Project 1975 Ford Granada Coupe - Lots & lots of tinkering

[Pete-M]

Very nice job indeed. 

Makes me feel guilty for not hanging on to the 3.0 Ghia coupé I had in the 80s.

[Datsuncog]

On 2/14/2021 at 4:49 PM, Out Run said:

Apologies if already covered, but are you EverArd Junction on YouTube @TripleRich?

 

On 2/18/2021 at 8:21 PM, TripleRich said:

Yes that's me.  I'll be doing a video on the car once I get it out on the road. 

Huh??

All this stunning work on the Granada, and then you built that railway too?

I probably shouldn't be too surprised - the attention to detail is equally fastidious, on the real thing and in miniature.

Loving the recent changes to the scrapyard scene - MOAR top work!

[TripleRich]

Well the moment finally came where I could go out for a test drive.  I chucked some basic tools in the boot and set off onto tarmac for the first time in 26 years.

On the first drive I found a few niggles but nothing serious.  Made some timing and tuning adjustments along the way.  Returned to the workshop and fixed the niggles over the course of an afternoon.

I've since completed a second drive and covered about 50 miles or so without issue.  Very pleased with the car and will be sorting out some proper video footage now I know it works.

• Engine is really smooth and quiet, pulls well and happily does 70 and over without issue
• Gearbox was the right call, put it in 5th and its so much better at higher speeds, think its about 3k rpm or less at 70mph 
• Suspension is very soft and smooth, no clunks or noises so far
• No serious rattles or fitment issues from the interior 
• Can't feel any driveline vibration which was a relief as the prop and gearbox are not original
• Diff seems happy, there is a slight whine as you use the engine to slow down in 3rd
• Possible slight rattle from the exhaust over some bumps  
• Electrics seem fine
• Temp is a quite low, I have a feeling the thermostat has stuck open, will investigate in future
• Even the speedo is accurate despite having a different gearbox 
• Not used a drop of oil or coolant and so far there are no leaks

Overall its not really put a foot wrong and has run a treat.  Very very happy.  There's a lot that can go wrong when all these bits have to start working.  Other restorations have had me back in the workshop for days fixing issues.  Pleased and relieved that my own car just worked! 

Here's some engine running stuff from the workshop after I'd finished some timing adjustments.

[High Jetter]

Time for a smug grin, then. Brilliant, well done.

[bunglebus]

Awesome. The car probably wondered what the hell has happened to the world in the last quarter century

[sutty2006]

Looks stunning still.

[fordmad80]

Stunning absolutely stunning well done and thanks for sharing with us

Sent from my PCT-L29 using Tapatalk

[DeeJay]

This deserves to be back on the first page.

Time to enjoy now. 

[TripleRich]

I've had the car back at home for a while now.  Still a few things to tinker with, there always will be on a car like this.  Have been waiting for some better weather to get out and enjoy the car.

First job today was the thermostat.  I had a feeling it was stuck open and it certainly was.

After changing that and bleeding the cooling system I changed the oil and filter.  The engine was fully rebuilt so it's worth changing the oil as soon as its done a few heat cycles.  Gets all the assembly lube and stuff out of the engine.

I had a look at the exhaust and located the source of the rattle.  I think I've sorted it but will keep an ear out.  Did a few other jobs and went for a drive.

Covered 41 miles and had a very nice time.  Car performed very well and the new thermostat was very welcome as I could have the heater on a bit.  Generally bumbled about the country lanes and pulled over for the odd picture.  Chucked it in a few bends and had a laugh.  Handles very well, just make sure any passengers hold on! 

With the service complete and thermostat sorted I'll get the proper camera out next time and make a video.  

[billy_bunter]

Only one meme to give you for this.....

I lied it was two. Enjoy the fruits of all that work!

 

 

[High Jetter]

Take it gently, but give it some exercise.

[danthecapriman]

Looks absolutely fab!👍

I wish I could go for a drive in mine!

[TripleRich]

Finally had a nice sunny day this weekend so I've put together a video.  Still some tinkering to do and you'll notice I've not quite cured that exhaust rattle.  Done 120 miles this weekend and it's been a joy to drive. 

 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

5 minutes ago, TripleRich said:

.....  Done 120 miles this weekend and it's been a joy to drive.

After each drive, how many hours will it take to clean all the dirt off?

[TripleRich]

I wont be counting those!  I'm now in the never ending cleaning and polishing phase.  So far it's just a few dead bugs on the windscreen.  I'll stick to driving in the nicer weather.

[schonker]

You've restored this just right, it looks like it's a few months old not some over retired show queen.Fantastic!

