02x02 - Morris Traveller: Minor Miracle

[bunniefuu]

I'm Ant Anstead

and, when it comes to cars,
I can fix almost anything.

Ah! There she goes!

When it comes to houses...

Whoo-hoo!

...not so much.

I'm supercharging my mission.

[HORN HONKS]
Oh, my God!

Fixing up and flipping
eight more classic motors...

[LAUGHS] You look like
Laurel and Hardy, you two!

...because the 500-year-old
farmhouse

I bought for my parents to retire in
is a crumbling money pit...

I would brace yourself,
because that ain't gonna be cheap.

...but I won't be defeated.

Yeah. It's beautiful, isn't it?

I want Mum and Dad moved in
before the summer ends.

Call it glamping, shall we?
Right, that's the spirit.

And with the help of family...

[LAUGHS]
I did it!

...and my petrolhead pal Duncan...

BOTH: Yeah!
Come on then, let's go!

...I'm determined to turn cars
into cash...

Oh!

Aaah!
...even if it kills me.

Whoa-oaa! Whoo-hoo!

My dream of getting Mum and Dad
moved into the front four rooms

before the summer is out is
gathering pace.

With the back of the house
condemned,

my brother Michael is putting
all the effort into the front...

...removing the last 10 and a half
tonnes of concrete render.

A present for you.

That's the very last bit.
That's the last piece of concrete?

I'm keeping that as a trophy
in the workshop.

Ten and a half tonnes!

But, with just four months
until the end of the summer,

I'll need to keep the car profit
rolling in.

I've got a lead on a classic car
that seems like a bargain,

but it means
a 250-mile trip out west.

NIGEL: Oh, wow. Look at that view.

The Devon coastline.

And I'm bringing my dad, Nigel,
along with good reason.

What was your first car?
My first car?

You always remember your first car.
August '72.

It was a 1957 Morris Minor.
I got it for my 18th birthday.

My parents bought it off of
Uncle Ron.

This is gonna be a great day.

Oh, it's a Morris Minor?
It's a Morris Minor.

This is a 1963 Morris Minor
- Traveller.
- The woody one!

The one with the wood in it.
We had one of those, as well.

Mum wanted something
we could go away for weekends in

and we could sleep in the back.

I was much more flexible
in those days.

That was when your brother Tim
was born, our first child,

because I can remember picking
Mum up from the hospital with Tim.

A babe in arms
in the Morris Traveller

and bringing him back to the pub.

Mum and Dad weren't the only ones
who were mad for the Morris.

Launched in 1947, it became
the first million-selling car.

Created by the mastermind
behind the Mini, Alec Issigonis,

the Morris Minor was affordable,
practical and reliable.

The station-wagon style
Traveller came out in 1953.

Its lightweight ash frame
needed specialist craftsmen,

so it was only ever made in the UK,

but rotting timberwork
and rust has left

only around 830
on British roads today.

The one we're seeing was advertised
online at £7,750.

Can I tell you
- another little nugget?
- Go on.

The seller of this car's name...

...is Nigel.

You're joking.

If it's owned by Nigel,
it's got to be good.

Oh, is that the rule, is it?
Oh, yeah.

Hello, Ant.

Nigel, Nigel.

- Hello, Nigel.
- I'm Nigel. Nice to
- meet you.
- That's a coincidence.

It's in the garage
just around the corner.

- Round there?
- Yes.
I'm running there now.

Okay. That's somebody else's
garden, Ant.

Basically, it's a family car.

It's been in our family since new.

This is a one-owner car?
- It is.
- Oh, wow.

- Oh!
- Wow.
Can we pull it out?

Yes, of course you can.

Off the road since the early '80s...

Oh, wow, look at the woodwork.

...it's undergone a thorough
bodywork restoration,

before sitting in this garage
for the last 15 years.

In so much better condition
than mine was.

Oh, it's pretty spectacular.

Seller Nigel's parents
bought it in 1963.

Like my Nigel,
he learnt to drive in it

and he got his first
speeding ticket in it.

So what does she need?

All the focus was on the bodywork
and the woodwork.

The mechanics will need
a really good overhaul.

Some parts are missing.
It's not absolutely complete.

Everything should be
in the boxes in the garage.

Do you mind if we have,
say, maybe,


to look around the car?

