RS Motorsport :: Classic Speed Restored

Howdy,
Trying to get some info together about the differences in the Mk1s.

There was 3 different series.

This I will call the pre 1970

I have never seen one in the flesh!

Please add as you can,

Thank You

~ Bonnet latch in grill, like a Mk1/2 Cortina

~ No front sway bar, but arms running back to chassis.

~ The wiring loom is very Capri/Cortina ish, in that the plugs are either side of engine bay.

For pommie cars (not sure if the same here)

The 1968 car had the front compression struts and not a sway bar,

This changed in 1969 to sway bar type, but the rest stayed the same as below.

The fuel tank had a long steel neck that pushed out through a rubber grommet in the rear 1/4 panel, instead of the rubber connector and flush fit fuel cap, (it was the same position as later MK1's but panel pressing was slightly different shape for this)

Switches were in steel dash panel instead of under dash plastic panel, they were also bigger, and different shape.

The doors did not have seperate lock holes for the barrel, there was a lock built into the handle of the drivers side and none on the passenger side externally, they also did not have the buttons on top of the doors for internal locking, that was done by moving the normal handle the opposite way to how it would be opened, the door catch mechanisms were also different, the door frame and the door jam section of the 1/4 panel were different pressing to accomodate this.

The exhaust hangers were different to later types (got one somewhere if you want a pic)

The chassis legs were slightly different where they join just ahead of the spring hangers, the join was cut at about 45 degrees

The wiring loom as you said Roger.

the fascia plastics were all different mouldings to the later ones, the ignition key/lock was different, some had no steering lock, the interior mirror was different as was most trim

And I think the first ones had slightly thicker gauge steel (but this is an assumption, as the parts seem heavier)

Washer bottle was like the one in your pic mounted on three pins sticking out of bulkhead

Just remembered
Washer jet was in bonnet, heater bubble (plenum) was a different shape as did not have the flat sections at the edges where washer jets go through

Oh yeah just remembered another thing,
some really early cars had short bonnet hinge brackets on top bulkhead, they dont go all the way back to the scuttle panel.
This was obviously changed as they are a bit weak, and I saw a faor few cars that had obviously had them fitted at a later date, possibly by Ford as warranty???

The 1970 car in the UK was different again, a sort of hybrid.


The bonnet release was now internal, but was on left hand side

The door locks and catches were as per later cars

The wiring loom was different again, now all on left side of engine bay but with 2 round holes for plugs through firewall

Fuel tank filler neck was as per later cars

rest of it was same as 1968/9 car (including the better steel )

1968 escort GT.

That was much the same for the 1968 GT in the Uk too, the wiring loom, washer bottle, switch gear, steering wheel dash and instruments all look the same, (including the silver fascia, concave clocks and 110mph speedo)
the inner wings (guards) in the Uk wouldn't normally have the heavy duty double skinned tops though.

You can see in that pic the early cars type washer jet in the bonnet, and the heater plenum bubble is a different shape, it doesn't have the flattened out ends to accomodate the washer jets like the later cars.

You can see the short bonnet hinges I mentioned there too.

good pic Roger, where did you find that one mate?
Got any pics showing the fuel filler difference too?

That is a UK car. we didn't get them here that early, I think ?