VW Bus | Full Episode | S2E03 | Classic Car Rescue

in this episode of classic car rescue Barry oh and Bernie take on their most adventurous project yet to VW Microbus but when Mario buys a rust bucket that Bernie's never seen ten rounds I'm interested in the honeymoon is over and this bus is taking everyone on a bad trip can they turn it around in time to impress a car expert whose appraisal will be the benchmark for success or failure [Applause] meet Bernie Fineman a no-nonsense cockney mechanic with over 40 years experience in the trade he's teamed up with Mario pacion e500 for a toronto-based car dealer who buys and sells anything for the right price five grand tops united by their love of classic cars fantastic and separated by pretty much everything else relax they're on a mission to get neglected classics back on the road but only if they can agree on which road to take Mario's persuaded Bernie to come to his hometown of Toronto for their next rescue project a vehicle therefore once in agreement of ho the iconic Volkswagen Transporter better known as the microbus you know these buses are worth a fortune I've seen it for twenty thirty thousand I've seen some 450 thousand looking vehicle the so many things you could do to them you could put sink idiot I know kitchen it and you put Betty there as well gonna do your cooking no bear free love yeah well they don't do domestics free love I can handle the VW bus can trace its origins back to the late 1940s when a Dutch Volkswagen dealer named Ben pond send in suggestions for a rear-engine commercial vehicle by 1949 the concept had been launched and in a few years what we recognize as the microbus had started to appear all over the world a legend was born the pre-1968 split-window models are especially desirable and with fully restored buses commanding upward of $30,000 bernie and mario could be on to a winner oh and your ad about Volkswagen bus you only have one bus left Mario has been on the hunt for the right bus at the right price for weeks but with VW Transporter in a good condition commanding such high prices suitable wrecks are like gold dust and it needs full restoration finally there's a glimmer of hope when Mario gets a tip-off from one of his many contacts about some abandoned buses in a remote scrapyard 150 kilometers west of Toronto bring this place is yogge of a case it's not the spinning me just say seat Oh scuse me help you just not one thing here you can actually store well if you had 25 years you got some buses here Volkswagen old buses old is an understatement that's what you're looking for yeah these ones mariya we must be on bleating drugs my this is absolutely at it these are beyond restoration Volkswagen vans well I got a another one on the other side of the yard hope is better than that one there's nothing wrong with this one you know often I love I don't want to see your accent I don't understand it most time let's go Chet's a call back that's cool these are absolute wrecks we want that always merrier thinking I'm a mechanic I'm not damn archaeologists here it is or yours this so 1974 this thing sir you have an I love more are 1670 Somali I said absolute bleeding lake what do you want for this thing for you guys 1500 what 1501 550 nuns a sense I mean what play is this guy from asking a type of money for these wakes huh give me a thousand you can have it guys got great sense of humor yeah in your dreams forget it let's go Barry it's like it's there but thank you as well we spent all summer looking for the Y bus we got our hands somewhere there's got to be something to be honest I think we should give up on this and just find something else disheartened Bernie heads back to the UK leaving Mario to person a elusive microbus on his own and all fairness there isn't a lot of these buses in Canada that's a little frustrated I can't find one mario's struggled to find the right bus proves just how collectible the older split-window models have become in 63 years of production over 10 million VW transporters were built in a wide variety of configurations panel vans comm bees flatbeds utility vehicles even an ambulance the most valuable are the deluxe models also known as Sammis that have up to 23 windows one of these beauties was sold in an auction in 2011 for over $200,000 but if you want to get back to nature the bus conversion made by German coachbuilders Westphalia pulls in the big bucks and when one goes on the market just outside Toronto Muriel knows he has to move fast what year is it exactly I need a split window 66 oh great you know what I come on see you man we can do something back in the UK birdies were in about Mario betting the rack without him please please be very careful with the rush don't find me one is completely rusted Bernie don't worry you know me I always buy good stuff [Music] Damien yeah hi Mariel all right nice three called you about the bus yeah for sale I just got it over there looks pretty rough man a little bit of work floors rusted the doors rusted he's been in a war