Wibble Posted November 12, 2021 Author Share Posted November 12, 2021 57 minutes ago, omegod said: Lovely Senator, I love a big old 90's Vaux , here's my 17 k Omega Just WOW! Tenmil Socket 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibble Posted January 28, 2022 Author Share Posted January 28, 2022 Hi everyone, thought it was about time for an update. Parked up the Skoda on Christmas Eve after work and decided I’d use the Senator over the break. None of it’s exiting issues have been resolved yet though, so ABS light still on and no audio. First trip out and returned to find all the windows steamed up, yep, fucksticks, the heater matrix has sprung a leak ☹️Not surprised as it did this 20 years ago and I just added Radweld back then😁. New matrix has been bought but water pump also grumbling so it’s off the road again for now but looks like I can get the matrix out through footwell and not have to remove the dash🤞 As for the Cortina, it’s still hibernating but I’ll let you all into a secret. I love this car…… but it is shit to drive! I knew when I bought it but it was too rare to not buy. It needs a mighty amount of force to stop it, the clutch is ridiculously heavy and so is the steering. Parts have been accumulated to try to resolve these issues, such as steering knuckle (which was seized), clutch cable and ball joints, but I suspect the servo isn’t servoing! And you can’t get them. As I pondered all this, I realised on my recent birthday, that 30 years ago I was also working on a blue Cortina: Started off with a quick spruce up but soon found serious rot in A post, inner and outer sills, inner wing etc, so: Much welding commenced, carried out by a mate. I then realised the doors were too far gone, so found a set of 4, painted them by rattle can( check out the Mink Grey (beige!) Cavalier in the background)The finished result was good and even then got me lots of thumbs up but I didn’t take proper after photos unfortunately, just this oneSorry for long post! Shite Ron, N19, mat_the_cat and 16 others 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibble Posted January 30, 2022 Author Share Posted January 30, 2022 Anyway, back to present day and the Mk4. I really fancied some tunes but wanted to leave the original radio in place. Also, there is no aerial as no one’s been brave enough to drill the replacement wings which have been fitted some time in the past. so, I thought I’d install a CD radio in the glovebox. Bought a NOS unit and a subtle self adhesive internal aerial which I stuck to inside of windscreen and fed through the dentist vent. I didn’t want to cut the door cards or drill the parcel shelf so mounted small speakers under the dash. Drilled a hole through the back of the glove box and wired it all up, using power feed from original radio, which did power up. Long story short, it doesn’t fucking work! Wiring checked and triple checked, the stereo is a duffer. What a fucking waste of time😡 Shite Ron, Dyslexic Viking and grogee 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustybullethole Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 Sounds like the hard works done on that man. Hopefully a new head unit will sort it. Love that Cortina, much prefer the 4’s to the 5’s subtle differences make them far superior imho. Matty 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibble Posted January 30, 2022 Author Share Posted January 30, 2022 Thanks @Rustybullethole I will swap it out for another and much work still to do. Should be worth it though, check out the one now listed on eBay😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustybullethole Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 This one!!! Oh my😳 ProgRocker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibble Posted January 30, 2022 Author Share Posted January 30, 2022 3 minutes ago, Rustybullethole said: This one!!! Oh my😳 Lol, that’s the one. It’s much better than mine but not That much better😆 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grogee Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 I was lucky enough to drive a Cortina from Ford's heritage collection a while back. It was a silver Crusader 1.6 saloon. I don't remember it being hard to drive, apart from unassisted steering at parking speeds. Although it was among the least interesting of the collection, it was a realization of a dream in that I always wanted to drive my Dad's 1.6L estate aged 5-8. The one thing that stood out to me was how the car would let you know it was unhappy, eg if you tried to labour it in too high a gear the whole cabin would shake and grumble. Modernz mask this much better but maybe this leads to "bad" (mechanically unsympathetic) driving as a result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibble Posted January 30, 2022 Author Share Posted January 30, 2022 Lucky you @grogee! I drove plenty of cortina’s back in the day and they were all light and easy to drive, so I know mine has issues but they will be resolved! Agree 100% about unsympathetic driving techniques. I often cringe when people are labouring in too high a gear but the car doesn’t protest enough for them to notice. grogee 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metal Guru Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 6 hours ago, Wibble said: Lucky you @grogee! I drove plenty of