M_C's '69 Escort Coupe

[M_C]

Got my beer holder home at last!

 

Big thanks to Andy for fabricating the exhaust, new gearbox mount, driveshaft hoop and battery holder!

Exhaust crossed over so can use the factory floor panel dent to tuck it up nice and high while avoiding brake and fuel lines.

Cross over is higher than the lowest point of the gearbox mount.

 

New little sealed battery. Cranks and starts the pinto fine so happy days.

Cable routing and big fuse on the positive lead still to sorted out.

 

Annoying that the same gearbox as was behind the V6 now sits further back when behind the pinto.

This means new gearbox cross member mount, gearstick mount and driveshaft are needed. Ah well, a chance to fit crush tubes in the chassis rails.

 

The gearbox stick mount is virtually touching the trans tunnel strengthening brace.

 

Rather than chop into the brace I bought a new mounting positing for the gearbox. That came in a package of two more W50 gearboxes...

One the long list to do is to change to box over to the one with the forward mounted gear stick.

 

It also means the driveshaft is too long. Its been at the shop for almost two months now waiting for attention...

Seems the universals are toast as well so sounds like even more $$$.

 

To sort out the too close brake master cylinder and lines:

This standard escort set up was dragged home, Cheers Billy.

By the time I get a new booster sorted it may have been cheaper to stick with the sexy bananananarama headers and get a reverse peddle box?

 

So cool at Miss15 is excited to start up Felicity. Looks like I am going to be sharing driving.

 

New exhaust sounds good in real life, a bit raucous, but not obnoxious.

https://youtu.be/l7mFxC03C1c

[M_C]

Gear box out. Just change the bell housing and sorted.

 

Um, no. My gearbox has an extra two tapped holes to mount the bellhousing to and the output shaft looks to have a smidgen taken off the end. Unsure on the red gasket goop? The bottom two holes do go through into the case so I put a little around them when reassembling them. 

 

Time to do it the hard way. Split both boxes and swap over the shifter lever housing and the actuator underneath.

 

Only had to split the case a little to get the actuator out. But need to get it fully apart to clean up the gasket faces. New territory for me as I have never pulled a gearbox apart. How hard can it be...? -Thank goodness for YouTube! 

 

Hmmm, those chips don't look ideal. And had a more that I would like stuck to the magnetic bung.

 

Lots of swearing and muttering later to get the gearbox lined up on the engine and its back in the car. Phew. Now that is a better shifter location.

 

I will use the standard shifter for now rather than the quick shifter as I hope it will be easier for the kids to learn and find the right gears.

 

Yay! Happy driveshaft day! The shop took a silly long time to do it, like over 3 months. Ah well, I wanted a good job at a good price, not a fast job. Ended up needed some new universal joints and the bill was not too bad.

 

And the drivetrain is all together for the first time! There is a big gap between the end of the gearbox tail and the shroud on the driveshaft. Heaps of engagement though so not about to send it back for another 4 months. 

 

[M_C]

So working on sorting out the brakes, I bought a new engine...

Rebuilt pinto, new +0.020" pistons, arp conrod bolts, lightened rods etc. Not a 205 block, but a bare 205 block was thrown in. Nice!

It was came with a car a mate bought that had 3 ute loads of parts! I had to rescue it as it was getting damp and starting to rust in his shade shed...

 

Actually almost on the critical path was a new water temperature gauge as the old mechanical sender unit for the mighty essex V6 does not come close to fitting the pinto.

I was also a bit nervous of the 10 year old thin plastic tube for the mechanical oil pressure gauge. Hmmm, if that has on oops the oil pump will merrily pump the oil out of the block, rather than through the bearings where is it rather needed.

Well, if I am going to replace two gauges I might as well get a matching volt meter as the old ammeter was never wired in. 

So a Xmas pressie was asked for and a nice avo spent playing under the dash.

 

Back onto the critical path to driving I finally persuaded the brake booster to let go of the master cylinder. Phew.

 

Mocking up the Mk2 brake booster tower and oh dear.

The first push rod looks to be too long, the booster diameter clashes with the inner guard, it still really close to the new headers, and my oddball master cylinder reservoir does not allow the bonnet to close. Bugga.

 

What's the chances someone has a Mk1 escort, cable clutch, certifiable bias peddle box they could be persuaded to part with...?

Or a Mk1 booster tower with hopefully a good booster and master cylinder? -Booster can be non working as I may just use it to mount the master cylinder.

[M_C]

Good guy off the FB interwebs came to help with an assortment of booster towers, rods and another booster.

I didn't know there are so many variants! I ended up with 3 different types of towers, 2 different boosters and assorted linkage rods.

None of which were going to work easily or cheaply. Bugger.

I could not get them to clear the extractors and larger radiator and then would need possibly rebuilding anyway.

 

So I went the expensive way and bought this.

Very excited as it just turned up. With certification for road use too.

Mildly annoyed as I could have not bought the pacemaker extractors when trying to avoid buying it earlier and also fitted the super duper extractors. (But I did want the sexy thing coz racecar.)

 

While waiting for this to arrive I pulled the rear bakes down. Hadn't been inside them so was pleased to find them nice and shiny.