pacwest

OK, I've been asking some rather basic questions as of late about lost keys etc. Got a couple things cleared up and now I'm just trying to figure out the rest of the car's quirks.

I want to resto this LHD car to as close to OEM as possible. But as far as I can tell there are TWO sapphires in my country. Both in the same little city! So, I have a lower dash that has the fan switch. It says "push A/C" yet there is no push. And the fan switch can only select outside air. I am quite certain this is normal for a car that has no AC from factory. I assume my 1988 had no A/C. Correct?

The ABS has been removed. There is a standard LHD XR4 master clyinder in place. I have a cosworth master cylinder complete with powered accumulator/reservoir. Question is, does the 1988 Sapphire have a seperate ABS distribution block? My 1988 Scorpio had the ABS block as part of the master cylinder and I just gave it away to a friend. Hope that wasn't a mistake since the cosworth master cylinder I do have apparently has a 1992 part number but does not have an ABS block attached to it. Luckily all the wiring is there and I have a brain that says 85GG on it.

I thought all Sapphires has 4 power windows. Wrong. I have two power fronts and wind up rears. But under the center arm rest on the rear are two open rectangular holes where switchgear would go. Nothing indicates what was there. Blanks? I thougtht I'd like to put power windows there but it's not year correct and I want to try to hold this car to spec.

And if I really want to do that I need to honour the L trim VIN badge and trim it in leather and find a home for the cloth or replace it entirely with an upholsterer.

Still trying to find out what country the car came form too...

indycos

iTrader: (2)

no factory a/c on 2wd's, only later 4x4's. could have a 4x4 dash or switch panel?

i think all cossies had elec windows

is it 100% a genuine cossie? have you checked the vin no's and decoded them?

get some pics up, could help a great deal

pacwest

Here is the VIN. Engine type checks out.

indycos

iTrader: (2)

details from here: link

pacwest

http://www.wrc-cosworth.org/specs/identify.html

States N5 is cosworth engine code. all the VINs match. Do I have some bastard or rare car apart from the leather being swapped for cloth?

indycos

iTrader: (2)

are you going to get some pics of the actual car up

pacwest

Yeah, It's a my mate's house about 30 minutes away. I have to head downtown tomorrow (and drive past it) to speak to a locksmith for the lost keys and will get some shots up. Stay tuned.

indycos

iTrader: (2)

nice, await the pics then.

i think only later model (89/90) 2wd cars had leather, but cant remember? dont think it was available on 88.

tabetha

88 is cloth as std, all windows were electric, as were GHIA sierra's on which it was based, the rear switches are in the rear section of the centre console bit where the armrest is.
You could have AC on 2wd, but few did, if the button does not push it may just be/been broken, and replaced with a normal switch, it rotated the opposite way to select recirculatory air, or clockwise to select fresh air, this is marked on the switch surround.
The defintite way of telling is to look where the fan motor is, if the bulkhead behind it is SOLID metal then it never had AC, other wise it will have a massive great plastic housing going through there that contains the vapouriser for the ac as well as the flaps, plus a vac pipe going in to there as well, which is black with a green tracer on it.
It will/should also have a AC label on front near vin as well, but as abovbe no hole no ac ever fitted.
Yes on the sapphy there is a seperate abs valve block mounted on the inner wing(ns on rhd cars).
tabetha

155lee

iTrader: (10)

is this the moonstone sapphire that was on ebay about 3 years ago,if it is it was imported from china and it was immaculate.

indycos

iTrader: (2)

that was RHD

155lee

iTrader: (10)

that was my screensaver for a year till the wife put up a wedding pic,i have a really rusty s1 that was on ebay all unloved now.on my 1990 cos it has a seperate abs block aswell as a bit other thing under the servo itself.i might have a lhd servo in my garage.

pacwest

The moonstone one is from a museum in Japan, has very little miles on it and is parked 4 blocks from my house. He wants the equivalent of 11,000 pounds (I took $2000 CDN off for shipping from the UK)

http://www.splendidauto.com/viewcar.aspx?carID=20

cozmeister

iTrader: (1)

LHD ones (from Europe) weren't quite as well appointed as ours. Rear electric windows were generally absent, ie, not standard fit, and the RS badge was also absent.

AC was an expensive option - there are one or two 3 doors out there with factory AC.

Leather was an option on 2wd Sapphires during the crossover period in 1989.

As tabetha said, the Sapphire Cosworth was based on the Ghia, so ABS was standard equipment even on European ones, with the ABS hydraulic unit on the driver's side - but on a LHD one, the valve block was attached directly to the hydraulic unit, instead of being connected by pipes behind the head as would be the case on a RHD one.

From the VIN plate, you can learn the following:

Drive: A - LHD
Engine: N5 - Cosworth YB
Trans: L - Borg Warner 5 speed Manual
Axle: 3 - 3.64
Trim: L Shadow
Type: BFGC - Sierra 4 Door, Homolgated 1986
Colour: B3 - Diamond White
Manufacture Date: JC - 1988 May

Seems like it's the real deal, except it's the wrong colour.

As the interior code says Shadow, it probably didn't have leather at the factory. The trim code for Raven (ie leather) is S.

And if you're wondering where it's from, they were all manufactured in Genk in Belgium Where it was sold from is another question entirely

pacwest

Ok good. I have removed the LHD master unit from my Scorpio and it has the block included. The buddy I gave it to won't need the ABS, but just wants the master cylinder pump. I have one that has no block. We could just swap and it makes life easier.

That's great info cozmeister, saves me some big headaches.

indycos

iTrader: (2)

if your car came from NACS? i think its a mix and match of spare parts

cozmeister

iTrader: (1)

No worries

Do I understand from your siggy (and location) that you have an XR4Ti?

tabetha

I've only ever seen two lhd ones and they both had lecky windy in the rear so just assumed it was std.
tabetha

pacwest

Yeah, I saved this from NACS. The bailiff is trying to clean the last bits out. The car itself can be put back to normal easily enough, thankfully I got a right motor for it that can be put to stage I with ease.

And yes, I have a heavily modded XR4Ti. Cossie suspension, 380bhp 2.3 8v lima. Lots of bling under the bonnet. Custom parts

tabetha

Are you going to be running a volvo head on yours or not ?
tabetha

cozmeister

iTrader: (1)

Ours are better than the Euro ones... And our steering wheel's on the right side too

foreigneRS

having owned 3 LHD models, i agree fully with that

Rax

iTrader: (1)

Sorry to hijack but while people are disscusing vin plates/codes I have checked mine with the information given and all is good.The only thing I cant work out is on the trim.I know S is raven but mine says SX on the vin,does this make any difference ??.