a big howdy from Wheeler Dealers
I'm about to head off to the US of A to
track down an American classic to buy
restore and sell on for a profit come on
Mike what's it gonna be maybe it could
be a 40s pickup perhaps it could be like a
classic 50s icon covered in fins and
chrome well Ed you're just gonna have to
wait and see but here's a look at
what I got in store an awesome motor a
ground-shaking head Turner with a
name that really sets the pulse race in the
Dodge Charger muscle car looks and
brutal performance it's one awesome motor
it looks mean it sounds mean and this super
cool coupe has blistering performance.
v8 translates into naught to 60 in six and
a half seconds with a top speed of
a hundred and thirty miles an hour it
starred in films like b*ll*ts and the hit
TV show the Dukes of Hazzard where
high-speed stunts meant
the car was written off almost
every episode the charger
is fast furious and I want one.
no I'm not in the States yet
but I've chosen this American
style diner as the perfect
place to start my search.
I'm looking for a 68 69 or 70 car
the most desirable years are I thought
$20,000 would land me a decent
dodge but prices asleep even for project
cars and nuts and bolts
restored charges go for as much
as a hundred grand right
now look at this a big classic
guard dealer in Texas has got a
bronze 1970 charger on the cell
unusual color but cheap seventeen
thousand nine hundred dollars now the
pictures of the car or look superb
now let's look at the inside you can
see that the interior needs attention
but don't get me wrong at seventeen
thousand nine hundred dollars the car
is cheap and I know anything I go look
at that money is gonna need a bit
of work so I definitely think it's worth a
call it's the 1970 Dodge Charger
in bronze okay yeah that's fantastic.
cheers bye-bye do you know what
there's good news and there's bad news
there the bad news is he sold the
bronze one but the good news is he's
got another one coming in in
just a few days time and it's in black
lovely color and it's a 1970 and get
this it's the desirable stick shift now
the thing is if he gets that car in
and does it up it could be worth twenty.
seven twenty eight thousand dollars
but it's a long shot but you know what I'm
gonna put myself a flight to the
land of the free and a home in a brave
Texas here I come.
eight hundred miles away on the outskirts.
of Dallas I'm heading across Texas
in a race against time and I gotta tell
you I'm dead excited because I was a
car dealer for years and I know exactly how
this game works you buy a car you
tidy it up you validate you make sure
there's no obvious problems with the
engine having your percentage and then
sell it on to the new owner what
I'm trying to do is be clever and get in
there before the dealer invest any
time or money on that particular motor
now my contact says the black
charger is coming in this morning and I'm
being clever because if I can get there
before they take the nice pictures and
advertise it online I
might get myself a deal.
late afternoon and
I finally arrived at an
industrial-looking
warehouse in deepest Texas.
look at this it's like my dream
American Garage Wow look at this pickup
truck amazing looks like it's fit
for the scrappy but actually all this
rust is deliberate it's called the rat
look I bet you underneath this hood is
a good engine beautiful big block v8
twin carbs wonderful bit just goes to
show them it you can never judge
a book by its cover I've come to see
this yes look at that a 1970 black
Dodge Charger a proper muscle car look
at it it's beautiful isn't it at the
moment admittedly it's not looking its
best what were the headlamp covers
dropped and the paintwork covered with
this filth let's have a quick nosy
round look at that classic 1970s
interior very simple design isn't it
beautiful two great big doors four
seater I love the steering wheel
look at that it's like a pair of Elvis
Presley sunglasses and the gear stick
look it's a p*stol grip well this looks
like it might be the salesman hello
I'm Mike I'm Donny Donny lovely to
meet you I spoke to you on the
phone sure can you tell me a little bit
about it yeah it's a 1970 Charger it has
the 383 Magnum engine 383 Magnum
engine can I have a look at that sure
that's 383 cubic inches in American
language yes 383 cubic inches oh look
at that basically it's just a great big
v8 can I hear it sure we fire it
up look at the size of that it's huge
isn't it and the space you've got
to work on underneath the bonnet.
