1972 Granada Mk1 coupe build - Still going... 14-10-2024

[eurogranada]

Sept 21, 2020 16:26:48 GMT mk2cossie said:

Not much envy here at all at that lovely coupe

Suprised with how quiet it sounds at idle actually, much quieter than mine anyway

I think the only thing I'd change if it were mine, is the wheels. But what type I'd swap them for is another dilemma

Haha, I hear that more often. And I sort of agree, but at the same time.... not one single person has offered up a fitting wheel that has not already been done to death on the Granada and looks better. Worse? Yes, I've seen many worse... Better? Nothing other than the usual...

And I do think as they are, they fit the bill. They are not too modern and rounded. They are deep dished/bedded... And the colour sheme works on them....

[eurogranada]

Sept 22, 2020 10:33:08 GMT spot said:

I enjoyed that video: "Leaks like a sieve, pulls like a champ"
The car looks fantastic and bonus points for finally opening the roof and enjoying that 'wind through your, erm 'hair' motoring'.

I'm totally in agreement with mk2cossie; It certainly needs one thing to be changed quite swiftly - Log-Book into my name would certainly help me sleep easier at night!

Haha Paul, it's only the truth, lol!

The reason I hadn't yet opened the roof other than in tilt mode was that last time it was in, it was badly adjusted I think as the roof scratched the panel... Before paint luckily! Since painting I believed I had tried my best to get it working correctly. HAd to fix the little button that changes between modes etc. So I should have been fine to do so, but the rubber that is sold as new sunroof moulding is actually a tad thick. So it does not easily go from tilt to slide and back. I have to give the panel a few taps to get the moulding past the roof edge. I had once found a better fitting one but at 66 euro's I didn't have the money... And that is basically the story every time... The budget is always eaten by something!

But it was great seeing the sky above and the wind in my (short) hair etc...

I think the logbook in your name is something we can discus!





As long as it is accompanied by a big wad of cash or a bank transfer into my account for a considerable sum. I'll just start a next resto then...

[eurogranada]

Sept 22, 2020 10:33:08 GMT spot said:

I enjoyed that video: "Leaks like a sieve, pulls like a champ"
The car looks fantastic and bonus points for finally opening the roof and enjoying that 'wind through your, erm 'hair' motoring'.

I'm totally in agreement with mk2cossie; It certainly needs one thing to be changed quite swiftly - Log-Book into my name would certainly help me sleep easier at night!

PS. you actually watched? I get a lot of likes here and there but they far excede the number of views?!

[gess]

I watched the video and I think you made a good introduction to the car. The sound could have been better to really give an impression of the sounds this beast is producing.
You really should make a video of you using the car on the open lanes.

[eurogranada]

Sept 23, 2020 6:38:53 GMT gess said:

I watched the video and I think you made a good introduction to the car. The sound could have been better to really give an impression of the sounds this beast is producing.
You really should make a video of you using the car on the open lanes.

Yeah, it was just a quick walk around with the phone cam. And by myself it was hard getting the exhaust note on film. On my you tube channel there are some vids of how she sounds when accelerating, but it's all in-car. Should really make an efort to do a nice video externally as well.

[eurogranada]

Some pics for fun...showing the car gets used... In this case picking up my son from his dance class at the magnificent "Evoluon". I have 45 minute wait here every week as his dance class now starts and ends later.

[gess]

Nice pictures! Good to see tha car getting used on a regular basis. I guess the season soon will come to an end. Winter is coming :-)
I see you haven't installed a skid plate under the front subframe. Is it on the to doo list or was your car never equipped with one?
Have you considered putting on a plastic handle on the handbrake from a MK2 s2? I think it would go well with the modern gear shifter.

[giuseppe916]

Wow Thats really nice pictures of a sharp looking car

[rblote]

Mooie plaatjes joh!!

[eurogranada]

Sept 25, 2020 9:43:52 GMT gess said:

Nice pictures! Good to see tha car getting used on a regular basis. I guess the season soon will come to an end. Winter is coming :-)
I see you haven't installed a skid plate under the front subframe. Is it on the to doo list or was your car never equipped with one?
Have you considered putting on a plastic handle on the handbrake from a MK2 s2? I think it would go well with the modern gear shifter.

My car came with battered shields. I say shields as I also mean the ones in the wheel wells. They were the cardboard like stuff...

I'd really like to add the skid plate and the wheel well items back again. I'd like them to be metal though... but I currently don't have any.

I've never given thought to the handbrake lever. It's just what it is. But I rather like the design. Never even gave the later models a thought in this respect. I'd have to look up what it looks like. I'll keep the suggestion in mind...if it really would be a good look I might do something with it.

And yes, with autumn and winter coming I see the car being parked more and more soon. At least this year in the knowledge that it seems to work all round and just being ready for next year.

[CaptainSlog]

love this - I had an essex powered V6 Sedan in the 80s, sold it for the same price I bought it for after 10 years and 300 000 kilometres of trouble free motoring all over South Africa and Zimbabwe.

It looks like you have some feathering on the front tyres - this is usually from the wheel alignment being out which I am sure will affect handling.

[eurogranada]

Oct 2, 2020 5:56:53 GMT CaptainSlog said:

love this - I had an essex powered V6 Sedan in the 80s, sold it for the same price I bought it for after 10 years and 300 000 kilometres of trouble free motoring all over South Africa and Zimbabwe.

It looks like you have some feathering on the front tyres - this is usually from the wheel alignment being out which I am sure will affect handling.

They are great cars for sure!

I'll have to google feathering of tires to know what you mean, but it's true that an alignment needs redoing, as I replaced the inner tie rods a while back. Just not gotten round to that yet, and yes, I'm pretty sure that will make a lot of difference in driving the car. It's not that bad now, but it was better when aligned correctly... If it had been dreadful I would have probably done it already. There's no real excuse. Yes life is busy and weird right now, but mainly I just find it a nuisance to find a hole in the calendar for... I do want to get it done pre winter still so I'll have to hurry...

