cort16's Cortina Crap - Suspicious Sill

[trigger]

Mine has the same problem, you have to crank it for ages before the fuels drawn up and it fires, I've even tried fitting a non return valve to no avail, I wondered if it's just a lazy fuel pump or whether a electric one would be better.

[the judge]

Oh dear....

[Angrydicky]

Maybe it's a Ford thing, as my dad's Consul used to be ridiculously difficult to start if left for more than a day or so. It had had a few different mechanical pumps tried, and the previous owner had installed a non-return valve in the pipe to the carb. It got to the point that the only way to start it was to remove the pipe to the carb and squirt petrol directly in with a syringe.

 

Naturally, dad got fed up with this and it now sports a BMC-style SU electric pump, and starts first time now. The mechanical pump has had to be retained for the vacuum wipers, but the fuel side of it isn't connected.

 

No doubt some of the old Ford types would have a coronary if they looked under the bonnet to see a BMC fuel pump!

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Back in the day, the words Facet electric pump were as common in hot Escort ads as Webber, Bilstein , Atlas etc etc . As I've always been tight ,I used scrapyard SU pumps.

[cort16]

Its weird as none of my other Cortinas did it. I did notice when I was fitting the fuel filter that there's no return to the tank just a bit of hose with a bolt clamped in it. I dunno if that could have an affect?

 

Possibly the least of my worries just now. it feels pretty shit to drive given I've been cruising around in a v8 CL500 so looking forward to getting some time out with to see if I gel with it.

When I got it it immediately had toasted calipers, no speedo or temp gauge so never got that much use of it. If it doesn't fit then I'll flog it and try to get an v8 SD1 with a manual box or an xr4i.

[danthecapriman]

That's a lovely 2 door you've got!

 

Just to add, my mk2 Granada suffers the same starting woes! Forever cranking to get it going, but once it's been running it starts fine. It even managed to flatten the old battery through excessive cranking. Tried all sorts to fix it but so far no joy, just have to put up with it. Strangely my Pinto powered Capri and Transit both start with no bother at all!

[cort16]

The fuels gone from the filter so it must be running back through the pump to the tank. I guess the pump has to pull it all the way from the back of the car. 

You need a strong battery that's for sure.

 

So with a tweaky bum I went in to see what it need and it actually isn;t too bad. Most of the stuff is in the boot but I need a few more bits. There's an advisory for corroded rear springs and given the new front ones I've got are -1 I think I'll get a rear set to match. I'm just glad to see there's no shit loads of hidden grot I'd missed.

 

 

 

 

[nigel bickle]

Long term cranking on a car that hasn't moved in a while isn't good for you, or the car.

 

I keep a small fairy liquid bottle in those cars, and give it a quick squirt up the air intake before turning the key. The inlet sucks it straight in, the car fires and runs for 2-5 secs. Whether that's long enough you'll soon work out!

 

Don't overdo it though, you don't want surplus fuel sloshing around everywhere!

 

Works for me...

[OwdChina]

A fuel resistant spring loaded non return at the tank will cure the starting issue.

Worked on mine years ago.

[cort16]

When I fired it up the other day for the first time in months I tipped some pez into the bowls and it ran long enough to get the fuel up to the carb, which saved a shit load of cranking.

[derskine]

I always have to fill the float bowl of my Mk1 if left for more than a couple of days.

[cort16]

I could fit a second washer bottle and fill it with petrol then when I come to start it I could get it to just skoosh fuel into the carburetors. Problem solved.

[fordperv]

All Fords are Shit.

They are up there with vauxhalls, i often wonder why I love them

[fordperv]

I had the same problem with excessive cranking before starting, i fitted a facet solid state pump close to the tank and a sytec dial regulator and problem solved, pretty cheap as well

[twosmoke300]

My Sierra engined kit car used to take ages to bring fuel up . It was a weak poppet valve in the lift pump allowing fuel back to the tank . Easy to test by leaving some fuel in a clear pipe on the carb side and watch if the level drops after a few hours . It shouldn't drop at all . A new lift pump fixed mine . Not a fan of leccy pumps tbh as I've seen a few fail

[stuboy]

fit a manual primer like skoda estelles, peugeot diseaels, or lecky pump from old scooby

[cort16]

I saw a Cortina on ebay with mx5 seats fitted and it looked good so I'm going to do the same to this as the ghia ones fitted are so fucking uncomfortable. The also kind of maintain the mk3 tombstone look.

