Just like a bad penny

[Guest Tony Hayers]

 

New Series coming in the next few weeks. Cars include a BMW 840, Sierra Cosworth and a Jensen Interceptor.

 

Cant Wait!

[dollywobbler]

Just like a penny. Eds or fails!

[brammy777]

Theyve done the Sierra Cosworth before, thatll make a fun comparison then, lets see how much Brewer can alter between the two.Anyone remember Panic Mechanics? It was on BBC a few years ago, Edd China and Andy Saunders would get a pair of contestents and they would build a custom car from a normal one, for example:Reliant Robin Dragster and Range Rover racing car.They also had, at the start, a challenge where the contestents had to fix a fault on a car and drive it away before a tank ran it over.

[Station]

FFS, buy some grown up clothes Mr China.I think I'd like it more if it didn't feel like some amateurish lecture from a really underqualified teacher, when he didn't even find the substantial corrosion on the back of a Suzuki SJ even though he bolted a roll cage to it, making it totally unroadworthy and losing out thousands on a sale. Yes, I'd want this 'expert' to fix a car up before selling it on.

[warren t claim]

FFS, buy some grown up clothes Mr China.

His clothes supplier is one of the shows sponsors!

[autofive]

Jensen Interceptorthat should be interesting

[Tayne]

.

[Pete-M]

Jensen Interceptorthat should be interesting

Indeed, possibly the most irritating car in the world to work on. Everything should, in theory, be simple. Nothing ever is.Even something as easy as changing spark plugs is a ball-ache on 'em the first time, as you can get to about half from inside the engine bay, the rest are a combination of underneath the car and through wheel arches etc. Then there's the probably dead auto-box and the joys of removal. Early ones you had to chop out a crossmember to get the box out, later ones had a removable one - but if you try to do it on a two post lift you'll bugger the sills, on a four poster you won't get the bloody box out unless you're a Tetris champ.Most annoying thing is, even when you do get 'em running absolutely spot on, they're not all that good to drive. Certainly not as good as an SD1 V8.

[HillmanImp]

I do notice that the cars they buy require very little bodywork unlike any car that i have ever bought.

 

I do like the programme though. Its always a good watch, although they do seem to be happy replacing parts instead of repairing parts on them like the rest of us poor people have to do.

'The engine had some dirt on it, so i sent Mike to buy a whole new engine off a spares stockist at a stupidly low price partly because he was giving them free advertising, but mainly because he sucked their cock and swallowed'.

[HillmanImp]

Certainly not as good as an SD1 V8.

i don't believe you, although proof is in the pudding.

[Station]

'The engine had some dirt on it, so i sent Mike to buy a whole new engine off a spares stockist at a stupidly low price partly because he was giving them free advertising, but mainly because he sucked their cock and swallowed'.

 

I've always thought the parts they buy were overpriced? He should stick to ebay. I wonder if each project is filmed over a few months?

[shite_meister]

To be honest I think its an alright series, sure the Brewer could be slightly less irritating buy cooling the cocker-nee wide-boy act (he used to be like a wholesome choir-boy in the very early episodes of Deals on Wheels) and we all know that its not all quite as it seems behind the scenes and they need a reality check and the 'buyers' are more than a bit wooden but jesus what else do we have? some gawd awfull shite with the Vernon in it or some reality gobshite show?

[Minimad5]

I just seen one of the Brewer shows, and they had a Land Rover Discovery.He paid something like £140 odd quid for spotlights, could he not have brought any other ones ?They do seem to get high prices.I agree that the show is good, because what else is there on the vision of tele ?(Thats when i am actually watching it)

[brammy777]

Theyve done the Sierra Cosworth before,.

Are you sure?

Hold on, that was another series that Brewer was in, that I watched the other week when it was linked off of here, oh well. Still, I bet he will largely repeat himself.

[retrogeezer]

when he didn't even find the substantial corrosion on the back of a Suzuki SJ even though he bolted a roll cage to it

Made me laugh as you could even see the rust when he was fitting the roll cage!I'm really enjoying watching the reruns of deals on wheels at the moment. Just looking at the cars on the roads during test drives is worth the 20 minutes. I did post about it a couple of weeks ago actually.Oh, and I saw the one with our very own Mr Bickle the other day.

[AXrescuer]

Theyve done the Sierra Cosworth before, thatll make a fun comparison then.

You sure? I don't recall that one and there's certainly no Sierra Cosworth in my WD dvd collection. they did do a Merc 190 Cosworth though.

[jonny69]

Theyve done the Sierra Cosworth before, thatll make a fun comparison then, lets see how much Brewer can alter between the two.Anyone remember Panic Mechanics? It was on BBC a few years ago, Edd China and Andy Saunders would get a pair of contestents and they would build a custom car from a normal one, for example:Reliant Robin Dragster and Range Rover racing car.They also had, at the start, a challenge where the contestents had to fix a fault on a car and drive it away before a tank ran it over.

I remember that. My mate Paul led one of the teams, they did some yellow and pink off-road thing made out of an old Rover if I recall. It was down at his yard for ages.

[saabhappy]

The only Cosworth is a 2.3 Merc they did a good while ago - I can't remember any Fords apart from a Capri Laser. I've got just about all of them.I love the programme for entertainment and information, and the reaction of the workshop snobs who sneer at it is nearly as much fun. The Saab 900 they did was a help to me in many ways.Can't wait!