Be my guest. You're more than
- welcome to.
- I appreciate it.

Thank you.
Thanks, Nigel.

It's like just out of the factory.

You can see when somebody has done
a proper restoration.

It's the little things.

Like the shut line there,
on the door is absolutely perfect.

The panels are incredible.

It's the straightest Morris Minor
I think I've seen in a while.

I love the colour.
It's just unbelievable.

[CHUCKLES]

The seats are ripped.

There's also no gear stick.

Oh, there's no gearbox.

All right. Now, this is where
we have the problems.

The gearbox hangs off the engine.
I bet there's no engine.

So a lot of mechanical stuff
- to be done.
- It's an engine.

It's not "mechanical stuff".
It's the heart of the car.

The gearbox could have been
separated.

I guarantee you a Cornish pasty
there's no engine.

The pasties are on.

Oh. Okay.
Oh, my gosh.

Well, let's look at the positives.

I mean, it's incredibly solid.
The restoration is really beautiful.

Obviously, this radiator is loose.

Toast.
Loose we can deal with.

At least it's bloody there.

Right, he said some bits are
in boxes, in the garage.

Ah! That could be the gearbox thing.

Bits and bobs.

I don't know what's in there.

A-ha!

There it is. One engine.

Okay.

Careful.
That's okay.

That's...
Is that good that's moving?

Yeah, that means it's free.

The fact the flywheel turns is
a sign the crankshaft

and the pistons aren't seized,

but, until I run tests,
I've got no idea if it still fires.

It's a massive gamble, as replacing
it could cost me over a grand.

What do you know
about the engine in there?

The engine was all good when it was
taken off the road in 1984-ish.

- Forty years ago.
- It's had oil down
the bores, through the plug holes

and I have been turning it over.

Every Wednesday at 4:00?

Not quite so regularly as that.

If I get it running,
this stunning Morris Traveller

could fetch up to 15 grand,
meaning a big profit,

if I can haggle a good price
out of Nigel 2.0.

So, right now, she's for sale
- for £7,750.
- Yes, that's right.

And there is still a series of
unknowns.

- Yes.
- That exist on the floor
in the garage.

Can we start at seven grand?
Of course. You can start there, Ant.

[CHUCKLES] I wouldn't be happy
with dropping that much.

Seventy-one?

I'm very reluctant.

Seven-two-fifty?
Five hundred quid off.

Can we go up a little bit more?
Okay. Up another 100 quid.

- Seven-three-fifty?
- Yes.
- Happy with that.
- Thank you, Nigel.

Thank you. That's fine.

Under seven and a half grand
for a picture-perfect

Morris Minor Traveller
should feel like a bargain.

What takes the shine off is that
empty engine bay.

The upside? At least I won the bet.

This is delicious, by the way.

Smells good.
Tastes even better.

Ant, what have you got there?
You bought a timber-framed house.

You didn't need to buy
a timber-framed car!

Are you kidding me?
This is beautiful. Come down
and check it out.

I tell you what, the wood...
Right?

It's the way they've done all
the joints. It's all been done...

Proper.
As Nige said, "Proper."

Oh, my God.

[LAUGHS] Yeah.
The engine's not there.

But we do have the engine.

So we don't know
what condition the engine is in.

No. That's the gamble.
You broke the golden rule.

Well, there's many golden rules.
Which one did I break?

Starting and listening to
the engine.

[LAUGHS]
This is typical you.

Innit, Ant?
What is?

Buying a car with no engine in it.

No gearbox.

High risk. You've just looked at it,
because it looks pretty.

Go on. What sort of money did you
have to pay for something like this?

Seven-three-fifty.

Well, I don't think selling
the car is gonna be a problem.

Worst-case scenario, Nige,
we'll just stick you in here.

You can run along
like The Flintstones!

Ha! Yeah, very funny.
Thank you very much.

But, before we start on the engine,

Duncan has found an urgent
structural issue with the house.

He's been working on heritage
timber homes for over 35 years,

so he knows his stuff.

This one is completely loose.

The sill beam, as well. These are
all supposed to be connected.

So all that render was probably,
in some ways, doing...

Holding the house up?

Without the concrete render
to support it,

the house is in danger of collapse.

To secure it, all the horizontal
sill beams need replacing

and, to do that, the whole building
must be raised up.

