Mk1 Escort 2 door , full resto looking for price range & timescale

[glasgowgolfer]

Hi all, I am hoping you can give me some sort of rough guide price to carry out a full restoration on my MK1 Escort.She has sat in a Garage since 1980 (long story) anyway she is all there, interior, Glass, engine , gearbox but as she hasnt moved since 1980 and this is not a heated garage so obviously will need panels, welding, lots of parts refurbished or renewed, rewired, engine, box, brakes, suspension


I am not looking for a concourse show car as I am on a budget, basically to MOT standard, RS Alloys (capri laser not escort) I have a 2nd hand 6 dial dash and dash top...and the engine is all there so a rebuild is fine only thing i would want to upgrade is probably discs on front, 5 speed box and electronic ignition (Accuspark

I know lots of people on here will have a rough guess but has anyone any experience of this? Unfortunately I am not very mechanically minded so I would be handing the car over to a restoration company to do this ...have added a few photos

cheers
Dave

[notenoughtime]

I’d need some pics to give you an idea

[glasgowgolfer]

whenever i try to upload pics it fails

[Graham]

whenever i try to upload pics it fails

if your using the uploader the pics are probably too big, resize them to 800x600 pixel.

restoration work is expensive expect 10-20k

[glasgowgolfer]

if your using the uploader the pics are probably too big, resize them to 800x600 pixel.

restoration work is expensive expect 10-20k

eh? ....not looking for full nut & bolt restoration,

[Graham]

eh? ....not looking for full nut & bolt restoration,

you said full restoration! a full nut and bolt restoration would probably go higher still.

obviously there are many different standards of restoration, it sounds more like you want a car recommissioned which is something very different,

even so good luck getting someone to give up an upfront price. best thing to do is search out some escort/old ford specialist and see what comes back. its work which most wont want to do, i own a garage it is work we do on old rovers, but to be honest its a pain in the butt! hard to price, takes ages, hard to get on with because your constantly finding stuff seized/broken/bodged and you need bits you cant get from your local suppliers, always costs more than the client wants to spend, so you try to save them money and it often comes back to bite you. its for these reasons although i grew up working on escorts and such like, i keep my involvement down to just engine work

[modifyitmike]

if your looking for a cheap fix 3k if your lucky , but welding and such like , seized bolts here and there, knackered threads 10 to 15k, or higher depending on spec req or do it yourself

[stardust]

Impossible to price without seeing it something can look OK on photo but in reality could be shagged and to build a escort on a budget is going to be hard parts are expensive and if you got to pay someone to do all the work labour is going to runaway with you maybe best way is to sell it and buy something that is already done probably be cheaper.

[katana]

if your looking for a cheap fix 3k if your lucky , but welding and such like , seized bolts here and there, knackered threads 10 to 15k, or higher depending on spec req or do it yourself

I'd go along with Mike's and Graham's guesses as ballpark. Without seeing what is involved, you'll have rust in every panel and cavity so cutting and welding could be 50 hrs? There is £5k! Panels aren't cheap, maybe another £2.5k? Paint - £1k? Then recommissioning engine and mechanicals - £2-3k minimum! See how it mounts up - old cars are not cheap anymore!

[glasgowgolfer]

Many Thanks for your replies & advice guys, Would love to do it myself but not got time, knowledge, space, ...maybe get someone to write to car SOS to say im a piller of the community good guy lol....budget is probably £10k total with no room for float,,,,,I think it is quite solid with no big holes mainly surface rust....interior is good , defo would need soda blasted or dipped in (cant remember the name of it) to see wee holes etc, will try to resize images as they are a couple of megs , suppose a well finished 2 door would probably fetch £14k upwards so might be worth the effort and I suppose a great investment.
cheers
Dave

[stardust]

Soda blast and dipping with cost a couple of grand on its own.

