clone baby

Engine I going to run a two litre pinto in the escort - these are a heavy old engine but there are plenty of performance bits available to boost the power over the standard 100 bhp put out by the RS2000 unit. I'm using a 'Group 1' head. This is fitted with new 44.5mm inlet valves and 38.1mm exhaust valves. Both inlet and exhaust ports have been gas flowed with the seats on the exhaust valve having had hardened inserts fitted so I can run unleaded fuel. These seats were done by Peter Burgess in Alfreton (http://www.peter-burgess.co.uk) who also fitted the bronze valve guides and supplied the new valves as well. The bottom end is from a Sierra injection unit. The crank and rods from these are stronger than the standard pinto and the block itself is thicker walled thus allowing it to be bored to higher capacities. My block is only 0.5mm overbored. New pistons/ring have been bought together with Heavy Duty Big End and Main Bearings and thrust washers. The crank assembly together with the front pulley, flywheel and clutch has been dynamically balanced by John Noble Motorsport in Chesterfield who also lightened the flywheel significantly!

The Build Up (3) I'm still finishing the build up off prior to the engine being fitted. I have now completed the wiring (I hope) but there may be other bits and bobs to do here once the engine is in. I've fed the fuel pump and radiator fan from the master switch so they will get isolated if anybody pulls the handle on the outside of the car. They are both on relays to protect the switches and wiring. I made an alloy panel to mount these onto the dash at the side of where my trip meter will eventually go. More bits from Prepfab (http://www.prepfab.com) have been fitted this week including the flocked dash I've been promising myself and I have also had a replica of the works tool pouch which fits onto the rear firewall from them (thanks Richard). In preparation for the engine installation (and while there is still room!) I have fitted all the cables and pipes in place so it should hopefully be a case of connecting everything up and firing the thing up.I've routed the oil pressure pipe through the hole where the bonnet pull cable used to go - seems to fit OK. Also I am using a twin throttle linkage with a modified accelerator pedal as it was easier to drill the holes for these with the engine out. I've also fitted the mudflaps - each have two brackets (from Prepfab again - is this becoming more of an advert for them!) on the body side with a piece of cut ally plate underneath as the brackets would get flattened quickly if used under here. The mudflaps themselves are secured with thick tie-wraps to make it easy to replace them in service. I've re-fitted the seats and harnesses. The co-driver seat is lower and further back than the driver's one which makes it easier to see when going sideways round corners! Also it gave me space to put the handheld extinguisher in front of the seat and out of the way of the co-drivers legs. I'm going to lower the co-drivers seat even further when I get round to making some new side brackets as well to get him right out of the way and any weight as low down as possible. I'm using Capri Laser 6x13 Alloys. These are a strong derivative of the normal RS alloy but with the added benefit of being stronger (having thicker spokes) and relatively cheap second hand. However it is impossible to use this alloy with the normal laser wheel nuts when using long wheel studs. Rally and Competition Equipment helped here with the supply of some Group 1 Inserts. These are pressed into the wheel and then allow the use of standard wheel nuts.

The Build Up (2) Still busy doing the little bits on the car which seem to take ages. I've sorted all the fuel lines out and fitted the petrol pump (Facet Red Top) and filter (Filter King Alloy Bowl with regulator) in the boot. These are housed in a neat Prepfab bracket which I recommend (http://www.prepfab.com). Prepfab make some mint bits which save loads of time messing about trying fabricate fittings for your car and best of all they're alloy too which means they are light as well. I've fitted quite a few of their bits to the car over the last couple of weeks including a neat battery tray, a spare wheel post, a bolt on strut brace (pictured below) and also some 'flocked' alloy door cards which I'm really chuffed with. I might treat myself to a flocked dash top as well when I've got some cash. The petrol tank, splash bowl and tank platform were purchased some time ago - also from Prepfab. I'm working on the wiring at the moment. This is not one of my strong points so I'm taking my time and asking people for plenty of advise to try and avoid the loom going up in flames! The wiring I'm putting in is for the fuel pump, radiator fan and spotlights. Even if I don't fit all of these I want to get the wiring in while there is still room to fit it.

