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Mk1 Escort - St170 Conversion - To be or not to be..?


Scortedvan

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21 minutes ago, Mash said:

I've been moving the breather pipe on my cam cover, stealing the idea from you ☺️. but I was thinking about putting the new connector on the opposite side away from the splash plate, any thoughts?

Thats great, im pleased to hear the thread has given someone an idea! I have seen people fit the breather connection on the exhaust side of the cover but you will get a surprising amount of oil flicked through it without a splash plate, which is fine but should be considered 👍

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  • 3 weeks later...

how's it going with the Escort then Matey?

I'm getting there with mine, trying to find the engine number at present, any ideas where it is?

 

found it! rear left, on the flange the gearbox bolts to, outside edge, just above the crank sensor, stamped with  a dot punch b the looks of it and really hard to read 😕

Still like toknow how you're getting on though.....

Edited by Mash
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Hello mate! Sorry i only just noticed this, i see youve found the number now 👍

Mines all good, im just trying to make sure i have all the bases covered before mapping on October 2nd, I hate when my cars go on rollers! Im very paranoid about  about noise effetcing the crank signal as the way loom routes, it takes the cable quite close to the coil pack so I've been shielding that as best i can.

Also took the chance to fit a few suspension parts and collect some spares. I really want to get the setup over and done with though!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well, this is basically the final update to this thread! The car has within the last hour completed a setup and dyno session. It arrived with ProTuner on Friday, and they were brilliant. As promised they went through a lot of prechecks before even considering starting it, including cam timing checks, compression test, induction leaks, fuel pressure checks. This was all fine, and they proceeded to map it. This included an additional day so they could properly setup cold start.

Right at the beginning of this thread i explained i wasnt chasing numbers, simply reliability, and that is still the case. However its nice to see what it is capable of... which is (drumroll please)180hp! More than enough.. and i have been told with 97-99ron fuel and a slight tweak to exhaust cam timing it would rise, however that would be unnecessary in my opinion.

The spec in summary is - Standard st170 engine and standard engine timing (with Vvt obviously ), 45mm hayabusa throttle bodies and 300cc injectors, DANST custom inlet manifold, HPE Exhaust manifold and system, me221 engine management, 1800zetec flywheel modified for pinto clutch.

So all thats left is to collect the car, and wait for some dry weather to see how it feels. Massive thanks to everyone for their help through this thread, lots of answered questions and hopefully this will help others doing something similar. Its crazy to look all the way back to the first page where this was nothing more than a lazy idea. I will share the power graph when i get it, supposedly its a very nice curve though👍
 

Cheers all!

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  • 3 months later...

Well I thought Id update this thread as opposed to creating another one. After getting the car setup in October 2020, I managed to do maybe 150 miles or so and it was great. Really good fun with the additional power, and so much easier to get out and use, just flick the key and it starts perfectly and ticks over without missing a beat in seconds regardless of how cold or hot it is. 

Since the weather turned its been sat in the garage and Ive been left wondering what to do next  😅 I did have very dark thoughts involving a turbo and our wedding fund but I fought that off pretty quickly fortunately!

Instead I decided to go around and change a couple of bits that have been on the car since I bought it, and Ive always wanted to upgrade. Firstly the rear shocks. They were fine and didn't look very old, but weren't branded that I could see, and I kept seeing Gaz Adjustable rear shocks for pretty good money. So I bought a set and fitted them. Of course I cant drive the car yet to see what difference they make but Im sure they will be fine.

Secondly brakes. Again its not something that has ever given me a problem necessarily, but I am using m16 calipers with solid discs and crap pads.. so I at least wanted to go vented and put some better pads in now I have access to more power. And then browsing ebay I came across a set of Billet 4 HiSpec calipers, with 3 sets of pads (x2 Mintex 1144s which are the pads I wanted and 1x 'scuffed' EBC Greenstuff) which I won for £260. These calipers are pretty good by the looks of it. They have larger option 44mm pistons and most importantly have the piston dust seals, which a lot of aftermarket calipers dont. Im certainly not expecting touring car brake performance asy I cant fit discs bigger than 245mm with 13" wheels, but after some maths  - x4 44mm pistons against x2 54mm pistons will give an increased piston area of around 33% and coupled with some better pads and vented discs it should be perfectly fine. Time will tell if I need to change the master cylinder size with the increase in piston area, truth be told I dont now whats fitted currently, im guessing 0.625 but I think I will get the calipers fitted and then see how it feels first. Ill make a start on all that at the weekend fingers crossed!

calipers.jpg

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  • 2 months later...

Thought Id update this thread with some small changes I've made to the car recently! The good news is that its still driving really well, and I'm completely happy with the engine conversion. It feels incredibly reliable, regardless how long its stood still, you can turn the key and its running within a revolution. I've completed about 200 miles so far which granted isn't a lot, but also I've not had anything to snag either, so I just need to start doing some slightly longer journeys. 

So firstly the Hi Spec brakes went on fine, I got some 247mm drilled and vented discs to suit and some braided lines and they are great. To be honest, actual braking performance if measured might only be fractionally better than the M16s, but the fact they are so light, and having the vented discs just inspires a bit more confidence. They also look much better behind the wheels in my opinion. I also got the rear Gaz adjustables on, they feel fine but to be honest the old ones didn't feel bad, these were just shinier :)

So with needing to increase the distances I'm doing in mind, one thing that has grated on me is the noise in the cabin. Its deafening, and after a while driving, just a bit unpleasant. Mainly due to the fact there is no sound deadening or insulation/carpet of any type in the cabin. I have wanted to rectify this for 8 years, but its always been a non essential job that I put off. So now everything else is pretty much done I thought Id have a go. 

I bought some DynaMat sheet, and some foam insulation, along with a very good quality backed felt carpet. The DynaMat is brilliant but insanely expensive so i used it sparingly, the principle being that as long as a piece goes centrally over a panel it will stop the majority of the vibrations and thus noise. The passenger and drivers side floors were done, and then the foam insulation adhered over the top. I then put strips across the top, and sides of the tunnel. 

Finally I cut the carpet and did the transmission tunnel first, allowing an inch either side spare. The the floor sections overlapped this inch and gave a nice join from the floor section to the tunnel. Im actually really pleased with the finish, its not perfect but with the trims and seats back in, you really dont see the imperfections. Im yet to try driving it... but fingers crossed it will have helped!

brakes.jpg

drivers carpet.jpg

drivers footwel.jpg

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I will be keeping an eye on this progress Joe as my car is the same. I have no roof lining and no sound deadening either so 1 of the many things on my list of improvements will be sound deadening, new carpet and eventually a roof cloth! 

Car looking great as always Joe! 

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I've been using Dodo Mat in a beater that me and my little Apprentice have been sound proofing. Really makes a difference. 

After that's fitted, I then use recycled plastic loft insulation, as this doesn't hold moisture. This is then covered over with the old ply or plastic panels that has been covered with 4 way stretch carpet. Brilliant stuff. 

I'm half way through the job now and have carpeted down the full length of the one side, but am now waiting on door card clips and more carpet glue. 

My apprentice is now shaping the ply to carpet the roof and floor. 

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Edited by dt36
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21 minutes ago, dt36 said:

I've been using Dodo Mat in a beater that me and my little Apprentice have been sound proofing. Really makes a difference. 

After that's fitted, I then use recycled plastic loft insulation, as this doesn't hold moisture. This is then covered over with the old ply or plastic panels that has been covered with 4 way stretch carpet. Brilliant stuff. 

I'm half way through the job now and have carpeted down the full length of the one side, but am now waiting on door card clips and more carpet glue. 

My apprentice is now shaping the ply to carpet the roof and floor. 

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You should be ashamed of yourself using child labour 😜 that 4 way stretch carpet looks the business 

Edited by colr6
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19 hours ago, DpG Venom said:

I will be keeping an eye on this progress Joe as my car is the same. I have no roof lining and no sound deadening either so 1 of the many things on my list of improvements will be sound deadening, new carpet and eventually a roof cloth! 

Car looking great as always Joe! 

Ill let you know what happens when I drive i properly, Im not expecting it to be silent by any means but it should help. Already just reversing back into the garage it seems a little quieter, and not as much resonance as before.

Its actually quite a nice job to do ive found, as I mentioned surprisingly expensive but if you take your time you can get a decent finish. 

Edited by Scortedvan
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2 hours ago, Rally Pack 2000 said:

Do they still have the workhouse in the UK or can you only exploit relatives like that these days?

I have my 18 month old grandson in the garage with me, well he follows me around as though he’s tied to me with rope ! Put anything down he’s got it, come off steps and he’s up them. Think he’s going to be a panel beater as everything is with a hammer and he creates when you take it off him along with the tape measure. Only problem is everything he measures is 3 so you don’t know if that’s in inches or mm which can be a bit confusing. A budding Ford mechanic, just beat it to death it’ll be alright....lol

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On 14/04/2021 at 02:26, dt36 said:

I've been using Dodo Mat in a beater that me and my little Apprentice have been sound proofing. Really makes a difference. 

After that's fitted, I then use recycled plastic loft insulation, as this doesn't hold moisture. This is then covered over with the old ply or plastic panels that has been covered with 4 way stretch carpet. Brilliant stuff. 

I'm half way through the job now and have carpeted down the full length of the one side, but am now waiting on door card clips and more carpet glue. 

My apprentice is now shaping the ply to carpet the roof and floor.

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Start them early!

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