BS5620

I have a problem. I need my car about 20mm lower before cert time. I already have lowering springs in and dont want to buy new ones. Its in my mk1 cortina but mk2 escort front struts. The escort top hats have a raised top spring cup (red spring in pic) but im after a top spring cup that is flat (silver spring) The cortina one is 10mm to wide. I could use capri struts but trying to find these is very hard and I would have to sell my car just to afford them so want to keep the esky struts I have Im after a flat top spring hats that is about 135mm wide and flat. Any one have any ideas have an idea of what other spring cups that may be suitable?? Can be from any car type I went to the wreckers but he was pretty unhelpful!!

thanks for that. Will the certifier still be doing an emissions test on it though?? Also who would be the best man to talk to for a cert in Blenheim?? Does someone come up from CHCH or across from Welly. Or should I try twist the arm of the certifier that I was dealing with in Taupo before I moved down here??? Cheers

1963 mk1 cortina with a bluetop 16v 4age in it

wow just want to say photos looking awsome!!

Can I please have some clarification on the Cat Converter need. I was under the impression that you need one for a cert if engine transplant done after 1st may 2010 or if your engine is newer then 197X?? or something abut if original engine never had one!! .. I have a Bluetop rwd 4age and not sure if i need one, I have put my engine in before 1st may 2010 (have my project build and should beable to find auto electrics guys receipt to prove this). But are only nearly ready for a cert now. Do I need a cat converter or emissions test when I go for my cert?? I went to the exhaust shop to see how much a cat converter. Never got a exact price but an expensive estimate. The guys there said something about if I get a mechanic or have proof that engine was in before may 2010 I wont need a cat anyways. I would rather this as I dont really want to fork out the cost of a new catty converter haha Still in the process of finding who does the certs in Blenhiem (do i have to go to welly or chch??) so havnt rang anyone directly, though I would ask here first. Cheers Greg

Not sure if it kosure to post another forums info but try here http://cortina-mk1classifieds.com/forum/ bound to get someone who has a fair idea

That was my issue, rebuild the 1600 or go 4age in my mk1 cortina. I went 4age. Still havent had it running properly yet but thats more to the fact im useless and stuff progresses slow. I would say once you do decide make a plan of what you want to do and then attack it, dont keep changing you mind like me. I like the idea of a zetec but that would be quite a bit of work, but worth it in the end but then for other parts turbos etc plenty in NZ for the 4age compared to the zetec where i imagine you would primarly have to sort from over seas. If you do decide to go 4age, I have a modified sump that i was going to use over an escort x-member when trying to fit rack and pinion until i changed ideas (again). Its just sitting here getting in the way Best of luck

haha did you know that pod filter was red!!! "Sorry mate could tell from the picture" I must be blind Honda drivers that think they are cool huh, An answer like that must have made your blood boil.......probably red I hope you said something like "your a dumb C#%T" back to him haha

So more progress on the old beast, just painted up the suspension parts and ended up painting the engine bay black to get rid of the green metal flake. Have mounted up the brake booster under the front guard, may not work where it is but dont want to have to mount it somewhere else now. Have trade testing on friday so get tomorrow off so hopefully get the engine mounted

Type 9 sierra. Very common plenty of info and people who have done it around

Yeah I will try this ^^^^ Yeah not much room at all. Probably try and put it up and under in the dash Cheers for all the help guys

That makes sense, last time I bleed these brakes with normal drums on the rear I had a very hard peddle with no movement, would like some movement in my peddles, so should have a smaller dia bore?? So from that logic I plumb my back brakes directly to the m/c (i assume the one closest to the firewall as this one is the last one to move fluid in a stroke) and then put the front outlet to the T junction to split to left and right brakes. So to use the vh44 remote brake booster i really need one outlet so all brakes will run through the booster, and not just the front ones??Or could I have it so both outlets plumb into one line then through the booster and back to a junction where it gets split front to back brakes again??

This may be a silly question but I'm stumped I have changed the brake m/c in my car. The original only had one outlet but the new one has two. Original was the mk1 cortina one and the new one is a Nabco one from a Subaru. Bore size with the new one is 1 1/16 but I'm running AP 4pots and discs on the rear now so need a bigger bore (but is 1 1/16 to big?). I have a vh44 to put in aswell. But what I'm wanting to know is will it matter if I just block one of the outlets on the new M/C so i can plumb it up to existing lines or is this actually a return feed or something???. Cheers

slight thread creep. Where can you get that three bond gasket stuff picutred from. Is it very expensive??

