Mk2 Escort Rally Car for the road (all costs recorded)

[Niponeoff]

I've had a lot of cars over the years, this is my latest project and is intended to be a long running build, because I like spending time in my garage.

Firstly, unlike other projects, I intend to document every single penny spent. With my fellow PH'ers inputs, hopefully I can save a few quid or maybe save others a few.

I realise this may disclose the pricing and labour of businesses I use, but I don't intend to use favour or mates rates, just honest work and pricing available to any of us, current at the time. It will cost what is required, or what I decide to do myself and maybe I'll make mistakes along the way, but I intend to enjoy them.

The car is a genuine RS2000 group 4 escort, bought and bid on eBay. I actually lost the auction but the seller contacted me to see if I would be interested after the sale fell through. I should have asked myself why.....















I work overseas for months at a time and only get a couple of weeks off, so viewing a car before I buy is virtually impossible. (This will also account for slow updates) I tried to get a friend to view, but it was hard to coordinate, so I did a video call.

Everything looked fine, saw it running and i was happy with the price. So the car was bought for the last bid price as I felt like I was getting a good deal. He also said he would throw in the sill stands and most importantly, there was no rust!



Costs to Date:

£35,812.00
£35,400 … Mk2 Escort -
£192.00 … Transport - Steve Fletcher
£120.00 … Storage - Local
£100.00 … Storage - Local

Engine - £16,467.47
£237.60 … Starter WOSP LMS043 Pinto 110T - Competition Supplies
£4.80 … Cosworth Core plugs - eBay (xpower-eng-ltd)
£225.07 … Alternator Bracket - Millington
£16,000 … Millington 2.5L - Millington

Transmission - £5,303.04
£4,000 … Quaife 60G with gear display - eBay
£76.00 … Shipping 60G - Shiply
£435.12 … Helix Cover 63210G (345KG) - Mardi Gras Motorsport
£202.03 … Helix Sprung Plate 56-2001 - Mardi Gras Motorsport
£17.40 … Carriage - Mardi Gras Motorsport
£174.00 … Bell Housing RS2000 - McGill Motorsport
£155.40 … HD Concentric Slave - MST
£46.20 … HD Release bearing - MST
£46.50 … 60G mounting Adapter - MST
£8.95 … Shipping - MST
£8.69 … Viton Seal 30x42x7 - eBay (hendersonbearings)
£6.00 … Bell housing Grommet - eBay (s2tdave)
£7.49 … Bell Housing and Starter Bolts SS - eBay (wrightsupplier30yr)
£7.59 … M8 A4 Cap Head Bolts (gearbox) - eBay GWR
£42.83 … Dirt Plate - RetroFord
£6.72 … Dowel gearbox pinto (2) - Ford
£5.14 … 5/16 UNF x 1.5" HT (10) - eBay (GWR)
£9.72 … M8 x 1.0mm x 50mm HT (10) - eBay (GWR)
£6.00 … Bell housing Grommet - eBay (s2tdave)
£5.63 … M8 x 1.0mm 45mm HT (6) - eBay (Kays)
£5.63 … 5/16 UNF x 1.75" HT (10) - eBay (Kays)
£15.00 … 3mm Clutch Slave Shim - Evans and Sons
£15.00 … 6mm Clutch Slave Shim - Evans and Sons

Pneumatic Shifter - £43.51
£25.00 … Gearbox Actuator bracket - eBay (saras-shop)
£20.00 … Bracket for CQ2 piston CQ-C032 - RS Online US

Exterior - £405.11
£33.74 … Wheel Centre Caps - eBay (racinggeardirect)
£99.99 … Super Oscar 9" (sim) 3205 (pair) - eBay (bonnie calista)
£95.98 … Super Oscar 9" (sim) 3208 (pair) - Bowers Parts
£61.40 … Cibie Covers 9" (4 off) - Bowers Parts
£4.76 … H3 55w Bulb (4 off) - Bowers Parts
£16.54 … Wiring Kit (2 off) - Bowers Parts
£47.90 … QR Spotlight Brackets Black - MST
£8.00 … Sun Strip - eBay (blanca3465)
£17.90 … Blue Broad Stripe 3" - eBay (autoxpress-uk)
£18.90 … Black bumper Bolts - eBay (stahlbrite_uk)

