Innehållsförteckning för January 2017 från Classic Ford

FRONTEND YOUR EYE ON THE WORLDWIDE CLASSIC FORD SCENE GET SET FOR 2017 There’s no excuse to leave your classic Ford at home next year with this line-up of must-attend events. No-one likes winter, right? Well the good news is, there’s only a couple of months until its warm enough to think about stepping foot outside in the Northern Hemisphere, and if you need something to look forward to, there’s a whole line-up of high-quality Classic Ford-supported events to keep you going right through the show season. The middle of May sees the annual Classic Ford Tour return, but with a brand-new, four-day, three-night trip to the Rhine region of Germany and even better a tour of the Ford plant in Cologne. Just under a month later we’re back at…

COMING UP Inside the February 2017 issue! The Wild One is the title of a classic ‘50s movie featuring Marlon Brando and his outlaw biker gang who raise enough hell to get kicked out of town. Perfectly apt then for the theme of the February edition which features classic Fords raising hell in their own ways — whether it’s on the track, in the show hall, or up the strip. Also in this issue, you’ll find a Mk4 Zephyr-Zodiac buyer’s guide, EcoBoost engine tech, and a tribute to the late great Roger Clark and his ‘76 RAC-winning RS1800. The February 2017 issue hits the newsstands on Friday, December 30 — why not subscribe to make sure you don’t miss it? See page 94 for the latest subscription offers.…

COMPETITION WIN GAZ Shocks Suspension! Here’s your chance to win an uprated GHA suspension kit for your classic Ford courtesy of GAZ Shocks! It’s only fair that your classic Ford is fitted with the very best suspension, and now it can courtesy of GAZ Shocks. They are offering one lucky reader a prize of a GHA suspension kit consisting of adjustable-platform front struts and springs, and adjustable rear dampers to make the most of their classic Ford’s suspension set-up. GAZ Shocks have long been associated with classic Fords, and can offer uprated suspension for most models. The GHA range features road-spec, hand-built, height-adjustable front coil-over struts, and fixed-height rear dampers with on-car damping adjustment, and zinc-plated damper and strut bodies for long life. The coli-overs have shortened bodies and stroke…

CFTECH Know this B-ROAD BLASTERS If you’re looking for a bit of Fast Road action, just how suitable is your classic Ford’s suspension? We examine eight popular models to see what you need and how much it will set you back. Words Jon Hill “FORDS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN PRIME CANDIDATES FOR MODIFICATION, AND LOWERING YOURS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE THING TO DO” How good is your classic Ford’s suspension? It’s meant to be all things to all people – just at home with the trip to the shops as it is tearing up the B-roads. Well that’s what Ford would have had you believe — but the thing is, our favourite brand’s got more than its share of motorsport pedigree thanks to Ford’s quest for race-track domination. Consequently, Fords…

Top10 B-Roads* There’s no point sorting your suspension if you don’t make use of it. Here are 10 reasons to do so. Welshpool, Powys to Bala, Gwynedd Roads: A490/B4391 Distance: 33 miles Heading away from Welshpool, take the A490 north towards Llanfyllin and revel in the fast sweeping Tarmac as you go. After you’ve had your fun and got to the end of the A-road, take the B4391 and head towards Bala. This bit takes you into Snowdonia and some superb mountain and forest scenery. Then, at the end of it, you can have a spin around Lake Bala, superb! Jedburgh, Scottish Borders to Dalkeith, Midlothian Road: A68 Distance: 40 miles Drive out from Jedburgh on the A68 all the way up to Dalkeith, near Edinburgh. Not so much a…

the best of the best Classic Ford AWARDS The best cars, people, events, products, photos and more from 2016. PHOTOS OF THE YEAR View these in all their full-size glory and download them as desktop wallpapers from www.classicfordmag.co.uk . BEST ENGINE BAY Alan Lambert’s Mk2 Cortina Featured: November 2015 Dropping a V8 into a classic Ford can be a challenge, but installing the twin-turbo unit from a Lotus Elite is something else entirely.Yet, using all his skills and experience,Alan pulled the conversion off with aplomb, rerouting pipework to avoid cutting the inner wings, and even managing to retain the standard heater plenum and big-header radiator (actually one of three — the main one is in the boot).The resulting conversion is so neat and so good, we’re not…

