Panko

I finally got around to pulling the steering column out to repaint it. this has to be one of my least favourite tasks. 
 
basically the process is to unbolt everything, then sit in the car with your feet against the firewall, grit your teeth, close your eyes, pull back really hard and hope you don't smash yourself in the face with the steering wheel when the column finally releases from the steering knuckle on the steering rack 😬
 
 

 
I needed a way to be able to paint just the lower shaft, and not spray the steering wheel and everything that you see on the inside of the car....
 

 
There is a reason I don't throw away packaging until I know im done with it 🤣 the plastic bag off the extractors were perfect for this 

Thanks mate. I can’t wait to have it finished

Alternatively look at plastic/rubber mud flaps to use as a shield.

I was just thinking that. 
it wouldn’t be hard to do. And its something i might consider, even its just a bit sheet alloy that extends down a tad behind that wheel. 
 
i should take a pic from behind the car looking forward. 
 
its only the inner half of the tyre that its exposed to. The other half is on the outside of that body seem behind the fuel outlet 

Love this car
Keep up the good work

Ive been working on the fuel system. A lot of thought went into this. 
Below is a picture of the original in tank fuel filter setup, which I didn’t know existed, and probably none of the previous owners, having looked like it had never been replaced in its life. Well, they are impossible to buy new now, so i abandoned that filter, and have installed an external, serviceable inline filter.
*pic off google, as i did not take a photo of mine*    
 

 
Put aside the fuel filter issue, the first issue was getting the fuel line hooked up to the outlet. 
They originally had a hard plastic fuel line, which ran an olive clamp arrangement. Again, i wanted to do away with this, and run rubber fuel line, on a barb which would be easy to disconnect. 
Again being the nufty that i am, i forgot to take a photo of the original fitting. Essentially the fuel line ran up the centre of a threaded fitting. The fitting had a inverted taper to clamp down on an olive, and thats how it sealed. 
 
I bought a brass barb, and carefully drilled and replicated the shape the original fitting had, so i could reuse the olive to clamp down on. *i did clean it up after this photo, the end result was a lot nicer than this* 
The reason for wanting to use the olive arrangement was because the thread is NOT tapered, and they don’t run o-rings or washers to help seal. So it was either teflon tape and hope for the best, or the olive clamp style. 
 

 

 
You can see how it works now. Sort of… I added a couple small o-rings stacked on top of one another to be a last line of defence if fuel somehow gets passed the olive. 
 

 
All installed. Now for for the fuel line 
 

 
This was my first attempt at mounting the fuel filter, using existing bolts and holes. 
It didnt last long, i wasn’t happy with it like that…
 

 
 
This is the new location. I drilled yet another hole in the car 😬 and installed another M6 rivet nut. 
 


All done. 
 
now its just the fuel hose to the front of the car, and another pair of quick connects on the fuel pump and thats the fuel system finished. 
 

 
 

Nah seats wont go in for a while yet. Still got a bit to do on the outside and underneath before i start on the interior. 

The last thing I did today was installed the clutch cable. 
 
Wow! Im excited to drive it now, because the clutch feels amazing. Its a bit heavier than the old clutch, and super smooth. Even though I was sitting on the floor, rather than in a seat, its the first time ive tried the new clutch and shifted through the gears actually sitting in the car. It was a good feeling  

I then painted the fuel tank and brake booster arm. 
 

 
https://i.imgur.com/1Stz4a3.jpg
 
I then did the starter motor. Im pretty sure the starter was ok, so decided to just paint it. 
 

 
next was the main brake line to the back of the car… cabled tied to the roof rack of my Discovery to get it home from my parents house 


 

 
I then discovered why I used to get such a bad fuel smell inside the car. And possibly why the car always had average fuel consumption. 
 
this is the original filler neck for the fuel tank 😬 
 

 

 
 

 
Fuel tank in finally. After damaging a thread inside the boot that holds the tank in, and a couple other issues, i finally got it in the car. 
 

