10x06 - TVR Cerbera

[bunniefuu]

this time on Wheeler dealers we go
for a car that loves to drive my headache

is just around the corner is that one
big elephant in the room that powder

coated flaky chassis it throws all
these toys out the pram it's too far gone

I have to replace the chassis
altogether that's gonna cost thousands

I won't go as bad as that it stopped
moaning and I need help that only a

specialist can provide if we're ever
gonna get top dollar for this car we

need to get the details what I buy
the tired iconic motors and dials in the

extreme spanner action and then we
sell them on hopefully for a profit the TVR

server was launched in 1996 and
was only built for six years it was the

first 2 plus 2 TVR and the first time
the platform company moved away from

using Rover engines instead they
built their own 4.2 v8 jaw-dropping styling

inside and out the curb
weight of just 1,100 kilograms.

and packing 300 brake horsepower plus
it can go head-to-head against the most

expensive sports cars in the world
the norm 260 is just 4.2 seconds and it

tops out 185 miles an hour this is a
brawny British supercar let's get one.

the TVR server wasn't a mass-produced
car they made just under 2000 and

there's usually a few knocking about
on some mainstream websites that's the

good news but the bad news is if
you want a good one you really have to

cough up for that v8 power the server
was 42 grand new nice ones now touch

20 grand and 12,000 pounds is starter
money I want the magic 4.2 liter engine

at less than 10 grand it's gonna be a
car that wants some work I'm looking

at some free to advertise websites
and one car has got my attention

almost immediately it's a 99 Cerbera
with the v8 engine which is really

tasty and the price it's eight
and a half thousand pounds so I'll

definitely want to give the owners
a call yes I'm ringing about your car

for sale this seller knows to drill he's
declaring any faults right now and he

says the low price is down to some
flaking a sign of corrosion on the

chassis that's common for a TVR but
the question he can't answer is how bad

the flaking is bye-bye
well the owner seems like a

thoroughly nice chap and he says that
he wants a really quick sound now for

me it all comes down to price
and this car is the magic price under

10,000 pound at eight and a half
grand I'll be nuts not to go and stand in

front of it now the TVR owner has
give me one restriction and that's that

he can only show me the car today
now it's a hundred miles away which is

a fair old journey but it does mean
that I get to stand in front of the.

car first and that's always a good thing.

well this looks like the place this
looks like the car and this looks like

a fella how you doing I'm Ed nice to
meet Ed lovely to meet you welcome to

the car Wow look at that TVR Cerbera
that's a beautiful car well straight

away this car is all about the power
and performance so that engine can I

have a look at it yeah absolutely
oh look at that wow that is so clean

and the bay is immaculate isn't
it you can eat your dinner off of it

that's a 4.2 v8 engine made by TVR
does about naught 60 in around four

seconds Wow and sounds
phenomenal oh lovely I would

imagine it's quite loud can I
hear it yes yeah absolutely.

amazing it that's a reason to get
out of bed in the mornings isn't it what

an engine any trouble with it at all
no no worries with the engine that's all

the paperwork that's great I always
say should never buy a car in the rain

but the paperwork that's good is
there any marks or scratches no marks

whatsoever it's obviously all the
fiberglass bodywork from TVR it looks so

nice this car what is actually
wrong with it it's got some stage of life

where it's a little bit tired needs a
little bit of TLC and just underneath

on the chassis on the outriggers
down the side it's starting to get a

little bit rusty needs a bit of care
under there right because the chassis

on these cars they are powder coated
once that powder coating falls off it

starts rusting underneath and in
that case it's gonna fail an MOT in the

future what I spoke to you on the
phone I had a pre warning of that so I

bought down a little inspection mirror
to mind not at all help yourself let's

just see how bad that damages you
can see that unfortunately that powder

coatings peeling away and revealing
a well rusty body underneath you can

really see it in here quite visible
yeah just inside that well it's a bit

of a shame okay well I mean it's a
job that can be repaired let's have a

look at the inside if you don't mind
I love the way these open that little

press of the button under the mirror
and it all pops open seats are nice.

and the dashboard is mental isn't it
look at it all those swoopy lines they're

really driver focused aren't they
yeah makes you feel like you're in the

c*ck and I love the way that
it's got all the buttons close to hand

very good does everything work inside
everything's fully functional good okay

all right well I suppose be it this
being a driver's car the only thing

to do is to put it to the test
and get it out there on the road if

that's right for a test drive
definitely there's the keys all right

take it safe in the weapon I'll see
you soon I will do thank you very much.

