09x01 - Fiat Dino

[bunniefuu]

This is Wheeler
Dealers, where we love to

give classic cars that are a bit rough
round the edges a second chance to shine.

I find the motors.

And I bring them back to health.

And then we sell them
on to make some money.

That's if everything goes to plan.

Now this time, I'm on the
hunt for an Italian stallion.

This is one head-Turner of a sports car.

It's got a Ferrari engine under the
bonnet, but it's not a prancing horse.

This Italian-made sports car was
styled by Bertone, but it's not a Maserati.

This is the stunning Dino Coupe,
one of the stars of the Italian job film.

The lightweight V6 Ferrari
Dino engine punches out 180bhp.

With sophisticated coil
spring rear suspension

and rear wheel drive handling,
this car was built for speed.

There are rare sights on the
roads, but they can still be found.

If you know where to look.

The shores of the Adriatic
Sea in Northern Italy.

Just a kind of well-heeled place to find
a classic car with this kind of pedigree.

Sometimes the best place to
buy a car is where it was made.

So I've grabbed a cheap flight to Italy.

And to be honest with you, I
was expecting a bit better than this.

I think I bought the
British weather with me.

Anyway, hopefully the car that I
want will be around here somewhere.

I've dropped in to a
local cafe for a latte

and a cruise round of
classified car websites.

There's one here, a Fiat Dino 2400 Coupe.

Looks okay.

The price is a little bit
steep for me, €19,000.

And the colour, well, I can only describe
it as Irinade beige, so that one really

doesn't do it for me.

And then there's another
one popped up and it's in

green and I don't really
want to buy one in green.

And that one's €21,000.

And the problem with all
these cars is that they're too

expensive for me to make a
profit out of back in England.

So I keep looking.

At last, here's one.

Look at this, €16,000.

About the right money.

But hold on a minute.

It says the mileage is 10,450 kilometres.

That's about, what, six
and a half thousand miles.

That must be wrong.

It looks very good, though.

It's a nice strong blue
colour, black leather interior.

There's probably no
point me calling the

contact Massimo because
I don't parle Italiano.

So I'll send him an email and use an Internet
translator to get the message across.

Then I just have to wait for
a reply to land in my inbox.

Now after another cup of coffee, I've
actually had an answer and I've put it through

a translator and I've
got some really, really

interesting stuff and
pretty juicy about this car.

It says it was seized in 1970,
believe it or not, by the Italian police.

What is all that about?

We don't know the reason.

The car was stored in a warehouse between
1970 and 2004 and now it's all legal.

This could be the holy
grail of classic cars.

The fella has put his address on here.

So what I'm going to do is jump in
the motor and blast along the strada.

Well, I've got to tell you, I'm
pretty far outside my comfort zone.

I don't speak the language around here.

So I think you'll
understand that whilst I'm

excited about being
here, I'm also very nervous.

I need to keep my
Wheeler-dealer wits about me.

I've travelled across Italy and some of the
most beautiful countryside you've ever seen

and look where I've ended up, on
some dull and bland factory estate.

But this looks a lot more interesting
and that is what I've come to see.

Massimo?

Si.

Mike.

Ciao, buongiorno.

Bierciega.

Buongiorno, buongiorno.

Yeah, buongiorno.

Wow.

What a place.

This is amazing.

Collisione.

Collisione, Mia.

Alfa Romeo.

Lanza.

Fiat.

Citroen.

Cadillac.

Fantastic.

Huesta.

Fiat 24.

She's a fella, isn't she?

Inia Bertone.

But Tony Bodywork?

Yeah, wonderful.

Motore Ferrari 24.

Ferrari engine?

Yes, yes.

Wow.

Eterni.

Pelle.

Oh, look at that.

That looks amazing.

Is it okay for me to have a
really good look round inside?

No worries.

I think he said that's okay.

Thank you very much.

Wow, look at this.

How exciting.

God, it's gorgeous.

I'm sitting inside a Fiat Coupe.

And I'll be honest with
you, I'm glad Massimo's

let me have a look round
on my own, because

I can't understand a
single word he's saying.

And it gives me a chance
to have a proper dig round.

I'll tell you what, it's very nice in here.

Very nice indeed.

Fiat didn't really care
much for ergonomics back

then, because the pedal
box is offset to one side.

But I do like to have a proper dig round.

The steering wheel to hold
that wooden rim is just wonderful.

Look at that dashboard
laid out in front of me.

Huda works, very nice.

This is all very nice, isn't it?

But there's something not quite
right about this centre console.