The Build Up (1) I've not got a lot of time at the moment so I thought I'd just put some pictures up of the latest efforts on the car. World Cup Cross Member and 2.4 Turns Quick Rack fitted, Nylon Rack Bushes, Rack Clamps Lock Wired, Plumbed in and Hand Held Extinguishers fitted (note the Lifeline Clubman 2.25ltr plumbed-in bottle is too long to fit in any of the recesses so it had to be mounted on an ally platform I knocked up). Seats and Harnesses are in. Petrol Tank is in, Boot fasteners fitted (I used bonnet pins as I don't like the springs or rubber varieties of boot fastening - note that I had to make a bracket up to fit them). Bracket for FIA cut off (got carried away with new bench drill!). The Bias Pedal Box and Master cylinders are fitted. The block is back from a rebore together with new pistons, all bearings and it has had a lick of paint. I've fitted the bonnet pins. The pins themselves go through the holes 'vacated' by the landing pads for the bonnet so I need some way of setting the bonnet height (sleeve on the pin??)

Rear Axle I am using an 'English' Axle. This is the standard one as fitted to most Escorts. I have changed the Crown Wheel and Pinion from the standard RS ratio whic is 3.54 to a taller 4.4 ratio one from an Anglia. This will give better acceleration but reduces top end speed quite a bit. Hopefully some of this loss will be addressed through the use of a 5 speed box. I have also fitted a new Tranex Plate Type Limited Slip Differential (LSD) and new bearings. The axle casing has been strengthened by welding on bracing made from 40mm angle. This wraps round the diff casing and extends out to the leaf spring saddles. (For those of you wanting to do this mod the ideal length of the angle is about 850mm). The angle is cut through to allow it to bend round the diff casing then welded onto the axle tube under slight tension as this helps with the strengthening. I used a ratchet strap to hold it in place while I welded it. The diff casing and axle tube itself is quite thick steel but you need to be careful with the welder around the back plate of the diff casing as it is quite thin there. I have also used a Panhard rod in an attempt to minimise sideways axle movement. This was sourced from Rally & Competition Equipment from Stoke and is their 'Clubman Kit'. If you get one of these ask for the Genuine Ford rubber bush in the rod end as I found the one supplied split when I tried to fit it. Better still try and get them to fit the bush for you as it's a right pain to do! 1.5 inch lowering blocks are fitted and the rubber leaf spring isolators have been replaced with the polyurethane equivalents to tighten things up a bit. The axle is located via anti-tramp bars although I have used uprated tubular bars rather than the standard 'u-section' RS ones. I am using single leaf springs for now but may change these in the future if I find them too soft.

Brakes At last an update!. It's been a while owing to having a new garage put up so I've done nothing to the car for about five months now. I'm determined to get the car finished for the spring so hopefully the next couple of months should see some work being done. I am using disc brakes all round on the Escort. The fronts are 2.8 Injection Capri vented discs and callipers and the rears are 2WD Sierra Cosworth (or rear Granada/Sierra - they are the same) Caillipers on solid discs. I have already fitted a bias pedal box which will allow me to adjust the brake balance front to rear (from iside the car with a dash mounted adjuster - when I get round to fitting it) so I don't think a separate brake proportioning valve will be necessary to reduce the braking power to the rear discs. I have also fitted a hydraulic handbrake and am using braided hose on the outside of the car and copper ones inside Having fitted the front discs on I found that when offering up the front callipers to the mountings on the strut it was obvious that some sort of spacer would be required to get the disc central in the calliper. These were made to suit the bolt diameter with a spacing thickness of 5mm. I am using new callipers as they are still readily available and cheap enough. Pads are standard ones for now but these will be chnged for Mintex or Ferodo Racing ones once I've run the car in. At the rear I sourced some weld on brackets from West Wales Rally Spares. The inside diameter of these where they butt up to the flange on the axle turned out to be too small (they were for the Atlas variety) so I had to have these remade with the correct dimensions for the English Axle. I made sure I welded them on well by prepping the mating surfaces with a chamfer prior to welding and also by clamping them to make sure they stayed perpendicular to the axle tube. With fitting the calliper carriers again it was found that a spacer would be necessary to get the disc centred. This time 4mm spacers were made up to suit. I now need to find out what handbrake cable to use (Escort Mk6 or Sierra?) and get the pipes finished off.