cortina’s back in the day and they were all light and easy to drive, so I know mine has issues but they will be resolved! Agree 100% about unsympathetic driving techniques. I often cringe when people are labouring in too high a gear but the car doesn’t protest enough for them to notice. Compared to todays cars , Cortinas would seem heavy to drive. Non power steering , although RWD and 165 tyres did help . My Dad had a MkIII 2.0 XL and the clutch was very heavy compared to the Datsun my brother had. My Mum didn’t like it and the MKIV ( 2.0GL) and MKV (2.3 GL) we’re both autos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bren Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 My senator had inoperative heater controls - it was one of the first cars to have that kind of set up - it blew hot air all the time - no good in July - a long trip meant you were down to sbout 6 stone. It was cured with a plumbing valve fitted to the hoses in the engine bay. I summer you just closed the valve. What a result. Cortinas are not noted for being sharp - it really is part of the attraction. I like the endless third gear, the rear seat that always seems to collapse when you sat on them. I do not recall the clutch being unduly heavy however brakes are poor and at low speed the steering is heavy. A 2.0 or 2.3 S please. JeeExEll 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shite Ron Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 I agree about the rear seat on mk4’s, I do enjoy sitting in them though on the very rare occasions I get to sit in the back, I am mostly in the driving seat for the past 35 years. I find the brakes adequate when well maintained, far better than an XJ6 which would not slow down anywhere near as well. I took the power steering off my 1982 2.3 Ghia estate when I was using it everyday as I thought it would improve the feel and not sap power. The mk4 Ghia estate I have has power steering but I would not say it is any better than those without, it is not necessary on such a light car with 185 tyres, I even had 205’s on my 2.3 estate for a while. I always preferred the GL model to the S but the S does have some appeal now and we have one in the fleet: JeeExEll, Dyslexic Viking, 155V6 and 7 others 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibble Posted January 31, 2022 Author Share Posted January 31, 2022 Love the S @Shite Ron and yes, rear seat is soft as! I never had issues with poor brakes or heavy steering/clutch back in the day. I remember sitting on my dad’s lap steering his Mk4 when I was about 7. Steering wasn’t difficult for me then! I know these aspects of my car are not right but, as said before, I will get to the bottom of it. Glad to say @Bren, heater controls work fine on my Senator. Blows hot or cold, now just with added steam when on hot🙁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbowditch Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 I had the master cylinder resleeved at PastParts in my Mk4 Cortina and the brakes are really good. So as you say I'm sure it just wear and tear in your braking and steering to blame for the issues you describe. Mechanics are a breeze on Cortinas, its the dreaded tinworn that killed most of them Wibble 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveDorson Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 There's something about a MKIV Cortina pre '80 facelift on dartboards that just does it for me. Lovely stuff. tooSavvy and Wibble 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibble Posted February 1, 2022 Author Share Posted February 1, 2022 5 hours ago, cbowditch said: I had the master cylinder resleeved at PastParts in my Mk4 Cortina and the brakes are really good. So as you say I'm sure it just wear and tear in your braking and steering to blame for the issues you describe. Mechanics are a breeze on Cortinas, its the dreaded tinworn that killed most of them Yep, wear and tear/age is what I think. Lower ball joints still look original riveted ones, haven’t looked at uppers. Got nearly all the bits I need and with lighter evenings on the horizon, I hope to get stuck back into it soon. cbowditch 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibble Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 Uh oh, Mrs Wibble and both Wiblets have tested positive for the plague. Not sure I’m going to avoid this lurgy for much longer 🙁 Cookiesouwest and grogee 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesacosa Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 On 1/30/2022 at 8:20 PM, grogee said: I was lucky enough to drive a Cortina from Ford's heritage collection a while back. It was a silver Crusader 1.6 saloon. 