01x02 - Porsche 924 Part 2

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Welcome to Wheeler Dealers, the show that
loves modern classics.

Like this kraken Porsche 924, which I
bought for a very cheap 700 quid.

Our challenge is to buy
and restore a Porsche for

£1,000, then make a
fast bike by selling it on.

I worked hard to find a
low price Porsche that

looked rubbish but was
strong under the skin.

And I saw spare parts from salvage yards
to keep the prices down.

Since then my mechanic Ed China has been
putting in the hours.

The bodywork was in a tatty state and he
pulled out a big dent.

Replaced the door,
sprayed over the panels

and teacup the bodywork
so it shines like new.

It's made a huge difference.

This Porsche has probably never had so
much attention in its 20 year life.

Well it kind of looks finished but there's
still plenty of work to do.

We've got our tinker with the engine,
fiddle with the exhaust pipe and work out

why the handbrake doesn't work which is a
bit of a worry.

But not the kind of problem that Nick Brown
has who's got an immaculate Porsche 924.

So I went and met him to discover the joys
of a well sorted poor man's supercar.

Looking over a pristine 924 gives us a
really clear idea of how ours could end up.

Nick as a kid I had a picture of your very
car on my bedroom wall.

It was a very special car for me back then
but what made it a special car?

I think because it was the first
affordable Porsche it was the entry level

Porsche it was the Boxster of its day if
you like.

Now what first appealed you to find a
Porsche 924?

I was in a pub in Chiswick before
Christmas about three years ago came out

and there was this car looking a bit full
on saying for sale 1800 quid.

Got the price down a bit the car was mine
in two days.

Fantastic so you bought the thing on a
win?

Sort of yeah I mean it just looked like
the right car at the right time it looked

like it would be fun to get restored and
it's a Porsche at the end of the day.

Bring us bang up to date what's it like to
live with in terms of modern motoring?

Terrific very practical car I do about six
to eight thousand miles a year take it to

France take her up to Manchester take it
down to the coast take it to the

supermarket every Saturday
terrific apart from anything

else there's a lot of space
in the back of the car.

Now you keep referring to your Porsche 924
as she it's just a car isn't it?

No she's got character I was thinking of
her maybe like Porsche out of the merchant

of Venice she's great
fun to drive a lot of

spirit and she's got to be
a woman very fine lady.

She obviously needs a
lot of love care, fettling

and attention what
about servicing and parts?

Not a problem at all really the Porsche
Club Great Britain and the owners register

have been very helpful a lot of the work
I've done is by a specialist in Manchester

a lot of parts are available second-hand
but also being a German car they were

always required to supply spares for 10
years after the car went out of production

so you can you can usually pick up what
you need at a pretty reasonable price.

Right now what about problem areas?

I'd say the major problem for me
personally living in Central London is

insurance she's my only car and I don't
have a garage.

Surely you can get to some classic car
insurance?

You certainly can in my case I'm paying
something in region of 12 to 1400 a year

but if you have a car like this as a
second car you could get it down many

hundreds of pounds less than that and
again the register and the club can be

very very helpful in
pointing you towards the

right brokers who can
arrange those deals.

Now this is obviously a labour and love
you love your car very much I'm glad to

hear you got it insured do you trust me
enough to let me have a go?

Well I think my my heart
will be racing a little my pulse

will be easing a little bit
faster but yeah go on enjoy.

Thank you very very much On the way we go!

Now the differences between our car and
this car are huge the steering is very

light and very nimble you can feel
everything that's going on underneath the

front wheels the brakes are good they're
nice and sharp the gearbox is snappy it's

got a grim factor and it certainly puts a
smile on your face it's nearly 11,000

pounds spent on it keeping it in this
condition I've got nowhere near that kind

of money I've had to buy the car and find
the parts and get it all repaired and up

together for a thousand pounds which is a
mighty challenge I reckon I can rise to

that challenge and I reckon with a little
bit of spit and polish and hard work we

can pull our little beauty up together and
we can get it looking halfway between what

we've got and this and if I can just
achieve that I think I'll be a very happy

man and at the end of the day I'm gonna
have a Porsche but not a lot of money

back in the workshop Ed's hard at it now
he's gonna have a go at doing the

handbrake something that needs to work
properly if the Porsche is gonna be road

legal Mike complained about a dodgy
handbrake on this Porsche and that would

normally leave me to look for either
stretched handbrake cables or perhaps bad

adjustment on the shoes inside the drunk
now my instinct tells me is

Well, there it is.

