08x10 - Chevrolet Bel Air

[bunniefuu]

A big hello from across
the pond. Yes, Wheeler

Dealers has gone
stateside as we track down

the best American
classics to buy, restore

and sell on for a
profit. I'm here in Miami,

Florida.

And I'm in the UK waiting to see just what
Mike's going to come up with. I've got the

workshop ready, all I
need now is a car. So

come on Mr B, what's
it going to be this time?

It's candy coloured paintwork, he's dripping
with chrome. It's got curves in all the

right places and its exhaust
note is the soundtrack of America.

It's a car that defines an
age. The 1957 Chevrolet

Bel Air. Legendary
US designer Harley Earl

was behind the 50's best cars. And the
Bel Air with its fins and chrome is one of

his finest creations.
It's big, brash and

beautiful with a great
V8. Top drawer two doors

like this can go for
$100,000 but our budget

should stretch to a
drivable four door sedan.

Happy days.

What better place to start my search for
a 50's icon than right here in the sunshine

state. It's full of big
cities and car dealers

bursting with classy
finance. But it doesn't

matter where you are
in the world, the rules

of finding a car are exactly the same and
I like to use my favourite tool, the web.

In the search engine
I've narrowed down the

hunt to Florida cars. I'm looking
for a Chevy for under $15,000.

Well I'm finding all
kinds of cars out there.

There's one going for
$5,000 that's an absolute

wreck. It's got no engine, no interior and
it needs all the chrome bits and I haven't

come all this way to find
something that's a non driver.

Okay here's one at
$13,995 it's a Florida

car. The ad says very
original car, 2.8 free

engine, free speed, solid
floors and trunk. Car runs well

but needs attention. I think
we should give this one a call.

The guy selling it is a dealer so straight
away we're talking the same language. The

car is a four door 210 model
with Bel Air trim and after

five minutes on the phone
I've heard all I need to.

Yep cheers then bye bye.

Wow he sounds like a really nice guy. He's
been very honest about the car. He says.

it's a bit rough around the
edges but it is in original

condition so this one
is definitely worth a look.

So I'm going to head
north a couple of hundred

miles to a place called
Sarasota to go and

see the blue car.
Fingers crossed it's a good

one otherwise the
searches start all over again.

Head out of Miami and
the roads across Florida

are dead straight. Even
so the journey takes

me four hours but eventually I
arrive at the dealer's showroom.

I just love these American
classic car showrooms.

The cars just look
different don't they

sitting here in the sun. Look at that early
rod. It's a native Buick and this, this

is a 57 Bel Air two door.
Look at it inside it's stunning. Beautiful.

Hello welcome.

Hello.

I'm Chris.

Hey Chris I'm Mike I
spoke to you on the phone.

Yes.

Now when I said to you I
wanted a 57 Bel Air I didn't

realize it would be as good
as knickers. This is beautiful.

She is a beauty absolutely.
This is the best example

of a 57 Chevy that you're
going to find anywhere.

Yeah this is super
Chris I'll have this one.

Okay well this particular car is sixty
two thousand nine hundred dollars.

Okay that's a little bit
out of my price range.

Okay I believe you called me on it on
the teal car which I will show you that car

and we have it in the back.

Let's have a look.

All right. Well there she is.

Wow. Well admittedly she doesn't
look like the one in the showroom.

No she's a she's a
little bit a little bit off.

Well tell me about her.

I literally pulled this
car out of a Florida barn.

So it's a real original barn find.

It's literally a Florida barn find car.
Yes.

Tell me about the engine is it all good.

The engine's a good
engine it's the original


barrel engine and everything works.

Everything works good.
And it's on a ramp. Why

is it up on the ramp.
Are you doing stuff to it.

Well when I brought
it here obviously it had

been sitting a while
so we did some safety

items in the car we
redid the brakes because

we want the car to be
safe for our customers

and we put a clutch in the car and I and I
believe we did some electrical make sure

the lights and just the
safety items work on the car.

Fantastic.

So I'm expecting to
find good things in here.

Okay.

No not really. It's old isn't it. These big
pillars seem to have seen better days.

The seats are quite strong aren't they.
They look all right.

Seats might clean up. Yeah. Yeah. She's
been sitting. She has been sitting. Carpets

are good. Okay. Yeah.
And it's a funny color

isn't it. It's black and
black and white inside.

