New Shell + Build Questions

[Forest_rallying]

I think you are going to struggle to get 170 bhp for £1500.If you want to use the RS Alloy sump you need to add another £200 to your tally. Have you considered Vulcan Engineering or Gem for your Engine? they have a far better reputation. You could also try Paul Gardner for a Quote for a basic 170 bhp engine.

I bought a MK2 non runner Rally car with a poor spec engine and std G/box for £6500 3 years ago. It need no welding as there was no corrosion anywhere on it. We have spent many hours on the thing to get the shell to a decent std of preparation and another £6000 on it to date in parts with at least another couple of a Grand to finish it.

I too am self employed JudderMan and spend long hrs 6 or even sometimes 7 days a week earning a crust. As we all get that bit older motivation is n't what it was 30 yrs ago even to finish a Mk 2 Escort, I am just waiting for the weather to warm up.

[alancdavis]

I know what you mean about getting motivation , lol

[JudderMan]

Well if you aren't using a donor car there's shed loads of stuff missing from your spreadsheet!
Generally new or old - it'll all be 35-40 years old - no guarantee it'll still be any good or affordable.

OK thanks, that's what this thread was exactly about really to see what's missing.

I've pooled some stuff together ie pipework, cabling, rubber grommets and stuff, electrics (there's not really a lot goes on electrically though), fastenings and clips and things.

I've most likely missed so much and as it was 10 years since my last one I've forgotten a fair bit no doubt.

I must admit the axle I'd prefer to be rebuilt and have no price for that. I don't need a floating baby Atlas, fairly sure of that so there will be some old parts but from what I can see there are NOS parts, restored or remade parts for sale.

I still can't stop looking at South African cars which admittedly need a whole load of work and fuss to get here then rust proofing and light restoration but I like the idea of a "new" escort.

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[JudderMan]

I think you are going to struggle to get 170 bhp for £1500.If you want to use the RS Alloy sump you need to add another £200 to your tally. Have you considered Vulcan Engineering or Gem for your Engine? they have a far better reputation. You could also try Paul Gardner for a Quote for a basic 170 bhp engine.

I bought a MK2 non runner Rally car with a poor spec engine and std G/box for £6500 3 years ago. It need no welding as there was no corrosion anywhere on it. We have spent many hours on the thing to get the shell to a decent std of preparation and another £6000 on it to date in parts with at least another couple of a Grand to finish it.

I too am self employed JudderMan and spend long hrs 6 or even sometimes 7 days a week earning a crust. As we all get that bit older motivation is n't what it was 30 yrs ago even to finish a Mk 2 Escort, I am just waiting for the weather to warm up.

OK thanks for that I'll look into it. I suppose what it boils down to is a decent engine for the budget then. I thought 160-170 was fairly achievable (from memory) from fairly basic mods ie 2.1, bike carbs are 46mm, gas flowed head big valves and a sporty cam. I'm not hell bent on bhp just have an idea in my head.

Whatever the final figure is for 1500-2000 for engine, it'll be more than the 1600xf I had in the past which I'm sure will give me a many smiles per hour. There's a company sells pintos on ebay BurtsEngines I think his name is and builds and sells for similar money to what I've quoted. I'll have a look at others, but big companies tend to put on their big company tax to pay staff, fancy buildings, overheads.

Thanks I appreciate it, keep it coming

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[Mkdu]

ask Graham on here to quote you a pinto build, I think he's good enough to make one !

[davemk1]

Escort parts seem to be a licence to print money.

I'm a firm believer in the donor car option.
you get all those little obsolete parts and if the shell is half decent you'll even get some money back afterwards!
good luck

[JudderMan]

Escort parts seem to be a licence to print money.

I'm a firm believer in the donor car option.
you get all those little obsolete parts and if the shell is half decent you'll even get some money back afterwards!
good luck

That's a fair point. A donor to me still feels like wreck one to make one, but I'm sure there will be niggly bits that no one sells.

