redrsmk5

Hi all....bufty alert!!!

I started today on the polishing of my inlet manifold,(pics to follow soon)Got it all off easily enough and have started to flatten down the casting but its going to be some task!!! theres so many awkward bits to get at. I would like to know though on the fuel lines did ford make them that length for a reason?
They curl up like a pigs tail on the chassis leg and are in my opinion too long but are they that length for pressure/volume reasons or when i put my new braided lines on can i shorten the length on these so it runs neat and tidy???

Im going to take my time with all of this as i want it to look really good down the cold side of my engine bay as the other side looks great with the heat shield,breather tank & Filter. Have any of you guys done work like this on your cars that you can advise me on? any tips for tidying things up or any items that you have used be it for cleaning or tidying up down the cold side would be great please.

Below pic of before i started.Will update whenever ive done a bit more.



Many Thanks Martin

L3 COS

will look nice once its done are you going to just polish it or chrome plate it? would be better chromed imo,has to be polished first anyway if yr gonna chrome it.
polished aluminium goes dull after a while its a nightmare to keep on top of,and with something as awkward as an inlet manifold would be a pain i reckon,least with the chrome plating it will stay shiny

i can put a pick up of mine if you like?

ive been meaning to ask you this for ages, are you the guy i spoke with at donnington rs spares day? yr car inside on display? we spoke about the carbon splitters? or am i getting you mixed up with sum1 else lol. yr car looks familiar

redrsmk5

Yep it is me you spoke to!!

and yes its going to be chromed which is why i want the cast as flat as possible so i get the best results once its done.

L3 COS

i thought it was you sound!!

i know you,ve seen the car a million times before but i took these for you today so you can have a closer look mate,its only the back thats chromed on mine,the other half is like silver glitter painted...

Damo V

Lines are curled like that so when engine moves they have slack, its mainly to prevent them kinking up though

Mine are fully aeroquiped and shortened

redrsmk5

Thanks L3 COS!!! theyre great pics thank you for doing that.They have helped me out a lot. Im going to get both bits chromed i think but am only flattening the cast on the plenum not on the trumpet section where the injectors live.

DAMO V: thanks mate i am going to shorten them then if thats the only reason they were like that

Not planning on using the car now til early next year so can take my time on these jobs.

Damo V

I woldnt shorten the std hose, aeroquip will be fine though...

L3 COS

anytime mate just ask your going to chrome it all thats gonna look superb get some pics up when you,ve done it

redrsmk5

L3 COS: it should look great hopefully, Ive probably asked you before but where did you get the silver/chrome cable stuff? it looks great.

DAMO V: im not aeroquiping it as i cant afford to but ive got good quality braided fuel hose with blue anodised finishers. I just hope it looks good and gives me the same performance/pressure and piece of mind as the standard stuff, im going to make sure that the clips are all really tight so fuel doesnt leak........i hate messing with fuel and electrics!!!!!

L3 COS

its fom purepassionracing.com no probs mate here you go...

http://www.purepassionracing.com/default.asp

you can get it in different colours including red
the chrome is the most expensive apparently but does look good,you just remove the old stuff,cut it to same size and fits straight back on (its already slit) like the original stuff.
it comes in different sizes of course and i wasnt sure how much of wot size id need so i just ordered a couple of each size first to see wot i needed,wasnt cheap though but worth it.

redrsmk5

Hi all

Quick update on this thread. I Have started flattening the cast of the inlet plenum, Ive only done the main face, the top and the sides, just got the throat area and some intricate bits left to do.Ive so far used 180 grade wet and dry but to get it as in the pics below has taken 6 hours I have blisters to prove this in the palm of my hand!!! ( no smutty comments please )

It'll be worth it though as the cast will be completely flat when it goes for chroming
I have 240 grade,then 400 grade, then 600 grade to go on this. I can then attempt the inlet trumpet section which will prob take an eternity too

i'll update when more done.

