Eight Ball - Classic Ford

cover car feature3.9-litre v8 mkI“Before long there wasa big hole where thebulkhead and frontfloor had been”Coverstarwhy it’son thecoverV8-PoweredSometimes the way thingsused to be done are best.Classic RimsKiller-dished Compomotivesand Radial T/As combo.In The DetailChrome, a bit more chromeand a touch of chrome.Words Marc Stretton Photos Michael WhitestoneEight BallGary Preston’s Escort project began before hehad any thoughts of owning a classic Ford. Thestarting point was a rusted-out Rover SD1 .Back in the days when Duratec, Zetec andYB engines were no more than a twinklein Ford and Cosworth engineers’ eyes,there were limited choices to powertune classicblue ovals. One was to stick with what you had(Pre-Crosser, Crossflow, Pinto or Essex) andbore, stroke, polish and port until every horsehad been whipped out of the stables.A better plan was to pick up a copy of StreetMachine or Custom Car and follow the leadfrom that scene... go rob a Rover of its V8,savage the hell out of a car’s bulkhead and slotthe mega-torque thumper in under the bonnet.So, while it’s excellent to go visit project cars allround the country stuffed full of newtechnology, having a day in the company ofGary Preston from Romford and his 3.9-litreV8 MkI was a proper ‘old school’ pleasure.“There’s one main reason I’ve gone the way Ihave with my project,” says Gary, “and that’sthat I already had the engine in the shed. I wason a bricklaying job and the house owner wasscrapping a Rover SD1. Although I knewnothing about the V8 engine, it looked likesomething that would be fun to pull apart, sobought it from him. I read some books, spoketo some people, then back in my shed I startedplaying.” With the eight-potter back togetherthoughts turned to where it should live.I’ve always liked Fords, Anglias especially,”says Gary, “but it was a chance read of StreetMachine back around 1990 that really decidedthings. In that magazine was a MkI Escort,50 November 2008November 2008 51

cover car feature3.9-litre v8 mkIIn among the kids’ toys and Perry ComoLPs at a boot fair were these beauties.An immaculate build with all-steel bubbles, plus a bodycovered in Rover Trophy Blue and Mexico-inspired stripes.Some of that extra time went on developingthe initial plan. As the car was going to be soclean, the engine needed to be up-spec’d to suit,so was developed by CTM Engineering to thetune it’s at now (see tech spec). The motor,which is still running in, hasn’t been rollingroadedyet, but the power, and torque deliveryare more than enough for Gary. “When I firstbooted the throttle, it was winding up the axleso far the diff was knocking on the floor, so I’vetriangulated an extra bar to the original trampbars to keep everything solid,” he says.Other work had to be done on thetransmission (cutting down the remote housingon the gearbox to bring the gearlever 150 mmforward — somewhere close to where it shouldbe) and getting the steering column in past theengine was a nightmare. With the shorteststarter motor available and with the columndropped 40 mm to angle it past the block, it’stight but just works. Other head-scratchers weregetting the sump over the Escort crossmember,squeezing a bias pedal box into a footwell thathad shrunk considerably and cooling the Roverlump, but patience and experimenting have wonin the end.Bargain Bin RimsTopping off the old school look to this Escorthas to be the mega-dished Compomotive splitThere are bets being laid as to how longit takes Gary to bend the MkI.“The guy didn’t know what he wasselling... and to be fair, I didn’tknow exactly what I was buying”rims wrapped in BF Goodrich T/As. “Theycame from a boot fair,” says Gary. “The guydidn’t know what he was selling, and to be fair Ididn’t know what I was buying either. But whenI rang Compomotive to ask about some sparerims as the fronts were a bit shabby, they tookthe details and were straight back on the phoneasking all about them as they were from the earlydays of the company and are now very rare.Eventually I had some rims made up byMagnum Engineering, but those made the rearslook bad so they were done too, and my bargainAccording to Mike the snapper this V8 badgelooks like a snowman ski-jumping...The mug of a happy man. Gary’sgot 18 years’ graft behind him.wheels weren’t quite so cheap. The periodGoodrichs are also almost impossible to get holdof too, and I buy them whenever they turn up.I’ve got three sets now, but am still very gentleon them. The Escort has a line-lock, but I usethat more as an extra parking brake than to spinthe wheels”.After the alloys, the scooped and louvredbonnet (from a mate who’d had it on his EscortSavage) and acres of chrome, other trick featuresof Gary’s MkI are the stripped-out interior withfull cage, custom console and polished alloyfirewall (bent to shape with the use of two Black& Decker workmates and the weight of fouradults) but one feature which doesn’t really fallunder the old school heading is the paintwork.