Yeah. The black and
silver. This car was

originally born all black
and it had the black

and white with the
silver trim and somebody

decided to put it turquoise
quite some time ago.

Right. Okay. So it's had a paint job.

Yep.

Right. Let's have a
look at this bodywork

then. It is a bit of a
mess isn't it really.

I mean it's rusty and
pitted and the bright

work and the chrome
that's all damage as well.

Underneath the car
I'd like to point out

something is that it is
even though there is a lot

of dirt on the car it still has the factory
undercoating on the rockers and the floor

braces there. You've got
some cleanup work to do

but she's still solid and
we've driven the car.

You've driven the
car. I haven't and that's

what I'm desperate to
do. Is there any chance

I can drop it down on the floor
and get it out of the test drive.

Let's do it.

Cool.

Well I've been in some cruisers in my time
but this has to be the biggest pose mobile

of them all. It's all tail fins
and chrome as you waft

down the road in this piece
of automotive Americana.

Now this is a big old yangtang and to
be honest with you I didn't think it would

be as good as this on the road.
Do you know what she goes well.

Now the transmission or gearbox in this car
is super simple. They call it three on the

tree. The tree being the steering column
and the three being the number of gears

and it's really easy to use. At the moment
I'm in second gear, foot on the clutch and

down there is third gear and it wafts along
nicely you know. The suspension feels good.

It's a happy car.

So what's this big slab of American I am
really worth. Everywhere I look something

needs doing. It needs a repaint. It
needs chrome. It needs the interior sorted.

He's advertised it for
nearly $14,000 and

I'm going to bid him
quite brutally a single

figure and a low one at that.
I wonder how he's going to take it.

She does run better than she looks but
there are problems with it and I am worried

about it.
It's quite a task this car isn't it.

You're seeing the car before. We've had
our chance to work our magic on the car.

I actually value it at less
than half what you think

you can get for it so I
was going to say $6,000.

Would you do eight?

No. It's just got too much
work to do but I'll give you a

price and I ain't going to give
a dollar more for it. $6,700.

Congratulations you get a car.

Yes.

I got myself a 57 Bel Air. Yes!

At 4,000 English pounds this Bel Air is
a bargain but a barn find like this is also

a massive gamble.
There's acres of body work

to restore and loads
of chrome to replace.

I think there's money in this car maybe
up to 15 grand in the UK but if we get this

one wrong we could end up with a big loss.
I'm up for it I just hope Ed is.

This is our Wheeler Dealers Bel Air.
A car that sums up the 50s. It was on with

a dealer at $14,000 but I went in
hard and came out on top. $6,700.

Congratulations you get a car.

Securing the Chevy
was the end of a perfect

car dealing day for
me in Florida and as the

sun set over Sarasota I
knew I'd given us a great head

start on making a profit
on our beautiful Bel Air.

I was up bright and
early the next day though

planning on how to ship
the Chevy back to the UK.

Well these are the days you dream of aren't
they? The sun is out, the sky is blue and

I'm behind the wheel of one of my favorite
cars I've loved since my childhood.

Do you know what I can't believe how
we lucked out on the price of this car.

$6,700 and definitely a few grand
less than its true value. I've got a long

drive down to the port of Miami it's
a few hundred miles away so it's a

chance for me to sit
back and enjoy the cruise.

And that's just what I was doing
until it all went terribly wrong.

Oh that was close, I mean really close. As I was driving down the
road there was a smell it was like an electrical smell then it

was petroleum smell and then I pulled over, popped the bonnet and
there was flames licking out of here, actual flames coming out.

So I've cracked the nut off and
I've got the filter down here. Thank

God I had some water because
I've just doused it all with water.

But look at the damage, look there's fire
damage under the bonnet. Oh no look it's.

blistered the paint on the top as well. But
it shows you what can happen doesn't it.

A car that's not been
driven for 30 years that

must have been like a
tinderbox but I'm so lucky.

At least I'm safe and the
car is not that badly damaged.

What's that going to say?

I've isolated the battery
to make sure the car's

safe and now I'm thinking
about what just happened.

I knew it was a barn-fying car but I
never thought I'd end up dicing with death.

Who knows what damage
could have been done to the

engine. Has our profit
just gone up in smoke too?

That's right.

There's only one way
we're going to get this

car to the dock now
and that's on a trailer.

The Chevrolet is in need of Ed's
mechanical know-how and fast.

Well it's not the ride I
was expecting but at

least I'm going to make
it to Miami. Let's go.

