1987 Ford Sierra Sapphire 1.8L - 359 miles in 3 days - see page 50

[Bren]

I really liked my XR4i - not the 3 door V6 but the 5 door from 1989 with the i4 twin cam.

Mine was a G - 1990. Like the OP's it had been stood due to a duff timing chain - it had a cat piss tarp covering it which rubbed the red paint off the gutters.

I paid £150 for it ( it was 2003). My mate who worked in the trade got me all the new bits to get the engjne running at a discount from Ford. The chain has made a groove in the head and the guides were found in the bottom of the timing cover.

I got the engine going but I was a bit disappointed with the lack of power and smoothness - it felt really coarse compared to a pinto.

I shelled out on a radiator and a petrol tank - petrol pissed out when more than half full.

It was finished off by a van delivering papers to shops at daft o' clock in the morning. I got £975 off the insurance which was good going as sierras were truly worthless at the time.

I also did quite a few miles in one of the last examples - K407OLV was a silver azura estate with the 1.8 CVH. It went surprisingly well but after four or five years it was worn out and replaced with a P reg escort estate which I did not like.

[Bren]

[Peter C]

2 hours ago, grogee said:

Can we have a local newspaper style ribbon cutting event for the maiden voyage? 

Perhaps the local mayor or soap actor could come along. 

Rolf Harris lived not far from me but he's no longer available.

[Peter C]

The WD40 had no effect on the seized nut.

I decided to take advice from our resident experts and grind the nut off the bolt.

I clamped the manifold in a vice, it's always good to have a safe and comfortable working environment when working with abrasive tools.

Using an angle grinder, I reduced the size of the nut up to the point where the remaining metal got thin.

Out came a more precision tool. More of the same but now with finesse.

I got enough of the nut off to enable removal without causing significant damage to the bolt thread.

I fitted a couple of right sized nuts, job done. As I tightened the new nuts, I could see the joint getting narrower. I made sure the new nuts were tight without overtightening, breaking the bolt and fucking up all my hard work.

I fired up the unsilenced Pinto (the exhaust system has been removed). Amazing how an OHC Ford four banger can sound like a top fuel dragster. Despite the deafening noise coming from the end of the downpipe, I couldn't hear or feel any blowing from the manifold to downpipe joint. Win.

I'm off to order a new exhaust.

In other news, the V5 arrived today. I now three pieces of paper in the service history. The seller apparently posted the service history documents yesterday. All being well, I will get them by the end of the week. I have SORNed the Sierra as of today. 

 

[JakeT]

Good stuff, after following this through the initial buyers remorse and finding out it’s a nice Sierra I think you’re quids in. These small jobs are really satisfying, and should give you confidence that for buying an 80s Ford sight-unseen you’ve been very lucky.

[N Dentressangle]

On 27/01/2024 at 08:53, Peter C said:

Further to these two threads:

It looks like I will soon be the owner of a very tidy 1987 Ford Sierra Sapphire 1.8L.

I was looking for a poverty spec Sierra in the south east of England but thanks to @cort16 my next toy currently resides with a collector based in Northern Ireland. A deal has been done and Sierra will be put on a low loader on Monday and arrive here in Buckinghamshire the follow day. I have spoken with the seller, checked out his comprehensive Facebook presence and he seems totally genuine. WCPGW? Nothing. There was talk about me picking up the car in person, however for logistical reasons and my imminent big birthday that will keep me busy for a couple of forthcoming weekends, I wouldn't be able to fly to Belfast for at least the next 3-4 weeks. 

I hope to receive more photos from the seller later today but these are images taken from his Marketplace listing.

The Sierra has a genuine 33k miles on the clock, apparently with adequate paperwork to back this up. Online MoT records go back to 2005 and it is clear that the car has seen very little use over the past 18 years and passed most MoT tests outright. 37 year old Sierras don't look this good unless they've been looked after and have clocked up low mileages. 

More about this gem once progress is made with the seller.

The reason why I wanted a poverty spec Sierra is because when I was a student, I bought a D reg Sierra 1.6L from my then girlfriend's dad. I paid £800 for the car, which was about 10ish years old at the time and was owned by girlfriend's dad from new. It was mint. I sold it and bought a Guards Red Porsche 924 but that's another story.

Sometime later I bought a Sierra 2.0GL estate. I bought it cheap and it came with Ford Escort S2 Turbo 15" alloy wheels, which I sold for a decent price and fitted a set of Sierra steel wheels and Mondeo trims, which I got from a mate for free. I sold the car a few months later for a lot more than I paid for it. Win.

