I'm back! With new cars......

[Futuramic]

Greetings all from autoshite's Eastern outpost; or sunny North Essex as the rest of the world call it. Please note this is the posh end away from the estuary, our Dobermans have collars.

 

I haven't really contributed anything at all to this, the worthiest of worthy websites. For that I apologise, however I return with gratuitous pictures of my latest acquisitions. A brace of them!

 

Right, first up we have my daily driver. Now most will reel back in horror at the suggestion that something so new, so needlessly modern (it has fuel injection) could be deemed shite. But make a mental list of the possible tacky features our favourite cars have, here's my rundown: peeling paint; gadgets that don't work; fake wood; a really nasty bodykit; small, tatty alloys; "leather" steering wheel; manual gearbox; cassette player; the wrong badge AND a Magic Tree on the mirror. So how many of these things does my current ride have? All of them is the answer!

 

I give you the "De pimped een Belgie", factory special, Mondeo Si Ghia! Well it did cost £400 with a year's ticket.

 

 

Council estate racer spec. I think it looks hard. If nobody else does.

 

 

Observe! A spoiler. Plus loads of other useless plastic.

 

 

Powaaaah! It had more in 1995 though.

 

 

The view from the top. See how the caramel coloured plastic oozes forth from the black rhino-arse plastic to create a symphony of syncopated colour variety and tactile wonder.

 

Now to reveal my other car. A month or two ago I received a call from the council to inform me that a lock-up had become available, and did I want it for the extortionate sum of £7.50 a week. "Yes" was my immediate reply. So I have become the proud tenant of a rather rundown (though not in the hip, bohemian sense, it's genuinely nasty) breezeblock building with a broken up and over to keep the world out. It's in a nice area fortunately, it's never even been graffitied.

 

Now an empty garage is a sad place; so I then decided to fill it. Not with old rubbish, but with our kind of old rubbish - namely a down at heel project car; one that has been round the block far too many times and now seeks a loving toy-boy as an owner (this car is old enough to be my mother, figuratively speaking, and was made before colour television!). I vanquished the garage's resident spiders and went hunting.

 

I found what I was looking for soon afterwards. She is the worst kind of project; in fact barely even a car. I know purists complain of the unneccessary things fitted to new models - but, for the time being, my new ride has no steering wheel. The engine doesn't go. The clutch doesn't work. There are no windows. The doors have holes in and the tyres are falling apart.

 

But why? Why subject myself to all this financial and possibly physical hardship? Because I have, almost, noble intentions. I will, one day, return a very old car to the roads she left, disgracefully, shedding rust like dandruff. Sometime in the future there will be the whine of an inertia starter; the pop and bark of uncatalysed exhaust; and the banshee wail of a non-synchro first gear as I head forth on my first momentous journey. Which will end at the local post office, Gordon Brown will be upset, I shall claim free road tax.

 

Now, what is this car? Firstly it is a rare machine, nobody really knows how many are left but numbers are well below 1,000. Few were made in the first place so that's not surprising. Secondly the bodywork is GRP, although the underlying structure is steel. Any closer?

 

If not I give you the 1966 Bond Equipe GT4 2+2 with openening boot!

 

 

She looks OK in this picture, but none of the plastic bits are attatched to the chassis.

 

 

The power source. This has been rebuilt, but isn't the greatest engine around, what with siamesed ports, I hope to replace it with a GT6 lump.

 

 

This separates the men from the psychopathic, danger loving masochist. I'm sure they aren't that bad but have heard many horror stories about swing axles and what they do.

 

 

One of my headlights is missing. They come from the Mk1 2000 saloon.

 

 

The car going into my garage. Note the Herald rear tub on the chassis. This has to be cut down to allow the fibreglass to fit over; but will form the floor and sill sections of the car.

 

Now, as I'm sure you will have noticed, the Bond is based on Herald mechanicals, which are bout the simplest going. Although the rest is a real mish-mash of components from Herald doors, to a Spitfire engine and Vitesse dashboard.

