1966 Mk1 Cortina GT

[Retro_Jim]

Chunkychucky said:

Glad to hear you had a decent time/an appreciative crowd at the RR do! Unfortunately didn't make it to Mallory Park this year, but attended the do at Shelsley Walsh a couple of times - as you say the variety of machinery and variety in attendees (generally speaking) is great

Nice work with the sound deadening too! Glad to hear it made a difference, definitely useful as you say for longer journeys at speed.

Thanks Chucky, I'm glad I went but would like to do some of their other events. Let me know if you're going though.

The sound deadening has made longer journeys much more bearable but I am looking at changing the gearbox to a Mazda MX5 or RX8 as kits are available and I could go 6 speed - there are a few caveats that I will need to alter the transmission tunnel and figure out how I will run the original odometer as there won't be a cable to drive it (it's not registering correctly anyway!)

Another winter job I have planned is relating to the fuel tank, the tank I have is fine but is from the early Cortina's which has a different sender unit that produces different resistances when full and empty



Another change made between the earlier Mk1 and my 66 Airflow is that the gauzes also use 5v voltage regulated dials and when combined with the earlier sender I essentially get half the resistance I should at the sender so when it's a brimmed tank it registers at half - I basically have to count miles and refill at 200 miles which is playing safe by approximately a gallon left in the tank.

I didn't want to modify the tank I had as welding could have caused more harm than good and new replacements cater for the older style sender and to make things harder the gauge can't be changed for an earlier model too! With all this in mind and that I design industrial tanks to pay the mortgage I decided to design a fuel tank that could take either sender have slightly more capacity and work with fuel injection.

This is a basic block drawing of the original tank





This has 40L capacity which given my 30-35mpg should give me 280 miles if I go steady and use every drop (hence why I play it safe at 200 miles!). The tank base is tapered for the fuel sender pickup and had a single baffle that runs across the width of the tank (not shown).

What I have designed leaves the length and width the same (as this is part of the boot floor). The height has been increased from 168mm to 175mm so it still gives plenty of ground clearance, I have reduced the rear angle to 4 degrees to prevent pooling and levelled the front section with a small sump that fuel can be drawn from along with baffling to prevent starvation on heavy cornering. I will also hinge the rectangular holes next to the pick up to allow fuel flow in 1 direction when cornering too.

The idea with the internal baffling is that it will also play a part of the tanks structure and help align plates whilst being fabricated. All of the plates will be laser cut and motlively be made from stainless steel so negate the need to post process treatments like galvanising etc which makes the cost comparable.

I'll bead roll the top and possibly the bottom for strength and to make it look a little bit factory and angle the filler so I don't have to modify the back panel to tank filler pipe but otherwise the design is about there.







I am planning on learning to TIG weld and I would like to at least jig this one up but will most likely get a responsible adult to help me

[Retro_Jim]

scooty63 said:

Jim I''ve followed you for a few weeks and you've totally changed my mindset towards my Cortina, that I've had for 20 years.
Thank you!

You've probably been asked this many times however I'll have a crack...would you share the 3D file for the Mk1 Cortina internal light lens that you've painstakingly mapped out...?

Hi Scotty thank you, I don't normally share 3D files. I can however print you an interior light having made a simplified version that has been in my mk1 for over a year now and is working well.

[Retro_Jim]

I have let this slip again but I thought I would update this when I had something more to talk about, The last month or so has gone rather quickly partly because Mrs. Jim and I had a week in Anglesey (not in the Cortina) where we caught a lobster and went to a classic car museum/ cafe.







I was tempted to make an offer on the grill as it's better than the ones on eBay!



When arriving at home I received an email from the laser cutters to say that my tank plates were ready to collect so I took the Cortina for a light drive to collect them.







The slots needed a little running over with a needle file as I had kept the tolerances tight between these but the fitment looks great, all I need to do now is sort fasteners for the sender flange and bead roll the top and bottom plates prior to tank welding.



As I bit of fun I thought I would try printing a copy of a Timavo carb trumpet I used to have but stupidly sold. printed from PETG which has worked well under the bonnet and from what I have read it can withstand petrol too



It's louder for one (that wasn't my intention!) Top end 4500 + has a little extra to give but that might be because of the extra noise but it had survived 300 odd miles without any heat issues etc

I would have made a start on the tank after a day out to Bristol for YouTube related shenanigans but my exhaust decided to make an attempt to escape on the motorway - fortunately it was just before junction 26 on the M1 and late at night so it was quiet (apart from my lack of exhaust!) so in a small lay-by I removed the piping hot system, loaded it into the car and carried on up to Junction 27 and home (about 10 miles).

I'll be the first to admit that I am very lucky given what had happened and there was no damage to the floor, exhaust or myself. The clamps took the brunt of the damage as did the flexible joint but nothing that can't be replaced. The manifold however looks like it has been a lot time coming and is an area these manifold tend to let go - fortunately I had a spare manifold years ago that had rusted out at the flanges but the lower part of the manifold was surprisingly good.











