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Thread: 1978 mk2 Mexico

  1. #41
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    Re: 1978 mk2 Mexico

    Interesting read, and thanks for the pics. I appreciate how long these posts take. I wait until I’m away with work or on hol to do mine, as I’d rather work on the car when home with time. Just been working on the back end of mine, chassis rail replacement, took off the damper box to check how things where in there. Much the same as yours.
    I’m about to start the front end rebuild, before returning to the back to do all the bits you’ve done here, wheel arch tub, wheel and tank well and rear panel. Not many rebuilds here that don’t go down the Grp4 road. So seeing what you’ve done is really helpful for reference. Thanks for taking the time to post. Keep it going. Cheers

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    1978 mk2 Mexico

    Great to see all the new metal going back into this mex. Going to make for a stunning car when finnished. I know what its like chasing the rust....it gets everywhere. Got to be worth the extra work cutting it all back to the good steel. You know what you've got and it will last so much longer.
    Keep it going bud....

    Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

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  5. #43
    World Champion Decade Plus User alladdin's Avatar

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    Re: 1978 mk2 Mexico

    some great work going into this

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  7. #44
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    Re: 1978 mk2 Mexico

    thanks for the thumbs up folks appreciate it. its not going to get done any time soon but its going to get done right that's the plan anyway ha ha . hopefully all the pics make sense and a picture says a 1000 words so theres more to come lol I find it helps me reading other people threads a few good pics can really helps so hopefully mine might help someone else along the way .
    Last edited by mk2-mad-ad; 19-01-2019 at 23:12.

  8. #45
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    1978 mk2 Mexico

    All looking a load better now it's back on and hopefully with pleanty paint under there it will stay good for a good few years
    That done it was time to get stuck in to the rear drivers rear inner quarter
    All cleaned up and primed looks good this was a express panel and the quality and fit is so much better
    So after repairing the edge its time for the rear tub
    Don't know what the difference is but this took more work to fit compared to the other side but fits well along the floor edge, all welded in
    Along the way made sure everything that needed to fit still does you can never measure enough and try things for fitment it's a lot easier now than when you Come to put it all back together!!
    So as said along the way all the panels are tried on held with mole grips and verious clamps to check for fitmeant. that way you get it all fitting right before welding it on makes a far better and neater job and nothing ever fits well so don't presume it will fit where its meant to they just don't. This highlighted a few places needing some work the new tub wasn't the best shape but nothing a nip and tuck won't fix
    So lower outer quarter time (the panel I had to Finnish better) so loads of measuring and cutting later time to go on, kept it below the swage line to keep it neater and aftermarket panels just never quite get the sharp crisp factory line quite the same
    All on

    Has come out well little hammer and dolly work and a bit of filler and it's all good again bit better than how it started!!

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  9. #46
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    Re: 1978 mk2 Mexico

    Top job i enjoy seeing work like this being done i am trying to do mine and this is a great help.

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  11. #47
    Racer Decade Plus User mexicotait's Avatar

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    Re: 1978 mk2 Mexico

    Really impressed with this thread
    Keep it up
    Hexham and District Motorclub

  12. #48
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    1978 mk2 Mexico

    Thanks everyone I really appreciate you comments glad it's not to boring with all the pics of everything
    Thought it about time I get me passenger door looking more like sorry no pics of the process but hears some of it done, just put a nice bead of tiger seal round the edges before it went on hopefully to stop water sitting in the seams beast I can !!
    Some of the edges will need more work but not till I get it hung back on will I know where, so with that done and back to the outer arch, the other side went really well and was quite straight forward so was hoping for much the same but not to be. As can be seen in the next pic it's a tad short of the space its meant to fit!!
    This caused a bit of head scratching as to what to do had I fitted something wrong some where hope not anyway lots of measuring and re measuring as I do all the time the inner tub and everything else seems the same as the other side.
    So what to do should I get another arch might be just the same =waste of money, shell out on a express panel =spend even more money or see if i can cut it and make it fit =free that will do then. So clamped it on from the rear swage line forward as a good reference point ti it stopped fitting nice and cut it in half job done ha ha
    Opps
    So the front of the tub is going to need similar surgery as the rear did but until I have the new full floor in and know where the new sill will sit I was going to just leave the front of the arch section off for now till I know what the crack is the ill make a nice plate to fill the gap job done that was the plan anyway

