History
I bought my First escort just after i got my license at 17, way back in 1987. Is was a very ordinary Escort L, which was the bottom of the range. I really wanted a four door Ghia but could not find a good one in my price range. When I inspected this particular vehicle I was impressed with its overall body condition and more importantly the price was right as I had not yet started my mechanics apprenticeship and was borrowing the money from my Mum and Granny. I had the car Autochecked and it came up ok so I bit the bullet and bought it. I now owned my first car.
The first morning I went out to start it the battery had died and I began to panic about what I had bought but those worries were unfounded and I began a love affair which was to last for decades.
I drove the Escort around for a few years doing bits and pieces to it as I earned the cash, chromies and tyres, window tinting, suspension etc etc until the heater dome rusted out and got all my new carpet wet. It was at this point that I decided to pull it down and do a ground up rebuild. I purchased an "old" Mk1 Escort from a bloke I worked with for $500 which a smokey 1300 engine. As I was pulling the good 1600 out of my mk2 it was plonked into the mk1 and I then had a reliable daily runner.
It is now 28 years since I undertook that rebuild and although it still looks good it , in all honesty, is probably due for a respray. I have just pulled it out of the shed and washed it off to start driving again. I had forgotten how well it goes, how it handles and how much I enjoy driving it.
Modifications
Turbocharged 1600 engine
Big stereo
uprated suspension
Bathurst globe mags
Retrimmed interior to Ghia specs
VDO gauges
