ShaunS

Agreed, the younger generation want things done and now, with instant gratification. Unlike my gen, who believed in working hard to meet your Goal That being said, i have 3 young boys, who no matter how hard I have tried, share very little enthusiasm about building up the Mk2 escort or keeping the Saffy running. My eldest it seems is more interested in his Moms modern Yaris , all the bells and whistles, no fiddly window winders and manual door locks. We just could be last of a dying breed.

Hello and Welcome Gavin !!

I guess this is current situation all over the world, not just in ZA. Food prices quite literally increase every 3 months. Often blamed by the rising Fuel price, even though here we have had a decreased in fuel costs on most of 2024.

Thats one mean machine !!! I'm sure Mr Weasley would be very proud ,

Welcome, That's an awesome Looking Mexico !!

As my Wife says, Gin and tonic was the Queens drink and she lived to be 90+ , so might as well give it a go !

I think the Racing stripes were meant to go in that void !!

In our local dialect, this would be referred to as a "Kalahari Ferrari "

Ahhhh the good ol 1UZ. Wouldn't have it any other way !!

Those 175 / 70 profile tyres on steelies are a dead giveaway !!!!, Gorgeous rides though !!

That's a winning recipe hey. In my younger days we used to play around with the diff ratios to get better final drive. ie using the Cortina gear sets.

Not really, theres plenty of old escorts, sierras & cortinas around, just that the general spares supply has dried up. I was shopping around for Pinto gasket set and shop assistants take a step back for a moment when they hear you request, For me personally, I do intend to drive it and enjoy as much time as I possibly can, rather than have it up on jackstands waiting for parts. The thought of alternate power has entered my mind tho,

Hi All, Was just wondering on the general consensus of Old Skool ford owners, on how to keep these motors on our roads these days. Is keeping the Kent or Pinto running as clock work still up to date in 2024? or would you change to modern Zetec or worse yet switch to alternate brand power ? Also from a location perspective, Kent/Pinto bits are are becoming not as abundant as they used to be, well here in ZA that is. Thanks Shaun

Thank you Sir, Im trying to recapture my youth days BTW, With the good grace and compassion of my close friends, my mk2 is going to be with me a little while longer, will at least get it back to standard with the little kent and 4speed box .

Picked up an MR Spyder last month, With less than 200 left in South Africa, they getting quite rare, Its an absolute blast to drive, totally different appeal to an old ford.

Its been converted to manual for the last 2 years. Got the plugs off and the no.2 plug and cylinder was wet. Guess the whole top lot will have to come off.

Hi All, So my EFI Pinto sapphire, doesn't get a lot of mileage, So started it up last weekend and took it out for a spirited drive. i noticed the heat gauge going up , perhaps a bit over the half way mark. However car still revs up, and spins the tires breaking no sweat. One the open road , heat gauge drops down to teh 1/4 mark. Get back home and opened up the bonnet. Noticed the expansion bottle is off colored . There's a fair amount of oil in the coolant !! I used about 50% coolant to deionized water about 2 years ago. and it has no leaks . Full Engine was rebuilt about 5000kms ago, which was approx 4yrs. So what confuses me is that the engine stills runs as normal, pulls hard and no other signs of distress.......except the oil in coolant. The engine oil is as clear as can be. So any ideas where to start, other than ripping the head off. Thanks,

Welcome Johan, Post pics of the Xr6

Its an interesting topic and Im sure its going to ruffle a lot of feather's, nonetheless its we are all Petrol heads. Yes, these cars were really cheap as chips, easy to run and maintain and any DIYers dream. The 1600 sport was my first car as a 21 year old and hence the love affair began. However once the timeline reached the early 2000s, spare parts were getting harder to get, body panels near dried up and well there more and more newer model Jap cars that were easier and cheaper to run. With the spare parts and body panels available in the UK its relatively easier keeping them on the road. I can state for a fact, there's more guys in SA cutting up good clean 4 doors just to build a 2 door for the market, which is a damn shame. Also weren't the Mk1 and Mk2 bodies pressed in the UK and then shipped to SA - Port Elizabeth ? So essentially they just returning to their birth place !!

Nice One !!!

So, not sure if this is the right place to post, but it seems the market is largely unaffected, Although not old ford related, this pic was captioned with the title , leaving South Africa today !! I guess any collectable motor hey?

Mk5 Cortina, however running an updated Injected V6 setup.

Yes, those Essex v6s certainly do sing a tune, however the XR8 morning tune is something of an experience. My buddy owns a Cortina Mk5 LDV V6 which was meant to go out , however the week earlier found the rear welsh plug leaking water. Nonetheless there's quite a few V6s still rolling around SA. There was also a limited run of the v6 Essex with Bosch Fuel injection for the sierra/ sapphires. A close friends dad has a mk5 Tina which is now injected as well. This particular car was actually one of South Africa's first test car by Alpine Developments to experiment with turbo charging a V6 back in the late 80s. Unfortunately now they decided to get rid of the turbo and stick with injection instead.

Cars in the Park, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, Awesome event, especially the 7am dash to get a good spot at the event . My late moms 2.0Gli in red, close friends genuine XR8 and a reliable sierra 2.0Gle ( Poverty Spec !)

Probably best to measure up, Gabriel ZA standardized on the shock inserts on the escort MK1 and MK2, with an optional insert sleeve being supplied with all kits. The mk1 strut top should be the smaller diameter one.