[notenoughtime]

I'd go along with Mike's and Graham's guesses as ballpark. Without seeing what is involved, you'll have rust in every panel and cavity so cutting and welding could be 50 hrs? There is £5k! Panels aren't cheap, maybe another £2.5k? Paint - £1k? Then recommissioning engine and mechanicals - £2-3k minimum! See how it mounts up - old cars are not cheap anymore!

Paint would be 4-6k inside and out I reckon, I’ve got a mk1 in this week which welding will be 6k plus panels plus paint let alone mechanical

[Graham]

Many Thanks for your replies & advice guys, Would love to do it myself but not got time, knowledge, space, ...maybe get someone to write to car SOS to say im a piller of the community good guy lol....budget is probably £10k total with no room for float,,,,,I think it is quite solid with no big holes mainly surface rust....interior is good , defo would need soda blasted or dipped in (cant remember the name of it) to see wee holes etc, will try to resize images as they are a couple of megs , suppose a well finished 2 door would probably fetch £14k upwards so might be worth the effort and I suppose a great investment.
cheers
Dave

if your going to dip or blast it 10k wont even come close, a decent paint job is a couple of grand on its own, without stripping, repairing and refitting everything.

i absolutely would not contemplate doing it as an investment, car prices rise and fall old fords fetch silly money now, but at some point people will realize there money will go a lot further with something else. Jags are the same, MK2's and e types mk2s are the same price they were 20 odd years ago, if you put 20k in to one of them as an investment back then youd be pretty sad to find its only worth the same now, so in real terms its gone down in value.

[notenoughtime]

I reckon put the car up for sale and buy a car that’s on the road already

[stardust]

Don't know where katana can get a paint job done for 1k it will cost that in materials
It's all well and good guessing how much it is going to cost but we haven't seen any pictures yet but even if it is a good one it will be more than 10k.

[katana]

Don't know where katana can get a paint job done for 1k it will cost that in materials
It's all well and good guessing how much it is going to cost but we haven't seen any pictures yet but even if it is a good one it will be more than 10k.

I was having a guess for God's sake - I was probably light on everything but trying to be slightly encouraging as £20+k would be a 'walk away' cost for a lot of people!

[RS2OOO]

Take a look at my restoration thread on here for some pics of my car to get an idea of it's condition.

My car has no rust but does have various issues with panels not lining up very well, sunken filler here and there and various bits of the shell that I've butchered over the years to squeeze in upgraded parts.

Having restored it twice previously myself, this time round i decided to call in 2 small restoration firms for quotes to get it done properly once and for all.

Quote 1 was for me to strip car completely to bare shell, he'd take the shell and deliver it back like a new shell. No mechanical work whatsoever and didn't include fitting Watts linkage towers or a larger gearbox tunnel which are both things I need done. That quote was £20k + Vat.

Quote 2 was for me to strip car to rolling shell and they'd do whatever I wanted including fabricating radiator/gearbox/seat mounts to my spec etc and allow me to visit and fit up parts so all holes etc can be drilled before final paint. Their lower end estimate with some corners cut came to £14,000, but they said realistically if I want everything done properly so the car won't need anything in the future I should budget for £20,000.

Both these quotes are with me doing all the mechanicals and building the car on completion.

On top of that I have already spent £3500 just on overhauling the basics like brakes, diff, gearbox and buying all new bushes, shocks, grommets, and other perishable items.

I still need to buy new seats, roof lining, clutch and get the engine converted to unleaded, which again means I'll need new engine gasket sets, water pump, cam belt etc etc.

To say I'm shocked at how quickly the bills add up is an understatement since the repair cost of each individual part is more than the £150 I paid for the entire car 28 years ago!

So for the people who are suggesting a base budget of £5k, 10k, 15k etc, I say double it unless you can do at least half the work yourself.



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[modifyitmike]

Take a look at my restoration thread on here for some pics of my car to get an idea of it's condition.

