bear351c

this works often, especially if you can get access to clean the threads up with a wire brush then lube it
 
but sometimes with these bolts is you can jam something in to stop is spinning and then TIGHTEN the bolt until it breaks the bolt.. then you have access with the guard removed to cut the rusted stuff out with a grinder. 
 
i have centerpunched and drilled the bolt head off also, it's tough going, but can be done if needed. (one accessed by opening the door and above the top hinge caused me this pain once)

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. 
 

Guys, thanks heaps, this had me sweating at 11pm haha.
 
I looked at the wording and was like ???? What??? Have I been wrong this entire time? (It happens a lot haha)
 
I went to look in the manual and it says "Place the thermostat back in reverse of removal" and without pictures I was nervous I was going to put it in wrong hahaha.
 
God I love this site.

Ignore the 'MotoRad' wording... that's just the brand name of thermostat, which Tridon re-box's from India.
The spring part, goes into the cyl head.
The dome shape, faces the radiator as-per @deankxf's helpful picture.
 
What I would recommend though, is test the new thermostat in a pot of boiling water first,
using a thermometer to check it opens/closes correctly.
 
I never quite trust aftermarket parts these days - especially suspension components (see @deankxf).

that motorad looks like just a brand name?
that part goes into the head where the hot water touches the spring part to let it open. 

so opposite to how you are holding it in the first pic
like below (only pic i could find on google)

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.

Looks like a Brinnel hardness test gone wrong, as Thom said, and someone didn't use sleeves over the rod bolts when installing the pistons. (Small chatter marks). The crank should be OK if it was in a running engine, it would have failed by now for sure. Just need to make sure there are no sharp edges around the dents, use a 5 or 6 mm drill bit BY HAND, and slower chamfer the 'holes' then linish the journals with some emery tape etc. 

Looks like a Brinnel hardness test gone wrong, as Thom said, and someone didn't use sleeves over the rod bolts when installing the pistons. (Small chatter marks). The crank should be OK if it was in a running engine, it would have failed by now for sure. Just need to make sure there are no sharp edges around the dents, use a 5 or 6 mm drill bit BY HAND, and slower chamfer the 'holes' then linish the journals with some emery tape etc. 

Then it's time for a stroker crank  

Could be an improperly done brinnel (hardness) test

Normally around 3 degrees as Sparky Dave suggested. Honestly, it can be 2 -5* as long as your diff angle is the same, but opposite direction. stick angle gauge on manifold with carby off, engine fully installed, or transmission shaft hanging out the back of trans, should be angled 3* down, so make sure the diff is 3* up. 
 
 

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. 

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

Its more about how im going to install it and hold it in place. haven't figured that one out yet. 
 
ill come up with something eventually. 

Would be way cool, and friggin' expensive, if you had 2 big ar$e flat screens on the sides, playing vast amount of stars moving sideways. Give you the feeling that your'e travelling through space. LMAO.
 
Great work, mate. Should be proud of your achievements.  

I have Pioneer 602257 mounts on their way now, I'll let you know if they look any better.

WOW.......... 😲  One of the best looking small Fords, built the way YOU wanted it.  The retro seat cover material on the Recaros looks ace.  Did you end up with something to cover the rear of the back seat, form inside the boot.?? Just so you can't see the frame.  Credit to you, mate. Excellent results. 

Looks like the weight of the engine is pushing the 2 mounts in towards each other. When they're bolted in they tend to "hang" spreading apart. As Chestnut said, the aftermarket Clevo sumps can be a bad fit, I've fitted a couple, and had to trim, grind, elongate holes etc.  It's just symptom of the non genuine market. Got an old original sump you can slide in, just to see if it fits better.??
 

For more peace of mind about whether you sealed the holes, get something like penetrol or similar wicking agent. Squirt a bit around all the clips, repeat a couple of times over a couple of weeks and it should get a good barrier layer in there to help prevent (or at least dramatically slow) any corrosion.

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. 

Could be points bounce, could be coil, could be vacuum leak, could be timing, could be old fuel, could be spark leads, could be i got no idea what I'm talking about.
Let us know what ya find.....  Love this little Esky.
 
...........and this one too.!
 
 
 

Could be points bounce, could be coil, could be vacuum leak, could be timing, could be old fuel, could be spark leads, could be i got no idea what I'm talking about.
Let us know what ya find.....  Love this little Esky.
 
...........and this one too.!
 
 
 

Would be way cool, and friggin' expensive, if you had 2 big ar$e flat screens on the sides, playing vast amount of stars moving sideways. Give you the feeling that your'e travelling through space. LMAO.
 
Great work, mate. Should be proud of your achievements.  

Could be points bounce, could be coil, could be vacuum leak, could be timing, could be old fuel, could be spark leads, could be i got no idea what I'm talking about.
Let us know what ya find.....  Love this little Esky.
 
...........and this one too.!