I will replace the polyurethane mounts for standard rubber items as I think the exhaust mounts are much firmer than the engine mounts so this should have them balanced, I'll also repair the manifold so I can keep the Cortina going as it is.

My gearbox adaptor plate arrived and I am happy that it went on both the block and the gearbox with little problem, I did have to shave a little material off the bellhouse as the M10 nuts fouled. What I have noted so far is that the exhaust manifold won't fit without modification which I won't do as I'd like to keep it as it is despite the problems I've had so far!













I'm glad I found this out before hacking the transmission tunnel to then stall the project to make an exhaust manifold! What I will do now is get as many ducks in a row before I take the Cortina off the road to get the gearbox in. I would like to have the gearbox in and tested before Le Mans as I have wanted to go in the Cortina for many years now.

I have been spending some time in between jobs tweaking and finessing inlet and exhaust flanges for this very reason and I am just about there now, Printing examples has been incredibly helpful and cost effective.



Having spent some time on the forum I know this is a little council but I have started pallet wood panelling inside the garage, In my defence this is to allow me to hang more tools and free up space rather than look like a hipster coffee shop, I went all in and sanded the wood before treating with tung oil. I'm mid way through this wall and have printed shelf brackets to mount socket rails but it has also taken me much longer than expected!

[Retro_Jim]

Chunkychucky said:

Christ that was a lucky escape re: the exhaust not doing any further damage! Must have been quite the sight after setting off again, hearing the noise from a mile off then seeing a Mk1 Cortina bombing along the motorway

Nice job on the garage DIY too, 'a bit council' tickled me As long as it has the desired effect of freeing up some space/keeping things in order that's the main thing!

on Idle is was great but when driving was a bit like an old tank!

Thanks! I have been so focussed on working on the Cortina everything is a mess!

Mr Tidy said:

I like your pallet lining solution - you can't easily attach anything to concrete sections!

Thanks, we had to cut a 15 degree bevel into some 45mm square. Fortunately my Dad has plenty of wood working tools!

I had some off cuts that I figured I'd turn into shelves by making shelf brackets on the printer



All laid out, I like the setup and it's removed a considerable amount of weight (mainly hammers and files!) This isn't all of them but I have planned to have a set in the house. I'm happy with the result and I'll carry it on along the garage - but there's a few more jobs to do before then!





The exhaust is repaired but it's not my finest work and it's given me a few ideas for making improvements when I go with the Mazda gearbox. I meant to take photos but it's nothing exciting!

With these jobs sort I can finally make a start on the fuel tank. the slots are helping locate the plates but I need stability and to ensure they're at 90 degrees to each other so I again I printed some alignment jig things.







Once I have the welding wire I'll make a start in getting it tacked together which is exciting but I'm a little nervous about attempting this but I have friends who can help me out. Having the tank finished in the Cortina will mean I have a fuel gauge that actually works and the extra gallon will be great for longer distance which I'll need when driving to Le Mans next year.

[Retro_Jim]

I have been meaning to update the adventures of the Cortina for some time but there hasn't been a huge amount of anything going on other than small pottering jobs. When I took the Cortina off the road in December everything was just about functional so I didn't have many winter jobs to do compared to last year which was nice in a way but also meant I had to do manual labour jobs in the house which wasn't as fun!

The diff has been rebuilt with new bearings and seals and the driveshafts have had new wheel bearings as they appeared to be worse than expected, I did have a bit of drama putting the lot back together as the 2 of the studs in the axle casing sheared under very little torque which took some finding for replacements but managed to get a full set.



The old colostomy bag that I kept windscreen wash fluid in was not only looking pretty ropey but I couldn't get the pump to work with it so found a period correct Lucas bottle that I'd like to think won't go up in smoke like most 60's Lucas parts, I'll give it a proper bleaching and cleaning one day!



With the weather improving Mrs. Jim and I headed over to ignition cafe outside Chesterfield for a post slumber run which was quite fun despite dropping some oil (more than usual). We had a good breakfast and talked to a few people, I got home and was sent this photo someone had snapped and made the Cortina look pretty good!




I'm currently on Le Mans prep as I'm aiming to take the Cortina and finally do something I set out to do in 2009 but failed, as part of that I have raised the rear end by an inch (was currently on 2" blocks). The drive into work this morning was much nicer so I think will stay as it is for the moment.



With the mercedes sold along with my fiesta ST I was scouring eBay etc for something that wasn't a hot hatch and a potential backup if the Cortina isn't ready for Le Mans, whilst working on giving myself gout over Christmas I found a Jaguar XJ8 3.2 a mile away and thought it would be a good idea - it sort of is as it is comfortable but 20mpg is less fun!

[Retro_Jim]

Having spent a few days last year repairing the exhaust after the manifold broke on the motorway I had some issues with it, there was an awful rattle on idle and it leaked and awful lot!

I made the exhaust system many years ago when I did a dry build of the Cortina before painting and since then I have learnt awful lot and realised I had made a few things look awful...

When inspecting the exhaust I found that the rubbers and adjustable hangers their diameters weren't the same i.e. the ID on the rubbers was 10mm and the OD of the hangers was 8mm so the exhaust wasn't properly supported.