That doesn't look original.

That looks like somebody's
put that in as an afterthought.

But the seats, wow, look at the condition.

They're stunning.

But the carpets, I can't
believe they're original.

I know this car's from the 70s,
but orange carpets on a blue car?

No, that can't be right.

The headlining's all good.

Everything about this car is lovely.

But let's have a listen to this engine.

Oh, yes, listen to that.

There it is, that famous Dino engine.

That lovely little V6 chuffing away there.

Listen to it.

Very, very sweet indeed.

What's really important with a historic car
like this is to really give it a thorough

because it's so easy to
replace things like wings.

What's not so easy is
to replace inner panels,

which is where you'll see
signs of accident damage.

And this one, well, the
two legs look really straight.

The slam panel on the
front, that looks original.

It just looks good.

It sounds right.

I like it.

Let's turn it off.

Couple of chips here, yeah.

See, this shape is absolutely gorgeous.

Problem is, it's been a
little bit let down by its past

because there's a nasty
crease on the front wing

and there's a couple of
nasty scratches back here.

Look at that lovely detail
around that Fiat badge.

You don't see that these days, do you?

Lovely, cute little boot.

And look at this.

Look, I knew there was something
to ride with that console inside.

This is obviously the original one.

It's broken, but maybe
that could be restored.

Well, this Deano is already
beginning to talk to me.

You know what?

I'm liking what she's saying.

But the noise that I really want to hear

is the sound of that Ferrari
engine out on the road.

Right, time to concentrate on this Deano

and see if it really is
what Massimo says it is.

Well, to begin with, it
drives like a new car.

Well, like a new car from the 1970s.

And back then, this motor would have
done 0 to 60 in about eight seconds.

And I can well and truly believe that
because it pulls so strongly, wonderfully,

for all the gears.

The suspension is nice and tall

and the steering is wonderfully direct.

This car really could have only done
that six and a half thousand miles.

But you know what?

I'd never buy this car on mileage alone.

I'd buy this car on
the feeling it gives you.

And this car is probably one of the best

classic car driving
experiences you'll ever have.

Negatives?

Well, there are a few.

First of all is the bodywork issue.

If we was to buy the car,

I'd have to paint that side of it.

Wouldn't have to paint the whole
car, so you could save a few quid.

Then there's the bits
inside, like this console.

But then there's that plastic
original one in the boot.

Maybe that could be restored.

But the biggest worry of all would
be that Ferrari engine up front.

It would cr*pple anyone's
credit card if it was the go-to.

Now Massimo is asking
16,000 Euros for this motor,

which I think is fair
enough in this condition.

Thing is, you know what I'm like?

I'd like to get a few quid off.

And if I can shave a few hundred
Euros off that price, I'll be a happy boy.

Well, Massimo, it's a good car.

I like the engine is strong.

Maranello, Ferrari is strong.

Maranello, yeah.

I can see that. I really like the car.

So I was hoping that you would take

Quattro di Gi for it,
which is 14,000 Euros.

No, no, no.

No? No.

What would you do?

15,000 Euros.

Well, when I think about it, I'm in Italy.

And I don't think I'm going to
find a better one for the money.

So hold out your hand.

Yes?

I just bought myself a Fiat Dino coupe.

Wicked.

I'm delighted with our Dino,

but I've got a 700-mile
drive home and I'm hoping

and praying that the
Ferrari engine is strong.

Because if I bought a coupe
with a DUB V6 then back in the UK,

the car will only be worth a
third of what I've just paid for it.

I've just done my very own
version of the Italian job,

sealing the deal on a
gorgeous 70s Fiat Dino coupe.

15,000 Euros.

Around 12,500 pounds bought me this Gran
Turismo with sharp coachwork by Bertone

and a V6 Ferrari engine,
which is a petrolhead's dream.

Leaving the coast behind,

I quickly climb into the mountains.

It's 700 miles to England
and it's that-a-way.

The scenery is stunning.

But the weather takes a real turn for the
worse. It won't dampen my mood though.

This Dino is giving
me the drive of my life.

All these wonderful roads are really
putting me and the Dino through our paces.

This Ferrari engine
up front is just to die for.

It's got so much to give.

I'll tell you, the throttle response.

is absolutely instant and
the handling is spot on.

I do get the impression
though if you push this

car really hard at speed it
would swap ends on you.

But in saying that, it
is a 40 year old motor.

So what's my plan for this Dino
when we get it back into the UK?

Well, a little bit like me, I reckon
we should keep it nice and original.

That's what the Dino fans want.

