I think, hopefully, we've got there in the Nick of time.

So what I need to do now is get to the seal,

and to do that I'm going to pull the shaft out.

And there we are,

all this effort to get to a two pound seal.

Well, there's the offending seal.

Does look a little bit worn,

and obviously it needs to be replaced.

It's not difficult to find mechanical spares for the bug.

The new seals have the same dimensions as the old ones,

but have a rubber coating, which makes them more effective.

To make sure they go in square,

I'm using an aluminium die to tap them into place.

It took me less than an hour to get to the oil seals,

but getting everything back in place takes even less time.

Well, the half shaft seals are in position,

and the back plates are now bolted into position as well.

So what I need to do next is actually replace all that lost oil,

and how I do that is through this little drain plug here

on the back of the differential.

I'm filling up with EP80 stroke 90 oil,

and I know that the level is correct when the overspill can be seen.

Well, there we go.

Job done.

On to the next one.

The bug needs a new gearbox,

and Ed has charged me with getting a replacement.

Easy-beasy, I thought.

I'd just get one from a reliant Robin,

but I can't seem to find one near me.

Now I'm on my way down to Cornwall

to go and see this bomb bug enthusiast and collector.

He reckons he's got a gearbox.

It's a long journey, so I hope it's going to be worth it.

Hello there.

OK.

You Chris?

Yep.

Chris, I'm Mike.

Pleased to meet you.

Nice to meet you too, mate.

Cole, what a journey to get down here.

It is.

Wow, what a place.

You seem to have the world's collection of bugs around you.

It seems like it.

You've got bugs in all different, varying states of repair.

I need a gearbox though.

Have you got a gearbox for me?

I do have a gearbox, yep.

The problem I had with my gearbox.

was it's got a little crunch in first gear,

and when you pull it into second gear,

right, that don't do the same, does it?

Nope.

Right, so it all looks good.

And I see you've started to clean it up for me as well.

Yeah, I cleaned it up so you didn't get your hands dirty taking it away.

Thank you very, very much.

How much is that?

£75.

£75?

I'm not even going to argue with you.

I've never bought a gearbox for £75 in my life.

So yes, I'll have that.

Thank you very much.

As long as you swear by it and it works.

Yep.

A place like this is a gold mine,

and I can see canopies around.

Ed wanted me to get hold of one,

and I thought it would be too difficult.

A quick call to the tour man.

He says, if you see one, bag it.

Cheers then, bye.

That looks right.

It's the right colour.

However, it needs painting, doesn't it?

Yep, that's right.

I think I'm interested in this one.

How much money is it?

£400.

£400?

Yep.

Could you do something with my old canopy?

Could I put that in part exchange with you?

Yep, I can do that one for you.

£300 and £100 for your canopy.

So I'll give you £300 to swap.

Yep.

Yeah, it sounds like a deal to me.

Thank you very much.

Okay, thank you very much.

So I bought a canopy and a gearbox.

That's right.

You'll be able to restore to your heart's content now.

Well done, mate.

So far, Ed's got well stuck into the Bombug's job sheet.

I've got him a new canopy and gearbox to fit,

so there's still plenty of work to be done on our tendering dream machine.

Watch this space.

We're restoring a splendid 70s Wheeler dealer's Bombug.

I paid just two and a half grand for this tendering dream machine,

but it was crying out for TLC.

There was oil leaking out of the axle, damaging the brakes.

They need to be salted before Ed can start

thinking about swapping out the grungy gearbox.

Look at the state of these brake shoes.

They're all contaminated with oil,

and of course that oil used to be coming from our failing half-shaft oilses,

which are now fixed.

So the oil runs down the inside of the back plate into the drum

and then kind of collects in the shoes themselves.

And of course that seriously reduces braking efficiency,

which is a very dangerous situation potentially.

What I need to do is sort it out.

And that means I'm going to replace the brake shoes.

Like most cars of this era, our Bombug is fitted with drum brakes.

There's our drum.

And of course how it works is you put your foot on the brake pedal.