oh yeah listen to that look fantastic
doesn't it and it all looks in good
order all the hoses look good
no signs of any oil leaks nothing
dripping out the carburetors I'm
impressed with that very impressed
okay Donny you turn it off now
well Donny I like it under there I like
it a lot now this bodywork looks
really nice and straight underneath the
dirt yeah the paint looks good on it
the body is good and strange what's
that weird shackle down the back that's
a rear leaf spring hanger that was used
to graze the back of the car for tire
clearance and it's not original to the
car yeah they won't like that in
the UK we'll have to swap now for an
original part yes right it's all good
let's have a look in the trunk I'm
looking forward to seeing in there
because American trunks and notoriously
big aren't they Wow look at the
size of that fantastic you can see it's
totally unprepared because there's
no soundproofing or carpet in this boot
well Donny I really like the car but
I am desperate to get it out there on
the road and give it a test drive
sounds good why don't you go burn some
rubber wicked now you're probably
thinking what I'm thinking what a great
car lovely bodywork smart interior
and all the sweetest sounding engine and
that is depressing me because there's
no room for negotiation on the car as
good as this with Donny that was
until I got it on the open road for
this test drive there I have this
car stinks it's all over the place this
car's got so many faults it's almost
the perfect Wheeler-dealer car.
number one the steering it's all
over the place and I can hear a definite
whine coming from the engine now
I've been in this game long enough to.
know that there's definitely a problem
with the power steering pump also I can
feel the front wheels coming up and
vibrating through this steering wheel.
grumbling and slapping about now I'm
no edge but I do know that that sounds
like knackered from wheel bearings
that's a hooter that doesn't work
either this car has got so many
mechanical gremlins I do like this
stick shifter it's fantastic but it's all
over the place I can't guess where
to get what's that one that's way
no I'm in second no that's full that's
bird up there an ordinary punter
will be scared stiff of driving this motor
but all of this is making me incredibly
happy this car is a challenge it's got
lots of issues and I reckon that's good
ammunition for me to beat him down
with if I can get this for anything
less than $25,000 it's a steal.
well I gotta tell you Donnie that
was exciting for a test drive I really
liked it yeah very good but there are
problems with it straightaway I don't
you to prep it I'm quite prepared
to take it just as it is I don't give you
$20,000 in cash now as it is Mike I
can do 25,000 let me just do the math it
just needs to be a little bit sweeter
what about twenty three thousand dollars
cash and I'll drive it right away
you guys just have to deal I just
bought myself a Don charger 14,000
pounds this is the most expensive car
we've ever bought however I hope
it's got an answer for that dodgy gear
change and the front in steering
because I want to ask around 20,000
pounds for a charger when we sell
it on in the UK and to reach that kind
of money it'll have to be the best
in the country I've just bought this
stunning Dodge Charger in
the Lone Star State Texas.
from the outside it's a minter
but the oily bits are a total mess
this car has got so many
mechanical gremlins
and Aubrey punzer
will be scared stiff of
driving this motor now this car is a real
film star so before I pack it away and ship
it back to the UK I've just got to take
it for another spin I'm heading to Paris
Texas inspiration for the famous 1980s
film well I've got a few miles under me
belt now and I'm feeling a little bit
more confident without charging in Texas
the roads are dead straight and it's
tempting me to put the hammer down so
buckle yourself up there's
no one around here goes.
