ADAM DAVID DAVID_JASON FOAM_SPRAY_EMPLOYEE FRIENDS_AND_FAMILY FUZZ_TOWNSHEND GAZ JOE KAY MALE_3 MALE_ONE MALE_TWO NARRATOR SID TIM_SHAW TOMMY VICKY NARRATOR Today on Car SOS, dyed-in-the-wool petrol head, Tim Shaw. TIM SHAW I love this car. Absolutely. It's just stonking! NARRATOR And mechanical maestro, Fuzz Townshend. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Oh, do you know, I love the smell of gearbox oil. NARRATOR Are once again on their undercover mission to rescue classic cars, for deserving owners. This time the boys take on a rare Japanese Trailblazer. FUZZ TOWNSHEND The thing is though, I know so little about these cars. TIM SHAW Yeah. NARRATOR Tim really is pushed to his limits. TIM SHAW This is almost too much to face for me at the moment, 'cause I'm stressing about the parts. NARRATOR Fuzz starts to repeat himself. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Ah, yes, yes, yes. NARRATOR Some bloke from Peckham lends a helping hand. DAVID JASON Lovely jubbly. Go on my son! NARRATOR As once again the stage is set to make another automotive dream come true. MALE ONE This is like all your Christmases in one, isn't it? MALE TWO It's gotta be one of the best days of my life. NARRATOR Today, Tim and Fuzz are off to Gloucestershire to pick up a car so rare, that they've never even seen one, let alone worked on one. TIM SHAW I'm nervous Fuzz, but I'm mega excited because it's a big deal of car we're picking up today, man. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Oh, yeah it is, a massive big deal. Now this is a rare machine. TIM SHAW Yeah. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Because today we are picking up a Datsun 240K Skyline! TIM SHAW 240K Skyline! NARRATOR Yes, nowadays we associate the word Skyline with a performance-bred Japanese super sluice year of 2000s. Jump back to 1978 though, when the Datsun 240K Skyline first hit the UK showrooms, it was viewed with suspicion. Japanese cars at the time were still new and fangled and 240K certainly fitted that bill. It looked like an American muscle car, and had the performance to match, pulling a 0-60 in around ten seconds. It's 2.4 litre [UNIT CONVERSION 0.53 gallons] straight-six engine, had electronic fuel injection which started at the turn of a key and that wasn't the only state of the art extra. Velour seats, electric front and back windows, remote-controlled door locking all came as standard. And, they didn't break down. It was almost unheard of in the 1970s. However, all that new tech came at a price. At �6,750 it wasn't cheap. Resulting UK sales were poor, and the 240K was withdrawn from the market. Meaning nowadays, those that still exist are few and far between. But let's not forget, 240K was a pioneer in the history of the Japanese automotive industry. Not that the one the boys are about to pickup is much of a pioneer, in fact, it could barely make its way out of a paper bag. TIM SHAW This car is like a mythical treat. It's like having chocolate for the first time in your life, today, and you know nothing about it before that. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah. That's right, there's no going back either. TIM SHAW And you try it and you instantly fall in love. NARRATOR Well, the Skyline in question belongs to 44-year-old engineer, Adam whose love affair with his car goes back to 1999, when he bought it as a student for �300. For many years, the two were inseparable. But just when Adam had started to restore his car, something happened that no one could've foreseen. FUZZ TOWNSHEND I cannot wait to see this car. NARRATOR It was Adam's wife, Vicky and brother, David, who wrote to Car S.O.S hoping that getting Adam back behind the wheel of his beloved Skyline, would be the antidote to a horrible moment of bad luck. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Here we go. Ooh it's narrow here. Narrow. Oh, I'm through. TIM SHAW Go on, you can squeeze it. FUZZ TOWNSHEND I'm through. TIM SHAW We made it. VICKY Yey! DAVID How you doing? TIM SHAW How you doing? I'm going in first. Davo, my mate, how you doing? FUZZ TOWNSHEND All right. You must be Vicky. VICKY Hello, yeah, hi Fuzz. TIM SHAW Nice to see you, Tim. Vicky, lovely to meet you, right. VICKY Hi, Tim, hello. FUZZ TOWNSHEND How's it going? TIM SHAW Right. What's this place then? DAVID It's my mum and dad's place. I told Adam I'd bring it here, just to do a few jobs on it. TIM SHAW Right. And that's what Adam thinks, that's where he thinks it's going? DAVID That's right. That's right. TIM SHAW And the mythical unicorn is in there is it? DAVID It is, yeah. FUZZ TOWNSHEND It's a very rare car, that's all we're saying. So we would love to be able to look at it. TIM SHAW Come on, let's see it. I can't wait to see it. Right. VICKY [LAUGHS] DAVID Come and have a look. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Right. Here we go. TIM SHAW Right, itching to see it. Come on. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Oh fantastic, look at this! TIM SHAW Come to daddy. FUZZ TOWNSHEND You mind if I open the door? DAVID Yeah, go for it. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Okay. TIM SHAW And there it is, the Holy Grail, Fuzzbot. Look at that. The Skyline. Wow. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Holy's right. Yeah, look! TIM SHAW Wow! FUZZ TOWNSHEND There's two big holes cut in the roof! 'Cause it didn't come like that originally. DAVID Yeah, it's got an aftermarket Targa top, probably put on in the '80s. FUZZ TOWNSHEND An aftermarket Targa top. Right, before I go any further, did Adam do this? VICKY No. DAVID He didn't, no. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Right, okay, that's good. 'Cause I didn't wanna be rude. But I mean. TIM SHAW Oh, stop your whinging. