kosienutter

Hi all.
Been a very long time since I have posted on here. Hope all is well with ya'll.
Well unfortunately the Taxi is going to be moving on. She has been bitten by the rot disease and has gone rather bad.
I am gutted I will be stripping this car as I have had it nearly 12 years, putting about 85,000 more miles on her and using her to travel from Devon to Dunbartonshire a lot of times but I have used it as a daily driver and had great fun with it, (When she worked )
This is just one part of it, but the other side is just as bad. the front passenger footwell is crispy as hell, the bulkhead has holes in it and the rear end (legs, spare wheel well) are bad. Plus the front slam panel was just dust to be honest.


She has not been on the road and used since February once the MOT ran out and I sort of lost the love with her and the paint was just getting worse and worse from the lacquer coming away as well.
But at least the engine is still fighting fit.

So with out further ado, here is what I shall be doing.
I have, after a good look around found a very decent shell that just needs a small amount of work (no rust just a few dinks and checks) then it'll be off to the paint shop. It is as you can see Red but it is not it's original colour and will be going back to Mercury Grey. She is a 88 F plate.
I will be keeping the new shell Rwd but will for now until a later date keep the 4x4 cross member/hubs etc with out the front diff and shafts. I will change it to fully 2wd front end at some point. I will be once I have cleaned the underside of the new shell UPOL Rapturing it.

Bringing it down to its temporary home, thanks to a mate from work.


Awaiting its titivating.



So last weekend a few of my mates from my regional RSOC group came and gave me a hand to strip the old shell down, starting by doing the front end.











Got the engine and gearbox apart the next day and got it on the engine stand. Have since found the usual crack on the underside centre of the exhaust manifold.



Was very lucky to get this new bulkhead panel, just surface rust in a couple of areas, so a rub down and once powder coated will look as good as new, and the old one has gone to a mate who is going to use it as a template and repair it.



Also got the wiper scuttle panel and new plastic screw clips very cheaply and is in great condition as my old one snapped in a few places.



This afternoon I went about taking the rear end off the car after having to give up on just removing the main diff bolts to just get the diff off. It was the ones that run through it as they where pretty much seized in place. A good few persuasive smacks and a gallon of plus gas and eventually got them out.













All this stuff will be blasted and powder coated and zinc plated etc etc.

Could tell the rear end had never been off the car as all the bolts still had the blue paint on them, unscathed.

Also made a start of taking the interior out.

Love the mess that is behind the dashboard.

costina

iTrader: (1)

Respect to you keeping one alive and doing imo the right thing by using a decent shell. Rust is a pain in the RS.....

Keep us posted.

Paul

gcfcos

Awesome job mate good luck with the project

Mondi-DZK

iTrader: (1)

Respect keeping these old taxi's on the road.
Whatever they will tel you, you are doing the right thing.
I'm gonna follow this and so i've broke my ankle, i have al the time of the world.

RSMK4TURBO

Shame about the rot but least you got a good shell to build back up, best of luck.

kosienutter

Thanks all.
Been bagging and labelling all the parts front and back so to speak keeping it organised as best I can lol.

Also got the front diff off after double checking the sump is still sealed before I potentially had a pool of oil everywhere.

Engine part stripped and sealed up ready for a coating of de-greaser and clean.

I know it'll upset some people seeing another Saph biting the dust (excuse the pun)but when its gone to far for some people its too far so to speak.

visa_broke

at least you are saving another one, just make sure you keep everything you might need off the old shell.

kosienutter

Oh yes I will be ha ha.
The only things that will literally remain on the old shell is the front and rear windows nothing else at all. That's all that came with the new shell.
The new one has it's own etched windows but then I might just put my old shell's door windows in as they have the engine number on them.
Was very careful removing the b pillar weather strips

kosienutter

Finally got the remainder of the main cars wiring loom out today plus a couple of other little bits. What an absolute t**t it was. Why Ford did some wires that basically going back on themselves to the other side

That's the alarm wiring and most of the chav (ICE) wiring out the way









Managed to strip this relay blocks wiring out without breaking it as it has to go through the smaller of the 3 holes on the N/S. Probably hard to get another one of these blocks.



Also got this bulkhead panel bracket part out after carefully getting the screws out that where rotten to hell. Quick wire wheel session to make a change from wiring and it's in much better shape than before. Small item for the powder coaters.





Next on the cards is to get the sunroof out and the brake and fuel lines. That'll be fun.

Twins

iTrader: (18)

Mondi-DZK

iTrader: (1)

O dear

kosienutter

Little update.
Had to do it as some point and get whats left of the sunroof out. I knew it was rotten and proof was when the front end came completely apart.



Got all the lines from underneath out with the exception of the fuel ones as they might as well stay on as I am getting new ones for the new shell.

Pumped the remainder of the petrol out of the tank.



Got the engine outside the garage and coated it in degreaser and gave it a good washdown this afternoon.







Checked under the rocker cover for water that may have got in and gave the cams a good coating of oil to be safe afterwards.



Then started to strip more bits off it as it was less greasy





Was very lucky with the exhaust studs using the good old 2 nut trick. Took the water pump out and even though the outside is rusty the impeller was still like news being its 5 /6 years old so happy with that.







Got the water pump and thermostat housing off too.