The droop had caused the exhaust to sit on the handbrake rod which then needed to be straightened



Instead of hacking the exhaust yet again I decided to bite the bullet and start afresh, purchasing multiple 45 degree bends, 2 180 degree bends, a silencer, 2m of straight pipe and 10mm bar stock for the hangers all in 304 stainless steel. To improve on what I had made before I have also purchased a band saw so now my cuts are clean and level rather than the gnashings I made using an angle grinder whilst squinting!





A few hours of measuring, cutting and fine tuning had an exhaust that sat quite nicely tucked into the transmission tunnel without being too close to the floor or the prop shaft







I opted against the polyurethane mounts and purchased rubber instead to allow for movement of the exhaust rather than the flex joint I had which would have added 2 more joints (I currently have 3; 1 from the manifold to the axle, 1 over axle and 1 for the silencer)

I had been on a TIG welding course as I do a bit of fabrication for work from time to time so had access to a TIG welder but unfortunately couldn't access it when the time was right so I have welded the exhaust using MIG with stainless wire. I'm pleasantly surprised by how well it went.



new vs old



The hangers were made by heating the bar and bending it in the vice - crude but effective! I takes a washer on to act as an end stop and welded a bead on the other end then field it back to make fitting the rubber easy but enough of a stop to prevent it falling off.



For the over axle I made this using sections taken from the 2 180 degree bends rather than the off the shelf over axle piece I had originally, to prevent the handbrake from getting stoved in I extended the run over the axle and didn't drop it down as far as before, it looks a little odd but given it's a lesser seen part and it works without restriction I'm happy with it.



The silencer has a similar twin 45 degree affair to the front because the tail pipe cut out in the rear valence is close to the chassis leg and someone put a leaf spring in the way! If I had the skills and impetus I would rework the rear valance so that the tail pipe exits the silencer without any bends but that is a project for a much much later date



The exhaust has since done 450miles approximately with no issues and is slightly quieter with a nice rasp to it so I'm happy with it and so is Mrs Jim which helps!

[Retro_Jim]

Thanks Chucky! I knew I had done something right when Mrs. Jim complimented me on the quieter exhaust!

I'm currently getting the last few bits ready for Le Mans and have had time to sticker her up - to say I did the roof myself by hand I'm pleasantly surprised by how well it's come out.

[Retro_Jim]

It's been a few weeks since Le Mans but the Cortina made it there and back which was fantastic, it was great to be back at La Sarthe and taking the Cortina was the icing on the cake!

Whilst waiting to board the train I very nearly acquired a pet



I made it onto the train without stowaways



The drive through France was plain sailing cruising at a steady 65- 70mph on the motorways with a slight deviation to avoid Rouen as part of the clean air act. We eventually made it to the campsite in the evening after a few stops for fuel and oil.





The drive home was also as smooth, stopping overnight at a hotel to break it up and getting home Monday afternoon. Towards the end of the journey the Cortina was tired - It sounded like there was an inlet/exhaust gasket leak and the oil consumption was horrendous dropping 6L of oil over the course of the journey! I have some work to do before I'll take the Cortina out again, the first being the Diff which was whining worse than before it was rebuilt.



I want to do more long distance drives and thinking about the pros of a more modern drivetrain like a zetec, I'm not chasing numbers but want something oil tight and better on fuel etc

[Retro_Jim]

RobXjcoupe said:

A zetec engine would be a good choice. Very reliable motors. Just mentioning figures a 1.6 zetec on bog standard management keeping the fuel injection makes 100bhp if you use the mk1 focus version. The same as the lotus twin cam. So very easy to make the cortina a bit quicker. I used to run the 2.0 zetec in a mk1 focus which gave 30mpg around town and went quite well overall.
The cortina with a 2.0 zetec would be a rather fun car to drive plus you would get good mpg compared to its current engine. Fit power steering also while you are doing the conversion.
I think the only downside would be losing the 13” wheels to fit better front brakes. 14” steels with those lovely chrome centre caps would keep it fairly true on the outside. Subtle I would say.

Sorry for the late reply Rob, I have had the same thoughts as you. A zetec is almost a bolt in conversion these days thanks to Retro ford, I'm keen on keeping the steering box and handbrake for the traditional Cortina feel and a 1600 would be a poor mans Lotus which would suit me down to the ground!

Whilst searching for parts/ prices etc I did get looking at the 1600 used in the mk1/2 MX5's as they're plentiful, already rear wheel drive (the MX5 gearbox is now preferred on the zetec conversions), has the exhaust on the same side as the original engine so no issues with the steering box and is cheaper than a zetec to acquire with more tuning parts/ potential

I'll offload some of my spare engines and gearboxes to free up space for one of retroford's crossmembers and see about a 1600 engine for some trial fitting before comitting to dropping it in the Cortina.

Whilst I have been waiting for the diff to be overhauled again I went to Cadwell with the intention of being a passenger in a friends 944 and Delta Integrale, when I arrived I found out that there was space available to par take in the track day as a driver so was very easily persuaded to get involved - so the jaguar had an outing!







