Looking at buying a Corty, what to look 4

[SirkWhyXF 1,533]

As the tittle says lads & ladetts going to look at a corty never had anything to do with em b4, what should i be looking 4.

 

 

BTW its a 77 TE ghia

[Tyler06 266]

Rust in all the same places as an xseries really. Being a ghia is it vinyl roof? If its manual check the top trailing arm mounts on the body as they tear out.

 

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[Tyler06 266]

Dbl post

[gerg 10,871]

Check for rust where the rear lower control arms attach to the chassis. The pressing in the chassis rails overlaps and collects dirt/sand and rusts from the inside out, and is a critical structural point.

 

Sills can rot out, as do the tops of the front guards about 6" forward of the windscreen.

 

They don't stop or steer too well, particularly the sixes. They need stiff front springs and sway bar, and shocks to match. Go with nolathane (or similar) radius rod bushes.

 

They take a European 4-stud wheel pattern, same as Escort. Some Audi and SAAB wheels will definitely fit. Mine had 15" SAAB steelies.

 

If you plan to go manual, the shifter sits further forward than on a Falcon. They had a single rail that had a unique shift rail and extension housing.

 

Crossflow engines after '81 had no provision for the Cortina dipstick (near coil) so must be drilled to suit. They obviously use different sumps and oil pickups.

 

The heater box protrudes into the engine bay and comes close to the standard inlet manifold, limiting the choice of aftermarket ones you can fit in there.

 

They chew up starter motors as the solenoid sits right under the exhaust manifold, and the plastic solenoid cap cracks, and then no start. You can use a later starter with the solenoid mounted 90 degrees down but it hits on the firewall. I "clearanced" my firewall with a ball pein hammer.

 

TFs use completely different glass and doors all round, as the turret is actually 2" taller. Only the door skins are the same. The diffs are different too: TEs use 78 series, TFs used pissy 65 series, like a Sigma.

 

Being a 4-link rear, like a Torana or HQ, the top rear arms are angled so they move through opposing arcs and fight each other, chopping out the bushes in the diff housing, which are press-in jobbies. A shit design and an even shitter job to change them.

 

A limo diff is advisable, but will need an engineer's cert as they never came factory with them.

 

They are quite difficult, but not entirely impossible to have sex in. I lost my virginity on the front seat of mine. Yes it's important.

 

Overall, they're a pretty strong, well-built car that can take a flogging. They have plenty of character and put a big smile on your face. I miss my TF dearly to this day, and it's been 7 years.

[dougie77 789]

Rust will be your biggest thing to look for but like most cars the rust can be fixed

 

Check the boot floor pull out the spare as they rust in there

 

As stated above the top of guards and around the rear windscreen where the bootlid closes

 

Around the screens front and back roof gutters also

 

Sills get bad to but hey it can all be fixed

 

And yes you can have sex in one i also lost my virginity in one but it was a wagon so it was easier

 

And they are a lighter than a falcon with the same engine    

[SirkWhyXF 1,533]

Thanks for the detailed replies gents, handy to know I can do the deed in one if necessary, although the missus is knocked up with our second at the moment and not so randy, so not much chance of that...

[SirkWhyXF 1,533]

Damn it, missed out! called today and it sold this morn for the 3g asking price looked mint in the pics beige, vinyl roof 127,00ks 4.1 Ghia n he said it had no rust at all when i spoke to him this arvo.

 

Spewin really, i was getting a bit exited about owning a corty... Ah well you snooze you loose, shoulda rang him on sat when i first saw the ad, some one got a bargain anyway.