 

The project itself isn't too bad. The chassis is totally rust free, as is the bulkhead. All I have to do is restore the rear section and doors. Put the body on, respray everything, put the interior back together and fit six cylinder power.

 

However it should all be fun. Especially in a garage with no electricity, though I do have a generator which the neighbours will love.

 

I shall be updating you on my eventual progress, so one day a small part of the swinging sixties shall live again.

 

Wish me luck.

[r.welfare]

I like the Mondeo, even though the bodykit does the styling no favours. A lot of car with a year's ticket for 400 nicker.You are a brave man taking on the Bond.

[Ratdat]

You are definately brave taking on a GT4. I have restored one of those myself, many years ago when I worked for a Triumph specialist. I had to do the exact same job...remove the GRP and fit it to another floorpan. The whole thing seemed to be held together with pop rivets, self tappers, bit's of aluminium and wood along with copious amounts of sealer and putty. I can't say it was the most enjoyable jobs I've ever done! It did look amazing when it was done though as every bit was painted and detailed, even underneath.

[HillmanImp]

I always thought the Bond Equipe was based on a GT6/Vitesse? Like you say this is based on a Herald (that is definately not a GT6 chassis).I really like the quirky looks of the Equipe. They used to sell for peanuts 15 years ago and i was looking to buy a convertible one for the summer, but a 1 owner Imp landed on my lap and i could not say no.Good luck with it and i look forward to seeing the progress.

[pompei]

As resident ignoramus, I've often (well, occasionally) wondered how a fibreglass tub is mated to the metal beneath. I once considered (very briefly) acquiring a Peter Stevens Barchetta, which is a Fiat 500 shaped open top "sportster" grafted onto a sawn down Fiat 126. I was always intrigued by the various Banham kits based on Skodas, Metros and the RS200 sitting on a Maestro.How do you bond the tub to the chassis or remaining monocoque?

[seth]

I really like that shape Bond. Don't listen to the naysayers about the swing axle. Yes, they can be provoked but in normal driving you won't suffer any issues and with a couple of simple mods they can handle very well. Just noticed, that cahssis you have is a Mk1 version (earlier than '63) and a six cylinder won't fit particularly easily. They developed the Mk2 chassis during the development of the Vitesse. The Mk1 is narrower around the gearbox, totally different around the rear suspension and generally weaker all over. Keep it a four pot, and period tune an 1147 lump for it

[Futuramic]

As resident ignoramus, I've often (well, occasionally) wondered how a fibreglass tub is mated to the metal beneath. I once considered (very briefly) acquiring a Peter Stevens Barchetta, which is a Fiat 500 shaped open top "sportster" grafted onto a sawn down Fiat 126. I was always intrigued by the various Banham kits based on Skodas, Metros and the RS200 sitting on a Maestro.How do you bond the tub to the chassis or remaining monocoque?

In terms of bonding (no pun intended); think about how you would do, given the limited scope of hand tools and sixties technology. Yep, that's right Bond drilled lots of holes in both and then fixed everyhting together with nuts and bolts.

[andrew e]

Ooo factory RS bodied mondeo in curias! Si wheels and seats, maybe its more Si than ghia? Has it got electronic dampers? I likey

 

I'm quite intrigued by the split bond body over the hearld hack job, heard about it but never seen one, I walloped a bit on the Equipes HERE a while back.

[Futuramic]

In response to other comments: the Mondeo doesn't have electronic dampers. In fact I've never heard of them being offered on the Mk1 but my knowledge is limited. Now as for the differences between mine and the Si. The VIN plate is stamped as "Mondeo Si" but the car is badged as a Ghia. Having seen a standard Si; my car differs in that it has electric windows all round and fake wood instead of plastic trim. Apart from that everything is similar.Thanks for all the Bond related support, by the way.

[Guest Kyle]

I always thought the Bond Equipe was based on a GT6/Vitesse?

Nah, thats the 2ltr cars. GT4 was Herald based.As has been mentioned, this one is on a early Herald chassis so may be better off with the 4 pot. On the other hand, if you're looking to mount the body on another set of running gear it would be a good chance to go for the 6. Very rewarding cars to own and well worth the effort. Good save.

