Guessing this is the Wheeler Dealers X

bjwhite said:
Wow, too bad it's not a Coupe, that'd be super tempting.
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If it doesn’t sell soon, they’ll probably send it to the wrecker as a write-off? However, there’s no guarantee it’s a WD car, but that’s their set for sure, right?
 
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Pete Whitstone said:
The scary thing about being on those shows is that they film from the moment the crew arrives until they leave (about 4 hours for the 10 minutes or so of show time, in my case). So they have all this footage of you and they can use any part of it. They can make you look any way they want.
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Almost all of them are so awful. You might think that TV people would notice the success of Project Binky and make car build programming more realistic and technical. Actual car people see right through the scripted drama and staged "we've got to do a complete ground-up restoration on this rusted out Chevelle this weekend" scenarios. We know how much time these projects take. We all know better. I'll check out Full Custom Garage. I would like to find something more realistic to motivate myself a bit.
 
I note that Triumph comes without a smog test. I would think the WD crew has access to that...or was it tested and won't pass?
I could never understand why Chip Foose did Overhaulin. It's a silly program with too much not working on car content and he's a premier custom car builder. How does he even find the time to work on that show?
 
Have you guys watched Car S.O.S. on Disney+? They refurb lots of smaller euro cars, based in England but they have covered Lancias, Fiats, Alfas, Triumphs, Renault, Peugot, Lambo, Fiat Dino, and on and on.....Its a familiar theme but the cars are great.
 
WD is one of the few good shows. Most of the others are horrible as mentioned.

But this thread is about the WD TR7.
 
bjwhite said:
WD is one of the few good shows. Most of the others are horrible as mentioned.

But this thread is about the WD TR7.
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well that escalated quickly :) lol
agreed - I quite enjoy the show. Is it bunk? Possibly. Do I care? Nope.
 
Two autocross friends of mine bought new TR7s from the first year of production. One of them traded a yellow '74 X.
During the first year of ownership both cars had numerous problems. One of them was at the dealer 43 times in the first year.
Luckily both of them were able to trade their 7s on something more reliable.
Grassroots had an article (cal?) on the 7s and 8s. I figured that the time it took to read this was longer than most of these jewels stayed on the road during any trip they made.
I decided that the only way I would own a TR7 was if it was a scale model. I can just picture it sitting there in the jaws of a scale model crusher.
Offer them $100 and hope they don't take it.
 
gene cooley said:
Two autocross friends of mine bought new TR7s from the first year of production. One of them traded a yellow '74 X.
During the first year of ownership both cars had numerous problems. One of them was at the dealer 43 times in the first year.
Luckily both of them were able to trade their 7s on something more reliable.
Grassroots had an article (cal?) on the 7s and 8s. I figured that the time it took to read this was longer than most of these jewels stayed on the road during any trip they made.
I decided that the only way I would own a TR7 was if it was a scale model. I can just picture it sitting there in the jaws of a scale model crusher.
Offer them $100 and hope they don't take it.
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For every TR7 horror story there is an equal number of X1/9 or Alfetta GTV horror stories. Now, this many years later, everyone fixes the known issues and the cars become reliable over time. Back when all of these cars were new, they were sort if nightmares compared to modern time.

Then again, troubleshooting some weird modern BMW computer problem is no fun these days either.
 
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bjwhite said:
For every TR7 horror story there is an equal number of X1/9 or Alfetta GTV horror stories. Now, this many years later, everyone fixes the known issues and the cars become reliable over time. Back when all of these cars were new, they were sort if nightmares compared to modern time.

Then again, troubleshooting some weird modern BMW computer problem is no fun these days either.
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Mr. Old Fiat Repairman guy explained to me FIAT's dilema of the 70's and 80's. Their service manuals CLEARLY stated how and when to do certain services. Things like timing belts needed more frequent care than a Ford F-150 truck's did. Hence, people ignored the rules, and the cars imploded. RTFM makes many things better....
 
Because it's about the x1/9 I almost want to watch, but I just can't stomach that guy anymore. 🤮 So let me know if anything interesting happened with the car. 😏
 
Dr.Jeff said:
Because it's about the x1/9 I almost want to watch, but I just can't stomach that guy anymore. 🤮 So let me know if anything interesting happened with the car. 😏
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Bahh, who Mike? How come? Mike, Edd, Ant. They were all fine as show hosts. What's the issue you have with them?
 