THE RADMAN

iTrader: (2)

i did one before but i used my polisher, it took some doing ,like you say the inlet trumpet part is an absolute nightmare i ended up swapping it from car to car as i sold them as i didnt want to go through all that again,lol

PewteRS

iTrader: (2)

Will look good when its done mate

L3 COS

will be worth it when its done,keep up the good work

give yr hand a rest now and do a bit more on the manifold!! lol...

redrsmk5

Really gettin into this now, once i start it i cant put it down. Should look the ppodles plums when its done and chromed

MattyRST

You have far to much time on your hands mate !!! When you gonna pop down and bufty my engine bay up ???

RS_Gav

Very nice mate. Im a bit torn.. I love the chrome but I have seen a few colour coded to match the cam cover that also look nice.

I love the pics on the kitchen sink!! My missus would have my bollocks if I attempted that!! Good work!!

Gav

MATCOS

iTrader: (1)

Should look lovely mate

redrsmk5

Gav: Cheers mate, thats the good side of being single mate i can get away with stuff like that!! i rubbed it all down in the sink with warm soapy water and the wet and dry . I did consider painting it red but thought it would be an overkill of red. Am happy with how its coming along though.

Matcos: Thanks mate....Yours all done now???

Rolls

iTrader: (2)

Getting there mate!

MATCOS

iTrader: (1)

No not done yet-bits are away being painted at the mo, need lots of new bits too for the engine bay, once the weather cheers up a bit or probably after my wedding (March) it will have the interior stripped out to be cleaned properly and the boot paint (under the carpet) needs cleaning along with loads of little bits ready for the first show in April
Oh and the bonnet has to be painted too

AJC

iTrader: (6)

you gone all bufty martin, very bufty,

i spent numerous hours polishing and cleaning yesterday

now, the car aint mving till its a clean dry day

redrsmk5

Always have been a bufty AJC....i'll never change!

You should have seen my old fiesta....my cossie is nothing compared to that but im getting there with it.

Sounds like you are too

MattyRST

Your buffys wearing on me martin Ive never cleaned any of my cars as much as i clean the escort ! Have you done what you started today yet ??

AJC

iTrader: (6)

redrsmk5

corerct, currently cleaning the underside

redrsmk5

Went a bit mad today!! and car now looks like this





Inlet manifold is now done ready to be chromed so i thought id go and remove the thermostat housing ready to flatten the casting for polishing which i did.........but i didnt stop there!!I Have removed header tank,mirror image tank,Turbo housing,strut brace,swirl pot, all these are going to be cleaned up for chroming. Removed all boost,water,coolant,breather hoses for cleaning up,Air flow meter for polishing up and loads of bolts,clips etc.

Have been very busy on my throttle body and idle speed unit which look great at the minute,just need the throttle body springs chroming then i can assemble that all back together. Cant wait to get it done but will take my time.

Im gonna have a busy few weeks ahead but may as well do it whilst the weather is lousy!

adamski frst

i really want to get a rocker to paint imp but there so rare, looks like your going to town tho!!!!!

i need to get my inlet off to look at fitting my breather stuff

M.A.D.RST

Adam, why dont you just whip yours off and get it painted before summer arrives??

MATCOS

iTrader: (1)

This all looks very familiar
Should be amazing when it's all chromed - good work there mate, I had a
stupid moment today - see my update

redrsmk5

Adamski: MAD is right , why not take it off??? it doesnt take long, longest bit is the coil pack removal and if you have a good painter turn around should be short and it'll be back on before you know it

MATCOS: yep i know its familiar to you and i thought this when doing it, i wish i was in your position of finishing bits off instead of just starting but then you have a garage which is worth it weight in gold!!! hopefully it'll look ok when its done and not OTT. Im really trying to make sure that its a good balance and not way OTT. I do get a lot of harmless 5hit off local lads who wind me up about not using it, so once its done it'll get used

adamski frst

reason being is i may want a cam sensor thingy fitted for future tuning so kill 2 birds, hence me wanting to find another one to do while this one is fitted