13x08 - 1968 Chevy Corvette

[bunniefuu]

If you're after pure
testosterone with

once-in-a-generation body
styling, here's the car for you.

The 1968 C3 Corvette, a
real wolf in wolf's clothing.



Now what makes the C3
so special is that sloping

bonnet that seems
to end in another state.

It's got looks that could k*ll.

Looking pretty awesome.

Yeah, just standing next to this
car, I can feel like I'm growing air.

But it's what's underneath that counts.

When I took the old spark plugs
out, they are absolutely covered in oil.

It doesn't actually go far
enough to do any good.

Can we drag this 60s icon into the present?

It's a bit worrying, tacking some
bodywork with 80 grit sandpaper.

And still turn a profit.

So there's plenty of work to do.

You need to grow a moustache.

Yeah.

I'm really having to put in some miles
to find the next car that me and Ed want.

Let me explain.

We really wanted a C3 Corvette.

That's the really curvy
one with the flared

arches and the big
haunches over the rear wheels.

Somewhere between a 1968 and a 1972.

That's the chrome bumper model.

And if I find the right one, I
know I can earn us a decent profit.

The problem is, I can't seem to find one.

I've looked all the way
across the state of California.

And I can't find one that's
got any kind of profit built into it.

It's meant that I've had
to look further afield.

And that means that I've dragged
myself halfway across America.

I've ended up in a town just west of
Houston in Texas that's called Katy.

But it appears the journey
may have been worth it.

Because I've just seen that.

A proper 1968 C3 Corvette.

You must be Doris.

I am. You must be Mike.

I certainly am.

So lovely to meet you.

What a treat to be here looking at
this fabulous piece of Americana.

How long you had it?

We've had it about eight years.

The first thing I need to do
is to get under the bonnet.

A nice big V8 engine.

Now the motor is not the original engine.

No it's not. It's from a 67-68 Camaro.

But it doesn't bother me.
It looks great, the motor.

One thing that I did
notice though is this rather

nasty chip out of the gel
coat and the bodywork.

A converter fell on it.

So I took a red magic
marker and I colored it in

so it wouldn't shine at
me going down the road.

I did.

The windshield wipers
look like they're missing but

they're actually under
ear in this year, the 68.

Yes they are.

They pop up and it's just wonderful.

That was one of my
favorite things about a 68.

Right, let's have a good look inside.

Now one of the things about convertible
cars, okay, when you open them up.

This is a good bit of information
if you're going to buy another one.

Just make sure the door opens and swings
freely and doesn't drag on the bodywork.

Right.

If it does drag it means that
the chassis is twisted underneath

because there's no strength
because the roof's missing.

Right.

But this one is, look at that.

Very solid.

Very solid. Nice and straight.

Yes.

I love it.

Now Doris, that interior. Wow.

Yeah, original steering
wheel, original seats.

All the gauges work except for the cloth.

Well it probably just needs winding up.

It needs to be wound up.

Oh and I don't know if you noticed
the astroventilation on the window.

That tells you that's original glass.

You know you got your
little air blowing out there on

your little vents but
that's your astroventilation.

Well that is fantastic.

And do you know what,
that's a really good tip that

you've just said there because
when you go and see a car,

if you see any window
etching like astroventilation or

a registration number that's
been etched onto a window,

if it's still there, that's an
indication that it's original glass and

the car's probably not been involved
in an accident and been replaced.

So that's lovely to see. What a car.

The only problem I have
with a Corvette is that when

you're in it, you're not
behind it and staring at it

because it's a car that
you want to see all the time.

Absolutely.

Wow.

It's exactly what I was looking
for and I think this journey

halfway across America to
come and hunt this car then.

may have been worth it
after all but the proof is in the

pudding and that's
getting it out there on

the open road and
seeing what it feels like.

That's right.

So if you don't mind, can
I take you for a test drive?

Absolutely, keys are in it.

Fantastic.

This is what it's all about.
This is fantastic.

I couldn't feel any
more American unless I

had a handlebar moustache
and a 10 gallon hat.

Now what makes a C3
so special is that sloping

bonnet that seems
to end in another state.

You've got that lustful V8
engine, rear wheel drive.

Your bum feels like it's just
scraping the tarmac beneath you.

This is epic.

Everything seems to be
operating well except for the

windshield wipers and that
could be a tricky problem to fix.