I was surprised with how well the Jaaaaag handles as I haven't actually driven it hard since I bought it but the brakes aren't happy, the fluid didn't boil or suffer with the heat but the pads and discs have seen better days!

[Retro_Jim]

RobXjcoupe said:

Most Jag drivers don’t push their cars, but they are quite capable once you get the hang of the size. A Jag driven hard is a very rare sight indeed.
Only time I’ve ever seen a Jag driver go for it was a then new XJR of the x350 type, set of lights waiting to go with a rather nifty looking 911 of similar age. The lights went green and the XJR just went with no noise or wheel spin with a Porsche trying very hard to catch.
I have a s-type r, not as quick as the aluminium bodied x350 but doesn’t disappoint. I drive that spirited and love it. It surprises many being an older car.
Anyway, Cortina. Personally I would stick with a zetec Ford engine and gearbox. Keeps its soul so to speak. Do the mods accordingly, what’s the rush to do easy . The focus mk1 1.6 engine was built with a balancer shaft and is a well engineered motor. Ford didn’t do the same on the 1.8 or 2.0 as it was expensive to develop.

You're right, I've owned it for 6 months now and this was the first time I pushed it hard. What's the S type like? I was tempted by a v6 manual just before I found the XJ which I'm not sure if I made a mistake there?!

Back to the Cortina - the 1.6 zetec is a different engine to the 1.8 and 2.0. It doesn't share the bell housing pattern and the inlet/ exhaust are on the opposite sides to the 1.8 and 2.0 which is awkward when making a manifold around the steering box. I need to sell a few blocks I currently have to free up space as I have rapidly run out of it in the garage!

I haven't driven the Cortina since I limped it how from Le Mans, with the rear axle making some interesting noises and a suspect exhaust leak I knew I had some issues to resolve. Firstly was to remove the diff and half shafts to go back to the chap who rebuilt them in December, he was as surprised as I was but on checking the lash appears to be tighter than recommended and we've replaced the half shaft bearings so fingers crossed that has solved the problem



The exhaust leak was an interesting problem as my initial thought was that the system clipped either a speed bump or a rut in the campsite at Le Mans, to test it I ran the Cortina and then got underneath to feel for a leak. This was a challenge as the Cortina didn't want to idle - the manifold bolts had worked their way loose which is something I've not experienced before but know others who have, fasteners fastened the Cortina ran smoothly albeit louder than usual (my poor neighbours!)

From the outside the leak sounded as though it was towards the front of the car possibly the first joint, I shimmied underside and started to have a feel. It wasn't the joint, it was a pin hole in a weld - never mind but pinholes aren't usually that loud? That's because the manifold had torn further up near the collector!



When removing the exhaust it became apparent all was not well when cylinder 2 and 3 came away just by undoing their fasteners - not good! Fortunately I pulled out one of my spare cylinder heads and inlet manifold to jig the lot up and went about welding the exhaust up.

The factory welds aren't the prettiest but it also means my amateur welding fits in perfectly!



After what felt like forever but also no time at all I had the Cortina back on the ground and in dire need of a clean, particularly underneath as the various oil leaks have made working underside filthy and annoying so I drove her outside and set about lathering the underside with TFR before attacking it with the pressure washer set on low (I'll get some photos of that later).



It was very oily then!

At this point I was feeling motivated to start giving the Cortina a proper wash and polish ready for PH25 this weekend but I was apprehended by Mrs Jim because she wasn't happy I'd turned the driveway into a rainbow! To prevent being grounded I had to put my toys away and pressure wash the drive before going inside and thinking about what I'd done...

[Retro_Jim]

I had a rushed few days fettling and making the Cortina look its best for the PH25 even though I wasn't displaying the cortina I wanted to at least look the part in the main car park



The run down was straight forward and easy going on the M1, the rocker cover is now sealed and not spraying oil everywhere but the diff is still noisy which points towards the crown wheel and pinion being the issue which I have a plan for.

A walk around Bicester was good and a few things caught my eye





I like the idea of a featherweight toy I just need a bigger garage!

The Alfaholics Guilia was a lovely thing and well thought out which is something I'd like to aim at, I know I won't get the panel gaps 100% etc but I like how they've embraced the original parts but made them better.





The interior was an eye opener, I don't know much about interior trimming but I like what they've used for the backs of the seats. I have considered more modern seats possibly from an early MX5 but looking at my door cards I had thought about tweaking the style slightly to keep it looking 60's but not necessarily original - it's not high on my list but one to think about!





This had me thinking about having the roof chequered by someone who can do it with straighter lines!

As the weather was still bright and sunny and lunchtime was approaching quickly I decided against eating at Bicester and headed over to Caffeine and Machine as I haven't been in the Cortina and the roads to it were mainly B roads which suited the Cortina much more than motorway blasting! When I arrived it was heaving and was lucky to get a sport without having booked.