[thomfr]

Great car and great pictures!
Ever thought about deep dish steel wheels?
Thom

[eurogranada]

Oct 13, 2020 12:13:55 GMT thomfr said:

Great car and great pictures!
Ever thought about deep dish steel wheels?
Thom

Thanks Tom!

Haha, have I ever... I've addressed this before I think....

The wheels were the single most difficult choice on the whole car. As there are plenty of Granada's out there in the UK, Germany and even quite a few here in the Netherlands, there's a lot that in my opinion has been done to death. Banded steels for one. Honestly I don't really get the excitement over them. I get the owners' desire for increased width, but not why to use what is most often a very boring wheel to start with. Which then often gets covered with some sort of chrome looking cap. It's just not for me. In the Granada scene the black and silver sports wheels are often used for this, but it still doesn't rock my boat. Often the excuse of being more period correct is used. Probably true, but well, that is not what my personal car is about....

Having said the above, again, I'll say that I'm not easily pleased with alternatives. The BBS or like honeycombed designs have been done so often. Too modern wheels have been done too often. I think it's hard to really find a good wheel and I've only ever seen less than a handful that I like. The original Ghia wheels I do like, but they're too tame for my build.

So I chose something that came up for sale randomly and cheaply that I liked. I like the sort of blunt look. It makes them more period correct than current overly smooth designs. I like the spider like spokes, that only attach to the bed with a small contact patch and only deep into the bed face. In their current two tone I also like the match to the theme. Still, it's the first item I'd change on the car if I ever found anything nicer. But so far that hasn't happened yet. Last week on some tv car show, I saw wheels that really took my fancy but I 'd have to assume that those wheels alone would be 25% of my car's current value. And even then, them looking great on the car in the show is no guarantee they'd look equally as good on my car. They might have been a little to classic...

[thomfr]

Choises, always difficult... ;-)

Ever thought about the Ronal Turbo (style, they are sold by more companies).



Or very classic but stylish Wolfrace:

(I want to have a set of these for my Amazon some day)

Thom

[eurogranada]

Oct 16, 2020 10:08:10 GMT thomfr said:

Choises, always difficult... ;-)

Ever thought about the Ronal Turbo (style, they are sold by more companies).



Or very classic but stylish Wolfrace:

(I want to have a set of these for my Amazon some day)

Thom

The first look way too expensive. Also the heart would have to be black. And I have a thing against those visible bolts... they detract from the clean lines of many wheels.

The wolf race wheels are probably the wheels that prove my point best. Done to death. I used to really love them but I've gone off them a bit.

Would you believe my car came with cragars? 17" monsters that stuck out from the arches several centimetres. To run them the p.o. had put blocks on the suspension arms effectively putting the car on the bump stops when at rest... you can imagine what that did when the suspension had to really do its job! Those were nice wheels visually though...

I've got some pics I think... I was sold on the car when I saw them but they were so very wrong for the car...

[eurogranada]

I'm worried that my engine is on the out. It sounds lika a bit more mechanical noise is coming from the distribution side of the engine (known weak spots) although the usual hydraulic lifter clatter still dies out within seconds of starting. The engine pulls like a champ still, but at idle it has started hunting (I believe is what you call it). The idle keeps going up and down in a "brump, brump, brump" kind of fashion instead of its usual more monotonous "brmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm".

I can't really find anything wrong yet, but also not too sure where to start. Vacuum leaks I suppose.

All this really makes me want to build a clean fresh bob engine, but the parts are so expensive...and if any machine work needs doing....

And before I can even contemplate starting this, I should really finish the clear out and build myself a work bench.

[gess]

It sounds like you have got a vacuum leak but since you haven't dismantled anything it will be difficult to source. Eariler when I have had these problems, the leakage wa unerneath/after teh carb. You have no carb but there might be leakages past the injectors or in the inlet gasket.
An engine rebuild would probably be the best way to do it but also the most costly. I checked the prices on gasket sets for your engine, and ouch, it is costly.
You could try to spray around the engine with "start spray" thet can help in finding a leakage.
On the positive side, winter is coming and you have a bit of time to get ypuself a workbench and rebuild the spare engine.

[westbay]

Has this got an electronic throttle body (module) ? if so try cleaning the butterfly in the unit ... make sure you clean the edges of the butterfly as well the seating ...

[eurogranada]

Well the car hasn't seen super much use over the past few weeks. We've seen rain, we've seen prolonged periods of snow and cold so salty roads, then rain again....

Last weekend though, weather was great and I took that as an excuse to let the little boy in me out take the car for a "responsible" spin.

Car behaved fine, didn't hunt like it did for a bit for a little while there. Maybe it just needed more use. I do feel the engine distribution is loud, but well, it runs like champ. I presume with 300k this is a tired engine but you wouldn't know it from driving it. So if this is a tired one, what would a fresh one be like?!

Nothing much to report. I need to have the front aligned (still) and for some reason the cancellation on the indicator stalk is out of whack since fitting the new steering rack. It cancels better in one direction then the other. But as the tell tales are behind the wheel rim in my seating position, this means I sometimes drive with the indicator still on. Yes, I hear you thinking that one should hear that, well not over my stereo system, lol....

Anyway a few quick but enjoyable pics that even got 500+ likes on my FB groups. Wow. I wish some decent magazine would feature my car, but I guess compared to those features my car is not interesting enough.

Enjoy (I did!)

I don't know which of these is my winner shot. Both have something going for them!



or



Then there's som lesser shots:






And one because I often get asked but seldom have an answer