Classic Ford Trivia

Deano suggested the idea for some Classic Ford Trivia so lets get the ball rolling and hopefully get a bit more conversation going on the site.
 
Lets keep it to small Fords Escort, Capri, Cortina, Anglia etc.
Just fun, relevant facts. Lets not get too hung up on what specific manufacturer produced nuts and bolts and in what year.
If you've got a question that you don't have the answer to, post it anyway and hopefully it can be answered.
Contribution will be the key to this so start posting and answering.
So heres a couple to start.
 
What was Fords codename for the MK2 Escort?
 
The 65 and 66 GT Cortina's had a six dial dash. How many dials did the 64 have?
 
 

Good one Deano
 
Assuming we can google the answer to get the ball rolling, then if everybody enjoys this and it gets too busy maybe we can then "ban google" and rely on personal ken .............
 
1/  I think the 64 GT Cortina  had only 2 Gauges; Tacho on L and Speedo on R
 
2/  Codename for Escort Mk2 was Brenda

TRIVIA Q
 
Which "small Ford" was the first to break away from the common 7" round headlamp ?
 

I think it was the mk1 escort in late 1967, I've seen footage on the press release , or it was the Lotus TwinCam in 68.

Q/

From which vehicle did the front quarter bumpers originally come from, and the position on that vehicle ?

Was it the Anglia van that first used the quarter bumpers? But on the rear?
 
The 64 GT had a three dial dash. It was a one year only model, quite scarce.
 
 
 

great idea for a thread, even if I do say so. :)
 
My concern though was more about the wealth of practical knowledge and real life tips that is known by members which may be lost as when we drift into other bits of life.
Knowing what steering input shaft goes in what, or the differences between what we know as standard version  Aus RS2000 gearbox or diff compared to UK, when ordering from overseas would save some drama.
 
Only thing I can add to that format of knowledge base would be to not follow the Classic Ford mag article of fitting Hitec brakes to the letter. They photograhed the caliper upside down, and you'll never get it to bleed properly if you fit it the same...
 
I'd be happy to answer a few, but they'd be wrong, so I'll support from afar, sorry Julia.
Feel free to phone a friend or ask the audience if need be.

Drewdog you could be correct although the Perfect van also had quarter bumpers on the rear, however I'm not sure if they are exact as cortina/escort ones (disregarding the bolt hole position) . I own a Prefect van but it doesn't have rear bumpers, they got taked before I got it ..

And Deano...

Would little hacks like using spares from other vehicles be more along the lines of this trivia.. if so it'll be more good to let others know what tricks some have learnt over the years .

Here goes a few of my used and tested hacks..

1 / using commodore VN to VZ door hinge pins for Escort, cortina and Capri
2/ glove box light switch and flush fit light from early model Commodore VK/VL
3/ Land Rover engine mounts, tho this has been done by the Capri guys for ever. Escort guys can still use them by using 1x late metal mount and an early mk1 mount as done with my yellow van

Both are great ideas.
 
Yes, a single hack/tips/bible  reference page would be useful.
Even what oil/trans/diff fluids to use, which diff is which (english from the front right?), wheels studs
Any stuff that would normally be pinned but isnt?
 
 

I remember the rear bumpers being pinched from the old mans Anglia van when I was a kid, haha and him swearing about it and saying they were probably on someones Escort now
 
I can share some tricks with the Mk2 factory a/c alot of the parts were shared between the other Ford models, TE Cortina, Falcon etc.
 
On to another one, whats different about the door glass in a Mk2 Escort Ghia? and which other models got this feature?

My brother has a totally original 63 GT Cortina and it has a 3 dial dash. PSR

My problem is I don't retain most of the stuff I read. Very frustrating.
You should see my list of bookmarks, saved pages etc.
This one is really good for those axle issues Deano
https://www.classicfordmag.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/definitive-guide-to-atlas-axles-classic-ford.pdf
 
The one thing I can never figure out is how the MK2 Escort got some of the same bits as our Falcons of the time? Rear vision mirrors and similar. Ford did bring the Escort (and others) out here and had to have some Australian content to meet import regulations of the day. I've got the Ford Australia book which is very insightful to the machinations of the time.

Wasn't the amount of Australia input of local components need to be above 20% ? I've noticed stuff different from UK like sun visors which is a falcon thing, wing mirrors are the same except Escort cortina and Capri have a spacer of differing angles, yet a falcon xa/b/c mirror base needs shaving down so the spacer works as intended.

