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Here's an old video circa 2007 with my phone taped to the steering wheel running from zero to 180 kph (i was inventive back then) of my pick a part special 4.0 it made 144rwkw around this time, and it made 177 rwkw with a tune later on (video quality is representative of its time) it was in my xh ute with an ex taxi au short motor (from memory had more than 860,xxx ks), ef xr6 head (94 dt) ea cam, el bbm intake, super cat extractors, crow vernier cam gear, yella terra billet flywheel, high flow cat 2.5 inch exhaust, t5 and 3.45 gears, it was a lot of fun to an 18 year old me, I put over 180,xxxks on that engine before it let go when the stock valve train decided that 2 years of turning to 7000rpm was enough and it dropped a valve, after it was tuned the rev limiter was set to 7200rpm and it saw it every time it was in 1st gear (18 year old me was hard on the equipment) and sometimes more often than that, I wouldn't mind getting another e-series one day and replicating this combo, although it would be really fun in something lightweight like an xp falcon

Been through some changes since this photo.

Ok I should probably update you all. its a month since my last update and well, the car is very close to finished, with only relatively minor things needed to finish it off. I only have the photos on my phone, so i will get to them in a seperate post, but I'll give you the run down. The interior is all back in, including the new mass sound deadener/carpet underlay, which made a massive difference to cabin noise. The brand new reproduction inner sill trims/carpet trims are in. I was under pressure from the RSOCV guys about getting the car "finished", or at the very least ready for display at Small Ford Sunday 2024, which happened Sunday just gone. So I had a lot of work ahead of me, with less than 4 weeks (since my last update) so get the car sorted. Needless to say, i made it. I had the car at SFS24, running and driving under its own power. Although it made it to SFS, the stereo wasn't wired up, thats not a big deal, but as of Friday morning the car nearly didn't make it. As of Friday morning, the car was not drivable. I was shattered. The car was having gearbox issues, which scared the crap out of me, given Rod and I had modified the gearbox, I was terrified something with the gearbox went wrong, but it was the aftermarket short shifter. How? well i wouldn't have believed it, if I didn't read it on a number of UK based forums, that some cheaper or lesser quality short shifters randomly fail, causing issues with being able to select 1st gear. In my case, I could not engage 1st gear at all, and it was crunching into 5th The fix, was to refit the standard shifter, and sure enough, problem solved. Friday, 2 days out from SFS, i still had a few things to sort out. - Fix the gearbox issue - finish polishing the outer sill trims, replace black stripe, and fit back on the car (pop riveted on) - and change the wheels to something presentable. the 13" 4 spokes are nice, but the black paint is flaking again, so need a pro resto job. so the car is back to running on the 15s. Ive been putting some decent kms on the car, driving back and forth to my folks place to reassemble the car in stages. the fuel consumption is the best it has ever been in the time ive owned the car, returning 9.8L/100km on the first tank i recorded. It will definitely go lower on the open road, and when I stop using so much throttle with the new carpet underlay in, the Recaro seats, and the 5 speed, the car is comfortable, and really nice to drive basically anywhere. i can sit on the freeway and cruise in it at 100km/h no worries. its not noisy, it feels tight, its not working too hard, and it doesn't get hot. So, whats left to do? - I need to add headlight film to protect the lights - look at the thermostat/cooling system. its not building temp. i suspect the thermostat is stuck open. - Stereo is all wired up, and sounds great - Front seat rail adapters have been painted today, so tomorrow the front seats can go back in for the last time, - waiting on front bumpers to come back from chrome platers. Other than those few things, the car is mostly done. interior is complete, once the front seats go back in. exterior is 95% there. So on that note I am just going to leave these two pics below as teasers. In my next update I will add more pics and details of what I went through the last few weeks. there was definitely some challenges. The top pic is the first drive around the block with the stock shifter back in the gearbox, and the 15" wheels back on. as you can see its a bit later in the day, so it was my only chance to test things out before SFS. The second pic, is a bit like a proud dad moment, driving the Escort into Small Ford Sunday to display the car. first time I have been in over 3 years, and in my own car again, was a such a great feeling. and the number of people who came to me and wanted to talk to me about the car, because they had heard its story, and what it had been through, was a little overwhelming.

