ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,197
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Escort looks sexual Chas - really like the shape & stance of the S1, partial to an S2 as well!! How do they drive though, can the chassis handle the extra power? Will look even better with the original interior, looking forward to updates! For a bloke who wished for me to keep the 944 as a Porker fan (in all honesty I thought I was losing the plot in selling the Porker partially!) that is very high praise Andy! As for how they drive? Interesting is one way to define it! Despite the LSD you can still get torque steer (Christ, even my XR3i Cabrio torque steered with a high mileage CVH engine!), although I guess unequal length driveshafts will never help there, but it seems to aid the experience if that does not sound idiotic! This car will wheelspin in second in the dry as well as third in the wet (I did not dare to try 4th!). The handling on the refurbished suspension is great! It is possibly not quite as nimble as the 205 was but it is quicker at lower speeds than the 944 was (that was more adept at silly speeds in all honesty!). It is a lovely compromise and quite a fun one at that! This engine setup does make it a lovely road car though, and as long as you don't drive the car flat out everywhere it is not too bad to handle IMO. It is flawed for sure, do not be mistaken but God it is a bundle of fun! Driving it locally is an event. But then again the car is new to me . As for the updates I hope they do impress! From what I have previously had this is not one of my bigger projects. However, it will entail more than what the Porker and and it will be a mild rolling restoration in that this car for now is currently my daily for when I don't walk to work!
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foldy
Part of things
Posts: 710
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This is fantastic. Glad you'll be putting the interior back to standard form. Money well spent mate.
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wu11ie
Part of things
Posts: 117
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I would genuinely kill for one of these cars lol
Thats luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurvelly !!!
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hallsy
Part of things
Posts: 88
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Oct 10, 2014 13:05:24 GMT
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Escort looks sexual Chas - really like the shape & stance of the S1, partial to an S2 as well!! How do they drive though, can the chassis handle the extra power? Will look even better with the original interior, looking forward to updates! For a bloke who wished for me to keep the 944 as a Porker fan (in all honesty I thought I was losing the plot in selling the Porker partially!) that is very high praise Andy! As for how they drive? Interesting is one way to define it! Despite the LSD you can still get torque steer (Christ, even my XR3i Cabrio torque steered with a high mileage CVH engine!), although I guess unequal length driveshafts will never help there, but it seems to aid the experience if that does not sound idiotic! This car will wheelspin in second in the dry as well as third in the wet (I did not dare to try 4th!). The handling on the refurbished suspension is great! It is possibly not quite as nimble as the 205 was but it is quicker at lower speeds than the 944 was (that was more adept at silly speeds in all honesty!). It is a lovely compromise and quite a fun one at that! This engine setup does make it a lovely road car though, and as long as you don't drive the car flat out everywhere it is not too bad to handle IMO. It is flawed for sure, do not be mistaken but God it is a bundle of fun! Driving it locally is an event. But then again the car is new to me . As for the updates I hope they do impress! From what I have previously had this is not one of my bigger projects. However, it will entail more than what the Porker and and it will be a mild rolling restoration in that this car for now is currently my daily for when I don't walk to work! Haha - well, I don't think I'd give up my 944 for one, but I do admire them. I used to flit around quite a lot between cars I fancied myself, after all, lifes too short - but my latest 944 will hopefully be a keeper! A work colleague of mine has restored two, possibly three of these now, so if you ever need any advice, I might be able to help
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Oct 12, 2014 18:05:21 GMT
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I wouldnt change the clutch for a lesser one. Just get used to it. You can never have too mutch clutch. Very nice example you got. Id keep the seats and harnesses,just add a bit of deadening and carpet.
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,197
Club RR Member Number: 170
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I wouldnt change the clutch for a lesser one. Just get used to it. You can never have too mutch clutch. Very nice example you got. Id keep the seats and harnesses,just add a bit of deadening and carpet. With the clutch I don't really have much choice it may seem once I get to see just how much power this car makes. Some peeps reckon an AP can take the power and that AP are conservative, others do not. However I have got used to it more and maybe it is just me but upon the car 'bedding in' it seems to be a little nicer to a use, an oxymoron with a paddle clutch I agree! However, even jimbo200sx here who has a 6 paddle in his Rover finds mine tricky to use . Helix clutches are said to be unforgiving but they will take any end of abuse (I recall someone saying that in their RST it was the only clutch which lasted with 350BHP). The interior? We shall see . I am still loving this car however. It received an oil change this weekend in addition to covering over 300 miles! It did them in fine style it had to be said. Shots of it (well, poor ones!) at the Bristol classic car meet shall appear soon. EDIT: Now with some crappy phone shots. Maybe I should upgrade my phone (or remember to bring the SLR out more; wait, the sensor is dying inside...):
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Last Edit: Oct 13, 2014 2:31:56 GMT by ChasR
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YC
Part of things
Posts: 68
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Oct 13, 2014 13:41:57 GMT
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I don't get bored of seeing pics of it Chas, it's a beautiful car
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,197
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Oct 19, 2014 18:13:03 GMT
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I shall have to bring it down to you one of the days Andy! It appears that the Escort being as clean as it is has got to me. Not having a garage locally does suck. I also cannot really leave such a clean example outside to rot, or use it on the main roads when the gritting process begins. Maybe this is why I bought shitters for all of these years. Maybe I am simply bottling it. Something had to be done. I could get the trusty Stag repaired but truth be told it would take more money, time and effort than I was willing to throw at it (the fact that I could walk quicker to work than when the gearbox could engage a gear is saying something). Maybe the trip to the specialist where the gearbox started playing up and the scratches it had accrued put me on a dampener with the entire car. But without throwing a fortune at it I decided that it was time for someone with renewed vigour and mojo to attack it and make the car what it should be. This left me with no car. Whilst I do walk to work these days I do also happen to go to many places far affield. This new smoker has come from the friend in the form ooooooooofffffff... 1998 BMW 323i SE Coupe. This was very cheap and came with a number of handy bits, including a long MOT and tax, 4 brand new tyres on E46 M-Sport wheels, a new clutch, new suspension arms up front with Poly lolypop bushes and RTAB bushes, a Koni lowering kit along with new 850i top mounts up front. It also came with a spare set of wheels and a sports interior. For a winter smoker it should prove to be reliable and not really require any serious cash spending on it. Just what I need with the Escort to keep me busy . I am arguably turning boring, but after constantly leaving cars standing, attending to problems upon using them etc etc. it is pleasant to have a break from it all for now so as to regain focus as well as trying out new things, in this case the Escort .
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Last Edit: Oct 20, 2014 11:24:45 GMT by ChasR
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Ian
Part of things
Posts: 977
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Oct 19, 2014 18:59:16 GMT
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Looks like a nice winter run around and surprisingly free from rust from the pctures, it's funny how these things have depreciated so much!
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,197
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Oct 19, 2014 21:30:19 GMT
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It is fairly rust free this car. My friend had the car in the paintshop to erradicate the rust and dealt with rust on the way quite well truth be told.
I guess that due to the geometry of them the E36 feels quite safe and sedate for a RWD. With a little extra castor up front along with a touch more camber they really are meant to come alive, with uprated dampers etc. of course. For the money I certainly could have done worse for a winter smoker in all honestly. It's tidier than my 106 GTI was and it was cheaper to boot!
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Ian
Part of things
Posts: 977
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They do drive pretty well, I only used mine for 6 months before I put it in the garage 3 years ago where it has sat covered in boxes ever since. I know its never going to be overly valuable, but its the car I wanted when I first started driving after being given in a lift in a girlfriends dads M3. There are getting less on the roads and the badly modified heaps seem to be getting thin on the ground as well, so hopefully only leaving the good ones.
On the other hand the series one is lovely so keeping that away from winter nastiness can only be a good thing
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YC
Part of things
Posts: 68
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Oct 20, 2014 11:42:18 GMT
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Nice little coupe that Chas I've not had a coupe before but E36 saloon and loved the chassis on it, I found it more thrilling than my E46 and E91, despite only being a 'lowly' 318. When you pushed it, it was fantastic fun!
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,197
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Nice little coupe that Chas I've not had a coupe before but E36 saloon and loved the chassis on it, I found it more thrilling than my E46 and E91, despite only being a 'lowly' 318. When you pushed it, it was fantastic fun! Indeed, many thanks! It is interesting that you found the chassis of the E36 the best despite owning the others, although it appears that more are agreeing with you. In a strange twist of fate the car came off the road! So I went to all that effort in buying a sound example to take it off the road? Well, no. I saw it more like rectifying some minor issues. The first thing to do was to remove the rather primative water injection system. I was told that the second engine in this car was a 1.9 Long Block. I was also told that the engine threw a rod out the side of the block. Whilst the car did not run so great with the previous setup (although this was soon rectified with the injection system being setup by a well renowned specialist in Derby) other issues were present. The issue I am referring to was the fact that the water injection system seemed to inject raw water into the inlet system. If this was ever working (by some miracle it was not!) it is no surprised that the engine blew itself to pieces. Clearly, something had to be done. At the same time the boot would require clearing of rubbish if I was to ever reinstall the interior. And so the stripdown has begun. The first thing to be removed was the water injection tank. The system basically consisted of a tank of water, two Escort washer pumps in addition to an MGB fuel filter up front. In other words a recipe for disaster! With the careful use of rivnuts in places this was a very simple process. More bootspace was created along with a potential engine killer removed. My work was not complete however. The chargecooler setup seemed excessive at best after looking further into matters in addition to seeing what the stock Pace setup resembled. This car had over 20 times more coolant than the Pace setup ever had (slightly overkill, don't you think?) and an uprated chargecooler radiator (this is actually meant to be a very good mod to most Pace setups. With that in mind, the stripdown of the rear begun. Tanks begone! In this rather poor shot spot the difference from the first shot I took a while ago of the engine : The remains of what came out. OOooooh, bling!: The water pump bits. From what I can tell this pump is massively overkill for this application. Such a pump can drive an engine!: The water 'injection' spray setup: Oh, and a lot of silicone hose! The tanks shall most likely be put up for sale soon assuming my plan works. As for the pump? I may keep it for a rainy day or sell it on. The plan is to get a proven chargecooler pump ; the Focus RS item seems to be a proven option for many peeps out there as a few other Bosch booster pumps. The next job? We shall see .
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Last Edit: Nov 5, 2014 0:25:49 GMT by ChasR
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,197
Club RR Member Number: 170
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I figured I would take this for a spin after a 2 week slumber. It seems that the car did not enjoy being stood up!
Whilst it took some extra cranking time than normal to fire up (it was fine after that) it seems that the 5th injector is no longer working from my basic diagnosis ; bad news on a car with 18PSi of boost! Whether it is air in the system (I doubt it ) or connections tarnishing I do not know One way or another I will fix it. Obtaining a wiring diagram of how the MF2 system works will be handy though (I am informed that the 5th injector on my car is set to come in as the car goes above 10PSi.
Below 10PSi however everything works absolutely lovely, with it still being fairly pokey!
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,197
Club RR Member Number: 170
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The 5th injector seems to have fixed itself! Maybe it was a wiring issue (this will be a summer job over the entire car (basically to check it all over and tidy it where possible) or the fact that the car had not been driven for quite some time. However, it was about time that I tackled the main issue with the car, the interior. The cage did not come out without a fight and when it came to either the cage or the headlining getting it in the throat you can probably guess which one did! After a while I got the car cleaned back to a state where it was all gravy inside: However, to keep the car mobile I had to put some seats back in! However, the relics of a previous era would not be destined for this car again. Enter stage left: Depending on your outlook I would say that the car is looking better already! But what had replaced the Sparcos I hear you ask? Alot better looking I think you will agree! Oddly enough they are not that much less supportive either! Maybe it is down to the new foams in the seats or the fact that they are small seats anyway. I would say that they have 80% of the support of the Sparco seats but are 50% more comfortable but without quite as many hassle factors ; Quite a result I think you will agree! Furthermore, it is better than they are in the car rather than potentially being trashed in the shed! However you look at it I am finally making progress . The plan now? Hibernation time in the shadows until things get a little better outside. But my work of course has now only begun. To complete the rest I need to: -Weld up the holes left from the rollcage. -Find the boot parts (I am already 66% of the way there). -Reinstate the doorcards all round. -Refit the carpet. -Sort out something else to do with the gauges (They will probably live in the tape deck cubby hole ; They will not be going (or the very least I'll need to keep two of the gauges ; Oil Pressure and Boost). -Reinstate a centre airvent (I have never been a fan of losing them in any car ; how else can you warm your hands up on cold mornings (or maybe I just need to man up!). -Drive the car .
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Dec 14, 2014 12:35:33 GMT
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Looking better already
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,197
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Dec 20, 2014 17:07:32 GMT
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Cheers, I think so too if I am honest! My may be thanking me already (those Recaros are an improvement in more ways than one! These turned up in the post. I never knew how pricey parcel shelves could become! All that is left to source for the interior bits now are the: -Parcel shelf supports -sill trims -Centre Dash vent -kick panels The rest thankfully came with the car! Now, time to shift on some of this scaffolding and bling!
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ChasR
RR Helper
motivation
Posts: 10,197
Club RR Member Number: 170
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Is there much to report? Not really; the car has been put into storage for the winter period . After doing a bit of digging I found an old photo of my car, presumably when the car had its 1.9 long block CVH fitted. In truth I think I prefer the looks of the car today but I can appreciate that the minimalist look appeals to some .
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Last Edit: Jan 5, 2015 19:41:21 GMT by ChasR
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Do you still have the cage Chas, or did you get rid of it??
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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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Nice work on putting the interior back to how it should be. It didnt really go with the rest of the car & as you say - it is too clean to be a track car. Good work, nice BM too
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