10x02 - Ford Escort Mk1

[bunniefuu]

This time on Wheeler Dealers we go on a
hunt for a much-loved motor from the 70s.

It's to die for! It's so much fun!

There's no shortage of
work to be done, serious

improvements to be
made and deals to be cut.

I love all of that, brilliant.

Ed and I clash on the colour.
Horrible metallic poo brown. I like it.

And the workshop isn't a happy place.

I said if you was going to do this,
I was going to tear a strip off you.

We buy iconic classic
cars, make them perfect

and then sell them on.
Hopefully for a profit.

The Ford Escort Mk1 is a legend of a motor,
a heavyweight in the nostalgia state.

At the start of the 70s it was
the best-selling car in Britain.

Peppy cross flow
engines delivering enough

grunt to make the Escort
the everyman sportsman.

Clean three-door variants
regularly fetch £10,000

and the rally-spec Mexicos
can touch £100,000.

Not bad for a car that cost
just over £600 back in the day.

By modern standards the Escort
is a super light, flickable machine

with predictable handling and
progressive rear-wheel drive.

Easy to work on and upgrade.

It's a car that takes
you back to the good old

days. It's a golden age
that I'd love to revisit.

Right, my budget is £5,000 which I think is
a decent amount of money to spend on a car.

But unfortunately that's the
starting price for an Escort Mk1.

There's so many people that are
fans of these cars in any condition.

Which means that even a basket
case will go for strong money as well.

The holy grail with Mk1s
is finding a rust-free car

because that's what you
want as a basis for restoration.

So I'm looking on fan sites
and auction sites for a good shell.

You know it's a real nostalgic ride looking
for an Escort Mk1. I'm really enjoying it.

There's some really tasty motors out there.

There's one here, an RS2000 and
it's a replica. It's not even a real car.

£11,500. A lot of money.

And there's only one car that's
popping out to me and it's this one.

It's in brown.
It's 1971 which means it's tax-exempt.

You don't have to have a road-fund licence.

It's three doors and it says
that the car is in good condition.

So I'm going to give it a call.

I'm ringing about your car for sale.

Can you tell me about the car?

It seems to be missing the front bumper.

It looks okay in the picture
but what's it like close up?

What's it drive like?

Excellent.

I think it could be worth
me coming to see it.

Bye bye.

Now he said that the
car's in okay condition.

I can see that it's
missing a few bits and

his son has used the car to learn how to
drive but now he wants something else.

So I reckon it's worth me brimming my
car up with fuel and go and have a look.

Now going to see this Escort isn't
exactly just a ride round a block.

In fact, it's over 300 miles away in
Cornwall which is an awful long way to go

and it's going to take me half a day
to get there but do you know what?

I definitely think it's worth it because
a car like this, they're really rare

and if I don't put in
the miles, I'm convinced

somebody else out
there will and I'll lose out.

Hello mate. How you doing? Are you Ben?

Yep.

Ben, I'm Mike. I spoke to you on the phone.

Oh, you're a bit younger than you
sounded on the phone. How old are you?

Fifteen.

Fifteen? Come then, let's
have a look at your Escort.

Right, so did you get the
car to learn how to drive with?

Yep.

And you can drive, yeah?

Yeah.

Yeah, that's good.
How long have you had it?

Three years.

Three years. Well, I can see you've
had some fun in it over the years.

because bits are missing.
Where's the front bumper?

Well, that came off
in the field and we got

it in the garage so you
can have that as well.

Thank you very much.

You've also changed this
front wing, haven't you?

Because that's not the original
wing, that's a Mexico wing.

It's slightly flared, isn't it?

Well, the original ones have rusted out.

So you've done some work on this car?

Yeah.

Okay, well you think we've done a
good job doing some repairs to the car,

but what's happened down the side here?

Somebody's rattled all the way down the
side of it and made a big scratch on it.

Yeah, that's had a bit of a scrape.

Didn't it?

Yeah.

Okay, well you've had
some fun in it, that's for sure.

And I gather you've been
underneath this car, is it nice and solid?

Yep, 100% solid.

Is it? No rot, no rust?

Nope.

Can we have a look inside the booth?

Yeah.

Wow.

Oh, look at that, that's amazing.

Look how solid that is.

There's no signs of rot
or rust anywhere in there.

Nope, not at all.

Brilliant.

Right, shall we have a look inside?

Yep.

Ah, okay.