Six weeks later and guess where
I am now? Yes, back in England

and the Bel Air is on its way
to the Wheeler Dealer HQ.

By the time we reach the
workshop the storm has passed. I just

hope Ed won't put a dampener on
my mood when he sees the Bel Air.

Here you go.

Thank you Paul.

Ed?

Look at that.

What do you think of that then?

You've got a Chevy
Bel Air, that's fantastic.

Not any old Chevy Bel Air
son, that's a 1957 Chevy Bel Air.

Which is the one to have but
perhaps you could have got a good one.

How cruel are you? Admittedly it did look
slightly different in the Florida sunshine.

So why is it on a trailer?

Because it doesn't run, it caught fire.

It caught fire?

Yeah, come on I'll show you.

You're having a laugh.

No I'm not, see that right in the
middle of the bonnet there, look at that.

That's not good is it?

It's a shame isn't it?

It's actually peeling off, that's not cool.

I was driving down the
street and then all of a sudden

there was some sort of smoke
coming from under the bonnet.

I put the fire out and I
think I managed to save it.

So how bad is the damage inside there?

It's ok, it's damaged and I
think you should wait until

you get it in the workshop
to have a look at that.

Well the first thing I'm going
to do is sort out what caused

that fire because you can't have
that as a risk in the workshop.

But obviously I'm going to
have to now repaint the bonnet.

Yeah but you're going to
have to repaint a little bit

more than the bonnet and
I'll tell you about that later.

Come and have a look inside.

Look at that.

Oh look at that, I love those
bench seats, they are fantastic.

That lovely big steering wheel.

All of the stuff in
here is just lovely, it's

kind of original but
just a bit tired though.

Well it is original and tatty.

I think once you start getting
into it and stripping everything

out of this motor you'll see
lights, gauges, switches, seats.

Look at these B pillar mouldings
on the inside, they're gone.

Yeah but what I'm hearing here is
it's just a huge, huge list of parts mate.

Yeah but I didn't buy this car likely.

I knew that there was going to be
a huge greatly parts bill on this car.

But the good news is everything
you need for one of these is

available and it's out there
and I know that we can do it.

Ton of parts, ton of work.

Yes.

Cheers.

Thank you.

Cheers.

Well have a look down the back because
look at this lovely shape down the rear.

Obviously the rear bumper,
that needs changing.

But I do like touches
like this, look the filler cap.

That is very cool and I love the fins.

I mean all the features of
this car are there, it's fantastic.

It's just a really tatty example and
we need to bring it back somehow.

Okay yeah admittedly this
is a pretty knackered car.

But listen I've had a good
long think about what we can

do with it and I think we
should change it in some way.

I don't want to go
for the old fashioned

restoration which is
turning back the clock.

I want to start looking
forward with this car.

Okay well in America the
resto mod scene is pretty big.

Basically you Chuck a ton of
money at your car, really nice

modern paint job, change
the wheels, that kind of stuff.

And make it appealing to the modern
generation, the young generation.

Fantastic.

Well that's exactly what I
think we should do with this car.

So any thoughts on colour?

Well I think I quite like the idea of
red, I always like that on this car.

Well do you know what,
I'm inspired by Paul's Van.

What about yellow?

A nice solid yellow.

I reckon yeah I think a
really good yellow could

be ideal but I think we
should keep the roof white.

It is just huge.

You are going to definitely
be wearing your fingers to

the bone but is it a mission
you're prepared to accept?

Obviously.

Okay brilliant.

Let's get it off here,
get it in the workshop.

Well it's a whole lot of
car with a whole lot of

problems but I know
just where to start first.

There is no way I'm
going to have a car in my

workshop that might self
combust at any moment.

So my first job is to work out why
this Chevy caught fire in the States.

Now it's pretty clear
that the source of our fire

was directly underneath
this blistered paint here.

And of course that is exactly
where the carburetor is.

Now if we have a look at the
remains of this paper element

air filter you can see it's
obviously pretty combustible.

You've also got an ignition source here by
the coil, the distributor and the HT leads.

The engine obviously
is going to be really

really hot after you've
been driving it around.

And of course there's loads
of fuel around the carburetor.

Now if something is to go
wrong with a combination of

these elements you've got
a pretty potent source of fire.

First job is to whip off
the burnt carburetor.

It's fire damaged so I'm certain it
will need to be rebuilt or replaced.

