Mk1 escort van rolling/running project

[freddy6868]

Well this is how the van stood back in july i bought it thinking it was finished and complete but i would say 90% of the work had been done and some of it is quite cowboyish as you will see but easily fixable it also had all the right pieces although it had been put together with a rough hand.





So today (13/072010) i went to pick it up. Shortly after sorting out the paperwork and money side of things i started the van up from cold with out the choke and drove off. I was just joining the A13 thinking god this van runs very well considering it has been standing a year since it's rebuild. Then all of a sudden the van looses power and comes to a stop. Totaly gutted isn't the word! So i get out make sure the choke isn't stuck open and all the leads to the dizzy were secure and tried to start it again. Oddly enough it started, so off i go again with my brother in his 106 following only for the same thing to happen again! Then for a third time. By now i was getting pritty ****ed off with my newly aquired pride and joy UNTILL i remembered what the seller told me. The last thing he told me was the petrol is seriously low but you should have enough to make it to the petrol station 10miles away so i sent my bro to buy a jerry can and petrol which he returned with very quickly. So i put the petrol in and started the engine thinking this is going well so for the forth time in half an hour we set about continuing on our 200+mile trip home. I was really nervous about the van stopping again as i thought the carb wasn't set up correctly and was causing it to cut out when hot.
I can't explain how relieved and how happy i was when the van made it to the petrol station for more juice and wind in the tyres. From there on it drove brilliantly apart from the wheels needing balancing and the tracking. It trundled along the motorway with out any weird noises being made at around 80mph returning around 35mpg whih isn't bad for a 40year old car.
So after looking at the van more and spending over 4 hours in it i found that there are some simple jobs to be done to finish it off lovely. The only update i have apart from the journey is a picture of it outside my house. It will be off for M.O.T tomorrow as i got home too late today to carry out a full one. So fingers crossed.
I thought it would be hard to enjoy a slower and even more basic car than the rallye but i was totaly wrong apart from the 4 speed box it is very comfy and fun to drive and i look forward to driving it a hell of a lot more! They also say the first long distance trip is the bigest test for any old car.


15/07/2010
Well i had the van up on a mates ramps to have a real poke around the underneath to check for nasties in the form of rust which i'm happy to report is very minimal it might need a passanger floor pan in around 2years which is expected of a car of this age and there are two patches needed at in the rear wheel archs just to stop the rust advancing any futher. Whilst i was there i had to put spreader plates on the SEAT bolts! They were just bolted stright in to the floor with a couple of washers. Vairious bolts do need shortening through out the van as you can see from the picture of the back.
Just a couple of pics of it on the ramps




Putting the van to good use again for the second day by taking my toolbox into work (it's about time though as it's been in my house since christmas :P) and the van hasn't been on the road since 1981.


15/07/2010
I've also got a brand new NOS ford clock off my cousin whos father found it in the garage about a week ago and was due to throw it out! Result, what are the chances



17/07/2010
Well already the wagon is playing up after covering only 400miles i believe the coil is packing up as when i rev the engine anything over 3.5k ish it starts to miss and when the engine has been run for a while so a new coil is on the way.

[freddy6868]

22/07/2010
Good news the van is up and running again! The problems were the ignition timing was miles and miles out, the carb wasn't set up properly and there was only around 8l of petrol in the tank. Going well now! I've also been told by my old mans mate who set it all up that the engine has i nice little cam in it too

10/08/2010
wrong again the problem is back but i have just emptied loads and loads of crap and rust out of the petrol tank so it's going to get a good pressure washing out and put back on when dry.

11/08/2010
Result! The van will run off a 5l can of petrolium wedged between the seats with the fuel line dipped in it but it won't run out of the proper petrol tank so once i have cleaned the tank out and put it back on the job will be a good un although i am thinking about having a nice ally replacement made next time i have problems with it. So it will be up and running well again soon!

16/08/2010
Some bits to keep the van going and some to change the feel of it as the old steering wheel is shocking
The new petrol tank i spent ages looking for on the net

The rs2000, mexico style steering wheel that is so badly needed

And finaly a good condition second hand fuel sender unit complete with float and filter.

[freddy6868]

11/10/2010
Well since having the engine set up the problem with it cutting out started again so i decided to take the plunge and remover the old fuel tank which was rotten and blocking the filter in the tank thus starving the engine of fuel.
So out with the old

In with the new. Luckily i found a nos tank that someone had bought for thier kit car and never used so i had painted it up and slung it under there. It wasn't the repoduction one after it was one off ebay for £53!Bargin!




The next thing i done was (with lots of help from my mate kiwi) was get all the clocks working. So after a few hours of potching we found the problem which was a broken power wire coming from the fuse box.
AFTER that i changed the wheel bearing on the drivers side and loved it as it just fell apart nicely although i had to use my mates hydraulic press.
Well since having the engine set up the problem with it cutting out started again so i decided to take the plunge and remover the old fuel tank which was rotten and blocking the filter in the tank thus starving the engine of fuel.