Assembly (1) Not updated the site for quite a while but I am still making slow progress. I have fitted all the suspension to the car having painted it where new parts haven't been purchased. New Track Control Arms and Track Rod Ends have been fitted as well as a Double Width kit on the front. I have had the Limited Slip Diff built up by Trevor of Transpower in Chesterfield and managed to get a 4.4 ratio Crown Wheel and Pinion to liven acceleration up a bit.

Painting Having spent a couple of weeks with various electric sanders (palm sander, air fed DA, orbital sander) trying to prep the shell for painting, my brother turned up one day and said I would be better off doing it by hand with some 'de-nibbing pads'. Anyway I hadn't a clue what these were but the following day he turned up with a bag full of them. They look like scouring pads but made with sandpaper instead of the wirey stuff on them. Anyway they did the job a treat (cheers Pete!). Any rust (even surface) was treated with Hammerite Rust treatment which I recommend, in particular the underside of the roof skin had quite a bit of surface rust on, this was rough sanded to get smooth again then I thinned some of the rust treatment down and sprayed it on (usually it is brushed). This 'finds it's own level' and hence dried nice and flat in about 4 hours (apart from a couple of runs where I had been over enthusiastic with the spray gun!). I used the denibbing pads to get rid of the runs and then gave the whole of the panel a quick sand to provide a key for the primer. Having flatted every panel off I gave the car a good coat of high build cellulose primer and left this a few days to dry off then it was back to the de-nibbing pads to flat off again to prep the car for the top coats. (yep - blisters-a-plenty!) I'm using a white cellulose paint (cos it's cheaper) - it's nothing flash like 2k but it goes on easily and you are supposed to be able to paint it without any special mask or breathing equipment. A word of warning though - I was painting with it with the door shut one evening last week and had taken off my basic mask cos my glasses were steaming up - I was as sick as a dog and was ill for ages after - I can still taste thinners when I breathe in and out (with that cold feeling at the back of my throat each time I breathe). I'm having a break now from it to both allow the paint to dry and hopefully get the thinners out of my lungs. I have sprayed the shell inside and out and in every crevice I can get to by turning the shell on the spit. So far I have used six litres of primer and ten litres of the white. The primer was grey and took quite a bit of covering. Apparently a trick I have since learned is to mix a bit of the top colour in with the primer to reduce the need for such a thick top coat - or try and get some white primer in my case! I have given the car about three full coats - applied while the previous coats were still a bit tacky. I am now waiting for it to harden sufficiently to allow me to flat it off again for a final couple of coats to go on. I'm happy with the finish up to yet but I noticed a couple of small dents (stones or car park trolley marks?!) I had missed on the rear quarters which I have had to deal with and prime over again. I'll just give these a bit more top coat in my next spraying session. While I am waiting I will rub down and paint the doors and prep the new fibreglass (lightweight!) bonnet and bootlid I have treated myself to.

First jobs after Winter 'Break' First job was to fit the new front wings, front panel and slam panel on to the shell. To do this the car had to come off the spit Initially the the panels were punched and then plug welded on to the shell - then I got carried away and decided to seam weld the joins. The wings are bolted onto the rails rather than welding because I suspect I may end end up changing them a few times! The fibreglass bonnet was bolted on to try and get the panel gaps reasonable but with pattern wings this is almost impossible. The front panel was seam welded where it joins the front cross member and inner wings as per the Ford rally preparation manual. It was then time to get the car back on the spit. Guess what - it wouldn't fit. The holes in my new front panel must have been different to the ones on the car when I made it. I took the opportunity to re-design the mounting plates to provide more height adjustment (see pic.) A week was lost in the process though :-( Also shown is the one of the strengthening plates added to the chassis where the front crossmember bolts on. Instead of fixing onto captive nuts the crossmember will be bolted right through the chassis. To prevent the chassis from being crushed tubed are inserted for the bolts to run through. The bump stop plates on the chassis were cut off when the rear turrets were welded in. I had originally welded somefolded 3mm plate over this area to strengthen the chassis up for when it bottom out in use. Unknown to me was that in actual fact metal needs to be removed from this area - not put back! A friend of mine (cheers Jason) recommended 'scollopping' the chassis rails over the axle. This involves taking around an inch out of the chassis above the axle. Obviously the strength needs to be put back so I bent up a piece of 3mm plate to cover the hole I had created. As you can see this overlaps on to the chassis. While I was in the mood for welding - all the drain holes, in both the boot and floor areas were plated over and sealed using seam sealer. At this point I had a brief thought about five linking the car, then a friend reminded me that this was supposed to be a 'budget build' - yeah right must be a large budget! Anyway I've decided no for now - so it was time for paint. The whole underside of the car has received two coats of stone guard (UPOL Gravitex - cheap!), then a few thick coats of primer followed by about four layers of top coat. Unlike the topside of the car I wasn't too worried about the finish but it shines anyway!

More Progress The seat rails are now in place. These are made from 30mm box section steel with a wall thickness of 3.2mm. They are a bit hefty for the job but that was the smallest size steel I could get from work! As well as supporting the seats they will obviously add strength to the shell in the event of a side impact. I copied off a friend car to get the dimensions (his car has a Gartrac prepared shell). The passenger side rails are set back 9 inches from the front of the standard seat cross member and the drivers side 5.5 inches. The rails themselves are 13 inches apart and stand up 3.5 inches from the lowest part of the floor. In case you are wondering all the different coloured paints are various brands of anti rust paint. I always use this when adding new metal to any part of the car. I am fitting an alloy rear firewall to the car. The one I have bought is about 30mm too narrow to reach from turret to turret. In order to bridge this gap, and to give a strong mounting point for the panel, I have welded in some thin angle (about 1.2mm thick) down each turret. I have also filled the void between the rear parcel shelf and each turret by cutting and shaping a plate for each side of the car. This type of job drives me nuts, as they are small things which take ages to do. There are also three big holes in the 'C' pillar which have to be sealed over. Again, as you can see form the picture below, plates were made and welded into place to fill these. As all the welding to the floor pan has been completed I have treated the whole of the underside of the car, including the chassis rails, to a coat of anti rust paint. The whole lot has then been coated with Stoneguard as can be seen below. Hopefully this will keep the rust at bay and prevent some of the damage which would otherwise be caused by stones etc flying up off the tyres when I'm rallying.

More Rally Mods It's been a while since I updated the site but I have made some progress on the car build. The rear turrets are now in (big job!!). This proved to be quite difficult (understatement) - the inner wheel arch metal is suprisingly thin and getting a strong weld without burning lots of holes is not easy. Measurements using the Prepfab round turrets are 26.5 inches back from the edge of the door opening to the centre line of the turret and 39.5 inches between turret centres. Getting them in straight is a job and a half! The roll cage was fitted (then taken out again) to get the positions of the feet and the plates for these to mount on were welded in where these sat. The plates go on the inner rear arch (extending up the quarter panel), at the rear of the floor (extending up the rear seat base) and in the outer corners of the front footwells. 2.5mm thick plate was used approx 6 inches square at each point. Also I put the engine and gearbox together and fitted them to the car. This was required to mark the position of the gearbox crossmember. The unit was then taken out and the mounts welded in place. The gearbox tunnel has also been modified to provide the required clearance for the five speed and the gearlever hole cut in it's new position. Both the gearlever hole (hole?!) and the gearbox mounts were salvaged off the original tunnel which was cut out to make way for the larger one. The drain holes in the floor have also been plated over. I have also fitted the chassis mount tower for the panard rod I am using. This was in a clubman kit from R.A.C.E. in Stoke which cost £65. The kit also includes the mount for the axle, the rod itself, a rosejoin as well as a poly bushs and the bolts etc. Quite good quality although the tower itself needed some bashing to get a good fit. The height of the tower is adjustable. Following advice from friends I plated the area in the boot where the mount was welded to with 2.5mm thick steel. Apparently the tower can take a bashing during rallying and any added strength is a bonus. Hard to see on these photos but I have also re-inforced the bump stop area with 2.5mm plate as I expect the car to be bottoming out quite a bit! I have also welded plates to a number of other areas on the shell. A bulkhead plate has been added to strengthen this area, again this was purchased from R.A.C.E. at Stoke for £17. Plates for the seat rails have been put in although I still need to get the box section for the rails themselves. The plates arre set further back where the Co-Driver sits as their seat is fixed so the driver can see easily out of the passenger window as most of the time in a rally the car is sideways! As I am fitting a hydraulic handbrake I have also fitted a strengthening plate on top of the propshaft tunnel where this will sit.