Obviously we've got these jobs to
do, but you know what, if we get it right,

we could turn this car
around for £16,000, £17,000,

maybe a bit more.

Who knows?

Well, a couple of hours into
my journey and everything

is going very well,
except for one little niggle.

The rear end has become
ever so slightly loose.

It's almost like the rear tyres.

are warmed up and it's become a bit
squidgy, but it definitely needs looking at.

How frustrating to be behind
the wheel of this incredible

GT Cruiser and not be
able to exploit all the power.

I don't know what it is,

but it's a bit annoying.

Now I'm just going to have
to nurse the Dino home.

I wonder what Ed will think
when I roar up in this Italian

classic and tell him that the
suspension's got a problem.

See, that's a bit mad.

It sounded like you were turning
up in a Ferrari, but clearly it's a Fiat.

Well, it is a little bit of both,
Edward, to be honest with you.

It's a bit of Ferrari up the front under
the bonnet and it's both a Fiat Coupe Dino,

but you impressed?

That's really cool, actually.

It's got a nice style about it, hasn't it?

It is very Italian.

But wait until you see the business end.

Have a look at this.

Underneath there you
will find a Ferrari V6 engine.

That is so clean.

That is amazing.

That is really good. Well done.

Well, allegedly this engine's only done.

ten and a half thousand
kilometres, about 6,000 miles.

No, that is so suspicious
in a car of this age.

Well, the previous owner,
Ed, he used to have a black suit

on black tie, black glasses
and work for some big boss.

and the police impounded
it for many, many years.

So it could have done ten
and a half thousand kilometres.

Well, it does make sense.

I think looking at how clean the engine is
and actually look at the radiator as well

and on a car of this age you'd
expect it to be much worse than that.

I think that does all that up, perhaps.

I need you to give it a
thorough Ed China once over.

I mean, really get it
proper from tip to toe.

I'm very pleased you're pleased.

Wait until you see the interior.
It's lovely.

Hang on.

What?

What about that?

Well, that is a den, as you can see.

There's one here, there's one down the back
and there's a little bit in the middle.

It's a real shame
because it's a lovely colour.

I'm glad you like the colour because wait
until you see the colour of the interior.

Get yourself in there.

I actually quite like the orange
carpet going with the blue car.

Are you mad?

I can see why you might
have a problem with it.

I have got a big problem with it.

I hate the carpets.

This centre console is a
little bit do it yourself, isn't it?

I thought that was little Ed
China had done that in Italy

because they'd made
a right pig's ear of it.

In fact, I got the original.

This bit is all broken here

so somebody's taken it out and they've
had a go at repairing it themselves.

We might be able to re-manufacture this or
maybe just repair it, I'm not sure which.

Leave that in there, jump out.

I've got one other thing.

It all happened on the journey back
because it's like the rear tyres got hot,

turned to jelly and the back of the car

wanted to swap ends
with the front of the car.

Well, that's nice and vague.

I think the first place I'd
look with all the rubber

parts because that does
tend to perish over time

so it could be things
like the bushes for the

suspension it could even
be the tyres themselves

but I'll get to the bottom
of that and sort that out.

Are you happy with that? Nice car?

Well, I really love
the style of this thing.

I'm actually quite excited
to get on with it, really.

Let's get it in the workshop.

This is a real piece of Italian exotica.

It is stunning.

But I'm not here to admire
those lovely flowing lines

I'm here to sort out some problems and my
focus right now is going to be the engine.

Now, Mike's asked me to
give it a thorough going over

so I've taken it for a good test drive
and I have to say I wasn't exactly wowed.

Sure, the engine sounds fantastic
but it kind of just felt a bit flat.

And this isn't something that Mike
flagged up so maybe it's just happened

but either way, I want
to know what's going

on so I'm going to give
it a compression test

and see if I can find out whether
there's any problems lurking deep within.

I'm worried about that acceleration
flat spot because parts are

notoriously expensive and a
full engine rebuild by an expert

can cost £10,000.

The lightweight dyno
engine was named in

tribute to Enzo Ferrari's
son who died young.

To test the overall health of our V6.

I've roped Paul in to help me do a
compression test on the cylinders.

This device is going to tell me quite a lot
about the internal health of the engine.

I'm actually going to
screw this end into each

of the spark plug holes
in each of the cylinders.

Then Paul's going to crank over the engine

then I'm going to get a
value of the compression

on this dial here which I can then write
down and I can see where the engine sits.

Now, on an engine of this age we're
looking for about 150 psi so here goes.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Wow.

