1987 Ford Sierra Sapphire 1.8L - Defective bling - see page 48

[rob88h]

ULEZ/CAZ exempt M9 !

To be fair the the old DieseL, it got much cleaner. The video was its first drive in a few decades on some pretty questionable fuel, burning mice nests out of the mufflers etc etc. 

Loving the Sierra content. Keep it up. 

[Dobloseven]

Wouldn't worry too much.It's a very rudimentary vehicle.If it's working, it's working, that's as good as it gets.Sure that back in the day plenty of cars had regular maintenance and little use yet still didn't make old bones.Everything you're doing is turning it into a useable vehicle,rather than something that's come off the back of a lorry.Looking forward to seeing what you're doing with it.

[goosey]

22 hours ago, sierraman said:

That’s right. For ultra rare you’d have had to have a 1.6 EMAX Ghia. 

When My Dad sold his 2.8 4x4 Ghia Estate C333 RRR the seller gave my dad cash plus a 1.6 Ghia hatch A176 FLD which 6 months later got part exchanged for a 1.8TD Sapphire J407 ENN.

i remember at the time folk commenting how rare the 1.6 Ghia was even 20 odd years ago 

[Peter C]

I checked the VIN number, it's the same on the V5 as it is on the car. A matching numbers classic Ford, eat your fucking heart out Wayne Carini.

Plan for today was to have a good poke in every nook and  cranny and check for rust. Earlier this week I had an initial look and everything seemed ok but now I wanted to know exactly what I am up against in terms of bodywork repairs.

I removed the boot carpet, underlay and side trim panels. There's plenty of dirt but no rust to worry about.

I started poking around the back of the offside sill, where the end section of the sill has been previously repaired.

Beneath loose paint there is only surface corrosion.

The repair panel is solid but not very pretty. I will wob over the uneven sections of metal to make it look a little less gash.

The upper side of the rear arches are solid and do not appear to have been messed with in the past.

The floorpan to sill seam is solid and tidy on the outer side. On the inner side, I need to scrape off the loose sealant but the metal underneath is all solid.

This is the section behind the rear wheel arch, the panel that conceals the fuel filler neck.

Rear wheel arch is solid all the way around and there is no evidence of any previous repairs.

A couple of rusty patches on the top side of the sill but nothing serious.

Rear door, with the crusty sealant removed, the bottom of the door is solid.

The front door is the same.

Bottom of the inner side of the front wing and inner wing.

A post and inner wing, both factory fresh.

Front wheel arch is solid all the way around and there is no evidence of any previous repairs. The plastic arch trim fixing points have surface corrosion but nothing serious.

Offside front chassis leg is straight and solid.

Ditto the right one.

All good along the front of the car, between the radiator and bumper.

Crossmember is covered in gunk, which has kept it solid.

Nearside now, bottom of the inner side of the front wing and inner wing.

A post and inner wing, all good.

Front wheel arch is the same as the offside.

Nearside sill looks great.

Nothing to worry about the top section along the length of the front door.

The same as the offside along the back of the B post.

Localised surface corrosion beneath sealant to sections of the floorpan.

The repair carried out to the back of the nearside sill looks better quality than what was done on the other side.

This section of the underside is usually mostly concealed by the exhaust back box.

Rear nearside arch is very good.

Nearside front door is perfect underneath. The colour of this door doesn't quite match the rest of the car and has either been replaced or properly repaired in the past.

The back door is in the same condition as the offside doors, nothing to worry about.

Diff is dry. The subframe is covered in dirt and surface corrosion but all looks very solid.

Floorplan and transmission tunnel have been sealed in the past, are completely solid and just need cleaning.

After two hours of poking, all I have is one dust pan mostly full of dirt. Not bad for a Ford.

Before I undertake any bodywork repairs, I must first pull the Sierra out of the workshop, put it back on axle stands and pressure wash the underside, allow it to dry before putting the car back in the garage and lifting it up again. Due to birthday and work commitments, this won't happen for the next couple of weeks.

I found this sticker on the back of the driver's door. I Googled Great Chart Motors, they still exist. I will contact them and ask if they have any info about the Sierra.

The front brakes have had recent work done. The discs and pads are brand new and the calipers look fresh too.

I visited a paint shop yesterday, where they can scan any surface and produce a colour matched paint. I can't remember the brand of the paint now but the chap in the shop told me that it is far superior to Hammerite. It should be, it costs £50 for one litre. As I don't have a panel that I can bring into the shop (I tried removing the fuel filler flap but I have no idea how it comes off), I decided to buy a can of aerosol....

.... which I squirted on a piece of metal....

..... which looks a fairly good match to the Sierra's paint....

