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M_C's '69 Escort Coupe


M_C

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Hampton track surface all bung, again, so track closed as they do another repair on it. Insert sad face/rude icon here.

Rebooked for Waitangi day full day and hanging out for it. Will know Mon/Tue if track still ok after the weekends racing.

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The wait to get onto the track was worth it! Sooooo much fun.

Been burning to know the lap times I can run so jimmied up a mount for the phone so the trackmaster app can get reception. Amazing what duct tape and cable ties can do…

Playday run a good track day now. Must be the practise or something. We got in heaps of sessions and almost everyone was well behaved.

Sparky unfortunately had an expensive day in the car park when his warmed over hot pinto was all sulky from being left in the garage and didn’t want to play ball. Weak spark,, cough splutter and generally being unhelpfull.

I will leave it to Shaneo to boast about his exploits with his Trademe lucky dip Hot Crossflow.

Oh Yeah, so good on the track!

Car ran so well and fastest time was 1:30.80 and max 154km/hr. I may be biased but I think that is not a bad time for a ’69 Mk1 Escort with big weighty Essex up in the bow and novice driver. I very very happy.

To my limited skills she seems to turn in well and hang in there with street tires. The were protesting and loudly at times… Getting more comfortable with the car wriggling and sliding around.

These babies can squeal…

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Car is filthy and proud of it. Loving the hard use.

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Only thing to come up on the track day is the clutch fork rattle is a little worse. I could not see how to secure the clutch fork into the bellhousing so have left it over a bolt as a pin at one end. Did not have a clip to hold the release bearing onto the fork either. Pretty sure this is not usual. Will need to address this somehow.

Suspension seems to have settled a little after the abuse as she no scrapes even more over the hump in the driveway?

Made a(nother) list of what is needed to get her complied for racing. 19 items long! The big elephant in the room is the cage. Got lots to keep me busy and that is before any improvements and road legal stuff.

Track day cost quite a few garage points after a long weekend of car stuff and generally not enough attention to the better half. Was not my best timing to suggest the next track day as soon as I got home to very tired wife…

Speaking of tired I was shattered after that effort of dancing on the peddles and muscling the car around all day. Still grinning.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Been busy installing a uber high tech security system on the Escort. Quite impressed with it and looking forward to trying it out…

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Speaking of security systems, I may need on for the underpants after the big moment in the infamous Turn One at Hampton on the last track day. It either means I am pushing the car harder, or my driving is still poor. -I chose the first version.

Kept it on the black stuff this time. That has been recommended to me as having more grip than the green or gravelly bits.

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  • 1 month later...

So how do Mk1 Escort windscreen wipers work? The center spigots that came in my car look a bit odd.

The drivers side needs the nuts to hold it onto the pannel below the windscreen. (Fussy people ignore my shamefull pannel gaps...)

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But the spigot in the center is very different and I can't see how the wiper arm will attach???

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The spare wiper assembly does not have nuts either, but both sipgots are the same and look like the drivers side.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Goodbye custom boot ventilation slots

Helllloooooo minitubs

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Big thanks to Mel and her panel shop on Marua Rd for a top job sorting out the ugliness that was the inner arches. Cross another thing off the list. Been far too long since I heard the mighty Essex growling out the side pipes and was ridiculously excited for days after listening the noise from the squirt in Mel’s panel shop carpark…

Uber keen to get the car complied for the road after a couple of weekends in the Coromandel driving the roads. Plan to drive the Escort down to next year’s edition of the Legendary Leadfoot + Hop weekend. Better get her legal soon.

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Been watching your progress with this car for a while and I must say. Top job with the car.

Also been keeping my eye out for an way to help and finally there is.

Your windscreen whipper problem.

The oldish english cars have a push on type wiper arm so there is no nut.

Both sides should look like the drivers side one, the guts have fallen out of the passenger side one.

Real simple to wire. 4 wires.

Earth, power for the self return function, then 2 more power wires controlled by the switch (Fast and Slow).

Cheers for the help!

I have pulled out the wiper motor and have wires as below.

Green double wire second from top looks to be positive power feed?

Black and white at bottom looks to be earth.

How do the other two work? On the wiring diagram they go to the wiper switch, (that I don't have)

Power to middle two make it work, but power to top two does nothing but get warm.

Bottom black and white earth dosen't appear to do anything...?

Newbie question; How do I wire these four up?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Primer on the mini tubs

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Gooping on the seam sealer.

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Sorted out my belts so they don't hang off the cage and angles are to motorsport regs. Now ready to get cage out.

Also bought new double bracket extinguisher. After seeing that a 1kg extinguishers last a whole 10sec I figure the $20 and 3kg penalty for a 2.3kg one is cheap insurance. I like my car uncrispy...

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After a bit of head scratcching I got my door glass in. Should help stop errant limbs escaping in a oops. Heard a few horror stories of what actually happens when watching slowmo video of oopies...

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Project list getting a little shorter... Need to stop added bits on the end.

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Was lining up a track day to Puke controlled testing tomorrow Sat 18 with the boys. But weather forecasts deteriorated to persisting down all day so looking like a NoGo. :cry:  :cry: :cry:  May not be the best idea to run with no windscreen wipers and never driven Puke. Been told its Fast and not very forgiving. Besides car leaks like a sieve, no passenger window or demist fan yet.

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Ironically the weather on Sat was pretty good. Ah well, had great family day instead.

But heavy car withdrawal symptoms were kicking in so a gymkhana/drift day was booked at Hampton Downs with Advanced Drift through their FB page. $30 = bargain!

 

Shano had his rubber arm twisted to come for some skidding.

He brought is Instant Friend Maker aka easy up. Good Job!

 

Some OldSchool fords amongst more typical drift wheels.

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Yes, I am supposed to be facing this way...

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It was a little bit wet.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Cage out.

Two little words to describe an entire afternoon's work.

 

Picked up a recip saw from Hirepool. What a Cool Man Toy. Sliced the tube with impressive vigor. Easy part was getting the bulk of the cage out. Thanks Shaneo. Then few hours entertaining the neighbours with the angle grinder to remove the stubs.

 

First of the Tarmac Series tomorrow!

With the forecast I put the passenger window back in after faffing around sorting out the best glass and rubbers.

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Some pics of Sat's entertainment

 

The true beauty of the cage build is revealed...

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We now have a WTF trophy to be handed to deserving recipients...

Section of the main hoop join. Possibly would not pass scrutineering I think.

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Hmmmm, sparks are so cool and hypnotic

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So I was in the garage last night and noticed some wheels a mate is not using...

What do you guys think?

Bad pics as point and shoot camera struggling to take pics of black wheels in dark garage.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Partaking of another strictly medicinal warming dram I came to the stunning conclusion that the firewall I am slowly constructing is becoming more of a giant solar reflector of potentially blinding intensity with a large expanse of polished alloy. Better paint that I think. Maybe another medicinal dram while I think about it...

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Bring on the Hill Climb!

Maybe sneak in a sly track day before that too.

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I had the genius idea of using part of the old wiring loom to get my wipers sorted out. Looks so easy now I know how how it works! Plug this little bit into power feed and earth = done.

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Pressie time! I love pressie time.

Ebay electronic points, new spanners and old heads to practise porting.

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