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Probably a little bit. TIM SHAW Oh, come on. Shut up. Look at what we're in front of, and stop whinging. Forget about the metal that needs fixing, you just enjoy the moment for a bit, Fuzz, okay? FUZZ TOWNSHEND The moment, yeah. TIM SHAW Let's go and talk about Adam, now, come on. Go, go, go, leave him to it. He's annoying! FUZZ TOWNSHEND Do you know when Kids have a Barbie doll, and they chop off its hair? It's kind of what we've got here. It's a restyling exercise that has gone horribly, horrifically wrong. I mean, looking at the roof a cruciform has been made, to at least give it some sort of stiffness. But here, it's just thin steel. Aesthetically, I think it's awful. But on a positive note, this side looks to be in pretty good order. It looks like it's had some work done to it, fairly recently. And I'm reckoning that that's probably Adam's work there. TIM SHAW Okay, Dave, how bad is your brother a petrol head? DAVID Yeah I mean, he's mad into cars. He's an Automotive Engineer. TIM SHAW Oh, so that's what he's trained in. That's interesting. So he's an Automotive engineer, and he owns that Skyline. VICKY Yeah. I think it's got a lot of sentimental value hasn't it, to him. I think it's more the fact that he's had it for so long. And he's been so close to starting to work on it, and then being ill, or, the house has taken priority getting that done. Like, yeah, now it's more sentimental with a hint of frustration. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Under the bonnet. Yes, yes, yes. There is a Datsun 2.4 litre [UNIT CONVERSION 0.53 gallons] engine. The straight-six sitting there. You can see where there's already been repairs made to this car. It means that Adam, I think, has been having a really good go with this car. And he's managed to save it. He's done a lot of work. We've got some work in progress here, that we're gonna have to pick up. That's fine, I expect that, but I did not expect that. TIM SHAW Why's the car in that condition? What's happened to Adam in his life? VICKY 12 years ago, he developed Leukaemia, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. He had a stem cell transplant which killed it effectively. TIM SHAW Wow! VICKY So, he received stem cells from his older brother. TIM SHAW And that cured his leukaemia? VICKY Yeah. TIM SHAW So he was a well man? VICKY Yeah, exactly. So, we then moved to Gloucestershire. TIM SHAW Right. VICKY And within, sort of, six months of moving here, he became ill again and investigations sort of revealed that he had heart failure, caused by the chemotherapy from this leukaemia. TIM SHAW Heart failure? VICKY Yeah. DAVID His heart function's dropped massively. VICKY Yeah, massively. DAVID About 18% I think. VICKY Yeah. DAVID And so it's just. TIM SHAW His heart function is at 18% from someone who's healthy? DAVID That's right. VICKY Yeah. DAVID He tries to get on with little jobs around the house. You know, I'm sure he'd love to get on with the car. But he just gets tired. He just can't do a huge amount. TIM SHAW He's low in energy right? VICKY Yeah. TIM SHAW But he has enough energy to drive? VICKY Yeah. TIM SHAW So, to him, getting out in his car would be, I don't wanna put words into your mouth, but it sounds like it would be awesome. VICKY Yes, it would be absolutely amazing, yeah. DAVID It would be great. TIM SHAW I am so sorry to hear about what you guys, as a family, have all been, and are all going through at the moment. And if doing the car up will make just a tiny bit of difference, it's absolutely worth doing. VICKY Yes. TIM SHAW Shall we go see how Fuzzbot's getting on? VICKY Yes. TIM SHAW Come on. TIM SHAW Right, Mr Fuzzbottom, what have you found? FUZZ TOWNSHEND Now obviously, we won't talk about that. TIM SHAW No, let's not talk about that again. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah, but whatever was there is missing. TIM SHAW Oh really? So that's it. You've been in here all this time, and you're still gawping over those? FUZZ TOWNSHEND I can't get over it. Yeah. TIM SHAW Right, let's get pushing and shoving and moving. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Okay. TIM SHAW Oh, what a stunning car. Look at that on the back! FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah. TIM SHAW That's a nice bar, look at that! TIM SHAW Nice to meet you, Vicky. [LAUGHS] VICKY Nice to meet you too. [LAUGHS] TIM SHAW Good to meet you. Right, come on. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Lovely meeting you. TIM SHAW Let's get outta here. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Okay, right. TIM SHAW Let's hit the Skyline. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Have you noticed the roof, Tim? TIM SHAW Oh shut up about the roof will you? There are only two on the roads in the UK. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Oh, brilliant. So that's gonna be absolutely wonderful for getting all the parts that we need. We need to get some serous fabrication action going in. There's a guy that I know. TIM SHAW Who's that? FUZZ TOWNSHEND Sid. NARRATOR Yes, if there's one person who knows his way around a sheet of steel, it's our old friend, "Mustang Sid". No stranger to Car S.O.S, although this time, he might wish that he was. TIM SHAW Right then. The Skyline has landed Sid Bolt. FUZZ TOWNSHEND I'm just slightly concerned here. I'm shutting the door. TIM SHAW [LAUGHS] FUZZ TOWNSHEND And the whole side's going, flappety flap. That's just highlighted the fact we've lost our integrity here. We've lost our box. So, when we take it up on the ramp, it could, argh. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Well, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on. Look at the top of this door gap here, compared to the bottom there. I've just watched it move apart. TIM SHAW Oh! Where'd you pop that from? Go on, stick it in there, let's have a look then? FUZZ TOWNSHEND Okay, right go on then, look. So, plenty of room there. TIM SHAW Right, so it's loose in there. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah. TIM SHAW All right, come on then. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Drop it down Sid? Oh, hold on. I can't get it out now. TIM SHAW Right, bring it up again, it's actually cracked it. I mean, oh look. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Oi! TIM SHAW That's cut it in half. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Hold on, but my sweets. I've only got half a sweet now. I haven't got any sweet now! TIM SHAW Right, come on then, are you ready? FUZZ TOWNSHEND I'm ready. Oh, there's loads of filler at the back here. You can see it squadging out here. So, is it attached? SID No, it's not attached here. TIM SHAW Right. So hang on. So this rear valance, and we can see, this blue bit of the car, isn't actually welded on, it's just held on with filler? FUZZ TOWNSHEND Well it's probably welded in places. But, you know, it's not the greatest. Now hold on, what I can see, is some great big, what looks like two-inch [UNIT CONVERSION 5.08 cm] square tube, that's been placed into the sill as a strengthening medium. But, it's not attached all along. TIM SHAW Just like that then? FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah. TIM SHAW It's like welded there. FUZZ TOWNSHEND And so everything can still move around it. And that's why it's separated when we've put it up on the ramp. That's why the door gap's changed. TIM SHAW Okay. I agree with that. FUZZ TOWNSHEND And I'm thinking, that not a lot of this is familiar, as in, the actual components. TIM SHAW Yeah. FUZZ TOWNSHEND So how its that gonna play out when we need spare parts? Now, I seem to remember that you're known as a parts-blagging petrol head. I wouldn't like to be you right now. NARRATOR Tim and Fuzz have taken on a Datsun 240K Skyline, Japanese Trailblazer of a car, one of only a handful left in the UK. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Right, let's try and get ourselves a win. Because what I wanna do, is set up a can with a pump, so we've got our own source of fuel and just feed it in. 'Cause we've got our fuel pipes here. TIM SHAW Come on then, let's try start it up. Come on, come on, come on. Here we go. Oh, oh, nearly, nearly, nearly. Oh, we've got it going, we've got it. Wow! FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yes. TIM SHAW That's the win. That is the indication this car wants to live again. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yes! For me, that is an absolute winner. Come on Tim. TIM SHAW Okay, imagine that was your problem for a minute. FUZZ TOWNSHEND But it's not. TIM SHAW You can't just tap it and it fixes it. FUZZ TOWNSHEND [LAUGHS] It's one-nil to Fuzzy. NARRATOR Well, that might've been an early goal, but this match could still go either way. For a start, that reliable Japanese engine may have fired up, but with its high mileage will need a full service, including an overhaul of its once state of the art electronic fuel injection system. Then, there's the rest of the mechanical items, like, the rear suspension, which looks like it has been touched since the car was new. So that will need to be dropped, refurbished and all the perished rubber bushes replaced. Alone, will keep any team busy, but the real biggie with this car is the bodywork. Some of the repairs, like, the wheel arches and sills are standard fabrications, but welding on a whole new roof is a different matter. Normally, you'd just go out and buy one. But with this super obscure car, that's not an option. So, Tim, who's got the job, will need to come up with an ingenious solution. TIM SHAW I mean, the reality is, the panels for these cars do not exist. For a 240K, forget it. But I've got a plan, right, and we're going to meet a woman who owns one of only two 240Ks on the UK roads at the moment. TIM SHAW Oh, wow! Oh, the colours and everything, it's absolutely stunning. Her name's Kay. Please say yes. Kay, hello mate, how you doing? Nice to meet you. KAY Hello. TIM SHAW I rang you to say I was coming down to talk about this. KAY Yes. TIM SHAW It's absolutely beautiful. KAY Thank you. TIM SHAW Do you know how rare it is? KAY Unfortunately, yes. [LAUGHS] TIM SHAW How rare is it in your mind? KAY It's extremely rare. You try and find parts for it. TIM SHAW Yeah. Let me tell you our situation. We've got one of these, which we're doing up for a guy. The problem is, our roof has been chopped up all over the place. So I need to take a copy of your roof. KAY Will it damage my car? TIM SHAW I don't know. KAY Okay. So effectively, my car would help another car live. TIM SHAW Massively. It'll put another one on the road. KAY Okay. Okay. [LAUGHS] TIM SHAW Are you sure? KAY Yes. NARRATOR Yes, never one to do things by halves, is our Tim, and on this occasion, seems to have recruited an army of helpers. But, how do you take a copy of a car roof? Well, you need a cunning plan, and an industrial quantity of spray foam. TIM SHAW Okay. Let me show you what the plan is. So, I couldn't even get a model of a 240K to demonstrate this. That's a Renault 11, bottom line is it's a car with a unique profile roof. You can see the curves of the roof there. Now, imagining that is the 240K, how do we take a copy of the curves of the roof? Well, instead of using plasticine as I'm using here, we're using spray foam. So, the spray foam will go over the roof of the car now, like that, and then hopefully it'll release away from the car and have, therefore, a mould of the roof of the car, of Kay's 240K. Now the next thing we wanna do, is basically fill that with something which is hard. What I'm using in this case is plaster of Paris. So, what will come out of this when it goes off, is basically the roof of the car instead of being of metal and glass, it'll be made of plaster of Paris. TIM SHAW This has now gone off. And if we pull it out of the mould, look at that. In the old days it was call a buck and was made out of wood, 'cause that is an exact copy of the roof of, in this case, the Renault 11. But in our case, when it will be spray foam and concrete, it'll be the 240K. And then along