I'll apply the brakes.

Yeah, they're a little
bit square feet. They pull

a little bit to the left
but they do stop the car.

Now in my opinion, what this
needs is a very minor brake overhaul.

Now the good news is that engine up front
is a high horsepower model. It's working.

The only problem is it feels
like it's underperforming.

If I tried to macho this
car up, if I could get 300

horsepower out of it, I could
grow an instant moustache.

I'll have a go.

No, it's not working.
I have to get more horses out of it.

Doris is asking $22,500 for it. If I
can get this car for under $20,000,

whatever we do to this car means that
we're going to make some money out of it.

What do you think?

I absolutely enjoyed every
bit of that. I love the car. It's

exactly what I'm looking for
but it has got a few little issues.

You wanted how much?

I was asking $22,500.

I think the car's worth $19,000.

Well, I really had my
bottom price at $20,000.

$20,000 is just a tad too much.
If you can meet me in the middle,

$19,500, that's about 14,000 pounds.
We've got a deal. What do you say?

I think we can do that.

Yes! Fantastic.

I've just bought myself a C3 Corvette.

This is a car young Ed will get giddy about
working on. I can't wait to see his face.

Looking pretty awesome.

I thought you'd like it.

Welcome to our 1968 C3 Corvette.

That's pretty awesome.

Can you see my macho?

Your macho is huge right now.

Yeah, just standing next to this
car, I can feel like I'm growing hair.

Well, it's good which makes me really worried because if I can't see five
obvious things that are wrong with it, it obviously means that the chassis

can be rusted through a rubber band for an engine and probably because the
things are going through the roof right now you've paid 40 grand for it.

Wrong, wrong and wrong. Engine's good, I'll get to that
in a minute. The chassis is really strong and yes, you're

right, the prices are going through the roof of these but I
managed to get this fast for just $19,500. How good is that?

That's not a bad price actually.

Right, now let me show
you some of the good stuff.

Okay, yeah, yeah.

First of all, let's get
you under that bonnet.

That's a 327 V8, 300 horsepower or so.

Unfortunately, that engine got trashed so it got junked years and years ago so they replaced it with a 1967, 1968
Camaro engine. The good news is it was the high horsepower model which was 275 but we know that they underrated

those engines by 25 horsepower so it's likely to have had a 300 horsepower motor putting it as a replacement and
the other good thing is this one has got the double hump heads on it which means it's even got more horsepower.

Right.

Which means it's likely to have the


It does have a stock ignition system on it and these engines respond
really well to electronic ignition so that could be really good but

also it smells really rich and doesn't look like a standard carburetor
so perhaps a little bit of a tweak there wouldn't hurt either.

Also, there was a little bit of oil coming
out of the back on the starter but it

could be perhaps the oil sills. I think
it means a little bit of investigation.

That's a bit of a shame, isn't it? That damage
on the wing there. I mean, it's an easy enough

fix. Even you could do it but of course it does
mean, conventionally, painting a lot of cars.

Maybe I'll come up with
another solution to fix that a

little bit easier but, you
know, we do have to do it.

Okay. Well, the other thing that's
quite cool about this is being a 68,

it's got those hidden windscreen
wipers. They're great, aren't they?

I'm glad you like those and these ones
are a bit shy. They're permanently hidden.

Oh, okay.

Yes, it doesn't work.

Moving on.

Yeah, moving on rather swiftly to the
wonderful good news which is the interior.

The interior looks fantastic. Well done.

It's good, isn't it? Nice
carpets, nice seats. Doris

assures me that the soft
top is also in good order.

It looks like some kind of brand
new, probably a replacement,

I would think. No funk,
no scratches, it's great.

Me and you, we can have
some fun and we can definitely

earn a profit. So there's
plenty of work to do.

I knew you'd use a grower moustache.

Yeah. Be waiting a while.

Is that how you do it?

Now, a classic problem with muscle cars and
macho cars like this is over-carburation.

Now, on a race engine of this
size, this carburetor would fit right in.

But on a stock road car,
it's a bit rich, quite literally.

Now, we can fix that with a bit of
re-jetting, which is fine, but before I do any

work on the carburetor, I do need a
good baseline, a much more reliable spark.

And my plan is to fit an
electronic ignition system.

