Scott D's next MK1 Escort Project

[ozstang65]

Cheers Steve, I love a bit of sideways action, just don't enjoy getting dirty doing it these days, although I've been there in the past. We did a motorkhana at QR many years ago pi$$ing down rain, absolute blast. We also used to run at Caltex Coomera, turned up there one event day before everyone else and spent a good 30 minutes cutting speedway laps and sideways figure 8's. Only time the quaife was any good was on a wet track.

[ozstang65]

[rallytorque]

[Boreham]

great looking Mk1 ,Scott


Side exit exhaust is gonna be sweet

got one restored nearly the same colour myself..

[David W]

10 out 10 for effort Scott - well done.

I pulled my car apart one Easter and did nothing for 12 months, that's how motivated I am on things like this. 5 Yrs later I had to rush putting it together because I'd sold the Yellow RS & was catching the bus/riding the pushbike to work. A year on and there is still stuff on the workbench to put on the car (might tackle that this afternoon given the weather - nah! I'm kidding myself).

[ozstang65]

Still going with the build, just a bit slower on the weekend as I took some time out to research parts on the interwebs, sorted out the bits I need for the brake fix and a few other things as well. Order placed tonight, hope to have it all by the end of the week.

All the wiring and fuel lines in the boot are complete. Seeing as I had a bit more time I hooked up all the tail & reverse lights instead of just the brake lights.

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[ozstang65]

Small update, still progressing but taking a bit more time with things now. Initially, I re-used the original brake lines in the engine bay but after the leaky fitting setback I decided to remake them. The line to the left side ran very close to the extractors so I wasn't too happy with that either. I also replaced (made new) lines between the reserviors and the master cylinders and put flex lines between the master cylinders and bulkhead fittings for the hard lines. Haven't bled it yet so fingers crossed. Starting to work on the dash electrics now.

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[Gary P.]

Great to see it finally hit the track Scott.
How did you go?

[gen mk 1rs2000]

looks realy good scott a very good replica of a granny smith apple !
great to see you get it on the track , you certainly put some hard work into it

[Gary P.]

Looks like he didn't get around to rolling the lips on the front guards though

[ozstang65]

Yes we did, the green you see is the grass in the background that you can see through the cooling 'ducts'! Dad rolled and trimmed the fronts to clear the extra castor a couple of weeks ago, the rears got done 5:30 on Saturday arvo 5 mins before we fired the engine up. Putting it on the trailer at 6:00 on Sunday morning the first oil issue came to light with oil gushing out from the oil filter seal. Settled the dust on the driveway though....

Dad turned up with a new oil filter (which he should have put on there in the first place ) and some more oil. With all the other hold-ups on the day I only missed the sighter laps and the very first run.

I think the oil didn't like being in the engine very much and continually wanted to get out. The first run was ok with only a bit to clean up, we thought it was coming out of the dipstick tube so we taped it up and it went OK on the second run, only a minor bit to clean up. Third run was actually a rerun due to timing error, no problems really apart from a lack of top end power, could be a timing or fuel problem, no idea really but it happened in all 3 runs. As we had just done a re-run it was almost our group's turn to go out again, dad opened the bonnet to have a quick check and it looked like someone had let an oil bomb off in the engine bay, there was oil everywhere, even seeped into the cabin through around where the pedal box mounts. we gave it a quick cleanup (had packed ample rags..) and was ready to go again (zip-tied in the dipstick) but by the time I got to the grid there was 0 oil pressure so I called it a day and packed up.

I checked the oil evel when I got home and it was reading at the bottom of the dipstick so I'm not sure why it was reading 0 on the gauge. Returning to the pits after run 3 it was still showing pressure, although all day the pressure was a bit erratic.

Apart from that it went fairly well, although I'm glad I didn't take it to MP a few weeks ago, would have been a bit far to go for a shakedown with the 'issues' we had.

Thanks Gary for your help in getting it ready, you'll have to have a drive once I get it a bit more sorted.

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[Gary P.]

[ozstang65]

OK, next installment. I hope to do the next MG hillclimb (28th/29th April) and then the HRCC event at Morgan Park a couple of weeks later. There's still a list of 'have to' and 'want to' items to address, firstly the oil issue that arose at Norwell. There was a LOT of oil exiting via the dipstick hole, I think that somehow the lid was sealing on the catch tank and the dipstick tube was the only other easy exit. So I've plumbed in a dedicated breather line, replaced the old (split) dipstick tube and made up a plug for the end that will stay in the tube.

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There's a few items which I need to attend to which were thankfully overlooked at the Norwell event. Firstly I need a set of tow hooks, I hope I can utilise the anti-dive crossmember for the front one. So that's what I spent the last weekend on, lucky it was 4 days long.

Step 1, measure, draw up and then transfer the pattern onto 3mm sheet then spend some quality time with the angle grinder, drill and welder.

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'Press' up in the vice with the FBH along with a touch of cursing and swearing and you get..

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The nuts on the outside are just spacers to allow the bottom plate to bolt to the 2 captive nuts that are on the bottom of the chassis rails. I assume these are for the original twincam swaybar mount as they appear to be in the right place for a swaybar clamp.

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[ozstang65]

Then knock up a crossmember.

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Make sure the side brackets fit.

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Then I ran out of weekend so a quick dummy fit to check the swaybar brackets were all good.

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[Gary P.]

Easy way to do a Tow Hook (spring U-bolt) If your Dad will let you drill the holes!

[ozstang65]

I'll probably do something similar to that when I get to fixing up my crossmember. Does your anti-dive pick up on the chassis rail underside bolts?

[Gary P.]

Not very clear sorry.

[jpayne]

Problem I find with the tow hook fixed to the crossmember is on a low car the angle of the tow line usually runs throught he front valance causing untold damage to the apron when its towed or tied down.

I fixed mine to the end of the anti dive seems to work a treat.

Justin

[MOOSE]

[Danny M]

Scott the tie downs have never touched the front panels or front spoilers on mine with a U bolt through the cross member and in the accident it never pulled the U bolt out of the crossmember