If anything that's probably more like 170.

Number 3 is 168.

That's pretty good.

Of course the number 4 is
168 which is pretty good as well.

I'm building up a thorough
picture of the engine's health.

If the pistons or rings are damaged

then I'd expect a low
compression figure in the cylinder

but the figures I'm getting seem to be
high and tightly grouped which bodes well.

It's about 168 again.

which is pretty good.

Well that is really good news.

Our engine has got excellent compression.

If those numbers have been wildly different
or they've been around 130, 140 psi Mark

then I'd be worried about a worn engine

because it might have been worn valve
guides, valve seats or even piston rings.

And of course to fix that lot

would have been a real faff and
on this engine really expensive.

So these results mean either

our engine has done very few miles

like we suspect or in fact
it's been freshly rebuilt.

Either way, happy days for us.

So the cylinders in the engine are sound

and they're not implicated in
our acceleration flat spot problem.

My investigations will have to go deeper.

But while I scratch my
head and try and find the fault

Mike's at the trimmers
with our dodgy dashboard.

Oh look at this place. Wonderful.

And there he is. Mike, how you doing buddy?

Good to see you again.
This is looking good isn't it in here.

Cool. Are you busy?

Yes, very busy.

Now when I spoke to you on the phone.

I said to you I've got me
Fiat Dino coupe, lovely car

but it has got a bit of a mess on the
old dashboard and sensor console.

This is the bit I'm concerned about.

I was hopefully wanting
you to re-trim that for me.

Can you do that for us?

I think it's had its day to be honest.

Oh don't say that.

Yeah because it's got
a metal plate inside it.

I think it's an impossibility.

Really? What a shame.
See you can't salvage that part.

Well that's why I bought
down these bits because.

this, somebody's had a go at.

making themselves.
They've actually got it really

good. Look at the shape. The
shape's almost identical to that shape.

What's missing though is the
fact that it's not covered in vinyl.

I was hoping that you'd show me

how we do it. Okay.
And I could have a little go myself.

Alright.
And I think we'll start with the easiest.

bit which I gather is going
to be that bit shall we?

We will. Right, let's have a go.

Okay.

I'm okay with the sanding down.

I was even quite confident.

cutting the original
vinyl which I researched

and sourced from a
classic Fiat specialist.

Getting the glue on went well.

Long glue down.

Happy?

That's lovely.

And then the trimming down.

It's really satisfying this.

But then the difficult stuff starts and
Mike the trimmer's skill shines through.

And then you want to end up in the corner.

which is what we used to
call in the trade of pigs ear.

Oh yeah. It looks like little pigs ear.

Once you've done that.

hold your scissors.

There you just... No.

That is years of practice
isn't it that makes you do that.

So let me go for this corner here shall I?

So now I'm going to close these
two up. Push it really tight that's it.

I got you. Really tight into
that corner and that corner.

Then get these scissors.

I'm a bit nervous. I don't want
to make a pigs ear out of this.

But I do alright and with a little tap of
the hammer it suddenly comes together.

Well actually look at
that I'm quite proud of that.

I'm quite pleased with that.

Okay next.

It's impossible to buy
replacement dashboard

and sensor console parts
they just aren't made anymore.

So when I tell you this vinyl
covering job will cost just £100

in labour you'll see
why it's such a life saver.

Well I've got to say I'm
quite pleased with that Mike.

That's very good isn't it.

I can see the difference
it's going to make to the Dino

and there's plenty here to do and I'm just
going to get in your way if I carry on.

So I'm just going to leave it with you.

You leave it with me and
I'll get it sorted for you.

Fantastic.

Mike the trimmer will make swift
progress but Ed's still struggling

to find the engine fault behind the
acceleration flat spot he discovered

on his test drive. It's a real
worry because spares prices are

crazy on the Ferrari engine and
I'm praying he doesn't diagnose

a major fault which will
blow the budget and our profit.

out of the water.

I bagged a bit of Dolce
Vita when I bought

this Fiat Dino in
Northern Italy for £12,500.

but there's no such thing as a
bargain when you buy a Ferrari engine

sports car and the margins are tight
even if we can get 16 plus as a sale price.

Ed's been working hard to
diagnose the reason for the

poor throttle response and
until he solves that mystery

the car will continue to give me
sleepless nights. I've had a chat with

somebody who specialises in
these very engines and he told

me there's often a couple of
problems with the distributor.

Now originally this was supposed to be used
in a vertical position but in this engine

format it's used horizontally
and that tends to mean

that the shaft and the
bearings often wear a

little bit quicker than
they would normally.