comes Gaz at Sid's place with a piece of metal, a flat piece of metal. And from that, he will be able to make a metallic copy of a roof of a car, and finish the roof structure. That's the plan. See how the boys are getting on. TIM SHAW Oh my word, it's worked! [LAUGHS] It's actually worked. Right, stage two. FOAM SPRAY EMPLOYEE Brilliant. NARRATOR And if stage one wasn't madcap enough for you, the next bit of the process is real heavyweight stuff. TIM SHAW So the plan is here, as you can see, we've got the negative in the shuttered mould now. In goes the concrete. We've actually blinded the edge with sand here. And then with a bit of luck, it goes off, we crack it out, fold the metal over the top of it and the job's a gooden. TIM SHAW [LAUGHS] NARRATOR Yes, if this is not the most contortive way of making a car roof, I don't know what is. Will it work? Well, we'll just have to wait and see. NARRATOR Back at base, the bodywork team are making progress the old-fashioned way. Bending and manipulating steel as if it were cardboard. Welding in, grinding down and methodically replacing all the grot. And whilst they're busy with the metalwork, Fuzz has taken the rare and tatty old fuel injectors to a specialists, where they can hopefully be salvaged 'cause if they can't, we're in trouble. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Joe? Ah! JOE Oh, Fuzz, hi. FUZZ TOWNSHEND How you doing? I got a saxophone for you here. JOE Oh brilliant. FUZZ TOWNSHEND [LAUGHS] JOE Yeah, this is the one we talked about. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah. So it's a Datsun 240K. We've run the engine up, so I guess we've got some life out of these injectors. JOE Yeah. FUZZ TOWNSHEND But it'd just be nice to know if they're delivering the right amount, and they're doing what they should do. So, would you be able to test them out for us? JOE Yeah, sure. I mean, a little bit rusted and the nozzle needles are pushed in I can see on a couple of them. But, the first thing to do would be to get 'em off of the rail, give 'em a bit of a clean-up and get 'em tested. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Okay cool, brilliant. Right, lead the way. NARRATOR The 240K was one of the earlier electronic fuel-injected cars to be able in the UK. A bit more reliable and more efficient than a carburetor. But, as these ones are now 45-years-old, they're more than likely to need a good service. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Right Joe. I'm guessing this is our test bed? JOE Yeah, that's it. This is the test bed we're gonna be using today. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yep. JOE So really, all it does is just simulates what the injectors would be doing on the engine. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Uh-huh. JOE The difference being is, we can see the amount of fuel they're gonna deliver. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yep. JOE And the quality of the spray patterns. So this is like putting your foot down, going for it. Yeah, I'd say spray-wise, these two are your best, best quality. This one's a bit wide. This is the sort of thing that sonic cleaning them's gonna hopefully cure. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah. Oh, we're looking now, okay. So this one has delivered less. So the first one, number one. JOE Yeah. FUZZ TOWNSHEND And number three, that's got a slightly wider spray. JOE Yeah. I think we go through the ultrasonic cleaning process with those two injectors, see if we can get number one's fuelling back up to where it should be. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Okay. JOE And correct the spray pattern on number three. That allows that vibration, that very gentle vibration, just to go inside the nozzles. 'Cause we're opening and closing it. Really getting any debris out that's in there. FUZZ TOWNSHEND All right, so those are loads cleaner, right. So there's original, and those are nicely cleaned nozzles. JOE Yeah. Put these back onto the rail. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Okay. So, the same process again. JOE Same process again. FUZZ TOWNSHEND And we're just weighing up. JOE We're hoping for a slightly different result. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah. Okay. JOE I think that spray's better on number three. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah. FUZZ TOWNSHEND So, what are our results telling us? JOE Number three's now spraying lovely. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah. JOE And number one has increased in fuel. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Excellent. It's brilliant news. JOE Yeah. NARRATOR Yes, once again, more of the Datsun's original parts are living to see another day. Back at the workshop, it's the same story, with no new panels available, a huge amount of hard graft is having to go into salvaging what would normally go in the bin. About time then that Tim and Fuzz jumped into one of the few 240K's that are still on the road, and find out why this rare car is worth all the trouble. TIM SHAW Right Fuzzbot, the 240K the Skyline, and it says it all over the steering wheel and I'm in love with this car! FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah, no, it's a great car. And it's packed full of trinkets. TIM SHAW Modern cars are so boring in comparison to this. There's plenty to do still in it. FUZZ TOWNSHEND So Datsun were piling these out from 1977 to 1981. When I say, "piling them out", actually they didn't sell in big numbers in the UK. TIM SHAW Well that was because of the cost wasn't it? I mean these things were mega expensive. FUZZ TOWNSHEND That's right. Over 6,700 quid. You could get a Capri three litre [UNIT CONVERSION 0.66 gallons] for about 5.1 or something thereabouts. You'd really have to want one of these. TIM SHAW Yeah. FUZZ TOWNSHEND And why would you want one of these, Tim? TIM SHAW Well, I can tell you why you want one of these, because they're a phenomenal drive. It's a really easy car to drive. It feels very similar to a Mk II Golf GTI. I'm talking about comparing this to a car that came out ten years later or thereabouts. FUZZ TOWNSHEND That says something really, because I know how much you love those cars. TIM SHAW Yeah. FUZZ TOWNSHEND So we've got a quartz digital clock with full instructions on the front of it. TIM SHAW Yeah, absolutely, yeah. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Which is great. TIM SHAW Printed on there. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah, we've got an outline of the car, with warning lights to indicate where there are problems. Of course, this is a Datsun, so that's rarely gonna be needed. TIM SHAW So why didn't this car work in Europe then? FUZZ TOWNSHEND Prejudice. Pure prejudice. TIM SHAW Yep. FUZZ TOWNSHEND I'm not buying that, it's Japanese. TIM SHAW Japanese, I'm not buying that stuff. FUZZ TOWNSHEND That's right. TIM SHAW Absolutely. FUZZ TOWNSHEND You'd see people going out to try and start their cars on a winter's morning. TIM SHAW Yeah. FUZZ TOWNSHEND And they just wouldn't start. But the Japanese cars started. TIM SHAW Well, absolutely. Because what they did, was they took a little bit of design from the other car manufacturers' best ideas, and they threw it all in one vehicle. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Those manufacturers were offering bread and butter. TIM SHAW Yeah. FUZZ TOWNSHEND And the Japanese motor industry came along and said, "Would you like some jam on that?" TIM SHAW Yes. FUZZ TOWNSHEND And little by little, in tiny increments, they won hearts and minds. NARRATOR Well, Japanese cars might've won the hearts and minds the world over, but maybe not right now at the workshop. Where after hundreds of hours of welding and grinding, the atmosphere is hotter than a wasabi sandwich. NARRATOR Tim and Fuzz are midway through the restoration of a 1981 Datsun 240K Skyline. A car so rare, it could be one of David Attenborough's endangered species list. TIM SHAW Wherever you look on this car, literally wherever you look, and God only knows how much filler is on the side of it, but it's just getting worse. NARRATOR The car belongs to 44-year-old Adam, who's owned it since he was a student. But, thanks to a horrendous run of ill-health, has found it impossible to finish any attempts to get the car back on the road. VICKY Sort of six months of moving here, he became ill again and investigations sort of revealed that he had heart failure. NARRATOR Since arriving at the workshop, the lack of available spares on what is a very rare car, has meant the restoration's been forced in three directions. Salvaging what can be salvaged, fabricating what can be fabricated, and then there's Tim's madcap roof idea which may or may not work. TIM SHAW What? FUZZ TOWNSHEND What is that? Is that what I think it is? TIM SHAW Yeah, it is. FUZZ TOWNSHEND It's the roof profile? Do you know, I don't wanna say it, but that is ingenious. So you can form the panel and try it on there, and once it's ready, it'll be ready to go on the car! NARRATOR Amazing! It seems, like, there might actually be some method in Tim's madness after all. So, whilst our very own world class fabricator, Gaz, gets on with cutting, measuring and shaping a brand new one-piece steel roof skin over the concrete mould, Tim and Fuzz can get on with preparing a speech, to explain to Adam's wife, Vicky and brother Dave, why their precious family heirloom seems to resemble a bag of nails. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Good to see you again. DAVID And you. VICKY Yeah. Good to see you. TIM SHAW How is Adam? VICKY He's been okay. He's had a rough couple of weeks. TIM SHAW Okay. VICKY He's had pleurisy. We're waiting for an operation. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Oh, right. TIM SHAW That sounds like he's got a lot on at the moment, poor chap. VICKY Yes. Yeah, he does, yeah. TIM SHAW Okay, right. So, in terms of the car, quite a lot to share with you. VICKY Yep. FUZZ TOWNSHEND It's not been easy. I think it's better to actually look at the car in the metal. DAVID Yeah. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah? VICKY Yeah. TIM SHAW Bang. DAVID Oh wow. VICKY [LAUGHS] DAVID Oh wow! VICKY [LAUGHS] TIM SHAW Right. DAVID There's bits of roof where there weren't bits of roof. VICKY There's even less of it now. DAVID And there's no bits of roof where there were bits of roof. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yes, absolutely. TIM SHAW Okay. DAVID And there's some braces across here. TIM SHAW Yep. DAVID Which it probably needed before, 'cause it was a bit wobbly. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Well, yeah, raising it on the lift, the weight on the front with the weight of the back, started to bend the car in the middle. So, this has all been fabricated. So it's a good, strong shell at the moment. But of course, there is something missing. DAVID Yeah. TIM SHAW Gaz, come on in mate. Come on in. DAVID Wow! VICKY It's gonna look very different isn't it? FUZZ TOWNSHEND Okay, so there we go. TIM SHAW These are temporary. VICKY Okay. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah. [LAUGHS] VICKY Yeah. TIM SHAW That's a point to celebrate isn't it? VICKY It is. TIM SHAW When we picked up this car, it was, like, so many different blues. VICKY Yeah. TIM SHAW Anyone any idea which one we wanna go with? Which is the best one? DAVID Well, I've got this render that he did some time ago. TIM SHAW Oh, you beauty. DAVID And that was kind of what we agreed on. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Oh right, okay. TIM SHAW That looks amazing! FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah, that looks cool. TIM SHAW Is that a reflection, or is that a silver bonnet? DAVID That is a silver bonnet. This is what it had. TIM SHAW Great. He's got the round headlights. VICKY Yep. TIM SHAW Okay. Those wheels. DAVID Yeah. TIM SHAW Yep. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Those are basically the wheels that we've got as well, aren't they? DAVID They are. Those are the wheels that we got. Yeah. VICKY Yeah. TIM SHAW Okay. Can I keep hold of this? DAVID Yeah. Take that. TIM SHAW Fantastic. Thanks very much. NARRATOR So, with a final look at the car now sorted, the countdown to the surprise reveal has begun. As well as being a big petrol head, Adam is also a big fan of the cinema. So, combining the two, would make a day he would never forget. Of course, before then, there's a vast amount of work still to be done, and getting the new roof skin welded on, is priority number one. Although it doesn't take too for a top fabricator like Gaz, to pull off a bit of a blinder. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Now this is what I call a piece of artisan work. The roof is back to how it should be. Come on Gaz, step in here. Now, I can't even see the seam here. It looks beautiful. GAZ Thank you, Fuzz. Thank you. FUZZ TOWNSHEND But there is one thing that I would really like you to be honest about. Did you use that concrete buck to make this roof? GAZ Not entirely, no. FUZZ TOWNSHEND All right. NARRATOR There you go. Good ideas are no substitute for years of experience, although don't tell Tim that. Fortunately, he's out on the road in search of yet another hard to make part, the complicated stainless steel gutter trim. TIM SHAW Tommy? TOMMY Yeah. TIM SHAW Hello mate. How you doing? Tim. TOMMY How you doing? You all right? TIM SHAW I rang you about this thing. TOMMY All right, okay. TIM SHAW Mate, this place is awesome. TOMMY Yeah. TIM SHAW You do full-on metal work here. TOMMY Yeah, yeah. TIM SHAW You might be the man that I need. TOMMY We can make that, no problem. TIM SHAW What? TOMMY Yeah. TIM SHAW Right. Where do we start? TOMMY We'll start on this piece of equipment over here. TIM SHAW Right. TOMMY This is your original trim. TIM SHAW Yep. TOMMY This is the piece of stainless. Now this is the inside piece. TIM SHAW Okay. TOMMY On the outside, it's protected. TIM SHAW So sticky back on, yeah. TOMMY Yeah, this is the shiny side. TIM SHAW But it is harder to work? I mean, people are scared of working stainless. TOMMY It's very hard to work. Well, there's a few different thing about stainless. It's difficult to fold. TIM SHAW Yep. TOMMY You can't tap it because you'll put ripples in it. TIM SHAW Right. TOMMY You can't fill it, you can't nothing. TIM SHAW [LAUGHS] TOMMY So it has to be a perfect finish. TIM SHAW Right. NARRATOR Yes, when it comes to folding metal, long bits of trim are about as fiddly as it gets. One mistake, and it's back to square one. TOMMY What I'm actually doing isn't complicated, I'm just applying the right amount of pressure on this pedal. TIM SHAW So, we're beginning to see the curve on this one now. TOMMY That's right, yeah. TIM SHAW Wow, okay. TOMMY Slowly, slowly does it. TIM SHAW Right that is amazing. So there's a little bit of finishing left to do on this. TOMMY Yeah. TIM SHAW And then we make the other side. TOMMY And then complete. TIM SHAW Wow. NARRATOR So, one more piece of the Datsun jigsaw sorted. NARRATOR Back at the workshop and Fuzz is still taking in that clever 1970s Japanese engineering. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Here we have, what was at the time, a cutting edge rear suspension setup. It's a semi trailing-arm suspension system. And it takes the best parts of two suspension systems that came before it. One of which was the swinging arm suspension, which pivoted out from here, from the centre. And the other one was the trailing-arm suspension, which pivoted like this, longitudinally. The swing arm suspension had a number of advantages. One, independent suspension which allowed one side to move up and down, independently of the opposite side. The problem is, that that introduces camber. Camber is where, here we have zero camber on this wheel here. Now, your negative camber is, if this is the bottom of the wheel, is where the wheel is tilted in. But of course, that affects tyre wear. Somebody came up with perhaps a better idea, which was the trailing-arm. So, if we imagine this is our trailing-arm, there it is, bolted onto our body, or chassis, and our wheel's on the end. Now, it can move up and down keeping the wheel in perfect alignment. However, putting a little bit of camber in on cornering can be a good thing. Now, further thought on the matter, came up with a combination of the two systems. Which is, back over here, the semi trailing-arm suspension. As you can see, it in effect comes in from an angle. Which means that as this lifts up, it introduces an amount of camber there, as well as, having the independent suspension. So, what were the advantages of this? Better road holding, better handling. But I wanted to show you a little something that we had to do here. We couldn't find any of the mounting bushes, so we had to actually have these made up. This car's so rare, we can't even get these relatively basic components for it. NARRATOR But, once everything's all tightened up and bolted into place, it does mean the Datsun can be put back onto its wheels, and be pushed into the prep room for filling and flatting. And, once all the body work is super smooth, it can also regain some colour. Two-tone silver and blue, exactly as Adam always wanted it. TIM SHAW I always come and sneak into the booth when something's been painted, and just look at the way the light interacts with the components. NARRATOR And as soon as that paint is dry, the rush to refit can begin. Front quarters and boot lid are bolted into place. FUZZ TOWNSHEND All right, so, that'll fit just nicely. NARRATOR The first bits of interior trim start to go back. The engine gets a full service and some nice new lubrication. While the workshop crew knuckle down out on the road. There's been two major developments. First, Tim's actually managed to find some parts for