rsgerry

well, finally the RS has come home from the panel shop. the car looks unbelievable in absinth yellow and the finish is first class. well worth the wait. but now the fun begins...



i have started to put bits back on it, but some days i just have to wonder if it will ever get going. anyone who has built a car can probably vouch for me here.

today i wanted to remove the struts from teh donor vehice so i can clean them up a bit. on an escort, it is really simple. three bolts and bingo. however, the struts were put on with cap screws. a mate thought he had the right socket for the job, but couldnt find it. so off to bunnings, then auto one, then piss week autos. no joy anywhere. so off to coventrys tomorrow.

last night i spent about an hour putting the indicators on. once again, not rocket science. slip units into place and a couple of bolts and job done. but when the units will not line up because the bar behind the nose cone is out of whack, it can get really frustrating.

add to that the fact that yesterday i had to remove all the clips for the weather strip on the door because the glass wouldnt go in with them in place, and you can see where i am coming from.

however, i am really enjoying putting the car back together. i have made some real progress and learning heaps. i am not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination, but am starting to work out how things go and see how simple lots of things really are. the biggest problem i face is that the paint looks so good, i cant put crappy screws and bolts on. so everything needs to get painted or replaced. i even painted the screws on the UNDERSIDE of the mirrors the other day.

anyway, if i ever get my hands on a digital camera (which is a saga in itself) then i will post some pics.

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You wash your car like it was your firstborn child, you tend to its needs like it was your own body, you protect it like it's your family, then you drive it like you stole it.

Weapons of rice destruction

2002 Ford Falcon AU3 XR6
1985 Ford Sierra XR4i
1980 Ford Escort RS2000

EFJase

If i ever get some $ ill do up a car myself

sounds good, stick with it

.. and pics would be great :)

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Donut King

I guess you are finding why they say when rebuilding cars to estimate how long it will take, and then double it. I spent 3 months over summer helping a mate rebuild his car we wanted to get it to the summernats, in jan, and it still isn't finish, there is always something to cause delays, can be a truly frustrating, but also rewarding experience.
Plus the lessons learnt while rebuilding his car will be invaluable when I start on my own :s3

XWJG34

Mate... spend time here. It'll make all the difference between a a nice resto and an absolute beauty!!! I see SOOO many cars with nice spray jobs and dodgy trim, rusty bolts. Looks dodgy. Spend the time and do it properly till the end. I'll bet you'll be grinning from ear to ear. There isn't a better feeling!

Show us some piccies mate.. Can't wait to see the progress!

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LSUG (Leaf Spring Users Group) Durability Tester and Restorer.
Delete striped BAGTs look like (*)(*)less models!!!!

69CapriGT

sounds good mate! Keep us posted!

My boss is putting a FWD Mondeo engine in his MK2, you think you've got it bad!

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Car owner by neccesity, Ford owner by choice.

Blurter

Good to see that you are making some progress regerry. Got to laugh at your frustrations. Tell me though after all the drama with the paint shops etc did you really expect the rebuild to go smoothly?

XD 351 Ute

Couldn't have said it better myself.
Yes, pictures when you get a chance!!

Ed :)

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Original XD 351 Ute - I got one!!

HSV - I just don't want one....EVER!

My XF 3 on the tree ute is ALWAYS stuck in third......

Perana XR8

Im doing the same conversion but into a Mk1 Escort. My main problem though is rust in the floor.

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Ben

rsgerry

there are a few escorts in the UK running the zetec conversion. is there a kit you can buy? it would be interesting to drive a converted car...smooth and a nice amount of power.

i just hope the zetec your boss uses is better than the POS that we had in our mondeo.

__________________
You wash your car like it was your firstborn child, you tend to its needs like it was your own body, you protect it like it's your family, then you drive it like you stole it.

Weapons of rice destruction

2002 Ford Falcon AU3 XR6
1985 Ford Sierra XR4i
1980 Ford Escort RS2000

Perana XR8

There is a few kits that you can buy, all are from england so they are quite expensive.

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Ben