The Roaring Season

Yeh Rod I do want to run it ,really just got to finish putting the engine together ,its all there ,prob is I don't really want to leave it sittting around on the valve springs with out using it regulary as thats the reason I pulled the engine apart ,a set of springs is like $2200 ,but I would like to try and do the OSCA reunion meeting and the HD January meeting next year ,or at the minimum do a demo anyway

Be good to see her go again its a neat car. Got some photos tonight of another thats all but rebuilt/finished from Rotorua and it will be great to see him back out for some fun. Starting to put my escort back together slowly and i think will have to look at engine even though it has only sat on the floor in a bag for about 15 years, all new never fired a shot yet, wind it over but don't know, will maybe pull them and check anyway. I will put new wheels, fuel cell etc. Can not find my bloody log book, so imagine dramas with cage etc. If gets too awkward theres still fish out there. I am not going to play with the brakes as i want it to be as it was in Shellsport, it stopped most the time.

I agree with Rod - that is a stunning car and I love the colour scheme. Do you still have the Hart 416 engine and is that the power plant for this car ?

No the engine is now a 2 litre Alloy Block BDA which I used for the last couple of meetings in the car when I ran it ,the 416B after a lot of soul searching I sold to Rayden Smith to put in the ex Williment Escort which is where it is now ,but running on carburetors,I thought that was a good home for it

Yes Bob that was a great home for the engine. I love to see Rayden three wheeling that car around corners just as Jimmy used to do.

Do you have any time set for getting the Escort back on track ?

Where did the hart engine come from originally?

Pull your finger out Bob. I want to see it going again.

rogered wrote:Where did the hart engine come from originally?

I brought the engine from Bryce Platt who had ran it in his Escort in 1600cc form at one stage ,before that from what I found out it raced In Australia F2 in a car that Geoff Brabham drove ,but I am open to correction on that one.I used the cylinder head etc in a 1850 cc engine in the Escort for the first season,I then ran a 2litre Alloy block twin cam in it briefly before taking that engine out to convert to a BDA ,this took a lot longer than I intended after getting totally mucked around with a couple of people doing work on it and the motor only finally went back into the Escort for the last couple of club meetings before I parked the car up The season before the BDA went back in ,unbeknown to most people I only ran a 1600cc short stroke Paul England engine I had ,actually the car went surprisingly well with that little engine and still gave a good account of itself, ( I just drove it harder ) that Paul England Engine which had also been a Aussie F2 engine went into my classic Escort TC for awhile ,its now retired to my engine collection.The BDA I have totally rebuilt myself and awaits final assembly

Saw this tidy Mk1 escort engine bay at the 2009 All Ford Day in Tauranga

Ahh That was the engine we built for Derek Cecil

Here In Rayden Smiths Escort ,Rayden in the green shirt ,the rest a lot of old faces from the past,Mary Carney,myself,Alan Boyle,and Barry Phillips

Bob, the car is looking stunning! Well done. Where did the alloy BDA come from? Would this be similar to what used to be used in the works MkII Escort world rally cars in the late 70s?

Yes the same ,not sure of the exact history of the block now ,but I know I brought about four of them before I got a decent one ,the late Murray Walker and I brought up a lot of them between us back around the eighties and we sort of went through them and kept the best,cylinder heads we did likewise

It'll be great to hear this little car scream again Bob. When are you hoping to have it back on the track?

Bob posted this request in the For Sale section, but I think it should be posted here also, so hopefully someone here can help?

"I am wondering if any one has a under bonnet photo of my Escort with the Paul England Twin cam engine in it .It would have been in the time it carried the Whakatane Auto Spares signage or the Lees Ford signage ,its possible that the word "England "on the cam cover may be visiable
Thanks, Bob"

Thanks Steve,yes just realised the other day it would be nice to have one of that engine in there,its been in a few different cars in its time

This photo with the Auto Spares signage would have been with the Paul England Engine

That car is completely wild Bob! When does it get its first outing?

Steve Holmes wrote:That car is completely wild Bob! When does it get its first outing?

Steve.I am just waiting on the last of my engine parts to arrive as we speak ,so I will get back there as time allows,I have given up mentioning dates as something always crops up at work to take my time away

Thanks Bob. Are you excited about getting it back out again?

Where and when was the photo in post #37 taken? I'm trying to figure out what that white thing in the top left corner is. Sort of looks like a Late Model speedway sedan, but it can't be if its in the pits with you.