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Thread: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

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    Pit Crew 5tox's Avatar

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    5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    I have been a member for some time now and have recently found myself using the site more and more frequently, the knowledge of some of the guys on here is second to none and for that reason i thought it was about time i posted up my project so i can make the most of your knowledge and experience

    i am by no means a mechanic, actually studied computers at university and now work as a fire safety advisor, i have picked up metal fabrication and mig welding while working on this project, its by no means perfect but its my hobby

    i picked up this shell around 18 months or so ago, it was in such a mess... the pics dont really show just how bad it was, im no expert but the previous repairs were terrible and everywhere i looked there was metal plated over the top of rot.

    I am told she was originally a 1300GT but i had round headlamps, bubble arches and a 2.0 pinto in mind so it wont be retaining many of its original features



















    This is me like a dog with 2 dicks, happy with my new purchase



    i couldn't get much done on the car for a while as it was stored about an hours drive away so i started working on some bits at home,
    my fiance and i reconditioned the 130mph clocks that were fitted in the car



    i repaired and re-covered the cracked dash top



    Then started messing about with sheet metal









    Steel bubble arched one of my front wings (but have since bought fibreglass) not sure on which i'll be using just yet



    all my interior bits re-conditioned


  2. #2
    Pit Crew 5tox's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project







    the inner wings were battered so i had this outrageous idea of creating my own.... it looked way better in my head (and was removed very shortly after )





    (looking bad now it was pretty shameful)
    so i set about repairing the rotten one i had cut out piece by piece







    later on this was replaced with one of the complete inner wings which then become available to buy

    i then set about repairing one of the chassis rails














    after moving the car to a new home much closer to me i noticed that many of the panels i had been messing with had become available to buy, so it was all chopped out and i started again (properly this time)
    i dont regret the route i chose as it taught me much about welding and fabrication work



















    i then created my own strut brace and brackets which i was very proud of



    sorted out the heater bubble













    worked on a few other bits too like creating a platform for my brake fluid resevours and also replaced the flimsy brackets that the scuttle panel bolt onto








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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    real good work,looking like your making great progress.tidy too

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    Pit Crew 5tox's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project























    i gave some extra depth to the air holes in the front panel, which i think will suit the rest of the dished theme










    and in the last few weeks i have been chopping out the old front floor panels and gearbox tunnel






















    should hopefully get an hour or so this evening on the car, need to get my hammer and dolly out then finish tidying up the gearbox tunnel

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    Pit Crew 5tox's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    Cheers mate, its been around a year and a half to get to this stage

    will be a long term project, im giving myself another 2 years to complete it
    (once i had finished rebuilding the engine in my old saph cossie i got bored and decided to take on a bigger challenge)

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    Pit Crew Decade Plus User raymondmarble's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    Wow, that is seriously keen! The first few pics suggested that was only going to end up in the scrap yard in the sky, but what a transformation! You have stuck it out and it looks amazing!! What a job!
    Please 'Like' us on FB!
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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    tbh i thought you might be a loony at the start ahahah then your work altered my mind..keep pics coming

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    Bodger

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    Wow what a good job you are doing there, keep it up mate and the photo's coming

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    carnt fault ya bud your doing a top job keep it up

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    Pit Crew 5tox's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    cheers for the kind comments guys, progress is slow and steady at the moment, im trying to balance working on the car with family life
    im sure my other half and the kids hate the car

    will keep updating with pics

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    wow very nice work and from saying at first that this isnt your skill set and have little background with this work you really have done some awesome work... very inspiring to those who jus go and buy a better shell!.. you've really made the panels similar to original! keep up the good work and keep up with the photos!

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    Bodger

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    I would go for the steel arch's mate

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    Pit Crew 5tox's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    i was thinking of sticking on the fibreglass one for now as they are a good fit, ill ultimately use the steel ones but they will require a little more time to get right

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    Quote Originally Posted by 5tox View Post
    i was thinking of sticking on the fibreglass one for now as they are a good fit, ill ultimately use the steel ones but they will require a little more time to get right
    seems a shame with the rest of the hard work youve put in

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    Mechanic bodger rogers's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    to be fair mate your not in a rush to get it done so just fit the steel arches . the car is going to be better off in the end.
    top work so far.
    if it aint broke, break it!

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    Racer Decade Plus User evans2822's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    Good stuff mate keep It up!

