thorne

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. 

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.!
 
 
 

Been through some changes since this photo.

 

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 😬
 
 

 

 

 

 

From the Completely Off-topic thread earlier this year:
 
 

He may have: I mean, no guarantees, but he did manage to rustle up a fairly rare indicator assembly for my XH the last time I was there. Best way to see is to contact him: he doesn't have a website (not like Jolly's U-pull), but you can call him on (03) 9309 3223 (M-F 8:30am-5pm). Best of luck.

He may have: I mean, no guarantees, but he did manage to rustle up a fairly rare indicator assembly for my XH the last time I was there. Best way to see is to contact him: he doesn't have a website (not like Jolly's U-pull), but you can call him on (03) 9309 3223 (M-F 8:30am-5pm). Best of luck.

There is an Aussie numberplate collectors forum - www.plateshed.com
I'd probably ask them.
 
Reproducing the reflective background, is the most challenging.
To my knowledge, the letters/numbers were coloured green, via screen-printing applied paint.
 
I've also heard there are a few old number plate press machines around - used for creating 'movie reproduction' plates.
If u can prove u own a certain combo, I've also heard certain owners of said machines may press a 'movie reproduction' plate for people,
who may wish to have a vehicle used in a 'film production'.
 
Even if Vicroads would reproduce initial's style number plates with the Garden State slogan, their reproductions are quite frankly... crap.
The letter/number font is not era correct at all
nor is the letter/number placement, nor the green colour
and the 'Garden State' slogan is printed on, rather than embossed/screen-print highlighted.
 
IMO, as expensive as they are, Vicroads should at least try to get them accurate.
 
Same with using the original combination plates, on club permits - as they allow in QLD and WA
 
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
  Who makes number plates in Victoria? Victorian registration plates are manufactured at Hopkins Correctional Centre in Ararat, Victoria. Vehicle registration plates of Victoria - Wikipedia  
 

Yep, 6'4" here and I've been wary of entering and exiting both my vehicles ever since I bought them.
 
With the panelvan, there's no issue with headroom at least: yay extended roof-line. Only problem is, I look out the windscreen mainly through the blue polarised strip across the top of it. My thighs - which are fairly muscular - only just fit under the steering wheel, which has been set upwards at its maximum setting and the seat rolled all the way back. If I sit relaxed, there's no issue, but if I tense up my thigh muscles, then they make contact with the underside of the steering wheel. It's an interesting way to see if I'm stressed while I'm behind the wheel.....although I must say, on the odd occasion when I need both hands off the wheel temporarily, it's an effective way to steer.
 
I have similar issues with the FGX, but that sits lower to the ground than the panelvan does, and because the A-frames are swept much further back, I have to remember to duck my head, or else it makes solid contact as I go to get inside it. Not a problem I have with the panelvan, as it still retains the X-series A-frames and there's no danger of knocking myself out! Thankfully the seats in the sedan appear to sit lower than the panelvan - and I can set them a little further back - but I only need to raise my knees about an inch before they hit the underside of the steering wheel.

Polished the chinesium light covers on my Marsbar last year, need doing again. Mothers polish and a drill, 20 minutes later.....
 
 
 
 
Yeah..........I know.!  Not a cool car. But the ones in the XB, just get chucked in the bin, and new ones fitted. Jobs done. LOL.

They look incredible! 😍

a very long awaited update. 
 
I've taken a bit of a step back, and am back working under the bonnet, sorting out engine mounts 😕 
 
I bought brand new Pacemaker 4-1 extractors, and very quickly discovered they do not fit  well they do, but not on my car. 
After much research, talking with Pacemaker themselves, and other club members, I discovered my engine mounts were a bit out of whack. 
 
Bit of a story behind this. ill try keep it short. 
When I bought the car i had to replace the engine mounts. the original 1300 style mounts are not available, so the best option is to use aftermarket engine plates, and "pinto" rubbers. 
According to the UK supplier, for a kent crossflow, i need to run 1 x long engine plate, 1 x short engine plate, 1 x 52mm rubber, and 1 x 42mm rubber. back when i fitted this setup, I had to modify the long engine plate to take 10mm out of it. they seemed fine, but the engine always looked a little crooked in the engine bay 🤔
 
Jump forward to present day, extractors wont fit due to the engine mounts. doing some research, i appeared to have them ass about. So I am now slowly in the process of trying different engine mount combos to get the engine sitting correct. so far i have managed to get the extractors to bolt up, but engine is sitting too high, therefor they are just touching the passenger side foot well. 
I also have the driver's side of the engine sitting on a block of wood to stop it from dropped 😬
 
Why you no fit? 😡
 

 
why you STILL no fit? 🤬
 

 
🖕🖕🖕
 

 
success 🕺 ... sort of. they are on but touching the floor. 
 
**don't worry, they will be ceramic coated silver** 
 

 
This is how the engine is sitting on the driver's side at the moment to get it sitting correctly. I have another set of engine plates to try tomorrow on my day off. 
 

 
 
Now for the more exciting news....... 
 
*enter suspenseful music** 
 
I got my Recaro seats back from the upholsterer  
I am so in love with these seats. 
 

 
 

Worked like a charm!

Worked like a charm!

Worked like a charm!

There a few units now that don't actually need the unit anywhere visible - the display and info and buttons are all on the mic. But these tend to be at the higher end of the market.
 
GME is probably the best brand, but Oricom and Uniden are also decent.
 
When it comes to aerials - taller doesn't mean better reception. Go by the db rating. Lower db has circular reception, higher db it becomes more oval. So for hilly mountainous terrain you want around the 4 to 6 db. Long flat open terrain you want 6 or higher.
 
You can get magnetic base aerials, that might be best for you in terms of easy removal/storage? Downside is having to run a cord each time.
 
With the bullbar, I'd be inclined to run a extension cord from the CB to the front. Then have the aerial on a pipe clamp type bracket, which would allow fairly easy removal when not using.
 
 

all Ford Day Geelong 2022, Fair to say i have modified the interior

Mark sent these through today. 
Bonnet and grill fitted and aligned.  
 

 
This makes me smile seeing it look a little more like a car again 
 
 

I also had my reproduction stickers turn up today. 
Dealership sticker and rego sticker
 

 

I didn't want to replace my existing stereo in the Van so I have been using 2 Sony XB41 Bluetooth speakers. This week my design was brought to reality and now sits nicely over the center divider.
 
Cheers
Scott
 

 

 

 

Picked up a couple of US army radio boxes from from 1967 to fit in the back of the side boxes.

 

 
 

 

 

Well its finished
 
My temp gauge now does not work. i think the sender in the new head is dead  
that means draining the cooling system again to swap it 😕 
 
I have taken it for a drive for about half hour. 
 
The car doesnt necessarily feel any faster, but it is so much happier to rev now. 
it seems to build revs a lot faster now. It now seems smoother with its power delivery too. so maybe it is faster and i just dont notice it. 

Giving it a run onto the freeway, usually it would take what seemed a long time to get to 5000rpm where my shift light comes in, and i would shift at around 5500rpm. now, 6000rpm is nothing to it. and the shift light seems to come on very quickly  
So I think I am happy, but I will take it for a longer drive tomorrow to stretch its legs and see what its like then  
 
 
 
 

If i ever have a rich Uncle die, and leave me a fortune, might order one for my '50 Merc 2door.......
 
https://www.pavtek.com.au/index.php/component/content/article/7-parts-a-products/parts-a-products/236-new-ford-cleveland-aftermarket-block