Are you going to cut the bumps down as well ?
I'm looking at using BMW ones with the bellows .
Noticed you didn't gusset the lower stub to the tube ...

I thought about gussets but ultimately decided against it because I may go coil overs at some point after engineering and I never planned on this car being anything more than just a spirited drive car. 

If I end up getting a panel van that car will be more turned up.

Also with cutting down the bump stops - these KYB ones are pretty small and fairly soft so I'll just see how they go, if the travel is crap once its on the road I'll cut them down, but this car isn't that low anyway, it still had a good amount of travel when it was on the road and only bottomed out on massive pot holes.
 
Here's my DIY bump stop kit .


 

 

 
Was a lot easier that time around and managed to get the top spring to seat with a little bit of elbow grease and a second pair of hands.
 

Well the struts are in and everything clears - the passenger strut is a little further forward but nothing that cant be changed with a little adjustment to the sway bar.


 

 
It really looks like an aggressive amount of caster but they will swing back fair bit at ride height.  
 
Look at the angle of the top mount roller bearing .
 

 
I also dry fitted the hubs / calipers to see if the hubs would clear the caliper - unfortunately not, will need a tiny amount taken off on a lathe so everything rotates with enough clearance. I'll see if I can get that done next week.


 
Thats enough for today, will see if I have any motivation tomorrow to start putting the wiring loom in.

Yeah, I have the exact same gaiters for bellows idea, as long as the bump stays down , unlike escort ones that become stuck at the top.

I should've said weeks back that calipers will possibly hit the hub . I do like Capri hubs and cut a 45deg so there's plenty of gap.

Yep I agree with Marty. They are a loose (ish) fit and locate at the base and the top collar. Getting the length and travel right has been my only issue.
 
Mark, on the Aus 2.0L struts. Whenever I order from the UK I give measurements cause I have felt your pain before.
Is it Gordon at the RS shop? he knows his stuff pretty well.
From my experience the UK guys are pretty clueless on what we had out here, ie whats a 4dr RS????
 

MarkA your correct too, I bought sills from a shop in UK for a mk2 van but they swore I was wrong in ordering for mk1 coup, they settled down after a couple of pics between both vans.

It's the new generation of 'parts interpreters ' that's failing, we grew up with mk1 and mk2 so know plenty of stuff about them , I worked in a motorsport components shop, (Quickco) for nearly 20yrs so my brain is dialed in on them. Sad part is we wrecked a handful of RSs back when they were cheaper than a slab of beer and from memory a white 2dr with vinyl roof which must have been rare.

yep, if you were doing a 2015 Focus or Fiesta in the UK, it might be a different story.
The number of youngish kids who havent seen an Escort (van) before.
 
I hate it when you ask for something semi generic at Repco/Supercheap and they say, whats it going on?
 

Love seeing a build of this quality coming together, your work is outstanding Mark👌
I remember there being a hurdle to jump, seemingly, every step when I put mine back together, kudo's to yourself and other forum members for nutting it all out.

martymexico
 Sad part is we wrecked a handful of RSs back when they were cheaper than a slab of beer and from memory a white 2dr with vinyl roof which must have been rare.

That makes me cringe... the one I regret was a Rallye pack, we paid precisely a carton of beer for it.
It wasn't just a Rallye pack though it had Volante's, factory air conditioning, FM radio, automatic, tow pack, the list goes on, even the mudflaps were Ford optioned. Someone had ticked every box on the order form.
We parted it out over a rusty plenum and rusty rear arches 

Woah, that's sound oddly familiar right now.. I'm restoring a rally pack next to my mk1, it has apart from dents and rust when we bought it , the short list is original 1 owner, all matching body, engine numbers,
black interior with perforated material in the seats.
Factory volante wheels x5
Overriders on bumpers, spotties etc
Yellow, Pine n Lime, a 77 color
2dr 2.0, 4sp and tow pack with the wobbly leafs add ons
FM radio that still works! No AC tho..
Apparently it's one of the earliest 2.0 rally packs made , July 77 .
We're in the final sanding and flatting on the body and really hope it's painted by Xmas so we can start cleaning and assembly soon after

The ones that got away - car edition . I wish we could still get cars for a slab!