YOUR CARS CAR OF THE MONTH Gary McNabb From: New Zealand Car: Mk1 Escort “I bought a rare — in New Zealand ! — shell of a Mk1 two-door Escort recently and have completely stripped and rebuilt it,” says Gary, “customising it for my daughters, Jenni and Alicia, hence the JENALI numberplate — get it? ”I replaced the motor with a 1600 from a Mk2 Escort Sport, which has all the goodies and is fully rebuilt. I’ve also installed a Sierra five-speed gearbox, Mk2 running gear, custom flared wheelarches, bonnet scoop, twin sidedraughtWebers, running lights, I’ve fully re-uphostered the interior including the roof, and stitched Jenali into the seat upholstery. “This has taken many years and is still to be completely finished. Hopefully it will be a show car when…

CFTECH IMPROVING YOUR CLASSIC FORD JUST GOT EASIER... How To Fit Poly Bushes The first step to better handling is to replace worn rubber bushes with polyurethane ones. We follow Powerflex as they fit a set to a Mk3 Escort. Words and Photos Jon Hill Lowering your car, fitting excellent tyres and making it adjustable is all a waste of time unless your suspension bushes are in excellent condition. Your car’s likely to be well over 20-30 years’ old and chances are it has the original bushes. They simply don’t last that long. If you want tight handling, you’d best replace them. Normal cars use rubber to dampen noise and vibration, which is a cost-effective material but it has a limited lifespan. Polyurethane is much better at controlling movement, and…

THE CAR The Sierra Cosworth kindly loaned to us was built by Les Parrott, as a replica of the Jimmy McRae 1989 Scottish Championship car.This means the car is set up primarily as a rally car, with an increased ride height when compared to a track-focused vehicle. Usually with compliant suspension settings to soak up the variations in surface a rally special stage provides. However, in the case of this car the ride was surprisingly stiff, which allied to the high roll centre, provided traits that promised to be quite sudden when approaching the limit. Under the bonnet lurks a rebuilt YB capable of 400 bhp-plus, but limited to a reliable 295 bhp thanks to a 34 mm turbo restrictor. Power is sent directly to the rear wheels through an…

QUERY OF THE MONTH DGV OR DGAS CARB? Q I’ve got a 2-litre Capri Laser to which I’ve fitted the cam, carb and manifold from a Mk2 RS2000. It goes quite well, but I’ve managed to pick up a second-hand (but good) Kent Cams FR32 camshaft and I want to upgrade the carb at the same time. I can’t afford twin 40 or 45 Webers or Dell’Ortos and the inlet manifold and linkages right now, so what about using the 38 DGAS carb from the 3-litre Capri? Will this give me any more power than my existing carb once I’ve had it rejetted? Ian James Email A The 38DGAS used to be considered the best way to make a Pinto fly on the cheap, but we recently came across a…

Welcome I’m as guilty as the rest — when it comes to modifying old Fords, performance always comes before anything else. This issue we’re hoping to redress that though, with a whole host of features and advice on the most important aspect of tuning and improving — the suspension. Get this right and everything else should fall into place, so read our guides, get down the garage, then get set for the B-road. Out in the big bad world, 2016 won’t be remembered as one of the greatest. But compiling our annual Awards (page 61) reminded us that actually a lot of good things did happen this year, and classic Fords were always right at the heart of things. The classic Ford scene is a hobby for, I hope, all…

