Escort Mk1 V8 EA2103 information required

[Phranc]

I have purchased an interesting vehicle and am looking to understand its past history
The car is registered as 01/01/1968 – seems old for an Escort
The shell has the old early style handles and latches so 1969 or earlier
Currently
Engine P76 with Holly Vac sec and the right headers that go up and over the bell housing to the left side
Gearbox – Borg Warner 4 speed
Diff – Toyota was drum brake Capri 3 litre LSD
5 link rear with turrets
Bilstien front (Wheel base is standard)
Body
Fabricated front end from the bulkhead forward, tunnel set into the floor for exhaust protection. Bubble flares on rear, roof has been replaced with one from a purple car.
Bulkhead is modified and moved back.
Currently yellow with large blue stripes
Bonnet is a fibreglass item on standard hinges – has scoop off set to the right
Boot lid is fibreglass with a bolt on spoiler
Bulkhead is modified and moved back.
Currently yellow with large blue stripes
Fuel filler in left C pillar
Interior
6 dial dash
6 point cage
Fibreglass seats (Unknown manufacturer)


Purchased in Tauranga from a chap who used it for club events.

[Yeah yeah na]

How about a couple of pictures phranc?

[Steve Holmes]

Wow, really interesting. Would love to see some photos.

[Phranc]

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/5829/ye219.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/267/ye219.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[Rod Grimwood]

Looking at set up and bracket on front, it may have been a hillclimb/rally which convert to track with wheel change etc.
If it has gravel rash under that will tell, look at spring hangers etc.
Tidy looking car.

[escorthvn]

EA2103 was at one stage owned by Nev Nash in Whangarei.I have a photo of it on my garage wall and remember a ride in the back seat area years ago at over 100mph no seat belts, nothing. It was turbo charged P76, I think built by Graham Baker?????.

[Phranc]

Hi

Thanks for the information – any idea when Nev Nash owned the car and what colour it was at the time?
Yes it has been used off seal.
Curious to learn who put the fabricated front on the car?
Have heard Graham Baker built the car? For some reason I was under impression that his car had Triumph front suspension grafted in – Despite the complete front being fabricated the suspension is fairly standard Group 4 with the rack relocated forwards. The car is reputed to have had a turbo on the P76 motor.
Some one has said the car was previously a very dark green and may have been used at Mystery Creek for rally cross.

[Rod Grimwood]

The dark green one was Max Irwin and he has it back in his posession now.

[Phranc]

Believe the Max Irwin car was unflared and had some sort of 5 stud Morris or similar rear axle.
Years since I have seen that car – was his so dark it almost looked black?

[Phranc]

Current engine bay

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/3752/ye143.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/19/ye143.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[David McKinney]

Hi
Have heard Graham Baker built the car?

Gerard Barker?
He ran a P76-engined Mk1 around 1980. Came from Rotorua, which isn't that far from Tauranga...

[Steve Holmes]

There was also a Graham (Graeme?) Barker who rallied in the 1980s. At one point he ran an RX7 fitted with one of the V6 quad-cam motors either from the Fahey or Halliday Capri's.

[Steve Holmes]

Current engine bay

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/3752/ye143.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/19/ye143.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Those headers are impressive!

[escorthvn]

Hi,The front suspension was changed my Neville from triumph to g4 in his ownership.Nevs phone no is 027 484 1814 for the full info.
Peter

[PhotoSmith]

photos from march 1983, hillclimb just outside of Rotorua.

Graeme Barker - P76 V8 turbo Escort,

[PhotoSmith]

The dark green one was Max Irwin and he has it back in his posession now.

Max Irwin, Mystery Creek rallycross series back in 1983 & earlier this year at the Leadfoot festival.

[PhotoSmith]

There was also a Graham (Graeme?) Barker who rallied in the 1980s. At one point he ran an RX7 fitted with one of the V6 quad-cam motors either from the Fahey or Halliday Capri's.

Quad cam and also run a 4WD system shoe-horned into it (somehow), hence the number plate - 4x4x4

[jim short]

I think the Barker car was from Ross Baker and before him Wayne Huxford,who built it with a 3.5 Rover

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks for that photo Martin. I remember seeing this car on tv one year doing the Ashley Forest Sprint. It sounded amazing!