So I think you're gonna have
to get a couple of quotes in.

But I would brace yourself,
because that ain't gonna be cheap.

All right, I'll make some calls
and see if we can get a cost.

And a timescale.
Sooner rather than later.

This doesn't want to go through
the winter like this.

I knew the house's back wing was
hazardous,

but I thought the front was safe.

And now there's signs of danger
everywhere.

See the base of the wall?

That panel is bowing.

I'm praying that we can just
prop the house up for now,

while I find out
exactly how much replacing

the seal beams will set me back.

All the more reason to get my Morris
Minor's original engine firing

and avoid forking out a grand
for a replacement.

Right, what do you know
about this, then?

What do I know about the engine?

I know it's been off the road
for about 40 years

and it comes with a box of bits.

Exhaust and carburettor.

Distributor.

What else have you got in there?

A starter. Well, it's not seized.
That's all right.

Whack a battery and some jump leads
on that. See if it cranks.

See if we can get
a bit of life into it.

If this starter motor works,
we stand a chance

of getting this engine firing today.

Say a little prayer.

Wahey! She's alive.

That's one less thing
we have to worry about.

Do you know what, let's bolt
the starter motor into this.

A bit of speed
and see if we have compression.

A compression test will show us
what state the cylinders are in.

- Old-school hot-wiring.
- Takes you
back to your car-stealing days!

[HORN BEEPS]
Oh! And on cue...[LAUGHS]

Replacing the spark plugs
with a compression tester

will give us a critical psi reading.

It will reveal if the cylinders
can still create enough pressure

to combust the fuel-air mix.

Otherwise, this engine is
next to useless.

If this is a healthy engine,

we should be looking at
probably over...

- One-twenty?
- Yeah. Over...
One-fifty would be nice.

One-fifty I was gonna say.
Go on, then.

All right.
Crank it.

Say a little prayer
to the engine gods.

Oh, please.

Go on.

[HARSH WHIRRING]

Go on, what do you think?
What do you think?

We're testing if the Morris Minor's
engine can still generate

enough compression for combustion.

A reading below 150 psi
means the cylinder is toast.

I don't think that's got
a lot of squeeze in that.

Ooh! Seventy?

At a push.

So one of the four is
low compression.

All right. The next one.

Are you ready?

Okay, it's worse.

Yeah, 40.

This engine is absolutely not
creating enough compression.

So somewhere in the cylinder,
air is escaping,

probably past the rings,
which are no doubt seized or rusty

or cracked or worse.

It's scored a load of grooves
inside the cylinder board.

Now air is escaping out of that.
The bottom line is even if

one of them is toast
it's a rebuilt engine.

She ain't got no squeeze.

The way I see it,
we've got two options.

Option A. We run down the alleyway
of rebuilding this engine,

which means we've got to
take it apart, get parts.

Throw a load of labour at it.
It could be a never-ending list.

Option B. Look for a new engine.

By the time we've cleaned this,
new bearings,

piston rings, hones,
skimmed the head...

And, yes, it comes with
a load of risks and high labour.

Well, then,
let's make the originality

the defining moment then.

If that engine is the engine
that left the factory,

when the car was manufactured,
it adds more value.

Ultimately,
I'm gonna give Nigel a call.

I'm just gonna ask him,

"Has this car in its life
had an engine change?"

If the answer is yes, then
there's no value to this engine.

We might as well go and get
- a new one.
- Poor little engine.

I'd have bought it with no engine.
I think you did!

The last thing I want is to spend
time and money on an engine,

especially as I'm facing costly
structural repairs to the house.

Getting Mum and Dad moved in
by the end of the summer is

sounding less likely than ever.

It's crazy, isn't it?
It is.

Dust everywhere.

What he's done so far is great,
but I think of the practicalities,

it's gonna be like glamping.

We did that when we were younger.
We're not younger anymore.

All the problems that were found,
you couldn't have predicted that.

In fairness to Anthony.
He can be a pain, though, can't he?

As you can, as well.
Yeah.

All right. Don't rub it in. [SIGHS]

Right, I spoke to Nigel.
Yeah?

That is not the original engine.
Decision made, then.

Decision made.

So it looks like I need to find
a refurbished one online.

What are you looking at?

