Minimad5's Thread - 309 content

[oldford]

That's a nice little project, I hope it goes to plan. Some years ago I fitted econolights to a Cortina. They comprised of a modified brake servo vacuum hose with a T piece part way down it. A vacuum pipe was connected to the T piece, which was split into two more vacuum hoses. Each one of these hoses was connected to a vacuum switch, one for the orange LED and the other for the red one.As the vacuum source is from the servo hose, it shouldn't matter what type of carburettor is used. If one of the lights is on all the time, there could be a split diaphragm in the switch as the lights are activated when the vacuum is low.

[warren t claim]

Nice work! I LOVE the GL/Ghia wheel centres and embellishers. What size are the tyres?

[Minimad5]

Thanks Old Ford !

I plan on giving the engine a good going over when the weather is a little better, so will check all the pipes then.

 

I had trouble seing the forum earlier so couldn't update.

 

Anyway here we go :

My plan was today to remove the interior, but the weather looked a little scary, so i thought maybe leave it and tidy up the surface rust in the boot.

 

Nice looking boot.

Whipped out the drill and wire brush attachment and what did i unearth..

YAY ! i haz flintstone car

Anyway that did not stop me, and i cleaned up the rest of the rust and

Made a cardboard template.

I then began to use some cheap metal i got (It's not flimsy either)

I wasn't too happy with it, so got out the panel beating kit and give it a little contour / contoure

I did in the end tack it in place, but then RAIN !

so in i ran with heavy little Clarke EN90 in tow.

 

I took some more pictures of holes and rust ! ..

Innerwing.

 

Firewall

 

Lower Valance / Arch

 

Corner of boot.

 

Surface rust on boot (Apart from this the boot is mint ... yeah it's the only panel that is)

 

MORE :

 

and a dint in the rear as previous owner pushed the bumper in.

 

Rear bumper on the kitchen floor and busy knocking out the crease.

 

 

 

Stupid foil stuff that is over every grommet or hole - Why they didn't weld them up instead i never know.

CAN YOU EAR ME BASSLINE INIT ?

Yes fantastic - NOT !. the parcel shelf came like this (Unfortunatly) so a replacement is needed. ff's.

And silly reflectors removed from the rear !

Sorry looking rear with no plate, bumper or silly reflectors.

 

More to come tomorrow (Depending on weather)

[brammy777]

What I really like about this is that you show a genuine enthusiasm, and are not letting the condition of some of the panels get you down. Persevere, and reap your rewards. Its time like this that make me gutted I dont have anywhere to fix up a car.So, aside from the already mentioned, is there any mechanical issues?

[Minimad5]

No the car runs spot on !I have not had it up to full running temperature yet, so i may let it run for abit whilst i whip the interior out and give it a good clean.Knowing me, i will be there for 5 minutes thinking "Why won't it start" .... "Ooh yeah i was welding yesterday and disconnected the battery" After it has got upto temperature and i have heard the fan kick in, i will be happy.Then off with the battery again and continue welding(The eager viewer has spotted i didn't drain the tank when welding, and to be honest i can't just yet. As i have no place to put the tank or the fuel... No garage equals poo)

[brammy777]

You think thats bad, at college once we were confused as to why a car wouldnt start, then realised it was because the immoboliser had been activated. But someone had also put the HT leads in the wrong place.At least it does run fine. As Ive said before, Id love one of these, but a MKII would be a more realistic financial situation for me at least.

[warren t claim]

Have you had a go at driving it yet?

[Minimad5]

Brammy .. Keep saving a little when ever you get money.I got £3 a day for college lunch guess what i eat a full £1 worth of rubbish.The £2 went in my silly piggy and it soon stacked up.To be honest i would rather have Mechanical problems than having to weld or panel beat, as i have been repairing engines since i can remember.The first engine was from an old Lawnmower !I'm still not too happy with the homemade repair panel i made for the boot so i'm going to spend more time on it tomorrow.I know it's not the Autoshite way to spend 2 hours hammering and dollying 7 inches of metal to get a curve and make it sit nice. But i don't want to think "I could of done that better".So, The best i can do on first attempt. Or start again.Thanks for the interest Brammy, keeps me motivated(How my parents put up with me hammering the rear bumper today i don't know. They must hate me as i drum too... I guess i never shut up)

[Tayne]

.

