Mk1Mad

Hey Mate. Try a heat gun and putty knife on the underseal, works a treat on my Escort. What part of the Naki you in? Im originally from Inglewood. For you chassis repair sections, maybe grab another car and cut it up to save making up or patches. Need picture really to see how bad it is. I know there was (about 3 months ago) a anglia shell out the back of 42 Brown Street, Inglewood. May be worth a try to get it if your close.

Got more photos of hinges on home computer so will email through. There should be some bar and tube left over somewhere that I did my hinges with. You just need to file out the raised seam inside the tube. Will steal welder this week for bolt holes in the floor. Also need to fold up some steal to fix the leading edge of the bonnet. Easy access right now under car, I can slide all the way under without any jack.... Lowering will be done once WOF'd. Think I would rather keep the 1600 (I put up with a 850cc in my mini!) for now and build up a Zetec to go in it instead of a pinto. I suppose tho that if you got it certed for a pinto (2L) then nothing would change on you cert tag and you could just replace it with a zetec without the need for a new cert. True about beating Jute, I txt her when I go out to sand to tell her to get onto hers.. don't think it motovates her much. You Better get her on to it Gaz so you can have your shed back!!

More sanding. Fitted doors and striped blue layer off them. Sanded slam panel. Finished back panel. Etched dash. Cleaned out shed. Still need to buy: Prepsol, tack rags, ermine white, clearcoat. Dash Got car outside to dust off. One door. If anyone in Wellington has a spare good condition Mk1 windscreen I would be very interested. Could trade for my blue top tint screen (has a few grinding marks).

Front (Door) fake wood trim requires you to peal back the "wood" and then drill out the pop rivets. The "wood" is double sided taped onto the alloy backing. Rear fake wood trim requires you to reach up from underneath behind the panel and undo about 5 little nuts that hold it on. Nick

Clean ride mate. I like you thinking re. keeping it semi original. I will be doing the same with mine. Ermine White, lotus steels, 2 inch slamage. What front shocks did you end up using and did you get them machined or just fit standard height shocks? I figuring options for mine to get it sitting just like yours.

OK Seams like there are a million bloodly escorts on here now!!! Anyway, big update with pics. Working towards paint. Cleaned out gutters and put new seam sealer in join Started on interior Etched roof Started sanding rear And fix rust on bottom of doors Drink for later Welded up trim holes Interior Quarter Window Took off floor bitumen Anyway, Bathurst tomorrow so wont do any work on it.

Updated the original list with some possible suppliers in Aussie. Sounds like we should enquire about a group deal. Probably need some pictures of the profile etc before ordering from some random place in the middle of the outback.....

Nah, got the door off with hacksaw and dremel so didn't need to buy blowtorch ($120 down to $80 at bunnings right now). I just cant find it around mine so assumed it may be at yours. Not really sure where it is.

But then of course, you wouldn't learn anything if you did that so... And wiring is a cheap job you can do while you save for bigger things. Maybe have someone else look completely through it before connecting anything to the battery... That manual is pretty decent at explaining things.

I think my little gas torch thing is at yours somewhere. The original inlet should be brazed on so you should just be able to heat around it and then pull it off. Then get a piece of circular plate and braze over the unwanted hole. Would this be strong enough to hold pressure? Drill hole in other side of top tank and braze original inlet back on in new position. If you take it apart and get eveything all clean (eg. no paint and shit around it) should be super cheap at any radiator shop for them to braze on the outlet. Wiring + Chris = Multiple fires. Wiring + Auto Electrician + Few $$ = No Fires + Happy Chris Wiring + Chris = Fires + Multiple Fire Extinguishers ($$) Wiring + $$ That Would be Spent on Fire Extinshisers + Auto Electircitian = No Fires + Happy Chris <- WIN

Good work on the mini purchase, nice and easy to work on and real real easy to get parts for for cheap. Where are you based? Check out my thread and ask as many questions on here as you need. There are quite a few people on here that have built up minis. viewtopic.php?f=17&t=6320&start=0 I bought parts and panels from Minibitz - www.minibitz.co.nz and Swift Automotive, Chch. Anyway, start a project thread with lots of photos so we can see what you have to start with. Nick

Wont post many words as I know how everyone loves pictures... Roof is ready for prime, also cleaned out, rustkilled and primed the drip rails. Heater bubble is back on, going to have to shoot in some cavity wax to try and seal up the bottom of it. Put on my new shocks, Comparision photo: Found that the top mounts are now solid (turned up nylon replacement bushes (previous owner was a hvac engineer) Welded up trim holes, etch primed, skim of filler and high build primer: Before: After: Started on interior, headlining out (didnt realise they were so easy to remove) Started sorting a pattern to make a rear parcel shelf Cleaned up the boot, just need to get the vac out there to clean it up. Also going to remount the battery as it was mounted in the spare wheel well. I want to keep a spare, just need to find a holddown strap. Anyway, big weekend. Hopefully not too busy at work so I can get home to work on it after... Also having problems removing the other door... A hacksaw blade and lots of time will have it in the end.

