old ford pub legends

[herb capri]

OK HAPPY NEW YEAR !

 

Here's something that happened to me, well not in a pub but it falls into that field,,,,,

 

Well this autumn I was in a lay by lunch wagon stop near Trowbridge, I was running in my escort engine and pulled over to check my escorts fluids and empty some of my own when an old bloke pulled in with a artic and came over to admire the car. We enjoyed a mug of tea as he told me he used to work for ford in the sixties and seventies, he was testing brakes etc and sometimes testing new models.

 

He was pleased to hear I had a 3.0 litre mk1 capri and told me he was in the team that tested one of the early prototypes, it had a flat pre facelift bonnet [slightly lifted], and modded air filter but was badged as a 2000 gt.

 

This car was being road tested for gearbox ratios and axle set up. The test was going good down to Wales from Halewood and at Cardiff. They pulled over for the night and the production crew did a night shift to fit another gearbox and axle with other ratios. In the morning they got the keys and the maintainance crew left while my man had his fry up breakfast.

 

The guy left with his mate, got into the 3 litre, the engine rumbled into life and they pulled away. 1st gear fine, 2nd ok but would not come out of second! After a brief stop they realised it was firmly stuck in second, they used a call box and rang ford and were told: "just follow the route and try to meet up with the crew in north wales", The schedule was 7 hours, no motorways, hills, mountains and towns all to be got through!

 

They went on in second all the way with speeds reaching 70 or 80 at a push! They eventually met the crew some 2 and a half hours late,the crew changed the faulty gearbox put in a new clutch as welsh hills in second gear hill starts had nearly killed it!!

 

The next day they got the keys and did over the next week another 1500 miles on the same engine,no signs of problems after its high revving torture!

 

How true it is I dont know but it made me think of the stories I heard in the late seventies , i.e. "my dad had a 1300 escort that could do a ton ten" or the "Devizes to Bournmouth and back in a hot capri in 90 mins!"

How many such stories have you have heard of? put them down for all to read or even some incredible feats of your own!!

 

mike

[Vista]

Good story Mike, but Cardiff to North Wales in second gear? I bet that cost them a few bob in petrol. Even at 70's rates per gallon.

 

I'll bet he's jazzed up the story a bit over the years!

[john_3.0s]

I loose track of the complete b0llox ive been told over the years, but i think the best was a bloke who tole me he had 155 out of a 3.1 capri up the A22, if he did it was down to speedo cal im sure!

 

I used to get sick of people telling me 'they never made a mk1 rs2000'

[rallyesport04]

i had one of them mine was a mexico tho blah bnlah blah my dad had one of them it was a bda rs one blah blah blah hear it all the time

talking of gear ratios i had a 2000e s/c c/r gearbox with a 3.54 diff an i could get 55mph in first gear was a bit of a sod off the line quickly kept bogging with the lumpy cam