[r.welfare]

Electronically-switchable 3-position dampers were offered on the Mk1 Si for about 15 minutes from launch, I think. One of those "crazy" options - like the metallic salmon pink on the early Ghias, and the 4 wheel drive option - that manufacturers at the time offered to say "look at what we've done!", then get quietly dropped because no-one takes 'em up. Probably for the best as I bet sourcing new ones would be a mega-expensive pain in the arse.Yours to me looks like a Ghia (special grille, natch) with the "RS" body kit, which was a rare option when new (as shown to greatest effect on those luminous yellow Si special editions of the time), and must be even rarer now if the bumpers haven't cracked.Now's the time to buy a decent Mk1 Mond if you felt so inclined I reckon, as they'll all disappear like the Sierra before long.

[andrew e]

Mr Welfare - salmon pink? Coral Biege sir

[Pillock]

Ooo factory RS bodied mondeo in curias! Si wheels and seats, maybe its more Si than ghia? Has it got electronic dampers? I likey

I likey too.... but aren't they wheels from a Focus or Scorpio or something? The Mk1 Si Mondeo got the Escort Cosworth-style (but smaller) five-spokes. But yeah the rest of it looks like an Si that's had the Ghia luxury bits screwed on - a lot of later (N/P) models had a standard loom with all the right connections for heated seats, rear electric windows, extra courtesy lights and stuff. So adding bits from higher spec models was easy-peasy. I think it was just cost-cutting, make one loom instead of five different ones.

[Futuramic]

Electronically-switchable 3-position dampers were offered on the Mk1 Si for about 15 minutes from launch, I think. One of those "crazy" options - like the metallic salmon pink on the early Ghias, and the 4 wheel drive option - that manufacturers at the time offered to say "look at what we've done!", then get quietly dropped because no-one takes 'em up. Probably for the best as I bet sourcing new ones would be a mega-expensive pain in the arse.Yours to me looks like a Ghia (special grille, natch) with the "RS" body kit, which was a rare option when new (as shown to greatest effect on those luminous yellow Si special editions of the time), and must be even rarer now if the bumpers haven't cracked.Now's the time to buy a decent Mk1 Mond if you felt so inclined I reckon, as they'll all disappear like the Sierra before long.

I'm beginning to think the Mondeo is a real oddity; the under bonnet plate says "Si"; so I imagine it was upgraded to Ghia spec by the factory. Several things seem abnormal about the car, anyway. When I first got it the front foglights didn't work. Thinking it to be a simple bulb failure I bought some new ones. It transpired that the lights were fully working but had never been connected. Similarly I have a cruise control warning light in the dash, but no cruise control.The ride is very different to other Mondeos I've been in too. My car seems to crash roughly over the road surface, the suspension seems to be incredibly stiff. However the happy upshot of this is sublime handling - for a big front driver it's absolutely stunning; on rails almost. Did Ford offer some kind of sports suspension kit? The car seems to sit lower than standard.The wheels look good in the pictures, but in reality they're in a shocking state so I would guess them to be original.

[Lord Sterling]

Well, I've checked the plate on www.rac.co.uk and your Mondeo has indded been registered as a "Ghia"

 

I reckon the Mondeo has either been wrongly registered as a Ghia at Ford, or that the wheels and interior have been changed down to an Si spec.

 

The RS bodykit may have been added on by one of the owners early on in its life as one of its options but wheels are not RS ones, and indeed from the Si pack.

 

This are the kind of alloys ford would have offered with the bodykit:

 

I once borrowed a Rover 820Si which is the lowest spec Rover 800 you can, but it had the ull Sterling spec added on by one of the owners so it felt like a Sterling.

 

Lord Sterling

[andrew e]

Early factory Si's had the type RS ones you could get as an accesory - a 6 spoker with a blue cap. Yours has mk 2 Si wheels. Is it a local car? If its Rod Allen or Billericay service station I can answer you....