Hi, just joined up

[Ben Allen]

Hi,
Just signed up here today, I got directed here by one of your members! So thought I'd introduce myself and what will hopefully be my mk2 RS2000
My name's Ben (obviously) and I currently own a '79 Mini Clubman 1275GT (fully restored and for sale if anyones interested ;)) and a '92 205 GTi 1.9. I've been a Pug man since I started to drive, but always had a soft spot for Classic Fords. Now I have the chance to get one!

I went to visit my uncle a while ago, and remembered on a previous visit when I was about 15/16 I saw an old white mk2 escort sat in a barn there. I didn't take much notice at the time - just thought 'cool' and left it.
This time I went I thought I'd take my digital camera and see if it was still there

I hunted down the aforementioned barn, and the car. It turned out to be a Mk2 RS2000 Custom. It's been sat there for about 7 years in this barn! Needless to say my jaw dropped to the floor :eek:
It turned out that my cousin had bought it years ago, driven it around a bit then parked it up there in the barn and left it (they have about 50+ classic cars in various outbuildings and sheds so an old 'Scort isn't exactly a high priority to them)

It seems to be pretty solid, some surface rust on panel edges that'd be sanded down, although my cousin tells me the strut tops are rotton - I spoke to Retro Ford on the phone and they say that they can weld in new panels!

I'm hopefully going to buy it if i can get my Mini sold on. He said I could have it cheap, and it comes with some spares such as nosecones etc.

I got some pics aswell:

http://ben.loaded.net/gallery/albums/rs2000/P1010014.sized.jpg
http://ben.loaded.net/gallery/albums/rs2000/P1010017.sized.jpg

Tons more pics I took of it located here: http://ben.loaded.net/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=rs2000&page=1

So there's my introduction. What do you people reckon? Worth getting?

RS2000 barn finds don't come along every day!! :bounce:

I've never actually been out in a Mk2 Escort before. Anyone in the local area care to give me a passenger ride in one? I'd really appreciate that!

[Chesney]

welcome to the site mate. If u want to come up the A1 to grantham u can have a spin in mine no problem. If it's all there and the monies right i'd buy it,, but be prepared these restorations ALWAYS turn out to be bigger than we expected!!!

:cheers: Jason.

[Ben Allen]

Hi, I may just well do that! The RS is currently housed in that direction anyway :bom:

Edit: My Clubman restoration didn't really stick to what I wanted. Ended up spending well in excess of £2000 on a car that originally cost me £300. Luckily I had it valued at £2.5k now. I'm sure the RS will be a similar story!

[Kel]

Hi Ben,

Saw your post on the RSOC board

[Frosticles]

Looks an interesting proposition. If the money's right then go for it. Welcome by the way.

[GAZ W]

Hi and welcome ben ..get the escort and lets have another on the road :cheers: :cheers:

[wiggyrs]

Hi Ben
Go for it you know you want to :cheers:

[Robb]

Hello Ben

Good luck with the Rs :cheers:

[SIGYELLOW]

Excellent story that - where in Northants are you, I'm not far from Rushden over near the Beds/Northants border. Car off the road for the winter though I'm afraid, so can't offer you a sample of a MK2 RS.

[lee bishop]

for gods sake buy the bloody car sharpish, before your cousin realises what they have got! hopefully it wont cost silly amounts to sort out, i do hate it when any car gets abandoned though, i hope you have caught it before its too late!

[Ben Allen]

My cousin knows what he's got. But when it comes up against about 3 or 4 TVRs he has (older ones), MGs, Jensens Scimiters and all the other classics they have down there it doesn't really cut the mustard in their opinion. Of course I think otherwise!

Pic of his summer weekend car (life's not fair is it?)
http://ben.loaded.net/gallery/albums/misc/P1010047.sized.jpg

I'm thankful it's undercover anyway, if it had been left outside for about 7 years I think it'd be totally buggered but as it stands it looks pretty good. I'm defs going to have further enquiries once my Mini has gone - I don't think he thought I was serious when I said I'd buy it. They thought it'd need a new shell due to the strut tops but replacement panels are available so it's all good. I didn't even think the strut tops looked like they were bad. Anyone care to look at the engine bay photos and see if they agree?
I did ask about it when I found it the first time as I'd just started restoring cars then. He wouldn't sell it at that time but he was more than willing to let it go last time I asked!

Sig, I live in Middleton, between Market Harborough and Corby (hense why Retro Ford is pretty local to me), but I spend most of my time in Kettering, when I'm not down in Southampton at Uni.
We'll have to meet up some time. I'd love to have a look at your car even if it's garaged or whatever. Mk2s are great!
Any pics of it at all?

I do look forward to buying this car (hopefully!). I'm going to have so much fun washing it for the first time!!!

[Dave1800BDA]

Welcome there Ben, Southampton, now theres a nice place.

[RS2000&MEXICO]

go for it ben... :cheers:

[martin c]

Hi ben , Go for it mate - hopfully you can save another one :thumbright::thumbright::thumbright::thumbright:

[SIGYELLOW]

Okey dokey mate - we'll meet up sometime, I'm not far from you actually if your East Northants. I'm in a small village near Raunds (well the car is anyway in my old man's garage). I work away much of the time and am not around much I have to say, but your most welcome to come round and see the Mex sometime next year mate!