man man is rust here it's an old vehicle it's gonna have a little bit of rust on it everywhere look this sides rusted to I open the door and there's a hole right through the floor right to the ground rust but what I'm gonna do I must have looked at a half a dozen of them make sure the transmissions are falling out no the transmission shifts I don't know buddy what's with these doors holy I have another set of doors where are they there are inside under everything they're in really good condition what the interior did somebody throw a bomb in there broken wood wood chunks it looks like somebody just dumped a whole bin of garbage in there let's go look at the engine with a rusted body and a rotten interior the bus is looking like another waste of time it runs it runs fin runs I'm interested in it all hinges on the 50-year old engine sounds pretty good for a 50 year old Volkswagen Buster's what'd I tell you it ran when we started it I was happy it was all about making a deal next the horn works running through our runs but it's a rust bucket okay so what do you want this thing you're looking for a ten yeah I know what you're asking I don't like the price I'll give you five grand for I'll take that here oh there's no way not five grand have you seen many of these a lot of phone calls on it is anybody here I don't see anybody here it's just me sixty-five hundred bucks I do the casual way right no I can't do it for 65 and you got to do better than that well you got to do better than that two butts just said you know let's give and take eight thousand no look the interior is literally couture Haines Grenada the damn thing I'm gonna give you a final price I give you 7,500 bucks - yeah after a grueling two-month search mario has finally picked up a VW bus for $7,500 but it's not exactly in mint condition the next day the bus arrives at the garage and mechanic diego isn't impressed thanks for buying me a cart Mariel barrier works on a farm or in a circus cuz if boss can be used at either place it's a 66 split window Volkswagen bus bird breva know about this carry someone Bernie knows I write the checks not him don't worry about open up early Diego who is a loon head mechanics at isn't happy either I can tell right away that this bus is a really rough shape these doors are be scrapped look it just needs a or woodwork upholstery work a little TLC all the guys at garages are looking at the bus right now think it's a piece of junk yeah the bus needs a lot of work but they're worth a lot of money look pop it up let's have a look this actually runs marathons perfectly don't yell and there's rust below here I got rest up the top yeah rusted bumper all I see is rust rust everywhere rust on the windows rest on the wheel wells rust on the rocker panels I'm seeing more rust than metal on this thing that's bad around the windshield we're gonna take these out the mechanics are complaining hey that's what they do but Bernie's flying back today I think he's gonna really like this bus cue birdie straight off the plane for London and not in the best of moods hey partner how was your flight I was tired di Tracy hungry so how much you pay for it I got a great deal on this thing a great deal man Mario how about you pay for it that was our server what server you paid seventy five hundred yeah for this runs beautifully you are your true that's a deal and a half now it's what a whole front beam is rotten it's what may up that bus is as rotten as a bleedin pear yeah that's good chipping away at this metal this thing's just falling apart there's nothing there there's concrete you holding the front of it together silk bag is gone yeah I'll tell you I've seen a bad sack but that is absolutely ludicrous my last words to Mario whoa are you going by that VW please stop by rust bucket the citizen to me and the news doesn't get any better we checked out the steering yeah anything oh yeah oh right got kingpins right bleedin favorite these off oh that's dangerous it's got so much funny playing modern steering mechanisms use flexible ball joints to make steering easier and give a more comfortable ride but some older vehicles like the micro bus use what is called a kingpin as a steering pivot point because the kingpin supports the weight of the vehicle if it's worn out the whole wheel could collapse serious consequences replacing the kingpin yeah he's taking apart the transporters oil drum brakes not a solid job everything's probably stick tadka access to that belly dancer then sad has a light bulb moment if we're gonna do all that why don't we just go to a front disc brake conversion you've hit the pause available that's not my problem that's bears fault updating a brakes will make the bus safer but adds yet another job to an ever-growing list Frank lines shown in a panel is on that side shop now a panel shop outriggers shop fun kingpins gone he's both a bus it's the wrong bus I had a dream about this all right we're gonna redo the upholstery you're putting me to sleep oh I kinda hate on you look tired go