[warren t claim]

Mnimad is fast becoming the Autoshite Edd China!

[Minimad5]

Yeah Warren i drove it from my drive straight into it's not so secret location and i wan't to blow my own trumpet because God damn was it a tite squeezeBut i didn't dint it ;)Thanks Tayne, i was thinking of getting that crap wood from the back of cheap dressing tables, and sticking that underneath.Then getting the "toilet surround carpet" style material it has on the Shelf and go over the thing so it doesn't look like a barry job.finished off with a nice tin of black

[warren t claim]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1983-FORD-FIESTA- ... 27afb1cdeb

 

Have you seen this sexy little filly?

[Tayne]

.

[Minimad5]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1983-FORD-FIESTA-L-GOLD_W0QQitemZ170451389931QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAutomobiles_UK?hash=item27afb1cdebHave you seen this sexy little filly?

Please don't Thats seriously cheap.How i wish i walked away from mine now.NO ! I MUST STAY COMMITED !Actually i weirdly (and stupidly) prefer fixing it up myself.Gives me a sence of confidence and makes it that bit more "MY CAR" and personal.If ya catch my drift.Please no more super cheap fiesta's :(haha if i am becoming Edd China then let me stop my "project" now and sell up.He seems abit weird, and does not appear comfortable around cars. Just asif he is reading it from a manual or something.And tayne i don't think i have a fat mate who can't speak english.But i WILL find out

[warren t claim]

Mnimad is fast becoming the Autoshite Edd China!

Does Mark have a really annoying fat mate who struggles with the English language?

Sorry. Keyboard suffering from coffee and ash intake!

[Minimad5]

Anyone have a clue about the two pipes that go to the VV carb Auto choke ?Should i remove them from the Autochoke (as it's not being used)Then ... what should i do with the pipes ?(This is were i fail .. Automatic chokes)Thanks for any help

[Pete-M]

Anyone have a clue about the two pipes that go to the VV carb Auto choke ?

 

Should i remove them from the Autochoke (as it's not being used)

Then ... what should i do with the pipes ?

Replace 'em with the pipes from a manual choke one, or just join 'em together (B&Q copper pipe and a couple of jubbly clips..). Personally, I wouldn't worry about 'em just now if it's not losing any water.

 

I'd also be wary of going too mental with your wire brush, or stick to one area at a time and don't move on to another area until the last one is done. I've seen too many nice old cars ruined by an excess of enthusiasm over money / experience / time / skill... I've done it myself. In fact, I'm going to have to go the Czech Republic next month and stay there until I've completed the Escort.

 

It looked quite nice when I bought it. Needed a battery, back box, wing and a bit of welding around the front anti roll bar mounts, bit of paintwork and hey presto. Nice car. Which is why I did a 2500 mile round trip to buy the bloody thing, knowing I'd still have a 1000 mile drive home in it when it was completed. Chap even included a new wing for it, which was nice as they're like gold plated rocking horse shit.

 

This is how it looked the morning after I collected it.

 

 

Looks ok, ok it's a bit faded, but it's not been on the road since 1993. Engine is sweet as a nut, trim is complete and tidy, a good little project.

 

Then, the poking began. To replace the wing and do the welding, it was easier to remove the front suspension..

 

 

A bit of poking later... while the welder is out and the wing is off..

 

 

In fact, buggrit, won't take long, lets keep stripping bits.

 

 

Hmm, can't clean it that well under the bonnet...

 

 

What does this bit do?

 

 

May as well tidy up the gearbox while it's out.

 

 

Get the exhaust manifold coated, well, it's off..