That squishes hydraulic fluid into this slave cylinder here,

and that pushes the two pistons out,

which in turn pushes our shoes into the outside edge of

our drum there, therefore slowing down or stopping the car.

And I've also got, because it's the back axle,

the handbrake mechanical mechanism, which is pretty much the same thing there,

and also an adjuster there to compensate for the wear in the brake shoe.

Now of course if you've got contamination here, it isn't going to work very well.

Although I could clean this off with a bit of brake cleaner,

because they've been soaking in oil for quite a while now,

I'm going to play it on the safe side and just replace them.

Here's the good news.

The shoes clip off without the need for special tools,

and replacing them on a bug costs about the same as for a regular car.

Now it is a bit of a shame that these are so contaminated,

because they look quite new and have quite a bit of meat on them.

But at the end of the day, a set of four new ones only cost 16 pounds.

And as we're talking about safety here, I'm not going to mess about.

What I will do, however, is actually clean any contaminants,

or any of the oil, from the inside of the drum.

And I'm using a special brake cleaner, which

is designed to dissolve things like oil and

brake fluid, and also kind of clumps together

any brake dust to make it nice and safe.

The back plate also gets the same degreaser that I cleaned the drums with,

and after a couple of minutes it looks like new.

Well the back plate's nice and clean now, so

it's time to put our new shoes into position.

Now a little top tip here, of course, to stop

squeaky brakes, it's best to kind of knock a

chamfer, just file a chamfer, off the leading edge of your brake shoe.

You can see it's already been done for us, which is very handy.

So just pop that into position.

And another useful tip as well, of course, is if you're not entirely

confident on how your brakes are going to go back together again,

simple thing to do is just do one side at a time.

You can always reference the other side as you're going.

There you go, the shoes are in place.

So now it's time for the hub.

There we go, just pop the wheel on next.

So the half shaft oil seals are done, the diff is topped up,

and the brake shoes are brand new, good stuff.

Now Mike was complaining about this kind of noisy first gear in this car,

but handily he's got me a replacement gearbox.

It wasn't actually that much money, because of course parts on these cars

are based on that lovely Reliant three-Wheeler series,

and of course they're renowned for their budget motoring.

But while I'm up here in the top side of the cab,

I'm going to undo a few bits and pieces to do with the gearbox,

and then the rest of it is all going to be done from

underneath once I've lifted the car up on the ramp.

The gear lever and rudimentary gator are held

in with only a couple of screws, and that's it.

So now I'm all set to remove the gearbox from under the car.

Now this is great under here.

Everything mechanical on this car is so dinky.

Got this tiny little gearbox here, little tiny engine there.

I don't reckon it's going to be too hard to get off either,

there's just a few bolts that go around the bell housing obviously.

Got the prop shaft to disconnect, the speedo drive,

haven't even got to move the exhaust because it's not in the way.

Now there are a few kind of rusty looking or corroded bolts,

I will get a bit of penetrating oil on there,

just to make sure that my life stays a little bit easier.

A home mechanic could attempt this job with the help of a ramp.

The bugs gearbox is so small it should be really easy to remove by yourself.

Well that's the theory.

Okay well it's kind of, I'm getting more gearbox freedom,

but not quite enough.

Basically the little studs at the front are now

pretty much clear of that end of the bell housing,

but I've kind of run out of room at the back,

so I'm gonna have to try something a little bit cunning.

I think what I'm gonna try and do is rotate the gearbox.

Here we go.

Oh very very close indeed.

It's gonna take a bit more wrangling I think.

I thought this would be a piece of cake but it's not working out.

I could remove the clutch to give me more space,

but getting to that will add yet more time to the job.

I need to find another way to get this box out.

Maybe I can try and get the end off the prop shaft.

It should release the coupling.

Very careful.

There we go.

So that gets that right out of the way.

So now let's try again.

Surely.

Yes!

Oh there we go.

It is out.

It's a little heavier than I thought but it's okay.

What a pain.

Ed!

How you doing?

All right mate.

Very good.

Wow look at our little bomb bug.

Uh what have you done to it?

Looks the same.

As always all the work I've been doing.

has been underneath the car.

