Hi everyone,
I’ve been on here for a while now and you may have seen my posts on my car as it is… I just realised I never put it all into a readers ride. So here it is:
My 1985 C Reg Ford Escort 1.1
I always wanted one of these as my first car. My parents had one when I was growing up and theres a lot of nostalgia revolved around this car, the music I listen too and to the music I play now. I also thought I couldn’t really have one either as I already ruined a mk5 Escort due to gigging and long drives plus, I couldn’t ever find a 3 door in Red. I found one in Manchester for £300 but when I got down to the splopyard it was in, couldn’t get hold of the guy who was selling it… then apparently the bosses son was going to have it… gutted! it was the perfect one (early 80s, red, 1.3)
3 years later things changed. In 2013 as I got a new gig touring with Billy Bragg so, no car was really needed as it was tours of the USA, Europe and Aus. As we were doing rehearsals this one came up on ebay. Had to be fait ey!?
I bought this around March from a guy in Peterborough for way too much money!! I thought as it went from £1 to £800 in the first few minuets It would get away and I wouldn’t have the time to get another with heading to the USA for weeks on end. It seemed really solid and drove quite well so, i bought it!
I used it as it was for a fair few months loving every minute. It just had the medium wave radio so would just pick up 80s classic stations a lot of the time… I thought I’d get tired of this but it was fun. Since then I’ve had a fair few Cassette decks in it.
I enjoyed driving it in between tours until MOT time… I noticed a little hole down the bottom of the drivers rear arch , which when poked revealed that the inner arch didn’t meet the outer arch anymore… nor did the other side… it was just covered in Waxoyl!!!
Took it to my local garage who had it for a bit while I was away and decided there was nothing to weld too and I should splop it… it stayed in my parents garage for a bit when over Xmas 2013 I got another local body shop in Stoke to do the work and not think I was insane for spending the money on it… I’d love to learn to weld but this was just too much work.
Rear inner and outer wheel arches (both sides)
Drivers new inner and outer cill
Passenger cill small weld spot.
Rear bottom of the wing panels/rear valence replaced (was filler and rags before)
Inner front wings small weld patches
Re-spray to all areas mentioned and under sealed with Waxoyl
And finally an MOT again.
Amazing work and reasonable priced... although at this point its probably the most expensive bass model in the UK.
Since then I’ve not done a lot other than pick up some new wheels for £46! I didn’t want to replace the perished tires on the fiesta steels so got these cheap off a Capri mk1
Future plans are too keep on top of it and bring it up to a more useable standard as I’m getting a little board of it now and as its summer and ive been paid… starting on those little jobs I should have done ages ago… Just added a cigarette lighter for phone charging!
Future tasks:
- Sort out the breaks!!!! That’s tomorrows task.
- Find some speaker pods for a reasonable price
- I want to keep the cassette deck as I’ve mentioned in other threads but I’m adding decent speakers and an amp that I will hide under the seats or somewhere. The cassette deck I have now (although I’ve sent it back to the ebay guy and hes not getting back to me on its repair progress!!) has a 3.5 aux jack so modernised a bit there.
- Re-spray the bumpers and get some pressed metal number plates..
- Give it a good polish!
- Later in the year it needs some more welding by the windscreen and new door seals for winter.
Thanks for reading,
Chris
I’ve been on here for a while now and you may have seen my posts on my car as it is… I just realised I never put it all into a readers ride. So here it is:
My 1985 C Reg Ford Escort 1.1
I always wanted one of these as my first car. My parents had one when I was growing up and theres a lot of nostalgia revolved around this car, the music I listen too and to the music I play now. I also thought I couldn’t really have one either as I already ruined a mk5 Escort due to gigging and long drives plus, I couldn’t ever find a 3 door in Red. I found one in Manchester for £300 but when I got down to the splopyard it was in, couldn’t get hold of the guy who was selling it… then apparently the bosses son was going to have it… gutted! it was the perfect one (early 80s, red, 1.3)
3 years later things changed. In 2013 as I got a new gig touring with Billy Bragg so, no car was really needed as it was tours of the USA, Europe and Aus. As we were doing rehearsals this one came up on ebay. Had to be fait ey!?
I bought this around March from a guy in Peterborough for way too much money!! I thought as it went from £1 to £800 in the first few minuets It would get away and I wouldn’t have the time to get another with heading to the USA for weeks on end. It seemed really solid and drove quite well so, i bought it!
I used it as it was for a fair few months loving every minute. It just had the medium wave radio so would just pick up 80s classic stations a lot of the time… I thought I’d get tired of this but it was fun. Since then I’ve had a fair few Cassette decks in it.
I enjoyed driving it in between tours until MOT time… I noticed a little hole down the bottom of the drivers rear arch , which when poked revealed that the inner arch didn’t meet the outer arch anymore… nor did the other side… it was just covered in Waxoyl!!!
Took it to my local garage who had it for a bit while I was away and decided there was nothing to weld too and I should splop it… it stayed in my parents garage for a bit when over Xmas 2013 I got another local body shop in Stoke to do the work and not think I was insane for spending the money on it… I’d love to learn to weld but this was just too much work.
Rear inner and outer wheel arches (both sides)
Drivers new inner and outer cill
Passenger cill small weld spot.
Rear bottom of the wing panels/rear valence replaced (was filler and rags before)
Inner front wings small weld patches
Re-spray to all areas mentioned and under sealed with Waxoyl
And finally an MOT again.
Amazing work and reasonable priced... although at this point its probably the most expensive bass model in the UK.
Since then I’ve not done a lot other than pick up some new wheels for £46! I didn’t want to replace the perished tires on the fiesta steels so got these cheap off a Capri mk1
Future plans are too keep on top of it and bring it up to a more useable standard as I’m getting a little board of it now and as its summer and ive been paid… starting on those little jobs I should have done ages ago… Just added a cigarette lighter for phone charging!
Future tasks:
- Sort out the breaks!!!! That’s tomorrows task.
- Find some speaker pods for a reasonable price
- I want to keep the cassette deck as I’ve mentioned in other threads but I’m adding decent speakers and an amp that I will hide under the seats or somewhere. The cassette deck I have now (although I’ve sent it back to the ebay guy and hes not getting back to me on its repair progress!!) has a 3.5 aux jack so modernised a bit there.
- Re-spray the bumpers and get some pressed metal number plates..
- Give it a good polish!
- Later in the year it needs some more welding by the windscreen and new door seals for winter.
Thanks for reading,
Chris
I know I should just bang a CD player in it but tbh... I think it's more the speakers too but don't really know what to replace them with. 