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    Pit Crew 5tox's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    tunnel is kinda welded in, still a few bits to finish plus needs a light skim of filler to hide my welding lines




    also filled the holes where my bulkhead meets my heater bubble, this just needs tidying up


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    Racer Decade Plus User rallyrob's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    I'm just trying out a new browser, Firefox. Anyone got any ides why I cant see the photos with it, but I can see them with Internet explorer?

    Oh sorry btw nice project....

  19. #19
    Pit Crew 5tox's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    same for me mate, very strange
    i think its because my first few posts were so pic heavy, poor firefox cant quite cope

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    Top work mate
    .

  21. #21
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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    Cheers dude, happy with the results so far

    cant wait to get driving her, had a go in my older brothers mk1 1700 x-flow and also his mk2 rs2000 with Atmo cossie lump, been hooked ever since

  22. #22
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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    drilled my holes and got my riv nuts fitted, you wouldn't believe how long it took since the heater bubble needed some fettling with hammer and dolly
    i reckon the heater bubble was removed and fitted at least 20 times
    we got there in the end though and i love the look with the stainless domed bolts






  23. #23
    Pit Crew 5tox's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    had a go at replacing the bit under my heater bubble today is mine is all rotten where the shroud meets the bulkhead, generally im really pleased with it and may even make another to stick on ebay and see how it does.
    Ill trim back the bulkhead leaving a lip to plug weld my new panel onto
















  24. #24
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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    similar to how i did mine poxy job but needed , good work.

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    Pit Crew 5tox's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    definitely, im glad i did it rather than trying to patch up what was already there

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project


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    Pit Crew Decade Plus User justinveal's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    Very neat

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    trimmed back the bulkhead leaving a lip (when i cut out the old shroud the other day i cut a little too far into where my lip is but not the end of the world)

    drilled holes in my new section and plug welded into place, gonna pop down tomorrow and glue the new shroud into position,
    just needs a little bit of filler or seam sealer to seal round the edges




  29. #29
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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project




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    Mechanic davblue's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    comeing on there m8
    u got to learn somewhere so why not on a mk1
    will watch ur progress


    dsrestos

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    Fantastic work there, this has given inspiration to have another crack at my mk1. It needs all the bits doing that you've done on yours but i didn't have the courage to start hacking it about. Looks like a full restore is on the cards now

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    Pit Crew 5tox's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    The scariest bit is chopping out big sections but as my brother said 'the good thing about metal is that if you cock up it can be easily fixed with welder and grinder'

    its soooooo rewarding when you look back at the previous photos then compare them to the recent ones

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  34. #33
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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    What are the bonnet struts from?

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    Pit Crew 5tox's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    Those are mk3 ford mondeo bonnet struts, they were marginally too long and need compressing a few cm to get them onto their pins once mounted

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    Keep at it dude. I'm sure some of the jobs you have done felt daunting at the time but once you completed them they didn't seem so bad!
    My point is, fit the steel arches. you'll only wish you had at the end.
    Keep up the good work.

  37. #36
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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    Your right mate, as a few of you have said its worth taking my time and doing it properly rather than taking a short cut with the fibreglass wings

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    Pit Crew Decade Plus User justinveal's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    So those bonnet struts hold the weight of the bonnet? Or do you still need the pole? Fantastic work as usual bud

  39. #38
    Pit Crew 5tox's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    they take the weight, but i find that rather than opening fully under its own steam, its more a case of that i open the bonnet however far i want it i.e half way open or fully open and it stays where i leave it

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    Pit Crew Decade Plus User justinveal's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    Thanks for the reply, thats really cool

  41. #40
    Pit Crew 5tox's Avatar

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    Re: 5tox mk1 escort restoration project

    stripped the bonnet down, de-rusted and re-built
    also fitted some pretty smart aero catches

    I bought these brilliant rust and paint removal discs off ebay which made the job much quicker



    Both the top and underneath were de-rusted and primed





    Marked out where i wanted my aero catches



    And decided i had better remove the cross bracing and clean up underneath



    and then re-fitted them



    fitted my aero catches, i created some plates to sit underneath (so the bolts and washers sat nice and neat)
    also had to chop the cross bracing short, this does not seem to have affected the strength / rigidty at all







    I then decided to remove the front brace completely as it was hiding rust underneath and was now surplus anyway



    Im very pleased with the results but this has taken countless hours to get to this stage, probably a solid day in all.
    Cant wait to get it fitted to the car now

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