Am wondering if people can help me, i currently have an E reg 2wd Sapph cosworth which has seen better days, engine wise and running gear wise the car is really good, however its shell is rotten as a pear!

I have been looking around for a re-shell (and i wanted to go 3dr), but to be honest am on a budget and its proved difficult.

Anyhow i have stumbled upon a 3dr shell in MINT condition, it was originally an 1.6 which has been converted (well) into a 3dr look-a-like, now its JUST the shell i can get, no interior etc. Its running on 1.6 suspension and rack and is missing the front bumper and grill, now i know its not for the purist but its at a price i can afford!

My question is this, if i used my Sapph as a donor car what would i need extra, or what wouldnt fit this shell?, for example would the sapph's rear beam fit? Would its breaks and suspension fit? Same with the interior, carpets etc. I'm guessing the exhaust wont fit? How about front bumper?

Basically whaqt am i getting myself into! I'm hoping i can just transfer all my sapph stuff straight on? But i'm guessing that aint possible!?

Any help is greatly appreciated!!

 

All the mechanicals are good to swap, interior is totally different for most bits, exhaust is different, front bumper is different.

 

I've got myself 3dr seats but only a sapph dash at the moment, will that go in?

Not to worried about intrior too much, as long as all the mechanicals go on it really.
Just thought i'll probably need to chage its fuel tank too as it wont have a swirl pot coming from a 1.6 shell.

Are the drive shafts,diffs, rear beam,suspension and brakes all the same then yeah?

Cheers!

 

the front bumper will fit wont it, look abit different but will fit, i swear dan from fast ford has a saph front bumper on his 3 door?

 

dan does have a saph front bumper but it did not fit right on, he had to cut and extend it. (i had already asked about it)



the driveshafts, axles, brakes, suspension are all different from the 1.6, but only in that the cossie stuff is better, it will all bolt up.

 

A cant see any reason why you cant fit your interior to the 3dr shell. Dash will fit only the door pannels are no good.

 

i think technically (engine / drivetrain ) it's all a straight swap. However you'll need to have the early sierra, because later the tunnel ( in which the gearbox houses ) became narower and prolly the t5 won't fit.

 

[/QUOTE] the driveshafts, axles, brakes, suspension are all different from the 1.6, but only in that the cossie stuff is better, it will all bolt up.[/QUOTE]


Even though all these have come off a sapph not a 3dr?
For some reason i was convinced the rear beam and shafts would be differfent on the sapph to that of a 3dr?

The shell is an 86 i think?

Am happy if it'll all go on though! It'll save me a fortune!

 

Cosmo - this may be of interest, save you alot of work

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3door-Sierra-C...QQcmdZViewItem

 

Am right on that tomorrow!! Cheers!!

 

the driveshafts, axles, brakes, suspension are all different from the 1.6, but only in that the cossie stuff is better, it will all bolt up.[/QUOTE]


Even though all these have come off a sapph not a 3dr?
For some reason i was convinced the rear beam and shafts would be differfent on the sapph to that of a 3dr?

The shell is an 86 i think?

Am happy if it'll all go on though! It'll save me a fortune![/QUOTE]

yes it will all bolt in to a 3door shell. i have a friend over here that transplanted the entire drivetrain from a 4x4 sapphy into a merkur which is just a more heavily strengthened version of the sierra. i think only the floor had to be modified for the 4x4 tranny.

we have the narrow and wide tunnels here too and all the t-5s fit without modding the tunnels.

 

ALL the mechanicals will fit, even the box will go straight in, even auto boxes fit and they are much bigger.
The hardest bit will be the interior, ie lack of TILT on the seats, trim bits won't fit, but xr4i bits do.
The exhaust WILL go straight on, just a SLIGHT difference in length, I cut and shut a ROVER SD1 STAINLESS STEEL exhaust system complete to fit into my dads xr4i, and they are VASTLY different so is doable.
The tunnel also took his R380(rover) gearbox, which is quite a bit bigger than a T5.
You wil also need the sterring rack as is 2.4 turns lock to lock, and power.
The trans mount will bolt right up as well, sapphs were made using BOTH mount points(2wd/4wd), but three door wil have same mount point as your one(2wd), only difference was the mount for box was steel on the 3 door(cossie) and alloy on the 2wd sapp cos.
You will have to fiddle about with a return line as the 1.6 one will not be adequate.
I would also be amazed if your whole loom did not go straight in, with just a few tiny connector mods needed.
tabetha

 

Its probably too much money but I know of a complete 3dr interior in excellent condition down here in S Wales. Its sat in a lookalike car for about a year now. You could always go for a stripped out look though - could be fun?
I agree with Tab on the loom and would swap them. Holes might need to be drilled if you wanted to fit the heated front screen (but i've only ever seen that done once I think and am not sure sure if it was a simple job).

 

Cheers everyone! your help is spot on!!!

Spoke to the lad selling the 3dr on the ebay link, he seemed a genuine fella like, the car isnt a real Worth though, originally a 1.3 shell, now it runs on a Q plate as a cosworth?

Going to have a look at it tomorrow, nothing ventured nothing gained i suppoose! My lack of budget limits what i can achieve unfortunately.

 

All the running gear from a 2wd saff coswroth will bolt into a 3dr non cosworth shell, but the gearbox mount will need to be modified, its not a straight swap over, the 3dr non cosworth shells have different mounting points so you could not even use a 3dr cosworth mount instead of your saff one - just to clarify the 3dr cosworth one and the saff cosworth one are different shapes entirely.

at the rear you will also need to modify the arb mount as these are also different, some 3dr non cosworth shells had arb mounts but these were outboard like on the 3dr cosworth but the 2wd saff cosworth is mounted inboard

It can be done, and not that difficult but will need some tweeks to work

 

Or you could just use the original arms then the roll bar will fit(3 door one).
When we modded the gearbox mount on my dads xr4i the sapph cossie one fitted right up no problem.
The screen won't fit as totally different shape etc.
tabetha

 

All that work to end up with what? A replica.

You turn your original Cossie Saff into a 1.6 L logbook wannabee.

Just reshell into a solid Saff Cossie shell, available all the time, there's so many get broken these days. Ł300 for a non rolling shell seems to be the going rate, more if rolling and bits left on. Plus you can get one with full service history, low owners, HPI clear, good alarm still fitted with paperwork - things could work out very well if you bide your time!

 

dont know if it helps mate but rowan at the rs centre in denaby has a brand new 3 door shell for a grand i ave been told.

 

Had 3 sapphs now, lovely looking but i've laways wanted a 3dr, i just will never be able to afford one, picked up a shell today that had been used to re-shell a 3dr cossie and is on a Q plate registered as a cosworth, ok insurance may go up a little, but all the mechanicals are already fitted even the gearbox is still there, its got an RS500 tail with lower fin and all original kit etc etc, drop my engine in and am laughing, cost me Ł1k, i cant really grumble at that!

 

nice one, as long as your happy fella

 

Sounds like its worked out well mate - good news

 

Yeah am cuffed really, cheers to everyone for their help!!