Wow.

that is amazing that looks
sexy to come up in around four

seconds in this motor and
that is very very quick indeed.

the power in this car
it arrives and then it

just keeps on giving
wallop very nice indeed.

unfortunately though this isn't the
right kind of weather to go and put a

car like this through
its paces it's miserable

outside but I'll tell you
what it's blooming exciting.

this car feels nice and tight sitting on
the road the steering feels precise the

gearbox is absolutely wonderful and the
brakes even though they're not ABS they

feel like they can stop this car
which is very good so far I'm a very

happy man now this car is approaching
13 years of age and I think it's been

well looked after but there is one
question Mark and that's a suspension

because a high-performance
sports car like this it should feel really

connected to the tarmac
and this one feels well just

a little bit wayward and
that could be a problem.

so is this TVR server one for me
well is that one big elephant in the

room and that's that powder coated
flaky chassis see at the moment I can't

tell just how extensive the damage is
on it and it would be a big gamble to go

and buy this motor but it's only eight
and a half thousand pounds and it goes

like an absolute steam train so I think
it's a gamble but it's one that I would

like to take but if I can get it
just that little bit cheaper it has

sweetened the deal and yet I mean there's
more profit at the other end for me.

whoa.

that's some test drive isn't it probably
the fastest test drive I've ever done

I'm just a little bit concerned about
the amount of work that comes along

with it because to do the work
either on the chassis or replace it it's a

huge gamble yeah I'm conscious there's
a lot of hours in it and that's why I

can't do it working in the army
spending a lot of time away I just

don't have the time to put in that
the car deserves so that's why I've

priced it to hopefully give it to
somebody you can do what it needs so

I've made my mind up I do want the
car and I know you've advertised it a

reasonable price but it's still a huge
gamble and with that in mind you want

eight and a half I'll give you seven
and a half thousand pound for it okay.

I'd be happy to meet you in the
middle of eight if you fancy hold out

your hand just sold your TV arm and I
just bought one thank you very much a.

Cerbera offers supercar performance
for family hatchback money and the deal

I got on the face of it looks
perfect but I need Edd China to get

under the car and assess whether
the chassis is salvageable or a fatal flaw.

the Cerbera is a three-headed beast
from Greek mythology and it's also a

monster of a car that's probably
go for eight if you're happy to meet in

the middle about your aunt just sold
your TV arm I paid cheeky money for

this TV arm but there's a reason
for that and that's the corrosion on the

chassis that's where it might all go
wrong I need to get this car back to

the workshop and seek the wise
counsel of Mr. Edward China this is one

awesome car this has
got to be the biggest frills

per pound motor we've
ever had on Wheeler dealers.

upfront is a fantastic 360 brake
horsepower TVR v8 slump all wrapped up

in a body that weighs
the same as a basket of

soup this is a car that
definitely wakes you up.

we're driving back to the workshop
I'm getting to know our TV on just that

little bit better but you know what
it's a very pleasant place to be it's

really comfortable because I'm
not fooling it around I'm taking it nice

and gently I'm letting the talk of that
wonderful v8 just drag me down the

road I'm gonna start thinking about
what we're gonna do with our server

once we get it back to the workshop
see the thing on this car and it's the

big job is that chassis if it's
repairable that's great news because we

can turn this car around for about
ten thousand pounds but if it needs

replacing that's a massive job but
then saying that a car with a smart

body and a replaced chassis actually
worth up to thirteen thousand pounds the

thing is they're not making Cerberus
anymore so one of these coming on to

the market should get
a buyer right time to see

what a big man thinks
of our latest set of wheels.

