Ford Granada - Attainable 90s Interesting Ford
Discussion
Hi All,
After posting a snippet about the car on "Joy of Running an Old Shed" I thought i'd create a thread on here
Firstly why a Granada of all things? Well I saw a recent Harry's Garage where he briefly showed a Granada Scorpio Cosworth, I thought "damn that looks cool" it had the Cosworth kudos, it looked like something in the vein of a Lotus Carlton, no obviously not as fast or trick. Plus I'd been itching for some sort of 90s saloon car to itch that BTCC type car I've been mulling about.
Anyway a quick look on eBay I found this 12V (not 24V Cosworth) brown/bronze car for sale. It was a saloon which I preferred and seemed to look in some what of a good condition, with rotted sills being an issue along with a rough running engine. It quickly became something I needed, and the deal was done.
The car arrived and really struggled to idle when cold, cue plenty of google research, I figured out that the TPS sensor wasn't working right so disconnected it to test if the cars idle improved, it did. I wanted to ensure a few other bits were changed in the process, so I ordered new plugs, leads, distributor (what a saga), rotor arm and new idle control valve.
The car was delivered just around the corner from an MOT centre, so I thought I'll send it for an MOT then let’s see what else needs work. The sills although rusty in appearance actually were solid, no screwdriver could get through, however to give myself the best shot of a pass I left the TPS unplugged as the replacement hadn't arrived. Cue a fail on emissions.
Another start up revealed a missing cylinder, believed to be a faulty injector, throttle body and plenum off and injector rail off and then directly wiring up the injector 12V and blowing compressed air through it. all back together using old seals and test, nothing, quick clean up of the old spark plugs, and back to 6 cylinders, what a relief
Fast forward a few days, all the service items have arrived. I spent a hour or 2 changing plugs, distributor etc with my dad, and it was a really nice moment, just us two working on a car. Start up, strong smell of fuel, the injector rail was pouring fuel onto the left bank, the one of the old seals when refitted had split.
A quick call around a few places found 10 suitable O rings for the next day, all fitted, and then sent for re-test, the emissions were spot on, dare I say good.
First test run of the car after the MOT and it felt great, cruise control works and its a really nice place to be, its actually not too bad when you bury the accelerator pedal, its not quick but I wouldn't say its slow either.
Plan is to clean up the sills and treat and paint to get it through this upcoming winter. Car will be daily driver (though I don't actually daily drive as I WFH or walk to the office)
I bought some cheap wheels with tyres from the Cosworth model to replace the old cracking tyres and also give it a nice visual upgrade.
After posting a snippet about the car on "Joy of Running an Old Shed" I thought i'd create a thread on here
Firstly why a Granada of all things? Well I saw a recent Harry's Garage where he briefly showed a Granada Scorpio Cosworth, I thought "damn that looks cool" it had the Cosworth kudos, it looked like something in the vein of a Lotus Carlton, no obviously not as fast or trick. Plus I'd been itching for some sort of 90s saloon car to itch that BTCC type car I've been mulling about.
Anyway a quick look on eBay I found this 12V (not 24V Cosworth) brown/bronze car for sale. It was a saloon which I preferred and seemed to look in some what of a good condition, with rotted sills being an issue along with a rough running engine. It quickly became something I needed, and the deal was done.
The car arrived and really struggled to idle when cold, cue plenty of google research, I figured out that the TPS sensor wasn't working right so disconnected it to test if the cars idle improved, it did. I wanted to ensure a few other bits were changed in the process, so I ordered new plugs, leads, distributor (what a saga), rotor arm and new idle control valve.
The car was delivered just around the corner from an MOT centre, so I thought I'll send it for an MOT then let’s see what else needs work. The sills although rusty in appearance actually were solid, no screwdriver could get through, however to give myself the best shot of a pass I left the TPS unplugged as the replacement hadn't arrived. Cue a fail on emissions.
Another start up revealed a missing cylinder, believed to be a faulty injector, throttle body and plenum off and injector rail off and then directly wiring up the injector 12V and blowing compressed air through it. all back together using old seals and test, nothing, quick clean up of the old spark plugs, and back to 6 cylinders, what a relief
Fast forward a few days, all the service items have arrived. I spent a hour or 2 changing plugs, distributor etc with my dad, and it was a really nice moment, just us two working on a car. Start up, strong smell of fuel, the injector rail was pouring fuel onto the left bank, the one of the old seals when refitted had split.