Mk1 escort from about late 72/mid 73 wiring went silly by using a square plug as to the round plug from the start of the model. Bit annoying when converting to the 6 dial dash as those are all round plugs.
Options to get around this is either to..
1/ use the wiring from the stock mk1 dash but needs 1 or 2 extra illumination bulbs and wiring, with some ready soldering , simple fix

2/ unpick the wires from the round plug and and insert into the square plug, do this in sequence so not too mix colors position, also simple. I've done both ways And work just fine .

Answer for Drewdogs window question.
Escort Ghia glass is slightly tinted greener than povo pack glass, the rear is always heated and a very green look to it . Other models are rally pack and RS 2000 . UK RS's were tinted bronze on the custom pack, very rare now

Which Australian manufacturer of Ford Genuine and aftermarket parts used the 1970 Ford Capri GTV6 to promote their parts ?
This photo I found in one of my first Parts Books from way back then gives a few clues !
 ....  and the Mk1 Escort was also not forgotten (2nd pic) !
 
 
 

Australia rides on Monroe

escfalcap
Australia rides on Monroe

Pretty close:

.............. Back then it was W H Wylie & Coy Pty Ltd

from Drewdog>     
On to another one, whats different about the door glass in a Mk2 Escort Ghia? and which other models got this feature?
 
Ive never owned an Escort. Can only guess it was full cover with no 1/4 vent as in earlier models? Electric maybe?
 
Have owned for over 50 years a Prefect 100E with new engine.  For sale if anyone aspires to owning.

It was sad news when Bodie died, he was my favourite.
 
Sticking with UK TV, Which classic did Vivian have?

Yeah the Professionals was my fave as was Minder.

Haha, easy one, yellow Anglia 105e . Some say it has a V6 installed , I'm not too sure..

Trivia question/
What car did Bodie have in the early series, and what did they have done to it so interior scenes were easier to film ?

Wow now were digging deep. I wasn't going to sit down and watch all the episodes (very tempting) but found this which just goes to show you can never be too much of a nerd!
https://www.pinterest.co....fessionals-tv-series-/
 
As for the car mods I cannot recall? One of the DVD's contains an extra long interview with Brian Clemens and it gives great insight into the inception and making of the show. Super low budget in the first series, I think Martin Shaw said they slept in the cars!
 
I have such fond memories of my Thursday night stints at Grace Brothers watching the Young Ones (I worked in the electronic ie:TV department).

I'll let members think on this for a bit longer,
In the meantime I have another question..

The Question is...
Both the Minder cars still exist to this day, the Daimler of Arfurs and Capri of Terry's, maybe a Rover as well, so what accident happened to Terry's car last year ?

The power of the web
https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/12295604/ford-capri-tv-show-minder-burnt-heatwave/
 
Thing is I can't believe it still had the same rego from the show. Pity too cause it looks to be in top condition.
They should have a car obituary page going!
 
Love the opening to the show where Terry drives the Capri into the yard and talks turkey with Arthur. Can't hear anything cause that mindblowing song by Terry is pumped up! Got it on my playlist too.
 
BTW my mobile ring tone for as long as I can remember has been The Professionals theme song. Now that's 

Mark, thats sad on both counts  :) (comign from someone who had Postman Pat, and Dr Who as his ringtone)
Guess for Marty's Q:Did Bodie actually have an Escy before the Capri? I dunno, but i'm guessing that the answer for part B is it had a sunroof fitted to aid filming??
 
So Terry's caught fire...
next question: but what happened to the professionals Silver Capri, and did you agree its the same??

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-3549336/Bodie-s-Ford-Capri-hit-Professional-sells-record-55-000.html
 
It was funny cause in the first sereies they drove everything. Maybe they got their cars from Arthur bloody Daley!
Then for a while they seemed to flip between the RS and the Capri. It was in the last series that Doyle drove the RS and Bodie the Capri.

The pic where they are shaking hands over the bonnet, my eyes always fixed on the mk2 Escort Xpack in behind them, i always wanted one , nearly 40yrs on I'm still no closer...
Trivia, that Xpack mk2 has disappeared off the registration map, whether it's being restored or it's long gone

Marty, I have a mate with an X Pack. To be restored from Memory. I'll ask him if he thinks this will happen in his lifetime or whether he may want to move it on?
Yes indeed, I would have ditched the old Capri for the X Pack any day. What was Terry thinking

Thanks Mark, all I really need is the front flares and front air dam and can convert mine over , will keep it tango orange in colour too.
Be interesting to know the price of your mates Xpack tho 🤔

Drewdog
I remember the rear bumpers being pinched from the old mans Anglia van when I was a kid, haha and him swearing about it and saying they were probably on someones Escort now
 
I can share some tricks with the Mk2 factory a/c alot of the parts were shared between the other Ford models, TE Cortina, Falcon etc.
 