sale, and second, he's realised it might've been a good idea to pay the spray foamers a bit quicker. TIM SHAW This is the definition of embarrassment. We're going to London to hopefully meet a guy who's selling some chrome trim that goes around the inside of the windows on the Datsun 240K Skyline. TIM SHAW This is the way up? This is so weird. Hello? Sorry to bother you. Hello, excuse me, hi. I'm looking. No way! It's Sir David Jason. DAVID JASON Yes. TIM SHAW Look alikey, wow! [LAUGHS] Is it rubber? DAVID JASON What? TIM SHAW Is it latex? What is it? DAVID JASON Shut up you tart. TIM SHAW No way. [LAUGHS] DAVID JASON Have you come about these parts? TIM SHAW Yes. Oh, 240K. DAVID JASON Yes. TIM SHAW Skyline window trim, a pair of, exactly. Wow! DAVID JASON Yes. Okay. That'll cost you a grand that will. Cheap at half the price. TIM SHAW A grand? DAVID JASON Yeah, of course. Two of them. TIM SHAW Oh. DAVID JASON 500 each, that's it. Say no more. TIM SHAW [SIGHS] DAVID JASON Ah, thank you. TIM SHAW Yeah, lovely. Thank you very much. DAVID JASON Off you go. Go on my son. TIM SHAW I mean, they're for a guy called Adam, lovely guy. We're doing up his Datsun Skyline. He's in a bit of a tough spot at the moment. So, this is for Adam's car. This is gonna be the thing that gets him back on the road. But there are other bits we need as well, and without that grand now, honestly, I don't know how we're gonna get his car done now. DAVID JASON Oh, if it's a good cause, go on then. Go on. TIM SHAW Oh, you're such a sweetheart. DAVID JASON Oh, it's okay, it's all right. TIM SHAW Honestly, you've brought a tear to my eye. [SNIFFS] That is so sweet. DAVID JASON [SIGHS] TIM SHAW Thank you so much. Wow, that is so sweet. DAVID JASON Who's been conned here? Me or him? NARRATOR Well, if it's anything to do with Tim, it's you! Back at the workshop, and with time to the reveal running out, the team go into overdrive. Glass windscreens bonded in, the lights are fitted. TIM SHAW This is the big moment. This is where this car is transformed massively. It came with rectangular headlights, and it leaves with the best-looking ones, the round ones. NARRATOR Doors are rehung. Carpet goes in. Plus, there's a few little additions to make sure that owner Adam's dream, really will come true. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Now here are the original wheels that the car came with, which I think for their time, are a pretty good-looking wheel. But, Adam's choice of wheel I think is inspired. TIM SHAW The piece of trim made by Datsun in the 1970s, we always had that. Runs up the A-post. The missing piece of the jigsaw. That oh-so-complicated jigsaw, made by Tommy's fair hands. Actually, these two interconnect quite nicely look. It's amazing. He didn't actually have that with him, but look at this for a fit, straight in, like a glove, perfectly. So this one drops into here, lower it down to there. Look at that. And it's back. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Okay, Timmy boy. TIM SHAW Ah, I wondered when you might call my name. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah, come on, let's give it a startup. TIM SHAW You ready? FUZZ TOWNSHEND I've got everything connected back up. But, yeah, still bits to do, but yeah. TIM SHAW Remember that this did run when we came here. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yes, I know it did, but I've had it apart, so. TIM SHAW If it doesn't run now, you're gonna look like a proper. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yes, I know, Charlie. TIM SHAW Right. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Right, okay. Come on then. TIM SHAW Oh! FUZZ TOWNSHEND Okay, yes! TIM SHAW Fuzz, do you know what's just suddenly struck me? This is, well, there were two of these on the roads here in the UK, right? FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah. TIM SHAW We've just added 50% of that. FUZZ TOWNSHEND [LAUGHS] Your mathematics is not wrong at all. TIM SHAW Wow! Right, Mike's getting the car put back together, let's get it sorted. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Okay. NARRATOR Who doesn't like going to the cinema? The ice-cream, the popcorn, oh yes, and the film. And it is a little family-run cinema like this one in Gloucester, you get a bit of nostalgia into the bargain. More so, if there happens to be a fully-restored 1980 Datsun Skyline, parked outside. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Now look at this. TIM SHAW Wow! FUZZ TOWNSHEND It just looks absolutely amazing out in the daylight. Ah, this is super silky smooth. Those round lights, that was the right decision. TIM SHAW One of three now. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah. TIM SHAW On British roads. One of three! FUZZ TOWNSHEND I know. We're never gonna get to stand next to one of these ever again probably, 'cause there were so few of them. And yeah, you got the trim, well done. But, what's the plan? TIM SHAW Right. So, they're coming here to see some classic British comedy. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Yeah. TIM SHAW Just before the film, somebody's gonna pop up on-screen, giving a little message to regular cinema-goers. FUZZ TOWNSHEND No, really? TIM SHAW Yes! FUZZ TOWNSHEND Really? TIM SHAW All we need to be doing is standing by the door, with the car and let the rest just happen. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Fantastic. Brilliant. NARRATOR Yes, the plan is a clever one. Adam thinks wife, Vicky, is taking him to the pictures to watch a special showing of one of his favourite old movies. Of course, the reality, he's here for a completely different reason. Friends and family have shown up in force, to help make his day, but what do they think of the car? MALE 3 Oh, I'm just amazed to see actually looking like a proper car, and not just covered in rust. [LAUGHS] ADAM'S MUM I think he'll probably be very emotional, but he'll probably try not to show it. NARRATOR So, everybody happy, in time for Operation Whoops Mind the Popcorn, to go into action. Family make themselves scarce. The Skyline is hidden away, and the cinema starts to fill up with a few Car S.O.S stooges. Before you know it, Adam and wife Vicky, show up for some cinema fun. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Right. Come on. Don't touch any buttons, okay? NARRATOR And once they've settled in their seats, the performance begins. How could Adam possibly know that outside in the car park, his very own car is being wheeled into place, and on the screen, a legend of British comedy, is about to make a very special announcement just for him. DAVID JASON Hello there, cinema goers. It's me, yes, you're right, Sir David Jason. Could we put the house lights up please? We've got something very important to tell you. I'm here because Adam is here and his lovely wife, Vicky are here. We're here to celebrate something rather special that we've done for you, Adam, and Vicky. Right, if you just look around at the exit there, right, because we've arranged a very nice surprise for you. So, go on, off you go. Take the wife. You know it makes sense. Lovely jubbly, go on my son! ADAM Oh my God. FUZZ TOWNSHEND [LAUGHS] TIM SHAW Hello, mate. ADAM Hello. TIM SHAW How you doing? ADAM Yeah, I'm good. [LAUGHS] TIM SHAW Adam, lovely to meet you. ADAM Yeah, nice to meet you. TIM SHAW Adam, this is not what you were expecting is it? ADAM No. TIM SHAW Come over here. There's something I wanna show you. You all right, Vicky? VICKY Yeah. [LAUGHS] TIM SHAW Any idea what's going on mate? ADAM Yes! TIM SHAW What? ADAM It's my car. TIM SHAW That is your car. ADAM Yeah. Yeah, I don't know what to say. TIM SHAW Is it sinking in yet? ADAM No. TIM SHAW There are also a few people here that you might recognise. ADAM Okay. TIM SHAW Guys, come out from out from hiding. FUZZ TOWNSHEND Come on guys. TIM SHAW Come around the corner, come on. Give him a round of applause come on. FRIENDS AND FAMILY [APPLAUSE] FUZZ TOWNSHEND Come on in, keep going. Keep coming round. TIM SHAW Come on. Come on round. Keep going. Keep going. Vicky, can you tell Adam why it is you wrote to us? VICKY 'Cause you deserve it. 'Cause you need something good to happen. ADAM Thank you. FRIENDS AND FAMILY [APPLAUSE] FUZZ TOWNSHEND Hooray! NARRATOR Adam's Skyline might've been with him for over half his life. He might've loved it to bits. But the last time he saw it, the car was in a terrible mess. The part-finished restoration that, through no fault of his own, was going nowhere. Now, the car has been transformed. That dangerous T-bar roof has been replaced with good strong steel. The bodywork, now immaculate, the two-tone paintwork, looks perfect in the colours that Adam had always dreamt of. The bulletproof Japanese straight-six engine starts at the turn of a key, and is ready to run up thousands more miles. The interior is clean and tidy, and the stainless steel trim is faultless. For Adam, this is not just a car, this is one of his oldest, and most treasured friends. TIM SHAW When was the first time that you ever went in this car? ADAM Well, it's only after I bought it and I got in it, and I kind of saw the interior that it started to, you know, I had a bit of flashback of, you know, this belonged to the guy in the village who fixed the cars, and my dad was having his car fixed and he borrowed this for the day. And I remember being taken to school in it. TIM SHAW No way. ADAM And seeing all the flashing lights and, you know, the futuristic dashboard and being amazed by it. TIM SHAW So, you fell in love with this car when you were a young boy, what, six, seven, eight, nine, something like that? ADAM Yeah. Must've been, yeah. Some time in the early '80s. TIM SHAW Wow! Were you cruising around in this thing, before you had any medical issues? ADAM Yeah. TIM SHAW And is there a chance that, because of that, it reminds you of times pre-pain? ADAM I would say that I'm not really haunted by anything. But, you know, there's certainly been some difficult conversations with doctors. And, you know, I've always, kind of, come out of those thinking, okay, so how's that gonna affect those around me? I'm a passenger in this, the doctors are dealing with it. TIM SHAW Really? ADAM It's more, kind of, okay, so how's that gonna affect everyone else? TIM SHAW So, are you that guy that can just be given this big news, and just copes with it, and you can deal with it? ADAM Apparently I am. TIM SHAW Really? Yeah. ADAM I wouldn't have said so. But, you know, yeah, I think my approach to life is, if you can do something about it, do it. And if you can't don't worry about it. I can't wait to fire this up and get it out on the road. TIM SHAW Yeah, okay. There is only one thing left to do Adam, and that is to tell you that you have officially been Car S.O.S'd. ADAM Thank you. TIM SHAW Shall we give it a start? ADAM Let's do it, 'cause it sounds brilliant. TIM SHAW Yeah. [LAUGHS] It's that straight-six we need to hear. Are you ready? ADAM Ready for this? Ooh. [LAUGHS] TIM SHAW [LAUGHS] VICKY How�s it feel? ADAM It feels good. It�s pulling nicely, it sounds good. VICKY It�s bought a smile to your face. ADAM'S DAD And it's some positive news, 'cause obviously there have been some quite difficult problems with his health. VICKY It�s bringing back memories� ADAM It�s when I first had it, went to like a party and crash out in the back of it. VICKY Madness. ADAM I have slept in this car quite a lot actually. VICKY I don�t know how you did it! ADAM I can�t remember it being this uh�beefy. VICKY What are you going to do now you got it back then? ADAM Looking forward to getting it out on the road. MALE 3 I think this will just be the start of the journey. VICKY Was it a surprise? ADAM Yeah, I mean when David Jason tells you to get up and leave the building, you get up and leave the building VICKY So did you have any suspicions? ADAM I knew you were up to something! VICKY ### ### ###