When this car was introduced,
this would have been a

high-performance upgrade.
It's a twin-point distributor.

Now, the idea is you get a much fatter spark,
but also you get a much more reliable spark

because, of course, you've got the two
points so they can share the electrical load.

Also, there's a certain amount of redundancy
because if one starts to fail, then

you're still going to get a spark from
the other side, which is rather clever.

Now, it does mean it's going
to last longer, but also, of

course, any corrosion is going
to take longer to form as well.

But there is now an even better
performance upgrade if we can fit.

There's a whole host
of modern electronic

ignition systems available
on the market today.

I've chosen to retain
the original aftermarket

distributor but
upgrade the internals.

The electronic ignition
upgrade is a direct swap and

is as simple as replacing
the old points with a sensor.

There was nothing to suggest that
our coil needed replacing, but at the cost

of $106, there's no reason not to
ensure our ignition is in tip-top shape.

Right, so our electronic
ignition is now in

place, and obviously, I
do need to set the timing.

And once I've actually cleaned
the engine bay and dressed

the engine, I will also add
some nice new HT leads.

But we can now start
thinking about the carburetor.

And my plan is to re-jet
this carburetor so it's

actually going to be set
up nicely for this engine.

But I've noticed a few
other issues as well.

Well, first up, if you actually look
at the throttle cable and have a

look at the travel, it doesn't
actually go far enough to do any good.

So I'll just pop that off like so.

And I'll put this to full throttle and then
actually move the arm on the carburetor.

It's probably about an inch short.

And what that means is, of
course, that this four-barrel

carburetor has really only
been used as a two-barrel one,

which means also, of course, you're
going to lose power at the top end.

So you actually have accelerator pumps
in both the primaries and the secondaries.

Now, the first one is working fine,
but the second one isn't working at all.

And that may be because it's been
sitting there unused for such a long time.

But of course, it means,
again, you're going to

lose even more power
when you try to accelerate.

So what somebody's done,
clearly, is actually then adjust the

carburetor so it's super rich to try
and get some of that power back.

And that's why it runs
so rich when it's idling.

A four-barrel carb on a V8
is quite simple to remove.

Two fuel lines, one for each
of the float bowl chambers,

a bit of linkage, a vacuum
hose, and four mounting bolts.

Now, to set up our carburetor properly,
I do have the factory jets at hand.

I've also got a selection of other ones
so we can really get it absolutely correct.

But obviously, before I can do
anything, I need to take it apart.

And while it is apart, our marks will
change a few other bits and pieces as well.

Rebuild kits come with a
host of gaskets and O-rings.

These are essential parts
when reassembling the carbs.

This particular four-barrel
carb has two float

bowl chambers, one
either side of the barrels.

The float and valve controls the
level of fuel inside the chamber.

Sandwiched between the
float bowls and the barrels

are metering plates
which contain the fuel jets.

Let's have a quick look at these jets.

Now, I'm looking for a number that will
be stamped on the side of the jet, and

that will pertain to the bore size as
you go through the centre of the jet.

Now, this one is a number 73, so the
other one should be exactly the same.

That is also 73. Good.

So, that's actually quite big,
because the factory number is 67.

So what I'll do is I'll put the factory
size in, and of course that's going to mean

less fuel is going to go into the carburetor,
and therefore it will run less rich.

The smaller the number, the
smaller the bore size of the jet.

Smaller hole, less fuel.

Let's have a quick look
at the float bowl chamber.

Now, you can see inside
here is in fact the float.

It's just like a little
brass can full of air.

And you can see what happens is
the fuel comes in through this port here.

It goes through the
valve into this chamber.

As the chamber fills up, of course the float
goes further and further up because it's

floating on top of the fuel, and eventually
gets to the top and it actually shuts a valve.

And that valve is one
of these little chaps here.

You can see that bit
moving up and down there.

And that little conical bit goes
into another conical shape and

then just shuts off the fuel,
stopping it flooding the carburetor.

So we'll change that just as a matter
of course, but also on this little device

you can see this thing at the bottom
here, and that is the accelerator pump.

So in here, a clamp between
this case and the actual part here

is actually a diaphragm, which
is one of these little chaps here.

And what that does is when you actually accelerate, then
some of the mechanism on the outside of here will actually

operate this lever, and it will pump some extra fuel into
the carburetor so you can accelerate a bit more quickly.