“I was always going to go for plain red like AndyRouse’s car that had inspired me,” says Gary,“but one day I was overtaken by one of thoseMGs and was hooked by the Trophy Blue. Wellit’s from the same firm as the engine.”A local bodyshop laid on the top coats andGary isn’t 100 per cent happy with the finish,even though by our judgement it is immaculateSo, BMWs are good for something,giving up their toolkits.That spare lookslike a product ofthe bander’sdark art.apart from a couple of imperfections on thebonnet. That shows the level Gary’s reachedwith this Escort and plenty of people havenoticed since he’s brought the finished articleout on the scene. “I entered a competition at myfirst show at Battlebridge,” he says, “and got arosette, which was pleasing. But then someonecame over with a trophy and handed it to me forsecond place overall. And then when I wentdown to the Ace Café, I felt like Moses — thecrowd just parted as I approached. It’s been sogood hearing everyone saying nice things aboutthe car and gets the most admiration when theengine fires and revs up.”As far as power choice for this MkI goes, well,each to their own. But on noise terms alonethere’s never going to be a ZeCosPintflow’dclassic Ford to beat this one... is there?Not sure what that is coming out of the rear end...hopefully it wasn’t fuel!Tech SpecBody1968 two-door Escort shell, fibreglass frontchin spoiler, steel bubble arches, modifiedbulkhead and gearbox tunnel, custom bonnetwith rear facing scoop and louvres, fourchromed Cibie Oscars, laminated AVO blue toptint screen, all new rubbers and chrome trim,chrome roof aerial, bullet wing mirrors,chequerplate boot liner with carbon fibrebattery box, ally spare wheel post, jack andmount, BMW E30 tool kit. Paint: Rover TrophyBlue with custom Mexico-style stripe kit fromDMB Graphics.EngineRover V8 3.9-litre, reworked Vitesse heads,bronze guides, Viper cam, dual springs, newpistons, ARP bolts, new timing gear, allinternals fully balanced, modified sump andpick-up pipe, 360 Offenhauser inlet manifold,390 Holley carburettor with dual throttle springupgrade, chrome rocker covers and T-bolts, lotsof other chromed components, Moroso leadsand high-output coil, large capacity radiator,10-inch electric cooling fan, 12 gallon ally fueltank, Facet silver top fuel pump and Filter Kingpressure regulator, fuel pressure gauge,Goodrich and Earls braided hoses, blueanodised fixings, custom mounts, short starter(to clear steering column), LumenitionOptronic ignition, Micro Dynamics LED supershift, twin home-made 4-1 exhaust headers,exhaust wrap, two-inch straight throughsystem, custom rear silencers.TransmissionRover five-speed gearbox with shortenedremote housing to bring lever forward by150 mm, McLeod street/strip clutch, polishedbell housing, Reco-prop, Capri RS3100 narrowAtlas axle, 3.9:1 final drive.SuspensionFront: wedged Bilstein 2.25-inch adjustableplatforms, alloy roller bearing top mounts,Grp 4, 300/70 tarmac inserts, 300lb springs,adjustable track control arms, quick rack,Grp 4 steering coupling, anti-dive kit, chromestrut brace, polybushed. Rear: AVOadjustables, triangulated tramp bars,Panhard rod, Leda decambered leaf springs.BrakesFront: Hi-Spec four-pot callipers, FerodoFCP1562H pads, Brembo cross-drilled discs.Rear: 9 inch drums. Strengthened bias pedalbox, dash-mounted adjuster, remote servo,line-lock, braided hoses and new pipes.Wheels And TyresGenuine 1970s Compomotive TF300 splitrims 8Jx13 front, 10Jx13 rear, polishedcentres, new outer and inner rims, flush-fitvalves. Classic BF Goodrich Radial T/A tyres215/50x13 front 235/50x13 rear.InteriorRage Racing reclining bucket seats, Lukecompetition harnesses, RS2000 dash, Momosteering wheel, Safety Devices six-pointcage, chrome door bars, polished alloy doorcards and furniture, no carpet or headlining,polished ally rear firewall, chequerplate footplates, chrome handbrake and gearknob,chrome-on-steel centre console with Sonyhead unit, clock and switch panel, mirrorattached to roll bar, interior fusebox,chromed glovebox lid, chrome hand-heldextinguisher, polished sill covers.ThanksKevin Storey, for trying to teach me how toweld, Charlie at CTM PerformanceEngineering for engine work, Darran atEscort Tec for all the little things you lose orforget, DMB Graphics for getting the stripesright, Pipecraft for the exhaust, Old SkoolFord, all the guys at Moors Garage for notlaughing when I hit their wall, for all thepeople who have seen the car and liked it,Mum and Dad and Trick my family. pipe joiners And are finally, borrowed toPearl... the Escort. from a Formula One car.54 November 2008 November 2008 55