Barn Find Rare Handmade British V8 muscle car - will it run?

[Music] thank you I think some of the coolest British cars cars which have got American Hearts so American engines it clothed in a British tailored suit and that's what the car in this garage is today the car is a Bristol and Bristol cars are quite misunderstood even car Fanatics don't fully understand Bristols it seems but the car in here has been in here for something like 40 years when the owner bought it stopped using it when life became complicated with young children and hasn't ever got it out since so hopefully we'll be pulling it out and maybe hearing the V8 of a Bristol run today so this is of course a barn find episode of the late break show I'm Johnny Smith so Rob but firstly thanks for letting me come and have a look at your your Bristol my absolute privilege so am I right in thinking it's been in there for what 40. we've built the garage in 1990 and so it's been in there from the moment it was built so it's been there for 33 years before that it was in the barn here this Barn actually blew down in 19 is an old-time Oak frame bar yeah blue down on the storm of 87 was it I think it was yeah we had to do two big storms and the car was in there but forty was got out before the storm before the storm hit um and so uh we cleared the clear the barn and built this awful steel structure the bomb the the car then had to come out and we popped it in here when it was built um think about if you're sitting out of the yard here somewhere between the old bomb laying down and this being built is it because you bought it in the 80s I bought it at 85 my brother-in-law and my sister were at that time um living in Cross mcglenn in Northern Ireland Jack was commanding his Battalion there and so we thought we'll drive up to Liverpool have a look at this car no commit commitment to buy it yeah but we'll have a look at it and then we'll fly over to Belfast and then go on and see Jack and um spend a fortnight there and then come back if needs to be anyway I had a look at it I thought oh yeah definitely this is the biz um and it's a beautiful car because um it it is very very quick it's got a beautiful engine and um so I immediately fell in love with it so we finished our time in Northern Ireland came back and I drove it back home I honestly believe that I felt fresher getting out of the car when I got home than I did getting into the car in Liverpool was it that comfortable it was incredible because they're built for high speed smooth high speed Grand Touring yes that's sort of correct very aerodynamic yeah and flush this of course it's not um there's no power steering anything it's it's old school driving yeah um but my goodness me that it's got a Chrysler Marine engine beautiful thing so your car history is interesting yeah because I've turned up here and you've got you've got an electric mini got a lovely looking C-Class estate yeah and a BMW 6 series The Chris bangle six series yes that's right uh which is another lovely motor actually that was my present to myself when I retired I retired into uh 2005. yeah and I thought what should I do I know I'll give myself a present and you bought them and I bought the six series what do you think the future holds for the the Bristol it's been with you for 40 years yeah is he gonna stay um until I you know until I out I think so my wife will get shot of it the day I die I think I'm not surprised in here I mean she has no desire for that I'm guessing you weren't expecting to leave it in there quite so long no I'd always thought um once my son and daughter got to a certain age I was to get it out and we'd start driving it again it wouldn't matter so much they weren't any seat belts at the back um but as as it happened um you know other more glorious cars have come and gone and um you know that one's just been rather you know neglected yeah to my shame actually yeah because it should have been looked after better I did restore it uh in about 93 I think it was um it went took it down to the local garage um in in Newtown okay uh they were enthusiased and they did a really cracking job actually so it was given a really really good going over um I suppose 10 000 quid or something at the time um and um but you know I was driving you know 740s and BMW 740s and that sort of stuff um there's a much more modern cars yeah much more modern car and it's a beauty as well so yeah let's blip the door so it's been here this is the mid 80s and it really got put away because when Robert had children no back seat belts probably frowned upon decided to park it up and then come back in a couple of years time and that couple of years is 40. that happens though it's going to move these bits [Music] [Music] so I think part of its life is not how to cover on it and then they've put a cover on it so it's got dust on the cover and dust on the car and a tow bar it's a practical Bristol I want to say if you're someone that's thinking of parking a car up for 40 years and then calling me to get it out make it accessible it just makes it so much easier this is good it's not buried under a load of stuff gosh so you can see one of the unique features of the Bristol it's coming through it's sort of like eczema the