My Sierra Sapphire

[Stixy]

 

 

 1993 reg'd  1.8td LX   Sapph  

 

 Parked up in 2005 after the cam belt broke  at the time a new belt was fitted but it was too late it had engine damage .  The owner sold a few parts off the front and left it 

 

December 2012   i got it  

 

 

 

 

 

First thing i did was have a good look over it and a quick wash and bodily it wasnt too bad and well worth doing 

 

 

Diesel manual isnt an option for me as i need an auto    so i droped the engine and box out  

 

 

 

 

The old engine and box wasnt a total loss as its given me a few very usefull parts for a future tdci conversion i am planning .

 

 

 

While it had been parked up condensation & mice had wrecked the interior so it all had to come out .

 

 

It had been parked under coniffers  so as well as a cracked windscreen there was crud everywhere 

 

the roof gutters 

 

 

the heater plenum 

 

 

 

 With no engine& box and all the interior out it looked quite sad  but it meant i could have a really good look at the bodyshell to work out how much work it needed .

The rear of the sills had rotted  inner and outer  and so had the front seat mounts otherwise it was a very sound shell

 

 

After another clean up

 

 

This was January 2013  even though the sun was shining its bloody cold

 

June  2013

 

Warmer weather  so time to get on with it 

 

First i did the welding  on the seat mounts and inner & outer sills 

 

 

while i was under the rear  i replaced the rear shock absorbers with gas ones and replaced the rear brake pipes on the suspension arms  

 

Then i had to decide what it was going to be ?

 

Initialy i was thinking injection Pinto auto as i have a nice one in another motor

 

 

 

but after a look around the workshop and counting up how many Twincams ive got 

 

 

I decided its best to use one of these   so twincam efi auto its going to be

 

Next i got a new fuel tank and used up lots of old cans of spraypaint  painting it and then topped it off with a coat of silver paint 

 

after fitting the fuel pump sender and brushing the old oil from the diesel engine to the underside of the boot floor and chassis rails  i fitted the tank

 

I hadnt got any fuel lines that were any good and the diesel ones run along the wrong side so the only choice was to make some  so i got some 8mm copper pipe and made the 2 fuel lines 

 

I had recently broke up a 1990 Sapph GLX which had very good trim  so i had got everything for the interior  as all the original stuff had been disposed of  so after i fitted the soundproofing and carpet to the interior i fitted the engine loom .

 

I allways modify engine looms before i fit them  mainly by adding fuses to the injector and module feeds  also fitting an electric cooling fan overide switch so i can turn the fans on from the drivers seat if ever needed 

the switch i use is a heater blower switch from a Sierra or Granada with A/C  so the push in/out action of turning the A/C on now operates my fans  , i fit a warning lamp too ( red l.e.d next to the switch )  the w/l also lights when the fans come on automaticaly   , i allways wire them so both fans come on together 

 

 

Next it was get the engine in . I allways fit them as a complete assembly on the subframe complete with power steering 

 

 

Radiator and auto oil cooler 

 

 

Once the engine box  prop was in and wired and piped up   it was time to look at the front suspension 

 

The Ford parts system states the Diesel front springs are the same part number as HD Twincam  so after a clean up and new shock gas absorbers they were refitted 

I also replaced the front tca's anti roll bar bushes and track rod ends 

 

After a good clean up i fitted all the GLX interior 

 

 

 

At last its a running car again for the first time in 8 years

 

Ive gone for the 1990 look with grey bumpers with front fog lamps  

 

 

I had GT / Azure alloys so fitted them too  

 

 

 

 

I havent touched it since August  but it only needs a few minor jobs doing before it goes back on the road  but i dont need it just yet so its waiting its turn again

[sierraman]

Used to have a 1.8cvh lx in same colour, yours looks well though pal!

[twosmoke300]

Thats lovely , well done .

[fordperv]

I like that

[Split_Pin]

Very nice resto there. I'm glad that one of these models is getting some care. I always liked that colour on later Sierras.

