En how 2 guide om hvordan gi bilen din ett nytt liv (Extreme Modem Warn!)

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Mk2 Clubman Rally Car Build

 

24/7/2002 - The Donor Car

 

Well here's the Mk2 I'm going to use as the basis for my car to go club rallying in. I've had it a couple of months but not done too much to it other than given it a good powerwash.

 

 

 

 

Built in 1978 it has 46000 miles on the clock and other than a nasty matt black spray can paint job is in good condition overall. This is with the exception of the roof which has been jumped on and has a massive dint in it which looks like it won't push out. The bloke said it had not been welded which was a nice change (or so I thought) but it was dark when I fetched it so I couldn't check. Thanks to my Dad for fetching it with me and to Gordon's Trailers (at Shirebrook) for the short notice hire of the car transporter.

 

I fetched the car from a bloke in Chelmsford, having answered an advert he placed on the e-bay Auction Site. I bought the car without even seeing it but the price was right ;-) so it was not much of a risk.

 

 

 

A couple of weeks after I bought it (having transferred it into my name on the log book) I was fined for not having filled in a SORN for it. I didn't know you had to! Anyway save yourself £25 and get one filled out if you keep a car that is untaxed.

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8/7/2002 - Roof Panel Replacement

 

As I thought the dint in the roof panel would not push out. I therefore had to remove the dinted panel and replace it.

 

 

 

First off I tried a bloke I knew fron Ford to see itf I could still get the panel (yeah right - no chance!). In the end I got a full second hand roof from a friend and cut the panel off that.

 

 

 

Recommendation for those of you thinking of doing this yourself - DON'T!

 

 

 

It was, without doubt the most pain in the ass job I have even done with bodywork on a car. I reckon it took me about the equivalent of five full days work (spread over a month).

 

 

 

I rate the steps in doing the job as follows:

 

 

 

1. Grinding off the old roof panel (taking car not to go through the gutters!) I gave up trying to drill out the spot welds. Allow two days. 2nd HARDEST

 

 

 

2. Removing the Panel out of the donor roof without damaging the mounting flanges. Allow three or four days. The HARDEST - a right pain in the ass.

 

 

 

3. Welding the replacement panel on. Allow half a day. EASIEST

 

 

 

Leading in the roof after the job was even more frustrating!

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28/7/2002 - General Condition of the Shell

 

Since I bought the car I've sold the seats (a beige vinyl affair - no good for rallying) and given the 45000 mile engine and box away to a mate who blew it up after 3 days (they're not built to do 95mph for twenty minutes at a time Jim!)

 

I've removed the rest of the interior trim together with the glass (which had to come out for the roof panel replacement. The brake lines are off, the engine bay and boot have also been cleared and the loom and all lights/bumpers have been taken off.

 

After I'd done this I decided that whilst I'd got the car in bits I'd replace the wings and front panel and slam panels as, even though they showed no signs of rot whatsoever, the had quite a lot of surface rust on them. In hindsight I think I should have had them sandblasted instead.

 

Here's what I've found:

 

 

The floor pan is in very good condition with the exception of there having been a (bad) bodged repair on the front corner to sill joints of each of the front floor pans. The rest of the inner sills are largely unmarked except for some slight surface rust near the repairs. The rear pans are superb.

 

 

 

 

The rear bulkhead is in as new condition. The petrol tank well requires some repair work

 

 

 

The chassis is the best I have ever seen for a long time. No welding has been done and none is required. Yippee!

 

 

 

With the front end removed and the inner wings exposed the front of the car can be seen to be in superb condition. The front chassis legs are like new and the inner wings, despite having a small amount of surface rust are absolutely solid. The wing rails are too. It gets better!

 

 

 

 

The boot floor is mint. However both of the inner rear arches have rusted through in the corners where they join the spare wheel and petrol tank wells. Thought it was too good to be true!

 

 

 

 

The A Panels are solid on both sides and are covered in some sort of thick underseal/plasticy stuff. Both rear arches are solid.

