escortmk3project
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A friend has decided to pass on a 1985 mk3 rolling shell to me.
I have decided to take on the project and work towards eventually getting it back on the road.
I have no previous experience with car restoration or welding for that matter, but I intend to take photographs of my progress and seek advice from yourselves throughout the project. Any advice would be greatly appreciated !
The 1600cc xr3i engine is intact and is still going strong(So I've been told). The rust is a major problem and will require various panels to be replaced.
It requires
- New battery tray and bulkhead panel
- Complete sills, inner and outer on both sides
- Front floor panels
They are reasonable to buy online at roughly 20 quid a panel but the rear panels are some what more expensive( at least £40+ postage) which I do not intend to buy unless required.
I would like to keep it as a 2 seater with bucket seats and a minimal approach.
I would prefer to use sheet metal for the wheel well (The metal has gone soft and has a hole in it) and rear floor panels. (Advice on this would be great).
I am considering welding the boot lid shut to avoid having to do meticulous work for the seals. Debatable and highly impractical I've been told..
First I will get the car onto stands and remove the fuel tank, angle grind out the rusted panels (front floor pans) and grind down areas of serious surface rust.
I may start from the front to the back and take on the battery tray first and move onto the floor. I am assuming sills would be a good place to start rather than welding in the floor panels but this is just a question of many that I will no doubt need advice about.
I have a friend who owns a mig welder but I would be tempted to either buy a cheap arc welder ( seen online for roughly £30) or borrow a arc welder long term. Would the engine be a problem whilst welding in the battery tray area ? Will i HAVE to entirely remove it ? I do not have much experience at removing engines and i would ideally like to keep it in place if the inner wings do not need work. It will be a steep learning curve but we all need to start somewhere and I particularly like this shape of Escort and would like to see it on the road again.
I have looked at some websites about replacing the sills and using steel poles to keep it rigid and stop it from moving.
I'm looking forward to getting started on it as it's my first project. Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.
Ross