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Introduction
Three score years and ten
Springs into action
Extremes of temperature

The Morgan is in a dark corner of a barn just outside Wakefield in Yorkshire, when the Salvage Squad arrive. They have just three months to get it back on its three wheels.

In 1909, H F S Morgan built the first three-wheeler car for his personal use, but his light and nippy machine attracted so much interest that he persuaded his father, a rector, to lend him money for tools and a workshop. The Morgan Motor Company was born, and it built three-wheelers from 1910 to 1952.

The company is still a family business in Malvern, now run by Charles Morgan, grandson of H F S Morgan. In time-honoured tradition, they still hand-build Morgans to customer specifications but now they only make four-wheelers.

The Squad's three-wheeler is a 1931 Super Sports Morgan. The design features a V-twin motorcycle engine out in front, drive shaft to a gearbox in the rear, and chain drive to the single rear wheel and independent sliding pillar front suspension.

The car is owned by Iris Dobson, a grandmother with a passion for cars and motorbikes – she still rides her 1950 Norton. Iris worked in the motor trade for many years and she makes it clear to the Squad that her standards are very high.

The Morgan has not run for 30 years, so the Salvage Squad and expert Brian May have their work cut out. Jerry takes on the job of rebuilding the JAP engine; Axel works on the body panels and coachpainting; while Claire repairs the wooden body tub and sorts out the electrics.

After visiting the Morgan factory and having a chance to drive the new Morgan Aero 8, Suggs is given the task of sorting out the leaf springs from the rear wheel suspension, which are looking very tired.

A leaf spring is a stack of slightly curved narrow plates of equal width and varying length clamped together, with the shorter plates in the centre. The ends of the longest plate are attached at one end to the chassis and at the other to the axle.

Suggs visits Jones Springs in Birmingham, a company that makes and repairs leaf springs of all sizes, from modern, four-wheel drive cars to the springs for the Flying Scotsman.

Expert Carl Jones shows Suggs the ropes and for once Suggs has to get his hands dirty. First he has to cut a new length of 'spring' steel to exactly the same dimensions as the longest, and most tired, leaf spring plate.

The metal is then put into the furnace at 1,100°C, after which the metal is bent into shape. The red hot metal is then hardened by being quenched in an oil bath. At this stage the metal is still very brittle. Finally, it is heated again to 800°C and 'tempered off'. This final process is what makes it springy. The parts of the leaf spring are then painted and bolted together.

When Iris sees the Morgan again she is absolutely delighted with the Squad's work and can't wait to jump behind the wheel and take the car for a spin.