 

 

I have about a billion more pics of this kind of thing. Every one of them has cost me money for parts, materials etc. The thing isn't even half done yet, and most of the car is stacked carefully on racking 1000 miles from my house. There are still plenty of things that need a coat of looking at left to do, and there's still the small matter of getting it back to being road legal before I drive it home. Then there is the small matter of fuel, ferries and UK registering the bloody thing when it's here. Which means import taxes, another MOT test etc..

 

I'm not saying this to put you off, because that's the last thing I want to do, but unless you're planning on spending every penny and every last spare minute you have working on that little Fizzy I'd recommend getting the bits you've started doing finished, putting the rest of it back together, doing whatever it needs for an MOT and getting out on the road in it.

 

Then just concentrate on one part at a time.. it'll take bloody forever, but if you keep your enthusiasm, it'll be nice when it's done.

[VWPowered]

long as they dont bring out import 'scene' tax your laughing if its going to the UK make sure its well protected

[retrogeezer]

Please don't Thats seriously cheap.

It's not - his reserve is £1495!I'll scan some pics of my Supersport later from restoring it in 93. It was only 13 years old at the time and my boot floor was full of holes.....don't keep poking your screwdriver into what looks like a small amount of surface rust because trust me, it won't be!

[Minimad5]

Thanks for the kind words Pete.I know exactly what you mean though, so i won't be starting this then leaving it half finished and starting somethin else, or i will end up with a thousand and one jobs to do before i am even aware what has happened.I just aim to get the body structually sound, then do the wheel bearings as they are sloppier than a hotdog down a well.As for getting it through an MOT, it already has MOT untill 10th of July.And tax untill the 29th of May.It may sound a little odd, but my personal deadline for passing my test and having all the work done is mid April, as that gives me afew weeks of driving with valid tax, and plenty of time to sort the car out.Retrogeezer that would be really good to see someone elses Fest-ival project.Thanks guys for the interest and Thanks Pete for the info about them pipes. (I was thinking of joining them together but was abit apprehensive "just incase")

[Station]

Have a look at Mr Bollox's (and the other one) welding thread on Retro Rides for those tricky bendy pieces.Also, there's a 6 person lockup going in Wallasey (look in wanted over on Wikiwirral), think there's 2 spaces left. I'm going on a weldathon when we get in there.

[Minimad5]

thanks station !Gonna talk to Ye Old Man, and see if he want's to give it a whirl.If not then it means Autoshite Garage (Blue tarp draped over some wood to raise it, giving me atleast a roof)

[retrogeezer]

O.K, here we go....

 

When I first got it in May 1993, pretty tidy motor eh!!

 

 

Well, some big holes in the boot floor, especially at the seams so new rear panel fitted:

 

 

New rear arches fitted and sills repaired at the back edges:

 

 

New front wings, front panel and bonnet also fitted:

 

 

Inside of engine bay was painted first when priming the rest of the outside...

 

 

 

Engine bay with custom made alloy strut brace...

 

 

Classic Ford feature in 1998:

 

 

 

Where not to look!!

 

 

Yes, thats me!

 

 

and my hand....

 

 

Still looking good....last July:

 

 

[Mr Lobster]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1983-FORD-FIESTA-L-GOLD_W0QQitemZ170451389931QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAutomobiles_UK?hash=item27afb1cdebHave you seen this sexy little filly?

Thats seriously cheap.How i wish i walked away from mine now.

I don't think so.....

reserve is 1495

I'm assuming you paid considerably less!Anyway, as Brammy says your enthusiasm for it is really good to see. Should be a cracking car when you get it done.

