Panko's Mk1 Escort (Round 2)

[Panko 2,480]

2 minutes ago, deankxf said:

certainly looks amazing with the all the detailing. 

 

i'd definitely be trying another oil pressure gauge asap, stuck on 20 max seems like a gauge needle fouling on something inside?

 

has it got decent valve springs? could it be the 5000rpm valve spring bouncing?

I dropped the oil this afternoon, which is was still the thing racing “run in” and put in 20w60 mineral oil. 
After that at highway speed it did come up to nearly 30psi. So the gauge does move. 
 

that is a good question about the valve springs. I had the head done up. Ill have to find the invoice and see if the springs were replaced. 
It could well be valve bounce  

[deankxf 20,288]

4 minutes ago, Panko said:

It could well be valve bounce  

could also be POINT BOUNCE, i recall it being an issue on something i had, gap too wide possibly but mine was caused by worn dizzy bushings 

[SPArKy_Dave 8,873]

2 hours ago, deankxf said:

could also be POINT BOUNCE,

 

https://mooregoodink.com/minimizing-spark-scatter-in-the-vintage-race-engine/

[Panko 2,480]

So small update. 
 

i checked the points, gapped them and cleaned them up. Can’t say it made a difference, maybe marginal improvement to idle and smoothness on the road. 
As a whole im pretty happy with the way its driving. Effortless power across the board, but doesn’t like high RPM, or maybe i just don’t like the noise it makes. 
 

I checked the invoice from the head work, and I did not get the valve springs replaced, so maybe i need to run some heavier valve springs. 
 

The oil pressure hasn’t improved with thicker oil, so im hoping that it is a stuck relief valve. In fact today being 30 degrees, when the oil was hot the pressure dropped off to just under 20psi at idle. 
 

I adjusted valve clearance again, because i found the spec sheet for my cam this morning, and it requires tighter clearances than factory spec. So it should now be correct. 
 

The car goes back in the shed today. I now some work ahead of me to sort out this oil pressure issue, and i need to put the rest of the car back together. 
 

 

[Thom 6,651]

How old are the points? A lot of new points the spring is too soft letting the points float exactly the same way sometimes valve springs let the valves float, easiest way to check is if you have an old set that are usable throw them in and see if the problem disappears

[Panko 2,480]

11 minutes ago, Thom said:

How old are the points? A lot of new points the spring is too soft letting the points float exactly the same way sometimes valve springs let the valves float, easiest way to check is if you have an old set that are usable throw them in and see if the problem disappears

I have no idea how old they are. The dissy is a working Lucas Australia one i had in a box of spares. So who knows how old they are unfortunately. 

[Panko 2,480]

Well some good news. 
 

I do have oil pressure. 
 

 

i went to my dad’s place today and he helped plumb in a mechanical oil pressure gauge. 
Not very fine increments, but that is reading around 30-35psi. 
at the same time the VDO inside was reading 20psi. So my VDO sender appears to be playing up. 
 

Ill just leave the below pic there for you to all enjoy. 
 

first time the Escort has been at my parent’s house since it was off the road. 
 

A quick snap with my father’s S2 Land Rover, affectionately known as George, 1 of 2 specially built, fire service vehicles for Sydney Showgrounds. Unfortunately George’s brother is nowhere to be found. While George has had a full tear down, nut and bolt restoration done by the previous owner. 
 

[Fingers 463]

On 12/31/2023 at 11:48 PM, deankxf said:

could also be POINT BOUNCE, i recall it being an issue on something i had, gap too wide possibly but mine was caused by worn dizzy bushings 

That was something my first Escort suffered

[bear351c 10,270]

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.!

 

 

 

[Panko 2,480]

Ok I should probably update you all. 

 

its a month since my last update and well, the car is very close to finished, with only relatively minor things needed to finish it off. 

 

I only have the photos on my phone, so i will get to them in a seperate post, but I'll give you the run down. 

 

The interior is all back in, including the new mass sound deadener/carpet underlay, which made a massive difference to cabin noise. 

 

The brand new reproduction inner sill trims/carpet trims are in. 

 

I was under pressure from the RSOCV guys about getting the car "finished", or at the very least ready for display at Small Ford Sunday 2024, which happened Sunday just gone. So I had a lot of work ahead of me, with less than 4 weeks (since my last update) so get the car sorted. 

 

Needless to say, i made it. I had the car at SFS24, running and driving under its own power. 

 

Although it made it to SFS, the stereo wasn't wired up, thats not a big deal, but as of Friday morning the car nearly didn't make it. As of Friday morning, the car was not drivable. I was shattered. 

The car was having gearbox issues, which scared the crap out of me, given Rod and I had modified the gearbox, I was terrified something with the gearbox went wrong, but it was the aftermarket short shifter.

How? well i wouldn't have believed it, if I didn't read it on a number of UK based forums, that some cheaper or lesser quality short shifters randomly fail, causing issues with being able to select 1st gear. In my case, I could not engage 1st gear at all, and it was crunching into 5th

The fix, was to refit the standard shifter, and sure enough, problem solved. 

 

Friday, 2 days out from SFS, i still had a few things to sort out. 