    so plan made but the more I looked at it and thought about it the more it pissed me off how bad it is so I stopped being tight and gave express a ring and ordered one of there outer repair arches shit load more than the magnum panels but if it does the Job right who cares ay.
    Ordered it monday and should have it but the weekend so carnt fault them just hope it fits else if done something wrong somewhere !!!!

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    Last edited by mk2-mad-ad; 24-01-2019 at 21:34.

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  14. #49
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    Re: 1978 mk2 Mexico

    Great work so far. keep it coming.

    I have a feeling arches will be coming my way soon

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    Re: 1978 mk2 Mexico

    No reproduction panels are perfect however Express panels are well worth the money and make installation so much simpler, wouldn’t use anything else

    Keep the build going as Its getting better with each post

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  18. #51
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    1978 mk2 Mexico

    Quote Originally Posted by mk2-mad-ad View Post
    Thanks everyone I really appreciate you comments glad it's not to boring with all the pics of everything
    Thought it about time I get me passenger door looking more like sorry no pics of the process but hears some of it done, just put a nice bead of tiger seal round the edges before it went on hopefully to stop water sitting in the seams beast I can !!
    Some of the edges will need more work but not till I get it hung back on will I know where, so with that done and back to the outer arch, the other side went really well and was quite straight forward so was hoping for much the same but not to be. As can be seen in the next pic it's a tad short of the space its meant to fit!!
    This caused a bit of head scratching as to what to do had I fitted something wrong some where hope not anyway lots of measuring and re measuring as I do all the time the inner tub and everything else seems the same as the other side.
    So what to do should I get another arch might be just the same =waste of money, shell out on a express panel =spend even more money or see if i can cut it and make it fit =free that will do then. So clamped it on from the rear swage line forward as a good reference point ti it stopped fitting nice and cut it in half job done ha ha
    Opps
    So the front of the tub is going to need similar surgery as the rear did but until I have the new full floor in and know where the new sill will sit I was going to just leave the front of the arch section off for now till I know what the crack is the ill make a nice plate to fill the gap job done that was the plan anyway

    so plan made but the more I looked at it and thought about it the more it pissed me off how bad it is so I stopped being tight and gave express a ring and ordered one of there outer repair arches shit load more than the magnum panels but if it does the Job right who cares ay.
    Ordered it monday and should have it but the weekend so carnt fault them just hope it fits else if done something wrong somewhere !!!!

    Sent from my G8441 using Tapatalk
    I will show this to my OH later he will give me a run down of what you're doing.
    Interesting stuff ... he has a door to do too need him to get on that In few months ! It's been sitting in my way too long. Ty for sharing pics.

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  20. #52
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    Re: 1978 mk2 Mexico

    Nice neat work.

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  22. #53
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    1978 mk2 Mexico

    So after much deliberation and considerable exspence a order was placed with express a week later this little beauty turned up


    Can not fault express very helpful and brilliant quality panel would highly recommend them and will be buying more from them in the future. So with much excitement I hastily offered up the new arch and guess what it fitted like a glove no weight there thats what it was meant to do off course it didn't fit why would it how stupid of me. Out with the take measure and from what I can work out the tub is all correctly fitted and measured up the same as the other side but the actual curve of the arch is a mile out! Hence the two different arches from two different manufactures fitting the same or not fitting as it turns out even funnyer is that the tub and first arch are made buy the same people but don't fit together nice one


    So outer all in place measured, re measured and measured again and now fitted in the same place as the other side and this is how it looked on the inside at the back


    And inside front


    Great so calmly stud up walked out and locked the door.
    Restored the escort I said, be an enjoyable experience I said what I good I idea I SAID!!
    So much contemplating later 2 weeks to be precise and got back to it. Only option u could come up with was cut up the tub outer edge.. It did fit nicely on the top edge so desided to clamp it together there and work from there out buy putting a cut in it and pulling the arch down to fit as required to fit. Have read mixed reviews on these tubs one side fottti g fine the other not

