luckygti
Posted a lot
I need to try harder!
Posts: 4,912
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Erm, it’s been a while  . Let me start by saying that she’s back on the road (lumpy as hell, static tuned but still pinking, and still with a lying temperature gauge.....) but, I drove her today  But, she’ll probably be up for sale soon as I may have secured a car that I’ve wanted since they day they came out..... Anyway, it has not been an easy road (is it ever?) and a simple engine rebuild turned into welding, paint, some electrics and a not so simple engine build (or exhaust fitting). Lying under the car thinking, blimey, this should be done soon (will mucking around with the gearbox mount) I spied what looked suspiciously like carpet.... yes, from under the car  and with a bit of judicious poking it was indeed carpet. On both sides. In both foot wells. Now if you’re familiar with my DoKa rebuild you’ll know that good looking welding is not one of my fortes so the search for a body shop to do decent repairs, and complete the engine rebuild (i’d timed the cam but wanted a second opinion! And I found one. Eventually.    So, off it went for a month to have some love. Back it came and I thought while I was at it I’d tidy up some of the electrics. Now, I’m no expert but I’m pretty sure wiring an electric fan in by twisting the wires together with the fag lighter explains why the fuse constantly blew. There was a lot of that going on. I also added in an Odyssey battery and moved it back inside the car to try and cure the struggling starting issues, a battery cut off, fan controller and a couple of new gauges. Neither of which work satisfactorily  An MOT later (the gearbox mount which I’d asked the welder to weld the tabs on was held on by one bolt (loose), one wheel was on the verge of falling off and the emissions were sky high. Eventually it passed, and then promptly spat its teddies out of the pram by ejecting coolant out of the heater matrix. Now I could have just bypassed it, but it was October, freezing and I do like to have a working heater. So out the interior came (again) with most of the dash and in went a new matrix. Success...... No. finally booked it in for a static tune (before a rolling road session next week), jumped in the drivers seat and it promptly ripped out one of the seat bolts where the thread had basically rotted away! It went to the garage today, and that’s where we are. I’m not sure I’m back in love with this car yet, but I’m really not sure if I want to get rid either..... if it stays, it’s getting an ST170 lump, RX8 gearbox and original management and the pinto can go to a rally car owner! More to follow, including pictures when it’s clean! |
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keep at it mate it will be worth it in the end I can remember reading this thread when you started it I wish mine was done and on the road long road ahead for me and as for selling it that's simple don't ha ha
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1978 mk2 escort mexico
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luckygti
Posted a lot
I need to try harder!
Posts: 4,912
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as for selling it that's simple don't ha ha We’ll see  Nice as it is though, I need to thin out the fleet! It might just go back into storage! |
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keep it up, I too know the pain of owning a mk2 and how they can eat your wallet up! but when they work they don't half put a smile on your face !
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stevietuck
Posted a lot
Never argue with idiots,they drag you down to their level then beat you with their expertise!
Posts: 1,350
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In my opinion you would be mad to sell a mk2 escort, they just keep getting more and more expensive, so much so that I doubt I'll ever be able to own one again.
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stevietuck
Posted a lot
Never argue with idiots,they drag you down to their level then beat you with their expertise!
Posts: 1,350
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I feel that I should add to the above, the fact that I doubt I'll ever be able to afford another mk2 saddens me greatly, you already have one and by the look of it its a pretty dam good one at at that. What else could you buy that will be as much fun ( anyone thats had a mk2 sideways knows what i mean ) and will make you money just by keeping it? Seriously mate keep it and do the engine swap you talked about, it will only add value to it and make it more fun. Win, win and just owning a mk2 makes you a winner mate. Can you tell I really want one?  |
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luckygti
Posted a lot
I need to try harder!