I'm now in Paris Texas it's a
real sleepy little American town.
and this seems to be the perfect car
actually to cruise around the town like
this because I could almost feel that
somewhere in the distance boss hog he's
just firing up his sheriff's car and
he's gonna come out and chase me in
the old charger I've loved my U.S.
road trip but there's work to do so it's
time to point the car's nose towards
Houston in southern Texas where it be
shipped back to the UK to meet my
man with the spanners it's the red six.
weeks later and our Dodgers arrived at
the UK port of Felix though on the East
Coast now it's heading for the Wheeler
dealers HQ but there's no way I'm
delivering this car on a trailer so
we've unloaded it on a private road
outside the workshop I want to pull
up and give Ed the surprise of his life.
right time to find out what it makes
of this junk of American muscle what a
fantastic noise this is amazing what
a cool car the Dodge Charger is it's
such an iconic car it is incredible I'm
guessing you paid a fair few quid for
it I did I give $23,000 but remember
when you convert that to pounds it's a
lot cheaper okay yeah so it doesn't
sound so bad it's quite a lot of money
it is an awful lot of car have to say I
didn't expect you this is amazing is
great isn't it it's a lot car it is
probably the biggest thing we've ever
owned look inside as well lovely
isn't it oh wow it smells it smells like
the 70s it looks like the 70s as
well p*stol grip on the gear see that's
awesome the p*stol grip is
fantastic but there are problems with it
sometimes when you're driving
it's what locks itself in the gear get in
and put your foot on the clutch or
when it's in gear it won't come out of
here okay dangerous well it would be
with a car this powerful but I'll have a
look at that but I've no idea what it's
gonna be the good news is under the
bonnet and coming up look at this
yeah be prepared to be excited look at.
that beast that is fantastic what all
v8 a 383 Magnum okay you you know
your engines thing yeah well I
might be wrong we don't you say it is
written up there look at the size
of it though it sounds amazing but it
goes really well does I mean the
car sounds like funder and it goes like
this is one trick Moser you've done
very well I know I am I think this is a
cracking car it's not without its
problems though of course because as you
drive down the road you've got all
that power and you are gripping on to
the steering wheel it's very vague
the steering sometimes it's on
sometimes it's off I'll describe it as
notchy okay does it make any kind
of funny noise it's doing that yes
there is a wine coming from it and I
put that down to the power steering
pump so is it that it does sound like it
might be a little play with it but I
think that'll be nice and easy to fix
because it's just there fantastic okay
there's another little problem which
is down the front this has got that very
nice 1970s face on it this car and it's
got these hoods that go over the
lights now during the night you press
the button these flick up you got
headlights and during the day they
should close down flat but as you can
see they're neither up or down yeah I
don't know how hard that'll be to
fix but it's a nice and easy thing to.
get to so that's all right there's
one other thing I want to show you
right down the back okay it's good
though innit it is fantastic this is an
awesome awesome beastie look at
these lines isn't it gorgeous this car is
amazing it is as straight as the
Hollywood Boulevard very good now the
problem I've got is underneath
these rear hangers head look at them
sticking down the spring hangers
yeah that's because in the 70s it was the
fashion to check it right so check
these cars up in the air but these
days that's a bit pants I want the
car looking as stock as possible so I
want to put nice original items on
is that everything I think it is yeah
that's about it oh no there's one thing
sorry Ed I've forgotten the front wheel
variants are grumbling okey-dokey well
is a huge car I need some space in the
workshop give us a hand so worries
so letting a gear in this Dodge is a real
problem now my complaint is rather
like playing Russian roulette you never
really know what you're gonna get
and on a car this powerful that can be.
just a little bit scary now I really
really hope it isn't the gearbox itself.
because well if it is that's going to
be the end of our profit I've actually
checked and they're about 800 pounds
to replace so the first thing I look at
is the gear selector mechanism and
that's mostly underneath kind of the
metal work of the car in here but I do need
to undo this p*stol grip connector first.
the charger is a very rare car they
only made around 50,000 of them in.
fault new parts might be hard to come by.
well this is the gearbox and then at
the back there is the gear selector so
that's the bit that kind of goes up
into the cab of the vehicle and there
are loads of rods on here there's
three of them in fact and they're all.
kind of bent but they're supposed to
be that shape I can't actually see any
damage on them and all the linkages
seem you know reasonably firm but I have to
say the actual selector itself doesn't
seem in such great shape it's a little
bit floppy and I seem to remember
that they these cars do suffer from kind of
dodgy old gear selectors
so I think the thing to
do is to take it off and
have a closer look really.