Arrrgh. ...the house I'm looking to buy only has a single garage...Grr.

Thanks everyone, need to think.

Is the engine guy's username just Graham?

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[Forest_rallying]

Burts Motorsport seem to do good specification Pinto engines. A decent head and cam's going to set you back over a Grand and don't forget they'll need a donor engine to part exchange.

[davemk1]

Wait for a good doner car and strip it first.
sell on the shell and recoup some wonga!
Might be worth asking new shell supplier if they will still be available in the future.

[Forest_rallying]

Keep donor shell and repair it when new build is complete. Paint it and put it in storage then when the Chinese copy shell has rotted away you could re shell it with the original one.

[JudderMan]

Keep donor shell and repair it when new build is complete. Paint it and put it in storage then when the Chinese copy shell has rotted away you could re shell it with the original one.

Heehee ooooh scathing report. Genuine question, have you seen one? What would make you think it would rot away? Apparantly it's a car mnauafturer that has made it. I've seen many Chinese cars, as I used to live in SE Asia, and they look weird but look better put together than the latest British equivalent made car.....oh wait...

I can't shake off the pull of a South African car as I'd kinda get a holiday out of it as well, go visit some, buy it stick it on a boat and get it registered in a month or two's time. Shipping coampany does all of the IVA, reg, docs and MOT.

I think the underlying thing for those whole thread is, I can't weld and if I could I'd be crap at it so I want a new car that is mk2 escort shaped



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[Forest_rallying]

Most cars corrode in our damp British climate it's a known fact,you can't compare vehicles from warmer countries where the atmosphere is dry. No I have n't seen a Chinese Shell, I was just generalising. The Metal in some of their body repair panels leaves a little bit to be desired.

I still think it would be a good idea to repair your donor shell and have it as a stand by. Is your new shell coming with bonnet boot and doors? A pair of good doors are getting like Rocking Horse shite now.

[meXEco]

Someone needs to report on these shells to see if any OE parts actually fit-doors/bonnet/boot/suspension points etc. i'm sure someone on here had a roof from them and it was no where near fitting an original shell. And i've heard the front louvred scuttle panel bit where the wipers come thru are not radiused slots just punched out flat. Not trying to slag em off but little details can make all the difference, and a lot of new parts i bought for my mk1 build needed tweaking here and there, so theres always room for improvement And just my two penneth i reckon you'd be better off buying nos or good original parts rather than a donor as most will need refurbing or replacing at worst so you'd probably end up buying twice-been there done that.

[alancdavis]

Some one reported on fitting door saying they were a bugger to fit but got there in the end

[MegatronUK]

Totally appreciate the rose-tinted glasses sentiment, but after looking at 996/997 Porsches for £15-20k, they're not as impressive as they should be. Plus, this would be like an adult's sized Meccano set with a sense of achievement at the end of putting all the bits together myself without having to cut and weld anything.

I'm glad I bought my 964 turbo when I did. It wasn't a whole lot more than than that upper figure at the time, but it's certainly worth a whole lot more now I must admit that although clearly not as accomplished as the later water cooled cars, there's something about the air/oil cooled models that just makes them feel special. It doesn't hurt that it's still a stupidly fast car even coming up to 25 years later!

Good luck with your search in tracking down bits. It's definitely worth it to put the effort in researching it in detail first.

[brafferton]

No hinges as they come with boot bonnett and doors ,,,,problem with no headlineing is condensation can form when not being used ,,,,I lined my roof with gel back carpet ,,,it also reduces road noise,,, doors and rear you can use alloy or carben panels ,,,windows then consider perspex, rest is down to your choice

We make a Perspex (polycarbonate) window kit for the Escort.
Call us on 0113 2509852.
Stuart

[Duffer]

Just reading, and would also love to do this. Fusebox wise there is a company called Polevolt that do a modular fusebox system, it's pretty trick. I did mine with it and fitted it into the glovebox. The only special connectors you would really need would be for the indicator/wiper stalks and dash (if you were fitting a standard dash)