Had all the cortinas except the MK4 MK1 ended up a Freddy Flinstone car, 1600e was a goodun, sold the MK3, then a MK5 2litre ghia. It was akin to Triggers broom, It was very nippy for it's time.
Norm.
- Thread starter Hopefuldave
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Norm.
slim_boy_fat
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I'll never forget the experience of lying on the garage floor with a Cortina Mk3 gearbox on my chest when changing the clutch using basic tools - car up on ramps at the front. 
premmington
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Ramps? get you posh boy!
When I started working for myself - I did my "roadfitting apprenticeship" - mobile out of a Sherpa van - van had sliding doors.
Everything was on the floor - van was full of sheets of plywood cut up with a skillsaw. Wood for jacking blocks.
Lifting table - ramp is "posh"...
I got ramps now - but still do some jobs on the floor with a trolley jack.
redlig
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Not Big Jobs I hope.
slim_boy_fat
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The ramps I had were one under each front wheel, drive on and hope they were lined up correctly. Nothing 'posh' about them.
redlig
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To anyone used to 4 house bricks and a couple of different lengths of dodgy 4x2 ramps ARE posh. I bet they were even painted all over with the SAME colour.The ramps I had were one under each front wheel, drive on and hope they were lined up correctly. Nothing 'posh' about them.
prepman
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Well done!
prepman
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My wife had a Cortina,Mk1,,I replaced the camshaft due to design problem of oil starvation....also fitted oil upgrade kit....Something the local garage didin't do...they just wait for next failure. A pre-Canbus model. Modern cars are far better builds than the 60; 70's but the Achilles heel is the electonics. Ford are noted for not using quality kit (auto-elec) I've had Capri, Mini (1dry), Mini (2wet), Dolomite, Hillman Imp, Daf Variomatic, Triumph 200 Mk1, Peugeot 405, Suzuki 4wd, Isuzu Trooper, Citreon est, Nissan D4, Kuga, now Hilux, driven a lot of hire cars over seas Mercs, Toyotas, Hyundais no Fords. My tractors Jon Deere...digger Kubota...quad Kawasaki. Neighbour's Ford tractor was scrapped due engine casting being porous a bad annealing batch.
On my present Kuga the calender can't be set beyond 2013, ironically this is when Mk2 was launched. They didn't expect it to get any further?
AVI_8
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My first around 10 cars were all Fords, started with a Capri 1.6S, then a 3.0S after that XR’s RS’s and Cosworth‘s, then for some reason they stopped making decent performance models for a while I changed to BMW and have been driving them ever since, around 30 years now, those Old Ford’s are worth a fortune now, I loved every one of them.
prepman
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Capri 1600XL
prepman
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'There were a 'undred and fifty ov us livin' in't shoe-box in't middle of road'The ramps I had were one under each front wheel, drive on and hope they were lined up correctly. Nothing 'posh' about them.
Beat me to it..'There were a 'undred and fifty ov us livin' in't shoe-box in't middle of road'
I sent 36 years as a mobile mechanic after 10 years working for a small garage. I actually quite enjoyed most of it but there were grim times, mostly caused by weather or the government. In the end I was very happy to retire.
premmington
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@T5 TDI
"I spent 36 years as a mobile mechanic after 10 years working for a small garage. I actually quite enjoyed most of it but there were grim times, mostly caused by weather or the government. In the end I was very happy to retire."
36years mobile - I take my hat off you - I really do. I know nobody who has sucked up more than about 5yrs of being a mobile mechanic.
"I spent 36 years as a mobile mechanic after 10 years working for a small garage. I actually quite enjoyed most of it but there were grim times, mostly caused by weather or the government. In the end I was very happy to retire.
"36years mobile - I take my hat off you - I really do. I know nobody who has sucked up more than about 5yrs of being a mobile mechanic.
prepman
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Always dreamt of winning sometime.....and now it's finally happened!Beat me to it..
charlysays
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I often think that, the answer is working less and going surfing more . Money / time well spent !
Windy Miller
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@T5 TDI
"I spent 36 years as a mobile mechanic after 10 years working for a small garage. I actually quite enjoyed most of it but there were grim times, mostly caused by weather or the government. In the end I was very happy to retire.
36years mobile - I take my hat off you - I really do. I know nobody who has sucked up more than about 5yrs of being a mobile mechanic.
I did it for about 10 years. Then I got married and went to work in a Citroen Specialist's - that soon got me out of the motor trade! Been in IT ever since, but that sucks too!
I started on a bone chilling cold and dark morning in 1981. You soon learn to wear high quality thermals when needed. But it was rain that I really hated. I always had a tailgate to work underneath for under-bonnet work which helped. Some days you just had to give up and make it up on Sunday.