Now that means that the rotor
arm is then kind of flapping around

a little bit and of course that
causes erratic timing. Now

the other thing is inside here
there are some centrifugal

Bob weights and the
idea is that they fling out

when you accelerate actually advancing
the timing but they often seize up

and that means you
end up with a bit of a flat

spot so you combine
those two things together

and you end up with possibly
the reason why our engine

doesn't run the way we think it should.

Okay I Grant you it's still just a possibly
at this stage but it's worth checking out.

The distributor plays a vital
role in the ignition system.

and as the name suggests
it actually distributes

the spark from the coil to the right
cylinder at exactly the right time.

Now if anything goes wrong you end up with

a badly running engine or poor
throttle response and that's just not cool.

Well there we go getting it out was the
easy bit and now I've got to take it apart.

The first thing I'm going to do
is remove the distributor cap.

Well here's a top tip because
these parts really suffer

from electrical arcing deposits and which
obviously eventually affects the timing

it makes sense especially on classic cars
where the distributor cap, the rotor arm

and the points will be
quite cheap just to replace

them so when you're
trying to tune up the engine

you have a kind of level
playing field to start with.

Now unfortunately this part
being a Ferrari piece is about £395.

on its own which is a bit nuts

and actually as it turns out we're
quite lucky because ours is in

pretty good Nick so
I'm actually going to stick

with this but just give
it a bit of a clean up.

I'm cleaning the terminals
with a bit of scouring

pad then I start actually
stripping down the distributor body.

It's a mass of covers, retaining clips,
washers and precisely engineered metal parts.

This puller which costs around
£30 helps me remove the bearing

carrier giving access to the central shaft.

Well the first thing I'm
checking is the main bearing.

and it feels fine and it sounds fine
which is great so we'll leave that as is.

Well this bearing on the other
hand doesn't sound great but worse

it actually feels you can kind
of feel this kind of lumpiness

and when you think about
where it is on the distributor.

it's not there at the
top next to the rotor arm

so of course if this is failing that
movement will be exaggerated

by the rotor arm so I would
definitely have to change that.

A worn top bearing on its
own wouldn't cause a flat spot

in the engine's performance
so the search continues.

So the last thing to check are
these centrifugal Bob weights.

Now the idea is obviously
as you try to accelerate

this is spinning around, those Bob weights
get flung out by the centrifugal force

and there's actually some
Springs that kind of resist that

until you accelerate and the
idea is that advances the timing.

which helps the car
accelerate more quickly.

Now what I should be able
to do is actually move them.

I can't. I can see a little tiny bit of
movement at these two pins here

but the actual Springs,
they're kind of like little

pistons that go in and
out they are not budging.

Now luckily this is a common problem

so therefore these parts are
readily available on the Internet.

On most cars it wouldn't be worth
trying to refurbish the distributor.

They're so cheap that you
might as well buy a new one.

But I've checked the part price
and a reconditioned one for our Dino

goes for £695.

and we really can't afford
to add that to our bottom line.

A specialist would probably
charge £250 to £300

for this rebuilding work.

A decent saving when we
need to keep our spend down.

Well there we go, the distributor is
rebuilt and bolted back onto the engine.

The parts only came to just over £100

so go on then Paul, crank it over please.

It's running nicely, flip it a bit.

Ed, you're up. Sunshine, how are you doing?

I've got to tell you
for once I'm pleased to

see that you haven't
touched the body work

on the car. That means that you've been
working hard under the bonnet and fiddling.

with that wonderful engine.
Please tell me I'm right.

That is right, yes.

Well I've had some
sleepless nights worrying about

this Ferrari V6 engine. Did I go and
buy a shed or is it actually a little gem?

Well I would like to give you a bit
of a hard time about this but actually

I'm going to come clean.
You've bought a bit of a stunner.

Yes! I did a compression test
and the engine is in excellent health.

I actually think this is the low

mileage motor that this
guy said it was going to be.

Either that or it's had
a recent engine rebuild.

Well that makes me very happy Ed.

Any problems along the way?
Well I did notice

it's got a bit of a flat
spot on acceleration

I actually found out there was
a problem with the distributor

and now everything is sorted.
We now need to

attack the other stuff don't we?
We need to do the body work

on this car and we need to work
on the interior and the console

and dashboard bit she give
me, they're off at the re-trimmers

and they'll be back here
soon and once we get those

back and fitted in the
car we're almost good

to go haven't we? Andiamo.
What does that mean?

Let's go. It's Italian.