[Rocket88]

Ref Rover v8 against Chrysler 383 [interceptor lump]Rover 135 / 190 bhp [depending on spec]Chrysler 325 bhp**easily tunable to about 400 bhp.[hastily glosses over 6 mpg.............]"Restoring" an Interceptor will be worth watching......especially if they need panels!

[warren t claim]

Ref Rover v8 against Chrysler 383 [interceptor lump]Rover 135 / 190 bhp [depending on spec]Chrysler 325 bhp**easily tunable to about 400 bhp.[hastily glosses over 6 mpg.............]"Restoring" an Interceptor will be worth watching......especially if they need panels!

Maybe Pete was refering to his own SD1 which to be honest, is more of a TVR Cerbera Scenic Picasso than a standard 3500.

[shite_meister]

Ref Rover v8 against Chrysler 383 [interceptor lump]Rover 135 / 190 bhp [depending on spec]Chrysler 325 bhp**easily tunable to about 400 bhp.[hastily glosses over 6 mpg.............]"Restoring" an Interceptor will be worth watching......especially if they need panels!

But then the Rover V8 was 'only' a 215 cu in so its not comparing like-for-like in any way really.

[Rocket88]

Ref Rover v8 against Chrysler 383 [interceptor lump]Rover 135 / 190 bhp [depending on spec]Chrysler 325 bhp**easily tunable to about 400 bhp.[hastily glosses over 6 mpg.............]"Restoring" an Interceptor will be worth watching......especially if they need panels!

Apologies to Pete, didn't read his post properly, would agree SDI is a better drive, the old Bunsen Contraceptor was a bit of an old pig, especially when a bit "second hand". Bit like a very posh Scimitar, with many of the same problems [prone to catching fire, electrical gremlins, and overheating.........]

[boobydoo]

New Series coming in the next few weeks. Cars include a BMW 840, Sierra Cosworth and a Jensen Interceptor.

Yawn........ If they restored something interesting like a Yugo Sana, Fiat Argenta or Skoda S110R, I might watch it.

[Milford Cubicle]

That's not likely, but I did enjoy the earlier series when they used to tinker about with more mundane stuff like a Merc W123, and had a much lower budget.

[saabhappy]

"Yugo Sana, Fiat Argenta" are so interesting that audience figures would be in the low teens, like you might get 14 people watching with fewer than that for the repeats. They don't even approach "interesting" unless the word "not" or the prefix "un" appears first.

[Milford Cubicle]

Cheers for that, Mr. Logic.

[Pete-M]

Ref Rover v8 against Chrysler 383 [interceptor lump]Rover 135 / 190 bhp [depending on spec]Chrysler 325 bhp**easily tunable to about 400 bhp.[hastily glosses over 6 mpg.............]"Restoring" an Interceptor will be worth watching......especially if they need panels!

Ooooh, panels. Front wing - £540+ vat. Secondhand front bumper - £650 + vat for a mint one.Oh, and the Jensen I used to play with on was a tuned 440, not the piddling, housewife spec, 383. Both make my 256ci Rover seem a bit 'weak' when it comes to sheer poke though!The Interceptor was great fun on the few occasions it ran as it should, but the steering was utterly devoid of any feel whatsoever ( it did feature Bedford CF track rod ends..), the brakes alternated between mentally overservoed and suffering from hyuuuuge amounts of fade, This could be something to do with the combination of Landcrab pads, Rover P6 2000 calipers, a hyuuge brake servo, 1.7 tons or thereabout and a feckin' huge V8.The Jensen was brilliant on a sunny day. Put the roof down, bit of Burt Bacharach on the stereo, head to a country pub and have a meal whilst waiting for the RAC to give you a lift home.NOTE: Never take an Interceptor anywhere you can't get a mobile signal..The SD1 feels positively kart-like in comparison. Steers better, brakes better, avoids petrol stations slightly better and doesn't scare the shit out of you when you try and corner at anything more than about 50 mph.

[Rocket88]

Intrceptors were absolutely typical of the British motoring industry. Lovely looking cars, reliable engine and box, all joined together by a bunch of scaffolding tubes, dodgy Joe Lucas electrics, suspension and brake parts that were woefully inadequate, and then stuffed full of dead cow, and more dodgy switchgear. Marginally more reliable than a Stag, but built on the same principles of crap build quality, and enough Achilles heels to cripple a centipede.All Jensens are bloody awful, don't get me started on that abortion that was the Jensen-sodding-Healey either.By the way, if you try bolting s/h wings onto an Interceptor, I can guarantee they won't fit...........

[saabhappy]

Cheers for that, Mr. Logic.

No problem - keep listening and learning and you'll be right.

[gtd2000]

I think the only thing I ever learned from these shows was to find replacement body panels in the same colour of your own car where possible The MR2 restoraton was what gave me that tip, although it was pretty obvious I suppose! Was very amusing to watch Ed respray the rear wheel arch of the MR2 with a rattlecan without even cleaning the fucking mud off the car! Other than that, I find the show to be fairly low grade dross - but on occasion amusing - I'd like to see them add in the costs for the mechanics time - they'd be losing 1000s on each car if they did surely