Interior - £85.52
£425.00 … Cobra Sebring GT - eBay
£15.45 … RS Horn Push - MST
£7.98 … A2 Stainless M5 x 12mm - Screwfix
£4.09 … A2 Stainless M5 x 16mm - Screwfix
£108.00 … Steering Wheel 340mm Suede - Competition Supplies
-£475.00 … Sold - Cobra Sebring GT

Misc - £19.55
£7.36 … M6 x 50 Schnorr Washers - eBay (kayfast1)
£7.58 … M8 x 50 Schnorr Washers - eBay (kayfast1)
£4.61 … M10 x 20 Schnorr Washers - eBay (kayfast1)

£58,136.20

Edited by Niponeoff on Sunday 2nd April 10:05

[Niponeoff]

The car was in storage at blyton so the first task was getting it to my home in the Midlands.

I had another escort in my garage at the time, which would now be sold to make way for this one, but being December wasn't going to happen quickly. So found a storage place within walking distance from my house, not the cheapest, but convenient. Shipley was employed and transport booked



+£192

Car went straight into storage and the chaps there sent me a few snaps.







Hmm, this doesn't look right... Anyway.



Storage for the month: £100 + £20 admin or something.

Car looks great and I'm looking forward to getting home to see it!

Edited by Niponeoff on Thursday 30th March 10:23

[Niponeoff]

There is a slight back story to this. Bear in mind I'm overseas so I can get a bit carried away at times, with best laid plans and all that.

Well I bought another escort before this one which was a bit more road orientated. And before I could get home to see it, this engine popped up for sale.

As anyone would know, when it comes to escorts, millingtons are the ones to have. So I bought this with the intention of fitting it to my car at the time.



Fortunately this one uses 99ron so will be perfect on the road and is a bit more old school with the big carbs. It's also direct from millingtons with a fresh rebuild, zero hours and pushing out upto 300-310hp/ 232-242 ft lbs depending on rolling road.

£16000.

I actually got the engine in late October:



The reason I bought the group 4 spec car was I realised how much work would be required to the shell. The cosworth had everything done. And it was also a genuine RS.

If I had known I was going to buy an escort with a 485hp cosworth, I wouldn't have bothered. But I already did. So now the question was which to keep.

Working away and having not seen the car yet, this was an answer I was searching for and spent much time pondering.

[Niponeoff]

So car bought early December and I can get home for Xmas this year, but unfortunately the storage place is closed until the 3rd Jan. So I wangled a few extra days off due to having important business to attend to!

This also enabled me to reorganize the garage which meant I could remove it from storage. Unfortunately they wanted a month's notice which cost another £100. Seeing as they are local and convenient and Imight require their services in the future, I coughed up.

Now I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, I mean I've seen loads of escorts, but i was still surprised how small it is. Not only that the previous owner must have been small because I could barely get in.

Anyway, I managed to get it home (less than a mile) and got to have a good look at it.











Initial impressions:

No compromises. This is total hardcore, all out bare bones rally car. The bumpers are fibreglass, even the brackets are alloy, the boot and bonnet carbon. Everything is stripped out. It's noisy, bumpy and I'm not going to say uncomfortable, but its no Mercedes!

Everything seems to work, but it's not exactly user friendly.

The engine ran but I kept stalling it, very snatchy clutch as you might expect.

Visibility was poor, the wrap around seats will have to go and the mirrors are tiny, but they at least worked. The rear view mirror was in but not adjustable enough to make good use of.

But, I liked it. It's exactly what I wanted and I was very pleased.

Some decent parts too, fully floating 6 link atlas, custom cages, AP brakes all round, hydro handbrake, new looms, decent wheels, camber plates, proper tension struts and everything adjustable, proper fuel system with fittings. Its a well setup car.

[Niponeoff]

Caddyshack said:

The millington needs throttle bodies imo, the carbs will always be full of flat spots and running rich.

That is something I intend to leave open for the future. I'll build it with the provision of converting if I want to, so I'll keep the injection tank etc. If some decent bodies pop up for sale I might be inclined to buy them. I'll look into retaining the current fuel system and use a return if I can reliably lower the feed pressure. I believe it can be done.

[Niponeoff]

So, first job. I need to adjust that seat.

Unfortunately the fixed rails compromised the available adjustment and the seat is just too large and cumbersome. What I did notice was some cracked paint so I had a poke about... And here's the BUT!