 
 

 
 


the only concern now is the outlet and filter do not fit through the hole in the boot floor, to go to the tank. Well the fitting itself will, but the fibre washer does not. So im thinking im going to try trim the fibre washer down to fit through the hole, otherwise the tank will have to come out again  
 

 
 
 
 

Next was the fuel tank breather. Technically the car had a charcoal canister that the breather is meant to go to in the engine bay. However the “pre emission” cars had the breather go out a hole in the middle of the boot floor right at the back. 
the late ones like mine still have that hole, but blanked. So i remade the breather pipe to go out the middle in the back. No charcoal canister 🤫 
 


another P clip to hold the breather pipe inside the boot
 


I then remade the front brake hard lines. Mk1 fitting on one end, Mk2 on the other end, to match the new brakes
 

 
 
 

I had a little set back today. 
 
when we stripped the car, i forgot to remove the RHF guard liner. The passenger one got removed because I had to remove the antenna. Well the guys in the shop forgot to remove it also, so it got painted body colour in situ. 
i finally removed it today, and boy what a mess behind. 
48 years worth of dirt and gravel. More evidence that in a past life my car spent a lot of time on gravel roads
 

 

 


 
I didnt want to use the hose inside the shed, and i needed something with more control than a hose. So i jammed a bit of pipe in an old drink bottle, and suddenly i have a squeezy bottle to help clean out the crap.  

 
cleaned and treated the bits that needed it with POR 15. None of that will be seen once the guard liner goes back in. 
 

 
this is where the car is at. Up on stands so i can finish everything under the car. Its not too far away now from being put back down on its wheels. 
 

 

Update time, 
 
ive been making good progress on the car. 
 
I wrapped all the engine bay wiring in new loom tape, then used varying sized insulated P clips to hold it all in place with rivet nuts. 
 
these ones i modified for side mounting for headlight harness up inside the front guards. 
 

 
 
 

 

 
 
 

Well bit of an update. 
ive been busy, spending an hour or more every day working on the car, and have made good progress. 
 
the engine is finally in its final position, headers bolted up, and other little bits and pieces. 

I got another pair of CORRECT end brackets for the corner bumpers. Now fit and sit much better 

 
These are genuine Ford, original 1600 engine mounts and rubbers. 
 

 
the extractors are definitely close to battery tray
 

 
and a little close to the passenger footwell. Since i took this pic, ive torqued up the engine mounts and extractors, and ive gained a tad more room under the footwell. 
 

 
i fitted the bonnet cable, restored the ID plates and reinstalled them. Used my brother’s sonic cleaner, 4 cycles to get the worst of the crud off them, then a wire brush, and 2 coats of metal polish to get them to look brand new. 
 

 
its the little things that make the difference. I hand cleaned, sanded and polished the cable clips that hold the bonnet cable. 
 

 
and the spring and retaining plate 
 

 
I pulled the bonnet catch apart and cleaned and polished it up as well. 
 

 


Then tonight, I got really carried away and test fitted one of the NOS Hella H4 replacement headlights, and fitted the grill up properly. 
still has
no wiring or globes, and needs some adjustment, but christ im excited by this. 
 

Jeez it could be pushing it, but if i keep cracking away at it, maybe. 
 
the issue is the money i still have to spend on parts and exhaust. 
 
i have about $2k still to spend, maybe a little more, to get everything i need to finish it off. 
- radiator
- alternator 
- starter motor
- exhaust made
- ceramic coating for headers
- sound deadening
- amp and sub for the stereo 
 
thats about it.
 
hoping to have it running in a couple of weeks  

haha. 
well i copied the links from the imgur mobile app, and was using the mobile browser version of the forum to put the post together last night. ive never had an issue doing it that way before, but for some reason last night it didn't copy over the img link like it usually does. 
Fixed via my laptop this morning. 

Well bit of an update. 
ive been busy, spending an hour or more every day working on the car, and have made good progress. 
 
the engine is finally in its final position, headers bolted up, and other little bits and pieces. 