get some rest yeah thanks with Bernie off to get some much-needed beauty sleep Muriel has free rein to pile on the pressure how long do we have us four weeks more like six months never seen the calendar Muriel four weeks twenty thirty days four weeks start making a list cuz I'm looking for parts already okay Bernie's gonna come and help you let's get to it thanks oh my god I can't never see the finished product okay so it needs work but they're very collectible that's what we do we buy collectible cars fix them up and we sell them to get this micro bus rolling again the guys will have to carry out major body work cutting out rust and welding the frame solid fix the kingpins and add front disc brakes replace front and side window plows refurbished the interior and strip and respray the entire body if the four week schedule wasn't tight enough Mario's set a budget of just $18,000 to maximize the profit he's hoping to make the first job is stripping the bus down to its bare bones while the exterior of the bus may be salvageable that's more than for the interior interns rotted pile of junk was it tossed in the garbage and Starfy scratcher why the true expend some energy on the bus Mary oak gets to work tracking down the parts they'll need to make it safe to drive sat wants into a front this brake conversion on the bus it's recommended to use Porsche parts soon there's been a close connection between Porsche and VW since the beginning both are air-cooled vehicles that share design heritage in fact it was ferdinand porsche who designed the original volkswagen beetle in the 1930s thanks Ana de we don't have a lot of buses but we have a lot of Porsches thanks a furious north of Toronto is a Porsche experts who just might be willing to make a deal for what more Porsche is for fasciae it's not a Porsche it's a 66 split window Volkswagen bus and I want to put front disc brakes on it I actually do get a number of calls people call me asking for Porsche parts but there's the conversation per se as it is up it's really for a Volkswagen could be lawless as a Porsche 911 that may be just what Mario needs for parts and ever the dealer he immediately spots a money-making opportunity what's the story with this somebody started a restoration and bailed on me so I really got to get rid of this thing it's taking up space and how much you want for this thing anyway 3,500 is just the car the calipers are coming off and actually if I have a brand new set they referred to this restoration package in the shop if you throw in a calipers I'll take it out today let me see these calipers where are they well let's go see them I know I can make money on this poor Spartan it out I got the front this brakes for free perfect afternoon ladies and gentlemen back at a workshop of bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Bernie returns to a considerably less perky team what the hell as you can see we can use any of this stuff not only is the interior shot the extra side doors that Mario was assured we're in good condition are anything but these two doors they're garbage I can't work with these they're completely trashed it's anything salvageable this bloody thing it's all garbage the inside is as bad as the body we've got a strip every single part of that car there's nothing that we've taken out we can reuse listen if we check the roof you know yet we'll have a look and the icing on the cake there's nothing there I don't blame Barry falafel this place as a job that's why I like to do with Mario take his head off my shoulders and I gather do that with it am I worried at the moment yeah I am a bit why because all we've got is a bare interior I don't know what the hell we're going to do with it is that again every single thing on that list and if you don't this Pierre Court is scrapped by the best part of that VW bus that's the most salvageable bloody bit well we can hang that on your neck I'll make your necklace or something you got our artwork there to do sunshine you buy it I do I do man let's get on with it Hey having put Mario in his place burning returns to the workshop to help apprentice Tammy remove the engine while it still runs at nearly fifty years of age it's going to need a complete rebuild so they begin the painstaking job of stripping it down piece by piece the rest of the bus now a bare shell is being shipped off to be prepared for the extensive bodywork it will need to make it roadworthy soda-blasting is a highly specialized and expensive treatment that uses a high pressure sodium bicarbonate spray to remove paint and rust that can't be stripped with a mechanical grinding it's fast so Mario's prepared to spend the cash as he's banking on the microbus to rake in a big profit but it'll need to be totally restored to generate the interest so how did this modest vehicle become such an international crowd pleaser simply put it was the first commercial van small enough to function as an efficient people mover and single-handedly invented the automotive category now known as the