Remember all that leaking oil at the back?

Yep.

Sorted that out, sorted out the half shaft oil seal so now it

doesn't leak oil but it did actually contaminate the brakes.

Had to fix those as well.

So we've got a leak free bug that stops.

That's correct.

What else you been doing?

Well if you look inside here you see in the centre console

there's a big hole and that's because I've

dropped the gearbox and now I need a new one.

Aha!

Wait one second.

It's had a hole because I bought you this!

Look at that little gearbox.

Little replacement gearbox.

How much was that?

75 pounds.

Possibly the cheapest gearbox I've ever bought.

That is a bargain but it isn't very big is it?

No it should be a nice easy fit as well.

Now there was something else that I asked for as well.

Did you manage to get that?

You asked me to find you something as rare as hen's teeth.

and yes I did get us a replacement canopy.

I haven't got it with me.

I've dropped it straight in the paint shop.

I'm gonna have it painted the same colour as the bug.

That way it's a nice easy retro fit for you.

That is possibly the first time you've made my life easier rather than harder.

Thank you very much.

You're possibly right.

This is our replacement gearbox.

Now it should be a direct swap because it is actually

the same model as the one that came out of our car.

Now the chap that sold it to Mike assured him that it was in

tip-top condition but I'm not going to take his word for it.

So there's a few checks I can do.

First of all I'm just going to rotate both shafts.

Oh my word.

So in all it should be a lovely sort of smooth motion to it.

That kind of slapping noise or that kind of that noise is okay.

That's just the backlash of the gears

but it really should be a lot smoother than this.

You can hear that noise.

Imagine if you can hear that now what it's gonna be like

when you're actually driving along the road and it's under load.

Now handily with this gearbox it's got a little observation panel.

So I think really the best thing to do now is just

check inside because that does not sound good.

Oh my word.

Well that's not looking so good.

I have to say let's get a bit light in here as well.

Oh wow.

Now this is supposed to be a kind of a well-oiled beast.

It's supposed to be lovely and clean

with a light kind of sheen of oil over the whole thing.

There's no oil, there's some really nasty colored gunk at the bottom

and there's loads of bits of grit and dirt everywhere.

This is a bad bad buy I think.

I think Mike's bought a pup.

When you buy a salvage part it should meet expectations as with a new part.

So don't be afraid to contact the seller if you have any issues.

This time it was an honest mistake

and we were offered an immediate replacement which arrived within 24 hours.

Well here we go this is replacement gearbox number two.

It's already looking very much more shiny and lovely.

I will of course have checked the shaft again.

Oh that's so much better.

It's silky smooth and the best way to test this to make sure it is actually all right

is by banging it in the car and take it for a test drive.

Now it was quite tricky to get this little chap out of here

so I imagine it's not going to be much easier to getting

it back in at least I know roughly what I had to do.

But I had to try and get this end over this bar here like so

and then try and wiggle it all around.

So with that in place I can now rotate the gearbox around.

making sure I haven't pinched any wires.

Oh now that is a relief.

It's actually gone in without any hitches.

You just don't know when you're fitting second-hand parts

that perhaps the one you've now got is slightly later

the first motion shaft was a slightly different size who knows

but thankfully it's all gone into position

so now all I need to do is bolt everything up.

Well everything is bolted up.

I've got the starter motor back in position the oil filter is back in place.

All I have to do now is fill up the gearbox with oil.

This is the same EP80 stroke 90 oil that I used for the diff

and like the diff it needs to be filled until you can see the overspill.

With the gearbox oil filled up I can now put back the drive shaft.

reconnect the speeder cable.

the slave cylinder.

and the clutch spring.

And so all of the work on the underside is finished.

Now I'm just bolting down the last few bits

here this is the plate for the gear shifter

four screws and then I can finally get to do a

test drive we can find out whether this gearbox

this new gearbox the second replacement is actually any good.

Mike thinks I should never really leave the workshop

and with all the work that he gives me I hardly ever can

so this is a joyful opportunity as I take the bug onto the open road.