absolutely hooligan that sounds
fantastic it's awesome it sounds

wonderful it looks really clean you
definitely got my attention that is son

a TV our server that is 4.2 of
hairy-chested British v8 muscle car

great isn't it does sound like I can't
pop the bonnet oh look at that so that

is thinking so the AJP v8 with a flat
plane crank which is kind of a racing

car it's about 360 horsepower it is in
a car that weighs absolutely nothing

is why it must be mental to
drive just have one more listen.

it's fantastic Wow so what's it
like inside beautiful have a look it's

looking quite poor sorts of leather
and that really trippy kind of TV our

madness on the dashboard dials under
the steering wheel so does everything work

everything seems to work here you
know what TV ours are like they got

that reputation of reliability and this
one I've tried everything on the way

back when is up and down switches knobs
dials absolutely everything and it all

seems to work fine what does
it drive like like a hooligan it's

absolutely mental this car but it's
not as focused as you would imagine a

car like this to be it doesn't feel
quite as planted to the tarmac as I

would hope I would put that down to
age maybe it's just got a little bit tired

on the suspension if all these
suspensions the only thing we have to

contend with that's pretty much
happy days how much did it cost it was

very cheap it was only 8,000 pounds
so there is a massive problem with I

wouldn't say it's a huge issue
jump out I'll explain look at the body

work a day and it nice cool-looking
cars like nice plastic shiny body

work on the top yeah underneath
unfortunately it's a little bit bad

what are you like so you can see it
straight away there's rust where the.

powder coat is actually flaked away but
if you look even further in there's even

worse and that's without actually
getting the thing up on the ramp but I

reckon if you get this car up on
the ramp give it a little tin of spray

it'd be fine but just look at it it's a
TBR and that's gonna be nothing

that's gonna be you rubbing it down
a couple of tins of paint we're turn it

around and get it out the works
no that's all thing is if it's really

bad about to take the body off
the car to sort it all out and if it's too

far gone I have to replace the
chassis all together that's gonna cost

thousands it won't go as bad as
that it's stop moaning it's gonna be fine

let's get it in the workshop I'll
make you a nice cup of tea and with a

car like this you've always got a
look on the bright side is there a

bright side well it stopped raining
and the sun's out I am very excited a

TVR Cerbera is gracing us with its
presence in our workshop now these

really are a monster of a car and I
love them I love the bold design and I

respect the engineering and the
sheer brute force that these cars embody

I just wish that Mike could have found
us an example that doesn't seem to have a

classic TV our problem I'm talking
about the flaking powder coating and the

corrosion that's visible on the
chassis Mike looked over the car and

spotted some small patches but if
there's more than that then this good

deal will suddenly look a lot less
sweet now unfortunately Mike doesn't

carry around a little portable ramp so
we can't really see kind of all the way

under a car when he's having a
little look they would have noticed the

corrosion on these outriggers we doesn't
really get the full story so looking a

lot closer not further in I can see
there's yet more areas where the

powder coating is peeled off and
then the corrosion has started to set in

there's another bit there but I still
can't even from this position see

quite how bad everything is and to
find out exactly how bad it is I only

have one option and that is going to
be a massive job I'm gonna have to

remove the body shell and expose
the unseen parts of the chassis now it's a

difficult testing and time-consuming
job I'm going to end up with the car in

pieces now the reason I had to
remove the seats from the car so they

need access to the bolts that actually
secure the body to the chassis now

they're hidden in various places
under the carpet but also I need to

disconnect these bolts that hold the
seat belts through to the chassis as

well and then to be honest the bolts
are just the easy part because then I have

to disconnect all kinds of other
things all over the car with the first few

bolts out of the way now I need to
get up front and remove the bonnet with

Paul's help because another collection
are found under the radiator now this

is not a random strip down I'm
removing the absolute bare minimum to

save time now a little top tip
obviously as always you just get the

battery but make sure you've
got your doors open your windows

down because of course this
car's door opening is electric.