A quick call around a few places found 10 suitable O rings for the next day, all fitted, and then sent for re-test, the emissions were spot on, dare I say good.
First test run of the car after the MOT and it felt great, cruise control works and its a really nice place to be, its actually not too bad when you bury the accelerator pedal, its not quick but I wouldn't say its slow either.
Plan is to clean up the sills and treat and paint to get it through this upcoming winter. Car will be daily driver (though I don't actually daily drive as I WFH or walk to the office)
I bought some cheap wheels with tyres from the Cosworth model to replace the old cracking tyres and also give it a nice visual upgrade.
Edited by mintmansam on Wednesday 8th November 23:28
stevemcs said:
That’s a lovely old thing, it wasn’t badly priced either. I keep looking for an estate with a towbar.
It’s immaculate inside, the previous owner (not the seller) had owned it since 1991! I’m the 3rd owner. Only major downside are the sills which I hear is common.The car has been in some sort of accident at rear offside as the rear door has started to rust, however I found a new door which I will get painted up and fit
I’m looking for a tow bar too, thinking it would be a reasonable tow car
Hi all,
Thanks for the positive response
So it’s a Ghia X, which unusually for a Ford of this time isn’t the top spec, the Scorpio is for the Granada.
The car doesn’t have the reclining rear seat but if I can find a donor I’d love to add it in.
It does have an Instant MPG, Average MPG, Range meter, Cruise control and an electric sunroof , full electric windows and heated seats all of which I find amazing for the year of car.
The car is the 150bhp 2.9 V6 not Cat model. The smoothness of the car on the move is really amazing, this being my first car to have more than 4 cylinders.
I’ll get some more pics in the upcoming days
But here is what I have now
I also picked this up from eBay for £14
Thanks for the positive response
So it’s a Ghia X, which unusually for a Ford of this time isn’t the top spec, the Scorpio is for the Granada.
The car doesn’t have the reclining rear seat but if I can find a donor I’d love to add it in.
It does have an Instant MPG, Average MPG, Range meter, Cruise control and an electric sunroof , full electric windows and heated seats all of which I find amazing for the year of car.
The car is the 150bhp 2.9 V6 not Cat model. The smoothness of the car on the move is really amazing, this being my first car to have more than 4 cylinders.
I’ll get some more pics in the upcoming days
But here is what I have now
I also picked this up from eBay for £14
So I got out and cleaned up the new wheels and tyres I bought for the car. These are off the 24v Cosworth model, I bought them because I liked them and because I needed new tyres all round these have nearly new tyres on, all for the bargain price of £150
I often fine the alloys I like I’ll buy them 2nd hand with decent tyres and it’s often cheaper than the tyres or the wheels alone
As you can maybe see 3 of the wheels are in good condition, 1 has a fair bit of paintwork damage and the spare wheel needs a complete refurb
I often fine the alloys I like I’ll buy them 2nd hand with decent tyres and it’s often cheaper than the tyres or the wheels alone
As you can maybe see 3 of the wheels are in good condition, 1 has a fair bit of paintwork damage and the spare wheel needs a complete refurb
Biker's Nemesis said:
Lovely old thing.
Are you going to fix the speedo/odometer?
Thanks Are you going to fix the speedo/odometer?
Yep planning a fix as I actually like recording geeky stuff like true MPG 🤭🫣😅
I’ll be doing a full log of this car too, parts bought, modifications planned (nothing too much), MPG, avg speed, cost per mile, cost per day. Probably do some other stupidly pointless things like calculate MPG at Xmph cruise speed
Travelling down the M54 last night about 5 miles from joining the joy of the M6. My Fiesta ST cylinder No3 decided to fire its spark plug out of the head.
Where was I going in this Fiesta? Well to park it up and swap it with the Granada, it’s rammed full of Granada parts and wheels
Cue pulling over to the hard shoulder, and calling for recovery
It looks like the Granada will be picking up whether it likes it or not, the daily driving duties.
I do have a spare engine for the Fiesta which I am rebuilding, so that will be on the road again next year.