Fast forward (not Fast Ford) a good few years and when I bought my first house, I needed a cheap estate for tip runs and trips to DIY centres. I bought another red estate, this time a 1.8L, fitted with a lovely CVH engine that snapped its cambelt on the second journey. I had it fixed by a local garage for £250. It needed three valves and a new belt. Later, this became my wife's first car, however as it didn't have power steering and was too heavy to drive, it was quickly replaced with a Vauxhall Vectra 2.0 GLS. That was a good car.

Fast forward even further, my wife and I moved to a rural spot in Buckinghamshire and I treated myself to a lovely Sierra Chasseur estate, again fitted with a 1.8 CVH motor. That was a one owner car, an ex Ford employee who was given the Sierra as a retirement present from Ford management. I kept it for a few months, sold it to a friend who was later diagnosed with a terminal disease and I ended up selling it for him to a complete stranger who looked very pleased with himself as he was driving away. He should have been, it was a lovely car.

Whilst I had the Chasseur, I bought a Sierra 2.0i Ghia hatchback for £150, a runner, with MoT but it was shabby and I flipped it as soon as the V5 arrived, in the process doubling my money.

So, ladies and gentlemen, this is why I want another low spec Sierra. I want to relive the good old times and have a car to play with that won't be flashing an EML at me, won't need an EGR delete and will put a lasting smile on my face.

More soon.

Hey - that's the one I found!

What's my commission? 😉

[andy18s]

Meanwhile.....

[Peter C]

1 minute ago, N Dentressangle said:

What's my commission? 😉

10%

[Peter C]

Finding a replacement exhaust front and middle box may not be as easy as I thought. All the bits advertised on eBay are apparently for estate models. I have emailed the Polish supplier and asked whether they have the right bits in stock. There is also a UK based chap who has a rear box that looks like it might fit. I have also emailed him.

Plan B might involve weld repairing the existing parts. The majority of the metal is sound, especially the central section box. I am tempted to grind off the rusty bits and find someone who could do some welding repairs for me.

@Talbot Can you help again please? I can come to you if it's easier?

[egg]

Yep, I bought a Polish exhaust for my Mazda 323 (supposedly for the coupe) but needed cutting down on arrival. Kwality was 'passable'.

[garbaldy]

2 hours ago, Peter C said:

I couldn't hear or feel any blowing from the manifold to downpipe joint. Win

I'd be amazed if that lasts as the blow would have eaten away at the gasket,   personally I would replace the gasket as your well into it now.  

[kevins]

If it comes to it you should be able to get  couple of aftermarket mufflers anx clamp them into your existing pipes.

[Peter C]

3 minutes ago, garbaldy said:

I'd be amazed if that lasts as the blow would have eaten away at the gasket,   personally I would replace the gasket as your well into it now.  

That would involve grinding off the other four nuts, which is not an experience that I want to repeat anytime soon.

If the repair lasts, great. If it starts to blow again, I will take further action. Removing the manifold and downpipe is a piece of piss.

[jim89]

3 hours ago, Peter C said:

In other news, the V5 arrived today. I now three pieces of paper in the service history. The seller apparently posted the service history documents yesterday. All being well, I will get them by the end of the week. I have SORNed the Sierra as of today. 

 

So what's with the apparent "drip feed" of documentation here? 🤔

Is some means of "comeback" being "timed out" in the background or what? 14 day internet purchase right to return? Nah shurely not? 🤷🏼‍♂️

[Rightnider]

2 hours ago, Peter C said:

2 hours ago, Peter C said:

 

Finding a replacement exhaust front and middle box may not be as easy as I thought. All the bits advertised on eBay are apparently for estate models.

 

In my experience, most Fords share the front and middle boxes between all derivatives, while the back box differs on the estates. I don’t know if it’s the case with Sierra, but I’d be surprised if it wasn’t. 

[Peter C]

1 hour ago, jim89 said:

So what's with the apparent "drip feed" of documentation here? 🤔 🤷🏼‍♂️

It’s in the post.

[jim89]

1 hour ago, Peter C said:

It’s in the post.

But you have an v5 from Scotland? Or is it just photos you have/had? 🤔

[Noel Tidybeard]

i'm not sure the estate zorst is different

[Peter C]

8 hours ago, jim89 said:

But you have an v5 from Scotland? Or is it just photos you have/had? 🤔

The current Mot certificate was in the glovebox.