Which Turrets? I wanted to turret the rear of the car as everyone I have spoken to says this is the best mod as far as suspension goes when doing a budget build. Initially I decided to go for a set of Clubman Turrets which I bought from Rally and Competition Equipment in Stoke. These are very nice quality and reasonably cheap. Then I saw some of the Works 'round' variety in a friend's rally car and changed my mind. A trip to Prepfab near Newark yielded a pair of these along with a shed load of advice (thanks Marcus for taking the time to explain things). I recommend Prepfab - they've got some rally nice stuff. Anyway here's some pics of the two different types of turret side by side for you to see the differences. All I need to do now is summon up the energy and balls to cut my rear arches and fit them!

Big Tunnel After having a nightmare removing a standard RS2000 engine and box from a different car I decided a long time ago to fit a big tunnel into the rally car. This not only makes it easier (and faster) to get the unit in and out of the car but also gives plenty of room should it jump about over the rough stuff. It's a big job but if you take your time easy never the less. I started by putting the new tunnel in place and drawing round it. I then cut about 25mm inside this line with the angle grinder. Using tin snips this 25mm area was slices at 40mm (ish) intervals to make a series of tabs which were then bent up to suit the shape of the new tunnel. The tunnel was then tacked in place at regular intervals before being fully seam welded in place. The weld was then dressed with a linishing pad and finally treated to some seam sealer.

Underbody Skids Even more strengthening today. I have welded on some chassis skids these fit between the chassis rail and the sill, runnung under the front floor pans. Not only do they prevent damage to the chassis rails but they also strengthen the shell and stop sharp objects from piercing the floorpan. The panels are quite thick and take some 'adjusting' with the big hammer to get them to sit flush with the chassis, floor and sill. I welded them with half inch tacks before seam sealing round the edges to prevent them becoming a water trap. I have also added skids to the rear spring hanger which prevents them being ripped off when the car runs aground. These are quite easy to fit and are welded with half in tacks at one inch intervals. While I was in the garage I also cut the base of the rear panel which stops bounders from ripping it off.. This was cut with the angle grinder before being rolled to give a 'safe' edge. The seam was then sealed with seam sealer ready to be painted.

Strut Top Plates To further strengthen the strut tops today I have added RS top plates (which should be on the RS shell anyway). I was going to buy some Group 4 top plates as these are a bit thicker and larger but I was told by a bloke from R.A.C.E. in Stoke that the standard RS ones are strong enough so as I had some kicking around the garage I've used them instead. Before welding I bolted the top plates to the strut towers to make sure they didn't move when I welded them up. I had also cleaned all the paint off both the inner wing and the top plates (they were secondhand) to ensure a good weld. In order to make them as strong as possible they were drilled loads of times (pic 1) and then these holes were plug welded (pic 2). After this all the plug welds were dressed flat with a linishing pad then both top plates were seam welded round their outer edges before being coated in anti-rust paint (pic 3).