Now this is the float bowl
chamber and the metering plate

from the secondary side. This
is one that was a bit suspect.

Oh wow, okay. Well that is actually
very interesting. You can see that

float there is absolutely rock solid.
It's jammed up against the valve.

I'll just take this out just
to prove that's working.

I have no idea how you
would do that kind of damage.

Okay, now clearly it's so damaged there is
no way the fuel is ever actually going to get

into this chamber, and therefore that means
there's no fuel ever getting to the secondaries.

Of course it explains why
it wasn't actually working,

but just to check the pump
and see how that's faring.

Let's have a look at that.
Wow. That diaphragm is rock

solid. The rubber is so
perished it's gone rock hard.

If I compare it with the other one,
you can see that I'm tapping it quite

hard and it's going nowhere, whereas
the new one is lovely and compliant.

So even if any fuel was to get
into that chamber, it still wouldn't

get from there through the
accelerator pump into the carburetor.

So I need a pair of
floats. I need to clean

all this up and then I
think we can crack on.

So everything has now been cleaned
and it's ready to be reassembled.

I've even got some replacements
for our slightly damaged floats there.

So let's get cracking.

Our refreshed carburetor is in.
The electronic ignition is ready. All

I need now are some fresh spark
plugs to actually measure my success.

This car's macho is...

Well that was a fantastic
test drive. The car is pulling

so strongly. It's wonderful
and it's running a lot cleaner.

But I did notice that on startup
there was a little tiny puff of smoke and

also when I took the old spark plugs
out, they are absolutely covered in oil.

And both of those things point
to a failure of the valve stem

oil seal. So while we're here, I
might as well fix those as well.

Valve stem oil seals
keep the oil in the valve

train from seeping into
the combustion chamber.

So I've removed the rockers. As we
know, these push rods of course follow

the cam. They operate or act on those
rockers which in turn open the valves.

That's the Springs that hold the valves shut.
Now unfortunately, the valve stem oil seals, as

the name suggests, are actually wrapped around
the valve and obviously inside those Springs.

So I do need to get those removed to get access. Trouble
is, when I do that, of course, then the valves will have a

tendency to drop into the cylinder and I might not actually
be able to get them back out again without removing the head.

So my plan is to use a compression test tool,
connect an airline and use compressed air to

basically pressurize the cylinder, pushing the
valves into the head, allowing me to do my work.

Right, so I'm now going to use a little
special tool, which is actually going

to compress the spring. So just pop
that where the rocker would normally go.

Just put a nut on there. And then
what I can do, just by levering it like

so, I'm actually going to push the
spring down and just get a magnet.

And we're going to magically grab
both halves of the collet. There you go.

And then when I release
this, I'm going to be able to

get the spring away. So
now I can remove the spring.

Right, so just take off the oil seal. Wow.

Right, well this one is from a
number two intake valve and you

can see the head, or the top,
is actually completely missing.

Because of the heat, because
of the oil, the rubber has

perished. Well, kind of
almost like petrified actually.

This one is nice and compliant,
so it will need to be changed.

There we go, all the way to the bottom.
The spring can go back on.

And I just have to compress
it to get the collets back on.

Quite tedious as there are 16
altogether, but well worth it. Not only to

eliminate the bit of smoke at the tailpipe,
but also to reduce oil consumption.

So I've now got my new seals in
place and just like all of the other

rockers, because these are hydraulic
lifters, I do need to set the preload.

As opposed to setting the gap
like you would with a solid lifter.

Now, what I'm going to do
is I'm going to spin the engine

round, get it to top dead
center for this cylinder.

So what I'm looking
for is the inlet valve

actually moving, and I'll
wind it round a bit more.

So you can hear, there's quite a bit of
backlash there, so I start winding it up.

So now I just wind the
nut down and just check in

as I go. I'll actually feel
it tighten up anyway.

So a little bit of movement, but I haven't
got any backlash. And then the factory

setting, I then have to crank it round
between half and three quarters of a turn.

So I'm going to do half and then
an eighth, just to be absolutely sure.

There we go. Set, nice and easy.

One down, eight to go.

With the passenger side
complete, I can move over to

the driver's side and start
the process all over again.

Well, that is the valve stem,
oil seals all sorted, and now

would be a great time to start
cleaning up the engine bay.

