Oscar of Markoz

"On todays episode of Australian Cortina ...."
I finally finished the battery cover. Well just a few more areas need rewelding to fill up some holes, but otherwise done.
I made the whole thing from sheet metal, folding and shapeing as I went, using cardboard templates helped somewhat also. Constant measure and remeasure of the original to get the right heights and slopes etc.
Using a tool I made to get the swageing right and trying to replicate the originals swages in the same places.
I also made the lip just like the original to make it look like the battery covers lip is the original, but really the original is under it.
I made up some brackets out of sheet metal also and put some rivnuts in them to secure the cover to. Theres one towards the centre of the firewall on the lip, then one on the back of the firewall on the curve and another behind the bonnet hinge bracket. So they'll all technically be hidden. Either by the Firewall plate that I have to make up, the engine itself or the bonnet bracket.



It was by far the hardest thing I've done on this car so far but I'm very happy with the end result.
I'll have to make a recess of some sort for the intake manifold but I'll work that out once I've tacked up the intake manifold together. That could also cause issues getting it in and out, but I'll see how I go when I get to that. Its a battery cover after all, so should only need to come off when changing batteries.
Next up, the firewall plate and tacking the intake manifold together and full welding the exhaust manifold.

History:
After owning 2 other TF cortinas, which were both riddled with rust, I found another 1 owner example. After some small talk with the owner I managed to get it cheap. The log books and Ford manuals were chucked in with it. Its a TF S Pac Cortina, auto with the air-con.
The interior was in great condition, air-con didn't work and had only 123,000kms. The suspension was worn, but otherwise this thing drove really nice.
And the major bonus, no rust. At all (So I thought). After owning 2 I knew where to look. It was perfect.
I replaced the steering and suspension with my old items I had at home which were re-coed and modified (H/D lowered springs, whiteline swaybars etc). I put on a set of extractors and a Weber carb off a XE falcon. Replaced the diff with my diff which is an LSD with 3.45:1 ratio.
The car ran a 15.96, still with the BW auto.
After this, I had a really, really bad experience with a backyard panel beater/spray painter, which I don't want to mention as it just upsets me too much, SO DON'T ASK!
 
After installing the said bits above (main difference is its lowered)
 

 

 
 
That was 7 years ago. And here started my journey into building this car, myself.
 
I have bought a few bits which I'll keep to myself until I install them as its not worth mentioning. But the basic idea is to go turbo 6 and have a really nice streeter. But I do want things to be done to the best of my ability. So what I can do, I will.
 
I made up a set of mini-tubs

 
Made a Rotisserie from 2 engine stands