What have I done lol 31/05 Changes and found a friend!

[massivewangers]

Well, as a couple of you know, my Escort is being broken. It needed quite a bit of work, and frankly, I couldn't be bothered with it anymore. I've had more Escorts than I care to mention, so had a desire for something different. I was going to go a bit newer and more sensible, but that idea seemed to go out the window here 

So, here it is, I present my steed! A mighty Ford Sierra Sapphire GLX 2.0! I've always loved Sierras, and just fancied one. I don't know if I'll keep it long term, but who knows, it's a bit of fun for the summer if nothing else. I looked at a couple before this which were more money, and both were shitboxes to be quite honest with you. This doesn't seem to bad. It's very much pink, which is a bit gay, but will polish it up as best I can.

Being the GLX it isn't actually too badly equiped, has electric windows and mirrors, front foglights and a couple of other bits. Sadly, power steering isn't included, so it's sodding heavy! I might look into converting it though, cos I'm a girl and like it a bit lighter. It's a big car to not have it really. There also seems to be a bit of play in the steering, its got a bit of a wobble, so I'm not sure what that could be. Doesn't feel like a tyre inbalance, more some movement in the suspension/steering when you're accelerating through 30/40mph, it's quite pronounced so if anyone has any thoughts, let me know. The ABS light is also on, but oh well 

Few pictures:











I tried to polish part of the wing up, it's much much better, but the picture doesn't show it too well. I'm not expecting amazing results, but be nice to get it a bit brighter.









And finally, the engine, the mighty 2.0 8v twin cam. Related to the 16v unit found in the RS2000 (the 16v head can be fitted rather easily), it produces around 125bhp or something. I was expecting it to be slow compared to the Escort, but it pulls quite well and seems to have a good bit of torque which is good. Head gaskets are common on these though, due to the useless fibre gasket Ford fitted. It seems ok so far, but will have to keep an eye on it!





That's it for now really! I've just bought a Cosworth grill for it as I hate the standard one. I have considered the bumpers etc, but they're getting expensive, and I'm not sure I want to make a rep, so I might not bother. There is an RS kit for it, but I'm not sure I like it so it might stay as is, apart from perhaps the Cosworth boot spoiler.

I need to investigate the steering and ABS issues, and there is a couple of spots of rust I want to sort out, but for now I just want to try and polish it up as best as possible so it's a bit brighter, and I'll fit some alloys, as the steels and wheel trims are just hideous!

As for the engine, there are so many options. Fit the 16v head, fit a 2.3 Scorpio engine, turbo the 8v, turbo a 16v, loads and loads. I'd love to turbocharge it, but I do quite a few miles really, so if I go down any engine modifications route, I might well look into fitting the 24v Cosworth BOA engine, as that's nearly 200bhp out of the box and would be better for mile munching as it's pretty strong.

It's all rather different so far anyway, and just a bit of fun for now. Suspension wanted, it's a boat at the moment 

[RST-Steve]

Jon, that looks spot on, although to see you in something other than a Escort or Orion, seems a bit weird ............. you know what i mean!

How much did you pay for that? Whats the miles etc?

Nicely done mate

[cozmeister]

You probably have a buckled rear wheel, and you don't have ABS - the little piece of black tape has dried up and fallen off, so the 'stray' light from the bulbs semi-lights the ABS warning.   The big brake servo is the clue.

Stick with the I4 as it is - it's a much underrated engine.   Full torque (about 120lb/ft) from 1500 revs   K&N 57i is a worthwhile investment.  Not to mention that a well maintained one can make 40mpg. 

If you've got the non-cat version you've got 125bhp instead of 115.  Spark plugs and leads are an arse to do because they're hidden between the inlet primaries.

[massivewangers]

Paid 500 notes for it Steve, which didn't seem too bad to be honest, considering some I'd seen that were more money and far worse. I think I could easily make the money back if I sold it.

Cheers for the info Chris. I may fit the multispokes off the Escort and see if it cures the wobble then, just as a tester. The steering seems a bit loose though, so I do wonder if some new bushes may benefit it, but I'm not totally sure which would be best to try changing.

