1982 Mk1 XR2 Fiesta

[Con2K]

A few teaser photo's of yesterdays activities up in Hereford. My mate offered to drive his car up as he wanted his car properly polished with a rotary and decent materials by one of our mates at the bodyshop. So aload of cardboard and carpet protected his interior for transporting the engine back down to Taunton.





My old racing puma number 471/500. That deserves a project thread!!




Twin 40 weber dcoe's. Anyone see where the fire got to when a leaky fuel line and loom spark started a small panic? Lol. Will be rebuilt before refitting.


Engine bk home but won't be touched till I move house in 2 weeks

[Con2K]

Apologies for lack of an update - my only internet connection since moving house is my mobile or work so cant upload any pics. Will add more details on engine removal and begin the engine strip down and to confirm engine spec. (That should be interesting! :S ). Block has been sat in the boot of the Mk4 fiesta since we moved. I was waiting for my mates engine stand to turn up so I can bolt it up from an already rasied height rather than the floor (no engine crane here). Gearbox is out and in the garage ready to be looked at (Not sure what I am looking at though!)

Due to return to the shell next month to remove the wiring loom and that will coincide with the S14a being detailed.

[Con2K]

OK, so a more comprehensive run down of what we did a few weeks ago. It took longer to post up these pictures than it did to remove the engine!!

Arrived and cracked on removing the engine. Wasn't too much of a hassle with regards to rusty bolts etc. The car may be old/rusty but the engine has been in and out a few times from a few different owners so everything seemed to come off quite quickly. (First time for us).





















Rather greasy:









As you can see, the engine and box came out the top together and then seperated once free of the car. Easily fitted into the boot of the focus. Not really a great deal to look at on the engine yet as I didnt want to start removing too much from it then and there. Still had the oil in it and didnt really want to touch it until we got home.

The water on the other hand had already dried up, seized the water pump (no idea when - or if it was done before I even had the car!).


The engine bay. A lot of surface rust but apart from the front panel and inner wings, the rest of the bay was actually pretty solid.












At this time, the loom (well whats left of it) was left on the car.

[Con2K]

Rolled into the bodyshop to keep it away from the crap weather.





I think the 'complete' rear end is a nice reminder at the moment of what things used to look like as the front hasnt been complete for a few years now.



Twin 40 Weber DCOE's. Hopefully the next time I see these they will have been rebuilt (again), setup (again) and cleaned up.







Think the sunroof leaks...




About a year of time was spent thinking about a colour and finally deciding on Audi Daytona Grey. A grey that wasnt too dark and didnt appear to have any other shades to it like a lot of greys seem to. Also planned to retain the Vinyl.....Then completely changed my mind and now going back to the original Strato Silver with the XR2 Vinyl set.






New home for the following 3 weeks. Moved from the focus and into the Pumesta (Until we moved into our new place)

[Con2K]

For me, quite an exciting task ahead of me. Engine Stripping. I've Stripped Zetec E and SE engines before but never actually put them back together again. Also helped a friend strip a FWD SR20 but again, never had to rebuild anything. Always had guidance.

I was nervous about tackling this Kent Crossflow engine. I had folders of receipts for parts but didnt actually know if any of it was still present or if it was even the same engine. It was a HUGE buying point to the car but admittedly only after winning the ebay auction, driving down to see it and reading the history did me and Liam realise the potential spec it had to offer and the limited knowledge the owner at the time had about the car. Nothing had been really mentioned in the original advert and I was under the impression it was a Vulcan Rocker Cover and a set of Twin 40 carbs which was fun enough. The engine spec was another reason for keeping the car at a time when I decided to sell up and only now was I going to find out the true spec and condition of what I had bought back in 2006.