Now, you can see that somebody's had a
really bad go at trying to fix this.

It's all mangled and mashed up and stuff.

Now, they only cost about 15 quid from a
breakers, so I might as well just get

another one and replace it, rather than
trying to fix this one again.

Well, this is our new one.

And here's the old one.

And you can see there's no damage on this
side.

It's not mangled or mashed.

It's just all fine.

So, we'll put that one back in.

Now, when I was taking
this apart, I noticed that the

handbrake light switch
just here is actually broken.

And very handily, they're the same as a
Volkswagen van.

So, all I have to do now is just replace
that.

And then when the handbrake's up,
a little light on the dashboard will work.

Now, of course, when I put the handbrake
back in, I need to remember to put this

little hook back into the cable carrier of
the handbrake.

Jobs like these don't
seem very exciting, but

the handbrake is an
essential safety requirement.

It has also been a cheap fix for me.

If the cable had gone or
the drums weren't functioning,

I would need to spend
far more than 15 quid.

Well, that's definitely working.

And now, I've even got lights on the
dashboard, too.

Moving on, it's time to get on with the
exhaust.

Now, I'm not happy with the noise the
Porsche is making when I start the car.

What I can hear is
the exhaust smacking

against the inside of
the transmission tunnel.

Now, it's not particularly dangerous and
it's not going to cause much damage,

but it is a major annoyance
and it could lose us

the potential sale, so
I'm going to have to fix it.

The exhaust is something which is very
awkward to work on unless you've got a ramp.

Because it's really dirty
and rusty under here, it's

well worth wearing a pair
of goggles if you've got them.

I've had a good look at
the exhaust system and it

turns out the last half
is practically brand new.

Now, I think what's
happened is when they

fitted it, they just
rushed the job at the end.

And what's happened here is the sil*ncer
is actually hitting on the bodywork.

Now, of course, you don't want your
exhaust to touch the car anywhere,

which is why it's isolated with rubber
bushes.

Now, all you're going to
need to do is move this back by

about five millimetres and I
think the problem will be solved.

What I'm going to do here is undo the
exhaust U-bolt and the rear one,

which holds the back
box on, and then I'm going

to just nudge the whole
exhaust backwards a bit.

And now for my adjusting tool.

It might seem pretty severe knocking the
exhaust around like this, but it's the

only way to move it and it won't be
getting damaged when I'm doing this either.

I think that's it.

Well, there's no sign now of anything
touching anything else, which it shouldn't.

All I have to do now is do up the bolts.

Excellent.

That annoying noise is now gone.

Now, I know it was a small fault, but to
me, fixing that has made all the difference.

This is our Porsche 924, which set me back
only 700 quid.

Before I try and find a
buyer later on, Ed's got to

complete the final mechanical
jobs, including a service.

I've just popped the bonnet
to have a good look at the

engine and everything
seems in really good condition.

Mike's told me it recently
had its combat changed,

but it's not sure when
its last service was.

So I'm going to give it a
really quick service by changing

the oil, some filters and the
spark plugs just to be safe.

Before I start anything else on the
service, I tend to drain the oil.

Draining the oil is a messy job and takes
quite a while.

So while it's draining out, I can sort out
the air filter.

Well, it's not too dirty, but it's worth
changing now it's out.

So I'll just get rid of that.

If an air cleaner gets really dirty, it
can restrict the airflow into the engine.

This affects the air fuel mixture,
which can make the car run really badly.

A light service like this will
cost around 100 pounds from

a garage, so it's well worth
having a go at it yourself.

Now I'm going to change over the plugs.

There's four of them.

They're down here and they're a long way
away from my hands.

Spark plugs are often something you can
get away without changing.

But for 20 quid, it's worth it just for
peace of mind.

Just remove the spark lead,
and I'm going to do these

one at a time so I don't
get the order messed up.

This may seem pretty obvious, but you
don't want to do this when the car is hot.

You'll probably burn
yourself and you also run

the risk of over
tightening the spark plugs.

When you put a spark plug back into the
head, make sure you don't cross the threads.

When you buy a new spark plug, chances are
the gap is actually already set correctly.

But to be absolutely sure, you need to
measure it with a special gauge.

