The XR3i Turbo.... nearly there...

[Danny@APT]

to be honest mate i would buy the adaptor plate, as you said dont want to put week points in the engine.

what you need to ask yourself IF you file it down and you blow the engine how much/time is that going to cost?

just my 2pence worth mate

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing to be honest. There's people who say it can be done (filing out the head), but I can't see the gasket sealing properly afterwards. Christian reckons the Cross-hatch style head has more 'meat' to it, but I'm doubtful, so I've got hold of a new manifold gasket from Ford (in stock, believe it or not!) and along with my old XR manifold we can see what we're up against.

[Fast Eddy]

Yes, agreed.

[Danny@APT]

Had some spare time today, so got busy removing the carpet and sound insulation so I can finally assess the situation properly!

Driver's rear seat mounting, small hole appearing-



Driver's rear footwell, plenty of rust in the rear corner-



Passenger rear footwell (notice the jacking damage )-



And finally...... Passenger seat mounting -



Yep, really is that bad!-




On the upside, the engine started first time without any issues and still runs as sweet as when I last drove it.

[Stuart]

At least you'll get some warmth off of the engine when you're driving along, Flintstone style

Get Hayward on the case with the grinder. That'll be sorted in two to five months

[russ979]

I scrolled down the photo`s thinking that don`t look too bad!.........Then i saw that passenger seat mount!:eek:
Bloody strange isn`t it how the rot has distroyed that mount, yet all around it is shinny un-touched black paint!

[Danny@APT]

At least you'll get some warmth off of the engine when you're driving along, Flintstone style

Get Hayward on the case with the grinder. That'll be sorted in two to five months

If Gary's let loose he might 'slip' and chop the thing in half- he's not really a Ford fan!

I scrolled down the photo`s thinking that don`t look too bad!.........Then i saw that passenger seat mount!:eek:
Bloody strange isn`t it how the rot has distroyed that mount, yet all around it is shinny un-touched black paint!

Tell me about it! The rest of the floor, especially the rail under the front seats, is minter than a mint flavoured mint-thing. Just so bloody fustrating.

Obviously the passenger rear floor is beyond repairing, but what about the driver's side? The panels were dirt cheap when I last enquired, so the best bet is probably to get both sides and see what work is involved?

[Danny@APT]

[Blows the cobwebs off the thread]

Happy Easter for the Ford!

The old Focus ST170 300mm discs compared to the 330mm rotors-



And a comparison between old and new-



I'd love to go for a spin round the block, but no tax, 5mm spacers which aren't quite enough to clear the calipers fully, and an interior like this-



... puts a stop to it. But I can wait!

[Bart]

are they focus RS calapers that your using?
so what the plans for the car now, it has been a while since you updated your thread lol

[Rob S]

Good to see another Ford on here, keep the progress up
I've got an old XR tuning book at home with loads of CVH's with gas flowed heads and bigger carbs, if I did nt need a daily, I'd get one myself. (Too small for kids )

[Danny@APT]

are they focus RS calapers that your using?
so what the plans for the car now, it has been a while since you updated your thread lol

They're what I bought off Christian when he split his car for parts. From what I know they're Fiat Coupe Brembo's, though to be honest there's not much difference in them. They're on custom brackets and discs which Christian had made up (I seem to remember the bells/rotors were made by Reyland?).

I wish I knew what the exact plans are for the car- I still can't make my mind up! My main decision is that it'll be just for weekends/trackdays, as the cost of fuel puts it out of daily-driver duties, plus the wear and tear its already suffered over many winters makes me think twice before letting it go through another. All the welding will be carried out in the coming weeks/months as and when time allows, and I'll decide what to do with the engines (sell mine, use Christian's/sell Christian's, tweak mine).

Funnily enough, I was intending to refit all the interior back in once the welding is done, but feeling the weight of the box full of seatbelt reels and trim... I may leave it out.

Whatever happens, I miss boost!