Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2025 i Classic Ford

In the beginning Classic Ford’s roots actually lie in two other magazines — Fast Ford and Ford Heritage. The latter was a spin-off of Fast Ford, launched in 1993 as a quarterly with each issue being themed (the first was about Ford’s relationship with Cosworth). Ford Heritage ran for 20 issues with the last edition hitting the shelves in May 1997 — one month before Classic Ford launched. Starting as a bi-monthly with the June/July 1997 issue (right), it went monthly with the April 1998 edition, then 13 issues a year from 2005, and hasn’t looked back since! THE PRATMOBILE Only Fools And Horses legend Featured: July 2021 For viewers of a certain persuasion, there was one truly mood-shifting vehicle in Only Fools and Horses, and it wasn’t that little…

We’re sure most of us have a soft spot for the cars that lived on our driveways during our youth. For Darren Amos, this car happened to be the Mk5 Cortina in the shape of a Midnight Blue 1.6L saloon with tan interior, belonging to his father. “I remember that car when it was just two years old,” he smiles, “I was often to be found washing and polishing the exterior and once sat in the passenger seat, I felt so proud witnessing my polishing efforts on the long bonnet that lay in front!” Even on the rare occasions that bonnet wasn’t so shiny, Darren still felt proud his family were able to own a Cortina. “I eventually got to drive that same car after I’d passed my driving test,”…

PAY LESS AND NEVER MISS AN ISSUE! SEE PAGE 20 Twin-cam double act Transmissions explained Sierra Rally Challenge survivor DIY dizzy demo Contents correct as we go to press and may change ON SALE January 17! Meanwhile, get your classic Ford fix at https://linktr.ee/classicford Ask for it in your friendly local newsagents, or call us now on 01959 543747 NEWSAGENT ORDER FORM Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms Newsagent, I want a copy of Classic Ford magazine! Please reserve/deliver* a copy of Classic Ford on a regular basis, commencing with the next issue. *delete as appropriate IF YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS AN ISSUE: One of the best ways to ensure you receive every issue of Classic Ford is to place an order with your local newsagent. Once set up, your copy of Classic…

There’s never any need to question why you would want to change a distributor’s points and condenser for an electronic gadget, until things go wrong or you spend a couple of hours swearing with a set of feeler gauges. When a condenser fails, or the gap for the points closes up, you’ll surely wish for something better. For peace of mind, an electronic ignition conversion is the best option. The work involved in converting to electronic ignition generally isn’t very difficult. It all depends on the access you have to the distributor. We’ve shown how to fit an electronic ignition module from H&H Ignition Solutions. It uses a circular trigger wheel, which sits over the centre shaft of the distributor. Inside this trigger wheel, there are four magnets, which spin…

QUERY OF THE MONTH Pushrod into Pop Q I’ve found myself a 100E Pop, and I have a few plans for the car! I am thinking of swapping the motor to a 1600 Crossflow — what is required for the job, is there large amounts of fabrication needed? Can I fit front disc brakes? I am thinking of doing the job with an Escort Mk1 leg struts. Is this possible? Mark Cavendish UK A The classic way to get a Crossflow into a 100E is to use the Prefect 107E crossmember, Crossflow front-bowl sump and timing cover, oil pick-up pipe and dipstick, 105E engine mounts, three-rail gearbox (2000E ratios are best) custom prop and exhaust. The old radiator should be OK, but with the 107E top and bottom hoses and…

Back in 2010 the Slowly Sideways organisers started to host the Eifel Rallye Festival for historic rally cars, they didn’t expected that this event would be such a big success from the outset. Some 14 years on, and for 2024 an incredible 174 cars made it to the starting grid, bringing thousands of spectators lots of joy and happiness across six special stages on the Friday and Saturday around the Eifeltown of Daun in Germany. The competitors weren’t competing against the clock, instead the Tarma and dirt stages were just for fun and to show off their incredible historic rally cars. Amongst the participants we found a big number of Fords starting with an Anglia, Mk2 Cortina, Falcon and, of course, a lot of Escorts alongside two Evo-spec RS200s from…

With most things in life, there’s getting things done, and then there’s getting things done right. For some people, there’s very little to distinguish between the two — after all, if something works, then why worry about the finer details? But for a certain slice of the population, this distinctly nonchalant attitude just simply won’t cut it. For these acutely-driven people, you either do it right, or not at all. And when it comes to restoring classic cars, that void between ‘done’ and ‘right’ is a chasm as wide as the Grand Canyon. “I’ve always been a bit detail-obsessed, especially with my cars,” laughs electrical engineer Bob Davison, when we meet him and his immaculately-restored, 1981 Capri 3.0S outside the nondescript premises of SM Classic Car Restorations in Doncaster. “So…