with the airbox away I should now
be able to expose the top part of the

chassis now removing that panels give
me the first chance to see the top half

of the chassis and it's not looking
good there's yet more corrosion loads

more of the powder coating is
peeling off so this is gonna start getting

quite serious I think so it's time to
separate the bits on the engine that

could be damaged when I lift off the
body I drain the cooling system and

lift out the rad I disconnect the air
con which has been depressurized of

course that is standard health
and safety and actually a legal

requirement a disconnect the steering
and then we remove the exhaust now the

good and bad thing about taking
a car apart as you get to see all the

little bits and pieces that might need to
be repaired so here we need some CV.

boots on both sides but also the shock
absorbers are leaking so that's gonna

need attention as well oh dear so
there's money to spend as well as my

time and energy I disconnect
the electronic control boxes that are

stored in the boot and then the fuel
tank it's taken us a very long day to.

get to this point but considering
specialists will charge around 2,000

pounds to remove a chassis I think we're
making quite light work of it now I've

been having a bit of a think about
how to get this body lifted off the

chassis and I think the best thing
would be to use the pads on the end of

the arms of the ramp and have one
under each of the wheel arches now this

wouldn't work on a steel body because
it'd be too flimsy but on a fiberglass

body especially with these lovely
curves it's gonna be super strong and.

very well reinforced so that should
be fine the thing is though this engine

is a real beast and it just fits on
this side and is even tighter on the

other and I think although I'm gonna
get the body off with the engine in place

I think trying to put the body back
in position is going to be almost

impossible without doing some kind of
damage so unfortunately on reflection

I think the best thing to do is actually
take the engine out before we try.

and take the body off right another
chunk of oily work so now I need to

disconnect the engine from the wheels
and then heave the lumping gearbox out in.

one precarious move being careful not to
damage any of the precious bodywork so

now we're back on track and we can
finally lift off the body soon we'll know

the true condition of our chassis
and it's not looking promising now that

might have seen like a crazy amount
of work to go to just to get a better

look at the chassis but it was
definitely well worth it because I can

see how bad it really is and it's
stuff I couldn't have seen with the

body in position particularly over that
side there you can see that the tubes

are actually missing as they join in
the rest of the chassis and here that a big

hole is rust and corrosion absolutely
everywhere and frankly it just isn't

worth repairing which means poor
old Mike is gonna have to find us a

replacement chassis it's been on the
blower he said he needs a new chassis

for the TVR and you know I like to
give that boy everything he wants

problem is a new chassis is very
very difficult to find and it's gonna cost

over five thousand pounds
but you know what I'm like I'm a

Wheeler dealer so I found another
way to get him what he wants.

I've tracked down a racing
specialist in Sheffield they've got a

used chassis and have repaired it to an
as new standard that means a whole hill

of welding now I need to have it
powder coated for a rust proof finish these

guys work on anything but they always
have a TVR chassis or two knocking

about first our frame needs to be
prepared now in this container there's a

guy bead blasting the chassis now he
says it should take about half an hour

but sometimes it can take a lot
longer because notoriously the chassis

on these TVRs are in terrible
condition but he says the

one that I've got is pretty
good that'd be a quick job.

the beads are fired at super high
speed stripping away the old surface

completely I'm kind of glad I'm not in
there all done yes good let's open up

this other door this is Barry look
Barry's in here working really hard to

Bury all done yeah looking good
we manhandle the chassis into the

workshop so the first layer of powder
coat can be applied the chassis is

electrically charged and a powdered
zinc primer is sprayed close to it and

it's actually attracted to the metal
it's a total uniform coating this is an

extra rust proofing layer that wasn't
originally used by TVR after that it's

baked for 20 minutes and then
powder coated for a top coat.

I've chosen white as it's the
original color but really I could choose

anything it's another 30-minute
bake I can't wait to see the results.

there's me alarm that means it's
done it's cooked just like being at home

this I'd wait for me
dinner right then let's do it.