Posts: 4,912
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I feel that I should add to the above, the fact that I doubt I'll ever be able to afford another mk2 saddens me greatly, you already have one and by the look of it its a pretty dam good one at at that. What else could you buy that will be as much fun ( anyone thats had a mk2 sideways knows what i mean ) and will make you money just by keeping it? Seriously mate keep it and do the engine swap you talked about, it will only add value to it and make it more fun. Win, win and just owning a mk2 makes you a winner mate. Can you tell I really want one? I hear you pal, but I don’t really get the use out of it, and I’d like someone else to get to enjoy the experience  And I have another car coming next week, same name, different flavour! |
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luckygti
Posted a lot
I need to try harder!
Posts: 4,912
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Hi. Well, it continued to run rough as a badgers obvious so I finally got it booked into a local rolling road for a tune and a power run. Not too far away, but I rented a trailer and dragged it over to Hybrid Tune in Diss. I’ve had a worry bead about the engine temperature and cannot get any of the temp gauge options I’ve used to give me a reliable reading. Suffice to say, the guys watched it like a hawk and there were zero issues. It made 130 at the wheels, which I think is pretty good on the standard carb, it’s pretty hopeless below 2k and runs out of fuelling after 5 so definitely needs the bigger carbs, but I knew that anyway!   I’ve fitted an Odyssey battery, which seems to do the job, but it still has a hot start issue, so I’m going to get a high torque starter for it to avoid the inevitable and embarrassing failure to turnover at garages and shops! In other news, we’ve added a new Escort to the stable, a Mk5 RS2000. It came up at such a good price and in such good condition that we couldn’t resist (I’ve wanted one pretty much since they came out in the 90’s). The plan was to sell the Mk2, but I just can’t bring myself to do it so now we have his and hers for Sunday afternoon blasting   |
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Last Edit: Jun 11, 2019 9:48:56 GMT by luckygti
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Jun 11, 2019 11:06:56 GMT
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I'm not sure if I've commented on this thread before. As a fellow Escort owner, I think you would be nuts to sell it. It's got a fantastic road rally look about it (except for a set of spots) which suits the mk2 best. A bit of height to it instead of scraping along the floor. I think once you get the issues sorted the enjoyment and more use will come.
I've got the best of both worlds in my mk1. The old Escort experience with the mk5 RS2000 engine for performance and reliability. The current £100 pound engine has been in 6 or 7 years and apart from changing the plugs once and the oil twice, I don't touch it. And I use it in competition as well as car shows and the odd blast about.
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luckygti
Posted a lot
I need to try harder!
Posts: 4,912
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Jun 11, 2019 14:22:27 GMT
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I'm not sure if I've commented on this thread before. As a fellow Escort owner, I think you would be nuts to sell it. It's got a fantastic road rally look about it (except for a set of spots) which suits the mk2 best. A bit of height to it instead of scraping along the floor. I think once you get the issues sorted the enjoyment and more use will come. I've got the best of both worlds in my mk1. The old Escort experience with the mk5 RS2000 engine for performance and reliability. The current £100 pound engine has been in 6 or 7 years and apart from changing the plugs once and the oil twice, I don't touch it. And I use it in competition as well as car shows and the odd blast about. Yep, I kind of agree with you about selling it. At the moment I have room to keep it, and it doesn’t cost much annually. Soon it’ll even be tax exempt I am considering an engine swap and the Mk5 engine appeals; what’s yours running on ignition and fuelling wise? Oh, and spots? Yes, they would definitely look good! |
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Jun 11, 2019 14:43:38 GMT
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If you start with an early mx5 its easy enough to carry the entire injection system accross, add a swirl pot and high pressure pump and away you go.