.... at least it will be once I have polished the paintwork.

I have been advised by numerous people that matching Ford Maritime blue is virtually impossible. That's fine, the idea is that I will use the brush on stuff to coat the visible low level areas (sills and wheel arches) and the aerosol to sort out the cosmetics on the upper panels. The concealed areas will be treated with black spray on Hammerite. This is how I renovated my most recent W124 and I was pleased with the results. 

I have ordered a new cam belt and fan belt.

As matters stand, the Sierra owes me:

• Purchase = £3,600 
• Transport = £400
• Timing belt = £18.99
• Fan belt = £9.99
• Mid exhaust section = £86.06
• Rear exhaust section = £69.84
• Aerosol x 1 = £7.49

Total = £4,192.37

I would be pleased if I could drive out of the MoT station in May with a fresh ticket and a sub £5k total outlay. Wish me luck.

 

 

 

[Peter C]

I forgot to say that in summary, the Sierra is totally solid and doesn't need any further welding. I will deal with the rust proofing and minor cosmetics, then cut and polish the paint and see what I end up with. Hopefully something that is solid and looks presentable. 

[High Jetter]

9 minutes ago, Peter C said:

I would be pleased if I could drive out of the MoT station in May with a fresh ticket and a sub £5k total outlay. Wish me luck.

My guess is that is eminently doable. Good luck, though I think your skillz mean you don't need much of it.

[egg]

As that's @Vantmanterritory, he may have some knowledge about Great Chart Motors.

(I'll also ask my dad about them)

[Shep Shepherd]

I know the area, as I quite often do deliveries and collections in Ashford. The industrial estate the garage is on isn't all that far from the now-demolished Chart Leacon railway depot.

[kevins]

Looks a very solid car. The paint that has been worn off by the covers could be repaired by a smart repair, or you could get an air brush and have a go, lots of thin coats is the best way to blend it in.

[Dobloseven]

Thinking about the paintwork,one of my customers has a neighbour who does smart repairs.He always seems to be doing quite large areas under a gazebo on his drive.This is usually with metallic paint on some quite expensive motors.If you treated the job as a collection of smart repairs,could you not do the whole car over a period of time,using those aerosols.Not sure how many you'd need,but a hundred quid would buy a dozen or more.If they're all from the same batch,no need to worry about matching or blending in.Cue comments about" rattle can resprays"! However, I've found modern aerosols to be pretty good.Sadly I'm old enough to remember when cans contained some vaguely coloured thinners that either ran or clogged.

[Peter C]

@Dobloseven

Late last year I had to repair and respray the tailgate of a car that I was leasing and handing back. It was a dark grey metallic. I took my time and achieved a perfect finish. The guy who came to inspect and collect the car had no idea that part of the tailgate had just been rattle canned. 

I wouldn’t fancy respraying a whole car with aerosols. It would take too long and cutting the paint afterwards to get a decent finish would take ages.

I am confident that I will achieve a satisfactory finish by doing localised repairs and cutting back the rest of the paint.

[mercedade]

22 hours ago, Peter C said:

Plan for today was to have a good poke in every nook and  cranny and check for rust

Nice to see the hotel gave you a late checkout for your birthday too

[scdan4]

23 hours ago, Peter C said:

I checked the VIN number, it's the same on the V5 as it is on the car. A matching numbers classic Ford, 

.....

After two hours of poking, all I have is one dust pan mostly full of dirt. Not bad for a Ford.

 

 

You absolute winner. 

A not stolen not rotten old 4 door ford.

Good work. 

[Peter C]

Two pointless conversations.

First, with the seller, via Messenger, dating back to before the Sierra was delivered.

Safe to say there is fuck all of value in the brown file.

The second is an email exchange between me and the garage whose name I found on the door sticker.

I'm none the wiser about the mileage but it doesn't matter now, I'm moving on.

[cort16]

That car looks like it's got into your hands just in time. I think it probably was very clean and rust free and has been sweating under a cover for a couple of years growing surface rust on everything.

If you use fibreglass filler to cover the welding  up first it seals the pin holes int the welds a bit better and is generally more robust at keeping moisture out.

[666jjp]

https://www.checkcardetails.co.uk/mot/mothistory

https://www.checkcardetails.co.uk/mot/mileagehistory

mileage looks right

[Peter C]

6 minutes ago, 666jjp said:

https://www.checkcardetails.co.uk/mot/mothistory

https://www.checkcardetails.co.uk/mot/mileagehistory

mileage looks right

It's right if the Sierra clocked up 29k miles between 1987 and 2006. 

 

[AnnoyingPentium]

3 minutes ago, Peter C said:

It's right if the Sierra clocked up 29k miles between 1987 and 2006. 