[Phranc]

Assume this is the same car
Abridged from

http://www.heroncars.co.nz/template.php?p=content_articles_rossbaker1

FIRST ROVER V8 ESCORT
On one of our trips to Perth to see Bev's family I bought a Rover V8 motor for $250-00 and shipped it back to Rotorua in parts. I thought I could fool the custom's man into believing it was only parts, but he was no fool, I ended up paying full duty but still it was a very cheap motor. I then bought a written off Mk1 Ford Escort and cut the damaged front off it and built a subframe from the bulkhead forward to fit the Rover motor, five speed Fiat gearbox and front suspension from, you guessed it, a Triumph Vitesse.
The Escort was a beautiful little car painted in black. Bev drove it to work during the week and I hill climbed it or raced it at the weekend. I remember when working at Bob's farm after my accident which was on the way home to Parkcliff road, we used to hear Bev approaching. As she got closer to the gate the revs would drop off and then once a couple of hundred yards past the gate it would be full on again. She didn't realise we could hear the exhaust as she went past. I reluctantly sold this car after my jet boat accident. Graham Barker bought it and fitted a turbo charged Leyland P76 before righting it off in a hill climb. A very sad end to a beautiful little car.

[Phranc]

Thanks to Neville Nash (very helpful) I understand why and how the front suspension was swapped from Triumph to Escort Group 4.
Neville was very helpful and pleasant to deal with – thanks to ecorthvn for the information.
Thanks to Martin Smith for the images
The Max Irwin car is as I remembered it – don’t recall the black turbo car though.
(it would have had the Triumph front end when those photos were shot)

[Phranc]

Possibly incorrect about this but the Mazda had a GAA V6 Cosworth 4 valve motor and an X Trac system designed for rally cross
Had a feeling there was a Capri body shell involved at some point – this car was a space frame?

[David McKinney]

Assume this is the same car
Abridged from

http://www.heroncars.co.nz/template.php?p=content_articles_rossbaker1

FIRST ROVER V8 ESCORT
On one of our trips to Perth to see Bev's family I bought a Rover V8 motor for $250-00 and shipped it back to Rotorua in parts. I thought I could fool the custom's man into believing it was only parts, but he was no fool, I ended up paying full duty but still it was a very cheap motor. I then bought a written off Mk1 Ford Escort and cut the damaged front off it and built a subframe from the bulkhead forward to fit the Rover motor, five speed Fiat gearbox and front suspension from, you guessed it, a Triumph Vitesse.
The Escort was a beautiful little car painted in black. Bev drove it to work during the week and I hill climbed it or raced it at the weekend. I remember when working at Bob's farm after my accident which was on the way home to Parkcliff road, we used to hear Bev approaching. As she got closer to the gate the revs would drop off and then once a couple of hundred yards past the gate it would be full on again. She didn't realise we could hear the exhaust as she went past. I reluctantly sold this car after my jet boat accident. Graham Barker bought it and fitted a turbo charged Leyland P76 before righting it off in a hill climb. A very sad end to a beautiful little car.
Must admit when reference was made to this being ex-Huxford, I was surprised. When did Ross Baker ever compete with a car he hadn't built himself?:)

[seaqnmac27]

Came across this in the 22/6/81 MotorAction
13379

[seaqnmac27]

Ok thats not come through as well as I had hoped.

Reads

P76 V8 Escort. Built professionally Jan 80. This vehicle in the right hands could easily be a BDA beater. It is also a fast, civilised road car. Genuine reason for sale.
Engine: Built in Australia. P76 alloy V8. Strengthened bottom end, Mild cam, 500 Molley carb. Approx 200bhp. Tons of potential left (currently only 8 to 1 compression single carb). (Turbocharge??!!) Gearbox T10 Borgwarner 4 speed manual. Diff: Works Atlas, big axles, fully floating bearings. Brakes: Adj pedal box, vent front discs, 11" rear discs, hys h/brake. F Suspension: 4 link as per works cars. Yellow Bilsteins. Good rally rubber, big flares, oil cooler, elect. fan, 14 gall centre tank, strong multi-point cage. Full harness belts. Excellent high back rally seats. Full instrumentation, air horns, extinguisher, t/b, etc. Trade cheaper road or rally car! Price $7500

[jamie]

Hi gang the car was built by Ross Baker with A Rover v8 in it Grame Barker got it off Ross and I fitted the P76 Motor with the turbo it was A verry fast car for its time . The Rx7 Grame And I picked up A GAA cosworth V6 from New Plymouth along with A 4weele drivre gearbox from X track in England with 5 speed changeable Raitos, 2 180 Datsun Diffs now that was A real Hand full not bad on seal but on dirt the motor was to peaky just when you thort you had it under control it would ramp up more power and try to launch you off the road Jamie A

[Steve Holmes]

Thanks Jamie, thats really great info. Do you remember who you got the GAA motor off in New Plymouth? And did you know its history prior to that? At the time the Ashley Forest event was aired on tv the commentators said it was from Faheys car.