But before I do that, I think perhaps
another test drive. It would be rude not to.

Well, Ed tries to tackle an
issue with the window wipers.

The motor is spinning round.
Exactly not what you were hoping for.

Last time I drove our
C3 Corvette, I complained

that the rear brakes
felt a bit squiffy.

So I asked Ed to take
a look. He told me that

the rear calipers are
covered in brake fluid.

Now, these days, it's really
easy to just throw these

away, jump on the Internet
and buy some new ones.

But I'm all about
originality. So I brought

them down here to see
if we can rebuild them.

Karl, how are you doing?

I'm Mike. How are you doing?

So listen, I've never rebuilt calipers, but
I'd like to help out. What's the first job?

Well, first we just split them apart,
check the bore, see if they're saveable.

This day and age, people are more in
tune to just throw in bits like this away,

aren't they, rather than rebuild them
and just buy a new set off the shelf.

Yeah, I mean, the quick and easy
thing is to order a set of calipers.

But if they're original, if they match
the car, you kind of want to keep them.

So we need to clean these up
to see if we can see in that bore.

You can see some pitting there.
Hopefully we can sand that out.

So they could be salvageable then?

Well, we'll know for sure. In a few
minutes, we'll get them cleaned up.

This is the moment where I wish
I put the silly orange clums on.

So now these are at the
cleaner, what's the prognosis?

Well, they cleaned up really well.
They're definitely usable.

They are.

They are. They're good.

Good news.

The next step is to decide what to
do with the pistons. We cleaned them

up, some of them turned out pretty
good, some of them were not so good.

So if it were my car, I
would just replace them.

Okay, well, replacing them is good, but can
be also expensive. How much do they cost?

They're three to four dollars
a piece, something like that.

Sorry?

Yeah, that's it.

Three bucks each for these?

Yeah.

I'm not even going to try to have
a deal with you. That's a bargain.

Okay.

All right, so the next thing then
is sandblasting up the callipers.

Yep.

I'm actually quite good at sandblasting.

Shall I give you a break
and I go and do this?

Sure, that'd be awesome.

Sandblasting removes
the old crud from the calliper

and gives me a clean surface
ready to accept the paint.

Okay, so I've painted the backs. Now
I'm just going to paint the faces of these.

That is a job well done, isn't it?
Eh? They're looking good.

After we clean the piston board thoroughly,
we're ready to reassemble the calliper.

Carl, these are looking good now,
so what's the next step in the process?

The next step is install the seals on the
pistons and install them on the calliper.

Go for it.

Okay, we're going to lube everything
up, a little brake fluid, install

them on the pistons, install the seal
on top, and that one's ready to go.

Yeah, I mean, this looks like it
could be complicated, but truthfully,

now I've seen that anyone could
tackle this thing at home, couldn't they?

Yeah, it's not hard to do.

So the next step, we install the
spring, we push it down here, get

it to just where the seal starts
to engage it, and take a pick tool.

We have to guide it in carefully
so we don't damage this lip.

We have to go all the way
around, and then it'll slide in.

So once you get it popped in, now
we need to set the seal, the dust seal.

So I use a socket that's
the correct size, so it pushes

just on the seal, and a
couple light taps, and that's it.

Wow, that is... Yeah, exactly. Check
this to make sure it moves smoothly.

That's great.

And that's it.

Do it four times, and
you bolt it back together.

Perfect.

Look at that, we've got new
old canipers. Can't wait to get

them back to the workshop
and get them installed on the car.

Yeah, it'll be great.

How you doing?
Once again, I've saved the day.

I didn't realize I needed my day saving.

Can't argue with stupid and an arrow.

Yeah, see, I've got the callipers
that we need to save our lives.

Why are you standing behind me?

Well, because of your t-shirt.
You're not referring to me, are you?

Of course not.

Okay, well come and have
a look at my workmanship.

Okay. You alright?

Yeah, I'm fine.

Bit hot.

I rebuilt these with my own fair hands.
Look at that.

You see, now I'm scared.

What are you scared about?

Now, thanks to my artistry,
this car will stop on a sixpence.

That's, of course, if it's running right.

You have got it running right, haven't you?

Of course I've got it running right.

First thing I did is put in electronic
ignition, so now it runs really smoothly.

Fantastic.