body shell is all aluminum but it's obviously reactive with moisture with the cover maybe being on it old paint and it's you can see it's it's blistered all over the place but this is a lovely two-tone like a maroon and black and again these the badges on it they're gorgeous they are really really gorgeous the Bonnet badge is great and this one's gorgeous as well now what I do know is up until about 12 hours ago they didn't know where the keys were but luckily the keys have been found and that door was unlocked I think but I was just worried about getting the ignition unlocked and stuff so I'm gonna go and have a look inside and then we'll have a look in the engine bay and then we'll see if the tires hold any air I'm not holding out a great deal of Hope look at the tire there what are these are michelins aren't they front was Michelin xzxes 185 16s so again 16 inch wheels quite unusual nowadays back then it was a sign of a very very important car and as it is always the way with Bristols when you start to look carefully it's a bit of a who's who of like other car parts bins so I can tell at the back here this fin this shape and definitely the rear light cluster is from a Hillman Hillman Minx of the same period smells amazing it does smell so leathery in that way that grand old cars do right let me wind this window down in case I can't yeah see this is another sign of a beautiful cut look how well geared look at the gearing on that that's like two cranks and it's all the way down that's lovely it looks in really good condition in here um you can see the push button automatic so these buttons here control the auto gearbox talk flight gearbox because American Chrysler engine American Transmission they didn't do a manual of this era I'm pretty sure but this part worries me it's been stored with a handbrake cup which you know you know that means we're going to be climbing under the back of the car imminently and unseason breaks but it's lovely headlining is really good amazing back seats the way they're sculpted in especially the armrests there's this huge well of storage into the rear quarter panel carpets look good can't see um can't see signs of of evil rodents which is good and and the other thing I've found see a load of vouchers on the floor the shell 1986 promotion commotion whatever the hell that is there's loads of them and a vintage can of vintage can of WD-40 that'll still work I'll probably need that in a minute ah now that's okay so this is this is the wrist this is the cut this is the the care advice slip for that this car cover yeah I thought it was um it says stainless systems I was just wondering whether or not the car does have a stainless exhaust because the the tailpipes look like they made a stainless certificates of motor insurance from that expires in 1986 I bet that's when it was put in here I bet that's when you when you put in here so here it is Robert while you've been out I've uh I've pulled the cover off managed to get the door open this this button is jammed we but it opens I'll tell you what's really nice is the the way the door shuts and opens look I know it's perfect it's really really nice very reassuringly solidly built actually and also what's reassuring is I don't think mice have been living in it I would put money on them being in there yeah I'm quite it's pretty good and those seats yeah yeah which it really is like a Doomsday Book it's incredible the instruction manual and I'm gonna I'll actually be able to use this for a bit of reference because my knowledge of these cars is low right just because it's I mean I've never beautifully put together a manual too yeah I mean not that I've you know I'm in any kind of engineer but yes no talk to me about these I think in the car they look at that special I haven't got a clue I've been missing that for 30 years this one however is to open the wing the battery is behind here um after the length of time who knows if it'll open but uh r d what condition it's hinged under here oh yes and so you know you you put the um key and under there somewhere I can't see it and this opens the whole of the side of this wing and there'll be a battery in there but I expected acid everywhere let's have a look here sorry there we go there we go is that it I think so one side is it's probably a bit seized it might be there we go I think that's it yeah that's it okay so it's a strategy and there's a there's a socket in here as well for a regular light do you know what the this is the wiring loom isn't it yeah that's right that actually looks in really sound order okay so I have oh bloody up but you know what that I mean that that's rubber yeah all the rubber seals that are gone I mean look around the windscreen it's turned into a licorice all sort yeah but that's okay yeah no it's it's that's what happens no it's not it's looking fairly fairly positive that's all good when was the last time we looked at the engine oh 30 years ago okay there we go so it's a proper engine there's a proper Bonnet lemon heck yeah that's a seriously long Bonnet isn't it the old Chrysler made them properly they did so there's something that's been I mean there's something looks like it might have been nesting in here there's nuts crisp packets