1992 Escort Van
Discussion
Had a bit of session with the van today. Mostly cleaning sadly as there's no budget until the payday fairies visit next and the £999 Challenge is less than seven weeks away.
I took a wet sponge to the engine bay and under all that muck is something that almost looks like an engine. Got bored and took the rear doors apart to see how involved the single door conversion's going to be.
Straightened the pannel a bit, removed the cages (on eBay as I won't be putting them back),took all the seals off, cleaned them, put them back on and fixed the door lock.
More interesting update soon(ish).
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
I took a wet sponge to the engine bay and under all that muck is something that almost looks like an engine. Got bored and took the rear doors apart to see how involved the single door conversion's going to be.
Straightened the pannel a bit, removed the cages (on eBay as I won't be putting them back),took all the seals off, cleaned them, put them back on and fixed the door lock.
More interesting update soon(ish).
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
Sorry; short update today as I'm at work. All the bolts I'll need for the conversion are now in the boot of my car along with some box section and raw material for shock and hanger brackets. Just need to make the top plates and get my welder out.
The window cages sold for £10.50 so that's half the sub frame covered.
The window cages sold for £10.50 so that's half the sub frame covered.
Edited by Liquid Knight on Saturday 23 July 12:41
I.V.E? 
I don't know about you but the sounds of a Perkins/Ford/Citroen diesel engine does little to inspire a driver so I decided to do something about it.
Ford stereos are crap, but they do have little holes each side to make it easy to remove if you have the special keys to do so.
I don't so....
...I used a Norfolk key instead.
Placed a spare CD player trim in the hole.
Tested the loom (with the worlds most sensetive multimetre).
Fitted the ladder block.
Trial fitted the new stereo.
For some reason I can only pick up Radio Norfolk.
Bugger! Some old domestic 240v two core cable and a couple of hole cut into the rear pannels.
Put the dash back together, load a CD and I'm done.
Before I can do the sub frame conversion I need to re-route the exhaust or take the exhaust off fit the subframe and work from there. I'll start on the brackets tomorrow.
I don't know about you but the sounds of a Perkins/Ford/Citroen diesel engine does little to inspire a driver so I decided to do something about it.
Ford stereos are crap, but they do have little holes each side to make it easy to remove if you have the special keys to do so.
I don't so....
...I used a Norfolk key instead.
Placed a spare CD player trim in the hole.
Tested the loom (with the worlds most sensetive multimetre).
Fitted the ladder block.
Trial fitted the new stereo.
For some reason I can only pick up Radio Norfolk.
Bugger! Some old domestic 240v two core cable and a couple of hole cut into the rear pannels.
Put the dash back together, load a CD and I'm done.
Before I can do the sub frame conversion I need to re-route the exhaust or take the exhaust off fit the subframe and work from there. I'll start on the brackets tomorrow.
Got to use my new welder today.
Two brackets cooling in the dryest Summer since 1922. 35mm and 90mm box section on a 5mm plate with (welded) nuts and bolts from Armco (so should be strong enough).
Lined up on the subframe.
Due to the weather I welded the brackets to the subframe in the back of the van.
Good job.
As a bonus the van now smells of ground out metal and weld rather than mud and old diesel.
Two brackets cooling in the dryest Summer since 1922. 35mm and 90mm box section on a 5mm plate with (welded) nuts and bolts from Armco (so should be strong enough).
Lined up on the subframe.
Due to the weather I welded the brackets to the subframe in the back of the van.
Good job.
As a bonus the van now smells of ground out metal and weld rather than mud and old diesel.
Due to the country not being in recession I'm earning £40 a month less than I'm paying out so much as I like the idea (had thought of cutting the floor out and fitting an MR2 turbo in the back) budget dictates the XJ220 is out.
Will save it under "lotto" win build consepts though.
Jag' are owned by Ford these days so it wouldn't upset the purists as much either.
Will save it under "lotto" win build consepts though.
Jag' are owned by Ford these days so it wouldn't upset the purists as much either.
Liquid Knight said:
Due to the country not being in recession I'm earning £40 a month less than I'm paying out so much as I like the idea (had thought of cutting the floor out and fitting an MR2 turbo in the back) budget dictates the XJ220 is out.
Will save it under "lotto" win build consepts though.
Jag' are owned by Ford these days so it wouldn't upset the purists as much either.
Jag and Land Rover used to be owned by Ford now owned by Tata!Will save it under "lotto" win build consepts though.
Jag' are owned by Ford these days so it wouldn't upset the purists as much either.
A friend of mine did that to an Astramax in 1998. It folded in half as soon as the rest of it got a bit rusty.
I have been tempted by a cheap MR2 turbo. Would be straight forward cutting a hold in the loadspace and mounting the MR2 subframe to the chassis rails but the whole point of this is help me overcome my irrational hated of Diesels. So dumping a 250bhp petrol engine in the back wouldn't be a lot of use.
I have been tempted by a cheap MR2 turbo. Would be straight forward cutting a hold in the loadspace and mounting the MR2 subframe to the chassis rails but the whole point of this is help me overcome my irrational hated of Diesels. So dumping a 250bhp petrol engine in the back wouldn't be a lot of use.
So today in the rain....
...I found a dent in the roof where my Niece and Nephews have been using the van as a climbing frame.
A fieldmouse had made a home between the headlining and roof....
...poor thing didn't have a chance this winter.
Still back on track and I made the hole in the roof big enough, connected the new aerial to the stereo and it wouldn't work at all. Not even Radio Norfolk.
Hmmmm.
The terminal had come away from the circuit board and instead of binning it and starting again they fixed it with a glue gun?
You do pay for what you get I guess.
...I found a dent in the roof where my Niece and Nephews have been using the van as a climbing frame.
A fieldmouse had made a home between the headlining and roof....
...poor thing didn't have a chance this winter.
Still back on track and I made the hole in the roof big enough, connected the new aerial to the stereo and it wouldn't work at all. Not even Radio Norfolk.
Hmmmm.
The terminal had come away from the circuit board and instead of binning it and starting again they fixed it with a glue gun?
You do pay for what you get I guess.
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