Shell Repairs Finished Following cutting out the petrol tank and spare wheel wells in the boot of the car, the repair panels have been fitted and weled in from both inside and outside the car. I also ended up cutting out the rotten section of the chassis where the centre piece joins (overlaps) the bback section of the chassis. in this part where the car had been jacked up in the past the paint and underseal had long since gone leaving the chassis exposed to the elements. It had of course started to 'flake'. Rather than attempt to bodge it up I had some repair sections made at work and cut out the rot with a cutting disc, cleaned up the whole area and welded in the new steel.

Strut Tower Strengthening I've been busy seam welding the strut pan and the support to inner wing joins again using half inch tack welds at one inch intervals. I am happy with the results - it's sooooo nice to weld on metal that's not rusty! I've also fitted new strengthening pieces to the bottom of each struts tower and seam welded these as well as per the rally preparation book. I have also flattened the bulkhead lip and seam welded this down as you are supposed to.

Engine Bay Gussets A known weak point when rallying either of the RWD Escorts in the front chassis leg to bulkhead area. The weakness is negated through fitting of gussets in this area. The gussets are fairly simple being made of 2mm plate in an 'L' shape. I am lazy though and bought a pair from rally design rather than making them myself. They are welded on the the chassis/bulkhead using half inch tack welds at one inch intervals. When mine were finished they looked like this. Note the seam welding in the engine bay and on the tunnel to bulkhead panel joint.

Seam Welding Chassis/Panels I have decided to seam weld the car to forest rally spec just in case I decide to have a go later ;) This involves stitch welding various parts of the chassis and bodyshell with half inch tacks at one and a half inch intervals. It's quite a big job and is quite expensive to have done professionally. I decided to do it myself as usual and with the aid of the Ford Escort Rally Preparation book I have managed to do, in my opinion quite a decent job of it. The first part I did was the chassis legs. These have been welded on both sides of each leg along their entire length. Took about five or six hours in all I suppose - but then I'm not a fast welder. The thing i found to be of most use was to rub them down to bare metal first. The mig then works fine! All panel joins have to be welded as well as shown here. Also shown is the repair I have done to the passenger floor pan.

Tank/Wheel Well Repairs I got a bit carried away with the angle grinder tonight and cut out a bit more than I intended to. Anyway the rust is definitely all gone now and I am ready to start putting metal back to replace it. I have managed to get hold of some repair panels from the local motor factors to help with this but will need to make up additional bits to fill in where these don't cover what I've cut out. When I do repair work I usually try and leave as much of the good metal in place and cut the repair panel down to suit. Here I have cut the spare wheel well repair panel down to fill the gap I have made. I ended up making a repair panel for the tank well as the one I bought was a cr*p fit. Easy enough though just bent up a piece of sheet cut to match using a cardboard template. The spare wheel well I joggled to make the best repair I could. The panels have then been painted using anti-rust treatment.

Underside Stripped: Well after finally finishing my rollover jig I'm at last going to be making a start on the welding. Before doing this I decided to strip off all the underseal from the chassis and floor pan. It was a lot easier than with my Mk1, having laid on my back under the car for that one, this time using the spit. It took me about three nights in total. It is necessary in order for me to do the seam welding I want to do and also I want to paint it body colour again even though it's not destined to be a show car. I have uncovered one patch of rust on the passenger side chassis leg when the centre section joins the rear one. I intend to cut this out completely and repair so that it is 'invisible'. The inner wings have proven to be in excellent condition underneath as expected as has the boot floor. My next jobs will involve welding up the floor pan where I cut out the old repair work, fixing the tank and spare wheel wells and welding up the hole I've made in the chassis where I've cut out the rot, then it's on with the seam welding and strengthening for rallying. : )

