Escort Mk1 Rebuild

splonger39 · 22-04-2006, 08:11 AM

I have a 1300XL manual 2 door Mk1 which is in pretty good shape. I want to restore it from the ground up (though not to original spec ;)). That basically includes mechanical upgrades (inc. engine, probably gearbox, suspension, brakes, maybe diff and rims), interior reupholstering (mmm... leather) and a respray. I'm a real n00b with this, but have a few mechanic mates who'd love to help.

I've been searching all over the net for engine conversions. Here's the goal: I want a car that will go reasonably quickly, without losing the handling balance. It should go about as quickly as my SV6 Commodore 6-speed, and above all it needs to have good overtaking prowess (it'll be used mainly on the highway) and fuel consumption is a consideration. I don't want to spend a bottom-less pit of money (read: no firewall cut outs, extra chassis strengthening; maybe an engine mount change at most). Max budget for engine and driveline is $5k. First and foremost, it must be as easy as possible to register. I don't want a rotary. I've read suggestions on these engines:
- 1.8L MX-5
- SR20DET
- CA18DET
- 2L Pinto with head work
- 1.6L twin cam
- Zetec (I don't know anymore than that, but some people suggest putting Webers on it; I thought it was injected?)

The old school appeals to me; no ECU problems, just me and the carby

.

Without getting carried away, can someone tell me if any of these engines will do what I'm after, within my budget? Has anyone had experience putting one in, and can confirm that it was a straightforward job?

tufLTD · 22-04-2006, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by splonger39

I have a 1300XL manual 2 door Mk1 which is in pretty good shape. I want to restore it from the ground up (though not to original spec ;)). That basically includes mechanical upgrades (inc. engine, probably gearbox, suspension, brakes, maybe diff and rims), interior reupholstering (mmm... leather) and a respray. I'm a real n00b with this, but have a few mechanic mates who'd love to help.

I've been searching all over the net for engine conversions. Here's the goal: I want a car that will go reasonably quickly, without losing the handling balance. It should go about as quickly as my SV6 Commodore 6-speed, and above all it needs to have good overtaking prowess (it'll be used mainly on the highway) and fuel consumption is a consideration. I don't want to spend a bottom-less pit of money (read: no firewall cut outs, extra chassis strengthening; maybe an engine mount change at most). Max budget for engine and driveline is $5k. First and foremost, it must be as easy as possible to register. I don't want a rotary. I've read suggestions on these engines:
- 1.8L MX-5
- SR20DET
- CA18DET
- 2L Pinto with head work
- 1.6L twin cam
- Zetec (I don't know anymore than that, but some people suggest putting Webers on it; I thought it was injected?)

The old school appeals to me; no ECU problems, just me and the carby

.

Without getting carried away, can someone tell me if any of these engines will do what I'm after, within my budget? Has anyone had experience putting one in, and can confirm that it was a straightforward job?

We put a 2L injected Pinto engine in my nephew's Mk1 Escort.
See this thread:
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=38821
I'm more than happy to help out with any questions or problems.

whooligan · 22-04-2006, 08:43 AM

With that sort of budget your only option would be "old school." I bought a worked pinto for $600 and it smokes most Commodores without any trouble what-so-ever. In fact, around the hills there is not much other than a well set up Porker or a Subby that can trouble it. Thats why they still rally the old Escys.
Basically, most conversions will entail engineering or problems with rego so you are better off maintaining the current rego or if its unregistered, leave it a 1300, get it RW, and then start your rebuild.
The best way to improve your car is to upgrade. ie 1300-1600-2lt-turbo etc. Improving the brakes, suspension as you go along. You can always sell off the old stuff to recoup some cash.
If you must insist on a "foreign" conversion, try and get a test drive in one before you invest all your spare time and money. I've driven a RS2000 with an SR20 and I wasn't impressed enough to fork out the 20 grand it took to build it....

splonger39 · 22-04-2006, 08:54 AM

Thanks Whooligan. You've talked me out of the import jobs, which I wasn't too keen on to begin with. I assumed there'd be some heavy modification involved.