I'm trying to find
a Morris Minor engine online.

And actually... Ah, this is the one.

That looks clean.
Yeah.

- This is good.
- How easy is it
to find these engines?

They're quite a common engine.

They're used in loads of other cars,
not just Morris Minors.

Austin A30s, Rileys, Mini.

Getting hold of
an A-series engine is easy.

The key is to get hold of
the right one.

Reconditioned, ready to go,
so we can drop it in.

It's roughly the right money.

Nine hundred quid.

It's in Wiltshire, so
it's a couple of hours of a drive.

It might mean a little road trip
for you to Wiltshire.

I wondered where this was going.

But almost a grand spent
on a new engine

means less car profit
to cover the new sill beams

that are needed to make
the house structurally sound.

Yo.
How are we doing?

Duncan and I have both got quotes
and it's not sounding cheap.

The oak repairs. Now bear in mind,

we've got to do, effectively,
three sides.

The front, the left-hand side,
the side and the rear.

That's about 60 metres of sill beam
and then you've got the labour.

Then you've got the props
to pick the house up.

To do one side is £6,800.

It's, like, 20 grand.

I did make a call.

So a friend of mine has done me
a good deal on some timber.

Now, normally, you have
four good faces on a bit of oak,

in case you want to show it all
in a corner beam, but these,

they might have a little bit of bark
on one side.

So maybe only three sides are good,

but he'll do all four for 400 quid.

I mean, that's amazing.

But what about the labour?

Can you and me prop the house?
Remove the old beam.

Cut the uprights
and put a new beam in?

How many houses
have you underpinned?

I have never underpinned a house.

How many have you underpinned?
Probably 30.

Will you do it with me?

If I am full-on support labour?

It's not "I'll give you a hand and
run away". You need to be on this.

I appreciate it.

You are saving a tonne of cash.

It wouldn't be done without you.

You ask me how many I've done.

I don't know how many are
still standing!

You're out of order.

And there's good progress
on the Morris Minor front, too.

Hey.
Check it out, then.

All right!

Well, it's exactly what we need.

It looks pretty good, actually.

So what was the deal on this one?

Carburettor. Inlet manifold.

Exhaust manifold. Flywheel.

Starter motor. Distributor. Dynamo.

Coil. It's even got
a couple of hoses.

Even the H.T. leads are thrown in.

We paid 900 quid for the lot.

- That's good, mate.
- The spark plugs
were thrown in, as well.

And it's fairly clean. [CHUCKLES]

This car hasn't driven
under its own steam for decades.

This is the key to our Morris Minor

turning a wheel again.

While Duncan gets back to
his day job...

...before we can fit the engine,

I need to assemble the driveline
that's currently in bits.

Well, I know this is a radiator.

That lives at the front of
the engine.

The gearbox goes around about here.

And I have no idea what works
or what's missing...

What else have we got?

...and how much more cash I need
to fork out on parts.

Well, that's gonna save us
a few quid,

because that's a brand-new clutch.

All right, this is the prop shaft.

That's the gearbox mount.

That goes under there. Look.

And that's the complete driveline,
if you think about it.

What else is there?
I know what that is.

My car had one of those.
A starter handle!

Wahey!

It is?
Yeah.

Well, my '57 Morris Minor
had a starter handle.

Oh, yeah, it is. There, look.
Yeah.

I do remember some things, you know.

Yeah, that's cool.

So we're missing the exhaust,

but, with the engine, we've got
the manifold, so we only need

the rear-pipe back box.

And the things that hold it up.
- Those strap things.
- Exhaust mounts.

While my dad cleans up
the prop shaft and the brackets

ready for a re-spray,

I want to see if the new clutch
fits the original gearbox.

It's an earlier,
more complex style of clutch,

which uses multiple coiled springs
around the pressure plate.

Now, later, clutches moved to
diaphragm clutches,

which gave a more even pressure,
but, because our Morris is early,

this is the right clutch
for the age of this car.

So, if I put this on,
could you please rotate

the front lower crank and then...

...if I line that up...

All right.
Just twist it a little bit. Oh.

Oh, my gosh, that's it!

Are you in?
Yeah, that was it.

[LAUGHS] Must have some Morris Minor
luck going on this morning.

I remember doing this,
starting up a car,

in the winter, when the battery was
dead, on that.