[Banishit]

Hello mate and welcome, nice to see the old RS's still turning up after years of non use

Brian

[Frosticles]

Bloody Hell, Raunds.....One of my old stamping grounds. Used to play in a band called Sick On The Bus from there 10 years ago.

[lar]

Hello ben. Welcome to the site.Go for it man :cheers:

[SIGYELLOW]

Sick on the Bus - I have heard of them, weren't they of mid/late-80s manufacture??? I had a few Grebo type mates in the late 80s/early 90s who I recall mentioning that band - wasn't my thing though I'm afraid, too busy chasing trains or crashing 2000s....

BTW anyone: I had an RS 2000 in late 1990 that I bought cheap (£600 stolen/recovered) it's reg was WLB 965S and wait for it........it had at that time got 13 previous owners, don't suppose anyone recalls it??? It was a real Friday car and I ended up scrapping it for all it's Gremlins and faults...

[Frosticles]

Did you ever know Ian Smith (Biff) Doug Eales or Brian Ansell??? I used to drive round there in my old sig yellow mex in the late 80's very early 90's

[SIGYELLOW]

Nope, but as I say I'm not actually from Raunds, just live close by. Used to drink on the very odd ocassion in The World Upside Down pub (though very ocassionally!!). As I say though, I wasn't really into the local band scene, so wouldn't have bumped into any of you. Were you originally from Raunds then???

[Judge_Fudge]

Welcome, glad you found us.

[vinny]

hi and welcome m8 , good luck with the rs2

[Ben Allen]

Yeah we'll get somethijng sorted out. As it happens my best mate lives in a village called Orlingbury near Wellingborough and another in Finedon - not far away at all!

You'll have to pop over if/when I get this RS aswell and have a butchers at it!

[dasadrew]

Hi Ben and welcome!

Regarding the car - I wouldn't even touch it with YOURS! It's got rust where I didn't even know RS's rust!
Engine inside will be completely rusted and pitted - maybe not saveable
Carburettor can be forgotten
Just look at that rust on the boot lid! Mine was stored uncovered outside for 10 years in German winters with salting and gritting going on a couple of metres away from the car and it doesn't have anything like the rust on that white one!
Assume that EVERY panel on that car will need replacing!
Even "goodies" are missing - the door cards have got holes, the steering wheel is mildewed to an unrecoverable state, the nice vinyl roof has got a sunroof hole. (just remove those Vinyl roof rear pillar finishers - they're rare as rocking horse manure). On your way out of the barn, open the doors so that the pigs have got somewhere warm for the winter!

Start doing some serious calculations on bits and time and aggro and nights spent googling or on eBay and you'll find you could EASY buy a TVR yourself!

I reckon the words "BARN FIND" are working their magic here!

[Banishit]

I have to agree on some of those points you made there Drew

The front end , from the pics does not look good under the bonnet, a boot lids easy one though, we really need to see the sills and floor pansand wheel archs/wells too, just the front end will be quite an expensive rebuild to do it right

you are probably looking for around £1600 in panels for the front alone. thats new old stock Ford ones! :cyclopsani: would be good to see in the boot and under the carpets by the sills

steering wheel another £15, the engine who knows until you take the head off, I have taken 20-30 year old engines apart soaked them in penetrating oil for a few days and got them turning and then working again ? pot luck on that

[Ben Allen]

Oh dear this doesn't sound good. I suppose I'll have to go over there all tooled up and drag the thing kicking and screaming out of the barn and find out what it's really like. If it's going to be a total arse to do then I suppose I'll have to keep looking and hopefully find something a bit more solid.

The rust on the bootlid is just on the edge, not really bad, I reckon that could be ground down and resprayed

Think I'll do some reconsidering!

[Banishit]

Hey Ben it all depends what hes going to charge you for it ? theres quite alot of bits there ripe for dismantling

What are the bottoms of the doors like too, wing drip rails bulkhead heater bulge is it rotton at the bottom, the bulkhead seams, bottoms of the inner wings where the anti rollbar connects too

Brian

[M11RF]

Hey mate.

Welcome :bounce:

[lee bishop]

i didnt think it looked too bad........ needs a good wash and a reassessment, most bits would come up with elbow gease, except the wheels possibly..... i'd still be tempted, it probably wouldnt happen over a weekend though, i'll expect to see it in 'unfinnished projects' in 18 months

[dasadrew]

....... needs a good wash ....... most bits would come up with elbow gease......

ROFL Lee!

[lee bishop]

thats not all i said........it needs a wash and a re-assessment, talk about bending the bloody truth!

[robsrs2000]

welcome mate go 4 it

[neilmexico]

hi Ben,

firstly Ben welcome to the site and i hope you enjoy,
first thing i propose you do is get some old clobber on and some tackle together and go and have a look mate,take some pics of it give it a good thorough inspection,then post the pics up and we will all give you some valuble advice,many of us including me have been in your situation and have made rash decisions and have come off worse,im not for one moment saying keep away but take some advice on board,now im sure i will give you any advice you need and further more any of the experienced lads on here will also,between all of us am sure we have a vast collective knowledge.


neil

[Ben Allen]

Cheers for the advice
I'm going to pop along in a week or so and check it out thoroughly. I'm taking a mate of mine along who can MIG weld and he's gonna have a good look at it.
Hopefully we'll be able to drag it out from it's current position to get a better look at and hopefully give it the once over with the car cleaning stuff!
More pictures should hopefully follow!

[rsdc1]

Welcome Ben and Good Luck, someone has to save it! :compress: