1972 Granada Mk1 coupe build - Still going... 14-10-2024

Well hi there! Starting at the beginning is going to be an excercise in patience and endurance, lol. I do like words....

I hope you'll take in how much I enjoyed the build, how serious I took it, how well I tried to do it and how many little and bigger frustrations and victories cause ups and downs in the process. Admittedly I'm a little sensitive to that still, with winter being a more difficult period (or maybe this year I was just utterly beat from all the past year has demanded of me).

I can say for sure I'm proud of my accomplishment, proud of how the car turned out, the look and feel inside and out is just spot on for me. Still some little niggly things to correct as shakedown brought to light, but with the car now in its rightful new home it should be far easier getting this done!

The ultimate goal for this year is to actually enjoy the car on some meetings or puzzle drives for a change!!

Thanks for your interest and I'm glad you find it an awesome tale.


PS. Perana's are cool cars. Unfortunately the wheel is usually on the wrong side of the car. On the other hand it's just a normal granada with a 302V8 in it, something that can be done today as well in any model. My personal wish if money was no object would be to try and squeeze in a Ford coyote V8 like our mr. Grenade is very familiar with. But the cost is extremely prohobitive. Still in my mind I'm thinking about what would be a better engine for this car than the BOB. I'm thinking anything from mustang V6's to Jag engines. But with the climate lobby being what it is, I think electrical will someday be the only way forward as much as I would hate that as I feel it takes away from what the car was originally.

Thanks! Motivation is high for sure. And it was very nice to have a friend there to brainstorm with. Thanks again Sam!

With the engine now behaving normally I think it's fair to say the car is almost turn key ready. I don't think it needs very much indeed to become 100%. At least it always runs and is drivable.

Yes, frustrations and old cars go together as a given I think, but as you say: it'll be so much easier to get something done now!

And I simply get more smiles a day now too as every time I open the garage door (inner or outer) I just cannot NOT smile at my car.

I was told that micro blistering was a result of covering paint that hadn't fully cured yet. Thinners not being able to escape reacting with the paint from within. My mustang had its roof repainted as a result of micro blistering as I unknowingly had covered the car within days from painting as it wasn't yet water tight and stored on a covered drive. It was handled as a warrenty job as I was never advised not to cover the car so soon after painting. I wasn't aware that damp in the air trapped under the cover could also cause this. I guess the cover will be for occasional use from now on! Thanks

So with last weeks succesful transfer of the Granada, possible sorting of the engine running rough and diagnostics of the rack or at least confirming its status of being FUBAR I had to now deal with that.

So as a first at the new home, I really did a bit of tinkering in my own garage. Turns out there's just enough room to position the car so I can (just) get in and out of it with a big portion of the car being in the dry garage. Due to the weather I did not want to work outside and risk getting soaked so I needed space in front of the car. The engine needs to be lifted from it's mounts on the subframe to make room for rack extraction so I needed my engine crane/hoist to fit in between the tools and stuff and the car.



My workspace sort of looked like this:




I then set off on the job. I started with what I always dread most, the steering knuckles/tie rod ends (I hope I'm using the right designation). These are always so tight and everyone says with one hammer blow in the right spot they pop out, but I'm never, really never that lucky. I always have to resort to other means. After much failed in this instance I did the last thing I like to do but I needed to get them freed. So I bolted the nut back on and with only a slight gap between it and the arm I whacked it. Worse case the nut damages, worst case the threads damage. In this case I got lucky, no damage and both popped out within two decent strokes of the hammer.

With that out of the way I unbolted the hoses so the sytem had time to drain a bit and continued with the steering arm between rack and steering shaft. No problems getting that out. I undid the sway bar as I tought I'd better, but in hindsight I'm not sure if it was actually necessary. Well it's easy enough to tighten back up... I unbolted the rack itself and the engine mounts from the subframe. Put the hoist in place and jacked the engine up enough to get the rack out. Took me a minute to figure out how I had done this last time, but I quickly saw only one viable option and from that point it was out in a flash.