On to another one, whats different about the door glass in a Mk2 Escort Ghia? and which other models got this feature?

 Hi Drew
was it that the Mk2 Escort Ghia were one piece without 1/4 vent like Capri ? or was it rare electric operation ?

Interested to know whether any Australian Escort Ghia's had power windows? Had a 76 Ghia and it definitely did not.
A friends mums TF Cortina Ghia had power windows (not sure if only on front windows?)

No Escort had fast windows.. a good driver can reach over to crank the passenger window down or up while driving... Well I did lol
Yes some Cortina TF models that were 'loaded' came with power windows. My brother had a TF wagon 2.0 fully loaded except sunroof, had ps, pw, ac , auto, plush interior, no central locking from memory , it was a Ghia S or X can't remember as was in the 90s, slow as a wet week too.!

Trivia time

Fords 4x108 or 4x 4.25" stud pattern goes way back to 1958 with the Anglia 105e and is still being used on the Fiesta and maybe Puma models ..

.. And apparently the belhousing bolt pattern from the Anglia, thru escort, Cortina, Capri etc kept going thru to the end of zetec in 2004, but rumours have it that the 3cyl 1ltr Ecoboost motor brought it back and is once again being used !!

My dad was a mechanic, he did his apprenticeship with BHP fitting, machining etc.
Some words always ring true. I remember him saying the cost of retooling meant that manufacturers would squeeze the life out of everything. Engine blocks, many castings etc
Just look at most Ford and Chev blocks!
So it is not surprising that the bellhousing bolt pattern remained. Not working in the field like yourself Marty I have no idea of current compatibilities of components.

Sorry about the delay guys, springs a busy time for me at work.
Marty got the Escort window one, the Ghia's came with green tinted glass as did cars with factory A/C.
I think it may have been an optional extra on other models.
They are identified by a 'Tinted'  under the safety glass stamp.

 
Interesting info on the bellhousing, that engine would make a nice conversion for lower capacity motorsport classes.
 
 

Wow, 2080, that's years away haha long use by date !!

Yeah I been looking at one of those Ecoboost 1ltr turbo units for a long time , they're slowly getting cheap enough to really think about sticking into a Escort or Anglia for mega cheap fun... Just keep the 4 speeder as the motors can rev to ever lol

More Trivia time..

Inside the boot on the floor of all Escorts there's dimples placed in the ribs and a big dimple on the sides towards the back panel . I have pics of mine with the X marks the spot shown from the underside and how the floor looks from inside. I know what they're for but want others to see if they know. Again I have plans for these on my resto blog.

So what are they for ?
Underneath pic


Inside boot pic


Let's see who knows, and no cheating 🤣

martymexico
More Trivia time..

Inside the boot on the floor of all Escorts there's dimples placed in the ribs and a big dimple on the sides towards the back panel . I have pics of mine with the X marks the spot shown from the underside and how the floor looks from inside. I know what they're for but want others to see if they know. Again I have plans for these on my resto blog.

So what are they for ?
Underneath pic


Inside boot pic


Let's see who knows, and no cheating 🤣

 Could they be for "locating" the panels accurately while being set up before welding at the factory ?

Back in the early seventies I used to own an escort twincam. There were four bolts fitted thru the boot floor which held on an angled steel pressing which was designed to be a deflector to protect the panel under the rear bumper. an early skid plate as it were.
Of course I didnt know about the dimples then but have noticed them on my current mk1 escort super.
My question is, when they designed the pressing for the boot floor, how did they know that they would be fitting a deflector there for the twincam?

Ron you are spot on there, it is for the stone deflector on the up spec models designed for rallying to stop dredging gravel in behind the back panel .
As for when the first model was being brewed up in 67/68 I'd guess the boot floors would be not stamped until it was required a few months in.. but was left there to the end of the mk2 !!

Wow thats a good one Marty, just had a look under the boot matt of my 1980 Mk2 and there they are!

I would like to know why Ford put 12" wheels on the mk1 escort when earlier Fords like prefect and Anglia etc all ran on 13" , but later escort went 13" also, what was they thinking going to 12" ??

martymexico
I would like to know why Ford put 12" wheels on the mk1 escort when earlier Fords like prefect and Anglia etc all ran on 13" , but later escort went 13" also, what was they thinking going to 12" ??

My guess is they fitted 12" to 1/ allow the underpowered 1100 and 1300 engines to effect a better "launch" with 2/ the benefit of cheaper tyres/wheels "deal"  they may have struck with local Dunlop and Goodyear and ROH Wheels and 3/ lower centre of gravity ????  !!!!