Where was I going in this Fiesta? Well to park it up and swap it with the Granada, it’s rammed full of Granada parts and wheels
Cue pulling over to the hard shoulder, and calling for recovery
It looks like the Granada will be picking up whether it likes it or not, the daily driving duties.
I do have a spare engine for the Fiesta which I am rebuilding, so that will be on the road again next year.
So it’s been a nice chilled day off work, I’ve replaced all the slider pins on the brakes. Good job too as someone had lubricated them with copper grease. Pads and discs have plenty of life left, this was the first time I’ve seen them.
Fitted the cosworth wheels too.
Off to the petrol station for air and new tank of fuel.
Already the car feels more safe in terms of grip and the brakes are grabbing as much. The way the car goes down a road it’s like the roads a pool table smooth. And the smiles it gets too is really nice
For those wanting more nostalgia I’ll get some good pics tomorrow.
Fitted the cosworth wheels too.
Off to the petrol station for air and new tank of fuel.
Already the car feels more safe in terms of grip and the brakes are grabbing as much. The way the car goes down a road it’s like the roads a pool table smooth. And the smiles it gets too is really nice
For those wanting more nostalgia I’ll get some good pics tomorrow.
Neil1323bolts said:
Hi , nice car , I’ve got a leather steering wheel off a 24v cosworth, had it years , I kept hold of it from when we did a 24v conversion on my Sierra XR4x4 , don’t know where you are in the uk ,but it’s yours if you want it , I’m in the south near Reading. 
Nice condition. Would look great on your car I reckon .
That’s so strange I was looking for one of those, Can you PM me? I’m interested ! Nice condition. Would look great on your car I reckon .
Neil1323bolts said:
mintmansam said:
Neil1323bolts said:
Hi , nice car , I’ve got a leather steering wheel off a 24v cosworth, had it years , I kept hold of it from when we did a 24v conversion on my Sierra XR4x4 , don’t know where you are in the uk ,but it’s yours if you want it , I’m in the south near Reading.
Nice condition. Would look great on your car I reckon .
That’s so strange I was looking for one of those, Can you PM me? I’m interested ! Nice condition. Would look great on your car I reckon .
So I took the car for a slightly longer drive around 15 miles, mpg really seems to improve once you get it in its stride around 70mph! Still the short journey I did got only 22mpg and I was taking it gentle, most of the time. What a car to waft in!
When I got back me and my dad decided to change the oil and filter, and look at the vents as they seemed noisy
Also we cleaned out all the drains and leaves!
The oil filter looked new but the oil appeared very black so glad I changed it
Then we found the noise! From the vents! Lucky we decided to clear the vents as dry leaves could have become a potential fire risk
A pic of the car on the mini drive I did today, two people walking past spoke to me about it “how old is that car?!” And a neighbour who lived on my parents street which we’ve never spoke to walking past said “I’ve seen this around! Woah a Granada , I bet that gets going” really enjoying the positive vibes the car gives out
And finally we decided to look at the front fog lights and why they weren’t working, tracing back the wiring and found a loose connection, now to get the nearside light working
Edit
The new wheels and tyres combo didn’t work all the tyres leaked air badly
, so returned to the original set for now. I think I’m going to buy 4 new tyres
Also just delivered was 3 cans of Bilt Hamber Dynax-S50 so I can treat the inside of sills
When I got back me and my dad decided to change the oil and filter, and look at the vents as they seemed noisy
Also we cleaned out all the drains and leaves!
The oil filter looked new but the oil appeared very black so glad I changed it
Then we found the noise! From the vents! Lucky we decided to clear the vents as dry leaves could have become a potential fire risk
A pic of the car on the mini drive I did today, two people walking past spoke to me about it “how old is that car?!” And a neighbour who lived on my parents street which we’ve never spoke to walking past said “I’ve seen this around! Woah a Granada , I bet that gets going” really enjoying the positive vibes the car gives out
And finally we decided to look at the front fog lights and why they weren’t working, tracing back the wiring and found a loose connection, now to get the nearside light working
Edit
The new wheels and tyres combo didn’t work all the tyres leaked air badly
, so returned to the original set for now. I think I’m going to buy 4 new tyresAlso just delivered was 3 cans of Bilt Hamber Dynax-S50 so I can treat the inside of sills
Edited by mintmansam on Thursday 16th November 17:31
Firstly sorry if not replying to all, I’m not great at multiple replies
I’ll have to read up how to do it
But thanks everyone for the messages , they are motivating me!