Now, on a Porsche, the gap needs to be
between about 0.7 and 0.8 millimetres.

Now, if you're not sure of the gap,
it's worth checking in a manual.

And that seems fine, so I want to put it
straight back in the engine.

That's the second one, though.

Another sooty spark plug.

Anyone who likes fiddling with cars can do
this.

It's just a bit oily and a bit fiddly.

Could do with a little more room,
I think.

And the final sooty spark plug.

And the last lead to be connected.

OK, that's the spark
plugs done, so now I'm

going to change the
dizzy cap and the rotor arm.

To be fair, this rotor arm isn't in very
bad nick at all.

But again, they're so cheap, it's worth
changing.

You don't need to get a rotor arm from
Porsche.

I got this one from a local auto store for
about £7.

Now for the distributor cap.

If you look closely, on the outside,
it looks reasonably new.

But on the inside, you can see loads of
corrosion on all the terminals,

whereas on this one, it's all shiny.

So again, it's so cheap, it's worth
changing.

As with the spark plugs,
you want to make sure

you get the right leads
onto the right plug.

And so here you want to get the right lead
onto the right terminal.

All done.

All together, I've spent less than £50, but
it'll make the car start and run better.

Well worth it.

Now it's time to fit the oil.

As I usually do, I'm going to fill up the
oil filter before I put it onto the car.

Synthetic oil, like the stuff we're using
here, is more expensive than normal oil,

but it's much better for the car.

Putting a little bit of oil on the o-ring
helps to make it seal properly.

And of course, the drain plug.

Sometimes impossible to remove and easy to
lose.

I've even seen sawn off spark plugs used
in here.

Putting too much oil in is almost as bad
as putting too little in.

When you put too much in,
you can end up having those

pistons trying to smack
the oil around in the sump.

And she actually could do an awful lot of
damage.

And you can end up
trashing the engine just as

badly as you can if
there was no oil at all.

Just like any potential buyer,
I'm going to do a final check of the oil.

It's at the right level and it's clean.

Well, that is our mini service finished.

It's nearly there now.

The bodywork and mechanicals are done.

Finally, I need to get the interior
sorted.

So you've bought your Porsche.

It looks great on the outside,
but it's in here.

You're going to have your driving
experience.

Now, if it looks as shabby
as this in your interior,

you're not going to want
to do too many miles.

There are, however, a few inexpensive
things I can do to spruce this up.

Take this gear stick, for example.

It's seen a lot of miles.

It's tatty and it's torn.

I'm just going to replace it with this
brand new one.

OK, I managed to get the boot off.

And now there's a
little metal clip I have to

remove before I can
remove the knob itself.

It's a nice and easy two minute job and it
makes all the difference.

Unfortunately, our budget doesn't stretch
to a brand new steering wheel,

but this leather one can
easily be reconditioned

with some leather cleaner
and some leather cream.

I'm using silicone free
cleaners because I hate that

sticky and shiny residue
that looks really cheap.

Look at that dirt.

It's disgusting.

Compared to all the jobs I've done,
this is one of the quickest, but it'll

play an important part when selling the
car.

While I let that soak in, I'm going to get
on with the rest of the interior.

Another finishing touch.

It's time to put the Porsche decals on I
had to remove when I painted the door.

These are after market ones, as original
Porsche decals are impossible to find,

but they're reasonable value at £27 and
it's an easy job.

It's actually quite satisfying,
too.

Now, don't worry about
sticking over the shut lines

because you can always
cut that off afterwards.

And now it's time to remove the
application paper.

Take your time doing
this, get it wrong, and you'll

see the mistake every
time you look at the car.

For the other side, I've got the technique
down perfectly.

Easy does it.

Nice.

It's looking very tasty.

Now, that really does say Porsche.

And that's it.

It's finished.

Let's have a look at what we've achieved.

We bought a tired
20-year-old car severely in need

of some work and it's
completely been turned around.

The hardest part was finding a Porsche at
the right price.

The rest of the jobs went quite smoothly
and could definitely be attempted by an

enthusiast with a garage, a workshop
manual and some basic tools.

The Porsche 924 is finished and it's a
real peach.

Eds completely repaired the dent in the
rear panel.

The alloy wheels have been given a new
lease of life.

The exhaust has lost its annoying rattle.

The passenger door has been replaced.

And the panel finished off with a few
coats of guards red paint.