This week, I had the Escort in with a detailer to add the "final touch" to the body work. It has had a 2 stage paint correction and decontamination, then ceramic coating. I expected it come up good, but it came out better than I could have ever imagined. I was speechless when Simo from Bez Detailing sent me the photos. I dont know what else to say other than wow

Well time for an update. I was having ignition issues again, with a random misfire under load. I replaced the points in the dizzy, which helped but didn’t get rid of it. So I bit the bullet and bought an electronic ignition module to convert the Lucas points dizzy to electronic. Install was easy but wiring it (properly this time) into the car was a bit of work, and the car is definitely running better. - Lets start with the wiring. It turned out that the Escort is a resisted ignition system, so at the coil it only gets 9v. Much less than the 12v the electronic ignition required. It also turned out that the GT40 coil I was running was a 12v coil, not a resistor type. So, i did some trickery with the ignition. Ive installed a 12v relay which takes a feed direct from the battery, and used the resister wire (9v) to turn the relay on and off. The relay is then supplying the coil, and im powering the dizzy off the coil. Has it got more power? Not really. But, it has better power delivery right across the rev range, and is more linear. Funny thing is, I still have not replaced plugs, leads or air cleaner. Bursons sold me the wrong plugs twice, and thats as far as i got. I have finally got the 13” steelies on. The car looks completely different now. They didn’t come out as dark as I wanted. They are a bit grey, but they are metallic. I installed new, longer studs. Funny enough, they were off the shelf from Autobarn, 10mm longer. The spline was just 0.2mm larger, and pressed into the hubs fine. Spacers are on, and it all clears. They fill the guards nicely. The two rusty wheels were a bit too pitted for the powder coating to fill, so up close they are a bit bumpy. anyway, the pics can do the talking

'Engineered' aftermarket suspension arm failure - for an F-truck chassis in QLD - https://www.facebook.com/SouthernChassisWorks/posts/934191238502847 @deankxf -

Going back a bit, these are a couple of photos rolling into Small Ford Sunday. taken no more than 30 seconds apart, on two different cameras, but makes the colour look completely different. this colour still amazes, but also annoys me with how both good and bad it can look depending on the light its in the joys of metallic paint i guess. *the second pic is more true to the actual colour** I finally got the front bumpers back, and they came up fantastic. worth the wait. Now onto some mechanical gremlins. I had been having an issue with the cooling system. not over heating, but in fact running too cold. not getting warm enough to actually open the thermostat, which was a standard 89 degree thermostat. I figured it was because the alloy radiator was so efficient at cooling that yeah meant that I couldn't get her up to temp, and had no heater. This whole time I had been running just water in the cooling system, not coolant, to try flush the system out as best I can. I figured with this lack of heating issue, id pull the thermostat out and then put some coolant in. This is what came out. its a piece of gasket goo stuck in the thermostat. notice also the colour. that thermostat was brand new with this engine. so it has gone a very rusty brown colour thanks to the water. Pushing on the diaphragm by hand, the thermostat felt a little sticky. didnt want to move smoothly to open or close. So I ended replacing it with an 82 degree thermostat. not to make it run cooler, but so the thermostat would open earlier and start circulating coolant earlier. with that, and coolant in the system, it has made a difference. it gets up to the correct 88 degrees running temp now, rather than running too cold. Good Friday, the RSOCV had their annual Good Friday cruise. Over 30 cars got involved, and we went out to Warburton, up Mt Donna Buang (some of us more spiritedly than others) then back down and to Yarra Glen Hotel for lunch. Having driven the Escort up there previously with the 1300, flat out, and now with the 1660, also flat out, it was a much faster drive up there. I had a mate of mine in his Mini come along, who was behind me on the way up. Although I am not too concerned, he did tell me that it was blowing a bit of blue smoke between gear changes. granted I was pushing it, its the hardest it had been driven, and it was mighty cold up there. but it did it well. I adjusted the suspension up a bit to be stiffer, and boy does it turn well. On the way home, my buddy in the mini, and me couldnt resist but to see how they compared. its the first time the mini and escort had been out together. the Mini is a 1999 Rover, with a single point injected 1275cc, from Japan. Its since had a Cooper performance kit fitted, which includes a ported head with roller rockers, headers, exhaust, bigger injector, and a few other go fast parts. The Mini weighs 100kg less than the Escort, at 740kg, and with the Cooper engine package produces about 65kw. The Escort, a stock 1600 produces 60-65kw. Mine is a 1660, with a cam, weber, etc etc. It was a good comparison, the Mini nudged in front basically because i was slow getting into 2nd gear, otherwise equally matched. So for such a small engine in the Mini, it goes really well. its pretty quick little thing. I had to do a weekend run over to work HQ in Footscray, so jumped in the Escort to save the diesel in my daily. it really is such a great improvement over what it used to be in pretty much every aspect. able to sit on the highway comfortably, plenty of grunt to pull away, it just gets very warm in the cabin very easily, which was always the case.

