When I got the car back, I gave her a quick wash only to discover the next morning that the drivers footwell was sodden (never buy a car in a heat wave). I set to work finding the leak. With the help of my wife and a hose pipe, I managed to trace it back to somewhere near the bottom of the windscreen. I had to remove wipers and cowling to gain access, then I ran a bead of sealant along the suspect bottom edge of the screen making sure not to block the drain holes. This seem to have cured the leak so far (touch wood).

Now the car is water tight, I removed a most of the the rotton underlay and and let the interior dry out. I can now fit some velour floor mats which I have ordered form a Ford dealer. With the carpet back I also cleaned the foot well up. When refitting the carpet I reattached the plastic bracket which holds the edge of the carpet to the sill, this annoyingly pulled out every time I got in!

Next I decided to remove the wheels and arch liners and give both a good clean. There was at least 2 inches of dirt sitting in the bottom of both front wings and so much on one side that the whole bottom of the wing rotted through. I then painted all exposed areas of suspension and brake components that I could get at.


Front arch after cleaning and painting suspension:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/65056499@N05/5926000086/http://www.flickr.com/photos/65056499@N05/5926000086/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/65056499@N05/, on Flickr

Rear arch, liner replaced:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/65056499@N05/5926000184/
When I got the car it had shocking repairs on the rear arches, I sanded both down and used halfords primer, paint and lacquer to give a much cleaner finish. There's still a slight difference between panels, but its only a temporary soloution as I already have a quote for repairing both arches and the rotted front wing.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65056499@N05/5933363052/http://www.flickr.com/photos/65056499@N05/5933363052/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/65056499@N05/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65056499@N05/5934002823/http://www.flickr.com/photos/65056499@N05/5934002823/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/65056499@N05/, on Flickr