25/7/2001 - Started Re-Assembling

It's been 5 days since the car was sprayed and I have decided to make it mobile in order to get it outside at the weekend to harden off in the sun (if there is any).

I re-fitted the rear axle yesterday along with a Grayston Lowering Kit (£20-odd from Roadrunner in Nottingham). Tonight I re-assembled the front struts with new coils. These are Mk2 Bilsteins but all you have to do is fit the tops off your old struts and they go on OK. I read somewhere that you also need the Green track rod ends off the RS2000 but for some reason I did not need these. May be the steering arms on my struts have been modified (I bought them second hand).

I put the front suspension back on as follows:

First I bolted the anti-roll bar mounts back on and the front crossmember with the track control arms (TCAs) and steering rack already fitted.

I then put the anti-roll bar through the TCAs and then bolted it to the mounts.

The strut tops were then bolted in place and a long bar was used to lever (against the chassis) the TCA down in order to get the strut on the ball joint.

Everything was then tightened up and the wheels fitted on. Job done.

I am a little bit worried about the front end because (and I never thought I would say this) it seems to sit a bit low, considering the engine is not is yet. I reckon it is a good two inches lower that the spare car I have outside and that has an engine in it! Anyway I hope to have the motor back in it at the weekend so we'll see.

Another small problem today - I found out that the wheel nuts on Mk2 Escorts are different to those on my Mk1. I ended up removing the studs from the front struts and fitting those from my old struts. I also phoned up all the Mk1 breakers I know looking for a set of Mk1 nuts to fit my Mk2 RS Alloys (the ones on my Mk2 were off a Capri Laser and did not fit correctly on that). I ended up getting them new from Rally Design. They cost £1.18 each but with VAT and postage it came to just under £30. Good service from Rally Design though - they rang me tonight to check what type of wheel I have and promised that I would have the nuts in two days time. Nice One!