The seller sent me a photo of an old V5, which is no good for me.

My V5 came by post yesterday.

The seller allegedly posted the service documentation on Wednesday so it should be with me soon.

[Shite Ron]

11 hours ago, Rightnider said:

In my experience, most Fords share the front and middle boxes between all derivatives, while the back box differs on the estates. I don’t know if it’s the case with Sierra, but I’d be surprised if it wasn’t. 

Usually it is just the tailpipe is a few inches longer and easily modified. Certainly the case for a Cortina and no reason a Sierra will be any different. The estate chassis will be the same as the saloon just an extension at the back.

[Peter C]

I have found an exhaust supplier based in Northern Ireland (how lucky!) via eBay that has both exhaust sections in stock.

This is my exhaust:

This is the new tail section:

And the new central section:

I'm £150 lighter but if both fit, then that's one less thing to worry about.

I wonder whether it's worth keeping the old exhaust. Most of it is in great condition and with a couple of patches, it could last for another few years.

The service history hasn't arrived yet but it's only been two days since the seller allegedly posted it. Maybe tomorrow....

 

 

[jim89]

2 minutes ago, Peter C said:

I have found an exhaust supplier based in Northern Ireland (how lucky!) via eBay that has both exhaust sections in stock.

This is my exhaust:

This is the new tail section:

And the new central section:

I'm £150 lighter but if both fit, then that's one less thing to worry about.

I wonder whether it's worth keeping the old exhaust. Most of it is in great condition and with a couple of patches, it could last for another few years.

The service history hasn't arrived yet but it's only been two days since the seller allegedly posted it. Maybe tomorrow....

 

 

Even to my amateur shiter eyes those new exhaust pics look very promising 

[Dobloseven]

Seems you're thinking the same way I would.Everything you're doing at the moment is going towards making it a usable vehicle.Get it running nicely,use it, plenty of MOT left,get the feel of it and decide what's next.Bodywork wise,that screen pillar would concern me.Wouldn't start poking it till I'd fell in love with the car and decided how far I wanted to go with it though.

[BorniteIdentity]

That exhaust looks almost identical to the full length that I bought for my 1600 pinto hatch.  Near enough that, in future, someone would be able to make it work.  £150 is fair enough, I think I paid about £120 for mid and tail.  Still haven't put it on mind, I'm saving it for best!

[Peter C]

24 minutes ago, Dobloseven said:

that screen pillar would concern me

Have you seen my old thread about the white W124 200E that I revived a few years ago?

The windscreen pillars and roof were affected by corrosion. When the windscreen was taken out, for replacement, I found more corrosion on both pillars and around the front of the roof, including one hole big enough to put my finger in. Some people on here advised that I must have the rust cut out and new panels welded in, otherwise I would be decapitated by a mangled roof on my next outing. I filled the hole with wob and painted the rusty areas with Hammerite, a new windscreen was reinstated and the car still exists and nobody has lost their head.

In comparison, the plebs on the Sierra's pillars look far less severe. Even if scraping the paint off revealed a couple of rust holes, I am sure that a wob repair would be adequate and prolong the life of the car for long enough. The Sierra is not immortal and I cannot justify taking the windscreen and dashboard out and having major surgery done for ££££ when there is a possibility that the next MoT may be its last.

[stuboy]

anyluck with contacting the original purchaser?

[Missy Charm]

On 31/01/2024 at 10:34, Rod/b said:

The fuck? This is proper council estate FB marketplace cuntery. If you buy a 30 odd year old car sight unseen based on photos where its clearly just had a bucket of water chucked over it, you’re taking a risk and you get whatever turns up. Some you win, some you lose.

And some are born to sing the Maritime Blues...  

I think you've done all right for the money with this one.  

[Peter C]

57 minutes ago, stuboy said:

anyluck with contacting the original purchaser?

Do you mean the previous registered owner?

[lisbon_road]

4 hours ago, Peter C said:

I wonder whether it's worth keeping the old exhaust. Most of it is in great condition and with a couple of patches, it could last for another few years.

Just keep it.  Keep everything.  One day, you'll post it to someone who needs it on this forum.

 

 

 

[warren t claim]

On 01/02/2024 at 11:35, Peter C said:

Since I acquired the Sierra I have won on this forum for two days in a row. 

Evidently, nowadays Ford Sierras are driven by life’s winners.

Fit the engine and running gear from an MG6 and you'll have a winning combination.