Order online at shop.kelsey.co.uk/CFPRODUCTS (or scan the QR code to your left) Or call (UK) 01959 543747 (Overseas) +44 1959 543747 CLASSIC FORD BINDERS! FROM ONLY £10.95 JANUARY 2025 Classic Ford Awards; Prototype Escort Monte; Tuning guide: NA Cosworth YB; How to: sill and A-panel repair; Heritage: Cortina Savage; Restored: Capri 1600L; Buyer’s guide: Mk3 Granada DECEMBER 2024 148-page Buying special; FordFest; Tuning guide: Pre-Crossflow; How to: service your Ford; Heritage: Anglia 105E; Restored: Capri 280; Buyer’s guide: Mk3 Fiesta NOVEMBER 2024 Great Unveiling special: Mk2 Fiesta, Mk2 Mexico, Mk1 Escort, Mk2 Granada; How to: baffle a sump; Heritage: Turbo Technics Capri 2.8i; Restored: Cortina GXL; Buyer’s guide: Puma 1.4/1.7 OCTOBER 2024 Dream Fords special; ST170 Mk2 Escort Van; Zetec Anglia 105E; How to: repair chassis rails; Heritage: Capri 1600L;…

Who would have thought back in 1997 when Classic Ford launched (that’s issue number one above) that the magazine would be celebrating its 350th issue in 2025? The classic Ford scene has grown immeasurably since those days, but one thing that hasn’t changed is our — and your—passion for these awesome cars and vans, and arguably most important of all, the people and their stories behind them. 28 years and 350 issues is a long time in magazine publishing, particularly in this day and age when many long-standing print titles are fighting an uphill battle, yet here we are, and — without wishing to jinx things — we’re not going anywhere soon. Whether in print or digital form, Classic Ford as a magazine now reaches enthusiasts all over the world,…

PRODUCT OF THE MONTH FOUR AND FIVE-SPEED GEARKNOBS £19.80 Rally Design With prices for good, original ones starting to get daft, Rally Design has stepped in and can now supply replica gear knobs for the Type E four-speed and Type-9 five-speed gearboxes. Moulded in black with white lettering, the knobs feature an M10x1.5 thread and Rally Design reckons they are close replicas to the original Ford items. Contact: www.rallydesign.co.uk M16 CALLIPER SPACERS £33 Burton Power If you want to convert your M16-shod classic Ford to run vented discs then Burton Power can supply a spacer kit to convert a pair of the callipers to fit the wider vented discs that were used on the Capri 2.8i and Group 1 Escort RS models. The Burton Power kit is an accurate copy…

Anyone who learned to drive in the late 1980s or early 1990s will probably have started off in either a Mini or a Ford of some description. These cars were cheap, mods were plentiful and the fun factor really couldn’t be any greater for the money. Initially, Karl Scott was a certified Mini fan, though the 1275GT bought by his dad probably played a strong influence. “I was just 10 at the time, “Karl smiles, “I soon became addicted to all things Mini and just couldn’t get enough of them.” By the time he was 15, Karl pulled a Mini Clubman out of a field and spent two years restoring it ready for when he passed his driving test. And you’d imagine that’d be a clue to how things panned out.…

The All Ford Day in Sydney once again brought together a broad selection of Fords with anything from the Model T to late-model Mustangs being displayed on the day. The organisers, The Combined Ford Clubs of NSW, were very pleased with the number and diversity of cars that were present. The 60th Anniversary of the Mustang needed to be celebrated and the Mustang Owners’ Club of Australia worked hard to ensure they had at least 60 older Pony cars and another 60-plus of the S550 model on show. They easily exceeded their goal. The Aussie-built Falcons were in abundance and covered most models from their 56 years in production. The Early Falcon Club put together an impressive display while the very desirable GT models of the late 1960s to mid…

Email hi-res images to classicford.ed@kelsey.co.uk or post them up on our Facebook page.…

K is for… Knocking Knocking is a noise you don’t want to hear from any engine. It indicates the motor’s at risk of destruction. It is caused by a violent increase in pressure after normal ignition. This occurs when uncontrolled ignition takes place, instead of the normal, progressive burning of the air/fuel mixture. The noise (resonations within the chambers) is accompanied by power loss and overheating and piston meltdown in extreme cases. Notable causes of knocking include a compression ratio (CR), which is too high for the fuel to cope with, or ignition timing which is too far advanced. High temperatures and excessive deposits within the combustion chambers make matters worse. A tendency to knock can be reduced by the use of higher octane fuel or octane-boosting products can be…