one thing about these big US cars is
that the access is usually remarkably
good I can get my spanners in
and soon the parts prized free.
well this is the gear selector it's
actually quite a cunning device inside
here are Springs and levers and
bits and pieces and the idea is that it
translates your H movement you normally
get for a gear selector into a linear
movement for each of these levers
now these are connected to rods and those
rods are again connected to levers
that go into the gearbox and help
select the gears now if there's
any slack in any part of this linkage
particularly inside this box then of
course that lovely smooth gear selection
is compromised and of course that's what
Mike was complaining about and looking
at this it's a lot of slack
I would say it's past it.
the gear selector is made by a US
manufacturer which is still operating in
the States so the part should be
available and after an hour on the
computer I eventually find a transmission
specialist with the selector I need.
cost 255 pounds.
well it's taken a while but our part is
now arrived from the States it comes
with a whole load of new rods as
well because these bits do tend to wear
so that will just be extra security
for us now if I put them next to each
other you can see they look pretty
much exactly the same except for the
levers well I've been assured that
this is the new improved version of
the original part so let's hope it makes
all the difference and works on our charger.
there's always a worry when you get a
new part which isn't quite the same as
the old part you've removed but
mounting points and clearances will be
different but so far it's going
together well the selectors bolted on
the replacement rods are in place
fingers crossed this works otherwise the
problem is with the gearbox itself
and that's a major headache and cost.
well that's all in place
and now I get to test it.
check us in neutral which it
is start the engine so now first.
just engage the gears obviously the back
wheels should now be spinning into second.
feels really nice already into third.
so that's a real result
we have all the gears in
all the right places I
think I've nailed that.
the charger is off to
a good start but even
new parts are hard to
come by so while I was
in the U.S. I took a chance
and went in search of
some secondhand spares
I thought Ed might need.
for a Wheeler-dealer
like me I'm fulfilling one
of my lifetime ambitions
and that's visiting one
of the famous desert
junkyards it's where
some cars come to die
and others get reborn.
look at this there's
Ford's, Buick's, Lincoln,
Mercury, Dodge, Chevy
there's cars here from the
amazing look at this 1951
Chevy pickup truck I
love these that is awesome
and with rust like this
you might be thinking
that it's ready to just
fade back into the
desert but actually
look at this that's good
solid steel that's
still got some life in it
well that's waiting for
a hot rodder to come
along and take that
cabin and give it a new
lease of life charming wow look
at this looks like a 55 Buick Century
wagon I don't think I've ever seen one
in the flesh needs a bit of work though.
how you doing real
good you're right I'm Mike
I'm Matt I spoke to you
on the phone yes Matt
I've been lost in your
junkyard for hours
and I could be in there
for days and I'd be a
happy boy how many
cars you reckon you got
out there roughly about
got parts for most cars made in America yes
well I spoke to you on the phone I told you
I bought this Dodge
Charger yes I need a few
parts one is the headlamp
motor the other was.
power steering pump
it's a bit of slop and
at the moment it's got
modified suspension so
I want to return it back
to stock and I need
the standard shackles
okay you got those bits
for me yes I do okay very nice very nice
how much is that it is $75 $75 pretty good
and there is the headlight motor headlamp
motor yes and how much is that that is 150
$1.50 and 75 $2.25 and
these you're just gonna
throw these in I can
tell these are free.
no these are the stock shackles these
are the stock shackles are a dollar a piece
they are $35 each $35 each for these yes
I can make them in an altogether it's $295.
