Brand New Manufactured Complete Escort Mk2 Bodyshell Standard RS Spec Body Shell
Funny how things change eh?
Brand New Manufactured Complete Escort Mk2 Bodyshell Standard RS Spec Body Shell
I like the disclaimer about fit and finish.... rather suggests they are of very poor quality...
Since rebodies of mx5s, z3s etc are common I'm surprised that no ones done a GRP RWD escort kit. MX5 would be ideal as the twin can engine l can be made to look period and you'd have IRS. I know SHP do their mk1 kit but it's race spec, uses a love axle and costs £10k when I enquired. They didn't seem to impressed when I suggested they offer a lower spec chassis to bolt MX5 bits onto.
Whitspeed used to do one, similar to shp/shp but better value. Not sure if they are still doing it though. I am guessing that it has only been in the
last couple of year that a reasonable mk1/2 escort was cheaper than a kit, now the prices are more on a par.
[Edited on 23/4/17 by Ugg10]
How easy would it be to IVA one of these,and register on a new reg?
Basically the same as a kit car,or are there complications?
Maybe a struggle, cars built 30 years ago may not comply, all it means is that a rotten car yields a chassis plate aka an MGB heritage shell and keep the original plate.
quote:
Originally posted by mark chandler
Maybe a struggle, cars built 30 years ago may not comply, all it means is that a rotten car yields a chassis plate aka an MGB heritage shell and keep the original plate.
The Whitspeed one looks like it used the main structure of the Escort but with loads of GRP bonded on. I'm not a fan of the styling either TBH!
I've found another company doing GRP Mk1 shells for £3300 with a choice of arches.
I've recently had dirty thoughts about doing a spaceframe, GRP bodied wide arch Puma with the running gear from a Jag S Type or AWD X type. I
think I'd be comfortable about molding the panels but not sure how I'd go about making the main structure with the roof, pillars, bulkheads
etc. I'd also need to buy expensive wide Puma panels/bumpers or persuade someone from the owners club to let me take some molds off their wide
arch car!
Anyone know of any example GRP builds anywhere on the net?
IIRC Whitspeed did a standard bubble arch body as well as the GRP4 racer with the wings/sills/arches that is more prominent on their site. From what I
have read they take an old body, remove the front end and floor and bolt this onto the spaceframe to make a central tub, the rear arches and flip
front are then added.
There are a few silhouette racers using the puma as a body shell IIRC, you may come across one of these cheap on a well known auction site.
Alternatively have a look at the speed 3 spaceframe mini, that may give you some ideas that could work with a Puma -
http://www.speed3automotive.co.uk/
There is a thread on here somewhere where a guy is doing a similar conversion but front engine MX5 in a mini shell. This is also how the Midi kit came
about with a mini spaceframe project KIMINI iirc.
or just buy something like this -
http://www.motorsport-sales.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=305&products_id=5629
[Edited on 24/4/17 by Ugg10]
Not very impressed with the fabricators comments i.e. don’t ask about the quality. Tbh it looks quite rough and I’d like to know what grade of steel
was used, how close it was to the original cars gauge (easiest way to cut costs) and have all the welds been done to the original pattern. I’ve bought
many replacement panels for cars over the years and the quality has varied enormously, some parts just too dangerous to use. To buy a whole car and
the folk who make it not willing to give details sounds very wrong, what have they to hide?!
Bare minimum with this would be to put in a full cage and seam weld the whole thing up, even then the front chassis members are tiny weedy things
compared to modern cars and the back very squishy. Mind reading about a guy killed in a rear end shunt at 30mph in his Capri with the whole car
collapsing due to its poor design.
They don't make these,they buy them off the company in Ireland that has them made,they are made in China .
The company that gets them made sent out a Escort shell to China which was stripped down totally,they then copied every panel and welded it all back
together like a jigsaw.
I have heard a rumour someone in Ireland built one up and when they went to fit the windscreen it fell straight into the car 
So you are right,you would need to check these out properly and get more info on steel used etc.
The reason these things are not ford spec is the fact ford never kept any of the press forms. Unlike BL who set up the heritage programme.
I asked a few ford engineers in Genk and Halewood what happened to them. The Genk man told me they were didn't renew them as the programme came
to an end were well worn out and had to hand fettle a lot of panels... Then they melted them down to cast new ones for the new transit!
quote:
Originally posted by coozer
Then they melted them down to cast new ones for the new transit!
quote:
Originally posted by CosKev3
I have heard a rumour someone in Ireland built one up and when they went to fit the windscreen it fell straight into the car
So you are right,you would need to check these out properly and get more info on steel used etc.
quote:
Originally posted by dai1983
The Whitspeed one looks like it used the main structure of the Escort but with loads of GRP bonded on. I'm not a fan of the styling either TBH! I've found another company doing GRP Mk1 shells for £3300 with a choice of arches.
I've recently had dirty thoughts about doing a spaceframe, GRP bodied wide arch Puma with the running gear from a Jag S Type or AWD X type. I think I'd be comfortable about molding the panels but not sure how I'd go about making the main structure with the roof, pillars, bulkheads etc. I'd also need to buy expensive wide Puma panels/bumpers or persuade someone from the owners club to let me take some molds off their wide arch car!
Anyone know of any example GRP builds anywhere on the net?