minivan roomy reliable and inexpensive by the late 1960s it had become synonymous with the free-love counterculture sweeping north america decked out in psychedelic paint jobs microbuses became the go-to vehicle for getting hippies to festivals and surf dudes to the beach while entirely practical in conception the microbus came to symbolize nonconformity and freedom to a generation but this sixties relic is in dire need of a facelift so mario has brought the distinctive nose badge and other pieces of trim to a specialist for chrome plating first the badge is sand blasted to remove any rust or dirt then is polished to a smooth finish before being dipped in a series of electrochemical baths first up is a copper base plate followed by nickel plating and finally chrome when buffed to a mirror finish it's hard to believe that this badge has been around for almost half a century back at the workshop the soda blasted bus has returned but there's a bit less of it than there was before I think Bernie the meth despot peppered I know it's so-so either way it's just totally an athlete look at it down there the whole rockers gotta be done you can put your hand right through here this bus was bad before it went for a soda blasting and now that it's back it's even worse look how many times they patched the floor already one two three four five already a week into their four-week schedule this is the worst news for the team that's completely gone by the way so we can't even put a screen back in there other other what to say no I'd know why if the I go no why this should get done in time this bus might be German but right now it looks like Swiss cheese with the clock ticking a bus full of holes and an engine to rebuild it's all hands on deck body expert David begins the arduous task of removing all the rotten metal revealed by the soda blossom the amount of thought on this VW bus is just unbelievable from front to back I don't like that it was one sonic panel replacement panels are cut with a plasma torch and shaped to fit before being welded into place meanwhile diego crocks on with removing the wheels so they can get at the kingpins and install the new disc brakes everything's running like a well-oiled machine until the oil runs out one of the rear wheels is stuck fast and not even a little light persuasion Diego style is shifting it the wheel hub is hopelessly seized to the end of the axle so the mechanics try to loosen it with an old trick of the trade applying heat to expand a metal hub passionately up smoke everywhere guys the hub sees done how am I supposed to get it off why use a bloody shy very the burst of Lucy's whoa yeah professional guys for take care do it your story yourself daddy my estimation too much heat things go wrong right let's see if we can get this done look one two three [Music] and we're giving it some really giving you sub bashing this slide Amma this bastard white mode who comes over the distance by two bad pennies Saturn Diego how's this working for you yeah we're still few - bloody goons one of e3 up to a million bloody degree C and distorted it it might have come off properly at least now we've got the right tool right but it still ain't move its are you gonna do it I'm gonna cut it off exactly Oh cut it off simply say you want to do it you could do better believe them get on with a joke on son we got another cup of coffee come on Thomas let these jokers get on with it put the thing up to a real man say would you I understand burgers old-school and he's got his own methods to get this off but he just doesn't understand this drum has completely seized on [Music] this thing's taken forever I've never seen a drum seized this bad [Music] [Music] how's it going guys Bernie almost there yeah yeah yeah you said that half an hour ago my second cup of coffee there's still time and whacking and banging they still ain't got the damn thing off there's a drum Bernie that's about as tight as Mario's wallet that thing the Swain guy with the last laugh me listen and learn my tools right job [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] I'm looking for some interior pieces door cards seat covers benches stuff like that [Music] how much of the seat covers buddy I'm gonna live with this thing every time I see it the metal work is beautiful it's like a brand-new bus now I just envisioned it with mice down-up interior some nice mag wheels speaking of which what are we doing with it here well I thought we use some of the old one you know clean it up or something well that old interior had mold on it I threw it all garbage really is that bad it's garbage come on oh we're gonna do I'll build you one what give me the clipboard how those you one thing wide now your master carpenter do you know that here's some bill kitchens for the late 20 years barbecue for sure I'll be able to cook fridge fridge put his pullout drawer the meat slicer TV yeah for the pursuit you got to put a bed of some sorts of it Oh king-size bed and I don't fancy be possible what's right I say