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Jun 11, 2019 16:07:48 GMT
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I'm not sure if I've commented on this thread before. As a fellow Escort owner, I think you would be nuts to sell it. It's got a fantastic road rally look about it (except for a set of spots) which suits the mk2 best. A bit of height to it instead of scraping along the floor. I think once you get the issues sorted the enjoyment and more use will come. I've got the best of both worlds in my mk1. The old Escort experience with the mk5 RS2000 engine for performance and reliability. The current £100 pound engine has been in 6 or 7 years and apart from changing the plugs once and the oil twice, I don't touch it. And I use it in competition as well as car shows and the odd blast about. Yep, I kind of agree with you about selling it. At the moment I have room to keep it, and it doesn’t cost much annually. Soon it’ll even be tax exempt I am considering an engine swap and the Mk5 engine appeals; what’s yours running on ignition and fuelling wise? Oh, and spots? Yes, they would definitely look good!  Mine is running all standard management from a mk5. I bought a whole car for £200 and ripped everything out i needed. There are only about 5 wires you use and the engine bay harness is separate to the rest of the loom so it's really easy to sort. You'll need to make a thermostat housing as the standard is massive. I used aluminium but steel would be easy. The exhaust manifold is from a crossflow cut to suit and welded to the RS flange. I removed all the egr curse word. I used a 4-1 manifold but you'd be better using a 4-2-1 as I'm sure I've lost some torque. The flywheel is a Sierra 1.8 cvh as this takes the pinto clutch cover, but you can use the zetec flywheel and get it redrilled for the pinto cover. In fact you can use the standard mk5 flywheel but it is the heaviest flywheel you've ever seen and as the fulcrum points are different you loose half the clutch pedal travel so it sits lower than the brake pedal but does work. Engine mounts are homemade. Plates on the engine, bit of tube, pinto rubber and that's it. The inlet manifold - I've cut the ends off and rewelded them on the opposite ends as the throttle body sits I've the gearbox. Spigot beating is a crossflow. Sump is from a Sierra twincam with 2" cut out for the crossmember and a wing added to bring the oil volume back up. There is a company based in Castle Combe who will swap the chip in the ecu and remap for £500. They reckon they can get up to 170bhp from a stock motor depending on its condition. It can then also be remapped if you swap to a 2.3 bottom end. Now they produce some torque and about 190 bhp. If you want any more info or pics give me a shout. It really is a simple conversion and the bonous is you don't have to give retrofits £000's to get it to work. |
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luckygti
Posted a lot
I need to try harder!
Posts: 4,912
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Jun 11, 2019 20:45:41 GMT
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Thanks for that, definitely worth bearing in mind then. And I might give the guys in Castle Combe a shout for the MK 5, more power sounds good! Didn’t even realise it had EGR on it, clearly that’s going in the bin!
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luckygti
Posted a lot
I need to try harder!
Posts: 4,912
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Jun 11, 2019 20:47:59 GMT
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If you start with an early mx5 its easy enough to carry the entire injection system accross, add a swirl pot and high pressure pump and away you go. MX5 or Mk5? I’ve thought about the MX5 engine and gearbox, but liking the idea of a Ford engine! Am I right in thinking the Galaxy 2.3 is a straightforward fit as well? |
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Jun 11, 2019 21:16:46 GMT
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I am delving into the depths of things i used to know here but i remember Granadas had the same engine and required mods to fit Galaxys. I would think it was easier making the Galaxy fit RWD. I think that Mk5 RS2000s were modded using a 2.3 block with the RS2000 head, and i think there was a Max Power featured Galaxy with a 2.3 block/RS2000 head that was turboed via a Nissan 200SX exhaust manifold. Wonder how that would go in an old skool Scort?
All the very best,
Geoff.
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Jun 11, 2019 21:19:03 GMT
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If you start with an early mx5 its easy enough to carry the entire injection system accross, add a swirl pot and high pressure pump and away you go. MX5 or Mk5? I’ve thought about the MX5 engine and gearbox, but liking the idea of a Ford engine! Am I right in thinking the Galaxy 2.3 is a straightforward fit as well? That will be me not putting my reading glasses on! Ignore my comment! Didn't they fit the 2.3 16v with rwd gearbox to the scorpio if so wouldn't that be the easiest option? |
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Last Edit: Jun 11, 2019 21:22:31 GMT by kevins
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Jun 11, 2019 21:30:37 GMT
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To fit the 2.3 you need to remove the balance shafts in the sump and insert a bit of metal where the chains go through the lower block face for the sump to seal (not as difficult as it sounds) and block up the oil feed to the shafts. That if you go conventional sump on fwd 2.3. If you use the rwd 2.3 from a Scorpio (quite rare now) I think it goes in with only a mod to a metal part of the sump to clear the crossmember. I've bought a 2.3 from a Galaxy to do this conversion but I'll be ninty twelve years old by the time a finish everything else an get round to doing it . There is a guy called Jonathan Hughes on fb who makes rx8 gearbox adaptors who has done this conversion and a guy I know has had 240 bhp out of his
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luckygti
Posted a lot
I need to try harder!