Ok, end up taking the crank to the machinist said those holes were strange but said wont be an issue. Crank getting a grind and balancing done. Just glad there's no need for a replacement.

Could be an improperly done brinnel (hardness) test

Well some good news. I do have oil pressure. i went to my dad’s place today and he helped plumb in a mechanical oil pressure gauge. Not very fine increments, but that is reading around 30-35psi. at the same time the VDO inside was reading 20psi. So my VDO sender appears to be playing up. Ill just leave the below pic there for you to all enjoy. first time the Escort has been at my parent’s house since it was off the road. A quick snap with my father’s S2 Land Rover, affectionately known as George, 1 of 2 specially built, fire service vehicles for Sydney Showgrounds. Unfortunately George’s brother is nowhere to be found. While George has had a full tear down, nut and bolt restoration done by the previous owner.

Well I have the radiator out of the car again, pressure tested, and found the leak. The strange part is, that after a few minutes of being under pressure with the pressure tester on, it stopped leaking, and began to hold constant pressure. So I will pressure test again and go from there. I think unfortunately it will need to be recored. In other news, I have the car booked in for its exhaust to be made in a couple weeks. And I also have all the exterior lighting working, and the boot interior light. The restored and LED retrofitted reverse lights should hopefully be more than bright enough. The NOS H4 Hella headlights are in and working well. I fitted the globes that came with them, still brand new in their boxes. Old Philips 55/60w globes, that are god knows how old, but new in box. Wonder how long they’ll last. Boot light is working also.

Next on the agenda; The dreaded heater box. This thing was filthy. 48 years worth of dust, leaves, and rotting foam. The core has been replaced, so thats a good sign. I have pressure tested the core and it seems ok, but I am going to do it again today. im not convinced i tested it properly. Also, someone had used what looks like windscreen sealer to reinstall the lid when it was apart previously when in actual fact, its meant to be foam to seal it. I have bought all new high density foam, not the open cell shit that rots away, and am currently in the process of resealing it and assembling the heater box. I got a little stuck with this lever for the main vent flap. its pressed onto a spline. I couldn't get the internals of the heater matrix out until that lever, and its flap were removed. Of all things, a $19 tap handle remover from Bunnings worked perfectly at getting that lever off After I got the internals out of the box, the rest of the mess from 48 years of crap was revealed ** This is where I am currently up to. The heater box is the last thing I need to do to make the car 100% water tight. I also have another radiator for it, second hand but pressure tested ok. its also larger. technically from a Cortina, but they are the same as what was used in Mexicos. So i has a larger top tank, and larger cores. Once the radiator is in, technically I could run the engine. And with the brakes all up and working, when I book it in for the exhaust to be done, it will be great to be able to drive it on and off the trailer instead of winching it. In between all this major stuff, I have done a lot of little things that I haven't really documented. Ive replaced all the door seals now, rebuilt all the latches on the doors, mirrors are on etc. so from the outside she looks almost complete. As you would have seen in above photos from inside the car, the wiring is still a mess. its a job I am not looking forward to doing. the inside of the car is another project in itself, to do it to the level I'd find acceptable. There is wiring to sort out, small bits of surface rust, lots of cleaning to do in cavities that aren't easily accessible. I need to clean all these out so I can then cavity wax them and keep them safe from future rust. I need to tidy up the wiring, install sound deadening before the carpet goes in, and order and install the new amp and wiring for the stereo, because as much as i love the sound of the weber and the exhaust, on longer drives I need decent music. I want to say its not that far off, but it is. My expected finish timeline keeps getting further and further away, so for now I am going to say that if I can drive it out my shed under its own steam, for its first test drive by christmas, it will be the best christmas present ever. It will also mark 3 years since it was written off.

