Hi Guys, after floating around on this site for a while now I thought it was about time I got my act together and started a thread for my Escort.
This is my third car, first being a rover 200 and my current daily driver my 106 Quiksilver, which this will hopefully take over its duty to haul me to work and back. The 106 and the rover were both bargains and served me well, but aren’t really anything special - especially the rover. Hence the purchase of the RS..

Two good mates of mine, Danny and Ash, who I both worked with for a couple of years (and are on here) both have escort turbo’s and their cars are the reason why I have fallen in love with the old mk3 & mk4 escorts, Ash (aka 193bhp s1) who has a WIP series one running 190+bhp with ‘aerodynamic’ brown holes, there clearly to aid cooling, and Danny (Lincolndanny), who most of you may know for building a minty mint silver Bonus turbo, and then there’s the rest of his bonus collection, but the page isn’t long enough to list all of those!

Anyway, back to mine, the original idea was to find a shitter of an RS with a good condition engine and a mint Bonus or Popular and chuck the turbo lump into it and run as a sleeper for a few months. However after buying the donor, which seemed to run ok (which is god dam surprising as when I got her home I found a couple of the boost hoses without any jubilee clips holding them on!!), I found that all of the descent condition base model mk4’s had disappeared over night, and the ones I did find were overpriced for the condition. So I thought sod it, and made a start at rescuing the one I already had from the dreaded rot, figuring that I could make this one bigger and better building it from the ground up knowing that all of the work done to her wasn’t bodged.
When I bought the car there was a few extras such as the SFS hoses, Collins actuator, Pace I/C, full Magnex exhaust and a few other new bits and pieces, making it a bit of a bargain for the price as well so wasn’t too bothered about spending a bit of cash on fixing the outside up.
Anyway onto the bit everyone loves, the pics.

Here is my new pride and joy, a black 1988 Ford Escort RS Turbo:






My favourite pic of her so far, love the way she sits with the little 3” magnex poking out.


And the engine, after taking the metering unit and cross over off once I had decided what I was going to do with her.


This is the first time I have ever taken on a project of this size and should be a great way to learn a few new things.

Stay posted for an update very soon!

CheeRS
James

 

worth the hard work mate,what you got planned...

 

Good luck with the project

 

Cheers guys,
Im thinking of a full resto, full respray, with healthy power, fully polybushed and lowered over some Comp's - TH's maybe or cossie wheels. Was also thinking about the possibility of S1 arches and maybe '90 spec bumper...but there's plenty of time to think about that.
Can't wait to crack on, but i can only work on her at weekends as she's back home in Lincoln and i'm working in Leeds at the minute which is gutting

 

Good luck with the project, keep update's coming

 

Been silly busy at work lately but have finally found some time to write a bit of an update of the progress over the last few weeks!

Bumper off:


Showing the first signs of rust


So got her tucked away in the garage and started stripping her down to a bare shell (sorry about the crappy night shots):


Loom all labelled up and ready to come out:


Kit off, showing some more signs of rust


The harder i look the more i find


And a gaping hole in the sill




Back to the engine bay;
Intercooler, rad and hoses off


Revealing more bodges; unplugged sensors & bodged rad mounting bracket consisting of various sized washers. And look at all of that oil & grime, nice thick sludge coating the gear box and around the sump/bottom of the block.




On a brighter note...i got a free Snap On spanner


Almost ready to drop the engine out, oil drained, manifold, turbo and rest of the exhaust off:


That's all the progress so far, the engines coming out this weekend and i've already started buftying up a few bits and pieces in preparation for the rebuild.

Ooh i also bought this from a chap that used come into Halfords alot as it was a bargain, but needs a bit of tidying up:

and i also bought this :


On the hunt for a compressor and a MIG, just not too sure what i'll go for, time for more spendage at the weekend then...Atleast i'll be able to crack on over Christmas and hopefully see some of next years shows.


CheeRS
James

 

Nice progress

 

get cracking on it mate, and good luck!!

 

Great project... keep em coming!!!

 

nice work mate

 

keep at it mate good progress

 

looks like its going to be a big project good one mate

 

Cheers for the kind words guys, appreciate it!

 

Excellent project mate


Brian

 

Been a while since i last updated this, but made some slow progress.

Engine is now out, look at the state of that bay


Interior out, all bar the headliner and door cards



Carpet and matting remain for comfort whilst stripping out the last few bits and pieces. No pics of what lies beneath,but doesn't look good (I'll upload some pics of the rot at a later date).

All panels stacked up in the boot waiting to be stored, im running out of room in the garage

Don't worry the Recaro under all the junk is hammered so can't harm it, all the mint interior is tucked away in the loft


Got a week off work coming up to crack on with some welding (not ordered a welder yet - could be a productive week off) so ordering a few tools to make my life a bit easier whilst out in the garage.
Got a nice big twin 500W Halogen site lamp coming, along with some wire wheels and cutting discs for the grinder, a daft amount of degreaser WD40's and paint stripper etc., new welding gloves, welding clamps and a small fire extinquisher just in case.
If anyone has any suggestions for anything else that'll make my life easier over the next week working on the car i'm all ears.

