RS Motorsport :: Classic Speed Restored

Hey all,

I'm new to the forum and figured that I'd be polite and introduce myself before blabbering on.

I hail from Toowoomba, QLD, and am currently studying an Advanced Diploma of Mechanical Engineering at Skillstech in Brisbane.

My fleet consists of:

Bertha, a '76 LWB F100 with a almost-stock 351, C6 auto and 4.11 geared limited slip 9",

Betsy, the '81 WB ute with a mildish 308, TH400, and 3.55 geared limited slip 10-bolt diff,

The unnamed 2-ton '42 Chev truck that I've been meaning to drag out of a paddock and hot rod,

And last, littlest but not least, Esther, a '72 Mk1 Escort with an almost-stock, flogged out, oil burning 1600, four speed and factory diff.

I don't know if it's been done before, but I've just bought a 1990 Ford Courier ute that I'm planning on disemboweling and slotting the 2.2L four pot, five speed and diff into Esther.

I went to have a look at the ute this afternoon armed with a tape measure, and the engine's not too tall or long, but the brake booster assembly may have to be ditched for a pedal box.
The 'box should squeeze into the trans tunnel and the diff should fit with a few minor-ish modifications, according to thread.
I'll get Truckline in Toowoomba to modify the courier tailshaft to suit, then just need to get the necessary blue plates and I'll be on my way.

Because everyone loves pictures:

Bertha:



Betsy:





The Poor Ol' Chevy:



And Esther:





This is the first non-stock engine upgrade that I've ever taken on, and any advice is greatly appreciated!

Welcome, you will certainly get all the help you need on here

Welcome mate....I hope you enjoy this site.....people are more than happy to give you their opinion

Geezus Steve - people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones

Welcome Trentie. That's quite an eclectic collection you have there.
Will be watching your Esky build with interest and make sure you take plenty of photos (yes we do like them).

hey i spotted your esky a few times at mt gravatt tafe i'm studying the same thing, bit of hike from toowoomba

tidy i doubt it, i've never driven it to tafe,

i'm only doing partime in my 3rd semester

So I just checked out a mate's factory turbo kit off a MX6 (or something like that) hat he's got collecting dust that will bolt onto the engine that's going to be dropped into the escort.

I do believe that this build has stepped up a notch...

F2T sounds like a great idea just remember to post pics so we can all see

So I dragged this wee beastie back to my place last weekend:



The body's fairly well rooted, the tray's solid but missing bits, starts, stops, shifts and steers quite well, but the poor old thing wasn't running right.

Cylinder four wasn't pulling its weight.
At all.

Plenty of fuel, air and spark, but the compression was down severely.
I immediately thought 'rings', but usually rings (especially in these tough li'l f*ckers) all wear down evenly, so I was thinking it was either a burnt-out valve or a hole in the piston.

I crossed my fingers, hoped that it wasn't a lightweight piston, and pulled the head off.



So the bores are squeaky clean (no scoring or glazing and a tiny lip at the top) and the tops of the pistons, bowls and valves are covered in carbon, but I did find this:



Ah-huh! The culprit!

The plan is to clean the bowls, valves and pistons (as best as I can without tearing the engine down) and throw it back together, although I am very, very tempted to tear the entire engine down to its undies, clean everything (the oil's black as black and smells burnt), and throw it back together nice and clean and fresh-ish (I think they're called a re-run engine).

Anyone know where to get valves for these things?

Quick update:

I cleaned up the mating face and bowls of the of the head the other night. It was in pretty good condition, still has machining scores on the face where the gasket meets, so that's all well and good. The valves are horrendously coked up, along with the exhaust ports, but that's nothing that can't be cleaned.



Got off my proverbial and decided to yank the motor and 'box out.

Propped up in preparation:


Motor and 'box halfway out with Dusan's help:




Back of the 'box was stuck on the lip where the floorpan and firewall meet, so after a few failed attempts at prying it out, I jumped up and gave it a bootful.
It worked.


Tadaa!




Motor and 'box sitting under the stairs awaiting pulldown, inspection and rebuild




On a lighter note:
New workbench!
It's big and steel and awesome.
Picked it up for $300.
(Note the size of it compared to my ute).




Where it's sitting for now until it gets the top cleaned up and a coat of black paint.

So yesterday, myself and a couple of mates decided it'd be a great idea to paint the horrendously yellow workbanch, clean the surface rust off the top (it was sitting in an open-sided shed in a sand and gravel yard), and rearrange the man cave.

Suprisingly enough, it all panned out as planned:

Not-so-minor update:

With the motor and 'box up on the newly-refurbished workbench, I threw the head back on and dry-fitted the factory turbo and exhaust manifold off a Mazda MX6.
This motor's merely a stroked-out version of the 2L in the MX6s and Telstars.



The only clearance issue was that the exhaust snail fouled on the dipstick, which was remedied quickly and easily with a pair of multigrips.


After these grin-inflicting shenanigans, I broke the 'box off of the motor.



The only problem that I had with the pulldown was the crank sprocket for the timing belt.
No amount of leverage would get it off, so while it soaked in WD-40, I knocked up this little pulliemajig utilising the factory pulled bolts.
Worked a treat.



Motor's all apart ready to be cleaned and regasketed.



Viciously considering a water/methanol injection setup.
Thoughts?

Crank, rods and pistons in.
Excuse the terrible pic, that's what pictures look like with grease/oil over the lens.


Lower timing sprocket, water pump, oil pump and windage tray on.


Sump on and flipped back right way up.


Head and cam gear on.


Timing belt, timing belt cover, harmonic balancer and pulleys on.


Threw the cam cover on and dipstick in and finally it's ready to bolt up to the gearbox and shoehorn into Esther.


Gave the 'box a quick tidy up.
For a 'before' picture, it's the big ,greasy, oily black thing in the background of the photo of the motor disassembled on the bench.

Looking good mate. How much boost will that thing take with what your've done?

Loving that downhill bike in the background!

when are we gunna see some bloody pics or storys about
the mk 1 escort ???
get with the program boy
get rid of those other shittboxxs you have
and do someting with the escort