[jim short]

Back in the 80s before I had Ross build my Spyder we looked at this and that amongst the stuff collected was this black escort that Ross said Huxford had built and raced,Rover v8 dogleg Datsun gearbox,Ross hillclimbed it and it went real good,.As to my Spyder I wanted to copy my Paton only useing the same rover v8 ,$1000 pd. to Jackson French for an old T.Crowes mtr a gearbox $275 from the gearbox Co. Actually was lighter than the Cortina mtr. and box in the Paton with over twice the HP Plus So the brains behind the car was Huxford s but like so much of NZ historey it keeps changing.Just a small point when I was looking at gearboxs we did not know what model it was so Ross copied the bulges on the housing onto a sheet of paper and with this I picked one out,and it was no Fiat!!!

[jim short]

Just to add Ross had more than one Escort two or three at the time 1988--9

[jamie]

Hi Steve & Gang the GAA Cosy Came out of A race Boat, I was told it had been the Haladay motor.So had talk with Rob H and he seemed to think that was right in fact thay may have got it back ??.Jamie A

[928]

Hi Jamie
I am new on here so please bear with me
just a quick question. What do you know about the Xtrac gearbox? How did it get here to NZ, Who did it come from, and what happened to it? I have a great interest in 4WD systems and just like to know.
Many Thanks
928

[jim short]

Must admit when reference was made to this being ex-Huxford, I was surprised. When did Ross Baker ever compete with a car he hadn't built himself?:)

Sadly on reading this article again it does not please me but have no wish open old wounds,Ross was real good with body making as for the rest??How would you feel on completion of with out doubt a lovelly looking car based on the Paton {Ferris De Joux body} Always money up front, then on delivery ,Jim when you park always turn the wheel so no one can notice its not straight!!!with one wheel toe ing out the other toe in .then first drive the wheels rubbing on the body and so on and on,Jim we will sell them on looks..Not with my name on itThe Paton had rear sospension copy fo Crowthers Lotus 4 link my car was to have the same!!But no ,,Jim this is Form 1 tecnollogy,in effect no suspension on 3 corners at Puke causing wheelspin!!!{wheel lifting}the rubers lasted a couple of weeks then the nylon ones were much better so much so the chassis started to crack,on driving down from Auck. to disscuss this with Ross as he prepared to stock his shelves in the Mobil SStation Jim I am to busy go home{130miles}and make an appoint.Shortly after I had a big off of the motorway one Sun morn early testing new extractors on a straight road once againa wheel lifted turning the car sideways quicker than any Porsche can .among the repares the suspension was made to work not as good as the Paton but in the Coronet hillclimb the second yr I was 4 seconds faster on a longer track!!!

[jamie]

Hi 928 Grame went on A big O/E and ened up at X-Track rang me and said what do you think of this box I said sound just the thing good cos we own it. I have no idea where it went Jamie A

[928]

hi Jamie
many thanks for the info. Do you remember what year Graeme bought the box? Have you got a photo of the box by any chance?
Sorry to be a pest but I am very interested.
Many Thanks
928

[jamie]

Hi 928 No I havent any photos that would have been around 1986-7 the box was 5 speed dog box with changable raitos it also had an adjusble torq biyus front to rear Jamie A [p/s my spelling is crap]

[Steve Holmes]

Hi Steve & Gang the GAA Cosy Came out of A race Boat, I was told it had been the Haladay motor.So had talk with Rob H and he seemed to think that was right in fact thay may have got it back ??.Jamie A

Thanks Jamie, thats great info. There must have been at least three of those GAA motors in NZ, as apart from those in the Fahey and Halliday Capri's, one also ended up in a MkII Escort in the late 70s. The one from Faheys car is now with Roger Townshend.

[Phranc]

Last time I came across the Mazda - GAA - Xtrac it was sitting in Neil Allport’s (old building) in Olive road.
Potentially it was sitting there for months or possibly years

[928]

many thanks Phranc. Has anybody got any other info on the where abouts of this car or gearbox?
Many thanks 928

[BMCBOY]

The dark green one was Max Irwin and he has it back in his posession now.

I discovered this shot taken at a Chamberlain Rd Hillclimb in 1977. Max was trying pretty hard that day as always!