$250 cash $295 come on do bit better
$280 cash come on have a deal $300.
am I gonna get anything off no
they are $295 hold out your end.
what a tough deal I
hope my gamble pays off
and Ed needs those
secondhand spares for our
charger I also hope
these pricey parts aren't
gonna reach into our
profit too much still
Ed's got lots to do
before I can think about
slapping the for sale
sign on our Dodge.
our 1970 Charger is one gorgeous muscle car
that looks destined to enter the Wheeler
dealers Hall of Fame
but looks can be deceiving
and the driving experience
is decidedly dodgy
I can feel the front
wheels coming up and
vibrating through this
steering wheel now I'm
no edge but I do know that that sounds
like knackered front wheel bearings time.
to skinny's knuckles Mike said the driving
experience of this car was affected by a
sloppy feel at the front
end and he diagnosed
it as a classic sign of
wheel bearing wear well
let's see if his dealer
intuition was correct
first of all it's gonna
grab hold of the
wheel you know what I
think you might actually
be onto something that
does feel quite bad so
I need to do now is take all this apart
and see how bad it really is with the
front wheel removed I can clearly see the
circular wheel hub the bearings sit inside.
it but to get access
I've got to strip away
the disc brake caliper
and pipe work it's a bit
annoying because it
means I'll have to bleed the
brake system later when
I come to reconnect it.
with the brakes out of the way I remove the
exterior dust cover which protects a split
pin and nut holding the
wheel hub and bearings
in place the wheel
bearings allow the wheels
to rotate and support
a quarter of the car's
should last around 150,000
miles but they take a lot of punishment
and if water or grit from the road gets in
then they can quickly
break down and the car
becomes dangerous
to drive behind this nut
and that little washer there is one of the
bearings we're interested in but now it's a
fantastic opportunity
with the wheel and the
caliper out of the way
I can just spin this up
and have a listen to the bearing and I've
got to say it does sound rather grumbly
really this bearing does
need to be changed and
that means we should
do the other one as well.
remove the retaining nut and washer and
the whole hub is finally ready to come off.
now that is the outer
bearing at least half
of the outer bearing
because of course these
rollers also need to run
on another surface and
that surface actually
that metal ring just there
we have to pull that
out before I can replace
it with a new bearing
but also as one on the
other side as well and
that's hidden behind
this oil seal so that's
the first thing that
has to come off I'm
using a metal punch or
drift with a hammer to
knock out the outer parts
of each bearing I'm
taking care not to damage
the hub I just take
off the inner bits you
can see then that's where
the name taper bearing
comes from as you can
see because both of them
are actually tapered which
means you can actually
then withstand forces
sort of that direction and
also forces in that
direction which is why
they do the job so
well before I can fit the
new bearings I'm
cleaning out both sides of
the wheel hub sanding
down any little scratches
so I can get a clean fit
the new bearings and
seals coming at 75 pounds
from a US car specialist
in the UK well now we're ready to put the
bearings in before I do of course I need
to smother them in
grease just get it absolutely
everywhere just to
work it in and make sure.
that not one part is
dry in any way so now
that's all covered
just pop that into there.
the inner bearing
goes in first and a dust
cover is gently tapped
home to protect it from
damage now we go over
to the other side after 15
minutes the wheel hub
has now been fully rebuilt
with new bearings and
seals and is ready to go
back onto the stub
axle I nip up the retaining
nuts but not too tight here's an essential
top tip now if I was to leave it like that
actually what would
happen is once we're
kind of running along
driving on the bearings
start warming up because
despite all the grease
and stuff there will
be a bit of friction there
they're gonna get a
bit hotter and of course
that means all the
metal is actually going to
expand and then this
would actually start to
bind and cause all
kinds of trouble so I'm
actually have to do now
is just go back quarter
of a turn so out to
about there so I've got
a little bit of slack built into this and
now when the bearings heat up to the right
running temperature
you're gonna end up with
exactly the right
amount of grip holding the
bearing together so
this kind of seems a bit
weird at first putting
the slack in but actually
it's vitally important
with the hub and bearings
in place I can fit the
split pin tap on the
dust cover and begin
building up the disc
brake system for safety
sake after 200 miles
or so I'll strip the wheel down again
and check the adjustment of the bearings.
paying a garage to do this whole job would
have cost around 160 quid one side done
one to go need to bleed
the brakes and then our
Dodge is ready to charge
along the road once more.