it's the cleanest thing in there
look at that it's brilliant that is the

brightest thing in there absolutely
I like that heat it's fantastic okay

well I suppose for me it just comes
down to brass tacks how much it's

gonna cost well we do quite a few of
these things and we managed to get the

price as low as possible so 290 pounds
290 pounds that's an absolute bargain

hold out your end thank you yes I'll
have that and I can't wait now to get

this back to the workshop see
the look on Ed's face the refurbished

chassis and powder coating has
set me back a total of 2,000 pounds so

already the TVR owes us 10 grand and
Ed has discovered even more stuff that

needs to be worked on that cheap
TVR is turning into a money pit this is the

story about a monster of a car with a
monster of a job there's rust where the

powder coat is actually flaked
away if it's really bad about to take the

body off the car to sort it all out
the chassis isn't flaky it's rotten

and corroded so I've had to shell
out for a replacement it's a big job for

poor old Ed but he hasn't even
finished stripping the old chassis down.

there's great news that Mike's gonna
be sorting us out with a replacement

chassis but that does mean and I
need to take everything off this one I want

to put onto our new one things like
the diff the uprights the suspension

parts having said that though
these wishbones are a little bit poor a

little bit past it so I'm gonna
replace those so they match the new

chassis so let's strip and assess the
remaining gear on the old chassis the

wheels have got to come off first
they're bored iron presentable but I

might have them blinged up later
to give our car a bit more purpose to.

strip the suspension I start by
removing the coil over units and then

wrestle off the hubs as they need
to go back onto the new chassis with

that of disconnected I can free
the diff another item that will need

cleaning up that's the chassis strip
so what can I save or refurbish now

something I noticed earlier on
while looking at the car but the shock

absorbers were weeping slightly so
they needed to be sorted out but also

the CV joint gaiters were rather
split and of course that means

they're letting oil or grease out
but also dirt into the CV joints and

that's not going to be good for
them at all so I need to sort this

out and the first thing I need to do
is start taking everything apart these

driveshafts connect the diff to the
rear wheels which provide the drive if

the rubber boots or gaiters have
been open to the elements for a while

they can lose grease and gain dirt
causing premature wear in the CV joints.

they look and feel fine but I need
to strip clean and rebuild them the

coil overs also need refurbishment so
I use a spring compressor to do exactly

that but once the spring is compressed
enough the retainer could be removed and

I can separate the Springs that I'll
keep from the shocks but I won't all

this mucky gear gets a
mega clean in my parts

washer and they come out
looking a whole lot better.

I also need to smarten these up
the drive shafts need to be thoroughly

cleaned because here comes the stone
chip to make them look more presentable.

it's also an extra layer of
protection from the elements.

they've got a little bit of a problem
here now you can see that the ends or

the fingers on the end of my spring
compressors if I was put them back in

to this side of the spring they might
actually foul on our brand new shock

absorber that would be a bit of a
shame so need to come up with a way

of stopping that being a problem and
rather than rushing out and spending a

load of money on a new spring
compressor I thought I'd kind of get a

little bit busy in here and work out a
little solution around it what I've done

is I've extended some exhaust clamps
using some studying and I just hook

that either side bit of tubing I'm
hoping now what will happen is I can

still compress the spring and actually
then get this little cap in the right

position so here we go I've already
established that the shock absorber was

a past saving so I've purchased a
new set for 350 pounds and these are a

better spec than the originals so we
now have a spring in position but you might

notice this little red castellated nut
at the bottom here the idea of that is

to kind of pre tension the spring and
the more tension there is in the spring

the higher the car is going to sit
well it's the wings above the wheels

so what I want to do is just put a
little bit of preload in just to make

sure that it actually sits just about
right and obviously we can set it up

properly later on at least certainly
before we go for a test drive the preload

settings are available from TVR resource
pages online if you want to do the same

or a specialist will ask about
a hundred pounds for a set

up to be honest though if
it looks right it probably is.

when I finished all four Springs I
rebuild the drive shafts with new

gaiters applying liberal amounts
of grease and a new set of clips all

looking much better.

well it's been a really messy job but
finally I've managed to get everything I

need off our rusty old chassis I've
even had a chance to recondition or

refurbish a few bits as well now
with any luck this is as bad as it's

gonna get because from now on hopefully
things just start coming together.