I did a few laps of the place with a break for lunch, it was good to talk to a few people too which I hadn't really had the chance to do at Bicester. It appears bagpuss got a decent amount of attention which I wasn't expecting!

[Retro_Jim]

RobXjcoupe said:

Looking at that tan Alfa interior, it’s very doable for most classic cars with flat door cards. Seat cover design is also straight forward.
If you have an idea of mix and matched interior parts. I love a challenge
Oh and the Jag driving, I can’t compare an s-type with the xj as I’ve never driven a newer xj.
Performance wise the v8 S-type with the auto box is lovely, you can waft along or easily keep up with the best of them. As it’s Ford era Jag it’s quite easy to repair mechanically. Rust is a thing. Mine isn’t too bad underneath as a previous owner had been there but it’s getting a bit ratty again. Once the xjc is finished the str can have a bit of tlc

Edited by RobXjcoupe on Monday 21st August 12:13

I'm glad you've said that about the interior as I picked these seats up last week, I happened to be trawling Facebook marketplace for financially irresponsible cars for a friend of mine and they popped up for £100. They've been sat for a while and has a couple of very small marks but they've cleaned up well, I'll sort a set of runners but I quite like them and I'd like to see what they're like in the Cortina but ripe for a trimming!



I took the Cortina to work this week and notice there was a clunk coming from the gearbox when the engine fires up, it looks like the bolts that hold the gearbox casing to the bell house have started to work loose - this motorway driving is having an impact, I've ordered gaskets so I'll drop the box and have a look at what has happened and how to fix it plus it'll give me a chance to compare it dimensionally to the RX8 gearbox.

Feeling a bit deflated about the gearbox I limped the Cortina home and then did this to the door FFS!



On to more positive things, I dropped the crank off at a machine shop near work that I had been recommended and they've crack checked the crank and took 10 thou off the mains and big end. This is the first grind it's had since leaving Dagenham which is impressive. I've ordered mains bearings (along with the gearbox gaskets.) Once they've arrived I'll put the crank in to keep it safe and start working on the rear oil seal modifications.







A quick measure up and print of the end of the crank will give me something to trial fit seals to before trying it on the actual crank







Whilst I was in a huff with the Cortina I needed something to do so I'm back on with tidying up the garage as I liked what I did with the pallet wall and having more storage space would be nice, it's a like dark in there and the inside of the garage door looked a bit dirty. I've given it a clean and a few coats of white paint which has brightened the garage up.





I'll paint the ceiling (?) too next, I'm just waiting for some decent weather to push the cortina out

[Retro_Jim]

Over the last few weeks I have been making small progress on a number of jobs for the Cortina but I haven't actually completed any of them which says more about me than I'd like to admit! Part of this is planning further ahead than need to but as it stands currently the Cortina's gearbox isn't looking good.

After the drive to Pistonheads 25 and a day out on the B roads I had noticed when the Cortina fires up there is a knock from the gearbox and a shudder through the shifter, when I was driving it shifting is as smooth as usual and no issues using the gears but something was loose. When inspecting from underneath I could move the gearbox with my bare hands (this was a mistake as it's filthy under there!). The optimist in me thought it was the mount then I noticed the movement was between the bell house and the main casing

For those of you that haven't worked on a Mk1 GT to get the gearbox out you. have to remove the centre console which can be a pain if you leave the front seats in, this is because the remote shifter is mounted to the gearbox through the bulkhead/ transmission tunnel for reasons only known to whatever deviant at Dagenham thought it would be a good idea!

A few hours later and the gearbox was out and on the bench



Upon inspection I found that that one of the bolts had removed itself whilst I'd been driving it, the clutch pressure plate had a few scuffs but nothing too serious fortunately and that's when I found the offending item, it must have fallen out whilst I was trying to not drop the gearbox on myself.



I don't think I'll be using it again! The threads in the gearbox casing aren't the best I've seen so I'd put it down to high revs causing vibration and 60 year old threads getting ready for retirement. I could helical them to be fair, I also have 2 spare cases so best to assume they'll be in a similar state. The loose bellhops has had an impact on the input bearing as there is considerable play but the oil is surprisingly shrapnel free so a few new bearings and an in-depth inspection could be all it needs.

But...

I've enjoyed going further in the Cortina this year having covered in the region of 2000 miles in a few months going to the in-laws, Le Mans and PH25 and this is what I have wanted from the Cortina since I purchased it in 2005. It just needs some modernising without taking away from the 1960's feel. Last year I purchased a gearbox from an rx8 and an adaptor plate but I didn't have the time to do the conversion before Le Mans so it was sat in the garage till I had the chance to look at it properly and with the original gearbox out and stunt block and crank ready now is the time to revisit this.

The bearings for the mains had been sat for a week on my bench before I built up the necessary minerals to attempt fitting a crank which is something I hadn't done before and I was a little intimidated by it thinking I'd cause more harm than good. Hands steadied and assembly lube purchased along with a strong cup of tea the crank was soon in and turning smoothly.