SOME (MORE)FRONT OSFDC now welcoming a host of hot ’80s Fords Good news if you own a hot Mk2 Fiesta or Mk3 Escort — it’s now eligible for the 2017 Old Skool Ford Drag Challenge. “Each year we do a few little tweaks here and there to make the Old Skool Ford Drag Challenge bigger and better,” says the OSFDC’s Jo Peters, “and this seems to work because we have ever increasing numbers, with over 20 entrants at each round for the 2016 season, which is superb. So for the 2017 season we will be welcoming Mk2 Fiestas and Mk3 Escorts to race with us.” With some seriously-quick Fords now able to enter, we’re looking forward to the OSFDC rounds kicking off early next year — the dates are still…

PRODUCTS THE LATEST,GREATEST BITS FOR YOUR CLASSIC FORD CLASSIC FORD SUBSCRIPTION From £19.99 Kelsey Shop Stuck for what to buy your classic Ford-loving better half for Christmas? May we recommend a gift subscription to the world’s biggest and best-selling classic Ford magazine! Delivered straight to yours or your loved-one’s door for the next 12 months, you get 13 issues of old Ford goodness, typically saving 20 per cent off the cover price. It’s not just confined to the UK, too; your favourite Ford magazine can be delivered all over the world, in print or digital form. Contact: 0333 0439848, http://shop.kelsey.co.uk TOW STRAPS £9.95 Motorsport Tools These new Motamec Racing tow straps are suitable for race, rally, fast road and track cars, and can be mounted at the front…

HOMEBUILT HERO mk2 escort BLOOD ORANGE Alex Elliott’s love of classic Escorts came about thanks to his father’s Ford adventures of old. And now the two of them have built their fruity masterpiece together. Words Daniel Bevis Photos Darren Woolway By far the coolest thing about 1970s cars is the sheer wealth of context; the stories behind them, the places they’ve been, the things they’ve seen. In our line of work it’s easy to get blasé about such details, because most cars that appear before the lens arrive fresh from some in-depth build, necessitating a focus on what’s new, what’s changed. But when you take a step back out of the here-and-now, our ongoing love for four-doors starts to make a lot of sense. You see, much as we adore…

MK2 FIESTA 2-litre hot hatch 1ST CLASS After an incident with a postman knocked him back, Ady Bright’s back delivering the goods with his Fiesta for the road and track. Words Dan Furr Photos Dan Sherwood What is it that drew you to your favourite classic Blue Oval? For many, the attraction to a particular model can be traced to a childhood spent exposed to a standout example owned by a friend or family member. For other petrolheads, the appeal can be a working knowledge of a specific Ford’s mechanical configuration, enabling repairs or upgrades to be carried out on one of Henry’s finest in a timely fashion. For Cambridgeshire man, Ady Bright, however, it’s the promise that he won’t kill anyone! “I’ve always been drawn to the Mk2 Fiesta,”…

MK1 ESCORT 2.1 track toy READY OR NOT Chris Dancer set out to build his dream-spec Escort for track days and B-road blasts. Then this one came up for sale, and after a few false starts and trick touches, the Mk1 is ready for action. Words Marc Stretton Photos Adrian Brannan “BY WEIRD COINCIDENCE, GOOD RESEARCH AND AN EYE FOR A BARGAIN, CHRIS DISCOVERED THE OTHER WAY AND BOUGHT THIS RACE-READY MK1” If you want a job doing properly, then do it yourself, is a fine saying. Especially when it comes to buying modified cars that can look excellent, but are sometimes hiding quite some horrors beneath seemingly perfect outer layers of paint. In the ever-inflating world of classic Fords and Ford parts, however, there is occasionally a different option…