The Vulcan Rocker Cover was only a hint and the red head also, but nothing can be garaunteed. The presence of a Lumenition pack and Aldon Dizzy did help but not only did I want to be sure. I wanted to renew as much as possible as the Receipts for parts were around the late 90's with MOT's backing this up at 70k miles. Then the paperwork for the following 10 years show regular servicing, regular MOT's but not much else. In this time a further 5 people owned the car and another 50k miles were put on the engine!!

First things first was get a engine stand, a good mate, Liam (who owned the red XR2 previously mentioned and the FWD SR20 lump - unrelated to eachother I must add) posted down his engine stand for me to use. £13 for it posted @ 30kgs but I think it actually weight more like 50! Cheers Home Delivery Network

Built that up and after a quick post on Fiesta-mk1 asking the the hell I was supposed to line up the bracket to the block (I had it upside down ) and then single handedly tried to figure out how to get the low engine/car to mate up with the higher stand without an engine crane.

So this was my solution:




Worked a treat! Lowered the car back down and the engine just stayed there with the stand taking the weight. Clearance out the back of the car was minimal but perfect.

[Con2K]

I had planned to just take the rocker off and drain the oil and just do a basic look over what I had. Again being very cautious. A mate came round and basically read through the Ford FSM and before we knew it I had the head off!










I want to renew as much as possible and having never had to rebuilt an engine I went OTT with what everything does, where it goes and labelled everything up. Even the stuff that will be replaced was labelled as I can buy replacements, swap them over in their box and then when it comes to rebuilding I know what I have and where it is. I just followed the How To's and if I have lined up stuff that didnt need doing then so be it. Better to have done that than not bothered at all.





At this point I wasnt sure how much further to go but handly enough my Ford Mechanic mate turned up, called me a big girl and pushed me on through the rest of it.

A bit of rubber malleting and light tapping here and there and it was practically stripped.






Has done less than 40 miles or sumthing since I bought it and had an oilchange early on. Shows what was still lurking at the bottom of the sump. (Notice factory baffle - will be added to with some sort of lid to further stop oil surge).










This concerned me, but it was super smooth and not scored. Been told I could get this sorted out quite easily with some sort of polishing tool at the engine builders but as its already bored to +90 then you really cant go much further with this engine (Now 1690cc).




Shells etc. Some worse than others (mainly No.4 being the most obvious for wear).

[Con2K]

So far we can confirm 99% of the engine spec:

Oversized pistons. Unsure if these are Cast or Forged as I am unaware how to visually spot the difference but quite a large 'skirt clearance' to them and the size was stamped on the top. If not Forged is it really a huge difference in reliability/bhp to swap them over? I suppose now is the time.







Oversize confirmation:




Receipts for a Kent KC224 Cam, but another one (undated) for a 244 cam fitted. Was it a typo on this undated paperwork?



Thankfully not! Here we have a KC 244 fitted. (this will explain the extra 'lairyness' at +4000rpm).

Evidence of lightened and balanced Flywheel



Balanced Crank (Doesnt look too technical but I'm sure it is!)


ARP Bottom End Bolts



Andy my Ford mate (and one in red shirt removing engine with me) said it shouldnt be a problem to have the head and the block checked over and dipped for cleaning by an engine specialist he knows. Will await to hear back about this but would be good to have it looking as good as new again before going back in.

The Water pump was seized, the uprated Valve Springs have a rubber seal that on more than half of the springs has seperated that will also need replacing as it will allow oil into the chamber (and supposedly would have caused smoke, but I didnt see any). The head has been previously ported and polished with larger inlet and exhaust valves, the above mentioned Valve Springs, Unleaded seals etc. I am reluctant to have it skimmed if it has already been done and if I end up with too much taken off and as a result cause any issues with the valves clearing the pistons.

The strip down of the head will be the next engine step.





I really enjoyed this actually. Partly as a releif but also as its something I've been wanting to get stuck into for awhile now. Only one sheared bolt on the outside of the block which should be fairly easy to rectify.