And finally, it's had a mini service.

So, what's the damage?

Our complete spend on parts was £310 plus
that on some of the items.

Add that to the £700 purchase price and
the Porsche owes us just over a grand.

But now it's worth hundreds more.

Not bad going.

Ed, looks fantastic.

I can't believe it's the same motor.

Thanks very much.

It isn't the same motor.

I've done the wheels, I've done the
engine, I've done the handbrake,

I've done the interior, I've done all the
bodywork.

I've been a very busy boy.

You have, haven't you?

Is it ready to go?

It's very ready to go.

Take it with a test drawing.

Fantastic.

Well, Ed's really done us proud.

He's totally transformed the car.

Even on a grim day like today,
it feels so much better.

The steering's sharper, the brakes are
sharper, and they seem to work better.

It goes up and down through the gearbox
nicely.

It pulls quickly in all the gears.

It really is a total transformation.

The exhaust rattle's gone as well,
but he just noticed that.

It really has done a splendid job.

But what really has made the difference is
Ed's turned this car from being quite an

ominous, nobody really noticed you driving
down a road in it, to a thing of beauty.

Now, it turns Ed's.

People are smiling, people are prepared to
wave at you.

And really, that's what owning a Porsche
is all about.

So I'm in Ed's.

Now,

I can't think of another car
that you'll get that kind of fun

and that kind of excitement
for about fifteen hundred quid.

And that's exactly the money I want for
this.

Amazing, isn't it?

We can be proud of ourselves.

Our car has gone from being a has-been to
a must-have.

But how do I turn this transformation into
a profit?

Well, a good idea is to sell your Paulkey
in the summer because the 924 has a roof

that comes all the way out and slots
neatly into the boot.

And buyers love the sun beating down on
their face.

Secondly, be realistic with your price.

I could ask up to £2,000
for this motor, but then I

could spend a long time
waiting for the right buyer.

So I'm going to advertise it for £1,750.

And remember to factor in the cost of
re-advertising.

You could spend a lot of money just trying
to get top dollar for your car.

And finally, choose your market very
carefully.

This kind of car attracts buyers who are
prepared to travel.

So it's no use advertising your local free
sheets.

Go for the big selling motor and weeklies
instead.

The Porsche has attracted a lot of
attention, and this guy seems pretty keen.

He's had a test drive in
there, he's having a poke

around under the bonnet
and he seems to know his stuff.

So I could be in for a bit of a grilling.

Wish me luck.

How are you getting on?

Yeah, not bad.

Yeah, so we've done quite a bit of
servicing.

We've done the oil change, we've done some
plugs, we've done the air filter.

The battery looks pretty new.

It's got a fairly new coil on it,
distributor cap.

It's pretty tidy under it, it's been well
looked after.

Yeah, all looks in order.

So have you done much to the interior?

Yeah, quite a bit, actually.

We've validated it.

I've replaced the gear knob.

But more importantly, everything works.

Porsche electrics are usually bulletproof
and this one's no exception.

Everything works.

Yeah, it's good in the air side
because it's got the original

fifth alloy wheel and this
bag here is not just a bag.

This is a cover, they're quite rare,
actually, for the sunroof.

That slides in here and it stops it
getting scratched.

Yeah, really good.

I've looked at a few of these cars now and
this is a tiny one.

We're here, we're on the way then.

It's nice and tidy on the body work.

It's been lovingly careful.

It's got the electric mirrors,
which is really good.

Yeah.

Original Porsche decals as well.

And another thing about
these cars is they do suffer

quite badly with stone
chips across the front.

But there's no real stone chips on this,
it's quite nice.

The alloys are in good nick.

So it's all right, innit, fella?

Right, how much do you want for it?

1750.

1750.

It's got a couple of scratches on it,
a couple of little bits and pieces.

I'll give you 1400 for it.

No, it's an old car, Simon.

I'll take 1600 quid cash.

I've got 1500 in my back pocket and it's
yours.

Hold out your hand.

Cheers, mate.

Wicked.

The 924's off my hands.

500 quid profit and a motoring classic
that's staying on the road when it might

have otherwise been heading for the
crusher.

In fact, I reckon it's going to be well
looked after.

Now, that's what I call a bit of a result.

That's it for this edition of Wheeler
Dealers.

Join me again when I go in search of
another modern classic in need of some TLC.

Tala.