Hello! My name is Giazzo, I'm from Italy, and I've recently acquired 2 Ford Escorts MK1 equipped with the X-Flow 940-cc engine.
One is from 1970, the other is 1 year older. The "eldest" is in quite a bad shape and requires a full floor panel reconstruction on both sides as well as a thoroughful overhaul, while the "youngest" is in working order but still needs some tweaks and modifications here and there in order to run smoothly.
Actually, I have a "special project" for these two: together with a couple of friends, we want to repair them both and use them to undertake the Mongol Rally in 2023, which is a non-competitive, "funny" race/adventure where you have to drive from Europe to Mongolia without any kind of help and with your own itinerary. The only limit into place is that all cars must have an engine < 1000 ccs (that's why the cars are both 940 ccs).
It is a crazy idea, but I really liked the MK1 Escort () and I thought that - if properly prepared - they could do the job and prove that, even after 52 years, they still rock under heavy conditions. 💪
We are going under the name "The Travelling Nerds", and we are going to video-record all the story, including the repairs, and publish it in episodes on YouTube. The first episode is now available at the link below, where you can see the cars (and understand why I ended up with 2, instead of one 😅). A second episode is in production, focused on brakes, switching from dynamo to alternator, etc.
We thought you might like our project, and we look forward to hear your feedback!
Cheers to all! 👋
-Giazzo