I did think the ABS light seemed a bit dull, so will get some tape and recitfy that then! It has rear disks which I was surprised about!

I am impressed with the pull the engine has from low revs, that was quite good, I'm just rather paranoid about HG failure 

[matt]

Looks a good clean car, interior is mint and the paint work just needs a damn good polish. I think you found a genuine bargain

[massivewangers]

I hope so Matt!

It's just a bit of cheap fun to be honest, fancied something different. I think I'd struggle to lose any money on it anyway.

Going to try and get it as red as possible, and a bit of a drop with some nice wheels and it should be looking a lot smarter!

[RST-Steve]

For that price, thats a bargain mate

[Fireball]

For that price, you could drive it and bin it after 6 months!

good work, always fancied a sierra myself, but have also never driven a "big" car. Must be weird!?

[massivewangers]

I've driven more cars than I could even list to be honest, must be over 100 easily, so I find it quite easy to adjust now. I did own a Mondeo for a while, but this does feel bigger than that. It's ok, comfortable and nice enough to drive, it's just a bit soft and bouncy, I think the shocks and things could do with replacing really, but that can be addressed. My only criticism is the steering. It's ok on the move, but in car parks and things it is very very heavy, I can't understand why a GLX model didn't have PAS as standard really!

[RST-Steve]

These are the little things to make the Ghia more appealing for customers, and to make them spend more money i guess lol

[massivewangers]

Yes most likely! Ah well, it's quite easy to convert it I've been told, so may look into that, or see if I just get used to it!

I've also made a start with the good old T-Cut to try and bring some colour back to it. It's slow going, and I may have to invest in a polisher to get better results, but I've made a start. Rain has interrupted play now, but managed to do a front wing and go over the bonnet and part of the front bumper too, so here's a few pictures. I apologise for the quality, my phone camera just makes it look pink still, but it does show some contrast. I must buy myself a proper digital camera!

You can see on the far right of this one where I've been polishing and the rest still looking dull



This shows the bonnet and wing reflecting much better, and also half of the bumper



And this side-on shot shows the wing is now much brighter than the rest of the passenger side



Hopefully tomorrow will allow a bit more progress 

[Fireball]

I can see the difference you've made, good work on that its a marked difference.

As for PAS, it was pretty easy to convert my old CVH. Just needed the bracket for the engine, pump, pipes and resivioir, steering rack, and a different steering column (which i got new). You'll probably find that fixes a lot of your steering issues! RCU didn't accomodate the wires or connector for the pressure sensor on the PAS Pipes, but it just meant you had to give it a little bit of revs when you were turning it full lock and parking. That said, Kent Cam didnt help with low rev stalling either LOL

[cozmeister]

PAS might have become a 'delete' option after July 91 (last facelift)  - check for the PAS pump attached to the block under the inlet manifold - as I thought it was standard equipment on final facelift models, except for the Azura parts bin specials which were basically pick'n'mix models.  My LX has PAS.  Hopefully it'll make an appearance this year

[massivewangers]

More polishing!

I did the other front wing today, and finished off part of the bumper, but my main area of concentration was the roof, which was in a pretty bad way.

You can see here how dull it was, where as at the top of the picture has been done



And a couple of reflection shots to show the improvement





Now all I need is a proper camera  to show that it is actually red rather than a different shade of pink!

[RST-Steve]

Lookin' good Jon!

[massivewangers]

Cheers mate, hopefully more tomorrow if the weather is favourable 

[massivewangers]

Anyway, another day, and more polishing! I didn't get a massive amount done today as had other things on, but I did tackle the fiddly areas around the side windows, doing the A, B and C pillars, so that's out of the way. Main focus was the bootlid, which was probably the worst part of the car. It's now a lot better but I'm not 100% happy so this may need more work in future.

Anyway, here's a quite poor comparison shot



Part of the bootlid looking very very dull



The bootlid once finished off, reflecting much better



The rear face of it before polishing



Here's the rear end after it had been done, also did under the lights and some of the bumper





And the car's worst point, under the nearside rear light cluster, want to get this sorted ASAP as it looks just awful



So, that's today's progress. Which basically leaves me needing to do all four doors (below window level), the rear quarter panels and sides of the rear bumper. Hopefully I'll get one side done tomorrow, and the other Friday, but if I can get most of it done tomorrow, that would be far better.