I just dropped the radiator out of the ZK at my radiator shop to have it checked out. He's old school and one of the last guys in the region that can still do brazing work. Initial look revealed that the core may need some work. I'll report back with what he did and the cost next Wednesday.

Notes: There is absolutely no need to dismantle the steering box unless oil leaks are occurring . After removal, rotate from lock to lock until ALL the oil is expelled to prevent fluid friction affecting the adjustments . Removing preloads 1. Remove allen key plug #5 and undo the output shaft adjuster 2-3 turns anti-clockwise. 2. Loosen the locknut and undo the input shaft bearing adjuster #26 by 1/2 to 1 turns anti-clockwise. 3. Loosen the locknut and undo the power steering piston adjuster #10 by 1/2 to 1 turns . Now you are ready to make the three adjustments Note: The aim is to create some binding and friction as the input shaft passes through the straight ahead position from each side. But this friction should only be created by the final adjustment made on the output shaft. This helps the car to maintain a straight line course and prevents the steering from wandering . 1. The three adjustments are to be made while the steering is turned about a 1/4 turn away from the straight ahead position . This is because the steering box is designed to have freeplay when the steering wheel is turned away from the central position . 2. The steering box must be removed from the car to make the adjustments because the first two adjustments are critical and must not bring about any friction as the steering box passes through the straight ahead position . You will not feel the friction with enough sensitivity if you are turning the steering wheel with the box installed. This must be done by feeling with your hand as you rotate the input shaft one quarter turn either side of the straight ahead position (with the flexible coupling fitted ). 3. The three adjustments are the input shaft (the shaft connected to the steering wheel ), the power steering piston, and finally the output shaft (the shaft connected to the pitman arm) 4. The adjustments are made in the order mentioned directly above in point three. 5. The adjustments are made in this order because only the third and final adjustment made on the output shaft should introduce any friction as the input shaft passes through the straight ahead position 6. The input shaft adjustment is made the exact same way a wheel bearing is adjusted . ie. Tighten/preload the bearing adjustment nut and then back off slightly ensuring no friction is felt as the input shaft is turned after adjustment . 7. The power steering piston is adjusted clockwise until friction occurs as the box passes through the centre position . The adjustment must be made with the box turned 1/4 turn off centre in either direction . Then back it off until the friction is completely removed. But only just removed . 8. Finally, tighten the output shaft adjuster until a little bit of binding occurs as the box passes through the centre position . Make the adjustment whilst the box is turned 1/4 turn off-centre. You should be able to turn the box through the centre position using your hand to rotate the flexible coupling. It shouldn't be easy to turn through the centre position . And it shouldn't be hard to turn through the centre position . Find the middle ground .

I got the rest of the exhaust undone and she's sweet. How "unfortunate" that the stock exhaust is blocked. I guess I'm now forced to make a 2.5" exhaust system for it. In all seriousness thank you all for the help. Without the help I got here I would still be ripping my hair out hunting this problem. All I got to do now is fix that ignition lock and she's back on the road!

Then it's time for a stroker crank

Im pretty sure i held 5th at speed up there. I don’t remember really having to work 4th. i think once it was at speed, it could hold 5th up hill fine. i can cruise around in 5th at 60km/h for example.