Ed, how you doing buddy
what a relief you know
what when I weren't here
I thought you was gonna
have one of your mad
moments weld the door shut
paint it orange because
your world is orange
and put a confederate flag on the roof so
you thought I was going to turn this into
a generally jukes of
hazard replica not on
this lovely charger no
way well if anyone would
do it you would so what
have you been up to
what have you fixed
well first I remember those
bearings who were
complaining were a little
bit wayward well you
were dead right years of
experience sunshine
you know what you can't
teach people that I was
more worried actually
about the gearbox I
couldn't get it in the gear
properly yeah so was
I I was really worried
we're gonna have to change the gearbox for
a brand new one but all that was wrong was
actually the shifter
mechanism itself so now
I've got a brand new
one of those in there.
everything's sorted you got all the gears
in all the right places I've got my four
on the floor I can now drive this car with
confidence I'm pretty gonna have to hold
your horsepower just a little bit longer
because I've still got loads of work to do
we've got to sort out that dodgy power
steering got the spring hangers on the back
and a few man-sized
electrical issues as well
only take you five
minutes to rush through
those hurry up son I
can't wait this is a big
and powerful car
but thankfully it's fitted
with power assisted
steering sadly it doesn't
actually work properly
might complain that
the steering had this kind of notchy feel
rather like the power steering was on one
moment and then off
the next you can actually
feel that through the
steering which is a little
bit worrying especially
when you're pushing
along at some speed
so it's something I need to
sort and rather
quickly safety first I've
disconnected the battery I'm removing it
too so access to the power steering pump is
improved well this is
our power steering pump
they can see it's driven by the crank it's
got a belt that goes on to a pulley that
pulley goes onto a
shaft which spins little
pump veins and of
course they just drag fluid
from the reservoir here and kind of push
it through this pipe here in high pressure
it goes all the way to the steering box
then of course that extra force gives you.
the assistance you
need when you're steering
now this pump is most
likely to be our culprit
just because once
the seals have worn a
little bit of course that
pressure then starts
to fluctuate so you're gonna get full
pressure and then no pressure and of course
that kind of thing is
what's gonna give us a
notchy feeling that Mike
was complaining about.
I'm loosening off some of the fan belts and
then freeing off the mounting bolts too.
this is a muscle car
and when you work on
the engine you can
clearly see why everything
about this car is big
butch and built to run
at speed I like it well
there we go the pumps
off the car brand new
ones are really difficult
to get hold of and
really really expensive so
Mike managed to get hold of this secondhand
part it's been checked we know it works and
hopefully this will
solve our problem but I
do have to change
over a few brackets first.
when you have to
transfer across things like
mounting brackets that's
often where unexpected
problems occur thankfully
this one seems okay
and it goes back in
the engine too with no
problems and with the
belts connected up the
system filled with power
assistance fluid and
the battery back in
place it's time to bleed
the system by turning
the steering wheel from
lock to lock and test the replacement part
it's a little bit stiff first up actually
that's good obviously as it's filling up
it's getting much better that's much much
better very good look at that I can now
do it with my finger and it's really lovely
and smooth there's no notches whatsoever
and the best bit is as I'm going left to
right of course all
the air's coming out so
basically now I have
to do is check the level
bit of a top tip this
it's really important
that you check it when
the engines off because
otherwise the kind of
movement of the pump
tends to aerate the
fluid and of course gives
you a false reading so I'm just gonna let
it settle then I'll check it top it up and
then should be job done now this thing
that's been bothering me around the back of
the car are these spring
hangers here clearly
they were here to
make the back end really
very adjustable but I think really looks a
little bit untidy rather like some kind of
reject from the sort of 70s custom
scene so the best thing is for these to go
luckily Mike has got
me some replacement
the spring hanger is
the pivot point for the
whole of the rear kart spring suspension
so it's vital I support the heavyweight
of that as I free off
the big retaining bolt
this is the spring
hanger off the car and
these are the ones that
might got from Arizona
if you just put them
for a bolt to bolt you can
see looking at the bottom
bolt there's a difference
of about two inches in
height which means the car.