The difficult part is going to be getting all the right replacement parts ordered and again I'll have friends who can help me put it all back together again. Burton Power and Vulcan stock most of what I need. I wont be replacing the already Uprated Electronic Ignition, Uprated Oil Pump and Aldon Dizzy.

I think I may rebuild the engine before looking at the gearbox to be honest. One thing at a time. There is no rush.



This never would have been attempted without the help of a lot of good friends and the girlfriend putting up with it. So onwards in this, my first real MAJOR project. Thankyou hugely for the direct input, Liam, Andy, Harry, Dan & Vicky for all your help guys!

[Con2K]

Another problem comes up. My earlier mention of getting the Nissan Detailed before being SORN'd for christmas was blown out the water last week by a run in with another driver. Mentioned elsewhere on the forum, someone ran into the back of my S14a at a roundabout. The other party claiming full responsibility. Apart from feeling a bit stiff and a knackered rear end (ohh err), the detail has now been replaced by a bit more work. A new rear bumper and probably using this time to have a lot of other stuff done at the same time. Thankfully the rear end repair is being paid for through insurance and I can pay for the rest myself as it will be worth doing it all at once. I hope this doesnt hold up the Mk1 Project too much but as already mentioned, there is no hurry for this so it doesnt take priority at the moment.






Another bonus is the work will be carried out by MP AutoBodies of Hereford. The Eagle eyed of you may notice this is the same place who are going to be doing the Mk1's bodywork so a trip this weekend to drop the 200 off and remove some of the loom so there is a lot less mess in there and I can take it away and see what I need to do to salvage the Electronic Ignition out of this cut, twisted and taped original loom and either into a fresher XR2 loom or make one from scratch with just the stuff I need, where I want it.



Ready for Paint...

...or maybe not.




A small Halloween addition to the house from the girlfriend:





Can you tell what they are? Apart from the positive camber, I think the fiesta is pretty good (I was later told it was mine, with bodywork, but no engine, hence the front end lifted and dodgy camber - impressive excuse! 10 points!!). I'm expecting a 14a next year!



It's 1.30 am, my neck hurts and I have work in the morning. So, for the moment, that's all I have. Hope it is an interesting read (although more picture heavy than words).

Cheers.

[Con2K]

Correction. 81.951 is only equivelant to a 1630cc bore on a 4 cylinder engine. So not as large as I thought. Question is, do I go to +60, or +90 or leave it as is?

[pdh 14a]

Nice work,cant wait to see this restored,i'll have to dig out a pic of my mk1 soon,i loved that car!
And nice work on the pumpkins mrs Con2k

[DeanS15]

great little project, looking forward to more progress

[Con2K]

Welcome back! (Just uploading pics as we speak)

A little further up the page you will have spotted the condition of the fiesta. It's been quite some time since an update or any progress. I have opened up the 4 speed box and visually checked it over. recent rebuild, new gaskets inside, but its still a 4spd and an open diff. Will either add an RS Turbo LSD into this box (so cheap to get an RST vicsous diff), or maybe fit a 1.7 5 speed gearbox (nice ratio as standard I think for the moment). The shell will require a section taken out of the passenger side chassis leg, but a very common modification on these that causes no trouble to the shell if done right.

The Mk1 Fiesta 4 spd BC box fits (obviously), the 5 speed ford boxes are an IB5, which is a BC box with basically an extra housing for 5th gear on the end of the back plate (hence the cutting of the chassis leg for more length - oh err). There was the consideration of a Focus ST170 6 spd getrag box as it doesnt actually require cutting of the chassis leg but the cost of the box, cable linkage and other work means it's not something I can afford to consider at this time. My best bet is to prep the shell for an IB5 gearbox fitment and if I do go down the 6 spd route for any reason then I can make the small changes then to the bulk head for the cable linkage.

That aside, I finally collected my nissan. 8 weeks I've been without it now! Took the oppourtunity to collect that and strip the Mk1 at te same bodyshop ready for welding to begin.