14066

[928]

Hi again, I just had a look at the 1988 Ashley forest rally sprint video on you tube and note that the Graham Barker RX7 appears to be RWD only. I wonder why if it had 4WD?

[jamie]

Hi 928 that is with the Torque setting set full rear because it would not turn in with to much to the front . Jamie A

[928]

seemed to work on Millens car, Jamie. Must have a totally different setup then

[Allan]

Have you not given up on this yet James. I must ask Ian Wightman if he still has any pictures of it during his ownership. I seem to remember it having a problem with popping turbo hoses or similar. Allan

[minihaha]

Hi there, pretty sure that the Ex Huxford v8 escort is in Wellington and being repaired after an incident at Manfield a few years ago. It's in good hands.

[Allan]

Hello again James. I can confirm that this is the car that lived here in Waihi for some time before being sold to the dealer you bought it from. Apparently it was sold with a truck load of gear so I don't know if you scored that as well. At some stage in it's life (possibly 70 or 71) it was put up a tree which necessitated a crane to remove it. It was after this the front suspension was converted back to Escort. When it was here it was black. Allan.

[GB Hybrids]

Escort Mk I - Rego EA2103 Information.
"The Midnight Escort" - Powered by a 4.4 Litre P76 Leyland V8 Engine.

Hi, This is Graeme Barker, the previous owner of this wonderful little car.

My attention has been drawn to this forum site that I was not previously aware of.
For the record I thought it may be helpful to clarify a few points & back these up with a few photos as some of the earlier comments posted on this Forum are not entirely correct.

I purchased this car from a Car Club friend Ross Baker. At the time it was fitted with a 3.5 Litre Rover V8 engine,
5-speed gearbox, standard Escort rear end, a single hoop roll bar & Orange Mag wheels.
Ross had fabricated a sub-frame from the front window screen forward & fitted triumph Vitesse front suspension to the car to allow for a V8 engine to be fitted.

Like Ross I also used this car for hillclimbing but I decided to fit a Turbo Charged 4.4 Litre P76 V8 engine after the original Rover V8 engine quit.
This new P76 400 HP unit required a stronger T10 top loader gearbox, bigger clutch & a Ford Carpi LSD diff.
At that time I fitted rear turrets, Bilstien shocks, a 5 link rear end & a second drive shaft tunnel in the floor pan for a
3 inch exhaust system, rack & pinion steering, moved the fire wall back, fitted 3 piece alloy rims, fibre glass rally seats, full harness belts & all the other go fast bits.
I campaigned this delightful little car in Hillclimbs & Rally Sprints throughout the North Island in 1981/ 1982/ 1983.
It was reliable & provided me with a lot of Hill-climb & Rally Sprint records during that time.

I damaged the car quite badly at the conclusion of the 1982 Gold Star Hill Climb event in Opotiki.
My dedicated service crew & I had 4 weeks to completely rebuild the car before the next major event.
In that time this car was restored to better than new in every respect.
I continued to campaign this car throughout 1983 & sold the car in top condition to Neville Nash in Whangarei at the conclusion of the 1983 NZ Gold Star Hill Climb Championship in Rotorua.
See photos attached.
I'm currently putting a DVD together using Video footage of this car together with photos & newspaper clippings from that era for safe keeping & the good memories this car provided.

[GB Hybrids]

Following on from my post #46 earlier today I have added some info & photos for the Cosworth powered 4 Wheel Drive RX7 that I built after I sold "The Midnight Escort":

I intended retiring from active Motorsport at that time, but a year later I got the bug again & decided to build a 4 wheel drive RX7 using a GAA 3.4 Litre quad cam Cosworth V6 engine & 5 speed X-Track variable torque spilt gear box which I had built for me while I was in the UK.
I used this new car for Hill Climbs & Rally Sprints.
The number plate 4x4x4 indicates, 4 valves per cylinder, 4 camshafts & 4-wheel drive.
See photos attached.

When it was time to sell this car I removed the GAA Cosworth engine & sold it to Roger Townsend who needed it more than anybody else as he is restoring the original Cologne Capri (ex Paul Fahey) The rest of the car went complete with the X-TRACK gearbox to Greg Taylor who then fitted a 4 cylinder 2 Litre Cosworth engine.
Greg on sold the car to Bevan Wilson from the Northland Car Club who I understand had reasonable success with it.

[jamie]

Hi Graeme. The photos and comment's bring back a lot of memories of long nights and weekends building the P76 and the
GAA Cosworth motors amazing times JamieA