[bezzabsa]

1 hour ago, TripleRich said:

I wont be counting those!  I'm now in the never ending cleaning and polishing phase.  So far it's just a few dead bugs on the windscreen.  I'll stick to driving in the nicer weather.

slap some ceramic coating on it..supposed to make cleaning a piece of p*ss...

and what happened to cars...look at todays identimobiles, and then look at that Granada..Gorgeous...

would you consider throwing a 3.0 in it? or is the 2.3 there forever??

[TripleRich]

It's been a while!  Weather the past month was so grim and damp I left the car in the safety of the garage.  Got the car back out this weekend and did a few small jobs.

First was the exhaust rattle which was becoming very annoying.  The exhaust is an aftermarket unit and about the only one still being made for Granada's.  I had a load of fun trying to get it to fit properly when I first installed it.  The rattle is coming from both sides of the system knocking on the carrier for the propshaft centre bearing.  Not much I can do as the exhaust is just so close.  For now I've put some rubber blocks between both silencers and the floor of the car.  These force the system down by a few mm and stop the rattle.  Its far enough down the system to avoid concerns about heat but I will of course be keeping an eye on it.

Checked all the fluids etc.  Checked for any leaks and I'm well pleased it's not losing a drop of anything (so far).  

Went out for a drive and it was very well behaved, even better now the rattle has gone.  Very smooth and quiet which was just what I wanted from this car.  All that extra sound deadening seems to have really helped.  

Gave it a decent workout and did about 40 miles or so.  It's a laugh in the bends, handles very well but you do feel like falling out.  I must say I'm very pleased with the XAS tyres.

One job I've been meaning to do for a while is give the vinyl roof a proper clean and remove all the paint and polish residue.  I've also attempted to waterproof it a little with various silicon based products.  There's plenty of epoxy primer on the roof but I'm not taking any chances!  

Have also booked in for FOTU.  Not too far from me and car will manage alright, should be a good trip.  Been to so many shows over the years but never had anything to show myself.  Looking forward to it.

[red5]

Superb.

My uncle ran Mkiv Zodiacs,  Granada Coupes and  Capris throughout my childhood. Fond memories...

[Isaac Hunt]

8 hours ago, TripleRich said:

It's been a while!  Weather the past month was so grim and damp I left the car in the safety of the garage.  Got the car back out this weekend and did a few small jobs.

First was the exhaust rattle which was becoming very annoying.  The exhaust is an aftermarket unit and about the only one still being made for Granada's.  I had a load of fun trying to get it to fit properly when I first installed it.  The rattle is coming from both sides of the system knocking on the carrier for the propshaft centre bearing.  Not much I can do as the exhaust is just so close.  For now I've put some rubber blocks between both silencers and the floor of the car.  These force the system down by a few mm and stop the rattle.  Its far enough down the system to avoid concerns about heat but I will of course be keeping an eye on it.

Checked all the fluids etc.  Checked for any leaks and I'm well pleased it's not losing a drop of anything (so far).  

Went out for a drive and it was very well behaved, even better now the rattle has gone.  Very smooth and quiet which was just what I wanted from this car.  All that extra sound deadening seems to have really helped.  

Gave it a decent workout and did about 40 miles or so.  It's a laugh in the bends, handles very well but you do feel like falling out.  I must say I'm very pleased with the XAS tyres.

One job I've been meaning to do for a while is give the vinyl roof a proper clean and remove all the paint and polish residue.  I've also attempted to waterproof it a little with various silicon based products.  There's plenty of epoxy primer on the roof but I'm not taking any chances!  

Have also booked in for FOTU.  Not too far from me and car will manage alright, should be a good trip.  Been to so many shows over the years but never had anything to show myself.  Looking forward to it.

You may well walk away with the top car trophy, although it isn’t a poverty spec version of the model,  can’t remember when I last saw one

[High Jetter]

Trophyious gatherous exeunt. (Or, Rich wins.) FOTU? It is exceptional, will you be allowed in?

[TripleRich]

Since the last post I've been making the most of the nice weather and using the Granada to go to work.  Been out in the evenings too and made sure to give it decent workout.

I've covered another 200 miles and have been keeping a close eye on the car.  For the most part it's been excellent and a real joy to drive.  It's also slowly revealed a few small niggles which is to be expected for any car that's had a restoration.

Spend the day going through some of the niggles and giving everything underneath a good look over.  Well worth doing as you'll find stuff you didn't know about.  In my case I found a small brake fluid leak from a fitting that needed tightening a bit more.  Well worth taking the time to give things a thorough going over during your first 1000 miles of driving.

Checked over the engine and pulled the plugs.  I'm no expert when it comes to reading plugs but these certainly look happy to me.  Timing looks close too with a colour change right on the 90 degree part of the strap.

I also tightened the rocker covers as they were starting to weep a bit of oil.  Checked the fuel filter and changed a section of line I wasn't happy with.  Also performed various other small jobs.