Posts: 4,912
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To fit the 2.3 you need to remove the balance shafts in the sump and insert a bit of metal where the chains go through the lower block face for the sump to seal (not as difficult as it sounds) and block up the oil feed to the shafts. That if you go conventional sump on fwd 2.3. If you use the rwd 2.3 from a Scorpio (quite rare now) I think it goes in with only a mod to a metal part of the sump to clear the crossmember. I've bought a 2.3 from a Galaxy to do this conversion but I'll be ninty twelve years old by the time a finish everything else an get round to doing it . There is a guy called Jonathan Hughes on fb who makes rx8 gearbox adaptors who has done this conversion and a guy I know has had 240 bhp out of his Thanks. Might scout around for an old Scorpio For now I’ll sort out the issues and get some use out of it Give the other projects some love |
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Sept 26, 2020 18:43:33 GMT
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Hadn't noticed this pop up again.
130 is enough to make an Escort lively.
I too am contemplating more power.
A zetec is cheap, you can buy adaptor plates to bolt your standard Ford inlet & carb to the zetec.
Also you can buy a cheapish ex manifold and a laser cut plate for a zetec.
Cut flange off Crossflow manifold and weld on new zetec flange. You are now down to sump/mounts and spark. Kits for mounts are cheap also. No cheap sumps. No cheap sparks.
But even the best only make 150-160 unless you spend a lot more.
The Mazda makes less.
A Duratec makes loads but above 200 is fragile without ARP bolts and better rods.
The Galaxy 2.3 is used in HotRod circut racing though.
I'm told there are kits available to run a tuned version of the original injection and spark for about £350!
If that is the actual case I will be going this path.
A scorpio would be the ideal donor as clutch/gearbox/front section of the propshaft and the engine loom would be used. But they are not easy found anymore.
Anyway, I hope this helps somewhat.
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Last Edit: Sept 26, 2020 18:45:36 GMT by Deleted
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. Let me start by saying that she’s back on the road (lumpy as hell, static tuned but still pinking, and still with a lying temperature gauge.....) but, I drove her today 
But, she’ll probably be up for sale soon as I may have secured a car that I’ve wanted since they day they came out..... Anyway, it has not been an easy road (is it ever?) and a simple engine rebuild turned into welding, paint, some electrics and a not so simple engine build (or exhaust fitting). 
and with a bit of judicious poking it was indeed carpet. On both sides. In both foot wells. Now if you’re familiar with my DoKa rebuild you’ll know that good looking welding is not one of my fortes so the search for a body shop to do decent repairs, and complete the engine rebuild (i’d timed the cam but wanted a second opinion! And I found one. Eventually.
An MOT later (the gearbox mount which I’d asked the welder to weld the tabs on was held on by one bolt (loose), one wheel was on the verge of falling off and the emissions were sky high. Eventually it passed, and then promptly spat its teddies out of the pram by ejecting coolant out of the heater matrix. Now I could have just bypassed it, but it was October, freezing and I do like to have a working heater. So out the interior came (again) with most of the dash and in went a new matrix. Success...... No. finally booked it in for a static tune (before a rolling road session next week), jumped in the drivers seat and it promptly ripped out one of the seat bolts where the thread had basically rotted away! 
Nice as it is though, I need to thin out the fleet! It might just go back into storage!
And I have another car coming next week, same name, different flavour!