Back to the gearbox, the RX8 gearbox is huge! and when compared to the 2000e that was in it the shifter is 50mm further forward with a lot of work required to move it back to where the Cortina's is. I don't mind putting the work in but I also need to make a new exhaust as the casing is much wider especially at the bell house, upon reflection I think this could work but it isn't the best solution given first is so low I'm essentially carrying a 5 speed box with a crawler gear.

I had seen a few people using the NA MX5 5 speed gearbox in Morris minors and a mk1 escort, the ratios are a little longer than the 2000e but not enough to make the Cortina feel sluggish given their similar power output (on paper). The mx5 gearbox can have it's shifter relocated with less headaches but this is something I'll look at a later date as it's only 25mm further forward minus the thickness of the adaptor plate so could only be a negligible difference.

2000e vs RX8







2000e vs NA MX5







The NA box is wider than the 2000e but not a ridiculous amount and the bellhouses aren't far off width wise which means I may be able to use the original manifold for now. They both have hydraulic clutches which is great and the MX5's is on the opposite side to my exhaust which is a current issue with the 2000e box. The main issue is the starter motor for the 2000e is exactly where the cultch arm is and I'd like to keep the MX5 components standard if possible and the MX5 starter motor position is where the one of the engine block to gearbox mounts is which I need to use as all the mounting points between the 1500 block and the 2000e are located on the block unlike the MX5.

There's some thinking and planning to do but I'm not stressed yet having seen these mounted on zetecs.

On yet another tangent I have managed to source a seal that is the right diameter for the the end of the crank via SKF, I just need to sort a way of mounting it to the block!

[Retro_Jim]

Chunkychucky said:

Great to read the last couple of updates Jim, good to see the progress being made!

Can sympathise with the remote change on the GT/Lotus boxes, always preferred the long old 'magic wand' from the 1200 gearboxes, had a nice shift quality and despite the huuuuge gearstick always found you could get gears so easily going up or down the gearbox.

Fair play for having a go at the engine assembly on your own and the gearbox swap, sort of makes a mockery of anyone calling their car 'a build' after sticking on a set of chinese coilovers/air ride, some replica wheels and some dodgy stickers

Did you have the crank lightened at all? Trying to tell if the crank webs look slightly smaller than usual but don't get to see these engines in bits anymore unfortunately..

Thanks for having a read! I've never tried a standard Cortina or the column shift but I'd be interested to see what the difference is in the gear change, I'm trying to have a go at everything on the Cortina if I get anything drastically wrong I can always get it repaired. I do however have replica lotus steels on the rear, my coil overs were made in Essex (Gaz) and the inside of my bottled is where I put my stickers!

Currently the stunt crank hasn't been lightened just ground so that I can put it in the block for mocking up the gearbox and rear oil seal, my intention is to fabricate a number of parts etc for a slightly more powerful/ user friendly engine which this block and crank will be the base for. Once I've done all the fabrication I'll get the block cleaned/ bored and the crank lightened as part of building it into something that will replace my current 1500 which will then be my working spare.

tr7v8 said:

I had a 63 Super 1500 as my first car with the long wand gearlever, always wanted a remote but they were like rocking horse poo in the 70's when I wanted one.

A word of warning on Ford stuff of this era. When Ford manufactured the block if they had a machining problem they line bored the block so you need O/S main bearings on the O/D. Not uncommon & can cause no end of grief.

I only realised last year that there are 2 versions of the remote shifter, the first being for the Cortina and the second is for the Console Capri GT that is 2 inches or so shorter and doesn't fit inside the Cortina's center console.

Before ordering the bearings I did check if the block had been oversized on the mains as the current one had to be as the bearings that came out of it were no longer available, fortunately this one hasn't been oversized but when I come to build it up properly I will be replacing the mains caps for steel ones which are much stronger and better for high sustained revving but thank you for the heads up!

Mr Tidy said:

That brings back memories! My first car was a 1967 Cortina MK2 with the 1500 engine and a remote shifter which had to be removed when the gearbox broke.

I'm sure you have a good reason for choosing the Mazda box, but years later I had a Sierra with an MT75 gearbox that was great and would keep things Ford.

The mk2 1500 is a holy grail when it comes to the crank as it uses 6 bolts for the flywheel over the 4 in the mk1 and has a better oil seal - they're pretty hard to come by these days which is a shame!

I hadn't looked at the MT75, I did look at the type 9 which has a chasm between 2nd and 3rd which I'd lose about 3000rpm between shifts which makes driving the cortina a bit of a pig. The main reasons behind the MX5 box is the the gear selector position can be moved relatively easily, they're plentiful and cheap (mine was £120), the ratios are pretty good and not too dissimilar from a 2000e but has a longer 5th which will make 70mph at just under 3500rpm and it's much lighter than the 2000e

[Retro_Jim]

e600 said:

You have brought memories flooding back. Done this, my second one, some years ago….

That's very cool, does it have a YB in it?

nismo48 said:

My old man had a 1965 Gt bought at 5yrs old in 1970just after he left the RAF in Tangmere..
Great memories of those days !!
Lovely car O/P too

Thank you, I'm glad it's bought back some happy memories, the '65 was a changeover year so it would be interesting to see if it was an early type or later like mine.