My first bug drive sure feels sweet I have a minor

problem though I don't fit in the driving seat

I've got my left leg over the top of the

steering wheel bar I've also got my left shoe off

because of course otherwise I couldn't drive the clutch safely

so it is a little bit tricky but I would say I'm here to test the gearbox

and actually that's going fantastically well there's no noise in first

second gear's fine third is all right even fourth is okay

which means that this gearbox is a good'UN job done.

Didn't I say this project was all about having fun?

After the break Ed's back in the workshop fitting our salvage re-spray canopy

and I'll start looking for a buyer who's got five grand to spend.

Welcome back to Wheeler Dealers we're working on a bomb bug

a 70s icon and one of the most fun cars we've ever dealt with.

Ed's worked his way through the to-do list on our brilliant bug

he's sorted the oil leaks and replaced the

gearbox so mechanically we're bang on course.

but there's still work to do Ed's got to fix our

cranky canopy but yours truly found him a replacement

and it'll soon be ready to bolt on to our bomb bug.

A car like a bomb bug is a unique design

and with all unique designs you get unique problems

the A pillar on a bomb bug is its Achilles heel

and somebody in the past has tried to repair our one here

you can see all these kind of wobbly lines here

and this stuff where it's actually starting to blow apart again.

now unfortunately that's not the worst of it

the worst of it is that the canopy is now slightly warped as well.

If this was a weekend fun car then a warped canopy wouldn't be the end of the world

hundreds of bugs are like this but we're going

for a top-end presentation and top resale money.

it would take me days to get this canopy up to the standard I'd like

so swapping it over for a salvage unit is a good use of time.

Well how about that for a great little topless number for the summer

mind you if it's a British summer it's going to be raining.

which means you'll be driving around in a mobile paddling pool

so probably best that Paul and I fit our replacement canopy.

Mike kindly got the canopy painted for me so it looks like new

the color was carefully matched to this car so it fits like a proverbial orange glove.

to reattach it's two nuts on the back of each hinge and we're in business.

As we expected our new canopy is a really good fit

and didn't take too much fettling to get it into position

but really now our work has only just started

because I've got to put everything else back onto the car.

And that starts with the windscreen I'm using new rubbers

that are readily available and a good spray of soapy water.

The old windscreen pops in from the front

and is prized in with a blunt screwdriver.

We've got the screen in as you notice we didn't use

any power cord because it just pops in from the front

but what does happen is it gets locked into position with this locking bead

and you can see there it's not actually symmetrical

so I'm going to use the slightly shorter side on the inside

to go around those bends as it make it a bit easier.

This handy tool pushes the bead into the rubber and holds it firm

with a neat cut to finish jobs a good'UN.

The windscreen wipers and side panels can all go back in and we're nearly there.

Just the finishing touches to go some bright work

and then a decal of the original lettering around the canopy latch.

I got this from a popular Internet auction site for £20.

Our brilliant Bong Bong is back mechanically it's all sorted

the canopy fits the dream and that lovely bright work really sets it off.

Okay it needs a bit of a clean but once that's done it's going to look superb

and I know Mike is going to be well chuffed with it.

I'm really having to pinch myself

because this little motor has exceeded expectations.

We set off with a bug that was kept in a barn as a bit of fun

and we've ended up with a car that would stand up to the best in the country.

It's looking lovely on the body solid on the

mechanicals it's quite simply call Britannia.

I struggled to find a bug at all but struck lucky on a Bond fan site.

The car drove but had issues and I chipped the

asking price of three grand down by 500 quid.

The rear axle was leaking oil onto the brake drums.

Ed diagnosed the problem as the half shaft oil seals.

The brakes needed to be changed but now the system worked fine.

The gearbox was shot and needed replacing and Ed even got out of workshop to test it.

The canopy was cracked and badly fitting

and we decided to swap it over for a salvage unit.

It needed paint work but was quick to get on the car and fitted perfectly.

So what does the Bombug owe us?

Service parts came in at 36 pounds.

The gearbox was 75.

Canopy plus paint was 650 quid.

Add the cost to the car

and the orange wedge owes us 3,261 pounds.

Ed how you doing?

All right mate.

