Brookjms 1989 Escort 1.4L

[HMC]

This old scrapyard refugee first surfaced on Autoshite a few years back with Garycox as owner. Apparently there was some deal in the past where it came as part of a house clearance. It had been laid up for some years, it certainly has that feel about it. Its very solid structurally, having been spared several winters use, yet there small dents in unusual places and some scratches on the roof; presumably a result of things being either put on or dropped on it whilst it was tucked away. Phil_lhip stepped in when it was surplus to requirements, got it through the MOT and after a trade he got the Rover 220 back, and I the Escort.

 

Garycox's for sale pic from 2014- it hasnt changed much.

 

I remember well my mum having a new one of these. F355JBU would have been a few months older than this one (had it survived) It seemed odd to 9 year old me that as a new car it clattered onto the drive, its 1.1 cvh never really ran that smoothly, particularly if it was revved. Her later fiesta cvh was better but had really bad oil sludging problems. Around this time the late Russell Bulgin tested the CVH engined mkIII fiesta RS turbo in CAR. He reconned it was coarse, that if it was a human its calling card would have been halitosis. Ouch! So what am I doing with this? I must admit as a buyer myself I've always steered clear. Out of well over 100 cars its only my second Ford and first Escort. Maybe its nostalgia? These days your far more likely to see or read about a sporty one rather than one of the lower range hacks.

 

Whats it like? The engine isnt half as rough as I was expecting, although it sounds a right old banger at the mo with a badly blowing manifold. It pulls well enough, Although the front sits quite low, and it wallows at the front end. Handily new front springs and shocks are in the boot. The body, as said is really pretty solid, its period in slumber and relatively light use before then (60k- not much history but I bet its genuine) has preserved it quite well. It certainly drives nicely apart form the soft front end, though smokes a bit on a cold start (tired valve stem oil seals)

 

As an 'L' it siits low in the range. I was suprised to find both a 5 speed box and a sunroof- these were added to the L options in '87 and '88 in a bid to keep the ageing model selling well.

 

 

No rev counter, but by some modern stardards, a reasonable spread of gauges rather than warning lights.

 

 

 

This is all the earlier history it came with!

 

originally registered in Glasgow I think. The paintwork is a bit of a mixed bag. Most of it is factory original, but the rear 1/4s have had paint. They did a decent job of masking it off but the paint was done in a bit of a rush. Maybe it was used as a stunt car in Taggart? The slight 2 tone effect has gone following a good cut and polish.

 

As well as the dull paint there were a few giffer touches- a faded pink and silver coach line and those lock plate things that people often boshed around mangled up locks.

I decided there should be pride in it being a low spec model, deciding to put it back to standard rather than have it look like someone trying to pretend it was a ghia or whatever after a halfords visit....

 

 

 

 

These arent wired up at the mo, they look loud. Theres a weedy one behind thats wired in presently.

 

I popped it into my workshop and replaced the timing belt...

 

 

 

The rusty/ sagging front springs/shocks were next. The pinch bolt on the offside front strut where the shock absorber assembly/ stub axle joins was seized and unfortunately sheared off, So a few steps forward but one back too!

 

At this point I had a visitor who wondered why Dad was messing about with an old heap...

 

[phil_lihp]

Well done Matthew, you've achieved vastly more with this in one day than I managed in 3 months!  I was charmed by its originality and basic honesty, apart from the iffy paint on the back it seems to have been largely just maintained and not messed with, even down to the original wheel trims.  It's clearly gone to the right person and it looks so much better for a decent wash and polish.

[Pillock]

Excellent writeup, that does look quite minty there.

My mum had one as her first company car - although a bit earlier on a late '88, it was an LX so gained (from what I can see of your pics) a rev counter, black lower body paint (very late-80s), a joystick for the fader and balance controls and had wheeltrims that looked like Scorpio alloys. It was also a 1.4 which was a smoother engine. As soon as she got it, our jealous neighbours went and ordered an Escort exactly the same as yours - colour, spec, and year once it was delivered so it got the later '89 grille.

[JohnK]

I like this. Wish I hadn't got rid of my MK3!

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

Lovely old car - and a brilliant last photo!

[greengartside]

Major WANT for this little Escort - she's a beauty!

[dollywobbler]

Love the door lock trims. Presumably they were for drunk drivers who were struggling to find the lock.

[trigger]

Lovely old thing, I wish I hadn't sold my old 1.6 GL.

[JohnDeere]

Any idea why it was registered just a couple of weeks before the G-prefix came along (from the PDI date)?

[Negative Creep]

So the first owner could get a good deal perhaps?

[cms206]

[Shep Shepherd]

^

Brilliant! Quite surprised that there were no late model Cortinas on offer, though.

 

There used to be an Escort Ecosse in Sandwich in the early 1990s; even then I had an idea that it was a Scottish Ford Dealer's home-spun special edition

[cms206]

Scottish Ford Dealers you say...