Richie (KaCosworth) came over too to Dugga Dugga the rear hub nuts off.

That's its for now ya'll.

Marc sierra

iTrader: (1)

Mark V8

iTrader: (2)

Proper job you're doing there mate

Try this stuff on the rubber parts after giving them a good scrub, it works like magic!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GTechniq-....c100505.m3226

smiley

Nice one

kosienutter

Oooow. Will give that stuff a go.

kosienutter

Hi guys. Long overdue update.
Nearly finished with the engine now. Just waiting to find a 2wd sump, one of which (has a bolted in breather return line) I am waiting a reply on postage charge etc etc.
Also ordering up the new seals and gaskets (bar head gasket), then the rocker cover, ream beam etc can go off to be powder coated.

Cleaned up the block and head and gave them a lick of paint.





















Stripped back the water pump and a new lick of paint.









Same with the PAS Pump.









The Crank Seal and Oil Pump covers came up very well too.





Gave the alternator bracket a clean and paint too.




I used Plumbers tap tape to protect the paint on the bolts when I torqued them up to spec. Worked a treat. Used the colour Ford Wedgewood Blue Paint.









Cleaned up the inlet side of the engine including the throttle body.







Just got to rub the last small remaining bits of rust of the front brakes and clean up the rears then they will be painted soon.





Bit of a bodge with the bike pump, but it got the pistons out a treat







Have a Happy New Year all.

Adam-M

kosienutter

Thanks mate. Getting there slowly.
Yes I am in Faslane from time to time, but will be there permanently in the not too distant future.

I wish the new shell was originally Radiant Red as they are very very rare, but it had a full bare respray years and years ago. Will be going back to it's original Mercury Grey.

cossynut2

First time I have looked at what you are doing and it is coming together very nicely. You are like me ,if something is taken off you clean it and re-paint or powder coat it. The satisfaction you get is well worth the effort! You should have cracking Saff once its all finished!

kosienutter

Thanks mate. Talking of which I am dropping off the rear subframe and a few bits of to the powder coaters Monday. Looking forward to the results.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Fookin hell matey. I'm shocked at how bad your car is. At least you know the new shell is solid.

Have you got a rear bumper you don't want.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Ben. Is the drivers front foot well rotton too,and is the jacking point shoved in??

Rsmat

iTrader: (2)

Top work mate ..good luck .

kosienutter

I know mate. I am gutted, but in have a couple of people coming to have a look and possibly buy the old shell. When I was about to sell the car as a whole this time last year to a mates mate he showed me areas I didn't know where buggered and it went on from there really.

yeah I am very pleased with the new shell, just needs 2 dinks sorting out on it then it'll be sprayed up. Cant wait.

The rear bumper is buggered so looking for one myself. Interested in the new reproduction one that are on ebay at the moment.

The front drivers foot well is ok but yes the usual jacking points are crushed up. the N/s is starting to go
Thanks mate.



The Powder coating is currently being done so should here from them end of next week, to collect them.

tosh

kosienutter

Thanks mate.

No wont be going back to bare metal but will be sorting out a few things on it which are very very minor. This is how clean the new shell is.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

That's one mint shell. So will your original shell get bought?

the rear bumpers I've seen at on eBay for 250 quid. I'm after the floor sections where the front jacking points are cause mine look a bit tatty. I would love to restore the underneath of my saff.

kosienutter

Yeah very happy with it. Yeah I have a couple of people having a look this month at the old shell.

I wonder if there is a post on here somewhere asking if people have used these new made rear bumpers yet, fit and quality wise. They do look very nice. Not sure on their slider brackets from what I have seen in the pictures unless you need to fabricate your own.

cossynut2

kosienutter. Your new shell looks like new and will give you a fantastic start to your re-build. How will it work regarding reg number? will it have the old number off the knackered shell as you are using all the same parts or will it have to be inspected and get a new registration?

cossynut2

Hi Glenn, did you look at the advert on E_Bay for a brand new Rear bumper for sale at www.bossautospares.co in South Africa ? There are several used ones for sale around Ł100 in the UK but none of them looked very good to me. No point in buying one that is as bad or worse than yours.

kosienutter

Thanks mate. The shell had a complete resto underneath a few years ago. The new shell is registered already so in essence its an engine transplant with a 4x4 lump really.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Yeh i've seen the cheap ones. To me they need a lot of work to get to be right. Mines ok apart from it's sagging at the top.

kosienutter

If its the one I am thinking about then yeah the slider mounts look a little buggered. Rear bumpers are always buggered around the exhaust too aren't they??

kosienutter

These do look very nice though don't they??

cossynut2

Is that the new reproduction one?

tosh

kosienutter

Yes that's the one.

Yes, going to be using the tint-able Upol Raptor underneath her.

kosienutter

Mr Postman delivered my rebuild kit for my calipers. So got the rear calipers fully stripped down this evening.
One was in good nick and could get away with a good clean. The other hand brake mechanism was bunged up with rusty hardened grease.
The circlips where a little bit of a t**t but got there in the end after they brokeb the circlip plyers



The better of the two.





This ones seal crumbled apart.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Hi Ben the them bumpers look good.

are you rebuilding the bottom end of your engine? Ie putting shells in it??