^^^ what they all said. Do the sierra 5 speed conversion and put good front calipers on. But if you were desperately wanting to change to a disc braked rear then no they would not be good/easy discs to use as they are for the front hubs. Rear discs are spaced in alot. I used Honda Accord discs (redrilled to 4x108) on mine with toyota rear calipers, can't remember what the come off tho. Quite a hassle because you have to get brackets welded up to your diff so you can bolt the rear calipers to.

cheers for the replies. Yeah I will hit the cert guy up when its time.

yeah i was under that impression. cert man would definatey pick up on it ay

hello. quick question. i have done a search on here and the lvvta but no luck. i brought some struts and the springs are cut but still captive. are cut springs that are captive legal?? My flat mate seems to think so but im not to sure. Are cutties a taboo no no cheers greg

escort struts pretty much the same as capri ones except are a small dia insert and spring, plus the mk2 ones have a fixed steering arm and not one you can bolt on and off. yeah started following what gaz had done but run into problems with how my engine sat, the sump fouled the rack. So with the starlet being a rear mounted rack there will be no issues with that. Cheers crazy rich for the link. I have never really understood the whole achermans theroy ( or been to scared to investigate more haha). After reading that I think that the starlet rack is better suited to the cortina because the original mk1 cortina steering runs from behind the eng x-member as well. My engine x-member is in the process of being welded up so hopefully have more pics soon

Yeah steering linkages line up sweet. Wow thanks for pointing out the issue with the thread on the stubs!! I will try it but I guess escorts are pretty common so most probably will pick up on it!! Mk2 Cortina struts with the 3 bolt steering arm at the bottom would be ideal but trying to track them down are getting harder!! Or could try and get starlet struts but then wouldnt fit my wheels or brakes and have spent a heap over hauling the Austin 4pots and wheels and would have to get different stud pattern superlights!!

Oh yeah for my birthday last year my girlfriend drew my car and got it framed etc. She did a bloody wikid job (but im bias). Here it is And they got her to photo shop it over the original photo she drew it from for my backround haha. The original should be a few posts up aswel!

Hello So long time no update. Well I have moved and progress has been slow until the last few weeks where I have had a massive burst of motivation. Still stuck on this rack and pinion problem, it has been over two years now trying to sort this steering. So I brought a KP60 or 61 engine x-member, TCA and already have a starlet rack. I plan to have this in the car and then my 4age mounts should fit into the original starlet engine mounts because I have mounts on the engine made for a 4age to toyota K-series conversion. I have hit a snag getting this into the car because for the engine x-member to be centered in the Cortina the mounts had to come off. I have drill out the spot weld and cut the mounts off carefully in hope to reweld them into the car once steering is sorted. Hopefully engine will fit in its new location as I would like to rid fo the ugly mounts that I had welded to the chassis rails. Have figured the bolt hole spacings and drilled holes through the engine x-member to bolt it in to the Cortina. This will have to be reinforced and crush tubes put in at some stage to keep cert man happy but should be no biggy!! The starlet gear is around the same width as the Cortina so no problems there. The starlet has steering arms that with two scrapes with a fine will bolt onto the bottom of the Cortina strut. This fits fine until I tried to fit the brake caliper, and also when I fitted the TCA the ball joint scraped on the disc. So I thought that if I change left to right then this would give me the require clearance!! It did. But now the angle of the ball joints fitting to the steering arm has no free movement and the ball joint from the rack will not fit at all. Have brought Mk2 Escort struts and all the tapers from the starlet ball joints fit in to the mk2 escort legs fine at first glance. The only problem is that with the struts being changed left to right now the calipers are in the front of the strut and not behind it as original mk1 cortina ones are!! (will this pose a problem??) I have used the KP Starlet sway bar and it obviously goes into the starlet TCAs but more amazingly is that it bolts straight up to original Mk1 Cortina sway bar mounts.....YUS I have had a spacer machined up which lets the escort insert fit the mk1 cortina top hats so they bolt straight in!!! So far with fingers crossed in looks as though it is working very well, but will have to get the wheels on and everything bolted in before I claim it as a win.

cheers

Hello can anyone please give me the dimensions between the bolt holes of the 3 mounting holes for a KP Starlet strut tops bolts?? Cheeers Greg

Wow nice build up. I'm quite jealous of your rack and pinion. I have been trying to set up my mk1 cortina for over a year now and your build makes it look easy!!! Great work. Nice choice of engine should be pretty sweet, will it be the 6speed gear box??