hi im in the process of building my mk2 escort and before i order my strut tops, im wondering is there a big difference between small strut tops and bigger ones, what are the benefits?? would there be huge difference in adjustment ?? would it be worth converting to a larger strut top any help would be appreiciated
 
 thanks

Large hole gives more adjustment if using coil over or 1.6 litre struts, but if you are using stock 2 litre struts your upper spring perch will hit your inner guard before you run out of adjusment with the small tops.....

Guys what are the best type of strut top to suit a coilover conversion for a road going mk2 escort? I've bought some cheap rose jointed ones and am now beginning to think it's a bad idea! 

Do any of you use rose jointed strut tops for regular road use?

Rose Joints are not good for the road.... They will wear relatively quickly with in ingress of dust, dirt and water, and transmit virtually ALL noise vibrations and load through themselves...
 
In relation to strut tops, you will find that most have a rubber or nolathane bush/section between the inner and outer to give some NVH proofing and reduce the harshness.  For the road you DO want this insulation, but it will depend upon YOUR preference...  Even Nolathane bushes in the suspension noticably increase suspension noise transmission in an Escort, so I would hate to think how much more would come through if the strut was solidly mounted effectively.
 
I had a rose jointed quick shifter for my T9 box, and it stayed on there for all of 2 weeks...  The buzzing sound and vibrations coming through it nearly drove me nuts.......   Generally rose joints are for the race track (ie hardcore use where ultimate performance is everything and NVH is not a consideration)

I am in the process of fitting some capri struts with MKI eccentric strut tops into my MKII with the smaller ID Strut mounting holes.
 
My plan is to jusat take them to a suspension place so they can just dial in the required settings and then we can just drill the body to locate the strut tops and then once in position I can cut the hole wider to get maximum adjustment.
 
This will also allow the front end geometry to set up 100% as not many shells are square due to poor build quality & possible previous accidents.
 
Cheers
 
Matt
 

Cheers guys, thanks for the info. I have gaz adjustable inserts and a Coilover conversion kit with 250lb springs. I'll opt for some roller bearing or bushed tops, likely the roller bearing ones from group 4 fabrications. They're going into my '76 mk2 so I'm just using 2l struts. Getting a suspension place to fine tune them sounds like a good idea too

Largeo,
 
Given you have an early MKII, you will have your pic of strut tops.
 
Matt

Are there any you guys might reccommend? Looking at some that aren't too pricey for my daily driver escort

Can anyone tell me if Monroe, pedders etc strut inserts are compatible with the standard rubber strut top? A suspension wholesaler told me recently that the insert shafts have a step in them which means they can only be used with pillow ball (rose jointed) strut tops???
PS, sorry to hijack