we do two seats one on each side Papo table table table yeah go said you could do the interior but I'll tell you saying if he came I'll give him a pat on the back for doing that that is one hell of a job beautiful then for you how long you think it's gonna take to do we care know how this done you get all of this done in one weekend make it two let's do it go away bye son [Music] [Music] this is a 1959 double door panel bus Plus is 78 champagne she's been called the Taj Mahal of Volkswagen buses I don't care if it runs out of gas we're breaks down you got a bike to peddle humph you've got a skateboard in the back just Gabe or home or if you're deaf to the bass you can kiss the south breaking surf yeah you know what hey come on man I got everything covered I bought like three hundred bottles of nail polish we just like it to be sparkly so that when the Sun hits it it has a little bling [Music] [Applause] drag there's nothing else like a Volkswagen show there's just something about it that is you go home and you're just renewed the Volkswagen bus really symbolizes freedom and I think it attracts people who are attracted to freedom we've refurbished all the air-cooled parts of this VW engine yeah we put a couple little bits of bling to make it a little bit nicer but all the big air tower and everything else we've sent away and we're adding powder cause it may look like new I want to bring this bus into the 21st century there's no factory anymore and we can't get everything we need so we got to customize it it's gonna have a new funky interior that's current it's gonna have this great paint job white and blue it's been look awesome I like this blue I like this one I like this [Music] nice well I need two side doors new or used how much [Music] Adrian Mario's nothing is not reserved especially when it comes to saving money I bet listen if the force connection worked and sourcing the brakes it can work again to find the doors and this time mario has the old Porsche 911 he bought four parts to use his leverage huh are you looking for a project car I'm always interested in the project about this great car a 79 911 coupe it's a great project car ends rare I know worth big bucks got my interest yeah I'll make it a deal I'll tow it here if you don't like it I'll tow it out listen I remember you worked on some Volkswagen stuff beagles are busted yeah yeah I need some doors for this 66 Volkswagen bus okay give me a car for five grand huh I need your help getting these doors badly you're thinking dig him up yeah I gotta make some calls though okay but if the doors are around I should be able to get him for you back at the garage with less than a week to go until the deadline Diego's almost finished the material taking a well-earned breather to test out some of the buses new gadgets so walking to the workshop but I thought hang on they don't sound like they're better ing this is going it's Diego hey Bernie what's up you're just in time Hey and such standing there don't you go Mustard's out of it yeah that's important is it kosher it is no this is the barbecue mm we'll get some sausages we'll do some killing this is unbelievable wrench works slicer works too atmosphere Mario's post came up trumps oh my god aren't they beautiful so in the end Adrian ground me down to 4,200 bucks for the portion adding carob I don't have to pay 3500 bucks for the top I got two doors from Adrian which were just beautiful that's a thousand bucks I see I got calipers from Alex and all the brakes for the front of the bus there's another thousand bucks so I save 2,000 bucks and it's still in my genes for once it seems like a win-win situation more importantly with the new doors fitted the bus can move into the final phase of its rescue the paint job this is a big job I mean it's a two-tone bus completely white and we got a painted blue underneath it has to get done in two days we got to get it done in time [Music] 48 hours later the bus is transformed [Applause] Wow absolutely beautiful I knew those colors were going to be great without a fantastic job of that metal look absolutely stunning lovely he's a nicest color I've seen their long talk and no more rust for now shine on that thing this is that on low bore to them high with just two days to go before the deadline the team races against the clock to get the bus back together [Music] [Applause] down to the wire the team works late into the night to get the newly customized interior is [Applause] I'll tell you saying that bus the way it looks now is absolutely the bee's knees it looks beautiful and I'll tell you sorry that bus is not a rescue that is a total restoration against all odds the team finish on time you're waiting a bit of laughing good I'm fixing the linkage for worse that's sticking apparently dear go fix the clutch cable linkage obviously not gives ahead and try it what am i a circus bear how am I gonna set the side side man hurry up in this thing and get this thing done oh oh oh my god gee you idiot what the oh yeah I can't find it look