 

It's not impossible really.

Always reminds me of a repeat customer when my Mum worked with Arnold Clark, an old lady with a K11 Micra, who only ever used it for going to the shops (about half a mile along the road) and it went once a year 20 miles to get the MOT done.

[mk2_craig]

27 minutes ago, Peter C said:

It's right if the Sierra clocked up 29k miles between 1987 and 2006. 

 

I think what we’re all trying to prove is that the car didn’t clock up 129k miles between 1987 and 2006. (or 229k)

I’m not a betting man but knowing what I do about Fords of that era, some of that knowledge coming from bitter personal experience, I would put good money on the mileage currently displayed being entirely genuine. 

[sierraman]

I think for the money you’ve done really well there, no welding required is a proper win on a Sierra. Just plenty of enjoyable painting/derusting jobs, those sills will look much better with some Shutz applied with a proper gun. 

[Marshall2810]

That's a lovely thing, well bought 

[Peter C]

2 hours ago, mk2_craig said:

I think what we’re all trying to prove is that the car didn’t clock up 129k miles between 1987 and 2006. (or 229k)

I’m not a betting man but knowing what I do about Fords of that era, some of that knowledge coming from bitter personal experience, I would put good money on the mileage currently displayed being entirely genuine. 

Possibly.

Bear in mind that clocking was rife in the 1980s and 90s and I imagine that adjusting a Sierra’s odometer is a piece of piss.

 

[jim89]

10 minutes ago, Peter C said:

Possibly.

Bear in mind that clocking was rife in the 1980s and 90s and I imagine that adjusting a Sierra’s odometer is a piece of piss.

 

Glass half full 👍

[Peter C]

7 minutes ago, jim89 said:

Glass half full 👍

Just being open minded.

I’ll try and be more positive. The mint interior gives the game away, probably.

[Bren]

8 minutes ago, Peter C said:

Just being open minded.

I’ll try and be more positive. The mint interior gives the game away, probably.

80's fords will do big mileages but they get baggy quickly - the trim was never great on mass produced stuff - having owned a sierra and mk3 granada of similar vintage there is a noticable difference in quality - the granada is much better.

From the pictures you have low mileage car.

[R Lutz]

Theres more to verifying the mileage than a speedo head. While I'm the first to concede pictures lie (ask Rod/b), the trim is as good a guide as anything. Look at all the controls you interact with when you drive: pedals, door handles, heater controls, stalks, steering wheel. I've sold a few Sierras from back when they were the norm and while they were serviceable cars, they did show their mileage in the usual places.  

I could even show you a 5 year old me with a new-for-'84-on-the-A-plate Sierra my dad once had. Back when they were seen as exotic - compared to a Marina, they were.  

I think the last Sierra I sold was a 2.9 4x4, but I've sold estates, 2000Es, etc. One customer had the 2.3 diesel, which he removed the thermostat from when new in order to extend the life of the engine. He claimed heat killed them. He also did the oil and filter every 3k miles (he worked in a haulage company, so I guess the oil was always free).  The last time I saw him, it was over 250,000 miles on. Dog Cock red Sapphire.

[sierraman]

Mine had done 210,000 when I sold it. The wheel would get shiny as fuck as would the gearknob. Cars back then were almost laughably easy to clock, even as late as the Mk2 Mondeo they were no more than 30 minutes fucking about to knock 60k off the clock, they used to wear the miles a lot better, no MOT history etc so giving them a haircut was a piece of cake for anyone suitably inclined. 
 

Going on the lack of rust I’d say yours sounds genuine. What are you doing the underside with? Waxoyl or similar? 

[Peter C]

1 hour ago, sierraman said:

 

Going on the lack of rust I’d say yours sounds genuine. What are you doing the underside with? Waxoyl or similar? 

Most of the underside is covered with a black sealant coating. Not sure if it is original but it is in perfect condition. In very localised areas, where the coatings have lifted, I will be applying a lick of Waxoil.

[sierraman]

8 minutes ago, Peter C said:

Most of the underside is covered with a black sealant coating. Not sure if it is original but it is in perfect condition. In very localised areas, where the coatings have lifted, I will be applying a lick of Waxoil.

I don’t know if you’ve a compressor but it goes on eleventy million times better when it’s gunned on as opposed to those aerosols or pasting it on. Just my experience but if you can apply it on where it’s slightly dusty like yours is it seems to grip on better, that’s why I’d be inclined to not jet wash it as it will take some time for the seams to dry out. 

[Peter C]

2 hours ago, sierraman said:

I don’t know if you’ve a compressor 

No such luck I’m afraid.