Hi Troops,

I was going to add new info to a thread I started awhile ago, but it has vanished for some reason

So I'll start a new thread, now that Hyacynth (dont ask) has finally been dragged in from playing outside for a scrub behind the ears.

Her vital statistics are:
Built in 1983 by CG ford in cumbria from a new shell lifted from the line at ford.
CG ford along with R.E.D. were the first two companies to experiment with the new sierra that had been released the previous year. ( the two firms liased on suspension designs and set up.)
The designs of both cars icorporated a lot of known and proven hardware. both ran bd engines ( a turbo charged bdt in the R.E.D car and a normally asperated bdg in the CG Ford ) and zf gearboxes.
Works escort grp 4 suspension was coupled with heavily modified sierra arms and beams.
The back end was kept in check by a Jag 9" lsd (no grp A yet)

The R.E.D car



The CG Ford car




The CG ford car (this one) was driven by Dougie Watson-Clark for 84 and 85 before passing through the ownership of quite a few other drivers.
The R.E.D car was driven by Louise Aitken-walker in 2wd and then was converted to 4wd for Willie Rutherford.
The R.E.D car hasnt been seen for a long time. It is belived to still have the ally cage fitted which would mean it had been retired from active duty a long time ago.

The Cg ford has always been rwd.
I asked Dougie W-C about the arches and he said they were hand made in ally by a local fitter when they built the car.
At some point in her life her ally cage was renewed with a steel one when the regs changed.
Also early in her life the zf went west followed by the bd. These were upgraded to a cossy motor and getrag rally and then touring car box.
She retired in 2000.

Over the years she had morphed to look more and more like a cossy





When I got her I thought she was a cossy with funny back windows

Anyway for the last 10 yrs she has been running round as a slightly toned down old lady.




So here we go,
She moved into her new temp home and made herself comfortable.









First job was to find out how bad everything was, as she had been left for a long time under a tarp unloved.







She isnt as bad as I had feared, but is looking pretty sorry for herself.
In the last photo you can see the handmade exhaust and monster propshaft. (it dosnt need to be bolted at the front, you just unscrew it )





I love the quick release exhaust joints and rubber hangers, the only bolts are at the turbo end.



The rear beam strangely dosnt twist about it's axis, check the sheet steel welded to it and bolted to the floor. The ends of the beam have the circle welded up and a huge bolt up into the floor too.
The rear arms have so much extra metal welded to them

After a quick check, it was job one: Will the bleed nipples open on the aps or sheer off. Joy , they all snapped open.
2nd job was, whilst the engine and box are still in place sort out why the engine has always been skewed in the bay.

You can see it here.



The bars are just laid on to show paralell. I took the gearbox mount off, (see above) and realised it wasnt the lugs at the bottom, it is just that the tunnel is too thin for the box to sit straight in. It was cut and raised for the zf box when it was built but the getrag was just fitted "as it would"

It was about now that I had to go and have a cuppa and a ponder on the possibles.

1, cut the tunnel to allow the box to move over (and up) or
2, lift the box and motor out and put a bdg and thinner zf in.
I'll just have a look under the mattress and see if there is Ł20,00 there.

 

Nice project, looks clean too!!

 

Great project.

Do you know what the rear diff is off ?

cheers

mark

 

excellent car
great history, where is the other development car? someone must know

 

Nice to see a car that's got history and story behind it !

 

What a cool car, I look foward to seeing how this one comes along.

 

Cheers troops,
Mark, the diff is a 4ha from very early jags.
When the car was first built it ran 15" wheels and to get some sort of usable ratios the crown wheel and pinion were lifted from a dumper truck.

 

Here's a few pics of the flight deck







The dash is hinged at the bottom and folds down to access the electrics and mice and lord lucan

Speaking of "in car" here's a quick trip up the road in her:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Bazwalton?feature=mhsn

More handmade bits and bobs,



The intercooler leads me to belive that the turbocharged enginge was put in again before grp A, as you don't go to all the trouble of making that if there is one available off the shelf.

The doors she is wearing are just to keep mother nature out. Her originals are in my bedroom (obviously )
These are them fitted (to the car, not my bedroom)



And in the boot is this neat tool holder, from a works escort

 

Brian

 

love it

then history is great aswell!

 

Are you going to repaint the car in one of its former colours ?

