mad
Part of things
Posts: 126
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Aug 12, 2015 21:34:01 GMT
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Hi,
Just want to bounce a few ideas of you guys before i end up poor. Reality check so to speak.
Had my Mk1 Escort for a few years and its always been a rolling project like many peoples. It has come to a point now where the body needs some attention. Previous repairs done to the car in 80's/90's have taken there toll and with the prospect of a zetec conversion its strength has became a worry. I completely stripped the shell and have got a couple of quotes for getting the body work done. A list of replacement panels needed look like this:
Inner wings
Outerwings
Front panels
Floors and sills,
Rear tubs
Rear quarters
Rear Panel and most of the chassis rails
They have all had bad patches welded over so in some places the floor is 3 plates thick. The quotes so far have been in the £8k region for labour and panels i'm looking at 4K. So that £12000 before i even start rebuilding it.
Now I don't have that kind off money. I brought the car a few years ago before the prices rocketed. It is a 1100 2 door tax exempt model but not an RS or Mexico so doesn't command an especially high value . So the way i see it i have 2 options:
Sell the shell as is to an enthusiast and ether put all the money i've saved for the project into getting a better shape car an then modify as i planned
or
Buy the panels and weld them in myself. I have done a fair bit of body work, all self taught and mainly on minis so somewhat simpler but it would still be a massive job. The chassis rails being my biggest concern. Plus it will take me months if not years to do.
So really my question is do you think its worth putting the money into this shell? Whats the going price have people actual sold projects/bare shells runners for (not ebay price but actual sold price).
I love the mk1 escort but there has to be a point where reality kicks in.
Thoughts?
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Aug 12, 2015 22:30:39 GMT
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I honestly don't think there's a definitive answer to your question mate. It all depends how determined you would be to do the necessary work, whether the car has any specific meaning to you etc.... With regards to selling the shell and buying one in better condition, you will struggle to find a decent Mk1 tax exempt two door for sale for less than 6 grand for a very average condition shell.
I know what you mean about the amount of work and time needed tho, I've got the same issue with a Mk1 Escort Estate that's been in our family since 1973... It currently needs outer wings, drip rails, a-posts, lower rear corners and a full roof!!! Already done floor pans and inner and outer sills, plus rear wheel arches...
12k is a big chunk to put into an 110 shell if you're not Group 4 prepping it for rallying..... i would personally do it myself if the car had meaning to me, but if not I would sell it in a heartbeat and move onto something completely different.... Unfortunately, in the last 10 years, anything for the RWD Escorts has more than quadrupled in price due to ridiculously high levels of scene tax. Almost sold mine a couple of times, even though it's the first car I ever drove aged 9, and is wholly responsible for my obsession with cars...
Sorry if I'm not helping you decide matey, but as I said at the beginning, there's no definitive answer. You have to work out what you want, tie build the car your way irrespective of time taken, or a car you can actually use now..... Loads of us on here have got at least one 'forever' project, but they're not for everyone....
Best of luck whatever you decide...
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'96 Volvo 850T5 x2, '97 Alfa 145 Cloverleaf '96 Alfa 155, '91 XR2i 2.0 Zetec (sold), '88 BMW 520i slug (sold), '81 Escort Mk3 Project, '68 Mk1 Escort Estate, Berlingo Parts Chaser.
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Aug 12, 2015 22:44:05 GMT
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12k is a seriously large amount of money, you could buy another one for that much.
Depends how attached to it you are, in which case I'd suggest taking as much on yourself if possible! (Some of) The panels aren't that expensive if you consider what they are. You can get the whole rear panel for 80 quid brand new which is good value if yours is so bad you need a new one.
Mine will be at that point soon, it needs previous repairs (solid for now) cut out and replaced with brand new panels. I'd love to buy the eentire 1-piece floorpan they sell and have that in!
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Last Edit: Aug 12, 2015 22:44:43 GMT by Deleted
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whitey
Part of things
Posts: 107
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This sounds like a hard decision : ( . There are a couple of options thou. Do the work yourself to the escort paint it wack a 1600 crossflow in it then flogg it. Then with the money from that combine it with what savings you have to buy an escort already modified with a zetec in it with a more original shell . The problem is that the escort you buy could be equally rubbish/ have bad repairs but look good. Ask yourself these questions, Is the escort to be a daily, is it practicle (mpg) etc if it isn't to be a daily then just bodge it up Cain it around , more importantly have fun with it and spend money having a cheap daily : ) .
I would say that if it needs all that work then all the bad bodges means that unfortuntly it's probably not the straightest car in the world anyway : ( . Another option is to buy one from Malta with the export shell and put the zetec in it your self . They still seem cheap........... For now : )
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alfow
Part of things
Posts: 47 
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Seems like a lot of money to me for the panel work. Where in the country are you? I know of some specialists local ish to me that turn out some fantastic work especially on old fords. Does that 8k include painting?
At £50 per hour that is 160 hours so 4 weeks solid work - i'm pretty sure somebody that knows what they are doing would be quicker than that.
As already said, the beauty of getting all that work done or doing it yourself is you know exactly what you have around you when doing 80+ along a main road.
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One option not yet mentioned is to attach the various panels with self tappers to hold them in place. Then get somebody who is competent, and wants to earn a few quid, to come and do the actual welding on structural aspects as and when you come to them.
Personally as much as I sometimes like and get attached to my cars I know when it wise to call it a day and either break or move onto somebody else.
If you are getting quotes of £12000 for just repairs then it's probably going to be a £20000 project by the time everything is done and back on the road uprated with Zetec, painted etc.
Even buying body parts yourself at £4000 and you are borderline whether you would get your money back unless fitted to a high standard. Obviously I don't know your skill levels but if you are concerned about changing chassis legs then I can assume they probably aren't high enough to tackle all of such a major project so there might still be the expense of professional welding of structural aspects. Changing inner wings, especially if front chassis rails need replacing at same time, is something that you should be very wary of doing.
He's an idea.
Take loads of pics and put on eBay. Emphasise a project that need full restoration but 2 door tax exempt. Have a reserve of, say, £5000 so nobody will win. That way you can judge what people are willing to pay and you might be pleasantly surprised. Armed with what it's worth, to others, in current state might help you decide what to do next.
Paul H
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mad
Part of things
Posts: 126
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Aug 13, 2015 11:40:46 GMT
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Thanks for all your opinions guys, the ebay idea is a good one. I can happily weld the stuff in but it will take me 5 times as long to do the work compared to a experience panel beater. The 4 weeks of work is probably about right for the shape of my shell. I'm at that point before i get in too deep that i really need to have a serious think. Like you have said even if i do all the welding i could still end up paying 7-8k to get the car put back together. So if i can get a decent price for my shell as is then i could cut out the time of me welding in the panels and buy a roller.
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barty
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,088
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Aug 13, 2015 18:29:42 GMT
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sorry to say but that sounds about right for the amount of work involved, but having said that you should look around for a better quote.
Maybe someone can do it when they have quiet times but the problem with that is that it could take years lol
Where are you located ??
Try joining some ford clubs too, old skoolford is very good but there a a few out there and well worth trying
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