Project Korean Cortina - going back in time!

[fordperv]

Great stuff, that will be a honey, the like button is not enough

[xtriple]

Looks great, but, DO NOT RUSH IT just to be at Shitefest. I know you really want to.....

[colino]

Ask the nice bodyshop man for some 3M blue masking tape for covering the edges of the panels when your refitting them.  It's a four man job anyway, two to hold the panel and gently place it in position, another to make sure its going in square and another to say, "I knew that was going to happen!".

[mat_the_cat]

Well, they've bonded the rear window in and it's safely back home I've spent a few hours on it and everything is going quite smoothly!

 

Bonnet and headlights now on (grille is still being painted). Really like the colour!

 

Rear lights in place, and I've bonded on the rear screen trim.

 

New door switches and seals fitted. However, the doors are not ready for colour yet so realistically it's unlikely to happen this weekend. However, that may be for the best as it takes the pressure off me trying to do it in time, and I can still celebrate getting it back home, even if I can't bring it. So I'm less disappointed than I thought I'd be

 

All the door trim is cleaned up, treated with trim restorer and adhesive tape applied ready for fitting. So all being well next weekend will see it on the road!

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

That is looking amazing, wow.

[Skizzer]

I'm finding that genuinely moving.  Really, not taking the piss.  Brilliant stuff.

[Felly Magic]

This is gonna look the doggies doobries mate

[RayMK]

I'm biased, but I love the look of Stellars.  Yours is getting seriously beautiful.  I am also most impressed by your work rate.

[mat_the_cat]

I'm finding that genuinely moving.  Really, not taking the piss.  Brilliant stuff.

 

Thank you. It might sound daft, but I have to admit that sometimes when I sit in it, I do feel moved when memories from my past come flooding back. Recollections of moments that I'll never experience again, but at least I can reminisce fondly. And who knows what memories are still to come!

 

I am also most impressed by your work rate.

 

It's nothing more than years of practice on it I think! At one time or another I must have undone every single bolt. I might need your assistance shortly though, as I'm wondering whether the bodyshop have measured the position of the boot lid badges before removal. If not then I may have to ask you for dimensions!

[RayMK]

Will be happy to provide dimensions if you need them.  My Stellar mechanical activity/experience is limited to ball joints and dampers at the front and suspension bushes at the rear of my first Stellar (1986 SL) - nothing else needed attention during the 100,000 miles of ownership from new.  My current Stellar (1988 GSL Gold Medal Edition) has done fewer miles and the panhard rod on the rear suspension seems to give the bushes a much longer life. It's still on the originals at 72,000 miles. I have had a bit of a game trying to get the manifold to downpipe to seal properly but, touch wood, my last attempt has stayed leak tight for 6 months so far.  The nearside front top swivel joint has recently started clunking badly, so with an MOT due this month the Stellar could be stuck at my local garage for a while whilst a new joint is tracked down.

 

I know that your bodyshop is not close to me, but do you think they'd be interested in repairing the rear arches on mine and matching the paint over the repair/panel?  My local bodyshops either won't touch a Stellar or are too busy with E types.  Meanwhile, my attempt at slowing the rust and improving the cosmetic appearance of the rear arches was a complete failure.  The rest of the bodywork is holding up very well. 

[mat_the_cat]

Thanks! I'm sure they would - I'll ask them next time I'm in. At least they've had recent practice!

[oldcars]

Glad its back, as had been said i really enjoy this thread, i think i can see myself doing this with the Shuma one day in the future.

[trigger]

[Inspector Morose]

I do hope you're not doing a repeat of last year, pulling the wool over our eyes with photos from last month then suddenly roll up in a fully finished rover v8 powered stellar?

 

For a start, the resulting collective yoghurt explosion in Llangollen would cover the town.

 

Looks crack on though.

[mat_the_cat]

I do hope you're not doing a repeat of last year, pulling the wool over our eyes with photos from last month then suddenly roll up in a fully finished rover v8 powered stellar?

 

I wish! But no, the pictures are truly from yesterday. I'll give the bodyshop a ring later but the fact I'm packing the van rather than the Stellar hints that I'm not confident anything will be ready! And even if it was, I'd still have 4 doors to reassemble and hang which is a good few hours work.

 

I dropped the trailer back this morning with the van, and once again it attracted some favourable comments One of the guys working there recounted how he'd been in an accident some years back, and the highlight of the whole thing was being rushed to hospital in an LT ambulance at full chat. Amazing to think how it was once considered a powerful van; just goes to show how vans have improved in performance. I was down to 15 mph climbing one of the mountain roads yesterday!

[CHRIS1980]

My mate had one of these in the same colour. Funny thing was that he absolutely hated Fords and would not believe that they were a Cortina underneath. I remember that it had electric windows all round when the rest of us had keep fit windows. To me from certain angles looks a bit like a Maserati.

[Ghosty]

Glad its back, as had been said i really enjoy this thread, i think i can see myself doing this with the Shuma one day in the future.

V8 included?

[Guest benno]

Reading this thread with interest, I've just bought a stellar myself. Rear arches need doing and failed the mot on a rusty suspension arm. Should be collecting on the 20th June.

[mat_the_cat]

We need more details and of course photos!

[Talbotman]

I would presume it's this vision of lovelyness that's joining the Autoshite Stellar collective!?