Our Dino has got quite a sophisticated
way of smoothing out the ride on the road.

If you look up here you can see it's got a
coil spring independent rear suspension

system and that's designed to maximise
the grip at the same time as smoothing.

out the bumps that speeds up to 130

miles an hour. But unfortunately all
of that poison control can be undone

by a little tiny bush
the size of a golf ball.

Let me show you.

How do I know it's a bush? I don't 100%

but after years of experience
I've learned it's the most

likely culprit when a car
has a wobbly back end. Now

somewhere in all of
these suspension linkages

is a bush that's worn and
I'm going to try and find it using

my pry bar and giving every
little part a bit of a wiggle.

That's all good. So then
it's bottom bush again.

Oh my word, look at that.

That is definitely our culprit.

You can see there's
tonnes of movement there.

So what's going on
there of course is because.

the track control arm
holds this part of the.

suspension rigid, because this is moving.

then the whole wheel can effectively steer
in and out effectively and that means.

it's going to give
you that weird kind of

crabbing or kind of
wobbly back end feeling.

Now to replace it, access to the bush isn't

too bad.
I can get this bottom arm off relatively

easily, but the bush of
course is going to be pushed

into the bottom arm and that
could mean a whole load more work.

I'm using a transmission Jack to support
the bottom arm which is released by

removing these bolts. Dropping the
Jack down I get clear access to the bush

but it's very hard to remove it because
when the car was built this bush was.

forced in under pressure, which makes it
very hard to get out. But I've got a plan.

Now I'm wondering whether

I can't try a little old technique where
we get a socket on the outside, a bit of

studding, some washers and some nuts and
effectively wind the bush out of that hole.

I put an oversized impact
socket at one end, thread the

studding through the
bush and the undersized

washer on the other
side is secured with a nut.

Now as I wind the nut, the bush is drawn
through and out of the suspension arm.

And there we have it.

One very worn looking bush.

So I've now got to try and force this
new bush into the bottom of the upright.

Now handily, as you can see on
there, one side of this is chamfered, as is

the edge of the hole.
So that's going to make it slightly

easier, just to be absolutely sure.
I'm also

just going to put a little
bit of lubrication on there.

Pop that into place
and then just like

when we were trying to remove
the old one, we're going to use a bit

of studding, this time a
socket on the end there,

big washer and a nut, but the same

on the other side and I
can then wind it into position.

Replacing a rear bush like this would
probably cost around £100 in labour.

Using my clever studding
and washer fix, this

is something you could
do in your own garage.

It's going really well.
There's one last turn I reckon.

I've got just the right amount
sticking out either side.

With the bush in place,
the job is nearly finished.

I can offer up the bottom arm,

secure it with the locking nut and
bolt on the big chromodora wheel.

So this side is now
finished, but of course

it's good practice to
replace bushes in pairs

because if this side is
a bit short, the chances

are the other side
will be soon to follow.

So I've got a bit more
work to do, but once it's all

finished then this car's
handling will be vastly improved.

The bodywork on this car is amazingly
good, but on a curvy shape like this

even the smallest of
dents do tend to show up.

Unfortunately this is
not the smallest of dents.

You can see that when
somebody's actually bashed the car,

the metalwork's flexed
and unfortunately the paint

couldn't take it so it's cracked
along the top and the bottom.

so that needs to be sorted,
but there are also some pretty

obvious scratches on the rear
wing which will need sorting too.

I'm going to rub the panel down,

but first I'm putting
on safety gear because

tiny particles of metal
and paint will get airborne

and you can easily get
them into your eyes and nose.

Mike thinks this car has
had a checkered past,

impounded by the police for decades.

Looking at the front wing, I
wonder if it had an accident

years ago when a man in a black
suit was arrested after a car chase.

Well I always did have a bit
of an overactive imagination.

Well now we can see what we're up against.

There seems to be previous evidence

of damage.
You can see there's two different types of

filler here and a little bit
of tarnish steel as well, so

there's obviously had a few
bashes in the past. On this last bash

it's actually cracked the filler, which of
course is what cracked the paint on top,

but now I've ground that
crack right the way around

to bare metal. What will sort it
nice and easily will be a bit of filler.

Proportions wise, you know the score, a
lemon of filler to an olive size of hardener.

Mix really well and it's ready to go on.

Now as always with
filler you've got to be nice

and efficient.
Don't rush, but at the same time

bare in mind of course after about five or
ten minutes it's actually going to go off.

And of course as always.

don't put on too much at a time.

It might not look great now, but I'm

building up the filler in
exactly the right places here.

