Pe-arce's Mk1 Ford Escort Beams Powered Race Car

[pe-arce]

Hey,

Been lurking in the shadows for a few years. Thought I'd get my project up for you all to have a look.

Specs:

Mk1 Escort with lots of chopping and welding.

15x9 all round

Tubs

Turrets

Custom tall 4 link for low ride height

Low roll centre watts link

Gaz gold adjustable coil overs all round

Modified front cross member to fix front roll centre

Firewall moved back about 300mm

Beams 3sge with custom headers, dry sump and quads with 2 stage injection coming from Glen (celicara45).

Just about everything that can be has had to be modified.

[pe-arce]

Discuss...

//oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/46092-pe-arces-mk1-ford-escort-beams-powered-race-car/

[pe-arce]

Having a sort out of my photos so I can get more up.

It was supposed to be a quick rebuild after I rear ended someone and the insurance company wrote it off in 2008 but it's escalated out of control.

[pe-arce]

This is how it was when i bought it. 

I daily drove it for a year before i wrote it off. The insurance company paid me out for it then sold it back to me with live rego for $75. Was pretty happy with that.

 

[pe-arce]

Got happy with the grinder.

 

 

 

 

Origonal plan was to use steel bubble arches and do a more normal build with 13" wheels and a hot xflow that came out of my old mans rally car but things changed.

 

Decided it needed 15" wheels for big brakes. Wanted lowness so had to chop the rails..

 

 

 

No officer thats not modified at all...

 

 

 

[pe-arce]

Making the tubs.. Used hammer and dolly to get nice rounded edges. I dont hink the escort suits sqaure edges so trying to avoid them.

 

 

Tubs in..

 

 

 

[pe-arce]

[pe-arce]

Used standard escort round turrets and trimmed them to suit.

 

 

Set back into the chassis rail to make more wheel clearance incase i decide to go to 10 or 11 inch wide rims.

 

 

Welded in and cleaned up 

 

 

 

 

Setting up 4 link.

 

 

 

Anyone know why my photos are being rotated by the uploader?? seems to be only the portrait ones.. and only on my imac..? odd

[pe-arce]

Made watts link using falcon centre on custom spigot.

 

 

Not a huge amount of clearance on bumpstops. might have to raise it up a bit..

 

[pe-arce]

Modified the cross member to be beefy as and re-position the tca attachment point to fix roll centre with max lowness.

 

 

New billet steering arms. shorter than standard for more lock.

 

 

With drop links on steering to fix bump steer issues

 

 

 

[pe-arce]

When deciding on an engine i saw the beams and like any misguided young fool thought oh sweet theres an easy 200hp thatll do.

 

Unfortunately i hadnt read one of romans sweet why you shouldnt go beams rants. I discovered one the other day on another thread and i identified with the whole lot and was pissing myself laughing.. Its been over 2 years and will cost well over 10k by the time it runs.. 

 

Got the engine and was stoked..

 

 

Test fit.. tight as teeth but could make it work.

 

 

 

Then i had a mate tell me it was too far forward for a race car..

 

I immediately felt like i had no nuts... So..

 

 

Out came the angle grinder.

 

 

Much better

 

[pe-arce]

It was about now that i realised for it to go back behind the crossmember and for me to be sitting in front of the 4 link and not on top of it, I was going to need to dry sump. I hadnt planned on this because it was supposed to be a 'cheap' self built car. But the firewall was already chopped so out came the $$$

[pe-arce]

So being a bit of a tight ass not wanting to spend my money on tools rather than parts, i had to find other ways of doing the sheetwork..

 

 

 

Came out ok though.

 

 

 

[pe-arce]

Inside View

 

[pe-arce]

Bought a 3 wheeler for $50, did wheelies.

 

[pe-arce]

Got engine mounted.

 

 

 

Had a go at making some headers the other day.. Turned these out. Bit of a tight squeeze and not that happy with how equal the lengths are.. bit too much difference for my liking when im used to doing sheetwork within 1mm.

 

 

[pe-arce]

Started on gearbox and diff tunnels using my awesome sheetmetal folder

 

 

[pe-arce]

How its looking at the moment..

 

Still finishing tunnel.. also been sorting out pedal box position 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pe-arce]

Cleared a few hours this arvo and went hard on the escort.

Got watts link all tacked in and braced so it's a bit stronger for moving around untill I have time to finish it properly.

Then i spannered up all the nuts and bolts through out for cartage so I didn't lose anything as most things were only finger tight.

Then loaded up and off to get some work done while I go on holiday for a week.

Things that will be done.

-Epic as roll cage. I'll find a drawing of what it's getting.

-New steering column made up and mounted to roll cage dash bar

-Drive shaft. It's too short for 2 piece so has to be a solid as 1 piece to handle revs.

-New sway bar made up to clear the steering drop links.

Happy days

We are a ford family all the way. That's my boss 'work' ute for the boss, and dad's xr6 sedan.

[pe-arce]

This is the cage it's getting..

It won't have 3 back stays though just 2 as the tub is in the way of the bottom 3rd one.

And it won't have the brace between the main hoop as I'll be putting a crossmember through there made of sheetmetal to tie 4 link boxes and tunnel to the outer panels just behind b pillar.