(upbeat music)
- Today we're back with our pal Bernie.
This is like the fourth time we've seen this dude.
(Bernie laughs)
Back in his niece's garage, or lockup, as I call it,
and we're gonna make the attempt today
to take this car that's been sitting there for 21 years,
make it look pretty, and make it run well.
Wish us luck.
What do you got to say?
- It is what it is, let's give it a go.
First thing is we've got to pull it out.
(overlapping chattering)
- Locked up again? - Okay.
(muffled chattering)
- Oh, really? - Let's get the air in it.
That's maybe...
We've come well-equipped.
American (laughs).
- [Tom] Bernie, I'm worried about
starting to drive this thing because
it'll burn the clutch out.
- Once we get it going.
(car engine rumbling)
- [Tom] One, two, three, go!
We can chocolate that wheel.
So- - What?
- Okay. - Okay, here we are.
- How many years, 21 years?
- 21 years, yeah.
- 1998.
Actually, it's not in bad condition.
- No, it's not, man.
- So, should we do it?
Good luck.
- So I think what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna wash it.
We're gonna clean out the interior.
There's a lot of crap in the trunk.
- Right. - In the interior.
Old bottles and things.
There's garbage cans around here,
so I'm gonna make use of them.
- You use this. - Okay.
- This'll clean everything.
- Instead of washing it?
- Yeah, you don't need to.
And then you use- - Washing feels good.
- Well, it's up to you, but do you want to do this
on the interior? - Yeah, yeah.
- Okay, I'll leave that with you.
So the plan is we tear the battery out,
which there's no point charging it.
It's been there for 22, 23 years, that's a waste of time.
So we put a new battery on it.
I'm gonna pull all the plugs out.
We'll whizz it over, I'll put a bit more oil in it,
so it's got a bit of oil on the top of balls,
it's got a bit of oil in the bottom of the engine,
it's free, so what we'll do now is we'll turn it over
to make sure everything's clean and tidy,
put some new plugs in, we'll have a new battery,
give the old distributor a squirt of WD-40 and off we go.
- Bernie, I think here's a new hammer for your-
- Oh, that's it, look at that, that's what she asked for,
the shillelagh, okay. - Really?
- So, to all you Americans,
especially the ones that came from Ireland,
this is called a shillelagh.
So what they used to do is they would walk around with it
in their pocket like this or up their jacket
and if they were to have an argument with somebody,
they'd go, "Hold on a minute."
Whack! (both laughing)
So that's what you call a shillelagh.
See the Irish flag and the,
I forget what they're called now.
Clover, shamrock, shamrock.
Yeah, I doubt this has had much use at all.
(Bernie grunts)
Tom, have you noticed the lightning holes in the bodywork?
- [Tom] I'm sorry, what?
- Have you noticed the lightning holes in the bodywork?
- [Tom] No.
- Have a look at this.
Do you think when they manufactured this car,
they put lightning holes in for racing?
I don't think so, that's to let the water to drain out.
- [Tom] Right, but that's factory.
- [Bernie] That is factory.
Let's get this back.
Cool, we're lucky with this spanner.
- [Tom] So, do you think there's a hose around here?
- [Bernie] What, for water?
- Key!
- [Man] We have any soap?
Mabel's keys, there you go.
- This is how you buff a car up.
- [Woman] Oh my goodness, what's happened to her there?
- What's happened there? - On the rim.
- What, that? - Yeah.
- She's hit a tire or something.
Look at that.
- [Tom] You worry about your department,
I'll worry about mine, all right?
- [Bernie] Okay, all right, okay.
- I don't want to do it this way, I want to wash it.
Soap suds cleansing but whatever.
- So are we putting money on this?
10 bucks at your go or, or not?
Probably not.
That one's a bit stiff.
I actually don't think the plugs are bad
it's just that might as well put new ones it.
Gives it a better chance.
All the plugs are out, the battery's done.
I think what we do now...
(Bernie grunts)
Right.
If you were watching one of these programs
of a certain American doing all of this
and I won't say who it is,
but he gets it back to his shop
and they spend days and hundreds of dollars
getting it going, which is great, generally for auctions.