I have been soldiering on with the gearboxes and have made some progress, I have been taking my time as I haven't tried this before and I don't want issues down the line so getting things centralised has been the main goal.

I will go through the process if anyone is interested. But after some time of marking/ measuring and drilling I had this basic plate.





it's 1.2mm steel with nuts welded to it which will be the basis of a template that I can then use to transfer it to a thicker sheet of steel, the inner has been roughed out and gives enough clearance for the crank and rear seal mount etc without exposing the flywheel. I even managed to find a home for the starter motor on the opposite side - and it cranks as it should!



Given it's 1.2 and has been welded very roughly it has located each other quite well!



There is a small amount of room for error (0.1-0.2mm) so I am happy so far it is aligned concentrically between the crank and the gearbox input, I have purchased a 1.6 MX5 clutch which from my initial inspection is 10mm larger in diameter and the pressure plate doesn't overhang on the flywheel. It just needs drilling but I need to talk to a grown up about doing that!

My father is retired and spends his time at a charity doing carpentry for retired chaps like himself so they are constantly donated tools etc. One of their latest donations contained this very original Lucas box of electrical connectors etc which he has given me (I did make a donation!) I've never seen this before and would have gone into the bin otherwise.







Whilst I'm rambling I'll finish off with my lack of observation and new found OCD I recently discovered that the numbering on the speedometer and the rev counter is odd. 10, 70, 100 and 110 are the opposite way to the other numbers - I've owned the Cortina 18 years and only just noticed!



This is well timed as I had been considering making a new speedometer when I change the gearbox to have modern gubbins inside, I have started with the rev counter as they're easier but I've drawn up 3 versions of the potential dial face.

Original


OCD corrected


All numbers level

[Retro_Jim]

Mr Tidy said:

That's some good progress with the gearbox fitting, and those Lucas bits were a real find!

But that numbering on the dials is really surprising - well spotted.

My MK2 clunker didn't have a rev counter but I wish I could remember the speedo, but I did sell it in 1977! It probably was the same as yours though seeing as most early MK2s used quite a few MK1 parts. Changing them is great attention to detail.

Thank you Mr. Tidy, interesting you mention the mk2 as from what I could see they had their numbers placed vertically which is the same as the early mk1 but yet again they tried something for the later mk1 like mine that they then changed their minds on!

After posting the CAD renders of the rev counter I went ahead and printed a tester out of PETG, the first had a few issues with the notches as they were 0.1mm deep which meant they lacked definition as that was my layer height on the printer, the second print (pictured below) has slightly deeper notches and numbering and with a little bit of tidying and sanding I think this will fit in nicely - almost like it isn't any different to a standard gauge.







After getting the adaptor plate correct in principle with 1.2mm thick steel I ordered a 400x400mm plate of mild steel which is much thicker than what I am used to working with but quickly set about clamping the 1.2mm sheet to it and marking the center to be cut out and the centres of the welded on nuts - this was done by printing threaded bungs that had a centralised hole through it that was just big enough to get my centre punch through. This meant I wasn't trying to do all this by eye and if it worked makes it easier to replicate.

The center was cut out using a jigsaw and a huge amount of patience which meant it took approximately 1 metric lifetime to cut out! The starter motor hole was more test fit, cut a but more and refit till it was snug





Once satisfied with the inside the whole lot was thrown together and checked - interestingly the input shaft and original crank bush are the correct size for each other (circa 15mm) so if I had got anything wrong at this point I'd know - but looking though the clutch arm hole you can see it fits as it should.





This was the first time I could cut the outer of the plate as I have kept the 1.2mm "square" so it could be put onto a CMM machine for scanning and getting the coordinates to produce a drawing (depending on money/ requirement). With the outline marked I set about cutting the outer to produce something that looked fairly respectable and considering this has been cut using a grinder and carefully filed and shaped it doesn't look like if chewed on the steel!



The flywheel is on holiday with a friend of mine who is aligning the pressure plate and then drilling the flywheel to suit so more on that soon.

I did have a play with the sump as I have cut a portion of it off for the later crossflow rear seal housing which now needs patching up, the sump is made from 1.5mm steel which I don't have but to test a theory of how I'll make the horseshoe piece for the sump I set about making a piece using 1mm steel. one end was drilled and folded 90 degrees before bolting it to the housing and folding the steel over it and using a blunt bolster chisel I could make a fold on the steel so it had a close fit to the housing before drilling



Next came the fun bit! Firing up the blowtorch to heat the steel so I could carefully form a concave piece into the housing where a seal will live (like the factory sumps) This worked far better than anticipated and whilst I had the torch running I clamped the steel along the curved section with 3 mole grips and heated the steel again. This time I gently tapped the steel upwards to form a folded lip return along the curve that will help keep its shape and is much neater than a welded lip.





I've just ordered the 1.5mm steel so I can get cracking with this ASAP

[Retro_Jim]

The ford clutch wouldn't work with the Mazda box which is a shame so I purchased a 1.6 mx5 clutch as it's slightly larger but unfortunately too thick to use the ford pressure plate



Whilst I was working on the adaptor plate for the gearbox I took my spare flywheel and a 1.6 mx5 clutch to a friend of mine who is an excellent engineer.

He turned a piece of aluminium that would centralise the flywheel to the clutch so new pins could be put in and then drilled and tapped so it can be bolted down.







All together and it's not a major change in weight which I was concerned about and the Mazda pressure plate doesn't overhang either.

[Retro_Jim]

With the adaptor plate made and the clutch waiting to go, the next thing on the list of things to do is try and get the MX5 gearbox to fit into the Cortina. As the 2000e gearbox's stick is mounted further forward to the MX5 but the stick position is fairly close I needed to mark where a hole needed to be cut. To do this I used a spare casing to make an empty gearbox which I lifted in and put back into the Cortina.






With the position marked (in Red) I made a larger cut line (in blue.) I knew that the hole would need to be a little wider as gear lever on the MX5 is a little wider at this point. Cutting the shell seemed a little weird as it is good metal but I'd take this over revving the nuts off it and be able to enjoy the Cortina doing more miles.







There is a chassis leg running through here that I will need to replace as it is exactly where the shifter housing is but I have a plan to not only put the strength back in but also improve on it.

I could have left my original engine in but I wanted to try and install the gearbox and block as one (the same way I installed the 1500 and 2000e). I also have a few jobs to do on the 1500 to improve oil seals and give it a going over. Stripping it down has become muscle memory which I'm not sure I'm happy about!







With the engine bay clear I could see the extent of leaking seals and lots of miles had on the bay and engine!










So putting the engine and box as one won't work - I'm not a fan of lifting gearboxes onto myself and then trying to align them but hopefully I won't have to do it often!





It was at this point the box was wedged! The tunnel is narrow where the gearbox has a reverse light switch and the mount that ties the gearbox to the diff on the MX5 - I wanted to keep the reverse light switch but a bit of cutting and shaving of that bracket has made fitting the gearbox a bit easier.

After some more careful cutting of the tunnel the gearbox was in at the same angle of the engine and 2000e that proceeded it.














A desperate phonecall to a local MX5 restorer to ask about switches turned into an interesting conversation, they had a pro-shaft from an automatic they was planning to throw away as they're too short to use on manual cars but they have the same splines etc on the gearbox side and I was able to get under an MX5 and look at the gearbox mount and have a look at their SU carburettored mk2.

[Retro_Jim]

I've been under the Cortina thinking about the gearbox mount and I figured the best way to do this was to basically go freestyle. I have a view of how it would be in my head so thought I would start there and see how it pans out.

As luck would have it the chassis rails are essentially 50x50mm square section so the starter for 10 was to use 50x50x3 right angle section that's 500mm long to be the main part of the support with a second right angled piece embedded into it to form the pad for the gearbox mount. A quick lead test on CAD would suggest it has a safety factor of 3 which I'm happy with.





Unfortunately the gearbox side is a little further away from the chassis mount that I had originally measured and drew up so I've ordered some more 6mm (I only had off cuts). so far it's looking like it will work.

having spent some time aligning the mount to the chassis (within 0.5mm) I'll make a start on drilling them. I'm in the process of making crush tubes to go through the leg to act as a support and prevent damaging the leg also.



The Brake and fuel line will be remade and new clips/ mount put in place that are better than the original ones.

Whilst waiting on materials and Black Friday was here I made a purchase to help with some of the jobs I have planned and for work too - a 3D scanner! I have worked on a few projects revolving around reverse engineering, usually measuring items by hand or if I'm lucky have a drawing I can work from but this is totally different! I've managed to produce a few decent scans but how I interpret this in CAD is a steep learning curve that I'll get through but I'm happy with what I have achieved so far.

[Retro_Jim]

Chunkychucky said:

Thanks for updating Jim, between this thread and Ambleton's A35 thread with his suspension works, loving the amount of CAD drawing and engineering of parts going on with these classics I'd be no good, keep getting over excited at the thought of finally hitting the road to try out the new gearbox and seeing what the ratios are like! Looking forward to further updates.

I'm glad you're enjoying it, I have been meaning to ask what car you have as you've mentioned the A series before? I was recommended the MX5 gearboxby a chap on retro rides who has made an adaptor plate for a Morris minor but hasn't put it in yet. Hopefully I'll have the gearbox self supporting in the next week so I can look at the prop shaft and fixing the holes I cut into the tunnel - I'd like to have the Cortina roadworthy in March as I would have owned it 19 years by then (half my life!)

ferret50 said:

OP, thought this may give you as giggle, pre crossflow 1500 in my boat, there's a second one on the other side!

The 'radiator' in the foreground is a heat exchanger, the theory is that coolant circulates though the engine and exchanger and a second pump draws water from the river to pass through the exchanger to cool the engine....

That's interesting, I've never seen one in a boat before! The manifolds appear on eBay now and then. What's are they like in your boat? It has made me smile seeing this