 

If anyone has or knows of a set in black (leather or cloth) that are in decent shape let me know. Scrappies are hopeless for mx5 seats as they put the roof down in the yard and instantly fill up with water.

[brickwall]

MX5 seats are becoming very popular these days as a retro fit.

[Taff]

that's a very nice looking car mate

[cort16]

Parts ordered, 52 quid for front subframe bushes !

 

Only thing I need to find is a seat belt buckle the passenger one is totally seized. I might go and take it out tomorrow to see if I can in jam it.

[trigger]

This keeps cropping up on Facebook a lot in the last few days.

 

 

 

[cort16]

Hehe, living the dream. I wish he'd hurry up and fix it though.

[cort16]

What facebook page was it on?

[trigger]

We love the 80's and Classic Ford magazine.

[HMC]

Lovely! Is that Modena Green? apparently a nod to David Piper who often raced Ferraris in that sort of shade.

[cort16]

I've no idea what colour it is now it was a kind of pale green originally .

Having some thoughts about selling it. See how I feel when I get it back .

I went to upullit yesterday looking for seats and they must have had a big clear out as there was very little in. As I'll have to modify the runners I only want to do it once so worth holding out for the right ones .

The garage has had it for 2 weeks now I'll give him another week before I start chasing .

[cort16]

Remember this old crock?

 

Well...

 

BOOM! It has an MOT!

 

The old biffer who runs the garage in the pics with the ital had it for near on 2 months and did nothing too it other than use 20 quids worth of petrol moving it in and out his garage every day. When I challenged him about it he said it's because he was putting cars used by people everyday in front of the queue as I hardly used mine. I just about blew a blood vessel so told paid him for the MOT and got it the fuck out of there.

I took it back to my lockup and thought I'd just pick away at it until my landlord who runs a garage next door (and had previously expressed and interest in NOT doing it) said he'd take it on. He had it for a few weeks and here we are. 

He had some, erm challenges such as the spring breaking and a lump of metal taking the fag out his guys mouth, an impossibly stuck shock that took near on a day and it's destruction to release and some "lets never speak of it again" Front void bushes. 

It was 140 quid in parts + 300 in labour and there was a lot of labour so while it's a lot of cash if I'd done it myself it'd probably never have got finished.

 

I took it out for it's first spin this afternoon in a year to see it's brother from another mother.

 

Cortina by cort16, on Flickr

 

I had -1  new springs fitter all around. With this and the new bushes at the front it drives much better. Still rattly as fuck but I've got some space age sound deadening shit to go in once I fit the new seats.

 

Cortina by cort16, on Flickr

 

The current ghia seat has a massive burst spring that sticks in your jacksie when you sit on it. Also it doesn't go forward, which is a bit shite in in a 2 door.

I picked these fishnet recaros up off gumtree that'd been fitted to a landrover. I'm pretty sure they're out of a mk2 RS2000 rather than a Capri or Suzuki Ignis.

 

Cortina by cort16, on Flickr

 

The mounts are fuuucked and full of rust and mig wire. No worries though as I've lopped them all off. The plan is to weld some captive nuts onto a bit of flat bar then weld this to the base of the seat, which will let me mount the Cortina seat bases to it and no more springs up the bum

 

Cortina by cort16, on Flickr

 

I've got a few things I'd like to do to it but once the seats are in I'm not going to fuck around with it too much in case I break it and can't get any use of it it during the summer.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

It looks absolutely gr8 Cort man. I hope you get some decent use out of it as it will surely do your car mojo the power of good. Just look at it!!!

[danthecapriman]

Congrats on the MOT pass! Always good to have more old Fords on the road. It's a great looking old thing.

[cort16]

Cheers mr b. It's a year since the last mot ran out, it'd probably be another year if it was down to me doing the work.  Actually driving the old crocks reminds you why you actually bother you arse pissing around with them. I'll be living ford fanboys dream once I get these fishnets in it.