When threads collide... may as well ask in this here in the trivia.
I read in one thread how vans are combo's of MK1 and 2. I'm guessing M2 front and Mk1 rear (if its a 'mk2' obviously)?
So for example, would my 77 Van be mk2 to the firewall and mk1 back?
 
I'd like to order some parts of Peter Lyttons (the other thread), if its the firewall where it changes, do I order all of the Mk1 grommets or Mk2 as both are available? Need to keep the oily Pinto smells out!.
Thanks Brainstrust.
 

Hey Deano, 1st thing...I received the package this morning, maybe fastway is actually a fast way !! Cheers heaps 🙂

With the Vans they are mk2 up to the back of the bonnet but this is where things get sketchy, mk2 van uses mk2 chassis rails so the leafs are used from mk2. The dash pad is shorter by 100mm or so , so are unique to the van as it's the dash panel. There's other things like door lever and locks etc... Bit of a Frankenstein car haha..
Grommets will be mk2 if there's any differences

ok, glad I asked.
 
Sounds like ordering Mk2' versions then will be safer.
Back to normal trivia...
 
I'll answer my own question: According to Classic Ford article, Bodies Silver Capri got rebodied a few years ago, swapping all the driveline, radio, cb, engine,diff interior etc...
So is it the same car? Does a car 'live' in its chassis, or in the bits you make contact with? or none?

Did the van rears go all the way back to the Anglia? Been a while since I've seen an Anglia van but I remember them being similar.
 
Being narrower to fit the Mk1 dimensions I've seen a couple of Mk2 van dashes grafted into Mk1 coupes/ sedans over the years. With the Mk2 door cards aswell its quite a WTF moment when you open the doors and look inside.

About the rein'car'nated Capri of Bodie , this is my interpretation of a situation like that..
The car needs to be of the same type, engine, box, etc etc... But it should still be labelled as a reshell regardless.
Take the old RS1600 which Roger Clarke rallied as Esso Blue , the car was sold on after the rules and the mk2 came along, it went into private hands rallying and became a rallycross car which ended it and was parked up in a yard for many years. The shell was so stuffed it was reshelled during the resto, the car lives on but in another body. So whether it's a replica with original components it's heritage is still there and better than being scattered around the world as pieces...
If you owned a V6 Capri and it got destroyed in a prang and you reshell it, it's another car with the same components ,a replica or salute to what once was ... Apparently !

Drewdog
Did the van rears go all the way back to the Anglia? Been a while since I've seen an Anglia van but I remember them being similar.
 
Van rear bumpers were on the Anglia van but I'm not sure of the bolt hole pattern on them, I guess it was as the Lotus Cortina being the same time they were out.

Did the mk1 escort ever come with twin fuel tanks, whether for rallying and stuff cause they have the pressings for the top bracket on the spare tyre side. I remember CF magazine having a small story on this early on... Maybe it's there for the London Mexico rally cars.... I'm baffed !!!

Boo !!!

Not trivia but decided to watch one of Jackie Chan's 1st movies , Police Story , not far in from the start where the slums are they crash a few cars down the hill, 1 being a mk2 escort but it ended up destroyed. Then a bit later there's a Mk4 Cortina wagon, which became a wreck after Chan and the villains fight on it, some scenes the actors got really injured. The double decker bus scene where 2 people fall out from the top floor and land head first on the tarmac when they was meant to land on the car 6ft away. There's plenty of action stunts with real injuries..
If you've not seen it in a while or never seen it, find it on YouTube or SBS on demand etc , it is subtitled but still great entertainment, enjoy !!

I've also wondered that... Perhaps it was set up for LHD so the fuel tank was on the driver's side? I don't know? You can fit a standard tank on the near side, (reversed)

Bringing back the thinking caps..

After reading all previous posts to make sure I'm not doubling up I have a question..

On some Escorts there's a 3mm plate that goes under the drivers floor to the outer sill and is welded in quite solidly,
My question is why is it on some and not others, ie from birth to about late 73 there's nothing but then the plate appears till the mk1 end of run.. Now it gets sketchy cause it disappears on the mk2 from 75 till about late 77 or early 78 and was there till the end.
This is on any model and engine type, sedan, coup, van. I'm baffed !!

I was always of the understanding that 1970- Early 1973 MK1 Escorts were essentially flatpack UK shells assembled in Australia where at Late 1973 - 1975 MK1 Escorts were Australian built shells which differed from the UK shell. I know another difference from the two shells is that the strut towers are reinforced on the Australian shells.