[dollywobbler]

Always love a salvation thread. Great stuff.

[Hertz]

Cap Doffed, well done!

[Vince70]

Amazing rebuild.. I wish I had 1/100 of your knowledge and skills...

I really like that early 90s look of your Sierra.

[saucedoctor]

Nicely done, that looks great.

[bub2006]

Great looking car. Is the clock module in the centre console from a Granada as it looks like a sort of trip computer?

[HillmanImp]

That looks really good.

 

GOLD STAR

[londonm]

Ten out of ten. Wish I had those skillz!

[stuboy]

very very nice

[stilo_active]

Looks fantastic. Good stuff!<br /><br />Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk<br /><br />

[HMC]

Great thread! The snapped belt would normally have been game over, full credit to you for stepping in when you did.

 

I'm so used to reading about restorations in dribs and drabs, I wasn't quite ready for it in one hit! Great work, and a brilliant spares stash. Must be nice to be able to build it to your exact spec with a choice of running gear, the shiters version of circling the options in the dealers brochure

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Whoa, good work resuscitating that! It looks fantastic with the grey bumpers. 

[scruff]

Cracking motor and a nice project. Really like Saphs!

[Guest Tony Hayers]

Always preferred the later Lx over the earlier GL, it felt a more sorted machine.

 

Irrelevant fact; taxi squad near me  had a White G plate, Sapphire 1.8 (CVH) Lx. It  went on to do something stupid like 375K before the diff got too noisy + the rot set in. Swansea Council are quite stringent on private hire vehicles so it cant have lived much past 1996. Only wish I could remember the registration plate.

[Lord Sterling]

This is brilliant Stixy, well sorted there. I only wish I knew you around 10 years ago whe I scrapped my F-reg Sapphire Ghia which I have always regretted. I still have the Pepperpot alloys off it which I intend to keep.

 

I would dearly love to have another go in a Sierra seeing as I had one. Given more money and space I reckon I'd easily add one to my collection, although it would have to be an early Sapphire Ghia, or 2000E.

[rml2345]

Excellent rejuvenation of a car most folk would have binned ages ago. It looks pretty dapper with the grey bumpers as well.

[Shep Shepherd]

Now, that's my kind of modified car

[Partridge]

Lovely stuff. I salute you.

 

It looks like it's quite high in the last picture? Is that because it was still settling from having those alloys fitted?

[Stixy]

Thanks everybody for the positive comments  

 

This was a quick and simple one as the body was generaly clean . 

 

@ bub2006  yes its a Granada mk3 trip computor/clock  i like to see mpg and at times  it can be a good reminder to lift my foot off a bit 

@ Partridge   It does sit high at the moment  but its down to new shocks once its done a few miles on them they should settle 

[Partridge]

Now I know

[sutty2006]

Nice looking Saph

[bub2006]

Just goes to show how easy a computer can be fitted in the same gap! Was it easy to plug in?

[beko1987]

Thats fucking beautiful. Always liked Sierras, but doubt I'll own one now, by the time I get round to it they'll either be OMGFORDTAX or OMGROTTEN/scrapped. Same with the later Granada's... 

[Digbydog]

Like so many of the cars featured on these forums I had one (before they became classics). Mine was an '89 2litre twin cam GLSi. It was a flying machine. G130BPH, where are you mow?

 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

[beko1987]

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You sure you didnt dream it?

[Stixy]

Just goes to show how easy a computer can be fitted in the same gap! Was it easy to plug in?

 

With the right plug for the computor unit i just wired it in as a normal trip computor

 

i also wired the outside temparature sensor in  because im a bit sad like that 

 

Its a stopwatch ,clock and calender too  just in case i need to know the time date and month 

 

Same unit fitted in my daily

 

 

The miles to empty feature doesnt work though and when it does it counts backwards  so when it says 300 miles to empty its empty