[Guest benno]

Yeah that's the one talbotman, one owner from new apart from the original dealer "cranes" who used the car for a few weddings before selling it on to the current owner, it's been cherished and it shows, only used for the odd trip to the shops really, it's a 1.6 gsl, looking forward to collection in a couple of weeks.

As I said its in pretty good condition apart from the rear arches and the mot fail on the rusty suspension arm. It stil has the dealer sticker in the rear window and on the plates and hasn't strayed far from Norfolk where it was purchased.

[320touring]

Phwoar!

 

Baggsy a shot hill hooning next year;)

 

Top work!

[mat_the_cat]

I'm now being told mid-week for the doors, but I'm firmly not getting my hopes up yet! In the meantime I've been doing as much as I can on the shell in readiness, mainly injecting cavity wax wherever I can. I didn't want to do it before the spraying in case some dripped out during the baking.

 

I've also fitted the front and rear screen trims:

 

 

 

 

Bonded in with PU adhesive, as the clips were damaged on removal. Unfortunately the front screen is not that neat, as it wasn't bonded in deeply recessed enough so the trims are slightly proud. Still, you can't see that from behind the wheel!

 

I've made a start on the stainless/plastic rubbing strips too. First of all I used a self adhesive strip to hold one edge of the plastic on, as originally. Then riveted on the clips for the stainless (I have now used up ALL my spares, as they break quite easily!)

 

 

I dipped the end of the rivets in cavity wax, so that if the paint is damaged around the hole, rust won't form. The stainless trim is then clipped on with a foam adhesive pad for extra security - stops it sliding around.

 

 

Job done; repeat for the other side!

 

 

Lastly, to cheer myself up regarding the delay I bought myself another head unit. OK, I've had the other for almost as long as I've had the car, but this one looks better (in fact quite similar to the original), plus I can more easily connect in my phone if I hack into the rear input for a CD changer/DAB tuner. Better sound quality too. As it happened Semi-C had the very same one in his Mk3 Cortina at the weekend!

 

[twosmoke300]

Are they painting the doors separately then? More potential for poor colour match isn't there?

 

Let's hope not !

[Rusty_Rocket]

Absolutely pukka attention to detail!  I'm sure you're getting a tad fed up with what seems to be endless little jobs (I would be), but you're really building something to be very proud of, love it

[mat_the_cat]

Are they painting the doors separately then? More potential for poor colour match isn't there?

 

It is a slight worry! But there is not enough room in the booth to spray the rest of the bolt on panels AND the shell separately but in the same session. I'd imagine that spraying them on the car wouldn't give a great finish in the door shuts, but obviously the colour would be the same. They said they'd bought 4 litres for the job though, which suggests it's already mixed?

[twosmoke300]

That shouldn't be too bad then

[RayMK]

Yeah that's the one talbotman, one owner from new apart from the original dealer "cranes" who used the car for a few weddings before selling it on to the current owner, it's been cherished and it shows, only used for the odd trip to the shops really, it's a 1.6 gsl, looking forward to collection in a couple of weeks.

As I said its in pretty good condition apart from the rear arches and the mot fail on the rusty suspension arm. It stil has the dealer sticker in the rear window and on the plates and hasn't strayed far from Norfolk where it was purchased.

My first Stellar, bought new in 1986, was that colour. Very nice.  My current Stellar GSL is an E reg, so like yours has McPherson struts at the front.  The coil spring pans on the struts should be inspected closely, particularly the weld to the strut.  One of mine failed.  It took months to find a replacement strut - even Korea and Canada were tried.  1990 Pony struts will fit (as a pair).  Anyway, nice purchase and good luck with it. 

 

Matt, are you ok with the boot badge position dimensions, or would you like me to measure/photo with a ruler - I  assume mine carries the same badges as yours?

[mat_the_cat]

Matt, are you ok with the boot badge position dimensions, or would you like me to measure/photo with a ruler - I  assume mine carries the same badges as yours?

 

The badges appear to be identical - my current boot lid is from a 1988 car anyway although I have kept my original badges. I haven't got the lid back yet so don't know whether they will refit; the way things are going I just want to get everything back ASAP so if you could take the dimensions please that would be very handy. Just the distance from the outer edge on each side and the height from the bottom edge will do, cheers. Oh, and the spacing between blocks of letters please

[RayMK]

The badges appear to be identical - my current boot lid is from a 1988 car anyway although I have kept my original badges. I haven't got the lid back yet so don't know whether they will refit; the way things are going I just want to get everything back ASAP so if you could take the dimensions please that would be very handy. Just the distance from the outer edge on each side and the height from the bottom edge will do, cheers. Oh, and the spacing between blocks of letters please

The badges on my Stellar's bootlid are (on the left): STELLAR 1.6 GSL  

and on the right: HYUNDAI 

The 'S' of STELLAR is 43mm from the left side edge. 

The horizontal distance between the 'R' at the end of STELLAR and the '1' of 1.6 is 37mm (i.e. between the sticking out bits of the font base of the 'R' and the '1'   ).

Similarly, the horizontal distance between the '6' of 1.6 and the 'G' of GSL is 6mm.

The 'I' of HYUNDAI is 47mm from the right side edge.

All model/make badges are 25mm from the boot lower edge.

 

I hope that makes sense. I considered producing a smart, formal drawing but then realised that 7 years of retirement has deleted the essential ingredient, know how  .