But this is the old-school way of doing it.
And this is the exciting way of doing it.
So, let's get a little bit of oil in that.
Well, Tom? - Yeah?
- We could actually turn it over.
- [Tom] Yeah?
- I got all the plugs out.
The battery should be good.
So I don't know if you want to do the honors.
- [Tom] Putting water in the radiator?
- Yeah, might as well.
We'll take- - Gotta remember,
if it gets freezing, it's gonna crack a block.
- I'm only gonna put, no, inside, it'll be okay.
I'll put some antifreeze in it anyway.
If we're gonna run it for a little bit,
might as well have some water in it.
Now, this is quite dry.
That'll be enough for the moment.
That's plenty.
- [Man] Sounds like it's pittling.
- Oh, yes.
Well, you got a cracked hose here.
See that?
So we're not really gonna be doing much.
You've got two cracks,
you've got a crack there from the jubilee clip there
and you got a crack down there 'cause of just age.
It's just withered.
But you know what, it's better to have some water in it,
as long as we don't run it for too long, it'll be okay.
- You know, I was critical of Bernie's method
and I still am, 'cause it's Bernie.
But it's looking pretty good.
- Yeah, it's coming up really nice.
- I can't believe it, actually.
- I think you're wasting your time
doing borrowed finds, Tom, I think you should be-
- A detailer? - Ferreting, yeah.
So, let's see if it'll turn over.
That'll be a bit of fun.
Well, we've got ignition.
We don't seem to have a horn.
- [Tom] Out of gear?
- [Bernie] Out of gear.
I think- (engine rumbling)
Well, it turns over.
- [Tom] Now, I don't hear the fuel pump clicking.
- No, we might have to,
well, I think what we'll do is put some
Easy Start petrol in it first.
Well, it's showing it's... are the lights on?
- Yes. - Parking lights.
- Right, okay, let's switch it off.
Let me put the plugs in.
Stick a bit of fuel in.
(woman mumbles)
Well, I don't know if you want to do the honors?
- Starting it? - Why not?
- [Tom] No, you gotta do it.
- If it gets going- - Yep.
- [Bernie] Just keep putting some Easy Start down it.
- The tail pipe, get the mice coming out of it.
Out of gear.
(engine rumbling)
Doesn't sound good, Bernie.
I don't hear the fuel pump clicking at all.
- No, with the Easy Start, it should start,
but I'll tell you what we'll do.
(metallic knocking)
If you pull the starter out,
turn the key to the right and pull the starter out.
- [Tom] All right.
(metallic knocking)
- Go on.
(engine rumbling)
Right.
Hang on a minute, let's see if we're getting a spark.
- [Tom] Yep.
- [Bernie] Go on.
(engine rumbling)
No. - No points?
- No.
- [Tom] All right, maybe the points are dirty, need filing.
- [Bernie] Well, we're not getting a spark at all.
Or, wait a minute, I've done that wrong, haven't I?
What a (beeps).
What an idiot.
- [Tom] The wrong end?
- I missed it.
Well, one of these.
(camera clicking) Go on.
(engine rumbling)
(overlapping chattering)
(engine rumbling) No.
I think the call is...
- [Tom] Well, see if you can spark it to the points.
- [Bernie] Where's the distributor on this?
Oh, excuse me.
All right, try it again.
That all looks quite new in there.
- [Man] It had a new cap and a box for a new cap,
a box for the new- - Yeah.
(engine rumbling)
I can't, I can't see a...
A spark in here at all.
They're opening and closing. - Uh-huh.
- That's new.
That's brand- - I wonder if
they're adjusted correctly or even wired in correctly.
- Well, it drove in here
and the points are opening and closing
and the gap looks pretty good.
I think it's probably the coil
that's not behaving.
(engine rumbling)
Well, the fuel pump's not definitely working.
(metallic knocking)
- But there's probably no gas in the tank
or if it is, it's probably bad.
(metallic knocking)
- Well, I tell you what we can do.
I've got fuel, we can put more fuel in.
- Yep. - And try that,
see what happens.