I'm interested in discovering
exactly how the fire started

so it's over to the bench
for a bit of investigation.

So what I want to do is check
to see what's going on in there.

I'm just going to undo
the whole of the top of the

carburetor, take that off
and have a good look inside.

When I've removed the top I'll
have access to the two float bowls.

Reservoirs where petrol which has been
sent by the fuel pub sits ready to be used.

There's a pair of floats
in each bowl and they act

like a cistern in a toilet
regulating the flow of fuel.

So now what I want to do is just check
to see whether these are actually working.

And if I blow through the fuel line, when
I lift up either float you should actually

then hear the flow of my breath coming
out the other side of the carburetor.

So here goes.

So while it's closed
nothing's going on, fine.

When it's open nothing seems to be
going on either, I just opened them both.

Well briefly at least I've managed to get
some air to come out of both needle valves.

Which means they are working
or they are very sticky and

if they're sticking shut
they can equally stick open.

And that means you're going to get loads
of extra fuel going into the carburetor.

And if it's a really hot sunny
day in that lovely Florida

sun and of course the engine
has been running around a lot.

Now the chances are you
could get some of that spare fuel

splashing onto the manifold
perhaps and boom you've got fire.

Now just in case it is actually an electrical
problem that was causing the ignition

I'd better have a look around the
engine bay to make sure there's no shorts.

The carburetor clearly needed replacing so
I've ordered a new one from a UK supplier.

But in here it's all in pretty good Nick,
no burnt wires or split high tension leads.

Now it's been a few days
since I had a look at the Chevy

to try and work out what
was causing our fiery fault.

And obviously the carburetor
seemed to be the main problem.

And I've managed to find a
supplier in the UK who can

actually supply me with a
carburetor that will do the job.

I've got an air filter as well,
the only thing is I do have

to fit an adaptor plate because
it's not quite the same model.

It's quite a clever little bracket,
it's got these little hex shaped

holes in there so of course the
head of the bolt is held c*ptive.

So of course then when you
do it up from the other side,

bolt the carb into position,
it's not going to go anywhere.

A new gasket and then the adaptor
plate can bolt cleanly onto the head.

The replacement carburetor and
air filter mount directly onto that.

They cost me £459, a
big expense and the first

of many, many parts
we'll need for this car.

The good thing is they
also help to bling up the

engine bay and that will
impress potential buyers.

If these replacement parts don't
solve the fire problem, then I'm going to

be left scratching my head because
it really is the most likely suspect.

Well here goes, it's time
to find out whether she

starts, runs and hopefully
doesn't self combust.

Well that doesn't sound too hopeful
but actually what's going on here

is the fuel pump is filling up
those float bowl chambers with fuel.

Once they're full up then she
should sort of spring into life.

Oh here we go.

The sound of that small block V8 bouncing
off the workshop walls is quite fantastic.

Fantastic.

Now our 57 looks a right mess
and I knew we'd need a ton of

parts to make it look anywhere
near as good as this beauty.

So when I was out in the
US, I tracked down a spare

supplier just south of LA
who knew all about the Bel Air.

You must be the guy I've
arranged to meet, I'm Mike.

I'm Mike as well.

Wow, okay now Mike, the
cars here are just unbelievable

aren't they? It's like my
dream coming in here.

It's a beautiful place to work.

It is a beautiful place and these are all
showroom pieces but if I wanted to buy some

parts and get my car restored, you know,
almost like this, can I still buy the parts?

Yes, you can get about 95% of the parts
are still available to restore these cars.

Things like this horn ring,
you know, I'm going to need

one of those, my one's
missing so I can still buy that.

Yes you can, a part like that
goes for about $100 and we can

also supply all the little bits
to get the horn working as well.

Perfect, so I'll definitely be
having one of those, that's great.

Oh look at this, I see you're doing
some work to the front of this one.

Yeah, we're just test fitting a
grille before we go to market

with it, make sure that
everything's fitting just properly.

Right, the bits that I need, I
need some bonnet rockets.

They're hood rockets, a bonnet is
something you wear, a hood is what we lift.

Okay, so hood rockets, I also
need a V, Chevrolet badge, this

chrome across the front,
that's very nice so I'll go for that.

And I'm going to need a bumper as well.

We can definitely get a bumper
for you and also get you some

bumper b*ll*ts to go along
with that to finish it all off.