Finished the episode... all the usual stuff you would expect. Lots of comments about how rust free it was, but put in the context of "Fiats are rustbuckets". The car was in pretty good shape, but I think some key maintenance was lacking, it appeared to have the original radiator hose clamps on it for example. They overhauled the cooling system, replaced the rear main seal, and did some rust repair around the windshield.

Ant got the chrome surround off the windshield in one piece (and the glass out in one piece). As he lifts it off, he comments on how it will clean up nicely. Then later when the car is done, it's got this ugly, too large rubber surround trim on the windshield, with no sign of the chrome trim. That was the only real gaff I saw them commit, it really made the car lose a good bit of the classic look I think.

Other than that, it was your pretty standard WD episode, complete with questionable math and stupid Italian food references.
 
bjwhite said:
Bahh, who Mike? How come? Mike, Edd, Ant. They were all fine as show hosts. What's the issue you have with them?
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I guess I’m not a ‘real’ gear head (?), because it’s one of the few car restoring shows that’s fun. Sure, they gloss over things, but it’s like ‘Top Gear’. Yes, it’s about cars, but it’s also about entertainment. And they get some great, odd cars to showcase.
 
Pete Whitstone said:
Finished the episode... all the usual stuff you would expect. Lots of comments about how rust free it was, but put in the context of "Fiats are rustbuckets". The car was in pretty good shape, but I think some key maintenance was lacking, it appeared to have the original radiator hose clamps on it for example. They overhauled the cooling system, replaced the rear main seal, and did some rust repair around the windshield.

Ant got the chrome surround off the windshield in one piece (and the glass out in one piece). As he lifts it off, he comments on how it will clean up nicely. Then later when the car is done, it's got this ugly, too large rubber surround trim on the windshield, with no sign of the chrome trim. That was the only real gaff I saw them commit, it really made the car lose a good bit of the classic look I think.

Other than that, it was your pretty standard WD episode, complete with questionable math and stupid Italian food references.
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I thought the episode was true to the car. Mike did explain that he has been looking for an X for the entire run of the show, but remember that a good W-D car is like Goldilock's porridge---it can't need too much work, or no work at all. Previous to their move to the US, the scarcity and condition of UK cars kept the gene pool limited, so I think that knowing the show's run in the USA was coming to a close, Mike pulled the trigger on the best available car. I don't think I've ever seen an episode where Mike did not personally see the car before he bought it, that's how eager he was to get an X on the show before they went back to the UK.

Ant did well on his jobs, particularly a complete cooling system overhaul/upgrade. I did notice where he misspoke on two details: the undercar cooling pipes and hose clamps. As we know, the undercar cooling pipes are not stainless steel, as he stated they are. And that FIAT went from classic Italian cotter pin band coolant hose clamps to double wire coolant hose clamps, not to jubilee clamps as Ant stated. I would have liked to have seen Ant's explanation of burping the cooling system. When it became evident that the engine rear main seal needed to be replaced, he chose to drop the engine rather than just the trans, most likely because it's simple to do with a lift and because how he chose to tackle the water pump replacement.

As for Mike's part, I would have traded 45-60 seconds of end-of-the-show driving scenes for 45-60 seconds spent on a better explanation of wheel alignment, perhaps standing next to the front wheel explaining toe, caster, and camber.

I think I remember Mike stating in an online chat session or interview that the end-of-the-show drive on this episode was recorded in September or October, 2020 well after the main part of the show was filmed, with Covid closures accounting for why they ended up dining at Casa di Runk Antonio :)
 
Pete Whitstone said:
it's got this ugly, too large rubber surround trim on the windshield
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Was that a piece of universal windshield seal, like the "push in" style? I've never seen anything on a X other than the stock arrangement that you described coming off of it. But I have seen other cars from that era use a "universal" seal (comes on a roll, by the foot) in place of the factory one (also rubber).

I recall in other episodes the same statement was made, "this will clean up nicely". Only to later see a brand new part had been installed instead. And naturally that new part did not end up on the expense tally.
 
Since they mentioned this is the area that ALWAYS rusts-out, maybe it was a decision to prevent future rusting. Good idea if so. When testing my rebuilt wipers, it was obvious water just hangs around down there...
 
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