Yeah.
I've never been prouder.

Other than the reconditioned engine,

I've no guarantee that
any of these parts actually work

and I still have to fit
the entire driveline into the car.

But that's got to be easier
than lifting a whole house

and fitting structurally-critical
sill beams.

Ooh-hoo-hoo.
Fingers!

At 400 quid for the lot,

Duncan has cut a great deal,
but with each beam weighing

the same as a grand piano,

I'm starting to wonder
if this is a D.I.Y. job too far.

Yeah.
Oh, my life!

I've spent 900 quid
on a refurbished engine

I hope will get
my Morris Minor Traveller running,

but, first, we've got to fit it.

I've got limited access in the barn
and just a basic engine hoist...

You won't have to go to the gym!
[LAUGHS]

...making it tricky
to achieve a steep enough angle.

All right. Go on, then. Pick it up.

Ah, man. It is literally...

I reckon another two inches.

Drop the jacks.
All right, it's coming down now.

Yeah, let's go down.

Right. That's the front lower.

Hang on.

Oh, man, this is ti-i-ight.

Go on. Go on.

One wrong move could damage
the engine

and the Morris's
immaculate paintwork.

This is how tight it is.

It's, like, millimetres.

But even if we get it in...

Just got to clear them nuts.
That's it.

Ohh.
Talk about tight!

...we've still got to line it up
with the mounts to secure it.

Okay.
Right.

You're gonna have to get
- underneath.
- Yeah.

You'll have to get underneath
with your bare hands, dude.

Muscle it?
Just go rip it up.

Yeah.

It's got to come down a bit more.

Yeah.

How are we looking?

It's lining up with the mounts
quite nicely.

[ENGINE CLATTERS]
Oh! [BLEEP]

What happened?

Did you drop it?
It's getting quite heavy now, Ant!

[CHUCKLES]

Yeah, we're stuck now.

Why does that not want to go down?

I'm gonna have to remove the mount.

Attach it to the engine...

Right, going down successfully now.

...and then secure it in place.

- Yes!
- There you go.
Don't move.

Don't move! Don't move!

Cor, this is...

You've got lovely eyes! [LAUGHS]

Right, push this one through.

[CHUCKLES]

There you go.
Perfect.

Oh, my gosh!

We are now cooking on camping gas.

The engine secured and the gearbox
hooked up to the driveline,

it's crunch time.

This car hasn't started in decades.
Turn the key!

Turn the key. Turn the key.

Okay. Where's the button?

Where's the button?
Nothing's happening!

Right there. With the "S" on it.

All right.
Do it! Do it!

Wahey!
[ENGINE RUNNING]

Wahey!

Go on. Put it in second.

And we're moving!
Right.

Yes! All right, k*ll it.
We haven't got any coolant in there.

[CHUCKLES]
This is great.

The engine runs.

The gearbox works, because we've
obviously turned the rear wheels.

Our driveline is complete, so let's
get the cooling system done.

I'll order an exhaust
and then I just want to drive it.

Before any road trips,

I also need to give the brakes
an overhaul.

But, first, there's the urgent issue

of making the house
structurally sound.

So we're gonna tackle this wall...

...which basically means
we're gonna put

four acrows on the top beam
and four acrows on the bottom beam.

Lift it up.

Put the new oak beam in.
Exactly what we're gonna do.

What's the risks?
It f

First, we need to fit a plank in
the panel room to prop the inside.

Left a bit. That's good.

Then, on the outside,
we'll slide on strongboys.

God, they're heavy, aren't they?

Steel blades that fit on top of
the prop stands and create

a shelf to slide under the beam.

It's going.

Ah, it's creaking. It's creaking.

These should take
the weight of the house.

Can you hear the noise?

[HOLLOW THUDS]
I can see it.

Yeah, loose. Loose.

Loose. This is the most weight,
though, isn't it?

Oh, my God, that is loose.

There's no way that is
carrying the whole house.

Yeah. She's floating!

With the weight taken off them, we
can now remove the old sill beams.

- There you go.
- Oh, my God,
the whole house is hovering.

If you think about it,
the house is built like a skeleton,

a car chassis in oak

and it's just rested on a beam
at the bottom and we've lifted it.

So, right now, it's just hovering
on six hand-adjusted acrow props.