Okay, and while I'm there
and I'm doing all of that,

I might as well replace the
headlamps around as well.

Yeah, the headlamp diesels, we
can definitely get you set up with

those and they come with all the
hardware and the gaskets as well.

Perfect, well that's going to
transform the front of our car.

Oh, it's going to make it look brand new.

It's going to cost obviously,
how much is that going to be?

Well, all the stuff you see on
the car right now, you're looking

at about $1,000, bumper's going
to add about another $500 to it.

So it's about $1,500?

Exactly.

You got yourself a deal.

You got it.

The bill for remanufactured parts is already
adding up fast, Ed's cured the engine

fault but now he's got to prepare that
massive Bel Air body for a pricey spray job.

And with a barn find like this, you never
know what problems are around the corner.

Our 57 Bel Air has given us quite a fright.
First off, it caught fire.

A car that's not been driven for 30 years,
that must have been like a tinderbox.

Then the bank balance went up
in flames buying some pricey parts.

That's $1,500.

Exactly.

Now Ed's really got his work
cut out to turn this old 20th century

dinosaur into an ultra desirable


Ever since this big old beast
has been in the workshop,

there has been one job that's
been staring me in the face.

The bodywork.

At over 16 feet long, this is
a huge car and in fact in their

day they were nicknamed land
yachts because they're so big.

Now before we can
repaint it, every single inch

is going to have to be
stripped and then prepped.

Oh goody.

Before I can get going
on the bodywork, I've got to

tear down, as the Americans
say, the whole interior.

If the car's being
resprayed, I don't want to

get paint all over those
period knobs and dials.

As I'm stripping out this
interior, all I'm seeing is more and

more work and an increasing list
of expensive replacement parts.

I'm going to have to sort out
the trim on the B pillars, the

armrests on the door cards,
they're going to have to be replaced.

That headlining is well past it as well.

But there will be some survivors.
These seats are going to clean

up beautifully and then they can
be put back in after the respray.

It's never ending though.

I know Mike bought this old car
super cheap, but the new parts bill

is already massive, over two grand
and getting longer by the minute.

This dashboard is really rather
gorgeous, like a beautiful piece of

sculpture and thankfully the top
half is looking in really good Nick.

Unfortunately the binnacle and the silver area aren't
looking quite so good, but I have managed to get

the binnacle away from the car which is going to make
it a lot more accessible and a lot easier to refurb.

Unfortunately this lower silver area is actually
welded to the dashboard, it's part of the

dashboard so it can't come away, so the paint
shop are going to have to prep this in position.

The interior strip out took me a
morning. Now it's time to remove

all that chrome work which is
such a part of the car's personality.

Paul has given me a
hand with the heavy lifting.

This chrome won't pass muster
for our super clean restoration,

but I've got plans for it that
don't involve the scrap heap.

Here's a top tip. What you can do,
even though this bumper is a bit scratched,

a bit faded and a bit nasty, it's going
to be worth some money to somebody.

So with all of the parts that we replace on this
car, I'm going to put them onto an Internet auction

site and that way we can recoup some of the money
and we get to tidy up a workshop at the same time.

To get top dollar for our
big Bel Air, we need a top

quality paint job on this
car, not just a quick blowover.

All the windows are coming out so
we can get spray right up to the edges

of the bodywork. Prepping the car
myself will save us a few hundred pounds.

The respray on a car this
size will cost us a couple

of grand, so we need to
save every penny we can.

I haven't really been looking forward to this next
bit because it's now time to remove all of the

bright work from the rear end of the car and this
is so much part of the character of the Bel Air.

In fact, this car was actually known as the
baby Cadillac because all of this chrome

work on the sides and on the rear fins was
very reminiscent of that luxury car brand.

Now it's held on with a mixture of clips and
screws and the clips I can live with, the

screws are the things I'm really worried
about because if they undo, that'll be fine.

If they shear off, I can live with that too, but if they just spin
around inside the bodywork, that'll be a nightmare because I'll

have to then force off the chrome from the bodywork and I could
end up damaging the bodywork and worse still, the chrome itself.

So here goes.

These trim clip removal pliers help
me ease off the metal mouldings.

They're around 20 quid and they make
it easy to apply just the right amount of

pressure to prise the metal away without
damaging either the bodywork or the mouldings.

Interior's out, the windows
are out, all the chrome's stripped

off, so you know what that
means, time for rubbing down.