No rust mate...! Well, I'm no expert but that looks pretty rusty! I sent him the pics and he still denied it, saying that the car was dipped and it's just bleeding out. Yep, it bled out alright, unfortunately wasn't e dipped so it's in the seams.

Looks like the acid was in the cage and it's rotted out the 4 corner boxes. Everything else looks worse than it is, but due to the rust in the seams I don't see any other alternative than to redip with better drainage thought and edip.



Disappointed, but undeterred. At least I'll get to paint it a better blue.

[Niponeoff]

fttm said:

Nice car especially with the Millington installed . Using as a road car meh , you’ll soon get bored of the harsh ride , deafening noise and speeding tickets . Had a few rally cars including Gp4 BDG Escort which were all fun when used as intended, routine use they’d become a chore . Enjoy

That's true. I've had stripped out track cars before and one car I regret selling was a Westfield, which had a 270hp duratec, sequential gearbox, carbon panels and barely padded seats. Unfortunately getting caught in the rain really put me off the Westfield and it was frightening when it happened on the motorway. Aquaplaning, poor visibility low down and artic wheels look huge when you drive next to them. But the sound at 8500rpm through 54mm bodies was wonderful.




The other cars at least had some rubber bushes! the escort is all metal, but I intend to change that.

Edited by Niponeoff on Thursday 30th March 07:43

[Niponeoff]

KTMsm said:

fttm said:

Using as a road car meh , you’ll soon get bored of the harsh ride , deafening noise and speeding tickets .

Had a few rally cars including Gp4 BDG Escort which were all fun when used as intended, routine use they’d become a chore . Enjoy

Me too - bought for buttons 25+ years ago MK1 and Mk2 - great fun around the lanes for an hour but hard to hang onto your licence and mine were nothing like this spec

Probably too late but OP if you want a mint car I'd sell this and buy another already done, particularly with you living abroad, this has financial disaster written all over it

It's more about spending time in my garage when i'm home. I have another (fun) car and motorcycle for fun. This serves another part of my hobbies. Escorts are perfect for the home mechanic as they are simple and easy to work on.

Also, don't forget this is a genuine RS2000, which isn't easy to replace and should at least retain a bit more value.

[Niponeoff]

Olivera said:

Good project OP.

KTMsm said:

I'm not arguing against Escorts but you've paid a high price for one that (basically) looks good, if you're going to dip it etc then (IME) you're better off starting with a worse car or just buying a better car

He bought the car then discovered the corrosion, and if sells it now he'll likely get a commensurately lower price for the vehicle. 'Should have bought a cheaper/better vehicle' is a bit redundant now.

Also, working overseas means i only have a very small window to obtain a car, so selling this and buying another will be hard work and not guarantee something perfect.

I would have definitely negotiated cheaper if i went to view and saw the rust, no doubt about that, so i paid a high price, but i still like the car and for the purpose its intended, i think it will serve as a nice project.

[Niponeoff]

So a bit more review.

I think the previous owner did a good job with the spec, but there are a lot of things that need tidying, which is why i intend to fully strip the car and rebuild.

Fittings - I've never seen so many fittings and hoses. For the water pipe to the turbo there are apx 6 fittings alone. Jig 6 out the block - swept 90, forged 90, straight, another 90, straight on a metal hose then into the turbo.





I don't know if anyone noticed the fuel swirl pot was fed through the return. The swirl pot being on the opposite side to the tank outlets means the pipes go all the way around the boot. But these aren't all single hoses, one is attached with 2 90's and a bulk head fitting.



There used to be an oil cooler under the boot floor so the old oil pipe run all the way into the boot, is looped together and runs back to the engine.




Various loose items such as oil catch can in the engine bay, fuel pump only screwed one side, battery tray held on with self tappers. There's a stretch of pipe out the rad with about 7 clamps on - I think I would have fabricated a pipe for those sensors and pipe returns.



The brake lines are braided but too long and strapped up in places. They also hang around the rear axle.



No rubber bushes anywhere - everything is metal rod ends, so I'll be putting rubber back in. This will make a massive difference on the road.

Wiring is a bit untidy in places, especially the front lights. These are also HID with ballasts so I need to review them for compliance. Might get proper LED units.




Most of the fasteners are those hi tensile black ones that instantly go rusty. Electric windows do work, but the passenger side can stick a bit.