Yeah, this is...
This is a big, nervous moment.

That's crazy.

While Michael cleans up the area
ready to install the new sill beam,

we've got unfinished business
with the Morris Minor.

All right, guide that end in
for me, buddy.

Attaching the original radiator

means we can move on from
the engine bay.

Whoo-hoo.

This new exhaust pipe
set me back just 65 quid.

Now that exhaust pipe is clamped,

with this clamp,
to the cast manifold.

All right. That should
self-support now.

Yeah, that's it.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.

All right.
Do you want to stay there?

Get comfortable and I'll pass you
the middle section.

Take that one, bud.
Lovely.

If this exhaust system
isn't completely secure,

our Morris won't be fuel-efficient
and could leak dangerous fumes.

All right,
you've just got to spin it.

Wiggle, wiggle.

Yeah? Is that airtight?

One more.

- - Go on.
- That's it.
- Yeah?
That's it.

I'll get these clamped tight.

Take... Take your time, buddy.

All right. Yeah, you just chill
at the back there.

That's it, then.

Fire her up, Buttercup!
All right.

Right, are you ready, Dunc?
Yeah.

[STARTS ENGINE]
Wahey!

[ENGINE OFF]

Any leaks?
No leaks.

Perfect.

She runs.

Now I need to make sure she stops.

I've spent 130 quid
on new brake parts,

but I've kept the receipts, in the
hope of salvaging as much as I can.

These brake shoes are actually
quite usable. Bear in mind,

they've been sat inside that drum
for 40 years doing no work.

Yeah, I'll save a few quid.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

But these brake pipes
aren't looking so great.

We're just gonna remake this one,

because this one has got
some nasty little kinks in it.

The rusty cylinders also need
replacing.

Oh, my God, it's fighting me!

Come on!

That one is seized.

Aaah!

[LAUGHS]
What are you laughing at?

I just like the thought of
you in pain, to be honest!

Idiot! I'm bleeding now, as well.
Oh, babes!

Now I've bled over the Morris!

Does that make it a bleeding Morris?

A bleeding Morris!

Okay, there it is.

Oh, my gosh.

The back plate cleaned and painted,
now to attach the new cylinders.

Hey, Dunc. Is that pipe ready?

Yeah, all done.
Is it gonna fit?

What? First time?

Thank you.

Dude, that slotted straight in.

Next, it's the brand-new
bleed nipple,

the flexible hose and, finally,
those salvaged brake shoes.

Before I put on the drum,
I need to make use of the Morris's

ingenious brake-adjuster.

There's a tiny little cam in there
that either decreases or increases

the distance of the shoe
away from the drum.

What I want to do is
have it in its...

...smallest position, right there.

That way, it's easier
to get the drum on.

Now, with that drum
freely spinning...

...I now want to hit
those adjusters...

...through that hole.

So all I'm doing is rotating it
on that cam.

Until I can feel it starts to lean
against the drum.

Too little and it's gonna take
a big pedal engagement

before it touches the drum.

Too much
and the car is not gonna rotate.

It's actually gonna be
in a state of constant braking.

Yeah, you can now hear it.
[GENTLE SCRAPING]

It's slightly different.
It's under a little bit of pressure.

It's just kissing
the inside of the drum.

The Morris's braking system is now
fully restored to its former glory.

I can't wait to test it.

Right, hit the pedal
- when you're ready.
- Ready?

Oh, my God!

Boom! Pwww!

That is it. In fact, that is the
Morris Minor mechanically sound.

She runs. She drives. She stops.

She steers. She cools. She fuels.

And she looks like
a legendary vehicle.

That's a lot of ticks.

Lower her down!

If I can get the interior
just as perfect,

I've got high hopes our Morris
could make good money at auction.

But that will count for nothing,
if we don't make savings

by making the house
structurally secure ourselves.

Using taller sill beams means

we only need to trim the bottom,
rotten part of the upright,

retaining as much of
the original oak as possible

and keeping the council happy, too.

Be mindful of fingers,
because we're tired, hot and ratty.

We're not tired. We're ratty.

When.

Yeah?
Yeah.

We're there.

Beautiful.

Packing slate

into the gaps under each upright
adds extra support.

And how does that edge get finished?

So what we then do,
we get a bit of dry, dry mortar,

lime and sand,
and we'll dry-pack under there.