First things, the nissan, will give more details on that project thread (link on my sig) another time but for now, WOW! Love it, havent actually seen it in sunlight yet, its either been dark, or raining but the day I collected it, it looked great. Colour looks brighter, fresher, but regardless of how well it matches the original paint or other cars (quite well, but without the fading is used to have) I'm just really pleased to have a car with no scuffs, scraps, scratches, dents etc. Really pleased with it. There are admittedly a few loose ends but nothing that isnt doable. Trim refitting, replacement of broken screw, nuts, bolts, rusty or otherwise. These will be rectified when I begin to remove the bumpers etc in preperation for underseal removal and freshen up down below. No hurry, going to wait for the warmer weather. Somewhat backwards having the paint done first but thats how things have ended up.



On to the fiesta. Dan and Andy my two mates helped out big time. We spent afew hours there removing everything we could and the stuff we couldn't, we cut out. Harry used this time to polish up the Nissan in the spray booth. I think he spent 5-6 hours at it.

Not much to say but here is the progress:















There is an awful lot of rust visible, but in saying that, it's nothing on these things! I have seen a lot worse cars repaired rather than reshelled so none of us are really concered about it. The rear end is mianly intact and the floors are solid, no patches present, or needed. We knew the front end was rough and we were prepared for this. We removed the rear plastic arch trims to see how much rust was on the arch lips...and there wasnt any...arch lips!





So the decision to either replace with a repair arch lip panel or full quarter. The repair arch is cheaper, and only needed, also any imperfections as a result of welding and filling to match the rear quarter would be hidden by the plastic arch trims of the XR2. This is more of a problem for cars that dont have this. There is, however, a good price on a full rear quarter, also the inner rear arches might need a bit of work, so the general feeling was stick a new quarter on each side and see what else it shows up when removed. Tail light surrounds also a bit cruddy but not a full rear panel needed.



The dealer fitted sunroof was removed. Oh dear! 29 years later it's shown its age. a pikey cut out of the roof skin and then years of abuse onto the bare metal lip left behind.


Decisions decisions. Do I:
-Source a non sunroof roof and fit that (commonly done, but cars are rarer and therefore more expensive to warrant cutting a whole roof off)
-Carbon roofskin. Yum! but detracts from the standard exterior of the car, and also costs almost as much as the rwest of the car being done!
-Metal plate over/under it. Smoothed in, or rivited obviously for effect. (not a fan of this idea)
- Repair the cut roof edge and tart up the sunroof. Glass is intact but fixings missing, replace with a sheet of carbon fibre and still have air flow through the car. It's not that its the cheapest way but it's not going to hold up the progress. SOmeone suggested turning it backwards for some more cool air on hot days! lol

From those above I'd love the new roof, but really, its a track/weekend car, it doesnt need to be mint and I think a carbon/original glass sunroof is a it more subtle compared to a big metal plate over the top.


















So we loaded up the focus and the nissan with everything we could and brought it back. Had to leave a few things but not to worry, I will be back up. Atleast now I have all the running gear at home to clean up, send away for powdercoating etc.

All the panels (and spare ones) have been left up there. Anything that could be painted has aswell. My lovely tidy garage is now full of car parts on the floor again and the loft is collecting interior trim, glass, window seats, NEW items purchased but thats all OK.

It is somewhat a shame to still be removing stuff from the car. But its progress. Cant wait till its home and it can start going back together. Will be a right pig remembering where everything goes lol Was surprised to find most of the bushes were Poly ones. Someone somwhere down the line cared for this car.

I'm hoping next updates will be from the bodyshop, updating welding, or from home rebuilding box, engine or cleaning parts. Will see what I get a chance to do.

I have now set a date for progress. May 15th, Fiesta In The Park 2011 Show. I've decided, regardless of condition it will be attending on a trailer. So this gives me a date to aim for, miss by a mile, but still have made a fair bit of progress. Dont expect it finished, but if I can afford to have bodywork done by then I dont see why not it cant be a rolling shell/ driven or maybe even MOT'd with just standard parts fitted.