And then I turned
my attention to the

carburetor, because
only half of it was working.

So we've now got the car
performing where it should be.

The bodywork, I thought,
I'd tackle that little problem.

You need to work on those wipers,
because the actuators could be fouled up.

And then we'll move on to
the much bigger problem.

What bigger problem?

The test drive.

What's wrong with the test drive?

Well, because I haven't bought one yet.

We need something that's going
to be macho, big, muscular, epic.

You know, something that's
going to turn your hair grey.

Now, a classic feature of the Corvette
are those lovely pop-up headlights.

Now, they are powered
by vacuum from the engine,

but another really
cool feature of this car

is this rather sexy cover
for the windscreen wipers.

And when I turn on the windscreen wipers,

you can hear that the
motor is spinning round.

On one sense, the motor working
when I turn on the windscreen wipers

is a good thing, but of course
it's not supposed to work

until the scuttle is
in its fully up position.

Otherwise, those windscreen
wipers would clash with it

and cause all kinds of carnage.

Now, in Corvette's infinite wisdom,

they actually have
fitted an inhibitor switch,

and the idea is that stops
that wiper motor from working

until the door is in its
proper open position.

Right, so the first thing I want to find
out is whether this switch actually works.

Now, there is a connector
here, a little waterproof connector.

Set this to continuity,
so I should get a

beep when I actually
short the two together.

Just pop the probes into that switch.

Push the button.

Ah, there we go.

Well, that's great, because that
means the switch actually works,

which does then push the problem
to something to do with the wiring.

Right, so I'll just check
the continuity on the

wires, because one of
these should go to earth.

That's fantastic, because, of
course, it completes the circuit

through the switch from
the windscreen wiper motor.

Now, the other one should go to the motor,
so there should be some kind of resistance.

It also goes straight to earth.

So both of these wires go to earth,

which is why this isn't
actually working properly.

Now, that could be just a short,

or it could be that somebody's
been messing with the wiring,

not really understanding
what they're doing.

Well, this is getting very interesting.

Somebody's actually
soldered in a wire that goes all

the way down to the engine
block as a permanent earth,

effectively short-circuiting the system.

Now, if I actually look at this
little connecting block here

and see where that wire
actually goes the other way,

it goes into the motor.

So somebody's effectively
bypassed that safety switch,

which now means when you
turn the windscreen wipers on,

regardless of whether
this flap is open or closed,

they're still going to work, which is
exactly not what we were hoping for.

So having discovered
what might be the problem,

the next thing to do is
to disconnect the earth

and see if everything
works the way it should.

This inhibitor switch
is actually controlling

whether our windscreen
wipers work or not,

which means that's all back
to normal, which is fantastic.

So the next thing to work out is what
that horrible noise is under the scuttle.

Let's have a look inside.

Okay, that's fantastic.

So having failed epically to
sort their problem out electrically,

they've then resorted to sabotage.

You can see they've
disconnected the windscreen wipers

from the motor spindle.

Now, it's simple enough to fix, but if they
really wanted to stop this from working,

all they had to do was
just unplug that plug.

It would have been simple as that.

Well, that is great,

because that now proves our
vacuum actuator works properly,

as does the lifting
mechanism for our scuttle door.

And of course, the inhibitor switch works,

as does the motor mechanism,

and of course, our wiper blades go
backwards and forwards, as you'd expect.

So now, some tidying up.

Well, so far, Ed's done a cracking
job of getting our C3 Corvette,

this nice slice of American history,

running and performing proper.

Now, I'm using the little trick of the
trade, the same one that Doris used,

to blend in the wing and
the damage on her car.

But as you can see, a felt-tip
pen just isn't going to cut it.

It needs to be done properly.

So to do that, I'm going
to mask off an area.

so I don't damage the rest of the car.

Looks good.

Right, now some safety equipment.

When you're doing fiberglass work,

you have to be wearing a mask
and goggles because of the splinters.

You know, it's a bit worrying,

attacking some body
work with 80-grit sandpaper,

but you just have to be
confident and go for it.

Right, that's enough block sanding.

I have discovered a little problem, though.

There's a gouge right
out of the fiberglass.

I'm going to have to
put some fiberglass filler

in that before I can
attack the rest of it,

which means I'm going to
have to get the air tools out.

Well, I think that is enough
material now taken away,

and that was really
quick and quite easy to do.

