[KOBI-Dave.]

I was thinking that Neil, it's my sort of thing anyway being an RAF type of engineer! Whilst I could very well make the mechanical side of this build immaculate if I chose to, I would struggle to get a great result from the body, hence my rat approach. If it manages to turn out better, RESULT!
Any suggestions as to hinges to use, or just pop down B&Q and get something to cut down?

 

[mattblack]

Hinges | IronmongeryDirect | Same Day Despatch

 

[KOBI-Dave.]

Something like these perhaps ?
Something with a bit of reach would certainly be required.

 

[Taxirod]

Agree, copy original design where bottom hinge sticks out further than top hinge to keep them in alignment. I remember using some hinges from a hardware suppliers, cant remember if they were called Westminster hinges, but they were a lot cheaper than "hotrod" parts and were very strong and easy to fit.
Once you have your steel frame swinging on the hinges bond on the outer door skin, I don't see why it should catch the body, if it does, trim it back.

 

[KOBI-Dave.]

Cheers Ian.


Well, I've been playing again. Got a couple of bits of alloy sheet from an engineer pal, so knocked up a dash panel. I was gonna split the instrument panel up and put the bits I wanted into the alloy, but I quite liked what was there, so banged the whole shooting match in. I think it's lookin OK.
The right hand of the two big clocks will be as good as useless. The capillary is snapped off the temperature guage, the fuel guage probably won't work with whatever I use for a tank, and the ammeter is a 30A one (best suited to a dynamo)
I fitted a 60A ammeter and an oil pressure guage in the drivers eyeline, and a battery isolator tooooo.

There will be a couple more switches going in a probably a couple of relays too. I'll keep the relays exposed. Last thing you want in a car that will see competition is bits that you can't find if they stop working!!!
The steering wheel is an old Astralli one I had in the shed ( yes, I know it's a Mountney center, but it's off another wheel!!!)
The steering wheel that was on the steering box had the rim snapped off. When I looked at it to see what I could do to fettle something out of it, I was scratching my bonce for a while. Then when I was holding the two wheels together I noticed that the internal taper on the old wheel where the center went, was identical to the external taper on the Astralli boss. Happy days one thought to ones self. Sawed off the broken spokes of the old one. Out with the high strength loctite retainer, pressed the two bosses together with the green stuff oozing out, then just for good measure drilled and tapped three bolts through both bits, and retainered them as well. If you wanted to get them apart now, they would need to be smashed apart, that stuff won't budge.

 

[KOBI-Dave.]

I fair wanted to fit this lervly little clock too, but just before I put a hole saw through the dash, I noticed that there was no provision to hold the clock in place. There is a bulge in the casing that possibly located with a clamp of some sort, but the best I can come up with would be a jubilee clip or summat like!

 

[KOBI-Dave.]

I was looking for a gear knob. Knew I had one somewhere. Found it in the shed, and bugger me with a toasting fork if those hairy barsterd rats hadn't chewed the darned thing beyond use
The last thing you need is hairy barsterds gnawing your knob!
Well, have you seen the price of Escort gear knobs? Not happening, that's what I thought.
Sooo, I bought a full set of pool balls for less that the price of one Escort knob...... stop iiiiitttt!

I know it's very 70s, but hey, suits me sir.
Also, I know it seems traditional to use the black 8 ball for this but I thought that the 5 ball fitted, as it's a 5 speed box, AND, as we keep being told, ORANGE is the new BLACK.
😝

 

[KOBI-Dave.]

Got to be some comedy value in this!

 

[budetta]

Would make a good throttle pedal cover!!

 

[Lil' Sammy]

I'm loving this build.

 

[KOBI-Dave.]

Thank you Sammy. Always nice to get a little feedback

 

[4potHemi]

I'm interested to see what next comes out of that shed! This is all so eco Greta will pop the question if she ever gets to meet you.

 

[KOBI-Dave.]

Thanks 4pot, the shed is a wonderous emporium indeed 😀

Greta would be a bit young for me. No , damn this compulsive lying!!!!! Let me rephrase, I may be a bit old for Greta at 56, but I suspect that if she didn't complain too much at my antics, she'd be just right for me. (As long as she can cook proper food anyway, no blooming nut cutlets for me thanks very much)

 

[KOBI-Dave.]

Episode 74. The fuel makeithappener. (C. [email protected] Vicegrip garage).

Carburettor. Commonly known to be a French word, with a littoral translation meaning " don't tit about with this".

But of course we all like to!

Right. To the point of this rubbish.
As previously said, competition is on the cards and I had a plan. A dual carb plan.
Twin choke webers like mine are a great carb for road use, but many years of heartache trying to unsuccessfully use them trialling, tells me never to go there ever again. ( this will probably turn into a Mrs Merton 'let's have a heated debate'!)
My plan was twin choke for the road, and pop on a single DCOE for any trials it might do.
Years ago, around 1998 I would guess, I'd finally given up on twin chokes, I had a spell using an SU on the Escort. It was a revelation, all previous conking out for no good reason ceased immediately, and much more enjoyment ensued. They are like a chainsaw, they just about run upside-down, and no amount of bashing and crashing over rocks etc will upset them. Then I discovered the performance of twin DCOEs, and off came the SU.
Some years later, said SU and manifold was given to a trialling pal who was in the same boat with a Ford powered Marlin.
Fast forward about 15 years I called in to see him, and to cut this very long tail short( er), he'd sold the Marlin and never fitted the SU, so I got it back. In bits and incomplete . Why do people do that?
So carb plans changed, on with the SU!

I did of course need a gasket but luckily I had one in the shed!!!!!!

 

[KOBI-Dave.]

The top picture is the DCOE on a Peco manifold now facing more years in the filing cabinet!

Bottom picture is the Mk1 version of the SU manifold that was rather too tall for the Escort. I had a hole in the bonnet for the top of the dash pot! It would have gone in a 1300 but the 1600s are an inch taller and it made all the difference.
I don't know what the carb is, I've never ran that one.
If anyone wants the Mk1 manifold, a few beer tokens and a bit of postage it's yours!

 

[4potHemi]

The SU is God's own carburettor. They fitted them to Supermarine Spitfires, so what's not to like, although they could conk out upside down until the introduction of Miss Shilling's Orifice.

 

[budetta]

We have an SU Phoenix carb, think its the granddaddy of all SUs . Cast in brass with leather bellows for dash pot, God knows what its from or how old .

 

[KOBI-Dave.]

That sounds like a thing of great beauty !!

 

[budetta]

Just did a search and found it was made between 1910 and 1914 !!

 

[68roadrunner]

Trials you say?...not that stuff going up "Blue hills" with that crazy fkr in the cut down Reliant Rialto and his wife in the back?


.....if all this sounds like the ramblings of a mad Man i'll find the vid on you tube, I watch it all with amazement