Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2022 i Classic Ford

IS THE CAPRI COMING BACK? Ford has trademarked classic names from its back catalogue — including Capri — fuelling speculation that modern recreations are on the cards With Ford having a track record of reusing model names from its past, the trademarking of five of its previously successful monikers – Capri, Cortina, Escort, Granada and Orion – has increased speculation of a comeback for at least one of them, likely to be used within the company’s forthcoming electric car line-up. The move follows Ford filing to trademark the long-dormantThunderbird model name last year, plus the reintroduction of the Bronco and Maverick nameplates for the US market. The company has already reintroduced names from classic models in the UK and Europe, with the current Puma crossover inheriting its badge from the…

Brannan This is my mid-life crisis car,” Paul Stott admits, and you can’t deny that it’s an outstanding choice. Sidestepping the usual route of oozing into some soft and wallowy Lexus or Jaguar, Paul has instead opted to relive his boy-racer days; a misspent (or, more accurately, very well-spent) youth haring around in Mk1 and Mk2 Fiestas. “Although I’m 40 now, I feel like I’m 20 when I drive this car,” he beams. “I’d recommend it to anyone, restoring a car you were fond of back in the day. I’m so glad I’ve got another Mk1 back in my life!” Back in his youth, Paul was picking up these runabouts for 50 quid a pop, and it’s that spirit of thriftiness that’s helped to inform this Sandpiper build. Frugality has…

We all remember the late Peter Kennedy’s giant-killing Capri 4x4 Cosworth that made a welcome comeback recently. Its registration plate happened to contain the three distinctive letters WOO which helped to make it instantly recognisable. While Peter’s Capri was busy decimating everyone it met on the quarter mile two decades ago, there was another blue oval badged car making a name for itself on the show scene also bearing the same three letters, WOO. When Ben Thompson came across this 24-valve Cortina, a well-known feature car from back in the day, it was in a sad state, but that burning desire to resurrect a legend just couldn’t be ignored. We’ve featured a few of Ben’s cars in the past, many of which originated from the southern hemisphere. “I prefer to…

Although common today, fitting bike carbs to car engines is nothing new. Back in the 1960s racers were using Amal carbs robbed from things like Manx Nortons on car engines. I know many can’t get their head around how can a set of carbs from a 600cc motorcycle work on a 2-litre car engine, but the reality is, engines consume air! They all run on more or less the same air/fuel ratio so 100 bhp requires the same amount of air whether it’s a 2-litre engine turning at 5000 rpm or a 600cc engine running at 10,000 rpm. So if you can get the air-fuel ratio (AFR) right and the carbs are sized to allow sufficient airflow it does not really matter what the carb originates from. Most Bike carbs…

My early 1972 when my dad bought it for me from Peterborough Motors,love affair with the Capri began in for I believe £1150,” recalls 67-year-old classic car enthusiast Geoff Marriott. “This was not a gift, however, as the deal was that I had to repay it all over the next three years. Fortunately for me, my dad didn’t charge me any interest!” A youthful 17-years-old at the time, the 1971 Mk1 Capri was Geoff’s second car, the first being a modified Anglia with a 2-litre Corsair engine under the bonnet which he duly wrote off after a bout of over exuberant driving saw him unexpectantly airborne over a hump-back bridge and end up in a farmer’s field. “I was under strict instructions with the Capri,” Geoff chuckles. “My dad made…

CLASSIC FORD SHOW TICKETS ON SALE NOW! WWW.CLASSICFORD SHOW.CO.UK One of the criticisms often levelled at the classic Ford scene is that the cars have become too damned expensive to buy. There is a lot of truth in this, but only if you’re chasing some of the more popular models — and this is something that affects the entire classic car world. As soon as demand outstrips supply, up go the prices. If you’re prepared to remove the blinkers, however, there are some bargains to be had, and we’ve chosen five for our £3K Heroes cover feature, which kicks off on page 21. I reckon at least one of those cars will appeal to you in some way, and even better, provide a solid base for a classic Ford that…

Times are tight. Inflation is rocketing, petrol costs more than champagne, and the used-car market is seeing some ridiculously overblown prices. Old Blue Oval-badged machines never cease to reach record-breaking auction results. Yet it’s not too late to buy into the classic Ford scene, even on a relatively modest budget. A sum of just £3000 will see you behind the wheel of a seriously cool or eminently tuneable car; whether you prefer old-school or something capable of covering everyday duties, three big ones will bag a respectable classic Ford – if you choose wisely. While it’s still possible to find a Mk1 Cortina, Mk2 Escort or Capri at this price point, most will be in need of full restoration and serious cash to get them back on the road again.…

