1962 FORD 400e. 1.8 Turbo Dizzle *Tilt cover*

[MrSpeedy]

After having to shell out the best part of a grand to have the brain fixed on our Astra van 2 years ago (hatefull thing !) we decided to go retro with the works transport so we could fix it ourselves it owt went wrong !
After trawlling through evil-bay we found a barnfind 400e with 39K on the clock.




Being based on the old Consul 1700 petrol running gear it was decided a transplant was in order so this was aquired;



1.8 XLDT from a Sierra complete with type 9 gearbox !

So, into the workshop with it we promtly removed the cab and engine/gearbox;





After much measuring up we sussed out that the new engine would fit the chassis nicely with minimum cutting, so new mounts were made up and the whole chassis cleaned up and painted.



New engine in it was time for the cab on. This, however needed a lot of chopping underneath to clear the new engine. Pipework was all made up and cab given a quick make over .



We renewed all the brakes and fitted a remote servo, made a new side mounted barrel type fuel tank, fitted a cab heater and have just fitted it with 15" wheels.
It accelerates quite well but top end is about 55-60 so we need to find a taller ratio diff ! Also on the cards is a disc brake conversion off a Zephyr/Zodiac when we find the bits !
Unfortunately I can't find any more pics of the work we did, but in total it took about 4 months of evenings to complete the work, and we now have a Turbo Diesel 5 Speed Retro hauler !

[tofufi]

Very, very cool!

Nice work

[rmad]

Awesome work.

Turbo Diesel economy: check
Rolling advertisement: check
Looks great: check
Tax exempt: check
Fun: check

[retrowagen1234]

ooo i like that... both my grandads had these... one a panel and one a minibus style thing

[Speedle]

awesome! welcome aboard chap thats a cracking piece of work right there! you'll fit in well here

[Deleted]

that's cool!

I dunno if it would be of any use to ya. But i got a Diff from a Sierra TD going begging F.O.C Was noisy when removed but working. It's a 3:62:1 out of my Sierra Diesel.

[R3TR0_R0B]

That's a cute pick-up for sure!

[moggyman]

I'd hazzard a guess that the Consul/Zephyr/Zodiac diffs should fit. The Mk2 Consul diff is about 4.1:1, which should be about right.

[grizz]

Niiiiiiiice !!

I do like it a lot.

[coggers]

Great work

Thinking outside the box - good stuff .

[welder]

liking your work there mate.

[TerraRoot]

i would love something like this, hard to find though.

[Graham]

that looks wicked wish i still had mine:)

[MrSpeedy]

Well, it's been a while since anything has been done on this, but the time has come to look at the cab.

When we first did the conversion work, the cab was given a liberal application of wag quick tart up to make it look respectable and a coat of paint.
However, 3 winters later and she's not looking so good up close now.

Having aquired a 'spares donor' some time ago, and ordered as many repair panels as possible (which isn't many) we removed the replacement cab from it's resting place







Once in the workshop, we made a couple of adaptors and mounted it on the 'Spit'. God these things make life easy





Aside from the missing floors, she's looking a little crusty



Then I let 'The Old Man' loose with the air chisel and angle grinder



Hmmmm, just a bit of work needed then

[MrSpeedy]

Well, after a couple of weeks we finally have some progress.

Base of the cab rear corner replaced and new back panel made and fitted ;



New seat pan fitted with new reinforcing pieces made ;





Next up is the lower 'B' pillar repairs and 'A' pillar repairs to allow us to make up the lower front skin.

I'll probably get the rest of the wheel arch and floor fitted on the drivers side to

[totti]

Looks good!!

[kevbarlas]

looking good, great to see I'm not the only one. Where did you get the panels? are they ex-pressed steel panels? if so, whats the fit like?.

[contractman]

Nice work ;D

[MrSpeedy]

Feb 18, 2012 18:35:18 GMT kevbarlas said:

looking good, great to see I'm not the only one. Where did you get the panels? are they ex-pressed steel panels? if so, whats the fit like?.

Yeah, it's a bit of a battle, but we'll win the war eventually

The panels we have got are indeed from Ex-Pressed Steel.
The fit is, errr, interesting on some panels, whilst others are not too bad.

Not cheap, but they give a good starting point, and they are galvo'd to

[MrSpeedy]

Ok, so, a little more progress.

Lower A pillar repairs;









And lower B pillar repairs;



As you can see, I'm now working on getting the 'wheel arch' into postion and lining up the door shut and step