will sit slightly lower
and it's kind of more
stock standard height
I've sprayed up the
secondhand hangers because they're clearly
visible on the car and they were looking a.
little tired when they arrived from the US
now this job won't affect the way the car
runs or handles but
originality is important
to buyers of these
cars and I reckon this is
given the Dodge back
that fresh from the factory
look which many Charger
fans are searching for.
well that does look
much better you can see
the car now rides lower
at the back and also of
course those unsightly
ladder effect spring
hangers have now been
tidied up as well join me
after the break when
I try to bring back the
lovely style of the
front end of this car by
sorting out these headlamp covers
we're on the home straight with our charger
this brutally fast car was a lethal driving
machine a coupe this quick needs a precise
gear change and once Ed
swapped out the selector
mechanism it became a
really smooth shifter and my
grease monkey used
plenty of the gooey stuff
when he replaced the
worn front wheel bearings
the power steering was
overhauled with a new
pump and the car came
down to earth with stock
spring hangers now it's
time to give the car back
its famous face we're
charging towards the finish
line with our Dodge
but there are still a few
electrical glitches I've
got to get sorted the
worst of which are
these front headlamp grills
it's likely that the
motor which lifts these
headlamp grills has
failed so to test it I'm
gonna switch on the
headlamps and then use the
multimeter to check the flow of current so
I'm just going to connect up my multimeter
we're going to see what
kind of voltage you've
got so the lights on we
have got we've got 12.
volts there try the
other side got no voltage
there so if we've got
power at the motor but not
actually anything
going on with the motor I
would suggest that that
part is rather defunct.
this motor was always a possible culprit so
when Mike was in Arizona he gambled 150
dollars buying one second
hand clever move from
the old Wheeler dealer
now bearing in mind that
this motor sits just
here it's getting water
grits and all kinds of
stuff chucked at it at
high speed anything
could have got inside here
and stopped it working
the secondhand part has
been fully tested so
it should just bolt on
and run so just the
wiring to connect up and
then we can test our new wind and motor
okay so here goes fingers crossed on the
portal can tell the
ignition on and the lights
please fantastic and
down again or off fantastic
just as it should be
wonderful the Dodge is
almost finished but
there is one last job to
pass a UK mo t the car
needs a horn which is
lacking at the moment
I'm obviously gonna fit
a replacement horn
but I'm not going to show
you exactly what I'm
doing because I've got
a nice little surprise for you and Mike
well here we go let's try our new horn.
couldn't resist it I
had to have a little
bit of a homage to
jukes of hazard hopefully
I can scare Mike with it when he turns up
to look at the Dodge and he will be coming
quite soon because
our charger with all of
its problems and all
of its glitches is now.
totally sorted and ready
to run it's been a long
road but the Dodge is
finally ready to cruise once
again with a final wash and Polish the deep
black of this cool coupe shines through and
now the car is immaculate under the skin to
my dash to Texas to track down this muscle
car was a big gamble
but it paid off in spades
at first glance this
charger was good to go but
take a closer look and
the problems just kept
coming Ed had to change
the shifter mechanism
to cure a dangerous
gear selector fault the
wheel bearings had
gone south badly affecting
the driving experience
and a 40-power steering
pump added to the
feeling that the car was
in danger on the
highway but it sorted the
lot and now the Dodge
is ready to run the part
I bought in Arizona
came in useful to sort out
the cars trademark
headlamp covers but what was
the total bill for spares
on this 70s stunner
I got the charger for
a cracking price and I
bought many of the
parts secondhand import
tax though was 777
pounds and shipping came in
a whopping 1840 total
bill for the car is just
over 18 grand let's hope
there's room for a decent
profit and how you doing
Wow look at the charger
I've never seen it
buffed up looking like this
looks amazing well this
deep black paint comes
up an absolute treat
when you show a bucket of
water and a bit of a
chamois leather brilliant
well it looks great but
does it go as well as
it looks well there
was quite a list of jobs
you asked me to do
I've got them all sorted
there is one job I'm
particularly proud of what's
that the horn the what
have a go on the horn.