When that's done,
then we release the pressure.

That transfers the weight
across the whole wall.

And then we can remove the props

and pray that the house
doesn't collapse.

While my Morris Minor's exterior
was lovingly restored

by its original owners,
the interior very much wasn't.

So I'm calling on the expertise
of my mate, Craig...

Yo! How's it going?

All right.
Good to see you.

...who has been upholstering
for over 40 years.

- A warm drive, that.
- You're gonna
- like this one.
- Oh? Am I?

Right. I have carefully gathered
all the interior bits for you.

I've also got the replacement
seat covers that came with the car.

I know, right?
Well, providing they fit.

I didn't even think about that!

- - You grab that one.
- Okay.
- I'll grab
this one. Let's stick it in there.

Let's have a look at
what my workspace is like.

First, he's got to take
the seat apart.

The fabric that's on this is Rexine.

It was the nearest equivalent
to leather at the time,

which made these vehicles
more affordable.

And this webbing is called
Pirelli webbing.

It's a rubber webbing
and it was originally

made by Pirelli, the tyre company.

So I've got this
stripped down to the frame.

This wants painting.

While I prep the frame for Craig
to weave his upholstery magic,

over at the house, Duncan is working
his own lime-plaster wizardry...

I'm gonna knock up a little bit of
dry mix. Non-hydraulic lime.

A bit of sharp sand.

...to put the finishing touches
to our new sill beams

and make sure the house stands firm
for another 500 years.

Under every upright,
we've put a little bit of slate.

Now this will go in.

Just before we take all of
the weight off the building.

When we take the acrows out,

it'll spread the load
and stop the sill beam moving.

It just gives it a nice, solid base.

I've returned the freshly painted
seat frames to Craig to upholster.

He's using new webbing, but keeping
the original fibre matting,

glueing on new seat foam and scrim.

Where you've got this join
between the foam and this,

it just smooths it out.

Then it's on with
the new seat covers.

Some silicone spray.

That's gonna act like a lubricant,

so that this will slide around
on there.

This rubber tube pushes
inside there.

That's literally all that holds
this seat in place.

Just like the seats,

my decrepit 500-year-old farmhouse
is also set for a new lease of life.

We're ready to remove
the support stands.

Fingers crossed,
it doesn't collapse.

This is it?
Yeah, so time to take it down.

You might hear a little bit of
creaking, but...

Right, that's taken
the load off now.

So, now, that is all...
I can hear it creaking.

[LAUGHS] It's creaking!

All right. Unwind her a bit more.

The house is still standing!
Yeah.

Some of this timber could be
getting on for,

sort of, 900 years old.

You know, there's no nails in this,
at all.

This is proper old craftsmanship.

We can preserve this now
for another couple of hundred years.

So, structurally, we're sound. Now
we've got to make her weather-tight.

- Yeah.
- Steps of progress.
Perfect.

In the barn...

it's all hands on deck
to get my Morris fitted out

and sold to help cover the costs.

[SWITCHES VACUUM CLEANER OFF]
That's all done.

Ready for the seats.
Perfect.

But don't go away just yet.

This is Danish Oil.
This is gonna give

a little bit of extra life
to this wood.

Go with the grain.
Okay.

Extra life?
You might need to do me, as well!

[LAUGHTER]

In fact, Dad,
if I give you this rag,

do you want to race Mum
from the other side?

- Okay.
- Right.
I'll do the passenger seat.

Do you want to do
- the driver's seat?
- Yeah.

That is it.

Our Morris Minor is done.

It's amazing.
Let's hope it makes money.

This is definitely
a profit-yielding car.

Do you remember
what you sold your one for?

It might have been 150 quid.
Something like that.

You sold it for a donkey!
Yeah. All right.

Now to figure out
how much I need to make.

We bought the car for 7,350 quid,

but, later, we did an engine deal.

Nine hundred quid pretty much got us
everything we needed

to get the car running.

A bit of contingency.
We have spent £1,136 on this car.

And it's all been mechanical,

which means this car,
as it stands here today,

owes us £8,486.

Eight and a half grand.
And what's it worth?

If this doesn't make over ten...

I'll eat your hat!

But before my Morris is sold,
I have to drive her.

And, for Dad, this isn't just a car.

