Mof Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Discuss //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/43865-mofs-1979-escort-panel-van/ Hey OS This is probably going to be a long slow process but ill try post when I can Because we're going to the US later in the year I don't have any moneys to spend on it yet, so im doing what I can for free Bought this van about a month ago Most of the hard work has been done, the panel work is pretty good but the wiring and running gear is not good There's a couple small bubbles of rust, 1 in the r/h door front corner, and one on the corner of the bonnet. I haven't found anywhere else...... yet Heres some starting photos, I borrowed these from the old owner as they are better than dim lit garage pics. Someones modified the dash and made it a 5 dial And this isn't original right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 So it came with blue neons and LED strip underneath, that was the first to go And I removed the grill when I got a chance Figured out the headlights are Gen1 Accord, they fit pretty good on the slam but stick out the front a bit and the old buckets have been removed and covered over. So ill be looking for some Accord headlight surrounds in the future, and fit the ford grill between them. Pulled the front wheel off last night as I had some spare time to fuck around The wheel bearing was loose and rough (I don't know how it got its last WOF coz ive found a few other things it should have failed on) and I found this Sooo what/where are these discs from? Only about two thirds of the pad are on the disc, so at some point when the pads wear down the pads would touch and have no brakes... I also found theres wheel spacers behind the front wheels, but the wheel spacers are just loose and I think its putting off the balance coz they are not centred. Because of the spacers the studs barely poke out thru the rims aaah Maybe I should be posting in failed mods lol I relocated the aerial as it looked silly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 The dirty great hole that was hiding under the grill And the classy console made of steel complete with sharp edges, gaping holes and random screw holes Note the fuse box l/h side, and the door cards ha 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted June 15, 2014 Author Share Posted June 15, 2014 Took radiator out today to see what was going on with the mountsHalf the front crossmember is missing, will need to be boxedAlso spot the quality of coolant Jobs to add to list: Gas and wire for mig get Panel steel get some damn antifreeze Looks like the engine and box will be coming out some time too, good chance to paint the bay while im at it Are Escort radiators 2 core? And are Cortina radiators 2 or 3 core? This one has auto cooler tubes in it so suspicions are raised... 3 months till I can start spending coin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted July 12, 2014 Author Share Posted July 12, 2014 Removed the Weber today to give it a clean and see if that will make it run less lumpy And then Bang it exploded! So, todays questions The return outlet on the carb has been plugged, but the brass tube leaks where it meets the alloy. I was going to remove the tube then tap and plug the alloy hole - Do I need a return line? it hasn't had one so far, and the 1.3l didn't The auto choke is had it, the bolt rusted off the end, and the diaphgram is split. - Replace auto choke assy? (providing I can find one) - Peg butterflys open and run with no choke? - Bang up a manual choke? //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/43865-mofs-1979-escort-panel-van/ Cheers 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted October 14, 2014 Author Share Posted October 14, 2014 So two days back from Murica and I'm in to it Scored some 1/4 bumpers to replace the homemade 1/4's on the front, thanks Mr.Mainstream Also picked up some 13x7 Hotwires Spokes were painted black, so I scratched the paint off, sanded, more sanded, then polished one wheel so far Only took 2 hours So what do we prefer, Modgies or Hotwires? (Modgies are staggered 13x7 neg offset front, 13x8 rear 0 offset) Needs more low, but that can wait Got a full set of the proper wheel nuts from Appco for only $50! (Priced BNT $9 each) Also, still got some unanswered questions, and some new questions if youse peoples in the know could share your knowings with me? 1- Do I need a fuel return line on the 32/36 Dgav, or can I plug the outlet? 2- Why do I have M12 1.5 wheel studs on the rear and 7/16" on front??? Could this be linked to the small rotors? Do I have mk1 hubs on the front? I thought mk1 hubs don't fit mk2 stubs? and mk1 stubs wouldn't fit the struts/steering? wtf? Please don't guess your answers, facts saves a lot of fucking around on my end I eagerly await replies and discussifications :) //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/43865-mofs-1979-escort-panel-van/ Also looking for a glovebox if anyone has one going spare? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 Whoa hey wait a minute... I did something today After an inactive hunt for front hubs I finally got some and some paint Cleaned, painted, new bearings and new rotors. The plan was to get it rolling, then remove the engine to tidy it up, and paint everything But I've run in to another problem.. It's got tiny calipers! WTF What were these people thinking! Went to fit the new pads and uh ho so anyone got a pair of M16 calipers floating around? any condition Cheers all for looking 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share Posted March 7, 2015 Cheers Valiant for the calipers! I got a bit carried away this afternoon Completely forgot to get a pic of the state of them when I got them, but this is the state of the struts they came off, the car had been on fire Stripped down, Wire wheeled, honed, sanded, painted And fitted And back on wheels, first time since June Discussinate //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/43865-mofs-1979-escort-panel-van/ 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 Got stuck in on Sunday, and did some more tonight Engine and box are out, I should have got a photo of the sump mod, it's amazing. There were some treats hiding underneath... Seat mounts Type 9 tunnel modification And there's something funky going on with this box mount, hiding under the underseal. And the top part has broken the spot welds I can't believe this is all certed. Check out the amazing colour scheme So... Lets get some work done All ready for Hover conversion I definitely need some