I just couldn't resist
it but the thing is if
the new owner doesn't
like the jukes of hazard
then I put in a switch
which means you can
flick it over to a standard
sounding horn pure
genius you know I'm
itching to get our charger
out on the road and I
booked this a fast and
furious test drive so grab your helmet and
let's go cool a quarter mile of drag strip
one Dodge Charger
ready to run and the two of
us with a need for
speed well Ed what better
place to test this
muscle car than right here
on the drag strip
absolutely the charger is all
about straight line
speed so let's get on well
I'm very excited but
we need to decide who's
gonna go first heads
all right I'll go tails
and tails it is I'll
take the first run.
that was gonna happen
is these Christmas tree
lights are gonna come
on you got pre-stage stage
then they're gonna go
into sequence when they
get to green I've got
going here we go give
it a little bit of red
speed us gentle on the
line and away we go
fantastic it's coming real
quick that was a good
time it felt really quick
that's gonna be hard
to be the sort of time it
is 18 seconds man I gotta beat that do it
again I want to go again again again again
again so 18 seconds is the
time to beat nice and gentle.
as I was hoping for second
gear look how fast he's going
third gear fantastic fourth gear probably
about time to try the special horn I think.
it's awesome oh there
we go oh my word I
think that was a pretty
good time 17 seconds
that's a second quicker than me
it'd be feeling pretty smug about that.
well what did you
think of that I was such
fantastic but how did
I do how did I do good
news is you beat me
by a second 17 seconds
well done fantastic
I've actually beaten you
for the first time and I am the man you are
the winner Ed and whoever buys this car is.
gonna be a winner too because I reckon this
has to be the best Dodge Charger in this
spec for sale in the UK it's probably one
of the most sorted cars to ever leave our
workshop but what about
the money we're gonna
make a profit well we're
gonna be appealing
to a very small marketplace
and we're gonna be
looking for somebody
who knows exactly what.
they're looking for but
without in mind I still
reckon we can ask up
to 20 grand for it there's
a huge amount of money you sure well it's a
lot of motor for the money Ed but whatever
happens at the end of
the day son me and you
are gonna be counting
a big wad of bills.
I've advertised the Dodge widely for 20,000
pounds when I've had a load of people on
the phone willing to
talk the talk but this
guy behind me Johnny's
the first to turn up and
give that Dodge a
proper test drive let's hope
that impressed him so
you do like the way it drives
I do Mike yes lovely
I reckon it's the only
motor you could buy
that you don't really need
a radio because it
makes its own soundtrack
makes a great noise
Mike and it is the right
color it is the right
color it's not orange
with a confederate
flag on the roof that'd be.
over the top Mike it
would be over the top so
I've advertised the
car for 20,000 pounds I
reckon it's worth every penny of that where
do you want to be I really like it Mike but
I'm gonna give you an
offer of 19 I'm not gonna
take 19 grand for it I
know it's an attractive offer
I reckon this car is
worth every penny of 20
grand and if you don't
want to buy it there's
a queue of people behind you that do want
to buy it so that's what I want really it's
lovely Mike and I want it but I want some
sort of deal I'll tell you what I'll do
I'll throw in the full tank of petrol that
I've just put in it how much was that
you just bought yourself a Dodge Charger.
I'm happy with that a superb muscle car
has found a new home and we've banked
I've really enjoyed having
this all-time American
hero on the show we've
made good money on
this Dodge and no doubts
it will be charging
around British roads for
many years to come
if you want to see more
classic cars getting the
Mike and Ed treatment
then join us again soon
on We The Dealers, tala!
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08x06 - Dodge Charger
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In each episode, Brewer buys a vehicle, turns it over to his mechanic for repairs, then sells it.
In each episode, Brewer buys a vehicle, turns it over to his mechanic for repairs, then sells it.