1987 Ford Sierra Sapphire 1.8L - Day out at the Flower Farm meet - see page 47

[RoadworkUK]

  On 15/06/2024 at 20:46, Peter C said:

Wow!

I’d love to see a photo of that dash.

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Best I can do at the mo.

When my dad had an early Ghia (two front lower dash speakers and two rear side shelf speakers) I used to think it would be fun to rig up a Dolby Pro Logic setup with including the front centre location and a sub for 5.1. 

Speaker aperture above the centre vents should have a grille in it, thus;

[Bren]

Nothing wrong with replacing something that isn't very good.

We still have the original radio cassette and power amp in the granada - the sound is " tinny" and it is reminiscent of an amstrad hi fi for those old enough to remember.

[adw1977]

  On 15/06/2024 at 20:25, RoadworkUK said:

Base only had front speakers. Earliest Base Sierras had a single front speaker mounted in the centre of the top dash surface.

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Earliest base Sierras had no radio at all!

1987 base did indeed have two speakers.

[adw1977]

  On 15/06/2024 at 20:46, Peter C said:

Wow!

I’d love to see a photo of that dash.

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December 1982 brochure

[wesacosa]

I really wish they'd kept that huge, ove the top illuminated seat belt light for the facelift 

[Datsuncog]

  On 15/06/2024 at 16:33, grogee said:

Does the install render the fader/balance joystick redundant? 

Isn't that a perk of L trim? 

(Yes I know none of this matters) 

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Think it was fitted to the GL too - CogSr's very early facelift 1.8 estate (1987) had one, which fascinated me as a kid.

His later Chasseur estate ('91) didn't have one.

[grogee]

  On 16/06/2024 at 13:32, Datsuncog said:

His later Chasseur estate ('91) didn't have one.

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Ford TVM dept: Total Value Management. 

These are the guys that would poke around on a current model car and suggest deleting a whole bunch of stuff to save money, eg screw head covers, plastic trim, rear seat cushioning, fog light bulb, interior lights etc etc. 

That's why late model cars got mingebag thin carpets and less sound deadening. 

[Peter C]

I’ve had another fiddle and listen to the new ICE and I’m going to leave the wiring as it is. The sound quality is ok and I doubt that replacing the speaker cables will make much difference.

I’ve checked, but front and rear speakers are rated 20 watt and 4 ohm.

[mk2_craig]

  On 16/06/2024 at 13:32, Datsuncog said:

Think it was fitted to the GL too - CogSr's very early facelift 1.8 estate (1987) had one, which fascinated me as a kid.

His later Chasseur estate ('91) didn't have one.

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Yep - self seek radio cassette and the speaker balance joystick were still fitted in the 1988 GL that I owned for a bit. You can just about make it out here: 

 

The Ghias I had later both featured the separate power amplifier in the aperture underneath the stereo slot.  Not that either were particularly impressive 20 years later. 

[Noel Tidybeard]

early low spec dash:

• short centre console with no storage bin
• horn push on stalk
• no speakers at knee level & larger glovebox lid (not shown)
• L model has anlogue clock in upper dash bin
• fog light switch has black background this changed to orange before too long

[Peter C]

  On 16/06/2024 at 22:41, Noel Tidybeard said:

early low spec dash:

• short centre console with no storage bin
• horn push on stalk
• no speakers at knee level & larger glovebox lid (not shown)
• L model has anlogue clock in upper dash bin
• fog light switch has black background this changed to orange before too long

 

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I would put a radio in, otherwise that dashboard is perfect, just has the essentials. 

[Datsuncog]

Genuinely thought that was a black-and-white photo, until I noticed a tiny flash of red on the horn push stalk, and the heater sliders.

Some serious dedication to monochrome there from Ford.

[wesacosa]

https://www.facebook.com/100069003098790/posts/pfbid0fR3VTtwNUXX1RiidsRWmJTjo3qkhe7kAYhNMi7oG5m2wsS76TJeQeUzGBrK9bYiDl/?app=fbl

 

found this clip on Facebook showing the Sapphires being built on the production line

[Peter C]

  On 17/06/2024 at 12:14, wesacosa said:

https://www.facebook.com/100069003098790/posts/pfbid0fR3VTtwNUXX1RiidsRWmJTjo3qkhe7kAYhNMi7oG5m2wsS76TJeQeUzGBrK9bYiDl/?app=fbl

 

found this clip on Facebook showing the Sapphires being built on the production line

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Interesting that the cars got that far down the production line without the door mouldings fitted. 