A bigger job concerned the diff.  Whilst driving in 3rd or 4th gear at anywhere from 20 to 40mph there was a noticeable whine from the diff when you let off the throttle.  I decided to sort it out as it can become quite annoying once you notice it's there.

To fix I need to tighten the pinion nut a faction more.  The will increase the preload and reduce or stop the noise.  On a Granada this is a pain to get to as you have to split the diff to reach the nut.

Drop the driveshaft, unbolt the diff from the beam, removed the large rear bushing bolt, remove the bolts attaching the extension housing to the diff and you can then tighten the pinion nut.

I marked the position and added a touch more preload.  Put everything back together and went for a test drive.  Pleased to say 90% of the noise has been eliminated, I'll keep an eye on it but I'm happy I managed that on the first go.  It's not something you want to do twice!

[Skizzer]

It’s an absolute joy to see you using this and giving as much attention to detail in de-snagging the running as you did in the main restoration.

It must also be nice to work on a clean car with no rust, gunk, perished hoses, crumbly wires or seized bolts!

[High Jetter]

Proper shakedown, following a stunning resto. If you get a sound 1,000 miles on it you can be confident everything is as it should be. Sale, or keep?

[TripleRich]

On 6/5/2021 at 11:04 PM, High Jetter said:

Proper shakedown, following a stunning resto. If you get a sound 1,000 miles on it you can be confident everything is as it should be. Sale, or keep?

I'll certainly be keeping it for the time being.  Working on it for as long as I have got me very attached to the car.  I did consider selling if it turned out to be problematic, dull or difficult to drive.  Truth is I love driving it and would drive it every day if I could. 

[TripleRich]

I've done about another 300 miles since the last post.  Generally using it as a car and mostly going back and forth to work.  As the weather has been getting increasingly hot I've noticed the engine temperature creeping up a little bit each time.  

Was out for a jolly on a hot evening and the temp climbed over the 3/4 mark.  This resulted in some quite spectacular vapor lock which lead to me being stranded in the middle of nowhere!  I took the airbox off to have a look and the carb sounded like frying bacon.  All the fuel in the engine bay was either boiling or full of bubbles.

While the engine didn't actually overheat the fuel just couldn't handle the heat.  Modern fuel boils at lower temperatures than the old stuff.  Results are vapor lock being a much more common issue than it used to be.  Nothing I could do apart from wait hours for the car to cool.  So with it getting dark I phoned a mate and got a tow home via his trusty Rover Tomcat.  Unfortunately it was so dark I didn't take any more pictures.

I've jammed the thermostat open as a temporary measure.  Car now runs at a quarter on the gauge in 30 degree heat and seems just fine.  I've ordered a cooler stat and that should solve the problem.  One fitted was an 87 so I'll go down to an 82 and see how things go.  Apart from that I've no major issues and the car seems to be running very well.

[High Jetter]

Even broken, it still looks fab!

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, TripleRich said:

I've done about another 300 miles since the last post.  Generally using it as a car and mostly going back and forth to work.  As the weather has been getting increasingly hot I've noticed the engine temperature creeping up a little bit each time.  

Was out for a jolly on a hot evening and the temp climbed over the 3/4 mark.  This resulted in some quite spectacular vapor lock which lead to me being stranded in the middle of nowhere!  I took the airbox off to have a look and the carb sounded like frying bacon.  All the fuel in the engine bay was either boiling or full of bubbles.

While the engine didn't actually overheat the fuel just couldn't handle the heat.  Modern fuel boils at lower temperatures than the old stuff.  Results are vapor lock being a much more common issue than it used to be.  Nothing I could do apart from wait hours for the car to cool.  So with it getting dark I phoned a mate and got a tow home via his trusty Rover Tomcat.  Unfortunately it was so dark I didn't take any more pictures.

I've jammed the thermostat open as a temporary measure.  Car now runs at a quarter on the gauge in 30 degree heat and seems just fine.  I've ordered a cooler stat and that should solve the problem.  One fitted was an 87 so I'll go down to an 82 and see how things go.  Apart from that I've no major issues and the car seems to be running very well.

Basically exactly the same as happened to me on the M1 the other day.  Thankfully being injected meant the cool down required was minutes rather than hours (reckon it was just in the lines between the distributor and injectors themselves that it had boiled).

Some foil lagging on the fuel lines will be getting added and I'm pondering an electric helper fan which I can kick on at a lower temperature than the stock one to help keep air moving.

[Noel Tidybeard]

use Esso synergy supreme 99 as it has no ethanol

https://www.esso.co.uk/en-gb/fuels/petrol

[Tadhg Tiogar]

2 hours ago, TripleRich said:

....While the engine didn't actually overheat the fuel just couldn't handle the heat.  Modern fuel boils at lower temperatures than the old stuff.  Results are vapor lock being a much more common issue than it used to be....

Wonder if adding Tetraboost to the petrol might help?