I got another pair of CORRECT end brackets for the corner bumpers. Now fit and sit much better 

 
These are genuine Ford, original 1600 engine mounts and rubbers. 
 

 
the extractors are definitely close to battery tray
 

 
and a little close to the passenger footwell. Since i took this pic, ive torqued up the engine mounts and extractors, and ive gained a tad more room under the footwell. 
 

 
i fitted the bonnet cable, restored the ID plates and reinstalled them. Used my brother’s sonic cleaner, 4 cycles to get the worst of the crud off them, then a wire brush, and 2 coats of metal polish to get them to look brand new. 
 

 
its the little things that make the difference. I hand cleaned, sanded and polished the cable clips that hold the bonnet cable. 
 

 
and the spring and retaining plate 
 

 
I pulled the bonnet catch apart and cleaned and polished it up as well. 
 

 


Then tonight, I got really carried away and test fitted one of the NOS Hella H4 replacement headlights, and fitted the grill up properly. 
still has
no wiring or globes, and needs some adjustment, but christ im excited by this. 
 

fixed now. 

Well bit of an update. 
ive been busy, spending an hour or more every day working on the car, and have made good progress. 
 
the engine is finally in its final position, headers bolted up, and other little bits and pieces. 

I got another pair of CORRECT end brackets for the corner bumpers. Now fit and sit much better 

 
These are genuine Ford, original 1600 engine mounts and rubbers. 
 

 
the extractors are definitely close to battery tray
 

 
and a little close to the passenger footwell. Since i took this pic, ive torqued up the engine mounts and extractors, and ive gained a tad more room under the footwell. 
 

 
i fitted the bonnet cable, restored the ID plates and reinstalled them. Used my brother’s sonic cleaner, 4 cycles to get the worst of the crud off them, then a wire brush, and 2 coats of metal polish to get them to look brand new. 
 

 
its the little things that make the difference. I hand cleaned, sanded and polished the cable clips that hold the bonnet cable. 
 

 
and the spring and retaining plate 
 

 
I pulled the bonnet catch apart and cleaned and polished it up as well. 
 

 


Then tonight, I got really carried away and test fitted one of the NOS Hella H4 replacement headlights, and fitted the grill up properly. 
still has
no wiring or globes, and needs some adjustment, but christ im excited by this. 
 

i am blown away by the seats. 
i almost had the back seats done the same way to suit, but they are original and in good condition, so couldn’t bring myself to have genuine original seats cut up. 
 
as a last resort, i will have someone modify mounts etc for me. 
 
I have one more set of engine plates to try, and i can get another sized rubber. 
however, a good friend Michael who also owns Mk1 Escorts, has a couple of sets of CORRECT 1600 engine mounts. Which are different to 1300 mounts, even though the blocks are the same. 

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. 
 

 
 

Thanks man. 
i am blown away by them. They are sitting in my lounge room at the moment, and i look at them every time i walk into the room 😂 
 
Its so nice to see an idea I had pictured in my mind, become a reality. They turned out brilliantly, and they are super comfy. They compensate the noisy exhaust and stiff suspension, and make the car lovely to sit in for hours on end. 

i am blown away by the seats. 
i almost had the back seats done the same way to suit, but they are original and in good condition, so couldn’t bring myself to have genuine original seats cut up. 
 
as a last resort, i will have someone modify mounts etc for me. 
 
I have one more set of engine plates to try, and i can get another sized rubber. 
however, a good friend Michael who also owns Mk1 Escorts, has a couple of sets of CORRECT 1600 engine mounts. Which are different to 1300 mounts, even though the blocks are the same. 

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. 
 

 
 

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. 
 

 
 

Progress is slow as per usual, but im starting to gain motivation to do more on this whenever I have a spare bit of time, which at the moment is very little. 
 
I think id forgotten how easy the Escort is to work on. 
 
I had a couple hours up my sleeve last night so I was able to get the passenger front door latch pulled down, cleaned and put back together, exterior handle and lock reinstalled. 
 

 

 
I also fitted the new door seal. 
Hopefully it will squish down and settle a bit, because this is as closed as I could get the door, and that was slamming it 😕 

The rear door was a bit the same when I fitted the new seal to that, but it has definitely gone softer and flatter after a couple of months being shut on. hopefully the front will do the same so I can bring the catch in a bit and close up the gaps.