No helper springs so the springs flop around when jacking it up and the seats are all loose. Also lots of overspray as the car was originally an X-Pack in white with a blue stripe before it got arched and painted blue.



The bonnet seems to catch when you open it and that rear view mirror is annoying.

All in all, nothing too hideous that cant be sorted out and I should at least have plenty of pipe and fittings when I come to rebuild it because that's the kind of thing you spend a fortune on! Although if I run the fuel hoses back through the car I'll be using PTFE hose to stop the fuel smell.

[Niponeoff]

boyse7en said:

Electric windows seems an odd addition for a rally-spec lightweight build...
Thought it would have fixed perspex windows on something like that

He probably did on a previous car and learnt his lesson! They're HOT. Like sitting in a greenhouse. They would have been straight out of the front doors even if it was a full on rally car. The weight saving isn't worth it imo.

I might put poly in the back with vents and also vent the front quarter windows. But opening fronts is a must.

[Niponeoff]

So one item on my list is a sequential box.

I had an elite IL200 on my Westfield, so figured an IL300 would be a good option. If I buy new I'll just buy when required, but I always keep an eye out if I can find a bargain along the way.

A quaife 60G came up for sale which I got for 4k in the end, from a fairly reputable source too. This also came with the long lever and digital temp/gear display.

I still hadn't seen the car at this point, but it seemed like a good deal and I could always sell it on if not required, or put it in another Westfield.

This virtually mimics the MST spec on a previous PH thread, so if it's good enough for them, it definitely is for me.

[Niponeoff]

So after spending 2 days with car in January I got back to the UK at the end of Feb and took it for a drive. I was still in two minds whether to keep the cossie or install the millington.

485hp must be quick, but my suspicions were that it wouldn't be. I've had fast cars and headline figures are fairly meaningless. Will it get the power down.

The answer is no. It's utterly hopeless. Ok, it was cold weather, but the roads were bone dry and I'm on 245 rears which is huge for an escort. It comes on boost so hard and ferocious that its virtually uncontrollable. The turbo is relatively laggy being a GT3071 but a lot of that was my hesitancy (fear) in planting the throttle.

I could use a smaller more modern turbo and better engine management, boost by gear, TC etc, but to be honest I don't think a turbo suits this car. I want a naturally aspirated screamer and it will be all the better for it, so the cossie is coming out.

It happens to be a pretty high spec engine too, so it's up for sale. In the right car it will be great.

[Niponeoff]

So that's settled, millington with a 60G.

First up, clutch. Settled on a helix with a sprung centre. More puks are less aggressive and the ceremetallic face means I can run a lighter pedal. This will be better on the road than the unsprung AP's etc.

First problem is I don't know what the thread is in the flywheel for the clutch. So I ordered 5/8 UNF and M8x1.0. Will be one or the other.

Unfortunately I mixed them up when I opened them and the one that fits was too short! Thought it was M8, so ordered longer. Then realised it was 5/8 but the length was slightly shorter than nominal!

So ordered more 5/8 and received UNC! I couldn't get this task completed in the two weeks I was off, so currently held on with the shorter bolts.

Must invest in thread gauges.

So that was £26.12 in bolts alone, so costly mistake.

[Niponeoff]

You can also see the dirt plate, dowels from the local ford garage and an alloy quick release pinto bell housing.

Millington recommend Ark starter motors, but Frank Kelly uses wosp. I've used wosp in the past and like their stuff, so went down to competition supplies.

Had to fettle the dirt plate and starter motor to fit of course..




£237.60 - Starter motor, wosp LMS043 Pinto 110T
£12 - bell housing grommets
£7.49 - Bolts in SS for BH and starter
£7.59 - M8 A4 cap heads gearbox to BH
£6.72 - Pinto dowels
£42.83 - dirt plate from retroford

Edited by Niponeoff on Friday 31st March 10:07

[Niponeoff]

So I went for a Heavy Duty concentric slave from MST, this has a max travel of 18mm
The helix clutch plate has a maximum deflection of 6mm.

I put this in CAD and also measured the actuals for the flywheel, installed clutch and bearing face and the faces of the bell housing.