CheeRS James

 

looks a big project but should be worth it when done good look mate

 

get some head ache tabs mate lol.... more probs to come...

 

Was going to do the same but witha lack of garage,space and skills i didnt bother.Couldnt find any decent shells either so managed to get a cheap xr3i cabby in same colour so transferring all the bits to that. Gonna see if i can rent a garage for a couple of weeks to sort the engine transplant out as a bit cold outside!!! Been trying to get kit,bonnet,interior and a few rusty bits sorted on the cab but its just too cold outside!!!! I NEED A GARAGE!!!!

 

hey mate do you want to sell the headlight protectors? "funds for the project"

if there not cracked i'll pay good money!

 

good luck with the project. had a lot of s2's 4 being black. thay look the best in my eyes.

 

looking good so far

 

Lol, I get that feeling too..

You don't learn if you don't try
What happend to your RS, last i read you had made some real progress, and started to look really good! Looked like you had a good project there.
Too true about the garage, freezing out at this time of year, even cold enough in the garage to warrant double layers and a portable heater, so sod working outside.

I was wondering how long it would be until i got offers made on the protectors...you win a prize!
But sorry i'm going to keep hold of them, they're pretty mint, only thing wrong with them is a bit of algae which should just wipe off, and i love the way they look on the S2.
Just out of curiosity, whats the going rate on them at the minute?

 

Best to get it done now before it gets to far gone, sure itll turn out a brill

 

lol i sold a brand new never fitted set last year for 85 quid, i WISH i hedn't so i spose about 50-70 quid for a mint set? that'd be my guess. what prize do i win; a set of headlight protectors?

cheers for the reply though mate

 

Good luck with it, keep the updates coming

 

im pretty sure that 4 spoke rs wheel used to be mine, i sold it beggining of november, due to it being fitted with a S1 horn centre, the 3 little black spots on the right, the paint coming of the left hand side and the stitching coming apart is a give away, how much did you pay for it?

 

Hello Let me know if you want a pair of hands

 

Don't think it is buddy, i bought the wheel back in Summer, and doesn't have a horn centre, its just a blank RS cover.
Cost a touch over £30

Now then!
Long time no speak..You still got the estate?
I will gladly take you up on that offer, you doing anything at the weekend? If not pop over.

 

Update time... (sorry about all of the pics)

Fuel tank's out




Got the sunroof off, which was full of rust and pain in the arse to get out.






Headliner out, unveiled another bodge, fibreglass covering a hole where the roof drainage pipe had leaked and rusted away the inner roof skin

Took the carpets and the sound deadening out, i hadn't realised before othewise i'd have taken it out earlier but the sound deadening was absolutely sodden



Now for the rust

















Sunroof cavity




Rear inner arches


And outer


Under fuse box




Another poor repair


This ones underneath the battery tray, which from the outside looks mint, started pulling away at the sealant on the inside and the part that is painted in red oxide primer is in fact a plate that has been very poorly tacked in place under the original rusted under battery tray plate then sealed into place


Under the spare wheel well



In the engine bay, going to need a new front crossmember, and these parts, no idea what they are called and no idea where to get replacement panels from so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know (refering to the box sections which meet at the cross member where the horns and anti-roll bar normally mount):






Anybody know where i can (if you can) get this panel for this from, every site i have looked on don't list it.







This panel is the other side of this


Best buy so far

So much easier to work on the car when you can see what you're doing

Started to rub back the rust and take off the arches but no pics as yet..

CheeRS
James

 

i do hope you didnt pay a lot of money for that car!!!! Dont get me wrong, good luck and everything and i do love a rs but that is a tough project you have there and surely you are thinking "shit"!!!!!!! As for the crossmember, Ford direct. Will cost tho. Good luck.

 

Nice update there ,some of the panels that you cant get ,take a trip down the scrappy and find a mint one and cut the bits out you need and graft them in

 

good luck mate,that is a big project for a first timer,lots of rust, hope you sort it and get it back to mint

 

Got your work cut out for you there good luck with the project

 

A lot of work there good luck. imo there is to must rust as the car is fit for breaking cut your loses and find a cleaner shell with all the money and time you are going lose and spend.

 

I'd reshell that for sure.

 

Good luck mate and don't get down about it,it'll be mint after.
Have you checked the log book to see if one of the previous owners was Captain Nemo!!
Again good luck chap

 

good luck mate keep us updated

 

good luck m8, think you will need about 3 ton of mig wire there m8. are you going to take the sunroof tray out to repair it

 

good luck m8 i think you will need it, i`d find a cleaner shell and swap the good bits

 

Well i thought my rst was kinda rot/rusty
But wen i see some pic's around here i'm lucky
The front seems to be very nasty! Perhaps you need to look for a
shell so you can get the parts out of it or transfer it.
Good luck with it!