Dark nights mean limited time to work outside so I’ve decided to go a bit left field and I’ve started to open up switches where the tiny bulbs have failed.
Looking to replace these with new ones.
I think this will really smarten the interior, luckily only a couple of the switch lights aren’t working
I’ll have to read up how to do it
But thanks everyone for the messages , they are motivating me!
Dark nights mean limited time to work outside so I’ve decided to go a bit left field and I’ve started to open up switches where the tiny bulbs have failed.
Looking to replace these with new ones.
I think this will really smarten the interior, luckily only a couple of the switch lights aren’t working
Edited by mintmansam on Thursday 16th November 22:58
tt601 said:
tt601 said:
mintmansam said:
stevemcs said:
That’s a lovely old thing, it wasn’t badly priced either. I keep looking for an estate with a towbar.
It’s immaculate inside, the previous owner (not the seller) had owned it since 1991! I’m the 3rd owner. Only major downside are the sills which I hear is common.The car has been in some sort of accident at rear offside as the rear door has started to rust, however I found a new door which I will get painted up and fit
I’m looking for a tow bar too, thinking it would be a reasonable tow car
Mr Tidy said:
22mpg sounds about right. I'm pretty sure my 2.8i Scorpio only did about 23/24 during the time I owned it.
On the topic of the wheels it may just be a case of a bit of corrosion on the rims that causes air to escape. I've had that happen a couple of times. My regular tyre place whipped the tyres off, cleaned the lips of the wheels and refitted the tyres for £15 a wheel.
Loving this thread BTW.
Yep I thought this too, but the tyres are from 2006 even though they look nearly new, might be past their best. I might take them to a tyre place and see if I can get them reseated On the topic of the wheels it may just be a case of a bit of corrosion on the rims that causes air to escape. I've had that happen a couple of times. My regular tyre place whipped the tyres off, cleaned the lips of the wheels and refitted the tyres for £15 a wheel.
Loving this thread BTW.
The car completed its first long distance run, I decided to take the family to Knaresborough and on the return back to the Motorist
The car was faultless, MPG actually being better at motorway speeds. I averaged 30-32mpg at GPS 68mph. Which I thought was quite fair really.
When I got back I decided to smarten up and protect the existing sills. They don’t look pretty but are solid
Before
After
I decided to spray the internal sill with some Bilt Hammer to give it a fighting chance too, we got around 1.2m worth of hose down attached to a bamboo cane
The rot or beginning of it appears to mainly be from the wheel arch liners collecting and storing mud between them and the metal, I cleared the mud, cleaned up the rust, with rust converter and hammerite then covered in ACF50, then refitted the arch liners. It’s not the greatest job but it will do for now.
I have NOS sills inner and outer to eventually replace this sills but for now while solid I’d rather make do with the existing sills.
The sill design really seems to be a compromised design as it promotes holding water inside , especially as the sunroof drains into them!
The car was faultless, MPG actually being better at motorway speeds. I averaged 30-32mpg at GPS 68mph. Which I thought was quite fair really.
When I got back I decided to smarten up and protect the existing sills. They don’t look pretty but are solid
Before
After
I decided to spray the internal sill with some Bilt Hammer to give it a fighting chance too, we got around 1.2m worth of hose down attached to a bamboo cane
The rot or beginning of it appears to mainly be from the wheel arch liners collecting and storing mud between them and the metal, I cleared the mud, cleaned up the rust, with rust converter and hammerite then covered in ACF50, then refitted the arch liners. It’s not the greatest job but it will do for now.
I have NOS sills inner and outer to eventually replace this sills but for now while solid I’d rather make do with the existing sills.
The sill design really seems to be a compromised design as it promotes holding water inside , especially as the sunroof drains into them!
Continued with the tidying up of Granada
Just the nearside corner to complete
No much more planned beyond a few electrical fixes except to just drive and enjoy it. you can really see how arch liners are vital to protecting the car, though they do hold mud at base which you could argue has accelerated the rusting on the front wing
Just the nearside corner to complete
No much more planned beyond a few electrical fixes except to just drive and enjoy it. you can really see how arch liners are vital to protecting the car, though they do hold mud at base which you could argue has accelerated the rusting on the front wing
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