By my calculations i will need 9mm extra length for the bearing to be at 12mm standoff. I will need to test this of course, but it will do for now:







£15.00 - 3mm Clutch Slave Shim - Evans and Sons
£15.00 - 6mm Clutch Slave Shim - Evans and Sons
£155.40 - HD Concentric Slave - MST
£46.20 - HD Release Bearing - MST

Fortunately I have some M6 fasteners already. But I did get a stock of schnorr washers:

£7.36 - M6 x 50 Schnorr Washers
£7.58 - M8 x 50 Schnorr Washers
£4.61 - M10 x 20 Schnorr Washers

[Niponeoff]

So that's where I left it, currently tucked up in the garage.

I sold the other escort while I was away so can get on with stripping it when I return, or do a few burn outs in the cossie on a private road somewhere.

The previous owner said it was a YBD block which is from an RS500, however the block says 200 so is thick walled at least. When looking for the ID iI tried to clean it up with a rag and a screwdriver and proceeded to pop the core plug, so that needs replacing when I'm home, so another 4.80.



Engine cosworth for sale, current spec incase anyone is interested:

200 Block
6 long studs (cosworth)
Standard crank
Mains 0.50 Bigs 0.25
7:5:1 Cut out pistons
Standard Rods
GT3071 Turbo
2WD manifold
85 degrees thermostat
Updated belt tensioner/ stay
Big wing sump
Head mildly polished inlet only
BD10 inlet, standard exhaust
Dual springs, hydraulic lifters
Vernier pulleys
14mm plenum spacer, on standard plenum
larger throttle body
83lbs Siemens black injectors
Anembo engineering fuel rail
Bailey dump valve
RS500 style intercooler
Burton Power Lightened flywheel
AP racing 6 paddle clutch
Alternator
Transit connect starter motor
Weber L8 custom chip mapped by PJ Motorsport
Engine loom brand new, aircraft wire
No lambda, closed loop map, but wideband monitor available
Electronic ignition, coil and all the bits
NGK BCR8ES spark plugs
HKS boost controller + turbo timer + boost solenoid

Various silicon hoses for water, intake and intercooler, vacuum, swirlpots, oil catch cans, turbo lines, air filter, jubilee clips, pipe clamps, etc. I believe there is also a pre turbo water cooler.

6250rpm standard cosworth limit
2500 miles since build (have MOT's)

Also have an uprated T5 cosworth gearbox, stronger gears, synchros and baulk rings, hydraulic clutch, standard bell housing. Still like new. Built by the gearboxman in London.

I think its worth a few quid to the right person, I'll probaby end up selling it in parts, that's usually the way. But it will fund some of the next purchases. or i can keep it for a future project as it is a decent engine.

[Niponeoff]

AW111 said:

It looks like a fun project, but a proper rally rep Escort deserves a Cosworth BDG with a pair of Webers.

Aye, there's a lot of love for the BD engine, but they are quite rare and expensive and only 2.0. I really did want +300hp and more torque. But I do have carbs!

Been looking into converting the 50dco carbs to throttlebodies, anyone got any advice? will i be better with 50dcoe jenvey bodies for the same manifold as a like for like or go with taper throttlebodies or larger bodies. I had 54mm on my old Westfield and that was just a 2.0. will 48mm be small for a 2.5?

https://store.jenvey.co.uk/tbody-pair-dcoe-40-50mm...

I'll take a look at the ports when I get home. but i dont want to be messing with them.

Maybe i'll give millingtons a call and discuss, though they always seem to be busy.

[Niponeoff]

I've been talking to bremax about a loom, the chap there was very helpful and we had a long chat on the phone.

Before they do their thing I will need to make sure I have all the electrical components and accessories installed, so they can terminate everything.

It's far cheaper and easier doing it from the outset than upgrades later on, so for instance fitting a paddle shift or traction control would be better now as the additional cost is lower and much better finished.

[Niponeoff]

braddo said:

Are you planning on running digital/programmable ignition with the carbs? Alfaholics have had good success with that path. Not at 300hp though!

What do you reckon the YB is worth? 7.5:1 compression! Is it a complete slug off-boost? If the turbo came off I'm wondering if that engine makes even 100hp. So the turbo is being relied on to provide 4-5 times the NA engine's output...

Does seem a bit low, but i'm relying on the information from the previous owner. it is still on the weber L8 though.

A 205 block 2wd engine is around 8k on ebay, all dependent on condition and spec of course. People seem to still like the original webers too.

205 block, 4wd head and 2wd manifold are supposed to be the best combination, outside of alloy and YBD blocks of course.



On the milly its an electronic distributor, running off the back of the oil pump.