Hi guys,

I'm in the process of planning a 4x4 conversion for my MK1 Escort and seeing as there's a few here that have done 4x4 conversions on various model Escorts and Cortinas I was hoping that I could get some pointers. The plan is for a full Escort WRC chassis build but being in Australia help is hard to come by. While the early cars are popular projects, British Fords from the mid 80's onwards are rare here and I haven't heard of anyone trying to convert an early model car into a 4x4 using Sierra/Sapphire/Escort RS Cosworth chassis. So on with the questions.....

What chassis is best, do I need a Sapphire RS Cosworth 4x4/Escort RS Cosworth chassis or are all Sierra (rear wheel drive/4x4/RS Cosworth) chassis basically the same? If not, but if the date of manufacture saw changes are there particular years to go for, e.g. were there updates made when the Sapphire RS Cosworth 4x4 was released in the early 90's that was applied to the rear wheel drive or lower spec 4x4's bringing them up to the same chassis spec? Basically did all Sierras/Sapphires/Escorts share the same chassis in terms of mountings etc?

If converting to an Escort WRC spec chassis does it matter what I start with, if the chassis of all Sierra/Sapphire/Escort RS Cosworths are basically the same (provided they are) does it matter or are there differences that will affect this despite all being fine to use as the basis for an 4x4 Cosworth conversion standard trim?

Also in regard to converting to a WRC chassis, does the wheel track increase over the standard Escort RS Cosworth as this will affect the amount of room you need for the wheels, I'm hoping to get them into standard MK1 bubble arches, and if not without having to make them too much wider, I'm aware the standard Escort RS Cosworth is about 6" wider than a MK1 and am hoping the bubble arches will account for this.

Secondly, what do I look for in terms of chassis condition, problems areas for rust etc? I have friends in the UK that can look at cars for me before bringing one over to Australia but it would be handy if I could give them a list of areas to check on the car that are of most concern.

And finally, for those that have done conversions, and I've been following the conversions of a few early Escorts (MK1, 2, 3 and 4) and Cortinas in this forum, are there any tips you're willing to share or things you would have done differently in hindsight? I've seen that there's been a few different approaches to get the same result and am trying to combine the best of what you have all done.

Thanks in advance!