at this man what's the matter with you I told you going reverse that was a bit of a tight squeeze you don't I'm trying to get the shifter over a thousand reverse but was in first like dad push it back here we'll put this tray here anyway dude what did holy crap brings your freak out man is this supposed to be done already and on this rare occasion mario has arrived at the workshop ahead of berlin what's that noise I heard wishes hey what the is that the toolbox is in the way don't bolt a book pal Tweedledee and Tweedledum who are seasoned mechanics could drive the stupid bus into a bench I don't know absolutely ridiculously you guys get this thing fixed immediately alright I'll deal with Bernie with just hours left before the all-important test-drive Dugald has to pull out all the stops quite literally once he's pulled the front of the bus back into shape he smooths over the surface with filler before sending the bus back into this gravy for a last-minute touch-up and burning the wiser incredible as it may seem in just four weeks the team has taken a tired rust bucket and made it into a thing of beauty but it was an epic the bus has been stripped and sold a classic its frame and body made sound modern disc wigs have replaced the outdated drums the 50 year old engine has been completely refurbished and revamped it's been given a stunning two-tone paint job and new trim and an entirely new custom interior but have they made a profit Mary oh and Bernie a brought former racing driver and classic car expert Paul O'Neill to Toronto he's forgotten more about cars than most of us ever knew Paul tests and assesses all Bernie and Mario's cars before passing his report on to a number of independent appraisers to determine whether the guys are looking at a profit or a loss the final value given to the boys will be an average of those valuations Oh what if we got a condo on wheels I'm excited Jackie wrote Oh can I say about this bus you're gonna love it moving or standing still I knew Paul was gonna love us I love the color oh yes oh that is fully custom done but looks aren't everything I love it a bus has to get you to your next far-flung adventure Wow what's in that that looks a bit special whoa actually we use 90 percent of all the parts of the original injury collectors to cut a little bit of bling where do you see this oh wow when you want a barbecue pull that out I'm gonna Barbie here there you go like a polity boss mind if I take you to dry [Applause] well straightaway this is an array scarf this is not one used to it's a beautiful beautifully detailed boss that the guys have given me to drive Bernie and the boys have done such a good job of this engine it's surpassed the expectations I add third gear lots of throttle and it pulls I'm on it I can power up on it the brakes work well the twin Safari windows are a spectacle from the outside it's not the best at turning corners there's a lot of steering input has to be put in to turn the bus around the really tight vent it is what it is it ain't a race car you bought at the same time it's for adventure so the feeling of the driving is about having your friends with you and having the time of your life that's what it's all about [Music] back at the garage Mario and Bernie wait for Paul to deliver the all-important valuation the custom interior looks great but came at a cost will it be worth the heartache they bought the bus for $7,500 they spent 14700 on parts and another 8,000 on labor even factoring in Mario's small profit on the poorer she sold they blew the budget by $4,000 and need an appraisal of 29,500 just to break even hey voice over - Paul what a great fan just lovely everything about the bus is unbelievable color is great chrome detail is striking the interior is exceptional looks like you've put your heart and soul into it and I think that's what the boss is about so see we think of that thank you look at that Hey that is brilliant that is a profit that is some profit fantastic a thirty nine thousand three hundred dollar appraisal means the boys walk away with a respectable profit of $9,800 let's take a drive to the beach a blunder the bus company's the same one is fantastic that color beautiful this thing looks exactly how I dreamed it would be real cool interior nice wheels runs great it looks like it came out of the box with this bus came in here a little a green moldy bread loaf now this thing is gorgeous I can't wait to take this thing for a spin we're not gonna get anywhere fast but you're gonna have a lot of fun getting there and if you're hungry you can always just pull over and have a little Barbie in the back [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] you [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Automotive Central

Views: 209,943

Keywords: wrecks, to, riches, watch, free, online, full, episodes, cars, hot, rods, dvd, series, mechanics, rebuilding, Barry, White, muscle, new, latest, mythbusters

Id: h3Xhw4fY7Ac

Length: 41min 52sec (2512 seconds)

Published: Tue May 12 2020