When i changed the wheel bearing no oil came out of the axle so i thought it would be a good idea to top up the oil and found out that who ever put the bolt in the axle wreaked the thread and the axle was leaking oil so off to the hardware store that sells all types of weird and wonderful sized stuff and 80p later i had myself a new 1/2 unf bolt and copper washer


So the list of to do's was now getting shorter just leaving the below
Just the windscreen rubber and a new exhaust and the van would be up to my standards for now. . . . . . . BUT whilst i was under the van trying to stop the exhaust banging off the chassis i noticed one of the dampers were leaking and all the bushes had perished which got my thinking i should really just change them for peice of mind.
So first to be done was the windscreen and after taking four hours to put it in wrong myself i gave my mate who works for a well know automotive window fitting firm and he fitted it with abit of a potch but having all the gear made it much easier!

[/QUOTE]
Then i moved onto removing the leaf springs to fit the poly bushes inplace of the knackerd ones and i also have a nice set of adjustable avo dampers to go on there from from Peter Lloyd Racing which are nicely priced.

As you can see i couldn't just change the bushes i had to got the whole hog and strip everything down and paint it up properly so it has taken abit more time effor and money that i'd thought.


Next months project is to have a custom made stainless exhaust system fitted by prospeed which i'm looking forward to as the van will be near enough sorted!

13/10/2010
Not much to show but a fair bit to tell. When i was dismanteling the leaf springs the bolts holding them together sheered which i supose is because they are made out of monkey metal and have been under tension all thier life. So in my dinner breaks over the last three days i knocked these up out of stainless steel as i couldn't find the bolts anywhere.

I have also made a battery tray out of some sheel metal with uprights that bolt through the floor and a bar over the top of the battery located behind the passanger seat. More pictures of it fitted when it is light.

The final picture of the day for me is of my new dampers. Which are all fitted up with the poly bushes and it has transformed the way the van drives and handles.

I have also mounted a fire extinguisher on the wheel arch in the back as i was given it out of a mates old rallye car so that is looking good although i hope it never has to be used.
The van is on the raod and driving better than ever going to go out for a spin in it tonight because i have missed driving it over the last week. Gutted i didn't take more pictures of the build up but i was in a rush to beat the darkness so had no time to take photos (yet).

15/10/2010
I found a rear door seal!!!! But i think it is boarder line useable but i have one none these less.
Also found some other goodies for the van, some not even needed

These also finish the back off nicely just need to fit the bumpers now after they have had some work done, although i have bought some off ebay too .

before

after

The left side shows the light with out the covers on and the right with the cover on

[freddy6868]

20/10/2010
There is still some more progress although i have slowed down on the buying of things now as i am spent out this month i have turned to mates for favours on the items i have bought so far this month.

I bought some mk1 escort van quater bumpers off ebay for a pricey sum although they did come with brackets and bolts but i knew i could get them stripped back and painted up nice on mates rates (which is mainly beer )



More pictures of them soon as they have been stripped back to metal and are being etch primed and painted gloss black very soon.

After i have bought the quater bumpers off the net i actually found some bumpers off the back of a mk2 van so i sent them off to a mate in the local body shop to see if he could blast all the rust out of them patch the holes/blend in the new metal into the old metal then finally paint them. One is mint the other has suffered from years of being in the ground so fingers crossed. Here is a poor photo of the worst one and there will also be more updates on that soon hopefully.

The red ring is showing where the rot has eaten into the bumper badly.

Like i say this is nothing exciting but it is cheap and cheerful progress. Next month i will be changing the

engine mounts/gearbox mounts (IF I CAN EVER FIND NEW ONES FOR SALE)
a custom made exhaust made by Prospeed in cardiff in place of the crap on there now
Make another new pin for the other leaf spring shackle as the bolt has sheered off
and sort the handbrake as it isn't holding very well due to the rubber attched to the handbrake cable and brake bar. I'm guessing that it is only holding on the drivers side.
HHHMMMMMMMMM
These carbs are tempting me to fit them on the crossflow too! Left over from my last project car are some gsxr750 srad carbs that would suit it down to the ground.



24/10/2010
Well the bumpers i bought off ebay have been painted and are on the van all fitted up with stainless bolts. I'm very happy with them although one has abit of a ripple in it, but it is 30years old.
before

after




I also had a bash at repairing the other bumpers the other day and they are all ready to be welded up which i'm going to do myself.

All cleaned up and stripped back to see the extent of the rust damage




All the thin metal cut out and new patches made.




Old pieces of the bumper with the new pieces above and number three had to be bent into the correct shape which took a fair amount of time.



My new dash surround compaired to the old one

Painted a nice satin black


30/10/2010
Out with the falling off floor touching rubbish and in with the well made custom 2" pro speed exhaust i had fitted today.


In this pic you can see even with the escort up on the ramps and the axle on full droop the exhaust is very close to the axle.


In the end i went for a two box system to keep the noise levels down on the motorway and these guys done a great job and i would recomend prospeed to anyone. It did take a fair while but you can't rush quality. I know the prictures are poor but hopefully everyone willget the idea.
Had the middle box mounted just before the axle as you can get it higher up under the car


The nice 2 1/4" tail pipe that is just right and not too chavy.

An extra mount was also fixed to the underside to stop exhaust moment that caused the old one to knock off the fuel tank and chassis.