When I first saw the Chevy, I
thought it looked very scrappy, but

I, Mike and the Bel Air an
apology, this car is pretty rust free.

Now you might have
noticed I'm using two orbital

Sanders, it's really
just to save a bit of time.

I've got a coarse 80 grit
grit on that one and I've

got a slightly finer 180
grit paper on this one.

The idea is I go over the whole
car with the 180 and when I get some

really gnarly bits to sort out, I
go in there with a coarse of paper.

Ed!

Alright mate?

How you doing buddy?

Very well.

Wow, look at this! Blimey,
you've been burning the midnight

oil haven't you? Was it hard
to get it into this condition?

Well it wasn't as hard as I was expecting,
it was a tonne of work, make no mistake.

But actually, considering
the age of the car, it was a lot

easier to get everything
off than I was first thinking.

And I see that you've started to rub down
the damage where this car tried to k*ll me.

Well you tried to set fire to it perhaps.

Well actually it wasn't your
fault, it turned out it was the

carburetor, there were two
little valves that were really sticky.

But now it's all sorted, we've got
a new carburetor, new air filter, I've

checked the rest of the engine for
any other problems and it's all sorted.

Now the biggest transformation
of all is going to be the

paintwork and I see you're
clutching on to some swatches there.

So just for reference, this
is a 50s light yellow, this

is the kind of colour this car
could have been painted in.

Really? Back in the 50s?
It's like magnolia isn't it?

It's not ideal, so I want to
go quite far away from that.

So we've got a Lamborghini
metallic Pearl, very nice colour.

Slightly darker Renault V6,
again it's a metallic Pearl.

The problem with these two colours
is that the roof, which doesn't need to

be repainted, would then have to be
painted in some kind of Pearl white.

And of course, you know,
the whole process is expensive

anyway, the extra panel to
paint could be even more money.

So what's the alternative then?

Well this is a Ferrari yellow, it's kind of
the colour they use on the modern Ferraris.

And that's cheaper? It is much cheaper
because it is obviously just a simple colour.

Let me tell you now, Ed, the parts
spend a loan on this car are astronomical.

So if we can shave any money
off anywhere, especially in

the paint process, that is the
colour we're going to go for.

Let's have a look here. Oh, look at that.

And you say this is what they
paint modern Ferraris? Exactly, yeah.

Wow, that's amazing isn't it?
The way the light bounces off of it.

And you can imagine this
with the chrome and the

wheels on it, it's going
to transform this motor.

And if you're going to
do a restoration like this,

in the words of the
Americans, it really has to pop.

So Mike and I have
decided on a bold yellow.

The Chevy has been off
at the body shop getting

primered and I'm dropping
by to see the colour go on.

Watching that paint go
on is quite exciting but

at the same time it's
also slightly worrying.

We're painting an American
icon in vivid yellow and

we're not really sure
how it's going to turn out.

I'm hoping we're going to end up with
a contemporary mood we're aiming for,

but we could easily also
end up with something

that looks much more
like a New York cab.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for brave
ideas, but this is a really brave idea.

And if we get it wrong,
this car will be narn

impossible to sell, let
alone for a big profit.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't
very nervous right now.

Errol's about halfway
through and so far the Ferrari

yellow, or giallo moderna
as the Italians would say,

is actually looking okay but
it's really a lot more work to

be done before we really
know how it's going to turn out.

I've got loads of work to be
doing back at the workshops, it's

about time I left and I guess
I'll just have to wait and see.

The Chevy spends another
week at the shop before,

back at the WDHQ, I
hear that toot on the horn.

It's the moment of truth,
the Bel Air has returned.

Oh wow, that is a big slab of colour.

I need a bit of time to
take all this in, it's amazing.

I mean first impressions are
good, I like the quality of the paint.

And I love this colour, in
the cold light of day it really

zings, I love the way it contrasts
with the white roof as well.

The only thing is
there's just so much of it.

Well I guess once all the
chrome is on there it's going

to balance it all out and it
will look really really good.

It's a very bold choice you know.

Okay, it's deep breath time.

The moment has come to start bolting the
shiny stuff back on and there's lots of it.

Now the chrome face
is going to be the first

thing to go on and it
is a mammoth task.

Mike got us this fantastic
kit that has everything in it.

Now all of this lot
weighs an absolute ton,

but I'm going to start
with the lightest bit.

This bit takes hours and hours.

Every part has a clip,
grommet or washer to attach.