[Minimad5]

Wow retrogeezer alot of hard work there !Very nice outcome though.Thanks for sharing it with me / us all as it will keep me motivated and hopefully others too.Mr lobster :- Yeah i paid alot less than £1,000.No pictures of todays work as it was just rust remedy here and there.And found afew split hoses, but non that concearn the Eco lights.So that is not fixed yet.As for the boot floor, i can't continue to weld untill the weather is better so that will have to wait.Station i told my Padré (dad) about the lock-up and he didn't say yes or no.Tbh i don't think we could get a space as money is seriously tight.My aim for tomorrow is to get afew prices for rear wheel bearings from the tinterwebs and first thing on Monday go over to Merseyspeed (or what ever they are called) and get a price from them too.Then wait afew weeks untill i some how find the money.Does anyone have any rear reg' lights ?The ones from the fiesta have been painted over I have tried turps but it didn't shift, and sanding just scratches them making it dull and little light can escape.Hopefully more pictures to come soon, who knows maybe even a video.

[Pete-M]

Does anyone have any rear reg' lights ?The ones from the fiesta have been painted over I have tried turps but it didn't shift, and sanding just scratches them making it dull and little light can escape.

If memory serves me right they're the same as Mk2 Escort and quite possibly Mk3 Transit ones (Fred will no doubt correct me).

[Minimad5]

Thanks Pete !My old man said he had afew granada ones knocking about but 3 hours later and 2 cuboards stripped we still couldn't find any.If Fred Transit has a spare one or two she will hopefully thrown them my way (HOW CHEEKY AM I ? haha)If not then its not a big deal i will try go the scrappy and see whats is in store

[Minimad5]

Autochoke is OFF and the matrix pipe was put onto the inlet manifold. (Where the other pipe went into the Autochoke)Tried starting it today as i needed to move it and the battery was dead.It didn't come as a big shock to me as it has not been used alot for the past few years.The boot floor is nearly all welded up, i have been taking my time so i do not distort any panels, and the new patch pieces that i have made, have taken afew hours to massage into shape.It has also been slow progress due to years old underseal getting abit too hot. I plan on removing it all tomorrow or tuesday (Only the areas that i need to get to)And alot more rust treatment was slapped on various places.I will tack up some new pictures soon

[Minimad5]

Anyway more updates !

 

I sorted out the boot on the 1st of March, and ended up with this ..

The green stuff you can see is rust treatment, as there was a small gap in the boot seal and water got in, making afew pieces a tadge rusty.

After removing the surface rust i went over with some nice metal

(As my welds are shocking i am not going to post a completed picture

 

Carb Tag:

And i put some rust primer on the outer sill:

Also note the coloured wheel insert / trim. I would of left it silver but it was so scratched and pitted i thought i would see what it looked like red.

 

Today i planned on welding a small patch to a hole i found in the outer sill.

So i stripped the interior and joy of joys !

Holes, Holes and abit of RUST

 

How the hell this passed it's last MOT i will never know ..

Yes that is the seat strenghtening plate / Were you bolt the seat too.

Imagine crashing with that !

Ooh wait more to come ..

Inner Sill is long gone !

This has an anchorage point for the seatbelt, so in the event of a crash your seatbelt would rip from the inner sill, and your chair would rip from the floor. Safe much ?

 

So alot more funds are needed.

Cue Autoshite Ebay thread.

 

How ever i did get the new wheel bearings on the rear ... and found i had leaking rear cylinders.

This car just keeps getting better and so does my welding

 

Due to all the rust and so on, i am not going to read all my old car magazines, i just NEED to sell them, to fund what has now turned into a restoration

[Pete-M]

So alot more funds are needed.Cue Autoshite Ebay thread.How ever i did get the new wheel bearings on the rear ... and found i had leaking rear cylinders.This car just keeps getting better and so does my welding

If you keep looking for problems you're gonna keep finding 'em... That's what happens with old cars.Oh, those seat mountings are far from the worst I've seen, and the seat belt mountings will have been hidden by carpet on the MOT - so if they didn't crunch or flex when the tester prodded 'em they'll have passed. There'd be no old cars on the road if MOT testers were allowed to remove carpets and wire brush stuff.. and not many new ones.Don't give up with it, but I'd strongly recommend fixing the bits you've found and then screwing the thing back together and using it.