As much as I love this Sierra it’s so often spent time off the road due to annoying issues. The original 1.8 was ripped out after developing a plug fouling problem, then swapped for a lairy, rebuilt 2-litre. With a Bestek ignition system and gorgeous pair of twin 44 IDFs from Webcon, the potential for a lot of fun is definitely there. There were some issues to be dealt with though, firstly the exhaust. In no way was a standard peashooter system with a novelty tailpipe going to cut it when it came to old-school, normally-aspirated tuning! Luck would have it that a regular of many Classic Ford Tours, Frank Frostick just happened to be selling a custom stainless exhaust from his Pinto’d Sierra race car, so while on a…

You’ve heard about rallying in Ireland but Donegal each June is a different experience. To give a measure of its popularity there was in the region of 8 million views on the event’s Facebook page within just a short period as the event built up, local bars had drink promo offers based on who was fastest on each stage and the town comes to a standstill each evening with rally fan traffic. On the event itself, Declan Gallagher in the Toyota Starlet started the final day with a slender 1 second lead with a pack of Escorts chasing hard, before Kevin Gallagher’s eye-catching Darrian moved ahead only for a broken wire to see him dropping off the leader board. The Starlet had it much easier across the rest of the…

Buoyed by the reaction to the unveiling of the Puma ST160 concept at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show, Ford’s executives greenlighted a production run of 1000 cars that would become known as the Racing Puma. Staying true to the concept, which had been hastily screwed together by Ford’s Boreham engineers to showcase newly-developed performance kits for the Puma, the Racing Puma debuted the following year with more power, Sparco seats, motorsport-style wheels and extended rear quarters and front wings. But while Boreham developed the idea, the build of the Racing Puma was farmed out to Tickford, with near complete, Imperial Blue-finished cars shipped to the coachbuilder’s Daventry-based production facility. Whereas the concept was said to develop 160 bhp — hence the ST160 name — the 1.7-litre Zetec SE-engined Racing Puma…

Car: Escort 1600 Sport Start Condition: Rough but running Condition now: Metalwork nearly finished Time taken so far: Going on 10 years Estimated date of completion: Hoping for the start of show season Name: Adam Masterton From: Fife, UK Age: 27 Job: Gas engineer While we all have to start somewhere with our classic Ford journeys, there are definitely easier ways to begin than taking on a Mk2 Escort project that needs a restoration — together with a Mazda turbo engine conversion — at the age of 18. But that’s exactly what Adam here did and so far it’s taken nearly 10 years, thanks to a rollercoaster ride, as he explains: “I took a few years off it when I worked away from home but I nearly lost faith in the project…

Terminally-rotten old Fords You only have to take one look at this photo to know where it was photographed. Yes, that’s right, Greece. There are few other countries in the world where you’ll find a classic Ford looking slightly down-at-heel and casually parked on the side of the road. In this instance, this facelift Mk1 Capri — a 1300 no less — was spotted by Hugh McCarry just outside Rhodes town on the Greek island of Rhodes recently, and battered and badly-painted bodywork aside, it looks to be in generally solid shape and in regular use, too. Spotted an unloved Ford on your travels? Email photos and details to classicford.ed@kelsey.co.uk.…

6 issues FOR JUST £15 Only £2.50 an issue! Scan me EASY WAYS TO BUY YOUR SUBSCRIPTION GO TO SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/NY25CFD SCAN THE QR CODE AND GO DIRECTLY CALL 01959 543 747 AND QUOTE ‘NY25CFD’ SAVE OVER £37 ON A SUBSCRIPTION EVERY ISSUE INCLUDES • Ford features cars from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s • Wide range of tuning and restoration projects • Buying guides and reviews • In-depth technical articles and hands-on features Reasons to buy ■ Receive your first 6 issues for just £15! ■ Save money on the shop price ■ Hassle free — never miss an issue ■ Delivered directly to your door ■ Cancel at anytime Terms & Conditions:* UK Direct Debit of Continuous Credit Card offer, you will pay £15.00 on annual Direct Debit or…

Our own Ford Fair may have the record for being the longest-running one-make car show (38 years and counting), but when it comes to general car events, the Classic Motor Show takes the crown — this year celebrating its 40th birthday, along with the show’s headline sponsor, Lancaster Insurance, too. We weren’t at the first one way back in 1984, but it’s fair to say we’ve attended a good few over the years, and one thing that never fails to impress is the sheer scale of the event. This year over 71,000 enthusiasts came through the doors of the NEC across the three days to take a good look at over 3000 cars — and a record-breaking 338 clubs — across seven halls of the NEC. Naturally the classic Fords…