(fuel dripping)
(engine rumbling)
- [Tom] Not even a kick.
- [Bernie] Just take a bit more fuel in the plastic cup
if there's any down there.
- [Mabel] It's coming back to life.
- [Bernie] Ready?
(engine rumbling)
- You have the choke on?
- [Bernie] I've got it on, yeah.
(engine rumbling)
- I can't believe even with ether it's not doing anything.
- [Bernie] Well, I took a bit more ether down it
just in case.
That stuff, it dries in the air very quickly.
- [Tom] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
(engine rumbling)
- Keep trying. (engine rumbling)
Oi, a bit more!
(Tom laughs)
(engine rumbling)
- I think your battery's...
- [Bernie] Well, I've got a charger here, that might work.
You know what?
It wants to fire, doesn't it? - It does.
(engine rumbling)
(Tom laughs)
She's doing the dance.
All right, let's let it rest.
Sometimes you just need to rest and-
- [Bernie] I think what we'll do,
let it rest and I'll hook up the charger thing to it.
(electronic beeping)
Go on.
(engine rumbling)
Just keep doing it until we run the...
(electronic beeping)
- I think it's a lost cause. - I think so.
- [Tom] You need to get one of your British guys here.
(engine rumbling)
(both laughing)
- Just as you said, "This is a lost cause."
- [Tom] It's probably running off the (mumbles).
- Has he got it?
That is unbelievable!
- Oh, wow. (Tom laughs)
- Did you get it? - Music to my ears.
- Did you get it? - Yeah.
- That is unbelievable.
That just makes life worthwhile and the sun's shining.
- Yeah, absolutely. - Ran pretty well, too.
- Yeah.
Right. (Tom laughs)
You operate the throttle and everything.
I'll just keep the distributor in the right place.
- Okay.
Yeah, if I can get my foot in there.
- I'll tell you what, if you want to stick it in gear
and just move it forward a bit.
- Want to?
Is everything out of the way?
- I'll be sitting on it.
(door slams)
- [Tom] You think they'll let us on the motorway?
- No, we're not going on the motorway, that's for sure.
- All right? - Yeah, go on.
(engine rumbling)
Oh, come on.
(electronic beeping) Oh, can you believe it?
Right, forward! (dramatic music)
(people laughing and cheering)
- [Tom] Our work is done here!
(Bernie coughs)
- Well, at least the clutch is free.
- Yeah. - What an effort, guys.
What an effort. (Tom laughs)
- Wow.
The fuel pump's not operating,
so we have to fill the float bowl with fuel.
And it can only run until the float bowl's empty.
I don't think the ether was even necessary,
to tell you the truth.
The timing, the distributor's loose
and needs to be tightened up,
so it's kind of playing back and forth between
advance and retarded.
Needs a fuel pump.
Distributor, the coil, obviously, is good.
Bernie thought the coil might be bad,
but it's obviously good.
The hoses, yeah.
And so, we tried to put water in the radiator,
the radiator's got holes in it or something.
But, you know, a bunch of us got on this thing.
We didn't wash it, we just used these little wet rags
and I think it cleaned up pretty well.
Put Armor All on the tires.
Cleaned up the top as best we could.
You know, it doesn't look like the same car and
the paint's got a good shine to it.
The top was relatively new when the car was parked.
Interior's in good shape.
Some rips in the passenger seat.
It could be vacuumed.
But I think, you know, my whole story,
in a weekend, this could be turned into a nice driving car.
- Push!
- [Tom] Big bump.
- Oh (beeps). (all laughing)
- [Tom] You might want to go uphill again.
- Yeah. - 'Cause that's a big bump.
- I need a lift. (Bernie coughs)
- Let's push it up and then back.
- [Tom] Yeah.
- Up- - Might even...
- Okay, okay.
- It's a big one.
- Oh, we got, turn the wheels. - No, we're okay like that.
That's okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.
That's better.
- [Man] Watch your hip there.
- Is it in? - Yeah.
- We're in. (man laughs)
We're certainly in now.
- It's okay, we're in. - Moving back, moving back.
(door slams)
- Happy hunting.