Now I've got to start putting some material
back in with some fiberglass filler.

That should be enough of the filler.

Now you put the hardener in.

Give it all a really good mix.

Carefully fill in the damaged area

and then grab yourself a
cup of tea while it all hardens.

Right, now that should be
enough time on this fiberglass filler.

Yeah, that looks like it's set.

So I can knock this back with the A2
grit paper before I tackle the rest of it.

Perfect.

Now, the fiberglass resin is
to just seal up the bodywork.

What you're doing is
just put in a shot's worth

and then put 15 drops in
of the activator or hardener.

Do it very gently because
it will run down the

bodywork, but just nice
and gentle application.

There's no need to rush it too quickly.

This needs secure.

It needs to set.

Then it needs to go off to the paint
shop and be block sanded back.

Then it needs to be painted
and blended in professionally.

So Ed's got the engine running right.

I'm on my way to making it look right.

Now we need to make sure it stops right.

And for that, it's
time to fit the calipers.

Removing the old rear discs should be easy

since Ed's already taken off our Corvettes
calipers so that I can rebuild them.

Now, once the ties are off,
I can get straight to them.

Now, I'm taking the discs off.

If I'm going to replace the calipers,

the discs are only $65
or about 45 pounds each

side, and it's well worth
doing at the same time.

I'm going to clean this up
with some brake cleaner,

and then I'll start putting
all the new stuff back on.

The entire brake job, including new discs,

and my lovely rebuilt
calipers only cost $210.

That's a real steal for
some confident braking.

Left side sorted.

Now I just have to repeat
everything on the right side,

and we're nearly done.

All that's left to do is a
quick bleed on both sides

to remove any air that may
have gotten into the brake lines.

That's about as much fluid as I'm
going to pull through on this bleed.

Ed will do a final bleed of the
brakes before we hit the open road.

But now we've got the engine
performing well, thanks to Ed.

We should have it
stopping well, thanks to me.

And it's got new discs, new calipers,

and new pads on the rear.

The next thing for our little C3
Corvette is to go off to the paint shop

where it's going to get
that front wing blended in,

and then it will look good too.

MUSIC.

I was on the hunt for a


and I found it, and then some.

A 68 C3 Corvette, in red, of course.

Looking pretty awesome.

We needed to get those


more, so Ed installed a
new electronic ignition.

Re-jetted and sorted the carves and
dealt with those pesky valve stem seals.

We also now have working windscreen wipers.

They're useful in this weather.

And, of course, I showed my
crafty side in sorting the fibreglass.

We've also addressed the braking,

thanks to my considerable
mechanical skills.

All of these improvements
mean we now have a

piece of a car that performs
as good as she looks.

But how much does this animal owe us now?

I bought the car for $19,500.

The ignition system was $410.

The work on the car set us back $609.

New stem oil seals, $30.

Brake calibres, $210.

Fibreglass repair and respray, $771.

This gives us a grand total of $21,530,

around £14,000, and 21 man hours.

Time and money well
spent, I think you'll agree.

But how best to put it
to the test, I wonder?

In the mid-1960s,

a concept car set the automotive
world abuzz with its new, bold design.

This car was known as the Chevy Mako Shark.

It was a new design that was the
inspiration for a new line of Corvettes,

the C3 being one of the most iconic cars.

Now, that car is masculine and macho.

How macho, you may ask?

Very macho.

Wow!

Ed, you are the man!

Look at that!

What do you think?

Well, the red paint really pops
out here on the desert floor.

It's absolutely fantastic.

Well, I think, you know,
with this iconic design,

it would actually stand its hand against
any backdrop, whatever colour it is.

I think the design of this car is epic.

In fact, some of the
distinguishing features,

like these wheel arches,
are just wonderful.

Or more specifically, this wheel arch,

the one that has been blended in
beautifully and repaired by yours truly.

Now, the car does look fantastic
with its wonderful fluid lines,

that sloping, aggressive front,

the lovely, sexy convertible top.

This car is ready to perform,

and what a great place to test the car at.

As they say, the proof
is in the dry lake bed.

Come on, son. Come on.

Whoa, listen to that.

You've got two miles
of flat-out dry lake bed.

Go be macho!

Yeah!

Did you see that?

The way he got off.

He was here one minute,
and he's gone the next.