JANUARY Sunday Scramble January 5 Bicester Heritage, Oxon UK https://bicesterheritage.co.uk/scramble Autosport International January 9-12 NEC Birmingham, UK www.autosportinternational.com Classic Ford March issue on sale January 17 https://shop.kelsey.co.uk/classic-ford-magazine Bremen Classic Motorshow January 31-February 2 Messe Bremen, Germany www.classicmotorshow.de/en FEBRUARY Small Ford Sunday February 2 Bundoora Park, Melbourne, Australia https://rsocvic.com Retromobile February 5-9 Paris Expo Porte des Versailles, France www.retromobile.com Race Retro February 21-23 Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire UK www.raceretro.com MARCH Classic Car & Restoration Show March 21-23 NEC, Birmingham UK www.necrestorationshow.com APRIL Fordmeet Squires April 6 Squires cafe near Leeds, UK www.facebook.com Techno Classica Essen April 9-13 Messe Essen, Essen, Germany www.techno-classica.de Goodwood Members’ Meeting April 12-13 Goodwood Motor Circuit, West Sussex UK www.goodwood.com/motorsport Wheels Day April 18 Newbury Showground, Berkshire UK www.wheelsday.co.uk Drive It Day April 27 Various locations across the…

Paul Holt From: UK Car: Mk1 Sierra We last saw Paul’s Sierra RS Cosworth back in 2011 as a recently-purchased, non-running project complete with a freshly-rebuilt YB. “It had been sold by the previous owner as the engine wouldn’t start,” Paul explains, “but after hours of head scratching, we managed to pinpoint the issue down to a single, misplaced wire.” After many sighs of relief, Paul could now get to grips adding a few of his own touches which include a T38 turbo, Link ECU, 550cc injectors and a coil pack in each plug resulting in 360 bhp. Further upgrades such as AP Racing brakes, Gaz Shocks coil-overs and Compomotive 17 inch rims ensure the 1987 Sierra handles as well as it goes, while a recent respray from white to…

The horsepower slugfest between Chevy, Mopar and Ford is the stuff of legend. The three have been taking lumps out of each other on the track and the street since the 1960s, with their ever more powerful range-topping V8s. Ford’s magic trick though, has always been the production of highly-tuneable and affordable engines in — by American standards — a compact, small-capacity package. From the flatheads tweaked by bootleggers running Moonshine in the 1930s, to the classic Windsor small blocks, the result was the same – V8s which punched well above their cubic inches. In the 1990s, senior Ford engineer Jim Clarke came up with the Modular V8 – a range of V8 power plants which could be rapidly produced to suit car or truck applications, via quick tooling changes…

I’m sure you won’t be surprised that the first car I bought was a Mk1 Cortina. But at the time it was 23 years old, rusty and unreliable, and it didn’t take me long to go out and buy what I consider to be my first car — a 1979 Escort 1600 Sport. This was a bit of me, it was my independence, it was my game changer. I bought it locally through Auto Trader, which at the time ran black and white photos. So imagine my delight when I phoned up and found it was my favourite colour, orange. Although some people think Signal Amber is a yellow, I’m adamant it’s light orange! I knocked the seller down on price because it had a slight problem with the gearbox,…

Part 2 of 3 In the January 2025 issue we began what feels like an epic task of sorting out the sills on a Mk1 Cortina, using repair sections from Ex-Pressed Steel Panels and the Mk1 Cortina Owners’ Club, as well as making our own. However, in order for us to repair the front of the sill and the inner sill, we had to make the A-panel sound as well — simply because the outer sill skin joins onto it and the A-pillar goes over the top. And the same applies to this month’s saga — only it’s the turn of the rear quarter panel. It didn’t actually look too bad at first — there was some rot in the wheelarch lip — however the bottom section was full of…

1. Don’t just renew It’s all too easy to let the direct debit continue and sign up for another year with your existing insurer. Before you do though, have a look at quotes from other insurers. If they come in cheaper and you don’t want to switch, call your existing insurer, quote the cheaper prices and quite often they will be able to bring your renewal quote down to a similar level. 2. Look at classic insurance They’re often tied into Agreed Value, limited-mileage polices but classic insurance specialists can offer some great-value policies. Most class a vehicle eligible for classic insurance as being over 20 or 25 years old, but some allow exceptions for modern classics, so do your research before you dismiss a classic insurance policy out of…

MAKING A SPLASH It’s slightly difficult for us to comprehend that Classic Ford launched the same year as the mighty Escort WRC — the now bona fide classic. Campaigned by M-Sport for Ford in the World Rally Championship, it was conceived to bridge the gap between the out-of-production Group A Escort Cosworth and the new Focus WRC which wouldn’t arrive until 1999. This superb image shows Juha Kankkunen in the mountains near Athens, Greece during the Acropolis rally of the same year, on the way to second overall behind teammate, Carlos Sainz.…