    How it was

    And there it needs to be

    So with that now where it needed to be time to fill the gap. Welded in a few tabs to hold it in place from the back do love lying below where your welding ouch

    Same done at the front as well but also it didn't meat the sill and follow the shape right so corrected that as well

    So a few late nights and hours later we've ended up with this not yet ground back the welds on the inside yet so looks a little messy but cleaned up will look fine and when it's had a good coat of stone chip no one will ever know

    Outer all nicely lined up now as well and after some changes to the front bottom edge follows the sill and body lines much better. You can see just how much filler there is in there and that's on top of a sill it's had fitted at some point approx 7mm of filler!

    Straight edge along the bottom of the sill and its bang on now result

    So that all done I can actually think about fitting tbe arch going butt weld the joint so need to be patient doing that or else I'll warp it up good and proper 

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    Last edited by mk2-mad-ad; 16-02-2019 at 12:16.

  23. #54
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    Re: 1978 mk2 Mexico

    you have the patience of a saint doing that,its amazing that replacement panel manufactures can get away with selling such rubbish,
    you could proberly make better yourself from scratch on this showing

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    Re: 1978 mk2 Mexico

    To be fair, its often variances in the original for pressing themselves also, and if you have replacement panels from the end of a production run, ive fitted 3 pairs of gen RS wings before and each were different, doors are even worse, the hinges were hand welded in the factory, remove pins on one car and fit a Ford door to another car and 9/10 its in a different place and you have to cut the hinge off and reweld for it to line up, the variances in the original cars are really what cause the issue. However, those panels from China are the absolute worst, they arent even the correct shape, the Chinese shells even have the C-pillar at a diff angle - shocking repos.

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  27. #56
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    1978 mk2 Mexico

    Thanks folks yes I do agree with Erikme though cars weren't made to the same tolerances as modern stuff. there can be so much variation from car to car but there are some good and some bad panels out there but with out them regardless of quality there would be a lot less escorts around so we carnt complain. Its still shocking though a magnum arch being so far off fitting a magnum tub!! I have read a few people haveing issues with the tubs still better than a rotten one though ha ha

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    Re: 1978 mk2 Mexico

    Great work as usual. Good look with grinding those welds back in that position. Its hard enough when they are right in front of you never mind on the back of a wheel arch.

  29. #58
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    1978 mk2 Mexico

    Be back on it this week finally got the arch on seems to have taken an age to finally get it on! Got it all lined up right and marked a few lines so when the panel behind is removed I have a good reference point to like it up to
    Cut out the un wanted

    Ready to go butt welding it on I've over lapped it when I did the other side and it's been bugging me so might have to re do that at some stage
    So 3 hours later!! I was adamant a wasn't going to warp the quarter so I cooled down the weld after every tack took an age but had the desired outcome so worth the patients
    Then again little and often grinding it back so not to put to much heat in to it
    At last its on and done!!!


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  31. #59
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    Re: 1978 mk2 Mexico

    great work you have done, well done.

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    Re: 1978 mk2 Mexico

    Nice job on that arch !
    Definitely cut the other one off and redo it, it will only bug you later if you don’t.
    Going back a bit on the replacement panel issue, I think we need to remember, a lot (not all) of the replacement panels were designed back in the 80s as MOT repair panels, not restoration panels. So they fit over the original stuff, and then the individual car tolerances, it all adds up. Outer sills are a great example. Like you said, if we didn’t have them, there would be fewer cars restored, because at least they give us something as a base. Most of us don’t have the kit or skill set to manufacture from scratch some of these complex shapes. You’ve done well with that inner arch tub, I understand your frustration.
    I lost several weeks head scratching over my outter sills why they didn’t line up, until the penny dropped. Live and learn. Hopefully you’re cracking on with other with other bits now.

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  35. #61
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    Re: 1978 mk2 Mexico

    Nice work there mate

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