HERITAGE Thames 307E van Classic Fords restored: After giving up on finding someone to rebuild his Anglia van, Nick Horridge realised the old adage of, If you want a thing done well, do it yourself, was the only way to go. Words and Photos Jon Cass “RATHER THAN SPLASH OUT AND BUY A VAN READY TO USE, NICK DECIDED TO FIND ONE IN NEED OF SOME RESTORATION...” Classic vans are becoming increasingly popular as promotional tools and it’s easy to see why. Any driver of a classic car these days will have noticed necks craning for a good gawp as you drive past. So it only makes sense to advertise your business on the side of its commercial equivalent where there’s plenty of space to include those all important contact…

readers’ rides YOUR PROJECTS Classic Fords being built in garages, workshops and on driveways! Nick Manson From: UK Cars:Thames 300E “I have been working on this Thames for the last few years,” says Nick.“It has had a lot of repair work and has been a long project but is now at the painting stage.The spec is quite simple with a slight lowering and my own-design 4-2-1 manifold and twin carb set-up. “It will be running banded steels on the back with Lotus steels up front, and I intend to re-apply the original signwriting once it is painted. The inside and underside are all done and once painted will be fitted up for completion hopefully before the year is out.” Best of luck, Nick!…

MOTORSPORT mk1 capri WHISKY TANGO FOXTROT As with all the best stories, this one begins with a Mk2 Escort and ends with Scotch. But perhaps not in the manner in which you may expect. Words Daniel Bevis Photos Matt Woods “THE CAPRI HAD BEEN PAINTED BADLY, BUT IT WAS A BARGAIN EVEN IF IT WAS ROTTEN SO I WENT FOR IT!” At the age of 16, Andy Bower bought himself a Mk2 Escort; a ’79 two-door in which he learnt to drive, paint, weld, swap engines, modify and customise, and it laid down the path toward him becoming an engineer. Andy and his Escort were inseparable — it served for harsh winter commutes, pan-European road trips and countless track days; it kissed the Armco at the Nürburgring, earned 40,000 miles…

MOTORSPORT Old Skool Ford Drag Challenge 2017 The pressure was on for the final round of this year’s classic Ford-friendly race-series, with everything to play for at Santa Pod. Photos Kieran Jenkins Round 7: Santa Pod Raceway, October 22-23 With a plethora of bonus points available and all still to play for, the final round of the Old Skool Ford Drag Challenge 2016 took place at Santa Pod on an autumnal RWYB night event over the weekend of October 22-23. Some 21 of the hardiest competitors turned out including current leader Glenn Jefferson in his Zetec-powered Mk1 Escort. All he needed was a win at this round to guarantee him the title, but on his second run of the day he broke a halfshaft and with a slower than average…

your projects: mk3 cortina NINE LIVES Your projects: James’ Cortina is more Big Cat than Blue Oval, the Mk3 being saved from the scrapper thanks to a healthy dose of Jaguar XKR space, pace and grace. Words Marc Stretton Photos Adrian Brannan  Name: James Drummond “SIMPLE IS NOT A WORD TO DESCRIBE THIS PROJECT, AS THE PLANNING, FABRICATION AND REWORKING IS FAR BEYOND MOST PEOPLES’ IMAGINATIONS” Age: 52 Job: Motor mechanic Location: Fife Car: Mk3 Cortina 1600XL Start condition: Rusted-out spares car Condition now: Solid body having had major reconstruction with all running gear in Time taken so far: 12 months Estimated date of completion: Classic Ford Show 2017 Approaching James’s Mk3 Cortina, you’d not see too much more than a solid looking Mk3 project well under way. Open the…

Where to go in January Autosport International When: January 12-15 Where: NEC, Birmingham B40 1NT, UK What’s going on: Avoid the January blues and head to the NEC next month for Autosport International. The show features every level of motorsport, and exhibitors range from competition suppliers to leading manufacturers keen to reveal their up-and-coming products. There’s plenty to drool over, with more than enough classic Fords and parts, plus live demos. Find out more: www.autosportinternational.com Looking for our show listings? For December and January events see page 66. For all 2017 shows go to our website: www.classicfordmag.co.uk.…