- Fix the gearbox issue

- finish polishing the outer sill trims, replace black stripe, and fit back on the car (pop riveted on) 

- and change the wheels to something presentable. the 13" 4 spokes are nice, but the black paint is flaking again, so need a pro resto job. so the car is back to running on the 15s. 

 

 

 

Ive been putting some decent kms on the car, driving back and forth to my folks place to reassemble the car in stages. the fuel consumption is the best it has ever been in the time ive owned the car, returning 9.8L/100km on the first tank i recorded. It will definitely go lower on the open road, and when I stop using so much throttle

 

with the new carpet underlay in, the Recaro seats, and the 5 speed, the car is comfortable, and really nice to drive basically anywhere. i can sit on the freeway and cruise in it at 100km/h no worries. its not noisy, it feels tight, its not working too hard, and it doesn't get hot. 

 

So, whats left to do? 

 

- I need to add headlight film to protect the lights

- look at the thermostat/cooling system. its not building temp. i suspect the thermostat is stuck open. 

- Stereo is all wired up, and sounds great

- Front seat rail adapters have been painted today, so tomorrow the front seats can go back in for the last time, 

- waiting on front bumpers to come back from chrome platers. 

 

Other than those few things, the car is mostly done. interior is complete, once the front seats go back in. 

 

exterior is 95% there. 

 

 

So on that note I am just going to leave these two pics below as teasers. In my next update I will add more pics and details of what I went through the last few weeks. there was definitely some challenges. 

 

The top pic is the first drive around the block with the stock shifter back in the gearbox, and the 15" wheels back on. as you can see its a bit later in the day, so it was my only chance to test things out before SFS. 

 

The second pic, is a bit like a proud dad moment, driving the Escort into Small Ford Sunday to display the car. first time I have been in over 3 years, and in my own car again, was a such a great feeling. and the number of people who came to me and wanted to talk to me about the car, because they had heard its story, and what it had been through, was a little overwhelming. 

 

 

[deankxf 20,288]

2 hours ago, Panko said:

the number of people who came to me and wanted to talk to me about the car, because they had heard its story, and what it had been through, was a little overwhelming. 

 

Absolutely amazing results and credit to you for turning around another write off decision by insurers. 

Been a pleasure following the restoration here and hearing the ups and downs of the process. 

So glad it's transformed by the tasteful modifications into a better road car too!

[2redrovers 21,400]

Yeah.. What he said..

[Panko 2,480]

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. 

[Panko 2,480]

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. 

[2redrovers 21,400]

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.

[Fingers 463]

I really like the look of the RS wheels

[bear351c 10,270]

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. 

[hendrixhc 10,920]

Very nice work Aaron.

[Panko 2,480]

12 hours ago, bear351c said:

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. 

Thanks bear.

No I haven’t covered the back of the seat yet. Not entirely sure how I’ll do that yet. But yeah eventually i will make something to tidy the back of the boot up a little. 
 

The Recaros, are up there as one of the best things I did to the car. Put aside how well they hold you in, they are comfy. I can sit in it on long drives now, and be happy. 

[Panko 2,480]

49 minutes ago, hendrixhc said:

Very nice work Aaron.

Thanks James. 
 

Now I just want to drive it all the time, but don’t want to use up my logbook days too quick, and I also don’t want to neglect the wagon. 

[bear351c 10,270]

7 hours ago, Panko said:

No I haven’t covered the back of the seat yet. Not entirely sure how I’ll do that yet. But yeah eventually i will make something to tidy the back of the boot up a little.  

 

Guess you buy one for an XB, and cut it down.?  They are masonite with a bit of foam, or hessian on them, I think.

[Panko 2,480]

7 hours ago, bear351c said:

 

Guess you buy one for an XB, and cut it down.?  They are masonite with a bit of foam, or hessian on them, I think.

 

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. 

[Panko 2,480]

Well there hasn’t been much more work on the Escort, even though it still needs some finishing touches. 
 

Today however, I drove the car up to my good friend Michael’s house in Sunbury. Michael is the friend who found me this car for sale way back in 2016 when I bought it, and he hasn’t seen it since the accident. I figured it was about time i took it up to him to finally see it finished.
From place its a bit over an hour, and a good bit of sitting on highway with 110km/h speed limit. 
Today in Melbourne it was around 29 degrees. The Escort, sat on 110km/h, or a bit more, with ease. That 5th gear has made it such a better car to drive. This was also the furthest from home (as the crow flies) i had driven the car, and the most highway, and highway speed driving it has done. 
everything was good. Temp was good, oil pressure, rpm, sat on about 3200rpm at 110km/h. 

I think today was a really good test for it, and it seems to be good and sorted. I was a little nervous being that far from home in case something happened. 

[deankxf 20,288]

26 minutes ago, Panko said:

From place its a bit over an hour, and a good bit of sitting on highway with 110km/h speed limit. 

how'd it go up the big hill just past Calder Park Raceway, back to 4th gear and held the speed with the 1600? 

 

 

[Panko 2,480]

22 hours ago, deankxf said:

how'd it go up the big hill just past Calder Park Raceway, back to 4th gear and held the speed with the 1600? 

 

 

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.