It's a time machine.

NIGEL: Oh, my life, it's charming.

Though it drives just as I remember.
I love it!

Man, it goes through
the gears perfectly.

The steering is wonderful.

Oh, yeah!

Oh, man, this is great.

This is a road-trip car.

And you're going somewhere
not in a hurry.

[CHUCKLES]
Does this bring back
- memories?
- Oh, yeah.

And driving with Mum in the back,
holding a baby.

And no seatbelts.

What do you think
Mum would think of this?

I think she'd love it.

When I took my driving test
in my first Morris Minor, in 1957,

you had to do an emergency stop.
Okay.

And the examiner would put his hand
down or his clip

on the dashboard to go "stop".

Ready?
- I am ready when you are.
- Now!

Oh, yes.
I passed that one, too, in 1972.

Now, this project was a huge risk.

Ultimately, standing now
in front of the car,

having driven it,
the risk has paid off.

The engine was a worry,
the fact that

it was on the floor of the garage,

but we overcame it
with a really good Plan B.


that came with everything.

Bought reliability.

It's had a full mechanical overhaul.
Brakes, I mean, the engine...

Everything about this car,
it's just on the button.

This is a great driving car.
This restoration has also been

a little bit of
connecting with my dad.

I've learnt stuff
that I never realised.

His first car was a Morris Minor.
He remembers his Traveller.

This has been way more than just
a nuts-and-bolts restoration.

Isn't that the coolest thing about
classic cars? The thing that's

the most important isn't the bit
they're built to do, the driving.

The most important bit is about
connecting.

It's the classic-car auction at

Silverstone Festival
in Northamptonshire.

A huge day for our little
Morris Minor Traveller.

Oh, my gosh,
she just looks so charming.

DUNCAN: On pole position
at Silverstone.

Someone is going to be getting
a really good, usable classic.

Right, it owes us just under
- eight and a half.
- Yeah.

Eight-four. Eight-six.

I think you'd be pushed
to find a better one.

We've left nothing on the pitch,
though. We are walking into

the auction hall knowing
this is the best this car can be.

Yeah.

Shall we?
Yeah.

Come on.
Okay.

Right. It's done now.

She's going for sale.

Ladies and gentlemen, a very,
very warm welcome to you all.

All right, here we go. Sweaty hands.

It's the wonderful


I mean, we've gambled on
the "no reserve", but, ultimately,

there's always gonna be
a handful of bidders for this.

Five thousand. Five-five.
Six thousand, I have.

Straight in. Three bids online,
straight away. We're up to six.

Six and a half. Seven.
Oh, my God, it's moving quick.

Oh, my God, it's moving quick.

Nine thousand...
We're into a profit![LAUGHS]

We're into a profit already.

Do you say 10? You do?
- Ten thousand.
- Look at it!

That's five figures!
[LAUGHS]

Eleven... I don't know
what you was worried about.

Never worried!
Yes? Twelve thousand.

Oh, my gosh, our Morris has
pushed into 12 grand.

It's still going. Keep pushing it.
Keep pushing it.

- Keep going.
- At 12,000.
Are we all done?

The guy in the room. The guy in
the room is bidding. That guy there.

Twelve thousand 500.
Welcome back.

Thirteen thousand.

Thirteen![GASPS]
Come on, give him 13. Put... Yes?

Did you say 13 and a half?
Yes, 13 and a half, you said.

Back of the room.
Oh, my God!

Come on. Thirteen and a half grand!

Thirteen and a half, then.

It's yours. Well done, sir.

Thirteen thousand 500.
[LAUGHTER]

And the new owner is not a Nigel.
It's a Chris.

A lot of history. I passed my test
on it 50 years ago.

I've always wanted another one.
This one really looked beautiful.

I can't wait to have a drive in it.
She drives beautifully.

I'm really, really pleased for you.
What a wonderful job you did.

The fact that we made a £5,000,
in fact, more than a £5,000 profit,

I mean, this is a mega day.

This is a mega day
and, all of a sudden,

the car that's got wood in the frame
is the one contributing

to repairing
the wood in the farmhouse.

Then saving a load of cash
on the house and doing it ourselves,

at the same time, making a load of
cash on the Morris,

it's all just adding up.

I can't wait to tell my dad
we just made five grand!