5 minutes with Joe Allenby-Byrne Mk1 Cortina racer, Pre-Crossflow guru and scooter fanatic— Joe’s living the ’60s dream! “I WENT FOR A TEST DRIVE AND AS I CAME ROUND THE CORNER A WHEEL FELL OFF” How did you get into cars? It was my Dad’s fault. He had a beach buggy when he was 17, then I came along when he was 22, so he bought a Mk2 Cortina. He had plenty of other cars after that including a Mk1 Escort van, but the Cortina always stuck with me. So was your first car a Cortina? Yes, a Mk1 1500 four-door Deluxe. I had a few in the late ‘80s — they were cheap, classic runarounds back then. This one cost me £120. What happened to it? It got rear-ended…

EVENT REPORT ULTIMATE SCOTTISH FORD DAY ULTIMATE SCOTTISH FORD DAY Europe’s only dedicated drift venue plays host to some of the finest Fords Scotland has to offer. Words and Photos Adrian Brannan England may be rammed with tracks, but for years in Scotland the venues were limited, especially if drifting was your thing. Thankfully though, three years ago a group of eager drifters collaborated with a local land owner, and Driftland was born. The first purpose built drift track in Europe, and outside of Japan’s Ebisu, very little of a similar nature exists worldwide! Typical days at the track consist of practice days on various layouts, both fast and technical, plus tuition and experience days in school cars also. Another side which continues to grow are the weekend big events.…

your tech questions answered EXPERT CLINIC TROUBLE WITH YOUR FORD? SEND IN YOUR QUERY AND WE’LL SORT IT OUT Rover or Ford V8? Q When I look for my next project I want to do a Mk3 Capri with a V8. I have about £5000 to spend — do I buy an expensive Ford V8 and gearbox, or go for a cheap Rover engine and gearbox? If you have done any of these mods can you give me some advice — what to watch out for, what was good, and more importantly, what not to do? Geoff Banks Email A The Rover option can no longer be considered cheap, and the Ford route isn’t really any more expensive — we’ve previously put a 302 cu.in small-block Ford V8 in a…

MOTORSPORT BRITISH HISTORIC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP Classic forest stages at night — the final round had all this and more. Words Paul Lawrence Photos MarkWrittle Photographic Round 8: Trackrod Historic Cup, 30 September-1 October Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke won the 2016 Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship with a steady run through the Yorkshire forests on the Trackrod Historic Cup. While Steve Bennett and Paul Spooner were top BHRC finishers after 55 fast stage miles in warm sunshine, Pritchard and Clarke did more than enough to become only the second crew to retain the BHRC crown. The rally started with a 10-mile stage through Dalby in the dark of Friday evening and continued with five more classic Yorkshire stages on Saturday, including the 13-mile Langdale test. Knowing that they only…

CF BUYER BUYER’S GUIDE FIESTA RS TURBO The RS-badged Mk3 has always had a cult following, but now you can add classic to that status. Here’s why. Words ChristianTilbury Photos Chris Frosin “THE RS-BADGED FIESTA HAS A STRONG FOLLOWING AND ITS POPULARITY IS ONLY GOING TO GROW” “DRIVERS GOT A BIT OF HELP WITH KEEPING THE FIESTA ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW THANKS TO A MUCH REVISED CHASSIS” After the XR2i failed to hit the spot with the motoring press, Ford pledged that the RS Turbo version would be much more of a driver’s car. Launched in April 1990 and screwed together by the manufacturer’s Special Vehicle Engineering (SVE) department, the fastest Fiesta yet looked to the casual observer to be little more than the XR2i with a transplanted…

Project Hunter CLASSIC FORD PROJECTS YOU SHOULD BUY — AND MODIFY. Illustrations: Simon Coulson It’s gratifying to see that you can still pick up a rear-wheel-drive classic Ford for (almost) a song, but that’s not going to stop us messing it up, though. With a budget build firmly in our sights, we’ve dehandled the doors, cleaned up the bit of rust in the passenger door, and then treated it to a full respray in Montana Teen Spirit — a fine shade of purple from the renowned graffiti paint supplier. We’ve then added a green pinstripe to match those 7.5x17 inch Peugeot steels (part number 5401. W1), which with their 4x108 PCD will bolt straight on. With a set of whitewall flaps added to the tyres, that’s the all-important wheel department…