Laying on filler is one
of those things that really.

does get easier the more you practice.

So if you want to work on your car, do some
tests on a spare bit of old metal first,

not the front wing of your pride and joy.

The smaller dents on
the rear wing aren't the

same as those on the front and
they require a very different solution.

So I'm going to be using
acrylic putty or stopper. Now you

can think of this stuff as super fine
or super smooth filler, or perhaps more

accurately really,
really, really thick paint.

Now it's normally used,
say you're doing loads

of filler work and you've
got little air pockets

little tiny bubbles, but it's used to
fill those up. And that's why it's so

good for this kind of work
where you can get into

all those little nooks and crannies
because it's so fine and so smooth.

You can use it straight out of the tube
and it goes on with a rubber applicator.

It takes at least half an
hour to go off though a

top tip is to leave it
overnight so it's 100% hard.

Well the filler's now gone off and
it's now hard enough to sand back

but what I've got to do
here is I've got to blend this

shape seamlessly with the
contours of the rest of the wing.

It's actually a lot harder than it sounds.

I'm going to be using 180
grit sandpaper so here goes.

I'm using quite long fluid strokes
so that I spread the pressure from.

the sandpaper across
the filler and front wing.

I'm trying to avoid
creating any lips or edges

which will show up when
I get the area painted.

I've only spent about
four hours doing the body

work and yet I probably saved
myself about £200 doing it myself.

So next up the Dino's going
to go off to the body shop

and they're going to prime
and then blow over all of the

repairs and hopefully we'll
end up with an invisible fix.

But unfortunately that's
not the end of the work.

I've still got the interior to tackle.

So join me in part four when
the Dino's going to come back.

with some fresh paint and I'm going
to get to grips with that orange carpet.

The coupé has just returned
from the spray shop so perhaps

now we'll see if it's got
the wow factor to make

the £16,000 plus price
tag I want to hang on it.

Doesn't our Dino look cool?

Indeed painted on the offside and
polished all over our coupé looks great.

We've laid out £840 on this work.

Well the body shop have
polished the whole car

and it looks fantastic
but the thing I was really

worried about was this
bit of work up the top here.

It's in such a prominent
position it had to be right.

With a bit of my help the body
shop have done a fantastic job

and it's actually the same
story at the back end as well.

You can't actually tell the difference

or see the scene between
the filler and the metal.

It's brilliant.

I've had the wheels
stripped and refurbished too

and the car has got back
some of its retro appeal.

I'm really happy with this transformation.

This interior is really classy.

It's from another era, a time when they
used to fill cars with dials and switches.

I like all of it, including these orange
carpets but unfortunately Mike hates them

so they are going to have to go.

The carpet is well secured
throughout but I can remove

it without damaging any
of the 12 separate sections.

It's in excellent condition
and Mike reckons he can

sell it onto another Dino
owner for around £200.

The sober new black carpets
were made by Mike the trimmer.

Some need to be fixed in place
permanently with contact adhesive.

They fit perfectly and will certainly
match better with the black leather seats.

Well the trimmer has done
a fantastic job because this

carpet fits like a glove and
it looks and feels wonderful.

Remember these parts?

Well Mike's had them recovered
and I'm very happy with the results

so I'm going to get them
onto the dashboard and see

what our Dino looks like
going back to original spec.

It's nice to be working
with a simple interior

where you just reconnect the big switches
and screw the dash sections into place.

No airbags, complex sound systems
or climate control to worry about in here.

Oh look at that, that is
so much better isn't it?

You can see why the designer wanted
the vinyl going all the way along here

and then have the wood
on the top of the dashboard.

I'm so glad we got rid of that horrible
DIY wooden centre console and returned it

to the period style that
this car so deserves.

So all we've got to do now is
put a few more bits of carpet in

and then this interior
is pretty much complete.

I know I told Mike I like the original
orange carpets but I have to agree

that these black ones have given this
interior a new level of luxury and style.

It's bueno.

Well that's it, in here the Dino is perfect
a marvellous combination of leather,

wood and top quality wool
carpet on the outside the

bodywork is gleaming and
under the bonnet is a V6

it's just raring to be cruised down to
Paris on my own at a moment's notice.

It's been a joy to work on but I am glad
to say that our Fiat is finally finished.

The Fiat Dino Coupe is one of the most
beautiful cars we've ever had in the workshop.

It's just what I hoped to find
tucked away in a garage in Italy.

But like all Italian exotics I
knew there'd be a sting in the tail.

The rear end has become
ever so slightly loose.

