Popular Post 66gt Posted February 8, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted February 8, 2016 Hi all. I have just started a full restoration of my MK 1 GT 2 Door Cortina. Currently it is fully stripped and with Greg at Custom Metal Shapers. All the exterior paint has been stripped and it is very rust free for one of these. Unfortunately it was restored in the early 80's after I suspect it had a frontal and as a result the front rails and inner guards are a bit ugly. It would really annoy me every time I opened the bonnet knowing what was there so the front rails and inner guards are going to be replaced. The exterior will be finished as per the original Dragoon Red and all completely standard. Ditto the black interior apart from a Les Leston woodrim wheel. Running gear will be all standard precrossflow with period modifications. Engine is a Throbnozzle Racing pre crossflow running the standard 28/36 Webber with jetting to suit. Gearbox is fitted with a 2000E gear set and Ali bell housing, tailshaft and remote housing. Diff is 3.7 in an Ali Nose. Shocks all round are adjustable Spax. Wheels are going to be BRM 4 spokes from the 60/70's. Aiming to have it on the road October 2016 27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted February 9, 2016 Author Share Posted February 9, 2016 Some more pics of the Cortina after it was stripped and off to Custom Metalshapers. First job I need to do is get all the suspension powder coated and all the bolts and nuts zinc plated. Suspension will be all powder coated gloss black and I have all new nolathene bushes in black with stainless sleeves to install. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted February 9, 2016 Author Share Posted February 9, 2016 Here is some pics of what was underneath when the paint was stripped. There's a few old repairs which looks like they have been brazed in and the sorry state of the inner front guards and chassi rails can be seen. There is a couple of NOS inner guards on Fleabay at the moment so if they don't go for moon beams I'll score them. Have ordered the replacement panels for inside the boot and headlight rings from the MK 1 Cortina Owners Club so hopefully they will be here later next week. Greg reckons he can make everything else so all good! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post 66gt Posted February 13, 2016 Author Popular Post Share Posted February 13, 2016 Finally my engine turned up today from Joe at Throbnozzle Racing in the UK. It will produce around 115-120 BHP with the rejetted 28/36. I was going to run twin 40's but want it looking original under the bonnet with the original air cleaner etc. it has an Aldon electronic dizzie mapped to suit the engine and I'm using a Powerlite starter motor which is half the weight of the original and loads more cranking power. I'll get all the bits fitted to the engine over the next couple of weeks and I'm going to assemble the gearbox myself. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 Pulled the manifold and carb off the old engine tonight and the manifold has been butchered by experts. Couple of old welding repairs plus a weapons grade bodge on the water hose inlets. Lucky I have a NOS manifold and the Webber carb man will wave his wand over the carb. When I stripped the car there were odd ball bolts nuts and screws everywhere and I reckon who ever did it last time lost them all so just used whatever was handy. I found a place on Fleabay that does boxes of UNC nuts bolts and washers in various sizes so have bought a couple of boxes which will do most of the car and they are all the correct sizes and non nyloc nuts to keep it original. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted February 21, 2016 Author Share Posted February 21, 2016 Started fitting up my engine, put the distributor in the right spot and sorted all the bolt on bits that need powder coating so will drop them off tomorrow. Started to fit up all the heater and water hoses and the fittings I had got from the MK 1 owners club just didn't want to screw in. I had an old manifold which still had a fitting in it so checked against that and the threads are all wrong in the new fittings. So I went to Supercheap to get some plug leads and saw on the blister pack stand some fittings. Grabbed a 3/8" BSW one and got home and tried and what do you know a perfect fit! Made a list of fittings and went back and scored all the ones I needed. All fitted up now and looking good! Had a look at the carb and the choke cable bracket is broken plus the threads for the bolts that hold the air cleaner on are all munted as well. Dug out another old carb so will drop them over to the carb man at Silverdale and see if he can make one good one out of both of them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted February 27, 2016 Author Share Posted February 27, 2016 Been doing some more fitting up of the engine and have fitted the inlet manifold and extractors etc. I'm going to run one of those dynamo's with an alternator guts inside it. Looks original but way lighter and alternator power output. I'm finding anyone who is any good at doing work on classics is snowed under with work. Carb man is going to take a month to rebuild it and I dropped the dash top to be redone around 4 months ago and it will be ready next month. I will have the engine bits back from the powdercoaters this week so it will be completed next week apart from the carb. Next job is to rebuild the gearbox which I'm going to do myself. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted March 5, 2016 Author Share Posted March 5, 2016 Went and had a look at the Cortina today and Greg has removed the front off it to reveal all the hidden bodywork. Lucky I bought a 4 door parts car before xmas as the body work has been dismantled on that to reveal a really clean original shell. So most of the front end will go on mine and the rear floor pan is going onto another 2 door. Both the front rails on mine had holes cut in from the wheel side and they used that to smash the rail straight, we'll sort of, and then welded a patch over it. It's not until you start pulling the body apart all the previous sins are exposed. This looked pretty good when I bought it with no real evidence of the weapons grade crap repairs underneath. It's going to be a minter when finished! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted March 13, 2016 Author Share Posted March 13, 2016 Got the bumper brackets back from the powder coaters and the bumpers from the chrome platers and all looking good. Lucky there's bugger all chrome on a MK 1 as bloody expensive for chrome plating! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted March 13, 2016 Author Share Posted March 13, 2016 I'm going to put the gearbox together at Easter. It's all going into a standard Cortina 3 rail casing. 2000E ratios will give it a bit better drivability and the alloy bell housing, tailshaft housing and remote housing will save a few kilos over the old cast items as well. I need to sort the clutch and flywheel too so will probably run an Escort heavy duty clutch and diaphram pressure plate with a spacer on the release bearing to get all the clearances right. Nothing much to report on the body as there is a whole lot of panels away at the blaster and I'm waiting on some under wing strut kits as the old ones where really badly pitted so not worth saving. My NOS front rail arrived however the inner guards I was looking at sold for £1200 each!!!!!! So would have cost over 5K NZ landed!! Selling for that money I'd say they will end up on a Lotus Cortina rebuild. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 No updates as the Mrs bought a bloody spa so having to build a deck for it... Happy wife happy life! That's Easter buggered. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted April 1, 2016 Author Share Posted April 1, 2016 Picked up my steering box today all fully rebuilt. No update on the body work as parts still away at the blaster. Next job is to put the gearbox together now the deck is finished. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted June 6, 2016 Author Share Posted June 6, 2016 Been balls out at work and doing shit around the house so progress been slow. The roof has been hammer and file finished and all the front panels are back from the blasters all looking mint. Greg is going to tidy up the back end and then onto the jig to get all the front back in. Been getting lots of bits powdercoated and the carb is back fully rebuilt and looking brand new. Need to sort the pushrod bushes at the pedal box for both the brake and master cylinders as both slogged out big time. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted June 6, 2016 Author Share Posted June 6, 2016 Slogged out master cylinder push rod ends. I'll see if I can get them drilled out and some bronze bushes made to sort the issue. Nice shiny Air Cleaner from the powdercoater. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted June 11, 2016 Author Share Posted June 11, 2016 Been sorting lots of fittings, screws etc to go to the zinc plating man. Spent ages researching the correct type of screws and what washers etc go on them. When I pulled the car apart it was a real mishmash of odd size screws and head types so have now got all that sorted. Once the front of the car is back on I'll check the holes in the body work are all the correct size and fill and redrill if too big 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted July 2, 2016 Author Share Posted July 2, 2016 Got some time finally to do some work on the GT. Fitted the carb today and the air cleaner. Got the correct size fan belt so fitted that too. Got a whole pile of parts being zinc plated so once they come back will be able to do heaps. Some pics of progress and unsure on what steering wheel to use. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted July 2, 2016 Author Share Posted July 2, 2016 Air cleaner fixing leaves a bit to to be desired esp if one of the bolts comes loose and ends up down the carby! I'm going to drill the head of each one so I can thread a piece of through so that will sort that issue 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted July 9, 2016 Author Share Posted July 9, 2016 Assembled the peddle box today and got a load of fixings etc back from zinc coating. Nothing to report on the bodywork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted July 9, 2016 Author Share Posted July 9, 2016 Assembled the peddle box today and got a load of fixings etc back from zinc coating. Nothing to report on the bodywork.Assembled the peddle box today and got a load of fixings etc back from zinc coating. Nothing to report on the bodywork. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66gt Posted August 3, 2016 Author Share Posted August 3, 2016 A bit of progress on the body and starting to repair the left and right lower rear quarters. Greg has a NOS quarter panel which will be used as a buck for the repair panels. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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