 

 

 

 

So to the body shell repair job list:

 

 

 

1. Remove bodge and re-repair drivers front floorpan/sill

 

2. Remove bodge and re-repair passenger front floorpan/sill

 

3. Repair rear of drivers inner wheel arch

 

4. Repair rear of passenger inner wheel arch

 

5. Repair petrol tank well

 

6. Fit new front panel

 

7. Fit new slam panel

 

8. Fit new wings

 

 

 

I intend to full seam weld the underneath of the car and the engine bay as per the Wallage 'Escort Rally Preparation' Book and also to fit a six point roll cage. I have decided not to go the whole hog and 5 link and/or turret the rear end however I will be fitting anti-tramp bars and full bilstein suspension to the car.

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Underside Stripped:

 

 

 

Well after finally finishing my rollover jig I'm at last going to be making a start on the welding.

 

 

 

Before doing this I decided to strip off all the underseal from the chassis and floor pan. It was a lot easier than with my Mk1, having laid on my back under the car for that one, this time using the spit. It took me about three nights in total. It is necessary in order for me to do the seam welding I want to do and also I want to paint it body colour again even though it's not destined to be a show car.

 

 

 

I have uncovered one patch of rust on the passenger side chassis leg when the centre section joins the rear one. I intend to cut this out completely and repair so that it is 'invisible'. The inner wings have proven to be in excellent condition underneath as expected as has the boot floor.

 

 

 

 

My next jobs will involve welding up the floor pan where I cut out the old repair work, fixing the tank and spare wheel wells and welding up the hole I've made in the chassis where I've cut out the rot, then it's on with the seam welding and strengthening for rallying. : )

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Tank/Wheel Well Repairs

 

 

 

I got a bit carried away with the angle grinder tonight and cut out a bit more than I intended to. Anyway the rust is definitely all gone now and I am ready to start putting metal back to replace it.

 

 

 

I have managed to get hold of some repair panels from the local motor factors to help with this but will need to make up additional bits to fill in where these don't cover what I've cut out.

 

 

 

When I do repair work I usually try and leave as much of the good metal in place and cut the repair panel down to suit. Here I have cut the spare wheel well repair panel down to fill the gap I have made.

 

 

 

 

 

I ended up making a repair panel for the tank well as the one I bought was a cr*p fit. Easy enough though just bent up a piece of sheet cut to match using a cardboard template. The spare wheel well I joggled to make the best repair I could. The panels have then been painted using anti-rust treatment.

 

 

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Seam Welding Chassis/Panels

 

 

 

I have decided to seam weld the car to forest rally spec just in case I decide to have a go later ;)

 

 

 

This involves stitch welding various parts of the chassis and bodyshell with half inch tacks at one and a half inch intervals. It's quite a big job and is quite expensive to have done professionally. I decided to do it myself as usual and with the aid of the Ford Escort Rally Preparation book I have managed to do, in my opinion quite a decent job of it.

 

 

 

The first part I did was the chassis legs. These have been welded on both sides of each leg along their entire length. Took about five or six hours in all I suppose - but then I'm not a fast welder. The thing i found to be of most use was to rub them down to bare metal first. The mig then works fine!

 

 

 

 

 

All panel joins have to be welded as well as shown here. Also shown is the repair I have done to the passenger floor pan.

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Engine Bay Gussets

 

 

 

A known weak point when rallying either of the RWD Escorts in the front chassis leg to bulkhead area. The weakness is negated through fitting of gussets in this area. The gussets are fairly simple being made of 2mm plate in an 'L' shape. I am lazy though and bought a pair from rally design rather than making them myself.

 

 

 

They are welded on the the chassis/bulkhead using half inch tack welds at one inch intervals. When mine were finished they looked like this.

 

 

 

Note the seam welding in the engine bay and on the tunnel to bulkhead panel joint.

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Strut Tower Strengthening

 

 

 

I've been busy seam welding the strut pan and the support to inner wing joins again using half inch tack welds at one inch intervals. I am happy with the results - it's sooooo nice to weld on metal that's not rusty!