[CortinaDave]

Fantastic. The world would be a better place with more D reg Sierras in it.

I always found the joystick control a pain in the arse as it would invariably be borked in any of the sierras I had, and if you dared to touch it you'd end up either losing all sound, or acquire horrible interference until you painstakingly moved it by millimetres to get the one very specific position where it seemed to work

[Tenmil Socket]

I think early MK3 Escorts only had the one centre dash speaker too.

[RoadworkUK]

  On 17/06/2024 at 18:45, Tenmil Socket said:

I think early MK3 Escorts only had the one centre dash speaker too.

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Yep. Except base model, which went without.  Didn't have centre air vents, either!

Amazing.

[Peter C]

  On 17/06/2024 at 19:33, RoadworkUK said:

Yep. Except base model, which went without.  Didn't have centre air vents, either!

Amazing.

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That’s insane, too base spec, even by my standards.

[CortinaDave]

  On 17/06/2024 at 20:50, Peter C said:

That’s insane, too base spec, even by my standards.

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Ford wanted to remind you every single day that you should've tried harder at work, and earned a speaker in your dash

[mk2_craig]

  On 17/06/2024 at 20:55, CortinaDave said:

Ford wanted to remind you every single day that you should've tried harder at work, and earned a speaker in your dash

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And went to the expense of tooling up a whole new dash panel for the purpose. 

[MantaGTE85]

My mum had an H-plate '90-spec XR3i that came with a grey square blanking plate on the dash, where the joystick would be on the earlier ones. 

[Rod/b]

  On 17/06/2024 at 21:10, mk2_craig said:

And went to the expense of tooling up a whole new dash panel for the purpose. 

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Someone in OSF world will probably pay upwards of £12 million for one of those dashes now. 

[Rod/b]

  On 16/06/2024 at 22:41, Noel Tidybeard said:

early low spec dash:

• short centre console with no storage bin
• horn push on stalk
• no speakers at knee level & larger glovebox lid (not shown)
• L model has anlogue clock in upper dash bin
• fog light switch has black background this changed to orange before too long

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I didn’t know they ever made a 4 speed Sierra, even my sister’s father-in-law’s 1.3 had a 5 speed.

[Peter C]

Did anyone watch the latest episode of Flipping Bangers, where Gus and Will tried to covert a Mk2 Orion from LHD to RHD? 

The guys gave up as the front bulkheads and the scuttle panels are specific to the positioning of the steering wheel, which is surprising considering how Ford liked to keep things simple in those days.

[lisbon_road]

  On 18/06/2024 at 09:33, Peter C said:

Did anyone watch the latest episode of Flipping Bangers, where Gus and Will tried to covert a Mk2 Orion from LHD to RHD? 

The guys gave up as the front bulkheads and the scuttle panels are specific to the positioning of the steering wheel, which is surprising considering how Ford liked to keep things simple in those days.

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Yes.  I quite like the programme though I think it is completely scripted, and totally fabricated.  Honestly anyone that knows those cars could have told them that changing LHD to RHD wouldn't be easy - but like I said, I watch it and enjoy it as a harmless distraction. 

[lisbon_road]

  On 17/06/2024 at 20:50, Peter C said:

That’s insane, too base spec, even by my standards.

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That's amazing.  I don't remember ever seeing one of those.  Mind those centre vents always seemed to blow a bit cold so perhaps not that great a loss. 

[sierraman]

  On 17/06/2024 at 20:55, CortinaDave said:

Ford wanted to remind you every single day that you should've tried harder at work, and earned a speaker in your dash

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Those blanking plugs and deleted features were a punishment for your lack of work ethic and plain old inadequacy. 😂

[sierraman]

  On 18/06/2024 at 09:33, Peter C said:

Did anyone watch the latest episode of Flipping Bangers, where Gus and Will tried to covert a Mk2 Orion from LHD to RHD? 

The guys gave up as the front bulkheads and the scuttle panels are specific to the positioning of the steering wheel, which is surprising considering how Ford liked to keep things simple in those days.

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Those two have the attention span of a goldfish. Nothings thought through at all. 

[egg]

Try making a 'Quirks and Features' video about an Escort base Doug! 5 mins tops.

[Tenmil Socket]

  On 17/06/2024 at 19:33, RoadworkUK said:

Yep. Except base model, which went without.  Didn't have centre air vents, either!

Amazing.

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Ashtray but no lighter? At least the other way around you could still light your ciggy but flick it out the window.