Just a little update... I've got the van idling correctly but to get it to rev I need to work the accelerator a bit. I've noticed as the revs increase so do the little bubbles increase in between the exhaust ports 2 and 3 and between the extractors at this point. My father has told me to check if the exhaust is blocked and thats what I'll do this afternoon. Also I've borrowed a timing light to set the timing up but it wont work! I set it up on the falcon and it worked. I've changed the leads with no luck... Also my battery ran flat after running the van for a while and there was not much voltage change from off and on so I'm going to inspect the alternator. All in all nothings gone to plan, probably dude to my in experience with the escort but the important thing is I'm learning! And since its taking so long to get back on the road I'm going to do a few more things like new water pump and hoses, new front end bushes and I'm going to give it a quick shed paint job once its on the road since I own a compressor and air guns from my xf falcon project a few years ago. I'm going to do the van justice and maybe one day she will be up to show spec! Anyway thanks for reading, if you have any tips for me feel free to let me know!
 
Cheers Andrew.

So life has gotten in the way of me working on the escort lately but this weekend I got a bit done!!! I fitted the head back on and put a new vrs kit through the top end. Was as hard as I thought it would be, first time I've done a head on my own. Only took a smidge over 2 hours from no head to starting it... I feel the car runs slightly better, but it could be in my head hahaha... I've continued my trouble shooting and I may have found the issue to the really poor running, I think I'm missing the idle mixture screw (there is a picture uploaded). This may be the reason I'm having my dramas... Also the engine has trouble turning over after being started one, seems like the compression has doubled, thinking it may be due to being over fuelled leading to the increase in compression. Anyway as usual any help is appreciated. Sometimes its rewarding working on this car and sometimes I want to burn it to the ground hahaha oh well guess thats what inexperience feels like... Everyone has to start from somewhere.

If the idle mixture screw is wound all the way in it is running as lean as it possibly can you'll need to wind the screw back out a few turns and play around with it from there