Love the innovation and trying something different you have achieved there.
I was tempted to put bubble arches on my Escort when it was rebuilt years ago as there weren't many with them around, however thankful I didn't now.
For your period switches, you could try switches from a Mk2 Jag, when I first saw your gauges they reminded me of the Jag Smiths gauges of the same era.

Great work, liking what your doing. Good on you for giving it a crack with limited space. Alot can be said for your 'adapt and overcome' attitude, the results speak for themselves. Can't wait to see more.
Cheers Drew

Thanks Drew for the very kind words! They keep me motivated! I'll do my absolute best to keep you all updated.
I'll be pretty much fabricating all that i can from cheap off cuts from the scrap metal dealer. My reason is that i simply dont have the storage space to buy nice big sheets of metal (though id love to and will eventually).
I'm lucky my neighbors are an awesome Chinese couple that find me amusing in my coveralls, earmuffs and respirator when they peak over the fence....not a single complaint for noise has been had....yet!


Blue74, yeah....i really really do love the bubble arches! They look wonderful and its undeniable that being able to fit wider wheels yields a benefit in handling, but i see them all to often now...which is not a bad thing at all. Some people have done a tremendous job in fabricating to get them on and made them look stunning and balanced. It's just that I'm one of those weird fellas that tends to go for the odd option. Did you end up using Mexico front flares on yours? I shall definitely look into the Jag switches! Thanks for the heads up!

I should post a few pics of the lump I acquired from the UK. Built up on an AX crossflow block, it's an all steel bottom end and should yield a touch more horsies than my current lightly worked crossflow. I should have a prize if anyone can guess what it is....as I dont think many would have seen it in an Escort (but hey....I'm all about trying to do the weird and whacky..in a tasteful way! If i can make it look like some privateer bought it in the 70s and designed it to trends/technology of the era....I will!).

Hi all,

It has been a month or so since my last post. Since then I have been unable to work on the car due to limited access to it. But….as I purchased an engine for rebuild, I was in need of an engine stand. Yes, they are available for $150 or so, even cheaper second hand….but where is the fun in that. Why not make one to improve fabrication skills.
For those who don’t know me, I did buy the Escort not so much to build a replica car, or do a concourse resto….I bought it with one goal in mind: as a canvas (what a ****y term!) to improve my skillset.

So here is a mini side project, that may entertain, or bore some (hopefully the former!).

I went online looking for engine stands, and figured a good point to start was a rigid stand that would allow me to transport the engine around to and from the builder in a hatchback -size was to be minimal. Something like what Mr John Wilcox in the UK sells to transport his piece of art engines around.

Some 30x30x3mm square tubing, and some rusty 5mm plate offcut was obtained. The tubing cut and tigged to make the frame, whilst the 5mm plate was cut using the trusty angle grinder to make the plates that would bolt to the engine mounting points from both sides.

The completed stands were finished in gloss red enamel, and are rather rugged.
The only casualty was the garage floor that copped a wee bit of overspray (please dont tell my missus!), being so tight on space i figured it could have been a lot worse!

The missus popped a bike tire on the way to the gym, so I re-purposed the punctured tubes as padding on the corners, fixed with a self tapper. This way, the stand when dropped doesnt go "CLUNK" and scare people, nor get scratched when put down on concrete.

Then….well, I sat down and figured….well, I still don’t have access to my car so why not have a crack at a very very basic rotating stand!

I had some more 30x30x3mm tubing and started cutting….having no idea how id make the rotating mechanism I figured that could be addressed when the time came. After a bit of welding it started to come together.
A neighbor of mine saw it, and thought it looked like something in the Gulf of Mexico, so its been affectionately titled “The Oil Rig”.

It was meant to initially hold the engine from one side only using the engine mounting point on the block…but then I got carried away and made another support on the opposing side…

Then....the issue of the rotating head came into play.....i thought of using some square tubing with a slit cut down its length and some tabs welded on to accept pinch bolts....then i figured it best to visit some folks for scrap to see if it would stir some more ideas.

Thanks to my old man, and my missus' old man I found: 
Some U bracket made from 7mm plate 316 marine stainless, 2x 316 SS 1 inch Bolts with 200mm shanks, and 2 feet of 316 SS tubing with an ID of 27mm and a few misc M10 316SS nuts and bolts.
I kept with the theme of SS for the rotating assembly, as welding Mild Steel to stainless…aint such a great idea metallurgically! At these interfaces, I've increased the thickness of the mild steel parts by tig welding 3mm strengthening plates. Thereby, all 4 M10 bolts will be in double shear, across a minimum of 6mm thich material.


Do note, this was all done using nothing more than basic tools: 125mm angle grinder, a cordless drill, a holesaw, some hand files and some home made cutting fluid (canola oil, dishwashing liquid and water). All welds were punched out using my little tig running at its maxed out settings.

So if you dont own a Bridgeport or have three phase, it is still possible to tackle 7mm SS plate!


The tubing fit into the brackets with a press fit, going to show that those Sutton bimetal holesaws are rather accurate! They will be welded in the next few days once all test fitting is complete :)

Aye, i know....tis perhaps overbuild for holding a crossflow....but i find it addictive to keep cutting, welding and over engineering things even when uneccessary!

Let me know your thoughts! :) I hope you enjoy this post, although i understand how it might bore some.

Super neat... nice welding.
 
SHaun
 

Thanks Shaun for the kind words! I'm trying my best!

The mild steel welds will most likely get painted over with some blue hammerfinish paint....covering those welds... :(

wholly cr*p, very nice welding.
i thought I could weld sliughtly, well more like burning 2 parts of metal together by comparison.
 
You can always take up a career welding bike frames SKC.
 
cant wait to see what your panel weld look like.