Bought a few new items, full XR2 vinyl kit, new spotlamp, indicators, gaskets, a few other engine components and had the coilovers rebuilt.

[arry]

You could always paint the carbon roof skin

[Con2K]

True mate, its not really the carbon looking odd, its more the cost of them. £5-600, thats a decent wedge that, right now, could be used more wisely else where on the car. Then to paint over it seems pointless. Yes, a lot lighter, would be a benefit if caged in the future but it's something I'm thinking I could come back to. Weld in cage could have roof skin removed, cage in then carbon skin fitted. Just a thought?!

[Con2K]

Small update - Found a really tidy (for its age) Mk1 in a scrapyard and having great difficulty getting them to remove the roof for me. Said I could do it as they 'dont have time, or 'its too muddy', but it's a fair distance from any mains power and I dont have a genny or petrol cutter so hiring these would add to the price of the roof and almost make it cheaper to drive to kent and pick one up advertised on a Fiesta forum lol

That aside, I have made a start cleaning the drivetrain etc. A kick up the arse is it's the 30th anniversary of the XR2 brand and I want to get it to some shows before the year is out. It wont be complete, but hopefully together enough to drive on/off a trailer under its own steam maybe. Timewise I should be OK. I have set myself May 15th for the first show to attend, it's more the cost of paint and some of the more expensive engine replacement parts before this date like steel headgasket, replacement ARP bolts etc. All worth paying for now instead of regretting it once the engine/car and back together.

I bought some el cheapo abbrasive brush tools for the grinder, drill and bench grinder from toolstation. £23 for a variety of 9 types. eBay was a few quid cheaper but atleast this way I could see what I was buying and if it didnt look up to it, I could say no. Screwfix, B&Q and Homebase were a rip off by comparison even for their cheap stuff. Will see how I get on with these before spending out on £20 each Bosch ones or sumthing. Probably some smooth Hammerite paint to cover them in. I'm not sure how ffar to go with rust protection on these sort of things? Red oxides or primers etc. The shell is a different story as it's made from much thinner stuff...

I want to get lots of stuff powdercoated but I think, due to time/cost I will leave this for the moment. I'm not cutting corners but cleaning them off and painting will have to do for this summer if I want to meet my deadline. It means I can build it back up sooner and keeps cost down rather than waiting until EVERYTHING is stripped and then sending it away. The limited use of the car means I shouldnt have too much trouble in the future but atleast this way I have cleaner components that are easily removable say, next winter, when the car is off the road and I can send things off to be done.

Currently the front hubs are all apart, new bearings ordered. Front driveshafts apart too. Havent done anything to the rear. Will try and save my poly bushes. They all seem in good condition but will wait until they are cleaned up. Do they show signs of fatigue like normal rubber bushes or are they made of better stuff that may disguise any problems??


The garage is full of the dirty things, the shed full of spares (not including my lockup) and the loft is slowly building up a collection of 'ready to be fitted' parts. Clean Tail lights, cleaned glass, new quick rack, headlights etc etc. Can't wait till this stash includes more of the running gear. It will finally feel like it's going back together rather than still coming apart!


Any thoughts?

Cheers.

[Con2K]

Live update:



Was a pain removing bearing but got there.


Start on an easy bit...


Wire brush attachment and...


Not bad for 29 years. Found the Ford stamp too. Although now to repeat this 1000 times then paint with smooth Hammerite. My beginners approach seems to work.

[Con2K]

Only a small amount done tonight but a comparison to see how much an improvement has been made.







This is all now bare metal and I suspect it will start to discolour again due to moisture in the garage. Don't have any paint to hand and I'm sure how even an aerosol will effect the threads. Some people have this stuff sent off but unsure what process takes place to 'protect' them.

