Some may know....iv got my beloved white mk1 for which I'v been collecting parts for a few years for to do uprate the mechanical bits.
Im in a different position to most folks here as I am totally limited in space (most car work is done in a narrow single car driveway) and I have a workshop space thats 1/3rd of a single car garage.
This weekend (weather permitting) I'll begin tearing down the car.
I'll be putting up parts for sale as the project goes on over the next few months, so do keep an eye on the parts for sale section of this forum.
I've been lucky enough to acquire an AX bottomed lump (though its not a cossie), so my warm 1.6 kent will also be up for sale too, as well as a few other mechanical bits.
Ill be borrowing a few ideas from the early non bubble arched twincams but with a twist. iv already made a new dash and tigged a centre console out of thin gauge stainless.
Heck...why not have some fun with a build!

Im totally sure that ill be posting questions on here as i go. I'm not half bad with tools for someone whos not a tradie, its my first bonafide car project thats beyond a basic engine swap! Thanks in advance for your guidance!
There are so many talented, knowledgable and most importantly patient guys on here who have helped me out with knowledge in the past : Hayden, John, Glen to name a few....cheers folks!

Siggy

Sent you a PM

Hi Siggy,
Mk1 Escort, I presume? Pls keep thread updated with pics, the more the merrier ie. your dash, console.... Provides inspiration and ideas....
Cheers, Len

Hey Len,
Thanks for the encouraging words. I'll start perhaps with the dash, which i did a couple of months ago. I bought a fiberglass blank online and sourced a few gauges and old fashioned lights off some fella in the UK. Started with the standard silver bezels....but have settled on the black bezels for a more muted look (thanks Ebay!).

You may notice that my little folding nomad welding table/workbench is outside....i guess it illustrates how limited i am with space. When the weather is bad, i usually sit in the garage and ponder on ideas and drink coffee, then when there is a break in the rain or wind....i wheel the little table out, hook the grinders up and make some noise. So if anyone is like me in a small place near the city, don't let it stop you from doing a project.

I saw some fella post this pic on a FB page asking if anyone had a console/switch panel (if you can call it that) as found on the old Twin-cam works escorts.
Looked to be plastic or something....i liked it and figured...id make use of some 1mm stainless scrap (a laser cut shop sign i found on hard rubbish). Chopped it out on the angle grinder, buffed it out using a flapper wheel....I was quite pleased with the result!
It's being shelved until a latter stage when i have the electrical ancillaries to be mounted on it.
I have a second hand Smiths Amp meter and Clock that I plan on mounting, 2 works style Lucas fuse boxes. I'm yet to figure out how many switches will go on there, but as I'm planning a radiator fan....i'd love one of those Kenlowe switches (if anyone has one, let me know!).

Iv also got some small tabs to weld on when i figure out where exactly I'll drill the holes to mount it.

If anyone has any further ideas how to spruce up the inside of the car - 1960s style, let me know!

Siggy

Hi Siggy,
Like the dash setup, good to see some old fashioned fab work happening from scrap.  I'm currently making up some brackets to mount gas struts for the bonnet on my RS out of some scrap angle I got at work.  Len.

Where did you source the twin stopwatches? how awesome are they!

Period correct Tag ones are worth in the thousands and pretty damn rare!

Oh, oh Robbie I wish!


No, dear lord, i couldnt afford stop watches like that....
I meant the Smiths clock :P all....$50 of it....

If anyone had Tag Hueur clocks...especially twin clocks...in quite if you parked it anywhere to duck into the shops to get a bottle of milk...youd come out to it being stolen!


 
Len, thats awesome! you'll have to post some pics as you go, id be super keen to see how you do it!

Have you seen this article, be a cool read with the direction your cars heading

http://www.speedhunters.c...escort-with-the-works/

Hey Robbie,
Yeah I definitely have! That car is utterly beautiful and the owner really did go to the next level in doing everything period correct! That interior is....flawless........that ZF gearbox!
I have a mate who I went to uni with who now works at Hollinger in Kilsyth, and we were talking about their (more refined and better) take of the ZF gearbox.....ah one can dream...really a mechanical piece of art though (it does cost as much as a rebuilt twin cam engine).
I managed to source a never used, all ally cased Quaife type 9 with the HD Helical internals from a guy in the UK, but one can dream....perhaps after winning the lottery that elusive Hollinger may be a reality.

I'v noticed most folks going for the historic/replica builds tend to pretty much all go bubble arched. I'd be keen to see people doing replicas of the Escorts that ran at Bathurst....even perhaps like that moroon Broadspeed twincam escort that had bubbles on the front and no bubbles on the rear.

Then again, i generally like the odd uncommon things