 

 

 

I've also fitted new strengthening pieces to the bottom of each struts tower and seam welded these as well as per the rally preparation book.

 

 

 

 

 

I have also flattened the bulkhead lip and seam welded this down as you are supposed to.

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Shell Repairs Finished

 

 

 

Following cutting out the petrol tank and spare wheel wells in the boot of the car, the repair panels have been fitted and weled in from both inside and outside the car.

 

 

 

 

 

I also ended up cutting out the rotten section of the chassis where the centre piece joins (overlaps) the bback section of the chassis. in this part where the car had been jacked up in the past the paint and underseal had long since gone leaving the chassis exposed to the elements. It had of course started to 'flake'. Rather than attempt to bodge it up I had some repair sections made at work and cut out the rot with a cutting disc, cleaned up the whole area and welded in the new steel.

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Strut Top Plates

 

 

 

To further strengthen the strut tops today I have added RS top plates (which should be on the RS shell anyway). I was going to buy some Group 4 top plates as these are a bit thicker and larger but I was told by a bloke from R.A.C.E. in Stoke that the standard RS ones are strong enough so as I had some kicking around the garage I've used them instead.

 

 

 

Before welding I bolted the top plates to the strut towers to make sure they didn't move when I welded them up. I had also cleaned all the paint off both the inner wing and the top plates (they were secondhand) to ensure a good weld. In order to make them as strong as possible they were drilled loads of times (pic 1) and then these holes were plug welded (pic 2).

 

 

 

After this all the plug welds were dressed flat with a linishing pad then both top plates were seam welded round their outer edges before being coated in anti-rust paint (pic 3).

 

 

 

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Underbody Skids

 

 

 

Even more strengthening today. I have welded on some chassis skids these fit between the chassis rail and the sill, runnung under the front floor pans. Not only do they prevent damage to the chassis rails but they also strengthen the shell and stop sharp objects from piercing the floorpan. The panels are quite thick and take some 'adjusting' with the big hammer to get them to sit flush with the chassis, floor and sill. I welded them with half inch tacks before seam sealing round the edges to prevent them becoming a water trap.

 

 

 

 

 

I have also added skids to the rear spring hanger which prevents them being ripped off when the car runs aground. These are quite easy to fit and are welded with half in tacks at one inch intervals. While I was in the garage I also cut the base of the rear panel which stops bounders from ripping it off.. This was cut with the angle grinder before being rolled to give a 'safe' edge. The seam was then sealed with seam sealer ready to be painted.

 

 

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Big Tunnel

 

 

 

After having a nightmare removing a standard RS2000 engine and box from a different car I decided a long time ago to fit a big tunnel into the rally car. This not only makes it easier (and faster) to get the unit in and out of the car but also gives plenty of room should it jump about over the rough stuff.

 

 

 

It's a big job but if you take your time easy never the less. I started by putting the new tunnel in place and drawing round it. I then cut about 25mm inside this line with the angle grinder. Using tin snips this 25mm area was slices at 40mm (ish) intervals to make a series of tabs which were then bent up to suit the shape of the new tunnel. The tunnel was then tacked in place at regular intervals before being fully seam welded in place.

 

 

 

The weld was then dressed with a linishing pad and finally treated to some seam sealer.

 

 

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Which Turrets?

 

 

 

I wanted to turret the rear of the car as everyone I have spoken to says this is the best mod as far as suspension goes when doing a budget build.

 

 

 

Initially I decided to go for a set of Clubman Turrets which I bought from Rally and Competition Equipment in Stoke. These are very nice quality and reasonably cheap. Then I saw some of the Works 'round' variety in a friend's rally car and changed my mind.

 

 

 

A trip to Prepfab near Newark yielded a pair of these along with a shed load of advice (thanks Marcus for taking the time to explain things). I recommend Prepfab - they've got some rally nice stuff. Anyway here's some pics of the two different types of turret side by side for you to see the differences.

 

 

 

All I need to do now is summon up the energy and balls to cut my rear arches and fit them!