Now, as Sammy Hagar once
sang, I can't drive 55 on a lake bed.

You've got no problem with that.

I can drive as fast as I like.

Just bring that horizon towards me.

It is awesome.

We're doing a treat, as is
both sides of that carburetor.

Now, on a day like today,
it's glorious sunshine.

You certainly don't
want any rain, especially

because it would stop
play on the mud here.

So I can't really test
my windscreen wipers.

But the fact that they work and know that
that scuttle works is a wonderful thing.

Doing 110 miles an hour.

Beautifully smooth.

It's just like just wafting along.

That is quite incredible.

The water temperature's all good.

Oil pressure's good.

I think we're probably
jumping through the fuel.

Wow, this is amazing.

This car is proper macho.

Well, I can see him turning around.

And here comes the dust on the way back.

Looks like it's going to be my turn.

I hope it's in one piece.

Oh, that looked fantastic.

That is absolutely awesome.

Did you have some fun?

Oh, you know, driving
this little beastie in a

straight line in this
environment is absolutely epic.

Well, I've got to tell
you, it looked like he

was breaking some
kind of land speed record.

Your face is beaming
brighter than the desert sun.

But I reckon I've saved
the best bits for me.

I've laid out a slalom course,

and now I'm going to put
this car through its real paces.

Good luck, but don't break it.

And also, I do apologize
for getting a little bit dusty.

You got it dusty?

Son, wait until you see what a
real man does behind the wheel.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

Whoa, it's quick.

I mean, it's really quick.

Oh, it froze itself on the horizon.

That is fantastic.

Looks like Ed may have
found a team of horses

to partner the body,
because now, whoa, it jumped.

He is treating it quite roughly,

but it just looks so good.

And that's what he means
about the roof details, too.

So now what about the
difference in handling?

He's tightened everything
up, and already I can tell you,

this car feels agile, it
feels light, it feels dimple,

and it feels like a proper driver's car.

This car has definitely cut its life back,

and I'm so pleased with
what we've done with it.

We've taken a car that was down a hill,

and we turned it around, and whoever buys
this car is going to buy one tasty motor.

It's absolutely brilliant,

other than the dirt and the dust.

Maybe we should have put the roof on.

That is awesome.

Oh, wow, I love that.

You dirty, dirty man,
which is absolutely filthy,

which you're going to
have to clean off before you

sell it, but what kind of
money are you thinking?

Well, I'm thinking that
once you clean it up,

we could probably demand
$25,000 for it, around £18,000.

Well, it does seem quite
strong in this current state,

but once you've cleaned it, I
reckon you'll get that. Well done.

Well, let's get it back to the workshop.

You can clean it up with your jet washer,

and then I'll get some nice pictures,

and we'll stick it out there
and see what we get for it.

Now, I could have advertised
to our little C3 Corvette.

absolutely anywhere.

I could have parked it
out there on the street,

and I would have had a
flock of people around it.

Just look at it.

But I put it out there on
the Internet with a good

set of pictures, and the
phone hasn't stopped ringing.

I've got one guy in Italy.

who's promised to wire me the money today.

if this fellow behind me doesn't want it.

He's called Mark.

He's had a look at the car.

He's been for a test drive.

He clearly likes it.

Let's see if I can put a deal together.

So then, Mark, what's not to like?

It's a little red Corvette.

It's lovely.

It drives great,

and the sounds coming out
of the tailpipe are incredible.

Fantastic.

There's a bit of a problem
for you with this car.

Because C3 Corvettes are
really popular at the moment.

The prices are climbing.

I've got this one guy who's an Italian

who's promised to wire me $26,000 today.

if you didn't want the car.

He's not even in this country.

He's in Italy.

What do you think?

Well, I was going to try
and bid you on it, but I really

don't want to lose this
car, so I'll do 26 with you.

Yes. Top work.

You just bought yourself a C3 Corvette.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

You can bring the Italian guy.

When I first see this car in Texas, owned
by Doris, I knew just how iconic it was.

I gave strong money for
this car, and I was right to.

Because with the right amount
of jobs through the workshop,

it's delivered us a very tidy profit.

And it was rounded off
with that epic test drive

on the dry lake bed.

If you want to see
more iconic cars like this

being turned around
by me and the tall guy,

join us again soon on Wheel of Dealers.

Salut.