Wow I see you've had nothing to
do again nice easy time of it I've had a

real quiet time just separating the body
from the chassis and I've been taking

all the little bits and pieces off this
because I'm kind of hoping you've

got a big present outside me I put
these bits back onto I did go up north

to those lovely people in Sheffield
and I got us a replacement chassis but

it's better than the original one
because this has been zinc and

powder-coated that means it's got rust
protection well into the future that is

a really good idea I mean the thing
is I'm really sorry we have to go down

this route but obviously as you
can see from our original chassis it's

properly corroded there's rust and
peeling bits all over the base and

even big holes as well so
repairing it just wouldn't have worked.

out certainly not and if we're ever
gonna get top dollar for this car we.

need to get these details exactly
right and the other good bit of news is

the chassis is actually here it's
out in the yard and you can drag it in

any time you're ready for it.
So no help from you as usual? No.

Now this reconditioned
chassis that Mike's managed

to find us is a vast
improvement on what we had

before and the best bit is it's
got two layers of protection against

corrosion so not only will it can't be
around for a lot longer it's also going to be

worth a lot more money now I've
already put a few bits and pieces

onto our chassis but
the best bit is yet to come

the suspension because once these
guys are on then this is gonna look

much more like a car again.

I could have stripped and re-powder
coated our front and rear wishbones

but I'm not happy with their conditions
so we need to replace everything.

unfortunately though this is
certainly not cheap we had to crop up

fifteen hundred pounds for the lot.
The thing is though the suspension is what

connects the car to the
road so it has to be right.

the new owner might never see this so
I'll be providing pictures of the rebuild.

Now normally when you attach the suspension

to an upright you'd obviously use
the weight of the car or trolley Jack to

actually force the tapers of
the upright to the ball joint but

unfortunately I can't really get any
purchase on that so I'm gonna have to

do is compress it on a press
just to make sure I can do

the nut up without the ball
joint spinning in the taper.

I'm using a pretty heavy duty press
you don't have to go to a garage to

borrow one you could certainly
get away with using a bench vise.

once the ball joint taper is under load I
can tighten up the nuts from underneath.

the rest of this stage is in DIY
territory tighten up the bolts but leave

things loose until everything is in
place next I'm going to mount the hub

that needs to be joined to the plate
that I've mounted to the wishbone.

now from the factory these joints
come all mastic together to stop

grit and dirt and stuff getting into the
bearings themselves so of course I'll

have to do the same
thing so with the sealant in

place I attach the hub and
install the lower wishbone.

these trap rod ends at the
end of the steering arm are

new and so is every bush
every washer and every nut.

and now I can reconnect the calipers
and the brake lines and of course it's

not just one corner of
the car I have to do all four.

the rear setup is slightly different
as the drive shafts come into play

but my method is the same
replace every element I can to

ensure the TVR is as perfect
mechanically as it can be.

so now it's finally time for a drive
shaft now it's really important that I

get the right drive shaft back on the
correct side of the car and the reason

for that is because you mentioned all
that lovely torque and power coming.

through the differential it's going to
be putting a turning force on one side

of the drive shaft which is being
resisted by the wheel while it's

trying to push the car down the
road so the drive shaft itself has to

suffer most of its twisting
stress in one direction

if you reverse that it
can fatigue the metal.

a chassis and suspension swap
isn't for the faint-hearted it's supposed

to take a two-man team two days
so we've got all of the suspension

now in position with our lovely
new arms to go with our lovely new

space frame thing is it's going to
be set up before it goes on the road

but for now it looks pretty fantastic
but we can't spend all day drooling

over our splendid new chassis there is yet
more work to do before the body can go on.

now something i noticed
when i took the engine

out of the car was
that this v-belt here

as you can see is very perished
so i will have to change this belt.

the engine has been really
well looked after in every other

way and to only find one
dodgy item isn't that bad at all

with the engine out of the car the swap
takes seconds and cost me just 20 quid.

at last after all of that work the old body
is now ready to go onto our new chassis

and suspension and
to be honest it's a bit of

a shame having to cover
it up because it looks

so fantastic but at least we know that
it's under there and more to the point

the car is now going to be on the
road for many more years to come.

it's a fantastic moment
to lower the body onto

the chassis i feel we've
really turned a corner.