So lets back, and go through the last few weeks worth of work on the car… I had to add an additional return spring on the throttle, I found it sticking when things got hot. now for a fun one. I lost all power, and it wouldn’t idle or anything. below, the rotor button is at TDC and should be aligned with the black line on the dizzy. Somehow, the dizzy drive cog had managed to jump a tooth. And end up way retarded on the timing. the only way this could have happened is if the dizzy wasn’t quite engaged properly. thankfully no damage was done, and was fixed by grabbing the clamp off the aftermarket dizzy i had and adapting it to this original unit to hold it in the block better. The final hurdle before installing the carpet was a pesky water leak. The leak ended up being from where all that old body sealer is. There are 3 panels that all join there. The top and the bottom of the trans tunnel, and then the firewall come floor pan. These cars were built terribly from factory, and basically there was about a 10mm gap between the bottom of the trans tunnel and firewall, and had just been filled with body sealer. sealed up with Sika Flex and problem solved. Rear carpet went in. Next was the sub install. my brother CNC cut an adapter so I didn’t have to do any cutting to the car. Obviously i enjoy listening to the engine and exhaust, but on longer drives its nice just to be able to listen to tunes and the finished product From there seats went in. What I didn’t take photos of was the sound deadening. With the offcuts I filled the void under the backseat base to keep temps and noise down from the exhaust, the muffler is directly under the passenger side rear seat. The floor has a pressed recess in it to house the muffler Im wrapped with how well the front seats suit the rest of the interior Now onto the last push on Friday last week. Left is the original condition of the sill trims. And right was finished to the best i could do with what i had. that is a drill mounted 75mm sanding pad with wet and dry 500 grit then 1200 grit and hand polished with metal polish. Then to finish then off, 12mm wide black pin stripe from SCA. Without the trims, it looks a little bare. With them on. It just finishes the car off Then there was the gear lever swap. Pretty straightforward, but notice now, in neutral, the gear lever is already just between the seats. In 2nd and 4th, it comes right back over the handbrake lever it has a super long throw, but is quite nice. First proper wash in a long time, and with the 15s back on. one of the things that will need doing to finish the car is a professional polish and ceramic coating, to really make the metallic paint pop. First drive and photos after wash and being mostly finished Monday I sat down and wired up the amp and stereo. Nice little compact amp hidden away under the passenger seat. Its the little touches that make the difference. I got a brand new moulded boot carpet from Knox Auto Carpets. Fantastic service. Went in, they made it there and then. Waited 15 minutes while they pressed the shape and did the stitching. That is basically where I am up to with the car. The front seats are out again at the moment (for the last time) while i spray the rail adapters black. They will be back in today. Then, the interior is 100% finished.

Thanks guys. Its a huge effort, and its something i don’t want to do again. Ever. well at least not from a smashed base. Id probably be ok with building a car from a good base, but not from something thats been stacked. There will always be things I wish I had done differently. I wish i had replaced the roof lining. I was convinced to leave it because its original and to be fair, in good condition. I may still do it in the future. Im on the fence with the carpet. The rear is in great condition, front for obvious reasons is worn out. There are things like the P clips I used in the engine bay for wiring. Most of them reused existing holes but most had to drilled larger to allow for nut inserts/rivet nuts to go in. I have no memory, of touching up the bare metal after enlarging these holes, although it’s something im sure i did, i took no record like photos of proof that i did. So i hope i did, or im sure ill start seeing minor surface rust. there are things I will probably change in the future like the fuel supply line. The hose is fine, the way I’ve pinned it to the chassis could be better. Otherwise I am just happy to have it back on the road, and now I can just enjoy it. on the note of the wheels, i had a deep think about wheels for it about a week ago. I look at my wagon with the 18” Snowflakes, and I can safely say I found “the wheel” for that car. You know, the wheel that just finishes the car off and suits the car better than any other option. With the Escort, I haven’t found “that wheel” yet. I love the 15s, for their lightweight design, the style and the look it gives the car, but they are 15s. The RS 4 spokes look amazing when they are in good condition, mine have deteriorated and don’t have the appeal at the moment. I took them off because they were letting the rest of the car down. But when finances allow, ill have them professionally restored. In the meantime, im going go a different path. I have a set of genuine ROH manufactured, Lotus Cortina 13 x 6 steel wheels. Their offset is approximately 10mm further proud than factory Escort offset, which is why I had the guards rolled. I plan to have these cleaned up and powder coated in silver, and im hoping these will give the car a more aggressive, but period correct stance with the wide steelies.