The new poly bush kit and avo dampers too.

New engine mounts and gearbox mount ready to go one when i have time then she really will drive just like a brand new car.

I also bought these from rally design as the rubber bobbings i bought don't suit the lesser 1300 engine mounts fitted to the van

[freddy6868]

04/11/2010
I fixed the perished rubber on the hand brake but i have only just learnt how to adjust the handbrake up properly and you have to do it manually!!!!!haha


Just a small update seams the rear light screws were rusting i decided to replace them with stainless steel ones but as is the case with this van the guy who built it wasn't into finishing touches and had put the lights in with wood screws!!!!!!!
Out with the old and in with the new spacers that i knocked up in my dinner times in work again

Cleaned out the lights

All nicely bolted together and they are now fitted in the van. I had a look along the rear quaters when the lights were out and the good thing is they are very straight and theres no filler in them WOOP!



11/11/2010
Well went down cardiff bay to have a nose around the wrc cars in the load lugger and on the way home on a round about the clutch cable snapped so i had to limp home slipping it into gears using the rev and push method :/ but it's home and the part is inexpensive so i wil sort it soon.

14/11/2010
Well i ripped the brake and clutch pedal out of the pedal box as they both sit on the same pivot mainly to find out what happened to the clutch and to replace the pedal bushes that yet again hadn't been fitted! The good news is though the clutch cable hadn't snapped a small pin had came out disconnecting it.
Pedals missing thier top hat bushes and as you can see the clutch pedal hole has worn oval so i will have to offset bore that out and use an oversize top hat bush to replace it.

troublesome pin

worn pivot pin


15/11/2010
Well some good progress has been made on the pedals and thier bushes.
A new pivot pin had to be made as the old one was worn and no good. The undercut has been cut into the bar but it needs a flat in one end now to locate in the pedal box

Below shows the clutch pedal with the offset hole bored out to 7/8" 3mm more than the standard hole! You can see the difference in hole size is clear from the picture. Ignore the silver mark on the pedal that is where a washer took the paint off the pedal in the old holes position.

Last but not least the two top hat bushes that have been made so far. There is a third to be made that will locate inbetween the clutch and brake pedal but i had to work out how long the shoulder has to be to seperate the pedals so that will be made sometime this week. As you can see again the difference is clear between thier sizes (standard on the right oversize on the left).

When i get time i will also strip the pedals back and paint them up so they are like new again.

20/11/2010
Flat machined in the pivot bar and the bar has been hardened also the middle pedal bush all knocked up ready for when i can be bother to strip back the pedals and paint them up.



21/11/2010
handbrake adjusted up, FINALLY!
Exhaust manifold off, the stud has been drilled out and was in the process of being shelled out the remainder of the stud with a carbide burr so it could be tapped out. That will have to be finished tomorrow then and hopefully the pedals can be installed and then it is off for the small amount of welding it needs done and them a good dose of wax oil ready for the winter. Also before the exhaust manifold goes back on i will re-wrap the manifold properly using the heat wrap my mate Curl donated to the escort fund.

23/11/2010
Well after looking at this design i spotted a big flaw in my design.

As the bushes are a press fit into the pedals every time i push the
one pedal it will move the other too! Oviously i didn't want that so another bush has now been made and they have all been pressed in.
Nice new painted pedals and bushes inserted


I had trouble fitting the pedals so i pulled the pedal box out and thought it needed a paint too as it looked rough as hell, so that will be stripped down and painted soon. The accelerator pedal was also covered in some sort of paint so i stripped that back to find it was silver so it will be left like that.
I also finished removing the broken stud from the head by drilling out the stud using as 5mm drill then a 6mm carbide burr untill it broke through to the threads in the head. After that it was a simple case of tapping the remaining stud out. Before i put the mainfold back on it will also be heat wrapped using stainless steel wire the hold the wrap on not the crappy jubilee clips used now.

[freddy6868]

29/11/2010
More work carried out on the escort tonight, i came straight in from work and started wrapping the manifold. I didn't have enough to wrap the manifold from the head so i wrapped it from where the 4 go into two and tidied up the old wrap the best i could.
This is how it started


This is how it looked over two hours later!




I also bought these aswell because the ones on there now are rubbish although the copper nuts are going in the bin in favour of some high quality stainless nuts.
The picture isn't great but i stole it off the website i bought them off.

I just have to sort out the pedal box housing put them back in and then put the manifold back in with the new stud kit and it's away we go again!

[freddy6868]

I now have everything all painted up nice and ready to go onto the escort but i have got a serious case of man flu and i'm not going anywhere in the snow so it's going on hold now, hopefully no more than a week.

[Andyc]

getting there Jon looking as good as ever

[south west restorations]

hi

looking good there m8.
had one of these mk1 escort vans this year but had to sell wished a kept it.....
all the best with ur project........

[rsjon]

nice motor,do you use it everyday?

[ASHLEY]

Cracking job

[oldskooler]

excellent work there. looks the bizz.

[tibbs]

Cracking job there, looks great

[pushrod]

Looking fab.
Any pics?

[vinny]

nice work m8