Discussion
AMST09 said:
Whats the best model to get?
Been looking at the 2.8i but not really clued up on them
Any advice on them is welcome
A mate use to have one and loved it (shame he wrote it off)
Depends what you want really. The latter 2.8i were the most powerful and in my view the best looking. But to many the original MK I will always be the one to have. Also all or most MK I's will be taxed excempt. Not really a fan of the MK II myself. Been looking at the 2.8i but not really clued up on them
Any advice on them is welcome
A mate use to have one and loved it (shame he wrote it off)
If you want it for fun I'd def go with a V6 unless you plan to mod and fit a V8 or turbo 4 pot.
Although I'm more of a cortina fan I helped rebuild a 2.8i a decade ago with my mate and had many fine weekends hooning around Shropshire to the sound of a V6 through a stainless steel exhaust system.
The cologne V6 in the 2.8i is the one I'd have over the essex 3.0. The cologne is a great engine and it's pretty bombproof if you can find one with an LSD even better. You can get a 5 speed 2.8i but my friends was the earlier 4 speed. The 2.8i special's have half leather recaro's and if you have a fair amount of money to chuck at one see if you can find a Brooklands. Some people report that the 2.0 pinto is no more fuel efficient than the 2.8i, but that's probably because they are trying to get it to go like a 2.8i.
You will benefit from free tax on the earlier Mk1's but a 3.0 v6 would be the one to get imo, I would quite like a Mk1 simply because for a hobby car the tax free element is quite a bonus, you can even get a 1300 model if insurance is an issue, I am not sure if the 1300 and 1600 engines they put in the Mk1 were x-flow or OHC but factor in that you will prob want a cam-belt change if they are OHC, they were in the MK2 and Mk3 though (the 3.0 essex V6 is a chain timed engine and the 2.8 cologne V6 is gear timed if my memory serves me correctly)
On all models rust is an issue, so I would personally avoid body-kits which could be hiding a multitude of sins and apart from checking sills, arches and wings etc be sure to check the strut tops (under the bonnet) for rust and the A pillars (where you open the door) which go crunchy, the MK1's rust on the scuttle panel (in-front of the windscreen) The non v6 Mk3's occasionally have sagging rear suspension, the v6 versions have Bilstein shocks as standard and handle better (but tbh all models require some skill in the wet).
Parts are getting more expensive for all classic fords now and the price of fairly rough cars has increased over the years, nice original examples are sometimes twice the price they were a decade ago, even lowly base model mk1 fiesta's are fetching a fair bit of money now. This means that all being well you could buy a solid investment or at-the-least won't stand to loose much money when you come to re-sell, if you buy wisely.
I'd get in touch with the OC though who will be more knowledgeable than me, but for now I hope that helps.
The cologne V6 in the 2.8i is the one I'd have over the essex 3.0. The cologne is a great engine and it's pretty bombproof if you can find one with an LSD even better. You can get a 5 speed 2.8i but my friends was the earlier 4 speed. The 2.8i special's have half leather recaro's and if you have a fair amount of money to chuck at one see if you can find a Brooklands. Some people report that the 2.0 pinto is no more fuel efficient than the 2.8i, but that's probably because they are trying to get it to go like a 2.8i.
You will benefit from free tax on the earlier Mk1's but a 3.0 v6 would be the one to get imo, I would quite like a Mk1 simply because for a hobby car the tax free element is quite a bonus, you can even get a 1300 model if insurance is an issue, I am not sure if the 1300 and 1600 engines they put in the Mk1 were x-flow or OHC but factor in that you will prob want a cam-belt change if they are OHC, they were in the MK2 and Mk3 though (the 3.0 essex V6 is a chain timed engine and the 2.8 cologne V6 is gear timed if my memory serves me correctly)
On all models rust is an issue, so I would personally avoid body-kits which could be hiding a multitude of sins and apart from checking sills, arches and wings etc be sure to check the strut tops (under the bonnet) for rust and the A pillars (where you open the door) which go crunchy, the MK1's rust on the scuttle panel (in-front of the windscreen) The non v6 Mk3's occasionally have sagging rear suspension, the v6 versions have Bilstein shocks as standard and handle better (but tbh all models require some skill in the wet).
Parts are getting more expensive for all classic fords now and the price of fairly rough cars has increased over the years, nice original examples are sometimes twice the price they were a decade ago, even lowly base model mk1 fiesta's are fetching a fair bit of money now. This means that all being well you could buy a solid investment or at-the-least won't stand to loose much money when you come to re-sell, if you buy wisely.
I'd get in touch with the OC though who will be more knowledgeable than me, but for now I hope that helps.
The Cortina Mk II went x-flow around 1968. They were all ohv. The Pinto engined ones arrived with the Mk III Cortina in 1971 and were ohc. Early Pintos had cam problems and would knock their brains out. Early Mk 1 2000s were V4s (also used in the Corsair and Transit) but I imagine they are probably extinct by now.
Many Mk3 tina's were also OHV, my '73 Mk3 facelift cortina was a 1300 X-Flow, there were also 1600 OHV Mk3's hence my confusion about when the pinto was introduced. OHV's were probably sold side by side the OHC (Ford used Endura E engines in the early Ka and then fitted Duractec to the later models) I'd imagine Ford had a huge stock of OHV engines and wanted to use them up hence the cross over period.
Edited by RV8 on Thursday 21st January 21:09
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