argoshield now Cheers 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted April 6, 2015 Author Share Posted April 6, 2015 Got some gas and wire yusss Started off with 0.9mm, didn't go so well, now on 0.6mm, so much better (that's why I'm not showing the 'before grinding' shots) Started filling all the random screw holes and drill holes High quality fire extinguisher on the floor there^^ and cut the abortion clutch cable pipe off that was rubbing through the cable, and replaced it with a piece of the correct size and length. still needs a couple grinds, but its too late for the noise. Not so easy welding touchy thin panel with a manual helmet, so I quick-fixed the free auto one someone lost the battery covers from by free I mean saved from the skip lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted April 12, 2015 Author Share Posted April 12, 2015 Progress So the battery tray had been relocated from its original position, to about 1/2 an inch lower but the spot welded strip was left on the guard, so I cut/smashed it off. then tried to fill the spot weld holes, but wasn't going so well So I cut the whole tray off through the welds and bog over welds And underneath there was this The panel behind has been beat to shit with a hammer, and I attempted to fill the holes, but the more I looked at it, the more it annoyed me So I cut it out and made a new panel copying the lines from the other side My first ever attempt at making panels and I think it went ok, just need to be a bit more accurate on the gaps And welded in That is some of the nastiest welds I have ever done! I just can't seem to get the settings right on the mig, its so frustrating Any advice muchly appreciated, cheers //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/43865-mofs-1979-escort-panel-van/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted September 20, 2015 Author Share Posted September 20, 2015 Been a while since I did anything on this, but the boulder bashing, mud chucking daily has been very needy (I think it misses the attention) and would be nice if it stayed together for more than a couple weeks. So I wasn't happy with that panel as the steel I used was a bit thin. So I cut it out and started again. Unfortunately I was on a roll and forgot to take pictures But here's the end result Then I cut out the loom hole and panelled that in I did it again and got no photos dammit aaand that's about it. I found a small bit of rust in the right side sill, right in underneath. But I haven't grown the balls to tackle that yet Also, still looking for a mk5 radiator so I can modify the mounts before I paint the engine bay... Cheers 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 Did some shit Welded a bit of steel in to the hole in the front panel (ref post #3) Tato pics Welded and started to grind it back, Welding didn't go so well along the bottom as the lower front panel has had a whack and has been filled with a shitload of lead. you might be able to see the lead melting away under the paint A bit of filler over and she'll be right Heaps of filler along the bottom to make up for the missing lead. My sanding block had a hard time with the lead so there are slight rises where the lead came to the surface But I'm not too worried, some time in the future I will go and see Palmside and get a new front panel, might even see if I can convert it to Mk1. I see this as good practise. Also while I was waiting for the filler to set, I made these, and welded them in. Is nice to weld something thick where I can get a run going Still looking for Cortina Radiator Every one I find is rotten and I'm too stingy to recore. Might have to bite the bullet Thanks for looking (apologies for large photos in previous posts) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 Long time no post I get a little bit of time to work on this every so often, and this is pretty much all I've done. Stripped all the suspension right down, cleaned, painted, and started reassembling. While I had the rear brakes apart I found the auto adjuster hinge pins were too tight and stopping the adjuster from working. That would explain the brake pedal going to the floor. And I made some new brake lines, the old ones were horrid, and crushed in a couple of places. Will do the rest of the pipes after I chuck some paint in the engine bay, and underneath. Don't open the garage door while you've got stuff hanging from the track, idiot. Oh yeah, and I cut the rusty bits out of the right sill, sprayed lots of rust converter in the sill, and ran out of gas to patch it up, dang 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted October 16, 2016 Author Share Posted October 16, 2016 Patched up the sill. As usual I forgot to take during pictures, so you just get an after picture No filler used Boxed in that cut up crossmember Purdy welding, I was enjoying welding something thicker than panel steel Cut off the massive piece of steel someone had put over the tunnel hole, and welded in some panel I'll probably put some more steel in at a later stage to make a much nicer round hole, when I figure out where the shifter pokes through Some of that tunnel was pretty thin and ended up chasing a few holes. Oh, and for your viewing pleasure, This mig has some fault in the solenoids, so the more I turn it up for heavy welds, the more it pops the breaker in the garage. which is incredibly frustrating when you're crouched in the engine bay all set up and ready to go, pull the trigger and the lights go out. Climb out, reset fuse, climb in, set up, pop, Fuck! So I put a piece of string on it. Weld, pop, pull string, continue welding. Take that shitty welder. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted October 16, 2016 Author Share Posted October 16, 2016 I started making the battery/spare parts/stash box for the back It will be sunk in to the floor just behind the fuel tank Genuine Nissan Diesel JDM? toolbox Welded up the seam around the base Folded a lip along the top and welded some steel in to the corners And made a battery clamp Am going to put a vent in it somewhere too, and then figure out a lid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted September 16, 2017 Author Share Posted September 16, 2017 Welded in a vent Ground back Cut a hole in the floor just behind the crossmember and fuel tank and welded it in Right after I started welding it in, I remembered I hadn't made a flush lid for it yet, at the rate I'm going that's next year me's problem 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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