How about your nephew's Mk1? Did you have any rego troubles? I really like the sound of it, 2L EFI would be fuel efficient (driven the right way!) and in such a small car would go like a scalded cat. Forgive my ignorance, but what does a 2L EFI Pinto come out of? Where do I look to buy one? Is it a "standard" 2L Pinto block with a special head? $600 for one sounds really good too, great for the budget.

splonger39 · 22-04-2006, 08:57 AM

By the way, I'm happy to get an engineer's certificate with the 2L in it. Would I still be better off getting it back on the road (needs a blue slip again), then fit the 2L, get an EC, then... err... advise the RTA?

12 · 22-04-2006, 08:02 PM

With 5G budget.. I'd have to agree with whooligan. Old school is your best bet. Spend half of that on a 2ltr Pinto and you'd be killing off most cars on the road. Try to find parts second hand off ebay, trading post, ect. to save some $$. But be very careful as you might end up paying more in the long run buying second hand if you are not careful.

The plus part of owning a MK1 is you don't have to comply with emission requirements as the later MK2 Escorts do. So side webers ect won't get you into trouble with the law/rego officers.

Here's what I'd do in your situ. Worked 2lts with webers, 5 speed Sierra gearbox and a shortened Falcon drum rear diff. The diff might be a little of an overkill, but it's a lot tougher than the Escort diff. Should be within the 5G budget to do all that if planned corectly.

Now for the most important question.. where in the bloody hell are the pictures? :hihi:

tufLTD · 22-04-2006, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by splonger39

How about your nephew's Mk1? Did you have any rego troubles? I really like the sound of it, 2L EFI would be fuel efficient (driven the right way!) and in such a small car would go like a scalded cat. Forgive my ignorance, but what does a 2L EFI Pinto come out of? Where do I look to buy one? Is it a "standard" 2L Pinto block with a special head? $600 for one sounds really good too, great for the budget.

No dramas with rego here in Qld. They came out with 2 ltrs in the early RS models.
The motor is a 205 series out of a UK Granada. Very strong block & bottom-end. Simple but efficient EFI system, very easy to hook up.
The whole engine (fan to flywheel), EFI system & ECU + ignition, 5-speed Sierra box, shifter & clutch cost about $1300, but that was about 2 years ago. The engine was in very good condition, we just re-ringed it & new bearings, a nice little cam & extractors. It goes bloody well. My nephew has given it a real work-out & it still runs sweet, even the standard Escort diff has hung in there!

whooligan · 24-04-2006, 08:01 AM

Re: Escort diffs. The standard diff is strong if well looked after. The problem with big power Escorts is axel tramp. This leads to wheel bearing and pinion seal problems and before you know it, diff dries out and bang! You hit the "Invisible Dog."

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splonger39 · 24-04-2006, 06:25 PM

Excuse my ignorance, but what is axle tramp? How can you avoid it (preferably without a new diff)?

cortina-mk1 · 25-04-2006, 09:54 AM

axle tramp
is when the rear leaf spring winds up t the front then quickly unwinds creating bounce in the axle
so it loads and unloads the rear tyre rapidly causing bad 'hop'
this goes right through the car in a load banging type noise

there are 'tramp rods' available to fit which stop the front of the spring from winding up

whooligan · 26-04-2006, 09:08 AM

The old "tramping" technique is good for checking the rear shocks as well. Load up the revs and dump it and if to get it tramping the shocks are stuffed. First thing I do is changed the shock for budget heavy duty (monroe), about $120 a pair. If this doesn't stop the tramping look at tramp-rods, but unless you are pumping out serious power, decent shocks should sort it. Poly bushes help as well.

splonger39 · 26-04-2006, 02:26 PM

Thanks for the advice. I've been advised to use "Mark 2 running gear" to get it through rego without issues. What does this include exactly? Suspension, brakes...? This might be a dumb question too; it's currently leaf sprung, I don't expect to change this but how can you lower it? I'd imagine the leaf spring would have a lot of tension and wouldn't take well to being bent to another shape.

splonger39 · 26-04-2006, 06:23 PM

Ahhh... it's OK. I've found them on Ebay. So I need a lowering block kit...

whooligan · 27-04-2006, 08:30 AM

Don't fit the lowering kit before you get a RW. It will fail it.
You'll need Capri or Twin Cam struts (same), to lower the front end. About $150 pair + new inserts, rotors, pads etc....You might as well change them while you've got them out. While you are at ir change the bushes on the sway bar/TCAs. You can get a thicker swaybar from a later Mk 2 or go the whole hog and fit a db swaybar and anti-dive kit....Another $400.

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