Have you used them? If so would you reccomend them?

Sweet, cheers. A lot of it cant be done by ordital as its all curvy. Need to remove the other door too. Anyone in wellington got a blowtorch?? Also, will need welder this weekend if it is avaliable. Trim holes and maybe heater bubble...

Yeah, was thinking that. Not sure on the generic locking strips tho, the ones my mini has and the ones my escort has are different. Escort ones are alot broarder. Been trying to get the side windows out of the escort but the previous owner has sealed everything in solid with goo.. May need a hand Thursday night Chris.

Shopping around for Mk1 Escort windscreen seals. Will post up who has them and their prices when I receive emails back. If you know of others I should try shout out. Not impressed with the generic seal smith and smith and the like do. I do not vouch for the quality and fit of any below, this is just a list of suppliers I can find. So far: Basis http://www.basisnz.co.nz $180 each Palmside http://www.palmside.co.nz about $120 each + GST Retwine http://www.retwine.co.nz Enford http://www.enford.co.nz No longer stock seals. Very helpful tho. Restospares http://www.restospares.co.nz No reply to email. Scott's Old Auto Rubber (Australia) http://www.scottsoldautorubber.com.au $137.74 + Freight each Aldridge Trimming (UK) http://www.aldridge.co.uk £30.61 + Freight (Maybe - VAT) East Kent Trim Supplies (UK) http://www.classiccar-trim.com Email: eastkenttrim@aol.com Ph: 00441304611681 £25.53 + Freight (Maybe - VAT) Typically about 100GBP for shipping. EBay.co.uk (User - jumblemaster) http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/jumblemaster/ Seal + Trim £31.50 + Freight (Maybe - VAT) Rare Spares AUS http://www.rarespares.net.au/parts-accessories.aspx About $135 for seal + Freight Netwarehouse.com http://www.netwarehouse.com.au/RubberPr ... d/esc2.pdf $94AUD (incl GST) for seal + Freight

Oh. And sold my webers and seats to make some money for paint. I try not to spend my regular salary on my cars... Sold the seats as will need cert to fit them and not planning on getting a cert. So paint costs will probably be near $1000 for all materials just incase people are interested.

Anyway. Painting. Need to find cheap windscreen seals that actually fit. Rare spares and Basis are like $200 each... Got three weeks to finish. Sanding tomorrow night, may take some days off work to sand if I can.

Had same problem on my mini. Lots of head scratching and 'start ya bastard' spray. Took the carb apart and cleaned out good and proper, refitted and now its perfect.. Carb rebuild is my vote.

For reference to get seals: Ebay UK Seller username jumblemaster http://myworld.ebay.com/ebaymotors/jumblemaster/ Firms in the UK for seals: Aldridge Trimming http://www.aldridge.co.uk/home/index.cfm?id=1 Mehh...

I would assume and it would make sense to run the caplier so the pads run right on the outer edge of the disc. Most leverage = greater braking power for same input of force. Of course allowing a little bit of room for error.

Just thinking also. With your plans of a single rear tramp bar on the drivers side. With the diff as high in the body as you are planning you may need to mount the tramp bar off the bottom of the axle (and as such in comperession under load?) as to mount to the chassis rail up near the front spring eye the angle of the arm will pass through the body if mounted ontop of the axle? Maybe just maybe, just a thought. Think you need to get the leaves reset as you are always going to do and then we get the car set down at the ride height you want then place the axle etc in + a couple of fatties in the back to simulate fuel + everything else. Mocking up with it high on axle stands is a little decieving me thinks. + measure some heights etc and do some little diagrams of axle location

Hmmm Think, if you are going to need to do something with the steering arms you need to use your capri struts with removerable arms. Pretty sure RS2000 (can get remanufactured in the UK) steering arms have a lower taper point reletive to mounting bolts, than standard escort (as in pic above). Also, with that much lowerage you are going to need to do a diff tunnel and maybe even a bit more room for the driveshaft at the rear. Then, its a matter of where to put the exhaust... straight under the diff prehaps.

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=12383&hilit=pinto+turbo+escort

Hmmm. From what I understand. Capri struts are favoured in the UK as you can remove the steering arm and mod it. As you cant weld steering components over here there is no real advantage unless you get a custom cast/machined steering arm. Also, UK people use capri struts but they are usually 2.8i capri struts with bilstein inserts. Yours are just standard capri. I think I also read somewhere that the capri struct stub axle has a different stub axle angle which, when bolted into an escort gives a small amount more negetive camber. Things to check I would say would be: Body length. Are they both the same length? - Might not matter if you shorten the whole strut. Insert diameter and avaliability of inserts for reasonable price for your chosen strut. Outside diameter if you are going to buy a coilover kit instead of making one. Wheel bearing avaliability if the 2 struts have different stub axle sizes. You could turn up a spacer to lower the TCA outer pivot point but im not sure if this is certable and if you did do it you would also have to change the steering arms which as said above would be complicated when coming to a cert.