Stashed the rack away, most tools as well. Lowered the engine down, to find that this time I could not get it seated by myself. I needed leverage that I couldn't single handedly apply. Let the engine rest with the engine mount rubber threaded stud on the bracket instead of through the bracket. Stashed the hoist out of the way but close by for ease of use when replacing the rack. Jacked the front back up to remove the axle supports I'd put under for safety and lowered the car remembering to straighten the wheels as it went down. Without steering it's better to have them face the right way...

Pushed the car back in as running the engine would run the PAS pump dry and create a mess on the floor. Now to get the rack sent of asap....

Thanks, although a little motivation also helps. And to be brutally honest...it's also a great way of putting of jobs in, around and to the house for another week, lol.

Took the rack to work today. We have far more favorable rates for transport then you'd get from the normal mail services. So it should go out today...

Anxiously awaiting news regarding my steering rack. The parcel had been delayed as it had leaked fluid onto other parcels and contents needed to be checked. I thought I had drained it pretty well, I had moved/held it in several weird angles and not a drop was leaked, yet once packaged apparently it did after all. Ah well. Just a delay and no real damage to other people's stuff.

But the rack is now where it needs to be and I really want to find out what is wrong with it this time. I don't want to stalk the rspecialist obviously, but I am curious and I'd like my rack back asap.

It sort of hurts seeing the weather improve, the car in the garage, yet completely useless, lol

No spot, I could never live up to your speed of work and work standards anyway so that has no effect on my motivation whatsoever!

At the rate you're going I think most of my neighbours will be dead long before they get to see your super Granny in any proximity to my crappy restored on a dime one....



And now back to our regularly scheduled program...

And another small update, on the steering rack! A more comprehensive one I'll do as the rack is mounted.

First off, the rack should be back in my posession by Wednesday! That in and of itself is good news. Means I won't be loosing too much of my season. And this means I can probably get MOT arranged for the very near future as well, quite possibly next friday. That will be my goal. Oh I'm just so utterly excited about the rack progress I'm all giddy, lol. Can't wait to get the blue beast back on the road and then finish the final thingies with the help of SamJ.

So on to the rack itself. It was diagnosed thouroughly as per standard procedure from the rebuilder. This because last time it was a full rebuild and the fact it had now gone wrong again so soon (the leaks have been present for longer but only became much more apparant when fluid decided to spill) meant he was very interested in finding out exactly what and why it had failed again.

The conclusion is that only the right side of the rack is leaking. The end stop, a big metal piece with a brass insert with several 0-rings and a nylon ring apparently is not doing it's job. This means the gaiter on that side filled up. As it did so, the balance tube (which on this rack is external, but positioned between the housings rather than between the gaiters which is also common) which should move air from one side to the other started moving fluid. As both gaiters filled and were sealed tight, there was less room for air to be balanced and this appears to have caused more pressure on the gaiters, eventually forcing some fluid past and also creating pressure in the balance tube, which is why Sam and I saw fluid leaking from there as well. The tube was always slightly bent, so straightening it a little created a better seal but there shouldn't have been any fluid there to even leak. So this all explains why the leak to my untrained eye would appear to be on both sides.

As the end stop was rebuilt using a uk supplied kit, the rebuilder suspects minor deviations from original sizes as no components were in shocking conditions. But he's no stranger to these leaks and came up with an idea to put in a modern seal. I think he's going to machine the stop short so this seal will fit. It looks a lot more like the cam/crank seals we all know. But slightly different as it seems to have a nylon insert bonded in. Anyway, he is confident he can get it to stop leaking, well I just hope so....!!

All going to plan the rack should be posted Tuesday, but I'm sure he'll let me know how he got on with the modification sooner.

So there you have it, I'm pretty stoked, lol. Good way to enter the weekend!

Alex & Sam J + anyone else in that neck of the woods (or enroute) I and plenty of others will be heading through Rotterdam enroute to Copenhagen at the end of August 2020 to a international Jowett rally - loads of time yet but an opportunity to meet up on the way there or back with a decent sized Jowett convoy - even if its only for quick break / coffee - don't know how far away you guys are located in NL - Chris