so now we seem to
have hit a bit of a snag the

chassis appears to be
slightly wider than the body

at this point here so i
need to find another way

of doing this if i carry
on i'm just going to

make a big mess i
think the best thing to do

if i lift the body up
just ever so slightly

and maybe Jack this
side of the chassis perhaps

with some trolley
Jacks then i can sort of

ease or lever the chassis into
position it's going to be tricky though.

the chassis is designed for
this body so it should go back on

now this may take some jiggling
around but i will make it work.

well apart from that
little hiccup i think we

did rather well there
was some nasty noises

as the chassis trying to work its way
through the original holes in the body

but we're there the
body has landed we're a

long way from payday
the server needs the engine

it needs to be running it needs
wheels and a host of other small fixes.

to make it right with all this
work will we ever make a profit.

tbrs are not easy to
ignore they're all about

speed style and
passion the power in this

car it arrives and then
it just keeps on giving

wallop very nice
indeed tbrs are known to

require tlc our car
needed a new chassis Ed's

worked around the clock to get the engine
back into the car we're now racing to the

finish line to get payback
on our investment

the car cost eight grand and we need to
sell it for a few grand more if we're ever

going to recoup our heavy
outline thank goodness

there's no labor costs
otherwise the kitty

would be empty now
i can't let this tbr leave

the workshop until I've
sorted out a problem

with the windscreen
now like all modern cars

it is a laminated screen
which means you've got

a piece of glass a bit
of plastic and a piece

of glass and they're all
kind of bonded together

when they're actually
made in the factory and

it's kind of bent over
a little metal frame

now the thing is the
plastic is hygroscopic

which means it absorbs
water now normally that's

not a problem because
the seals around the screen

actually stop the water
from getting to that

bit of plastic but
unfortunately on our screen

something's happened
the seals have failed and

what's happened is the
water's now got into that

plastic and it's bloomed
it's kind of got this kind

of cloudy look about it
around some of the edges

now if we leave it this
problem is only going to

get worse it's going
to get more cloudy and

eventually the screen
will delaminate which will

make it very unsafe
indeed so it needs to

be changed the problem
is it's bonded in and

that's not something i
can do on my own so i'm

going to get a
professional to do it for me.

i did notice the delamination in the edges
of the screen when Mike handed me the car

but it wasn't exactly high
on our list of priorities.

for 600 pounds i got a new
screen and a mobile fitting service.

this chap Dave has
fitted a server screen

before he carries tooling
which makes the job

faster and carries all the kit you might
need so it's best not to try this yourself.

the magic here is a clever
technique for removing

the screen without
damaging the surround.

a strong but thin wire is
prized behind the screen.

pulled through and
then the glass is garroted

out by cutting through
the old sealant.

the task now is tidying what's left
behind and then bonding in the new screen.

it's time for the bonnet
and it would be a real

shame to damage our
pristine body at this late stage.

now as with removal putting the bonnet back
in position is a two-man job but it is nice

and simple just a bolt
either side now when

our tvr came out of
the factory it would have

been fitted with silver
wheels nothing wrong

with that but ours were
rather scabby so needed

a bit of a paint job but
while we did that we

took the opportunity
to go for a color that

was a bit more dramatic
and this very simple

gloss black is going to
make a huge difference

to the car 200 pounds
compared to the cash

we've already spent is
cheap for such a dramatic

improvement in style
we've added value to this

car with the grand
gesture of a new chassis

but the smaller details also
really count on the forecourt.

now I've got to admit
it is a real relief to

have his car back in
one piece but it looks

absolutely fantastic if
not slightly menacing

on the outside but now
it's all good not even

slightly scary on the
underside and after all

of that work Mike is
surely going to get us a

beast of a profit with
its race inspired engine

and race derived appeal
the serb is not a car that

shouts compromise and
certainly not for us nothing

has been overlooked
or allowed to escape Ed's

perfectionist eye and
the result is a tvr that

is raring to go a sub
10 grand serb is a rare

beast but i found a seller who was asking
sensible money in exchange for a rapid sale