and leaves hopefully they've eaten nothing but crisps and nuts and not wiring well this is a pretty powerful engine for his time pretty perfect so Marine there's a Chrysler Marine V5 I mean V8 yeah five liter yeah beautiful car I don't know my way around the small block so well but I have a Dodge which has similar era uh attention on that yeah so probably what I'll do is I'll take the air cleaner off to have a look at the carb see where the um see where the fuel comes in I can get to plugs down here Smith's yeah and there's the there's the Bristol plaque there yep they do these things really well somewhere around here and I cannot remember where it is there's an electric socket in it to plug in your whatever razor or something or other really yeah there it's a three pin little little three that's it three pin round pin now I've brought the trusty piece of technology that I always use but I've been bullied into using this by the people behind the camera so let's do this because we don't have all day means I can spend a bit more time on the um on the engine seems too easy it's too easy these cars were designed to cruise at about 120 miles an hour with your Michelin X radial 175 R16s oh I'm not sure I would do 120 with these it's what's certainly not these ones I think to use a technical term I think this Tire's wanked but uh we'll see we'll see look at that there's a lot of other balls under here reckoner cricket ball maybe a squash ball and a tennis ball [Music] [Music] 21 PSI just for the time being I can't believe that's holding it here you can't buy these yet but you will they come in they're in development right now I'm not joking [Music] this man is called Rob not to be confused with Robert who owns the car but he is Robert's future son-in-law and it's his fault that I'm here because you persuaded Robert to let me come and have a look at his Bristol so hey I want to say thank you for that no worries he's also quite handy with the spanners so while I'm trying to do some stuff here uh Robert's going to put Rob sorry not Robert he's gonna put um a different battery on there I've also got a jump pack just in case and we've got leads because we don't know how much cranking may or may not take place uh I'm gonna bypass the fuel system after doing a couple of checks I've just taken the distributor cap off Captain good Nick rotor arms in good Nick points look good so linkage has been freed up for the carburetor oil is in good condition I may take all the plugs out I'm going to just do decide on that in a sec I'm not promising a damn thing though I'm not see what happens yeah tell you what what I will say about Bristols quirky or not quirky they're really well made yeah so it's pretty solid Everything feels very substantial I like it oh I might clear out the uh little home hopefully no residence in there but hopefully they've not been dining out on all the important parts of the car they've been all the wiring yeah I don't I don't think I think we're all right but it does all look remarkably intact there's eight spark plugs you don't need to see me do all eight of them if you're watching this thinking I know someone that's got an old car somewhere that might be of interest let me know contact us there's an email address in the description far away I'm all ears or maybe like Rob here when we get to the barn find he says actually I know of another car it's just in the Hedge over there is another car in the Hedge over there it's not quite as interesting nevertheless it's still a car in a hedge I'll have a look at it in a minute [Music] foreign [Applause] [Music] what's better than a barn find it's finding two this is a real Barn it's not strictly in there but we're obviously we've come here for the Bristol but there's a bonus look apparently it's been here for probably 50 years and I don't even know what it is I think it's an Austin of some sort um pre-war the front's falling off it and it's actually propping up this has fallen onto it poor thing probably never going to go back on the road again but just goes to show there's always something it's always something lurking in the bushes right we've left one plug out we're going to see whether we get a spark but we've disconnected the fuel line there is actually fuel to do in the fuel lines amazing but we don't want that to go into the carb because it's probably very old and not combustible the monkey Rob's gonna sit in the driver's seat turn the key see if we have dash lights yep and if we have dash lights then we know that the starter will probably start and then if we've got a spark then we'll introduce fresh fuel that's the science all right let's see what happens let's see if we get any fuel coming out and any sparking look Spark whoa well the electric cooling fan works I didn't know it had one oh it's got It's called a pair of electric fans so of course there's no crank driven fan how silly of Me Okay so the fans of Fanning bloody hell do you know where the is there a fan button there's loads of switches but none of them are labeled well it's a Bristol thing it's dead Bristol people are too cool to have labeled switches that's what that is the lights working are they oh no yeah yeah yeah that's full beam isn't it these are