 

 

 

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More Rally Mods

 

 

 

It's been a while since I updated the site but I have made some progress on the car build.

 

 

 

The rear turrets are now in (big job!!). This proved to be quite difficult (understatement) - the inner wheel arch metal is suprisingly thin and getting a strong weld without burning lots of holes is not easy. Measurements using the Prepfab round turrets are 26.5 inches back from the edge of the door opening to the centre line of the turret and 39.5 inches between turret centres. Getting them in straight is a job and a half!

 

 

 

The roll cage was fitted (then taken out again) to get the positions of the feet and the plates for these to mount on were welded in where these sat. The plates go on the inner rear arch (extending up the quarter panel), at the rear of the floor (extending up the rear seat base) and in the outer corners of the front footwells. 2.5mm thick plate was used approx 6 inches square at each point.

 

 

 

Also I put the engine and gearbox together and fitted them to the car. This was required to mark the position of the gearbox crossmember. The unit was then taken out and the mounts welded in place. The gearbox tunnel has also been modified to provide the required clearance for the five speed and the gearlever hole cut in it's new position. Both the gearlever hole (hole?!) and the gearbox mounts were salvaged off the original tunnel which was cut out to make way for the larger one.

 

 

 

The drain holes in the floor have also been plated over.

 

 

 

 

I have also fitted the chassis mount tower for the panard rod I am using. This was in a clubman kit from R.A.C.E. in Stoke which cost £65. The kit also includes the mount for the axle, the rod itself, a rosejoin as well as a poly bushs and the bolts etc. Quite good quality although the tower itself needed some bashing to get a good fit. The height of the tower is adjustable. Following advice from friends I plated the area in the boot where the mount was welded to with 2.5mm thick steel. Apparently the tower can take a bashing during rallying and any added strength is a bonus.

 

 

 

Hard to see on these photos but I have also re-inforced the bump stop area with 2.5mm plate as I expect the car to be bottoming out quite a bit!

 

 

 

I have also welded plates to a number of other areas on the shell. A bulkhead plate has been added to strengthen this area, again this was purchased from R.A.C.E. at Stoke for £17.

 

 

 

Plates for the seat rails have been put in although I still need to get the box section for the rails themselves. The plates arre set further back where the Co-Driver sits as their seat is fixed so the driver can see easily out of the passenger window as most of the time in a rally the car is sideways!

 

 

 

As I am fitting a hydraulic handbrake I have also fitted a strengthening plate on top of the propshaft tunnel where this will sit.

 

 

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More Progress

 

 

 

The seat rails are now in place. These are made from 30mm box section steel with a wall thickness of 3.2mm. They are a bit hefty for the job but that was the smallest size steel I could get from work! As well as supporting the seats they will obviously add strength to the shell in the event of a side impact.

 

 

 

I copied off a friend car to get the dimensions (his car has a Gartrac prepared shell). The passenger side rails are set back 9 inches from the front of the standard seat cross member and the drivers side 5.5 inches. The rails themselves are 13 inches apart and stand up 3.5 inches from the lowest part of the floor. In case you are wondering all the different coloured paints are various brands of anti rust paint. I always use this when adding new metal to any part of the car.

 

 

 

I am fitting an alloy rear firewall to the car. The one I have bought is about 30mm too narrow to reach from turret to turret. In order to bridge this gap, and to give a strong mounting point for the panel, I have welded in some thin angle (about 1.2mm thick) down each turret. I have also filled the void between the rear parcel shelf and each turret by cutting and shaping a plate for each side of the car. This type of job drives me nuts, as they are small things which take ages to do. There are also three big holes in the 'C' pillar which have to be sealed over. Again, as you can see form the picture below, plates were made and welded into place to fill these.

 

 

As all the welding to the floor pan has been completed I have treated the whole of the underside of the car, including the chassis rails, to a coat of anti rust paint. The whole lot has then been coated with Stoneguard as can be seen below. Hopefully this will keep the rust at bay and prevent some of the damage which would otherwise be caused by stones etc flying up off the tyres when I'm rallying.