meet in the middle of
eight if you fancy hold

out your hand but it
wasn't long before we

discovered that the
damage to the chassis was

terminal you can see
that the tubes are actually

missing as they join in
the chassis a challenge

was set and i was up
to it sourcing a newly

refurbished chassis
and better rust proofing

than it had when new
there's me alarm that

means it's done it's
cooked then ed rebuilt

and reworked the
suspension and any elements

that didn't make the
grade and what have we

got a stunner so what's
the price of perfection

the car cost us eight
grand and the chassis

work was another couple
upgrades and replacement

kit put us close to 13 grand we need a good
sale price or we're done for ed how are you

doing buddy i'm good
sir you're right i'm glad

you're good because
i don't want to mention

it but the last time i
was here you looked

pretty angry i thought
i'd finally broken you

well you didn't and i
have managed to get the

serb back into one
piece which is fantastic

look at the car wow
that's looking fantastic

it looks better than
ever am i right of course

you're right but the
thing is the body and the

engine were always
fine on this car obviously

it was the chassis
and the suspension that

was a problem and
now it's all 100 well mate

you've done an
exceptional job and i reckon

that me and you deserve
to do something really

spectacular with this
car what say me and you

go out count me in mate
I've never driven this.

to put it right Edward
when you call me from

the workshop you said
we needed a new chassis

correct and after a bit
of Wheeler dealer in i

delivered didn't i you
did and i said thank you

but now i want something
because i always look

after the cars i do i
do but this time i want

a big favor and what
might that be well when

you look at what's ahead
of us yeah i think it's

time to get serious and
i mean really serious

so you want me to give
you permission to rag our

freshly restored tbr
that's about the size

of it yes that really
isn't a good idea sir.

this car goes from 0 to 60 in around four
seconds wow and it feels fast just drink it

Edward drink it in just calm
down be gentle with the car.

they say this car can
do 180 miles an hour let's

say we take it out
there right let's say we

don't actually let's
just not bother with that

well it's too late mate
we're already doing.

150 miles an hour
but i will slow it down a

little bit whoa what a
car oh it feels really.

feels much better on
the road this car's got

its points back not
only does this car look

fantastic as well on
the outside but it's also

mint underneath well it
is which is good but can

we now slow down have
a nice cup of tea whoever

comes to see this car
let me tell you they're

just gonna buy it
immediately they're gonna

suck it up and have it
well i guess they might

but before you make
me any more sick can you

tell me how much we're
gonna sell this car for

this car it's a brilliant
car you know cheap

ones of these go
for 11 this is brilliant i

reckon 14 000 pounds could always drop it
down a bit good okay let's just slow down

car don't let you stop the
nice break yeah let me just

drive it a little bit more just
a little bit more come on.

i advertised our tvr on
a couple of specialist

websites and almost
immediately i got interest at

full asking price of 14 000 pounds
but as this guy behind me got the cash.

so you like it then
John i do it's really nice

Mike yeah do you like
the wheels i do actually

they look really good
yeah excellent kind of

modern aren't they
yeah no it's unusual yeah

looks good well i'm
glad you're making the

right noises i just need
to know whether you're

genuinely interested
in the car because I've

got like a queue of
people lined up to buy this

car right if you don't
want it okay so I've

advertised it for 14 000
pounds yeah where do

you want to be okay well it's
nice um i was thinking more like 13.

not very good at all see
that bus over there oh

yeah i'm getting on it
you'll be getting on that

bus yeah i think it's
worth more how do you

feel about 13 and a
half it is very tempting

but you know what for the extra 500 pounds
i know I've just got to say goodbye to you

and hello to the next
person so i'm going to

be really hard uh and
it's 14 grand if you want

it but come on have a
deal with me it's worth

every penny yeah go
on then yes you just

bought yourself cracking
TV up well done i knew

the server was worth it
and i stuck to my g*ns

that means we won a
profit of around 1100 quid

more would have been
nice but i can live with

it I'll never forget
the sheer brute force

of this tvr server and
I'll never forget the

feeling of the pile of
notes that is nestling

in my back pocket thanks
to the wonderful profit

if you want to see more
crumbling cars being

turned around join me next
soon on Wheeler dealers.