Also in the process of sourcing some new bushes for the front end to try and tighten things up a bit, and I want to get some uprated suspension for it too, but that's something of an expense! The temptation to fit a 24v engine is also growing by the second 

[cozmeister]

Don't do it!  You don't want that piece of lard up front wrecking the weight distribution, unless you like understeer

Get that twincam running properly and you'll love it and forget about wanting to swap it.

[massivewangers]

You seem very against that poor old engine Chris  I thought they were supposed to be quite good?

To be honest, the 2.0 just isn't very fast. It's ok and pulls from low revs but soon runs out of steam. I could fettle it, or bugger about fitting tuned 2.3s and things. I'd love to turbo a 16v unit, but for the amount of cash/hassle involved, the 24v seems by far the best VFM option!

[cozmeister]

I suppose I'm biassed because I've got a twincam

The BOA or BOB is admittedly 200 (197) bhp for as much money as a scrap Scorpio, but I'd expect that power from a 2.9 V6 as it was built by Cosworth, not by Chevrolet.

They're capable enough, but they are still reasonably thirsty (remember it's still a V6 - and as close as makes a difference, a 3.0 litre V6), and you have to get the ol' boat anchor in there in the first place!   They do look reasonably impressive under the bonnet though.

The BOA is what the Cologne V6 should've been - the XR4x4s should've had it, IMO.

Saying all that though, if you do go for a BOA, I've got room for a spare 8v I4

[massivewangers]

That is my thinking. Try and find a running car and rob it of several bits. BOB would be nice, but harder to fit it seems. I'd also quite like to rob the electric leather seats just for some pimpage, as Recaros are proper pricey!

And I'm sure I could spare the 8v engine for a few beer tokens  I'm going to look into it, as it seems to offer the best performance for the money, and the sound they make is rather pleasing 

[cozmeister]

I had to read that twice because I thought you said Recaros are proper pikey PMSL

I believe Damocos has a BOB, unless it's a BOA with the BOB's 'octopus'...

[massivewangers]

Haha, not pikey at all! I, however, am rather pikey, so they're too expensive! Where as I figure I could get the Scorp stuff cheap, and if you've ever sat in an Ultima, you'll know they are like armchairs! Something different too 

I was reading through Damocos' thread earlier. He fitted a BOB, but used a BOA loom which he lengthened a few of the connections on. Had to make a couple of adjustments to the clutch and throttle cables too apparently as well. It doesn't look that hard to be honest, just a case of sourcing the correct parts, which could involve a couple of donor cars. I shall do some research anyway, see what I can find out. Been watching videos on youtube of a couple of BOB powered Sierra's and they sound just awesome 

[Churchy]

Fuck the V6, drop a Rover small block V8 in it, with bits hanging out of the bonnet. Dare to be different

[massivewangers]

Wasn't there a white Saph in a mag a few months back with a supercharger sticking out of the bonnet? 

Anyway, on with today's show, and...I've given up! I've done most of it. I could do some more under the side rubbing strips, but after a clay, they've come up ok, so they can wait for now.

Both sides are now done anyway, and it doesn't look too bad at all (not that the pictures show it of course). I think the bonnet and bootlid are going to be a problem, as the bonnet is already showing signs of dulling, which is a pain, but I'll have a think on what can be done about that.

Anyway, on with the pictures. First of, we actually have reflection in the sides now!





And a couple of overall shots as the sun was out, means my camera actually picks up the red slightly better







So that's that for now. Going to do all the grey trim and try and get that looking a bit better, but just going to try and keep it reasonably clean.

New TCA and ARB bushes have been ordered for the front end, and a new set of shocks/springs could well be in order, just a case of what I can afford to be honest. If they get ordered sooner rather than later (which I'd like), I may well fit the multi spokes off the Escort, just as a temporary measure until I can arrange to have my other wheels powdercoated, as lowered on steel wheels would just look a wee bit silly.