My car has no rust but does have various issues with panels not lining up very well, sunken filler here and there and various bits of the shell that I've butchered over the years to squeeze in upgraded parts.

Having restored it twice previously myself, this time round i decided to call in 2 small restoration firms for quotes to get it done properly once and for all.

Quote 1 was for me to strip car completely to bare shell, he'd take the shell and deliver it back like a new shell. No mechanical work whatsoever and didn't include fitting Watts linkage towers or a larger gearbox tunnel which are both things I need done. That quote was £20k + Vat.

Quote 2 was for me to strip car to rolling shell and they'd do whatever I wanted including fabricating radiator/gearbox/seat mounts to my spec etc and allow me to visit and fit up parts so all holes etc can be drilled before final paint. Their lower end estimate with some corners cut came to £14,000, but they said realistically if I want everything done properly so the car won't need anything in the future I should budget for £20,000.

Both these quotes are with me doing all the mechanicals and building the car on completion.

On top of that I have already spent £3500 just on overhauling the basics like brakes, diff, gearbox and buying all new bushes, shocks, grommets, and other perishable items.

I still need to buy new seats, roof lining, clutch and get the engine converted to unleaded, which again means I'll need new engine gasket sets, water pump, cam belt etc etc.

To say I'm shocked at how quickly the bills add up is an understatement since the repair cost of each individual part is more than the £150 I paid for the entire car 28 years ago!

So for the people who are suggesting a base budget of £5k, 10k, 15k etc, I say double it unless you can do at least half the work yourself.



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Hi RS2000, Very nice detailed explanation of the various costs involved in something like this rebuild. should help a few peeps to decide how to go about there restorations, well done

[skmotorsport]

Perfect explanation! The issue is that most parts needs to be reworked. I´ve done most jobs by myself, just painting and engine drilling and assembly were done by external companys. Now I´m at around 30k€.

[glasgowgolfer]

Thanks again for taking the time to reply much appreciated, well...I admit I am shocked it is that much but I suppose if you count up man hours and parts prices it can spiral out of control ...
I currently have a lovely 1600 MK1 4 door in Red which is very solid and has had a lot of work done....
Rebuilt 32 Carb, new chrome pan air filter, new battery, new engine mounts,new bosch starter, new fuel pump, water pump,oil pump, new poly bushes all round, new steering rack,rubberized under body,new interior, roof lining, carpets interior and boot, door panels, recovered parcel shelf, shocks front & rear, new tyres, stage 4 alarm, central locking, immobiliser,fuel cutt off, new seat belts, door rubbers, boot rubber, front & rear screen rubbers, new brake shoes rear, refurbished calipers finished in Silver. recent exhaust,

I Was hoping to sell it & use the money to refurb the 2 door but that plan is now a no go ....I think I will probably sell the 2 door now as I cannot justify £18/£20k ...even If I get £8/£10k for my 4 door its finding another £8/£10k ....you guys think £8/£10k realistic for 4 door or am I expecting too much...I see 4 door basket cases on fleabay for £5k and mines is very solid ....
anyway I have resized some pics for you guys to have a butchers , I might even swap the 2 door for a decent motorbike ....but no idea what the 2 door might be worth....

look forward to reading your comments....

cheers

Dave20190701_161951.jpg

[glasgowgolfer]

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[glasgowgolfer]

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[glasgowgolfer]

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[glasgowgolfer]

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[glasgowgolfer]

As I previously said the 2 door is totally complete, wings in back of car along with rear bumper, ....would have loved to restore her myself but I dont think I have the serious amount of patience, skill, tools, knowhow, to take on such a task....also my garage is a bit wee ...

[katana]

Hmmm - If it was me . . . . . . complete running and sorted 4 door or rebuilding a worn out 2 door - The more door would win! Use it, abuse it, love it cos it now costs nothing! The other thing looks ok but could be a money pit which you can't afford to finance! You'd likely pick up strong money for the 2 door even in its present state!