HI there from stupiddad

[stupiddad]

Hi

I'm an old fart with time on my hands who bought a Ford Escort 1.3 new, please note there was no mark 1, ( on any old ford) and has driven all sorts of fords since.

My Mk4 Cortina has been well used since being dragged from the barn and now it's free of ved and mot with cheap insurance its probably worth doing some of the jobs I have been putting off for a while.

Currently that means backache from trying to get hot air flow to demist because all the perished foam has fallen down into the diverter blocking both up and down airflow while leaving high speed ambient (very cold) air fine.

My next trick will be to visit a mate while I have the heater box off and see if we can blow it clear. 

It drives well with poly bushes most places and pulls fairly well with Weber water choke carb from a 1.6 Sierra , DFTH I think offhand, and some  home porting. Next head upgrade is to skim a 1.6 head fitted with 2.0 cam and hardened exhaust ports which is currently being gently ported.

When the tin worm or speed humps have seen to the exhaust I will be looking for a four branch and 2" (probably).

As the gearbox is the original 4 speed I will be looking for a better diff at some point since  the 1st gear is ludicrously low if you are not pulling a caravan, but that will have to wait until I am getting something closer to 100bhp than 65.

For my sins I also have a phase 1  (yes there is a phase 1) 916 Alfa Spider 2.0 TS on which some of the electrics work, which ones vary from day to day and is one of the more involving things about trying to get places in an Alfa.

I am working on my Peugeot 406 coupe 3.0 V6 which will hopefully be on the road in the spring. Fantastic cruiser for silly money until I broke it.

What is vexing me at the moment, and the reason I finally got round to registering, is instrument cluster bulbs, there appear to be three different types, 3 larger panel illuminators, the warning light/telltales with finally the rear window heater switch bulb. I have ordered some T5 leds which I hope will sort the warning lights but I don't know what the other two types are.

I have a few tools and some experience so would be happy to help if anybody local was stuck.

[katana]

General gauge illumination likely to be T10 - large wedge base 5w and all the warning lights and switch illumination are T5's 2w or 1.3w. LED's usually work ok for the T10 application using the appropriate background colour but don't believe the T5's will be successful - too big or how the lights are switched compatibility.

[stupiddad]

Thanks for that Katana-didn't you used to be a Suzuki

[Vista]

Welcome to Old Skool Ford

There is a thread on here somewhere about LED substitutes for dash illumination bulbs. 

[stupiddad]

Hello and thank you Vista, been reviewing the topic and noticed one or two good ideas and a couple of dire warnings.

[Vista]

Here you go

 

 

[stupiddad]

Thank you Vista, that thread will take a while to understand, meantime  will share my issues with theheater.

[katana]

On 05/12/2019 at 08:39, stupiddad said:

Thanks for that Katana-didn't you used to be a Suzuki

Still am! Used to have a Katana drag bike and still have a GSXR 1100 but its no way stock LOL!

[stupiddad]

So do you have the strong angular jawline necessary to carry it off, the Katana thing I mean. I used to love mine but it went in favour of the FJ12. Yamaha all through, hardtail xs 650 when I finish the coupe. If god spares me. Nothing tingles like a parallel twin.