EVENT REPORT CLUB MEET CONTACT Gnoo Blas Classic Car Club www.gnooblas.com The Gnoo Blas Classic Car Show has been a great success over the years. The driving force behind the show has been Dennis Gregory, the chief organiser and President of the Gnoo Blas Classic Car Club. Some of his motivation no doubt came from having raced at the old Gnoo Blas racetrack, including contesting the inaugural Australian Touring Car Championship that was held there in 1960. While earning a creditable fourth in class, his Morris Major was no doubt significantly outpaced by the race winner’s Jaguar. Sadly Dennis passed away last November but the club members rolled up their sleeves and got on with organising another great show this year. Quite appropriately the 2022 show was dedicated to his…

In the world of classic Fords, two doors are always more popular than four but in the Prefect 107E’s case, they have one major advantage over their two-door 100E cousin: a big block! Not quite a FordV8 but its Kent Pre-Crossflow engine was a massive improvement on the previous sidevalve unit. Hence these cars were prized for dropping in a performance plant, which in the case of a Crossflow or even a Lotus with a bit of work, bolts in. It already has thesought-after recessed bulkhead plus an enlarged tunnel — although a five-speed still means work. But the advantages of a Prefect come to a grinding halt when you consider the suspension and brakes because it’s exactly the same 100E scenario: weedy drums!There are options and traditional routes, but…

What are pistons and what do they do? A piston is essentially the top part of a giant press that’s used to compress fuel and air inside your engine. It sits within the cylinder bore and performs a vital action on each of an engine’s four strokes. On the induction stroke, it moves down from TDC (topdead centre) causing a depression in the cylinder that draws in the air/fuel mixture through the inlet valve. On the compression stroke, with all valves closed, the piston travels back up the cylinder and compresses the air/fuel mixture ready for ignition and combustion. When the mixture ignites, the combustion then forces the piston down the cylinder on the power stroke. Finally, the piston rises back up the cylinder on the exhaust stroke to expel…

Let me start this feature by saying that we cannot hope to turn a complete novice into an expert welder in just six pages. It is surprisingly easy to get started with a MIG welder, but welding is definitely a skill that improves with experience. There are some tips and tricks that can help straighten out that learning curve a little though, and these are what we hope to share with you today. Just please do bear in mind that our focus is on structural repairs, and there is a clue in the name as to how important it is to get them right – structural repairs are not cosmetic, they need to be strong because they contribute to the strength of the vehicle you are driving. Therefore, you are…

1. Don’t just renew It’s all too easy to let the direct debit continue and sign up for another year with your existing insurer. Before you do though, have a look at quotes from other insurers. If they come in cheaper and you don’t want to switch, call your existing insurer, quote the cheaper prices and quite often they will be able to bring your renewal quote down to a similar level. 2. Look at classic insurance They’re often tied into AgreedValue, limited-mileage polices but classic insurance specialists can offer some great-value policies. Most class a vehicle eligible for classic insurance as being over 20 or 25 years old, but some allow exceptions for modern classics, so do your research before you dismiss a classic insurance policy out of hand…

With a background in mechanical engineering, Steve Norris decided it was possible to build a 4WD 300 bhp replica of Carlos Sainz’s 1997 Escort WRC without the need to pay the dizzy prices the genuine article now demands. Instead, he’s creatively opted to use a more than capable Subaru Impreza 2000 floorpan and running gear combined with a familiar Mk5 Escort shell. It may sound a daunting prospect to many but armed with a large workshop and a wealth of engineering experience, Steve was confident this would prove to be a relatively straightforward project, to his eyes at least! In fact, Steve seems generally unphased by the problems any potential project may bring: “I owned my first car aged 12 and within a year I had my own welding gear,”…

PRODUCT OF THE MONTH SQUASHLIGHT TORCH £13.99 Squashlight Ever been working in a cramped engine bay or underneath a car and no matter how hard you try you just can’t get a light to illuminate the area you’re working in? Eery home mechanic has experienced that scenario at some point. And that’s what led aircraft engineer Gary Muir to develop Squashlight; a surprisingly simple solution to this oldest of problems, Squashlight is basically a squashy ball with a hole through the centre that accepts a high-power, 3-watt, 120 Lumen LED torch.You then simply squash the ball and place it where you need it, and as it expands it holds the torch safely and securely in place without the need for any bulky stands or cables. Simple, but effective. Contact: www.squashlight.co.uk…