28/7/2002 - General Condition of the Shell Since I bought the car I've sold the seats (a beige vinyl affair - no good for rallying) and given the 45000 mile engine and box away to a mate who blew it up after 3 days (they're not built to do 95mph for twenty minutes at a time Jim!) I've removed the rest of the interior trim together with the glass (which had to come out for the roof panel replacement. The brake lines are off, the engine bay and boot have also been cleared and the loom and all lights/bumpers have been taken off. After I'd done this I decided that whilst I'd got the car in bits I'd replace the wings and front panel and slam panels as, even though they showed no signs of rot whatsoever, the had quite a lot of surface rust on them. In hindsight I think I should have had them sandblasted instead. Here's what I've found: The floor pan is in very good condition with the exception of there having been a (bad) bodged repair on the front corner to sill joints of each of the front floor pans. The rest of the inner sills are largely unmarked except for some slight surface rust near the repairs. The rear pans are superb. The rear bulkhead is in as new condition. The petrol tank well requires some repair work The chassis is the best I have ever seen for a long time. No welding has been done and none is required. Yippee! With the front end removed and the inner wings exposed the front of the car can be seen to be in superb condition. The front chassis legs are like new and the inner wings, despite having a small amount of surface rust are absolutely solid. The wing rails are too. It gets better! The boot floor is mint. However both of the inner rear arches have rusted through in the corners where they join the spare wheel and petrol tank wells. Thought it was too good to be true! The A Panels are solid on both sides and are covered in some sort of thick underseal/plasticy stuff. Both rear arches are solid. So to the body shell repair job list: 1. Remove bodge and re-repair drivers front floorpan/sill 2. Remove bodge and re-repair passenger front floorpan/sill 3. Repair rear of drivers inner wheel arch 4. Repair rear of passenger inner wheel arch 5. Repair petrol tank well 6. Fit new front panel 7. Fit new slam panel 8. Fit new wings I intend to full seam weld the underneath of the car and the engine bay as per the Wallage 'Escort Rally Preparation' Book and also to fit a six point roll cage. I have decided not to go the whole hog and 5 link and/or turret the rear end however I will be fitting anti-tramp bars and full bilstein suspension to the car.

8/7/2002 - Roof Panel Replacement As I thought the dint in the roof panel would not push out. I therefore had to remove the dinted panel and replace it. First off I tried a bloke I knew fron Ford to see itf I could still get the panel (yeah right - no chance!). In the end I got a full second hand roof from a friend and cut the panel off that. Recommendation for those of you thinking of doing this yourself - DON'T! It was, without doubt the most pain in the ass job I have even done with bodywork on a car. I reckon it took me about the equivalent of five full days work (spread over a month). I rate the steps in doing the job as follows: 1. Grinding off the old roof panel (taking car not to go through the gutters!) I gave up trying to drill out the spot welds. Allow two days. 2nd HARDEST 2. Removing the Panel out of the donor roof without damaging the mounting flanges. Allow three or four days. The HARDEST - a right pain in the ass. 3. Welding the replacement panel on. Allow half a day. EASIEST Leading in the roof after the job was even more frustrating!

Mk2 Clubman Rally Car Build 24/7/2002 - The Donor Car Well here's the Mk2 I'm going to use as the basis for my car to go club rallying in. I've had it a couple of months but not done too much to it other than given it a good powerwash. Built in 1978 it has 46000 miles on the clock and other than a nasty matt black spray can paint job is in good condition overall. This is with the exception of the roof which has been jumped on and has a massive dint in it which looks like it won't push out. The bloke said it had not been welded which was a nice change (or so I thought) but it was dark when I fetched it so I couldn't check. Thanks to my Dad for fetching it with me and to Gordon's Trailers (at Shirebrook) for the short notice hire of the car transporter. I fetched the car from a bloke in Chelmsford, having answered an advert he placed on the e-bay Auction Site. I bought the car without even seeing it but the price was right ;-) so it was not much of a risk. A couple of weeks after I bought it (having transferred it into my name on the log book) I was fined for not having filled in a SORN for it. I didn't know you had to! Anyway save yourself £25 and get one filled out if you keep a car that is untaxed.

Hadde han droppet vinga og eksosen så hadde den bilen faktisk vært tøff sombrero