full what only one light isn't working who said British engineering's crap I'll tell you what I'll do I'll put a cloth over the carburetor I don't mind me getting Dusty I just don't want dust in the car yeah right let's just do it I've got the carb covered up I'm willing to get a face full in the name of in the name of YouTube you wanted me to crank it over yeah yeah just a little like like two or three seconds you ready okay well that that loosened off quickly enough a bit of a discussion going on slightly frustratingly we've gone through the process of it and um we can't get a spark at the spark plugs so I'm going to go back through methodically and re-clean the uh points re-clean the um uh distributor cap contacts and reclean some of the plugs it's turning over nicely really freely and um everything else seems to be in place but that's the issue so before we can introduce fuel we've got to make sure we've got spark otherwise the sort of no point we're running out of time which is annoying and if I want to drag it outside I know I've got to unseize the brakes I have been putting that off because it is a horrible job but I just wanted to see if we could strike the thing up first but you never know you never know what a car is going to be like when it's been sat for 30 years swine are you both making a noise yeah you are there is a spot there's two yeah there's a spot sure there yeah yeah definitely 100 foreign [Music] no spark take a spark plug out of the GT6 plug it in there see if we get a spark on the proper spark plug new plug yeah [Music] hey go that's right so it's the point if the points are definitely sharp yeah and now take the lead off the middle of the distributor cap the king lead yeah and get somebody to hold that you know five mil away from the block or whatever right so it's still a connected to the coil so put that King lead somewhere near the the block or a shiny bit of metal right oh I see yeah yeah okay all right let's just try that Greg ignition on yeah yeah as is the way with barn finds sometimes it all gets a bit frantic and a bit annoying and um you just got to try everything or you run out of ideas which is why you phone a friend slash brother and Greg's just explained some tests we can run and we have got albeit 30 week spark but we have got sparks so now we're going to introduce fuel new fuel not old fuel and let's just see what happens we'll give it the strongest starting power that we can we give it the freshest E5 yeah let's see let's see what happens [Music] okay let's see if the Bristol wants to fire yeah already yeah ready ignition on yeah okay firing now oh okay right well that's trying that is trying that is trying I think it's time to get the can of Hope [Applause] I don't think there'll ever be a barn find where I go home not smelling of fuel so the old Chrysler engine is a mechanical fuel pump this is not a pressurized fuel injected car it's just carb old school so I can't leave the can of Hope running with the electric fuel pump because this is really for a pressurized system so I'm just going to give it a quick tickle like this clear yeah come on you beautiful Hound ready yeah [Music] that's running on maybe six or seven doesn't matter it's running it well let's see if I was if I was Manning the uh the fuel so if we do that again I can just tweak the your fuel pump are we ready yep give it a quick tick on this okay sounds all right sounds all right Dynamo is making some pretty aggressive I can see that the Dynamo is sparking on the back foreign yeah that sounds all right listen to that [Music] it's lovely yes it is actually that is really lovely so nice does this sound nice it sounds great actually yeah I mean it's yeah it's everything you fall in love with over yeah it's what you fell in love with 40 years ago I did yeah the uh the fridge has taken a bit of a oh yeah there's a large black box your freezers one of Robert's chest freezers might have just taken one for the team go around the back and have a look [Music] against quite a few odds the barn find Bristol 408. is running really nicely the tires have stayed up no we haven't driven it outside now we haven't cleaned it we just decided to invest our time in trying to get the V8 to fire it's lovely Robert stood there going let me know I haven't heard that for a while I hope you've enjoyed this episode of the late break show if you've got a car that you thinks of interest in a hedge in a real Barn in a garage wherever let us know there's an email address in the description below if you haven't subscribed already go and subscribe why not I dare you I smell a fuel it's all right isn't it

Channel: The Late Brake Show

Views: 834,081

Keywords: jonny smith barn find, carpervert, the late brake show, rare british car, garage find, will it run?, abandoned garage, barnfind, car dereliction, carchaeology, classic car discovery, classic car garage find, derelict cars, rare old car, survivor car, british garage find, will it start?, garage find rescue, chrysler v8 sound, cold start barn find, quirky car, bristol cars, classic car rescue, forza barn finds, aluminium cars, rarest classic cars in the world, V8

Id: PzSUOSv3kmY

Length: 28min 42sec (1722 seconds)

Published: Sun May 28 2023