Before I start, I'm well aware that there are literally thousands of better mk1 Escorts than mine but that doesn't make me love it any less and it's as close to finished now as it'll ever be (still plenty to do but tweaks or replacements mostly)
Here it is in action on the Old Skool Ford tour of the moor a couple of years back (photo by Simon Vento)
I've had the car since 2008, an eBay win from a young lad in Birmingham. I had wanted a mk1 since I was at school but never quite got the funds together (even when they were much cheaper). I'd had a reasonable list of what now might be cool retro cars, but back then were just a bit pants. I'd had a mk2 and a mk4 Escort before too but it took a cycling accident, broken bones and an injury claim to finally have enough to just about afford to buy a mk1.
Originally it was a 1300XL in light metallic blue but it was half a dozen shades of red, grey primer and filler when I first got it, tatty inside and out but running. It had been an automatic from the factory but it was fitted with a (super unreliable) 2.0 Pinto, a Type9 5 speed gearbox, half decent exhaust and RS 4 spokes - all mods I wanted to do to it anyway
Suspension wise I immediately fitted lowering blocks and I drove it around in that scruffy state for a while but soon got a friend to give it a cheap but half decent respray in a modern Mercedes silver which it stayed for quite a few years.
I'm still not 100% sure I should have gone for the two tone with the stripe when I did eventually get all the rust cut out and metal replaced but it's certainly unusual and it was painted by a guy who usually works on big old American cars so I figured if anyone could pull it off it'd be him
Inside I've kept the brown seats and fitted a brown carpet to match (which I ordered from Australia), fitted a Springalex style steering wheel with an original Escort wheel centre trimmed down and fitted on it. New door cards, dash bottom and top, kick panels, shelves and rear parcel shelf fitted. No stereo or speakers in there now (that all got ripped out when my car got nicked and I decided not to replace, my beautiful Momo steering wheel was sawn through too)
Oh yeah, my car got nicked from outside work some years back, luckily it was quickly recovered (yay tracker!) but it was bashed up externally, covered in petrol (but fortunately saved from being burnt out by a passing Nazi re-enactment acquaintance - standard!) and torn apart inside as they were trying to find the tracker.
In a way this was a positive as it was the kick up the bum I needed to finally get it restored properly ;-)
The engine is not much to look at but goes well enough for me.
I suffered for years with untold breakdowns and unreliable starting but eventually I've replaced or improved enough stuff to make it run pretty well (touch wood). It now has Lumenition ignition, Facet electric fuel pump, K&N filter, Kenlowe fan, Kent Cam - all standard stuff and nothing exciting in terms of numbers but it makes me very happy (as does the can of Stella).
Over lockdown I've finally got round to finishing covering the inside of the roof with stickers (it had no headlining when I got it and I've been scared to try and fit one for a decade!).
Sad I know but I spent days sorting through my stickers (accumulated over literally decades) and placing them all. It was very frustrating but satisfying once finished.
a bit of class eh?
I had to drive it home with a broken left foot the next day - cursing the heavy clutch with every gear change
This was a fun day! The artist Mr Bingo put out a call on his insta to borrow a classic car for the Lambeth car boot art fair a couple of years ago
I'll never sell it, if for no other reason than it was part of my wedding day (clutch cable snapped outside the registry office of course! wife got a lift to reception with the photographer and I crashed it into gear for a mile or so, arriving sweaty and stressed)
Here it is in action on the Old Skool Ford tour of the moor a couple of years back (photo by Simon Vento)
I've had the car since 2008, an eBay win from a young lad in Birmingham. I had wanted a mk1 since I was at school but never quite got the funds together (even when they were much cheaper). I'd had a reasonable list of what now might be cool retro cars, but back then were just a bit pants. I'd had a mk2 and a mk4 Escort before too but it took a cycling accident, broken bones and an injury claim to finally have enough to just about afford to buy a mk1.
Originally it was a 1300XL in light metallic blue but it was half a dozen shades of red, grey primer and filler when I first got it, tatty inside and out but running. It had been an automatic from the factory but it was fitted with a (super unreliable) 2.0 Pinto, a Type9 5 speed gearbox, half decent exhaust and RS 4 spokes - all mods I wanted to do to it anyway
Suspension wise I immediately fitted lowering blocks and I drove it around in that scruffy state for a while but soon got a friend to give it a cheap but half decent respray in a modern Mercedes silver which it stayed for quite a few years.
I'm still not 100% sure I should have gone for the two tone with the stripe when I did eventually get all the rust cut out and metal replaced but it's certainly unusual and it was painted by a guy who usually works on big old American cars so I figured if anyone could pull it off it'd be him
Inside I've kept the brown seats and fitted a brown carpet to match (which I ordered from Australia), fitted a Springalex style steering wheel with an original Escort wheel centre trimmed down and fitted on it. New door cards, dash bottom and top, kick panels, shelves and rear parcel shelf fitted. No stereo or speakers in there now (that all got ripped out when my car got nicked and I decided not to replace, my beautiful Momo steering wheel was sawn through too)
Oh yeah, my car got nicked from outside work some years back, luckily it was quickly recovered (yay tracker!) but it was bashed up externally, covered in petrol (but fortunately saved from being burnt out by a passing Nazi re-enactment acquaintance - standard!) and torn apart inside as they were trying to find the tracker.
In a way this was a positive as it was the kick up the bum I needed to finally get it restored properly ;-)
The engine is not much to look at but goes well enough for me.
I suffered for years with untold breakdowns and unreliable starting but eventually I've replaced or improved enough stuff to make it run pretty well (touch wood). It now has Lumenition ignition, Facet electric fuel pump, K&N filter, Kenlowe fan, Kent Cam - all standard stuff and nothing exciting in terms of numbers but it makes me very happy (as does the can of Stella).
Over lockdown I've finally got round to finishing covering the inside of the roof with stickers (it had no headlining when I got it and I've been scared to try and fit one for a decade!).
Sad I know but I spent days sorting through my stickers (accumulated over literally decades) and placing them all. It was very frustrating but satisfying once finished.
a bit of class eh?
I had to drive it home with a broken left foot the next day - cursing the heavy clutch with every gear change
This was a fun day! The artist Mr Bingo put out a call on his insta to borrow a classic car for the Lambeth car boot art fair a couple of years ago
I'll never sell it, if for no other reason than it was part of my wedding day (clutch cable snapped outside the registry office of course! wife got a lift to reception with the photographer and I crashed it into gear for a mile or so, arriving sweaty and stressed)
