HowTo:Liven your cheapie

Not everyone can afford passionable, racy, superior, high priced supercars because if you got a cheap car, a car that you can only afford, it's an absolute pity and an extra kerfuffle when you had to own one. Jeremy Clarkson has the tips to liven up your cheapie.

Introduction

Hello. My name is Jeremy Clarkson. You may remember me from a guy off Top Gear. Well let me talk about myself. I have a passion for cars and I wouldn't want to live without one. I am fussy, well not much but I am a motoring critic. I'm not much a fan of cheap cars that have no flair, soul or neither passion but I can help you liven yours up.

Cars are machines of passion. There are loads of cars to feast your eyes including red and fiery Ferraris and other Italians, luxurious but sporty BMWs, on the other side, there are Mercedes Benzes, some rumbling are thunderous American cars and brilliant British cars, some toys of luxury including the Rolls Royce and there are green cars for those who want to be kind to the environment but I'm not a fan of that.

Now, we must move on. You got a cheap car. Let's say you own a 1981 Suzuki Alto. It's a small 3 door hatchback with 2 seats, a 697 cc 2 cylinder engine driving the front wheels and not much equipment. Yes, I know what you think. It's dull, it's boring and it feels that you lack colour, freedom and you also lack passion, flair and all of that.

And here's something I like to show you. It can get from 0 to 60 mph in 18 seconds but can do 60 mpg. This car is a cheap an cheerful transport. Maybe something like a Suzuki Cappucino, which have more sporting credentials.

That got me some inspiration because both the Alto and Cappucino have similarities and those are

• They're small
• Both have small engines (the Cappucino has a bigger engine with a 0.7 litre 3 cylinder engine)
• They're light
• Both have 2 doors and 2 seats
• They're economical on fuel

Suzuki Cappucino

But the differences are that the Cappucino is much better looking than the Alto and more sporty. Now. Let's get going shall we?

Equipment

The tools you need.

But first, you need some equipment.

The must haves

• Demolition Saw: This is my favourite tool of trade. The demolition saw. Very effective for cutting through car roofs.

• Hammer: A hammer will be used because we'll be smashing windows unless you want to take them out.

• Gloves: For safety so you wouldn't get cut from glass or sparks from cutting.

• Safety glasses: For safety.

The optional tools

• Screw Driver: A flat head screw driver would be handy to take some bits of glass out and for removing the seals

• Vacuum cleaner: For cleaning up.

• Heatproof mat: Ideal for cutting to cover the interior but I wouldn't worry about that.

Method

Here's when the action starts. Be sure to have your gloves and nanny spectacles on and lets get started.

1. Start by removing the door windows and quarter panel windows on both sides. If you are destructive, now is a good time to use the hammer and you can open up the tailgate before the cutting the roof off.

2. After that, start up the demolition saw and cut the roof off. Be sure to remove the seat belt holders because you wouldn't want to cut them off. If you're not sure where to cut, this illustration below should help you. The black lines are the cut lines and the grey areas are for removal prior to cutting.

3. Lift the roof off and voila. The car's topless.

4. Clean up some glass. In the inner quarter panels, if it's possible, use a drill and drill in the seatbelts. If you're wandering what to do with the tailgate, just cut it in half and attach it. When put it in place because the tailgate can still close but that's your choice really.

Results

Oh yes! That looks much better. I don't know what else like I mean, you have a WHOLE life ahead of you.

And yes, I done that with a Renault Espace but with not much success. Here's the video.

By the way, see ya next time!