Every time I see this little car

it makes me laugh and it's making me smile even more

now because it's finished and Ed it looks fantastic.

Well I'm going to join you in those smiles

because although it has been a bit of a mission at times

it has been fantastic fun all the way through.

Look how far you've come Ed from that little box that I delivered down here to this

and surely look at it Ed that has to be the best one for Sal.

When you look at this eccentric little car from every angle

it looks like a winner it's going to make somebody so happy.

Somebody so happy it's going to make a whole heap of people very happy.

Do you know the little Bombug is celebrating its 40th anniversary

and I thought me and you would celebrate

that special occasion in our own special way.

Are you up for it?

I'm always up for it mate.

Bombug is 40 years old and it's having a very special do.

We are on our way to its party with one or two other bugs.

And how many bugs does it take to make a convoy?

Well at least 60 are out in force today which is a

pretty rare sight given that only 2,200 were made.

And how many smiles per gallon do you get cruising with 60 Bombugs?

The answer, a lot.

Are we having fun or what?

Absolutely and I only just managed to squeeze myself into this little beastie.

You really have haven't you?

I'm glad you did because it's a real treat this little motor.

Well this car really suits you as well I think because it's got its pure 70s.

What are you trying to say?

We're heading for the historic Woburn Abbey to the festival of transport

which is helping to celebrate the bugs 40th birthday.

Wow look at this.

Well we're here the party can start.

It can yeah.

Look at the turnout.

We should get stuck in.

There are lots of different bugs here from rough runners to show winners

and they all bring a lot of pleasure to their owners.

In the Star Spangled 70s the Bombug was a

totally fresh look at the concept of motoring.

One VIP at the show is Tom Caron visionary, automotive designer of the bug

and we couldn't miss the chance to speak to him.

Must ask you, did you think

when you first designed this vehicle

that it would be quite as popular 40 years later?

In a way I hoped it would have even more of a run than it did

but you know it's there are people in 17

countries and five continents who've got Bombugs.

which is amazing.

That is incredible.

Where did the idea for the Bombug come from?

I always liked three-wheelers because you know you can throw away

a wheel and suspension and the chassis is much simpler it doesn't twist.

Do you still own a Bombug?

We did have one in the office for a while

and then somebody turned it over and I thought maybe it's not such a good idea.

Well thank you very much.

Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen.

Tom Caron.

Thank you.

Thanks very much.

Thanks for this.

It's a pleasure.

Lovely to see you.

It's one of the finest birthday parties we've

been to but our visit isn't just about having fun.

It's been a great day and I think our bug has actually stood up

to scrutiny rather well but we do need to talk about money.

People love our bug and don't worry about the money.

I'm way ahead of you.

I've already advertised the car and get this.

within 10 hours of the advert going out there

I had four offers for the full asking price.

And what was the asking price?

Five grand.

That's actually pretty good.

It's not bad.

And get this a bit more than that it's a put a smile on your face

it was one guy so enthusiastic he offered me all

the fives five thousand five hundred and fifty quid.

You sure you heard him right?

I did hear him right not really that

he's a bit of an enthusiast he's going to turn up here today

and if the car measured up to what he wants we've made it.

If we sell that thing today that'll be amazing.

Pat on the back, son.

Well done.

Our buyer Ron drove 300 miles to get here let's hope he thinks it was worth the trip.

Well Ron you've had a good look around it what do you think?

Nice car, I like it.

You like it?

It goes as well as it looks.

Beautiful.

And it's described as well.

Yeah lovely.

Okay.

Well you seem pretty pleased with it.

So do we have a deal?

Got a deal mate.

Top work.

You bought yourself a lovely Bombo.

Thank you.

Thank you.

This is a good day a really good day.

I bought this car for two and a half grand and doing

the sums we've made almost the same again in profit.

Doubling our money is a bit of a holy grail

for Wheeler dealers and we've almost done it.

Now a little Bombug has had a happy ending.

I love buying the car Ed loved working on it but

more importantly I love counting the readies.

If you want to see more cars getting the Wheeler

dealer treatment then join me and Ed soon.

Salah!