Steve

 

@Steve,

It's tempting to, but current plan is evrything working and clean then decide on a role for her. So I'm thinking powdercoated parts etc and frozen white re-spray first.

 

great car that mate good luck with it!!

 

Nice project mate its got some interesting parts fitted to it.

 

Thats really interesting about the car, the old girl deserves a bit of love and care

 

I ran one of them exact setups in my three door for many years, totally bomb proof, and a plated LSD, that must date that conversion to about 1984 ??

car looks great. proper piece of motorsport history.

 

Can't beat a purposeful interior like that, any idea what was in the missing hole in the switchpanel in the centre console.

 

@markk, very close, 1983

@ gjh, thats where the boost gauge was, it's now in the main dash. When I can get a new (old style) speedo sorted it will go on the dash on the right, the rev counter will go back to the left and the boost gauge back in the ctr console. It has all changed round so many times over the years as the spec grew and older componants died.

 

A few of the other old photos of her I have,

Dougie Watson-Clark in 84/85











That last shot is my favourite of her.

A short clip of her lifted from the "story of the sierra cosworth" video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpNEZcmsX9E

And Chris Beddows around 89

 

Awesome piece of history mate....cant wait to see her back to her forma glory.

 

Great car and thread, really interesting stuff!

 

it deffo needs to be re liveryied up fella !!


cracking project

 

ford motorsport history ! RESPECT
very nice project!!!

 

Never seen anything of these before, though it is a bit before my era of interest.

Nice piece of history that. I think I'd try and keep it original. Does the "wonky" gearbox effect its operation? I'd be very dubious about chopping up the tunnel and things, I'd rather keep it original myself!

 

ALL thumbs UP!!! Nice piece of history!!!!

 

Cheers Troops,

@massive, I'm looking into that at the mo, I don't want to alter the tunnel if I can help it, but my plan has always been a road/track car. so the box being straight would certainly help matters.
I have alway had this battle between what I want and what the car is. ( I even have a pair of rear cossy windows and surrounding metalwork that were nearly put in a few yrs back).
The cars heratige has always stopped me doing anything irrevesable though

Whilst a fully rebuilt and gleaming Rally car is a lovely thing, it isnt what I can justify renting a garage just to home.
As Paul (rs yorkshire spares) would confirm, up untill a week or so before the start of the restoration, I was talking to a few people about a possible swop for and escort or 3dr road car.
I just didnt want to part with her as a resto project, I want to see her in her sunday best before deciding.

Also the thought of selling her on and then finding someone had broken her up to sell off the parts, would be horrible. ( be like selling your dog to the chinese round the corner)
Maybe a museum or suchlike might want her

Anyway, was doing some more on monday, updates later.

 

mate thats great. got yourself a piece of rally heritage. well played

 

Cool project! I LOVE the look from the front!

Might be a stupid question, but whats the deal with having a speedo on the passenger side (second pic of the 'flight deck')?? So the co-driver can see how fast they're going or something (not sure id actually want to know to be honest!)?

 

wicked!

 

awsome ! I'm keeping an eye on this !

 

Nice project great bit of history KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

 

@matt,
The original speedo that was in the dash on the right was knackered, so when I put a lap timer/stopwatch in from brantz I got one with a speedo to keep plod happy.
But I never look over to see the speed, (I'd probably dissapoint myself)

 

Update from monday night,
Started lifting off stuff to get a butchers up close and personal.

Her slot together exhaust



Sump gaurd and brackets





Once bumper and grill were away



then the inside started getting a bit of a clear



The box in the middle of the last pic hides the battery

 

You putting cosworth grill on?

 

@lewis,
No mate, she's had one on in the past (I still have it somewhere)
She'll either have her mrk1 sierra grill or the original mk1 xr4 grill she had when she was built.

 

The one like the cosworth one but modified

 

love it
this is great

 

Tonights update,

Got the front part stripped.
The front discs and bells, or top hats as they are called, due to their depth.
not certain what the bells are from or if they were handmade for the car.



Front AP's, very old.



The front uprights, with welded on brackets for the ap's.





Thanks for all the interest so far, hope you are all enjoying the blast from the past

 

Thats awesome

 

great stuff, the more pics the better on this Baz,

them front hubs have has some serious mods, and the bell thickness is emense