Then I've got to look at the
shut lines, fit angles, the whole lot.

The front end alone would take me a day.

A garage would charge you
£400 minimum for that labour,

so it's worth taking some
time to do it yourself.

Eventually I end up with this.

Well worth it.

Wow.

Now look, with all that
chrome on the front,

this car now looks
absolutely fantastic.

And suddenly I can see it
making a whole ton of money.

It looks stunning.

So the front end looks cool and all those
new parts are fitted well and look great.

Things are a little
different on the rear

fins, but thankfully
I've had a lucky escape.

Almost everything's available
for these cars brand new except,

as I learnt recently, these
side trims for a four door Bel Air.

Turns out they just don't make them.

Now I was super careful removing
them from the car and I think this has now

paid off because of course this original
metal is going to have to go back on.

Now of course they were a bit dented and a bit
scratched, but I've managed to get hold of a

metal Polish I've used before and he's managed
to make them look pretty much like brand new.

It's awesome.

Just imagine if I damaged
the mouldings when I took them

off, or worse, binned them
once I'd got them free of the car.

How would we ever
have finished our Bel Air?

It's really nice to know there's still
some original chrome on these fins.

I'm really amazed at how great
this car looks, but there's one

thing that's totally out of place
and that's the old granny wheels.

They're old school but in a bad way.

Luckily I've been able to
source some cool resto mod

rims from the US for an
incredible £115 a corner.

Check this out. How cool and 21st
century does our old sedan feel now?

When this Bel Air first
arrived in the country it

was on its last legs, but
now it's looking super fit.

Our Bel Air is well on the way
to completing her mammoth trip

from 20th century barn find to


We're creating something
amazing, but I reckon the parts spent

alone is now over £3,000. Will
we ever make our money back?

Okay, the finishing
line is in sight. All the

exterior work is done
and it looks amazing.

The engine bay is
looking sweet with that new

carburetor and a lovely
shiny chrome air filter.

And if you look at the interior,
well where is the interior?

Well, most of it's on its way from
the US and it should be here any day.

Mike's ordered me everything
but the kitchen sink, but before

it arrives I need to give the
cab a really good clean up.

The old carpets brushed up
well so I saved some cash there

and that wasn't the only big
item to survive the restoration.

Now obviously we're going
to reuse the original seats

because there's plenty
of life left in them yet,

but they do need a bit of a
wash and brush up so I'm going to

be using some heavy duty
upholstery cleaner and a firm sponge

and hopefully this
vinyl should shine again.

Replacing these seats would
have set us back over £1,400.

A bit of cleaning fluid
and a sponge cost

just a fiver. Elbow
grease is free. Bargain.

You see, these now look fantastic.

The seats are simple
to fit. They're just lifted in

with a few discrete screws
to hold them in place.

The interior parts of all arrive now so
the fitting work is coming thick and fast.

New door cards are put into place,
arm rests, window winders, door handles.

Everything is being replaced or
refurbished and it looks stunning.

But there's one part which will
really give the car back its mojo.

The steering wheel has been
painted to match that gorgeous

dashboard and now I get to fit
that trademark part, the horn ring.

The ring Mike bought
came with a fitting kit. A few

locators have secured into
place and I'm ready for the rim.

And then that final
detail, the Chevrolet logo.

Oh that's great.
This car has definitely got its soul back.

And when you look out
across the steering wheel

you really feel that this
Bel Air has been reborn.

I honestly think this is the best
transformation we've ever achieved on the show.

This car is a million
miles away from that barn

find which caught
alight on a Florida road.

The terrifying moment that the car bred
to caught fire will live with me for years.

But for the car it's a
thing of the past because

the new car setup works
well and looks great.

The word challenge
really doesn't sum up what

Ed faced when he began
to tackle the bodywork.

But luckily he hit solid steel and
soon the 57 was ready for the paint job.

Guaranteed to turn heads
this ultra modern colour

was our big decision
and it really paid off.

When the chrome started
to be bolted back on

you could feel the
excitement levels rising.

And that interior fit out, well
it just takes your breath away.

I'll tell you I could not be more proud
of what we've achieved with this car.

But anyone can spend
money to make a car look good.

Have we got the sums right so we
can make a profit on our big Bel Air?

At £4,000 the Chevy was a bargain.

But for the first time on
Wheeler Dealers we've

actually spent more in
parts than the car cost us.

Add in the full body
respray and the import

duty and this fabulous


A whisker over £13,500.

Ed, wow! Look at the Chevy.
It's eye popping. It's fantastic.

So you really like this then?

Like it? I love it. It's
outrageous. It's awesome.

It's ten times better
than I ever imagined.

It's a proper resto mod for the modern age.

Well it definitely can't be ignored can it?

What's up with you? I get the
feeling you're a little bit nervous.

You're not 100% sure
about this car are you?

Well the thing is, when we
first chose this bright yellow

I wasn't really sure it was
the right colour for the car

but actually now with the chrome on it and
the wheels, I think I've been converted.

Had you gone mad, what's up with you?
This colour is spot on for this motor

and Mark my words, this
colour will help sell this car.

I suppose you're right but I
have thought of exactly the right

place to find out whether this
car can actually turn heads.

I prepared for today, so it's...

Shades on, let's go.

Okay, it's not Florida but
Midsomer in Brighton is still a

great place to put this charismatic
cruiser through its paces.

Do you need your shades
on? I mean, it's not as if we're

actually going to get much
sun at the seaside today is it?

No, it looks like it might
rain to be honest with you

but Ed, when you stare out
over that big yellow bonnet

with all that chrome up front, it
really does give off quite a glare.

I've got to tell you, I'm
as chuffed as ever to

be back behind the wheel
of our incredible Bel Air

and everywhere you go, this car
seems to grab people's attention.

It certainly seems to be
turning a fair few heads, alright?

People just look at this car and
smile, I think they actually quite like it.

Like it? I love this motor, I told
you, it's a real crowd pleaser.

I mean, this is the
first time I've actually

been in the 57 Chevy
and it sounds great too.

Now it's obviously got those old
school cherry b*mb silencers underneath

but also we've got that brand new
carburetor up front, so how does that feel?

I'll tell you what, it
feels wicked. Look at

the throttle response,
it's instantaneous.

This car's got some
real get up and go and of

course we're not going to
end up in a ball of flames

thanks to you fixing
that particular fiery fault.

I think catching fire
during a test drive

isn't the best way to
attract potential buyers.

Well Ed, I've got to tell you,
I'm truly sad to see this one go

because you have created the
perfect American dream machine

and the transformation from
when I bought it, that sorry little

car back in Florida, to the way
it is now, that is cup smacking.

Well thanks very much, I mean it does
represent an absolutely vast amount of work

and so I was kind of
hoping you might get an

absolutely vast
amount of profit out of it.

Well we have spent a mammoth
amount of money on this car Ed.

So what are you thinking, mid-teens?

Yeah, I think about 16, 17
grand, something like that.

Ok, that's quite big money.

It is big money but it's a 57 Chevy
and there's not that many out there

and I reckon our
car's so good it's worth

every cent, or penny,
but you know what I mean.

I advertised our 57 Chevy
Bel Air on some of the

biggest classic car websites
out there for 17 grand.

Now I know that's a lot of money
for a car like this but just look at it.

It's a top motor, looks
absolutely gorgeous.

Now the guy behind me,
Brian, he seems really keen

after his test drive, but
does he want to do a deal?

Let's find out.

So you do like this then Brian?

Yeah, lovely motor, lovely colour.

You do like the
colour, it's great isn't it?

I wanted a colour that sort of
really popped and this one does that.

Yeah, it is fantastic, it's brilliant.

Lovely set of wheels,
beautiful bright work.

Well you are making all the right noises
and you could be the man for this motor.

As you know I've
advertised it for 17 grand, I've

been inundated with
people that want to buy it,

but you're here so hopefully
we can put a deal together.

Yeah, it's a little bit high 17, I'd
have gone say around about a 15.


you seem like such a

nice bloke I don't even
want to argue with you.

Why don't we just be gentlemen and agree to
meet in the middle, 16,000 pound, 16 grand?

Alright then.

Yes, I sold the Chevy!

What a deal, 16 grand gives
us a profit of almost £2,500.

A fantastic end to the
incredible story of this staid


reborn as a 21st century cruiser.

Well, what a journey we've had
with our Chevy Bel Air and I think

it's definitely the biggest
transformation we've ever had on a car

and I'm really proud
of the way it turned out.

I'm also really chuffed with the
money that we've turned on the Bel Air.

If you want to see some
more classic cars getting a

Wheeler dealer treatment,
then join us again soon.

On Wheeler Dealers, ta-la!