Well I did it. I had an aim to get the Escort out and driving by NYE, during my week off work. It is not without its teething issues, but all i can say is, wow. The 1660 with 5 speed drives incredible. the power and torque delivery is really nice and mostly linear. Obviously im comparing to a tired 1300 that was in there. Giving the car a run onto the freeway, it gets there to 100km/h quicker than it ever has, and with still 2 more gears to go. The engine has good torque right throughout the rev range, so much so that at 60km/h it will still pull in 5th gear, which is about 2000rpm. at 70km/h, 2100rpm, it will pull up hill in 5th comfortably. At 100km/h, its sitting on 3100rpm in 5th, and cruises just nicely. Steering The new 2.9 ratio steering rack is fantastic. im super happy i did it. the little extra weight at low speeds is so worth it for how much better the car drives now. going round corners, going round roundabouts, it is better in every way. Brakes They still need time to bed in properly, but they pull up really good. can't wait to have them bedded in properly. Radiator is doing a dam good job. i haven't seen it climb to half (normal) temp at all. its keeping the temp perfect. even on the freeway at prolonged higher revs, no problem. Now for the BAD As you will see in a photo of the dash below, the oil pressure is leading low, way too low. 20psi. and it does not move. I managed to find a record i took from when I started the engine for the first time about 18 months ago, where I had hooked up my oil pressure gauge. at the time it was holding a solid 38psi. so now why does it only hold 20psi? Potentially one of two things; 1 - the relief valve on the oil pump is stuck open and is not allowing it to build oil pressure, or 2 - the oil pressure is fine, and the sender for the gauge is faulty. Fuelling - The car obviously needs a tune. it drives great, but does have a bit of hesitation at certain RPM and part throttle positions. at WOT, its fine just pulls. I also feel like im missing the last 1000-1500rpm in the engine. winding it up onto the freeway, going through the gears, as soon as it hits 5000rpm, the sound changes, the engine gets louder and more "rattly"? This adds to the concern of the low oil pressure, that perhaps that i can't use the top end of the RPM due to low oil pressure. at the moment this is not too much of a concern because it will be rarely driven up there. Ignition - Obviously as you saw in a previous post, I blew my electronic distributor up, so I went back to running the Lucas points ignition setup. it works, but I will be replacing it with something more substantial to keep up with the demands of the larger capacity engine and cam. Enjoy the few pics below. I still have a bit of work ahead of me, but I am loving having it driving, and to be honest, it is dangerous how quickly it gets up to speed. i could definitely get myself into trouble

I run a Quickfuel 600 vac sec on my XF ute with similar specs,

You've got it, about the only other thing is the bellhousing, it will bolt up to the block but the sump won't bolt to the bellhousing unless you swap to an au bellhousing, I recently found an in car video on an old sd card of my ute circa 2008 after it had the hot 4.0 but before it was tuned, I don't think i ever uploaded it back then because it was a zero to 180 pull, it was quite capable of getting ot of its own way and it lived through 180,000ks of p plater abuse