[HMC]

Great Ad- around that time this scrote must have been sat on the Peoples' forecourt. I for one have never seen an Escort 1.3 'Cosmopolitan' Maybe its just a LHD escort!!

[Hendry]

Love the look of this and the original Peoples bits and pieces.

 

This would've originally been sold here:

http://www.arnoldclark.com/find-a-dealer-search/rutherglen-ford---fiat/ref/arnek/

 

Peoples do still exist as a Ford dealer in Edinburgh, Falkirk, Livingston and Merseyside (Bootle, Speke, Prescot) and Accrington. The Glasgow one lost its franchise in 2000 when Ford were doing their CMA (central marketing area) reshuffle, became Peoples Plus (used car dealership) then was sold to Arnie Shark in 03 who got the Ford franchise back. My uncle had an '89 Orion from there too. 1.4 LX, only additional spec I remember both it and my dads mk3 (mk5 Escort shape) '91 1.6 LX having over L spec Escorts was central locking and an alarm.

[Shep Shepherd]

Great Ad- around that time this scrote must have been sat on the Peoples' forecourt. I for one have never seen an Escort 1.3 'Cosmopolitan' Maybe its just a LHD escort!!

 

There used to be one of those in my village when I was growing up. It was a Diamond White 5-door with 'tricoat' white wheelcovers and 'Cosmopolitan' logos on its doors and tailgate. It was a factory special worthy of a mention in Jeremy Walton's Escort book

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

At this point I had a visitor who wondered why Dad was messing about with an old heap...

 

IMG_57151.JPG

 

Me in late 1986:

 

[HMC]

^ great pic!

 

Thumbing though the history  theres 96 and 97 tax discs (stamped Forest Gate East London), then a jump to 2012. The vosa site has its first MOT (since computerisation) as late 2011 which Ties in with the next tax disc in the sequence.

 

Pieceing the limited info I have together- 1989 Glasgow, 1996-97 East London, off the road 1997- 2011, then an East London MOT late 2011 when it returned to the road. If this is basically what happened it at least helps to explaing how it survived beyond the late 90s. The sad case I am I checked the F54*FNS ford registrations on the DVLA site and none seem to have lasted beyond 2000.

[greengartside]

^ great pic!

 

Thumbing though the history  theres 96 and 97 tax discs (stamped Forest Gate East London), then a jump to 2012. The vosa site has its first MOT (since computerisation) as late 2011 which Ties in with the next tax disc in the sequence.

 

Pieceing the limited info I have together- 1989 Glasgow, 1996-97 East London, off the road 1997- 2011, then an East London MOT late 2011 when it returned to the road. If this is basically what happened it at least helps to explaing how it survived beyond the late 90s. The sad case I am I checked the F54*FNS ford registrations on the DVLA site and none seem to have lasted beyond 2000.

 

Just makes you wonder how it ended up in the Big Smoke? House move? ebay purchase maybe? Very interesting nontheless.

[MarvinsMom]

gosh that is wonderfully grim, i'd love to have that sat on my drive!

 

i couldn't tell you the last time i saw a mark 4 escort

[cms206]

 

 

The sad case I am I checked the F54*FNS ford registrations on the DVLA site and none seem to have lasted beyond 2000.

May I recomment never doing that to extremes. I went through ALL of the registration batch of my Volvos... the Sigmund Cox is the last survivor of 100 in it's registration series, the Council Estate is the last survivor of 150 IIRC.

[alf892]

Reading this has just reminded me I offered to give Phil_lip a valve spring compressor for it.........so apologies to him.....I just clean forgot!

 

If if is any use to you let me know.......

[HMC]

^ Cheers Alf, will be in touch if I need it!

 

Done a stint on this this weekend. Following a lot of cursing after the snapped shock/ stub axle pinch bolt, I started plan B. Building up some weld on the exposed end and then welding a nut onto that also failed to do the trick, even with neighbour and MIG ace Steve helping later.

So I moved on to plan C.....

 

Take the stub axle to bits and replace with a good second hand casting. I'll replace anything as required including the bearing as it was a bit pitted on the races.

Old and new; the replacement bits ( aside from the stub axle ) all came with the car.

 

I very thoroughly soaked the other bolt in penetrating oil on the other side, in the hope of avoiding the same shenanigans, which thankfully worked- so swapping the spring and shock assembly on the other side by comparison is going to be a whole load less hassle.

 

I must say though, for me the whole point is to be more involved in spannering and I'm enjoying it. This has delayed things so its not going to be ready for shitefest and ill chug along in the Volvo 760 diesel instead.

[JohnK]

Looking good this!

[phil_lihp]

Top work! And there's a valve spring compressor in the boot with the other bits.

[HillmanImp]

With being busy on the GT6 I have missed this (and probably a fair few other things). Top bombing sir.