The rear suspension gradually
began to fail on the journey home.

Ed diagnosed warm bushes and the
Dino was soon handling well once more.

The engine was another major
worry Ed found a distributor fault.

It was a fiddly fix but soon the
V6 pulled like a train in every gear.

The bodywork had been given a bash
or two and the spray shop did a great job

of blending in and polishing up the
paintwork and those trademark wheels.

Finally the interior went
back to original spec.

Out went the orange
carpets and DIY woodwork.

In came matching black
wool and Fiat vinyl. Classy.

Well I got a good deal
on the purchase price and

I didn't flash the cash
too often on this one.

When you factor in the money I
got from selling the orange carpets

we ended up with a
total spend of £14,480.

How are you doing buddy?

Wow look at that!

Oh she is absolutely gorgeous.
She is a bit of a stunner

and now I've sorted out
the dents and scratches

on the other side and had her professionally
polished. She looks a million Euros.

Certainly does. I tell you what a fantastic
job and the wheels they're a bit of a

surprise. It is a small detail but
having that black painted insert removed

and then having the wheels powder coated
in silver is just a lovely period detail.

I tell you what I'm dead excited but
I'm even more excited about getting

what's under this bonnet out on
the open road. That gorgeous Ferrari

V6. That is quite wonderful
but what's with the sharp suit?

Well it's a classic Italian sports
car so you have to make the effort.

Well then I've got to tell you when I
bought this car in Italy the time of my life

driving it all the way back to England
over those Italian mountain roads now

I can't offer you that same experience
but what I can give you is this place

this is the legendary Alpine circuit
at the Millbrook testing ground

and you know they use this very
circuit to film some of the James Bond

car chase sequences. Talk to
the witch. Who's that behind us?

Edward get your foot down.

Mamma Mia go for it go for it.

When I was working on this car I was really

impressed at how sophisticated the engineering
is. I mean this Dino is way ahead of

its time. Things like the independent
rear suspension it's really well designed

and it's really well put
together and now I've sorted out

those rear bushes. Obviously
it handles properly as well.

Oh that sounds so good.

Wow this car was always on
some but now Ed thanks for your

work it sounds like an
Italian operatic tenner.

Well Ed I do hate to say
this but the business we're in

it's time to say goodbye
to our fabulous fit.

Oh do we have to mate?
I mean I've only just

finished it and it is such
a beautiful thing to have.

around the place. I would love to keep this
car I really would but there is a decent

profit in it and I'm
keen to test the market.

as soon as possible.

Ok well fair enough.
What sort of price are you thinking?

Well I've looked online I've done my
research and I've found that there are a few

out there and our one does stack up
against them in terms of you know mileage

condition age that kind of thing
and I've come up with a decent figure

somewhere in the high teens. What
sort of like 16, 17 grand sort of thing?

Now the Fiat Dino
Coupe is a specialist sports

car so the pull of potential
buyers is very small.

Now the advert I placed for that car
within its community created quite a buzz.

The only problem is
the only guy that's turned

up to see it is this
guy Steve behind me.

I want 17 grand for the car and
he looks like a tough nut to crack.

Let's get to work.

There looks a man
in love I'll tell you.

You do like this car don't you?
You do that's a

great car. Now on the test drive what

did you think of that Ferrari engine?
Really good

sound. Sounds wonderful. Well
this is a dream car for somebody and.

it could be your dream. What do
you think of the work we've done to it?

No it's good I mean it looks really good.

Especially the interior
it almost looks new.

The centre console, the seats
even the carpets it looks great. Good

well as I say it could be a dream
motor for somebody and it could be yours.

What do you reckon? I was thinking 15.

15 grand what you grab
Diamante seat belts?

No I couldn't I couldn't
let go for 15 grand.

If you want it you can open
16 grand that's a grand off.

How about we meet in the middle?

15 and a half.

Why do you people do it to me?

Cash? Today. Today.

Hold out your hand. You just
bought yourself a very very cheap Fiat

Dino coupe. I hope you and your kids
really enjoy it. Absolutely great thanks.

In the end I think
that's a fair price. It

gives us a profit of
just over a grand on a.

complex Italian exotic that had
the potential to be a right money

pit. I reckon we've done
pretty well out of this one.

Well what a way to finish our
Italian job. This stunning coupe

has found a really deserving home with a
real Dino fan and his family. Me and Ed well

we can bank the profit
and I'll start looking

through the small ads for the next
motor and if you want to see what ends up

in our workshop then join me and
Ed soon on Wheel of Dealers. Tala!