well its been a month since the last update Whats happened in the last month? I looked into getting the radiator repaired. It will need a complete re-core, which was going to set me back over $600, thanks to the cost of copper at the moment. I just can't quite justify that at the moment, especially after paying $250 for the unit originally. One day I will get it done, but at the moment I think im just going to keep that aside. In the meantime, many of the guys from the RSOCV, rave about the cheap eBay alloy radiators. so at this stage I am probably going to take a punt on one, and see how it goes. for about $200 delivered, i could get a few years out of 3 of them before i have spent the some coin on re-coring the copper unit, which given its age could very easily spring a leak elsewhere in 12 months time. For now, I have the original 1300 radiator in place, just to keep me going, so i can start and move the car around. Its a little smaller than the upgrade behind it I fitted the original front seat for now just so i can move it around. Got it out of the shed, around into the driveway to wash the 12 months worth of "barn" dust off it, ready to go in for the exhaust Grill back in, number plate on the front, and it looks finished at the front. well it basically is, but i do need to remove the grill to do one more task that i forgot about. Next, it was ready for the exhaust. This was a fair challenge getting the trailer down the driveway. I decided to load the car onto the trailer the night before it was going in for the exhaust, because the shop doing the job for me was about 45 minutes drive from home, and they wanted the car by 8am. The trailer track width was wider than my driveway, so ran down the grass both sides, and bulldozed some of the bushes down the LH side with the mud guards The Escort on the trailer, fits under my carport comfortably, so once the trailer was loaded i backed her up under the carport to keep it out of the rain. *race tape on to protect my headlights from any rocks coming off my tyres on my Land Rover* The exhaust shop who did the job absolutely nailed it. Exhaust Fix in Lillydale if any Melbourne people are looking for a good exhaust shop. His freshly restored XD ESP maybe a known car, "RAREXD" is its plates. Mick did a 2" system from the headers back to a high flow muffler right before the diff, with a flange upon my request before the diff, to a resonator in the tail pipe. The flange is there in case I want to make it a little louder, he will make up a straight pipe at the back for me. The workmanship is spot on, and it sounds perfect. Has the perfect little raspy crack to it while not being too loud. I can not wait to drive it properly on the street to hear it. Preparing it for cavity wax and rust protection, Ive been trying to wash out what ever is left of the years of dirt built up in the cavities that are hard to get into. after all this time, its incredible how much shit is still coming out of the sills and chassis rails. Ive been having a bit of trouble getting the car in and out of the shed, because of the step down, onto grass/dirt before the laneway. I bought a pair of gutter ramps, but needed to extend these due to clearance underneath. At the moment this is the solution i have, some timber blocks to help reduce the angle of the drop. and so far its been easier to drive it in rather than back it in, due to traction issues on the grass at the bottom of the ramps. nearly impossible to reverse in Its a work in progress as I come up with a new idea to help. Replaced the dash lights with some low output LEDs. including all the warning lights. the photo makes the dash look really bright, but its not. that is at full brightness (mine has a dimmer being a 1975 model) The Oil pressure and Alternator charge light (Amber and Red lights at the bottom) are insanely bright now with the LEDs directly behind them. But I am not mad about that, because if i lose oil pressure, I want to bloody know about it The upper dash is now all back together. I just have to tidy up the wiring under the dash so i can install the centre dash panel back in, which will also give me my choke cable back. Today I picked up my new kenwood amplifier and 8" sub for the car. I previously was running an amp and sub from a BA falcon with premium sound, because the sub fits in the parcel shelf of the Escort with no mods, but they didn't cut it over the engine noise. So I am fitted new Kenwood stuff. The amp goes under the passenger seat, and will power the front door speakers as well as the sub in the parcel shelf. I just have to setup the front door speaker wiring to take signal from an amp instead of the head unit, then tidy the rest of the wiring up and tuck it away, and then the dash will be finished. So the car is getting close to being done, but whats left? Once the wiring and dash it back together, i still have to finish cleaning, rust converting surface rust in any cavity i can get into, and cavity waxing, the inside of the doors, the sills and anywhere else that may be appropriate. I have some of the original shitty sound deadening up behind the dash I still have to get out. then its clean the floors, install new sound deadening, carpet, seats, and door cards. At that point, the car will be complete, but not finished. I still have to find the jets for the carby which have gone MIA, and jet the carby for a 1600 again, at present its set for the 1300. I still have to mount the rear number plate. Replace the interior light Replace the number plate light Put clear protective film on the headlights Order, and fit new radiator that will keep the engine cool. (and paint it black. they alloy ones all come polished ) I still have to remove the headers and get them ceramic coated And, the last biggish one, is i have to get the dizzy regraphed.

The heater box is in after a bit of stuffing around, and the cooling system is all hooked up. I ended up having to add an extra 12mm thick run of neoprene foam to the top of the heater box to seal it against the body of the car. the replacement seal that i bought from the UK, was miles too thin, and when bolted up, there was a decent gap between the heater box and the body of the car. Heater hoses are all hooked up. All the vents tubes are in as well inside the car, so I can start tidying up the wiring under the dash. Getting close to starting it. all thats left is to mount the coil, add water and fuel, and i need some hose for the brake booster and PCV so there are no vac leaks. I also know the jetting in the carby is all wrong, because i had it set for the 1300. but i should be able to idle it and run it in. I have had the engine running previously, so it will for now

OOOHH I had this issue once also then. i didn't pick it, i didn't have many cars that had this style seat, and once i got over the fact they weren't a "head rest" and the Girl Friend at the time fit her pony tail knot in the opening, it was the best thing ever invented apparently. if they marketed it as a pony tail void, they'd sold double the amount lol