8. blimey how did you manage that. I've worked there for almost 20 years and they barely let us even see them grogee 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grogee Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 8 minutes ago, wesacosa said: blimey how did you manage that. I've worked there for almost 20 years and they barely let us even see them I was a muttering rotter (motoring writer) for Which? Magazine. We did a piece comparing Cortina V to Mondeo IV, and compared running costs using independent fuel economy tests, inflation information, average wage etc to compare Then and Now (well, 2010) running costs. I took the Cortina from Dagenham to Brooklands for a photo shoot, then took it back again. At Dagenham plant I was really impressed with the collection and sat in an RS200, desperately trying to think of a legitimate reason why I needed that car for a week... Previous to that I worked in Dunton as an engineer and as you rightly say - the grunts get FA in terms of perks. wesacosa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesacosa Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 3 minutes ago, grogee said: I was a muttering rotter (motoring writer) for Which? Magazine. We did a piece comparing Cortina V to Mondeo IV, and compared running costs using independent fuel economy tests, inflation information, average wage etc to compare Then and Now (well, 2010) running costs. I took the Cortina from Dagenham to Brooklands for a photo shoot, then took it back again. At Dagenham plant I was really impressed with the collection and sat in an RS200, desperately trying to think of a legitimate reason why I needed that car for a week... Previous to that I worked in Dunton as an engineer and as you rightly say - the grunts get FA in terms of perks. ah cool. I worked between Dunton and Dagenham (currently at Dunton) When I was at Dagenham we had one open day in the heritage center where we could have a nosy but they never did it again grogee 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibble Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 Bloody hell @grogee I’m so jealous and you @wesacosa! I’d love to have a drive in another Cortina, just to reaffirm mine is as bad as I’m sure it is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grogee Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 2 minutes ago, Wibble said: Bloody hell @grogee I’m so jealous and you @wesacosa! I’d love to have a drive in another Cortina, just to reaffirm mine is as bad as I’m sure it is! Well likewise, I wish there was a Cortina on my drive! Yours doesn't look at all bad and they're pretty simple things so a few new balljoints and bushes will have her running like clockwork I'm sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesacosa Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 I had this one in 2003 I think. Cardinal red over Stratos silver Crusader Auto. Identical to one my friends mum had when I was a kid. It was for sale recently for a rather large sum of money ( I sold it in 2005 for £375, which was actually a small profit) Here it is from a for sale thread last year woodbine and uk_senator 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibble Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 18 minutes ago, grogee said: Well likewise, I wish there was a Cortina on my drive! Yours doesn't look at all bad and they're pretty simple things so a few new balljoints and bushes will have her running like clockwork I'm sure. Thank you, I know mine is pretty good really and I will sort it’s issues soon👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibble Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 14 minutes ago, wesacosa said: I had this one in 2003 I think. Cardinal red over Stratos silver Crusader Auto. Identical to one my friends mum had when I was a kid. It was for sale recently for a rather large sum of money ( I sold it in 2005 for £375, which was actually a small profit) Here it is from a for sale thread last year Prices are mad now, local classic dealer to me is asking just shy of £15k for a Ghia at the moment 😧 wesacosa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesacosa Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 yeah its crazy. yours looks great.I used to much prefer the mk5 over the mk4 but not sure I do anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibble Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 I love both as I have many good memories of each. Mk5 has much better seats though! Shite Ron and wesacosa 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datsuncog Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 My 2.0 estate remains the only car MrsDC really hated driving. I didn't think it was that bad; she reckoned the clutch and steering were dreadful. I thought I did quite well getting £675 for it when I sold it in 2010. If only I'd had a garage to push it into... grogee, Wibble and Amishtat 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibble Posted February 7, 2022 Author Share Posted February 7, 2022 5 hours ago, Datsuncog said: My 2.0 estate remains the only car MrsDC really hated driving. I didn't think it was that bad; she reckoned the clutch and steering were dreadful. I thought I did quite well getting £675 for it when I sold it in 2010. If only I'd had a garage to push it into... I love an estate. Dad had a 1980 Mk5 1.6 auto base new back in the day. Many happy memories of that car. Wish I could get that for £675 now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metal Guru Posted February 8, 2022 Share Posted February 8, 2022 6 hours ago, Wibble said: I love an estate. Dad had a 1980 Mk5 1.6 auto base new back in the day. Many happy memories of that car. Wish I could get that for £675 now! My Dad had a 2.3 GL auto Estate. Seemed a fast car back then but 116bhp is nothing these days. Wibble 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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