Essexman's Mk2 Granny estate, Slow progress......

[HMC]

Manage to grab a little bit of time on this at the weekend. Not a lot done but little by little I'm chipping away at it. Finished rigging up the carb. It originally had a fuel return from the carb to the tank and the new one hasn't, I added a T-piece with a restrictor near the inlet to the carb allowing the feed to the return.

 

The return to povo spec continues, with a blade stuck onto the leading edge of the bonnet having now gone. I think it was from a Ghia x and looked odd as its supposed to have chrome eyebrow things over the indicators that follow on from it...

 

Removing it left some holes, to add to the ones being made by corrosion on the bonnet leading edge elsewhere.

 

Upside down but you get the idea . It would have been easier to lob a bit of filler in the hole but I decided to break out the MIG instead..

Oh well, 2 down and 4 to go!

[danthecapriman]

Nice! How is the front edge of your bonnet rust wise? It seems to be a common place to rot on these.

Mines very bad. Rusted through almost all the way along the width of it. I really need to weld it up or replace the bonnet as it's currently held together with gaffer tape!

[HMC]

It's not great at one place especially where the inner and outer have gone, Initially I had been half heartedly browsing e bay for a better panel but gave up as there was never anything listed!

 

I've just remembered you mentioned this blade was missing on your Ghia- your welcome to it if you want it!

[danthecapriman]

The whole front end chrome is missing on mine! I'm not sure wether or not to put the chrome bits onto mine, I think they look nicer and a bit less fussy without it, I don't think all Ghia models had them anyway.

 

I did try to get a really good bonnet from a banger racer for mine but the tosser refused point blank to let me buy it, even when I said he could have my old one so he could still race! Apparently it would have made his banger look crap!! I could do with welding mine ASAP really.

[HMC]

Folk with long memories may recall I've been gradually de-ghia-ing this entry level estate. The original owner wanted the most metal for his money and to hell with luxuries. Subsequent owners have protested at the poverty spec by gradually sticking/ screwing on Ghia bits and pieces. I meanwhile am proud of its humble origins and have been returning it to its poverty spec roots.

 

The current grill was a decadent chromed Ghia one, and I've been browsing about for a lower spec one, whilst at the same time wondering what to do about the reputedly woeful headlamps. Then a period accessory Hella grill cropped up and I've just trial fitted it on the granny....

[NorfolkNWeigh]

You do realise this is just the start of 80's accessorising don't you?

[andrew e]

Hold out for a standard grill I reckon? Might look better with the black bumpers though.

[Bren]

Had a mk V tina with one of those grills.

[danthecapriman]

Cool, not seen one of those grills for ages.

 

On a similar note, I was out at work the other day and ended up following a pre facelift mk2 2.0L estate, this one had no roof bars and looked good without them. It was lovely! It's nice to see these in lower spec.

[Eddie Honda]

You do realise this is just the start of 80's accessorising don't you?

 

And before you know it, you'll have gone bonkers past Ghia X spec and into orbit.

 

Sparkrite_Voyager_003 by E Honda, on Flickr