Advice needed on fitting badly made magnum panel

[5tox]

popped down to the car today to drop off a few bits and i couldnt help but pop my front radiator section in, its not welded in or anything yet.

 

i know that my chassis rails are correct as the gap between the two is 62cm which i believe to be correct.

The magnum panel appears way too wide, what are your views, should i just cut it straight down the middle and shorten it or unpick one end and re-weld it on?

is this definitely a mk1 escort panel? ive been on their website but its not great and i cant find the panel to check the number out

 

 

 

 

 

 

[over_head_cam]

From the pics it doesn't appear to look TOO bad. When the cars were new the panels didn't fit properly

 

It's difficult to really tell without being there.

[aden]

u wanna be trying the bonnet and wings on that mate before you start cutting things see how they look then hopefully u might be able to find out whats going on

[5tox]

okie doke, will get my bonnet sorted, my n/s front wing is done but i still need to source an o/s outer wing (on the cheap) probably wont be for a month or two as money is really tight at the moment

[samh]

hi i would also bolt in your engine cradle,as this will ensure that your legs are set at the right distance apart

[5tox]

yes ill definitely do that, ive had the cross member on and off several times within the last few months and it all seems to line up ok

[5tox]

im not smart enough to work this out so can somebody just confirm if i have this right,

 

the measurement between the front chassis rails should be 24 11/32, does this equate to 62cm?

 

[over_head_cam]

Looks right. I wouldn't worry TOO much, the tolerances of an Escort are normally around 6mm!

[Escort Mk1 4 Door]

24 11/32

also check

33 5/32 from the inner bolt holes on top mounts

and

43 23/32 between tips of the wings

[5tox]

Looks right. I wouldn't worry TOO much, the tolerances of an Escort are normally around 6mm!

 

bloody hell!

 

I guess no 2 escorts will measure the same, the idea is that if i can get it as near to perfect as possible now then it should make life easier when setting up my gap clearances etc...

[5tox]

24 11/32

also check

33 5/32 from the inner bolt holes on top mounts

and

43 23/32 between tips of the wings

 

Cheers buddy, ill be sure to double check those measurements too

 

im also gonna take the advice above and get my wings and bonnet bolted on making sure it all looks right before welding anything up

 

I'll struggle with this part as i can be REALLY over the top fussy about getting things spot on (probably a mild form of OCD)

ive been known to sit with the dremel tidying up welds in places nobody will ever see lol

[over_head_cam]

Nothing wrong with attention to detail mate, even when nobody will ever see it. Deffo get all the panels on, working from the bonnet and see what you've got

[Escort Mk1 4 Door]

welds need to be tidy mine are as they were done if u see them oh well lol

 

but also i have used oil barrels to make rear arch tubs so its not the tidyest of builds lol

[5tox]

24 11/32

also check

33 5/32 from the inner bolt holes on top mounts

and

43 23/32 between tips of the wings

 

is that the centre of the inner bolt hole N/S to the centre of the inner bolt hole O/S?

 

Also when you say the 'tips of the wings' do you mean as pictured below marked out in yellow?

 

[5tox]

welds need to be tidy mine are as they were done if u see them oh well lol

 

but also i have used oil barrels to make rear arch tubs so its not the tidyest of builds lol

 

hehe i had a very similar idea, not too sure if im gonna chop out my rear tubs and start again or just repair whats there, somebody has not done a very tidy job of it before

[Escort Mk1 4 Door]

is that the centre of the inner bolt hole N/S to the centre of the inner bolt hole O/S? yes thats it mate

 

Also when you say the 'tips of the wings' do you mean as pictured below marked out in yellow? no not there its the tip of the outter wings end of each front wing so beside the bonnet to make panel gap right

 

[Escort Mk1 4 Door]

mine had a bit of a red car welded in then a arch pop rivet on over the top  then 3/8 of an inch of filler over it, i kept the template i used to make my arches for the 4 door if u want to use it but i can get a standard tank in any more as i can fit 235/40/17's now as tested the arch on a amg wheel lol

hehe i had a very similar idea, not too sure if im gonna chop out my rear tubs and start again or just repair whats there, somebody has not done a very tidy job of it before