Discussion
Although i didnt own one, my mate had a 3i. Remember it being very quick at the time for 115 odd bhp.
It was a bit of a wreck, he paid £100 at auction (Loosened an ht lead to give it an "Engine problem" - naughty) but was great fun and looked the part.
Glowing with smugness, he went for a silver touch up pen to Ford. However, on production of the registration they brought out a white touch up pen much to my amusement.
It was a bit of a wreck, he paid £100 at auction (Loosened an ht lead to give it an "Engine problem" - naughty) but was great fun and looked the part.
Glowing with smugness, he went for a silver touch up pen to Ford. However, on production of the registration they brought out a white touch up pen much to my amusement.
More memories from a very distant past.
Back in the mid 90s, when i still had hair, my step father needed to replace his car. I seized the opportunity and pointed out to him that at his age, he could insure anything and therefore would be able to pickup a bargain.
For the princely sum of £500, I had managed to convince a middle age man, with no real interest in or knowledge of cars to buy a very clean White XR3i. I was a genuinely nice car, no rust (the front wings had already been replaced), no mechanical issues and it had not been afflicted by the 90s trends.
I put a lot of effort into it, undersealing it, fitting the Pioneer stereo, persuading him to replace the tyres etc. There was an underlying, cunning plan . I knew that at some point I would want to ‘upgrade’ from my Fiesta Supersport and reasoned that this would be a good replacement. Unfortunately for both myself and the car, my mother divorced him and without my guiding hand, it was severely neglected and was finally scrapped because of all of the rust that he had refused to address. I was bloody annoyed.
I did nearly buy my own a couple of years later, when my girlfriend at the time stated that she would refuse to get into the 2.8 Capri that I wanted because of it’s image but would be quite happy with the Escort. Ended up buying an XR4x4 instead.
Anyway, back to the thread.
Back in the mid 90s, when i still had hair, my step father needed to replace his car. I seized the opportunity and pointed out to him that at his age, he could insure anything and therefore would be able to pickup a bargain.
For the princely sum of £500, I had managed to convince a middle age man, with no real interest in or knowledge of cars to buy a very clean White XR3i. I was a genuinely nice car, no rust (the front wings had already been replaced), no mechanical issues and it had not been afflicted by the 90s trends.
I put a lot of effort into it, undersealing it, fitting the Pioneer stereo, persuading him to replace the tyres etc. There was an underlying, cunning plan . I knew that at some point I would want to ‘upgrade’ from my Fiesta Supersport and reasoned that this would be a good replacement. Unfortunately for both myself and the car, my mother divorced him and without my guiding hand, it was severely neglected and was finally scrapped because of all of the rust that he had refused to address. I was bloody annoyed.
I did nearly buy my own a couple of years later, when my girlfriend at the time stated that she would refuse to get into the 2.8 Capri that I wanted because of it’s image but would be quite happy with the Escort. Ended up buying an XR4x4 instead.
Anyway, back to the thread.
tommy1973s said:
Please don't lower it. You'll only spoil the car. These are back-roads cars. You need the suspension travel. Please ignore the suburban poseurs and their silly image-over-function obsession with lowering.
To late, I’ve already fitted the GAZ coilovers in the last picture i posted. This is about 30mm lower than standard height. The early XR3 was higher than the xr3i, which looks much better in my opinion. Mine looked like it was on stilts which I couldn’t bare 
Spencerw9t9 said:
tommy1973s said:
Please don't lower it. You'll only spoil the car. These are back-roads cars. You need the suspension travel. Please ignore the suburban poseurs and their silly image-over-function obsession with lowering.
To late, I’ve already fitted the GAZ coilovers in the last picture i posted. This is about 30mm lower than standard height. The early XR3 was higher than the xr3i, which looks much better in my opinion. Mine looked like it was on stilts which I couldn’t bare thebigmacmoomin said:
Spencerw9t9 said:
tommy1973s said:
Please don't lower it. You'll only spoil the car. These are back-roads cars. You need the suspension travel. Please ignore the suburban poseurs and their silly image-over-function obsession with lowering.
To late, I’ve already fitted the GAZ coilovers in the last picture i posted. This is about 30mm lower than standard height. The early XR3 was higher than the xr3i, which looks much better in my opinion. Mine looked like it was on stilts which I couldn’t bare 
Hi. I'm a bit late to this. Wow this is a great story and takes me back 34 years to 1986. I was 24. I had an '81 X reg XR3, 5spd, same colour. It was my 2nd car. Bought it in 1986 when I px'd my old S reg Chevette and kept it for 4 years when I changed it for a D reg Uno Turbo. Loved it. I added headrest pads, sun roof, a better stereo & fitted small cibie spots. Only 96bhp but light so was quick enough. A good all rounder - quickish, handled ok, ride ok, economical, but also roomy and practical. The only criticisms were the noisy ride, the positive camber on the front and the slightly high stance - the XR3i looked better. It handled well but was susceptible to lift off oversteer especially in the wet! A great car. Enjoy it. I'm jealous!!
Great to see one in such lovely condition. You’ve done a wonderful job and the mods are entirely appropriate..
I bought an ‘80 XR3 off my dad in the mid-eighties (MHN 167W), but sad to say I never really warmed to it. I found the ride choppy and the 4-speed ‘box rather unpleasant. But it was a fast Ford, which was more than good enough for me at the time
I fitted a Janspeed exhaust manifold and system, a Kent cam, Koni adjustable suspension, an RS steering wheel, RS 7-spoke wheels, an RS cast ally rocker cover and a Kenwood stereo system.
Sold it to buy an XR4i off my dad (yes, he was a dyed-in-the-wool Ford guy throughout most of his life, from a Mk ll Consul and Zephyr to a Mk 1 Lotus Cortina, then on to a succession of 3-litre Capris). I never forgave him for switching to Rover when he retired
Anyway, look after your XR3 and keep the updates coming!
I bought an ‘80 XR3 off my dad in the mid-eighties (MHN 167W), but sad to say I never really warmed to it. I found the ride choppy and the 4-speed ‘box rather unpleasant. But it was a fast Ford, which was more than good enough for me at the time
I fitted a Janspeed exhaust manifold and system, a Kent cam, Koni adjustable suspension, an RS steering wheel, RS 7-spoke wheels, an RS cast ally rocker cover and a Kenwood stereo system.
Sold it to buy an XR4i off my dad (yes, he was a dyed-in-the-wool Ford guy throughout most of his life, from a Mk ll Consul and Zephyr to a Mk 1 Lotus Cortina, then on to a succession of 3-litre Capris). I never forgave him for switching to Rover when he retired
Anyway, look after your XR3 and keep the updates coming!
Edited by Escort3500 on Thursday 15th October 18:36
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