[Petrol]

Cool project Had a MK1 & MK2 XR2. The MK2 was my first brand new car in 1985
Subscribed and looking forwards to updates

[Con2K]

Cheers mate. A new one, wow. Hope it's as clean as ur other projects lol (If its still about).

Well this is a small update again, just a tad more cleaning up. The stuff I did from yesterday is exactly how I left it. I think the seal on the garage door is pretty good so keeps the moisture out fairly well and avoids the onset of surface rust. I know it's only been 24hrs but I've seen other people do the same and it's going again by the following day.

I'm just going to use Hammerite smooth Black paint to cover these parts and keep them tidy. I'm unsure if I need to primer or red oxide or similar before I do. Being honest, the previous 29yrs havent done too much damage and even if I just apply paint, the use the car will get shouldnt give any reason for immediate concern.

I'm limited this evening to what I have already stripped down to have a go at (plus a poorly ventilated garage and no face mask meant I didnt want to do myself some long term damage). In future I will prepare better.




I tried to clean the poly bushes (unsure of make) but my gloves were dirtier than I thought so I'll put these aside and do them all at the same time (have lots to check over). A quick wipe showed they would come back up fairly well!

Close up of what the dirt was hiding. Again it's come up not too bad.




Wheel baring removed but still need to get the rest of the pressed section out. Not really sure what I'm doing here and the Haynes book of lies didnt help. So will wait till my new bearings turn up and a knowledgable pair of hands.

[Con2K]

Still waiting for my first sample powdercoating to return. Was getting it doen for free so gave them a sample to see what they turn out like. Didnt want to put all my eggs in one basket, especially with hard to source XR2 parts, for them to not come back, or be damaged. If all comes back well then I'll send the rest off. I cant really argue about time scale (week 3 now) as it is for free. They refused to take anything for it.

That aside, I had some more panels posted out.









This is 2x inner rear quarters and 1 outer rear quarter. My can only needs arch repair and inner arch but you can't get genuine or copy inner arches anymore and outer arch repair sections never look as good as a full quarter. The Bonus came when I paid about £30 a panel and the seller then informed me they were genuine Ford items (neither of us knew). So thats almost £200 a panel if they were going up on ebay. Very pleased with that! Paisley frieght got them posted from Northern Scotland to Hereford last week for £19 including insurance!

Only parts I need are drivers side outer rear quarter and a roof skin. I doubt I will source a genuine drivers rear quarter but the Hadrian Panels ones are bad. Also a full quarter shouldnt be too hard to have made looking stright as it's points of contact are at the roof, sill, rear and B pillar so it's not an obvious replacement to the eye once the car is built back up.

I was messed about with 2x roofs from Mk1/Mk2 fiestas in scfrapyards locally. I passed up a couple on the Fiesta forums as these scrapyard finds were local ad a lot easier to get. Looks like I will have to travel to either manchester, kent or scotland for a rof asthese are the only people who I know are willing to sell them seperate from a shell.

**Please keep eyes peeld for anyone selling/breaking Mk1 or 2 fiestas**

I would love to get hold of a drivers side inner chassis leg (again, not available as a copy peice, only genuine). I have 2x passenger side so could potentially swap but they very very rarely come up so I think I will just have to leave this. TBH it's not needing replacing, but if I was doing the other side I wouldnt mind putting fresh metal down instead of a repair panel for the inner arch.


Once a roof is sorted I am going to collect some other running gear and components I left at the bodyshop last time I was there (Couldnt fit them in the car). These will be broguht back and stripped ready for powdercoat/renewal/refurb etc.





Engine: No physical progress with it. But totalling up costs and without any upgrades (Just renewal) I am already at £600! Still plan to have engine rebuilt and shell welded by May. Would love paint and powdercoat all complete bu June/July and the car running/rolling by August.

I sold a 106 Quiksilver I had last week in the hope that I could spend it on the fiesta and got a lot more done. After a few bills I have enough to pay for engine parts OR welding.