Saunders Sometimes you find yourself falling into a project without even meaning to, but it’s often those kind of builds that turn out best. With no tune to follow, the natural process of fate will find a way of helping, which is exactly how owner Kurt Tann turned this cheap and cheerful Sierra into an awesome homebuilt street sleeper like no other. Thanks to a turbocharged homebrew special under the bonnet and an unsuspecting look both inside and out, Kurt has built a truly unique classic Ford. As he likes a 1980s Ford, Kurt has owned a few over the years and was actually in the process of rebuilding both a Mk2 Orion and Mk3 Granada when he first heard this Sierra was up for sale. “A friend was actually…

Gregory Owain British police cars during the 1960s tended to be Jaguars and Wolseleys that were fast but expensive, or Anglias and Morris Minors that were cheap but not especially quick. The Lotus Cortina offered performance and affordability, yet only eight were ever ordered and Keith Halstead’s example was number one. Keith takes up the story: “In 1964 Lotus sales director, Graham Arnold wanted some free publicity and made a mock-up Lotus Cortina police car for promotional photos. While over in West Sussex, Police Transport Manager Christopher Williams needed a cheaper alternative to their fleet of Mk2 Jaguars. Since you could get three base model Cortinas for the price of a Jag, Williams visited the Lotus factory and placed an order.” Five Lotus Cortinas, registered GBP 1C to GBP 5C,…

Air filter In the past few years, air filter technology has come on leaps and bounds — so much so that filters can actually improve the air flow more than having no filter fitted to your engine at all. Of course, the latter is to be avoided if you don’t want to try extracting sand and grit from your intake valves after they’ve been sucked in by a pair of twin 40s! It’s almost fit-and-forget now with elements being totally reusable. All you have to do is give them a good clean at intervals, which to be honest don’t need to be that regular. Air/fuel ratio The amount of fuel being sent into your Ford engine’s combustion chambers is measured as an air/fuel ratio (AFR), which is just like it…

What’s been done this month: New custom driveshafts, exhaust has been ceramic coated, new seatbelts, fabricated a new radiator shroud Next on the to-do list: Weld in harness bars, add some headrests, bolt it all back together, get it back on the road for summer Thanks to: B&B Precision Engineering 01484 866386 www. bandbprecision. co.uk Elite Racing Transmissions 01782 280136 In the last update I admitted to snapping one of my welded driveshafts after some spirited driving. I therefore enlisted the help from Elite RacingTransmissions to come up with a stronger solution.They set about machining a pair of custom-made single piece, gun-drilled, 300M steel driveshafts to my specific lengths and splined ends.These are now as strong as we can get them! After a quick lick of paint, I rebuilt them…

There are a number of classic competition liveries which have passed into the pantheon of the iconic and the legendary which are also underpinned by something of a taboo. Rothmans, JPS, Bastos, Silk Cut, Gitanes – nope, the world’s moved on from ubiquitous tobacco consumption. Benson & Hedges’ 1990s BTCC pivot into Buzzin’ Hornets? Didn’t fool the censors. Cossack, however, has been spared the ravages of ignominy, largely because everyone’s forgotten what it is. Do you remember? That’s right, it’s nothing illicit – Cossack is a hairspray. But of course… the perfect product for the driver on-the-go who has to contend with helmet hair on the way to the podium. It’s a much-celebrated livery for the Mk2 Escort too, for sure – although for Dave Ketley, the go-getting vibe of…

W ith its New-Edge design language already finding favour in the Puma and Focus, Ford decided to give the Fiesta the same treatment in late 1999. Although essentially a facelift, the changes were considered significant enough for the new Fiesta to be christened the Mk5. Most noticeable was the new front end styling, which saw the Mk4’s oval lights replaced by triangular ones and included all new wings, bonnet and grille. Round the back though, it didn’t look so radical, and the differences looked marginally more than a new bumper. However, the changes were little more than skin deep, although compared to many rivals the Mk5 was still a more enjoyable drive. Beneath the more contemporary styling, the engines remained much the same as those of the Mk4, mostly consisting…