Did you steal those seats out of an XR2?

Yep.

You did?

Mm-hmm.

It's a bit thread-bearing here, isn't it?

Look at the door cars,
they're nasty as well.

Yeah.

And that one on the other side, somebody's
had a go at changing that altogether.

It's an aluminium door cup, is that you?

This car needs rescuing, doesn't it?

Yep.

It really does.

The dashboard's all cracked.

Mm-hmm.

Rear seat's original, which is okay.

Yeah, they're all original.

Wiring's a mess.

Yeah, but it does all work.

Does it?

Mm-hmm.

Let's get under that bonnet then.

Ha-ha, look at that, very nice.

Nice engine, no signs of any
oil leaks, nice clean and tidy.

Very small though, isn't it?

Yeah, well, originally it was a
1300, but we changed it to a 1600.

What, you did that?

Yeah, me and my dad did, actually.

Looks lovely and it's great
and quite rare, actually,

to see an Escort with the
turret tops not rotted through.

Okay, well, I think the
only thing left for me to do

is to see if this 1.6-litre
engine actually works

out there on the road
and take it for a test drive.

Yep, that's right.

Is that right? Good.

That is car isn't Italian,
it hasn't got turbos,

it's not got a supercharger,
it hasn't got anything,

it hasn't got a V12, and
it hasn't got enough brake

horsepower to pull the
skin off a rice pudding.

But I've got to tell you, they
drive absolutely, fantastically,

and this is a lesson
on our 3.5-litre engine.

Even a modest brake
horsepower, when it's in the right car,

can make it feel like absolute gold.

Right, now, first impressions.

Well, for me, I feel like 17 again,

cruising around South London
in my little Escort Mark 1.

What a fantastic little
car, and they drive so well.

I'll tell you what, Ben and
his dad have done a great job

because the engine is
really strong in this motor,

it pulls in all the right places,
and it's making all the right noises,

and the handling of this car,
the steering's sharp and dynamic,

and the suspension,
oh, it's just wonderful.

It's delightful, it's so much fun.

Well, the negatives on this
car have to be the brakes

because the braking system
comes from a different era.

It's got drum brakes all the way round,

and with a car that's
light and fast like this,

when you put your foot down on the
anchors, it doesn't inspire any confidence.

Now, the major problem with this
car is basically everything you look at,

down to the horrible seats that
I'm sitting in, the rubbish dashboard.

Mechanically, I know the car's fine,

and they're really rare,
and being in three-door trim,

it really is a car worth buying.

The problem is I think Ben
just wants too much money for it.

He's asking over five grand.

The real price for this car
is really about four grand,

so I'm going to go back and hopefully get
him somewhere in between those two figures,

and if it comes off,
I'll be happy with that.

Do you know what?

You and your dad, Ben, did a
really good job on that engine.

It drives really well.

Yeah.

It's very nostalgic.

But the problem I've got with
your car, from the very front of it.

right the way down to the very back of it,

something needs doing.

How much was you asking?

5,100.

It's too much.

I want to be fair with
you and offer you a price

that I think we can do
something with the car.

So why don't I offer you 4,500 pounds?

What's that sound like?

Well, I did want a bit more for
it, but I will have a deal with it.

Yes.

Top work.

Just bought myself an Escort.

I love the raw spirit of my little Mark
1, but now I have to hike its value,

and that's got to involve new
paint and some mechanical mods.

Any work will have to be
sympathetically managed

or we'll turn off fans
of this period classic.

One fantastic Mark 1
Escort at a nice price.

Why don't I offer you 4,500 pounds?

Top work.

It's great to drive, but
everywhere you look,

there's work to be done.

And with low-tech brakes, I don't dare
drive it the 300 miles back to Mr. China.

A trailer is the safest option.

Now, I may not be driving a car,

but it doesn't stop me
coming up with a few ideas,

and the more I look at that car
that's been trailing behind us,

the more I keep thinking about
what we're going to do to that paint job,

because we can go down the
route of changing it altogether.

But for me, I'm all about originality.

and maybe keeping it brown.

That is the right way to go.

Now, the other thing with
that car is the mechanicals.

The engine is really
good, the gearbox is great,

but we can certainly help
that car lay down its power

on the tarmac a bit better, maybe
do something with the suspension.

Also, the brakes on the
car, their drum brakes

are absolutely awful, so
we need to address those.

Now, if we get this car right,

it could end up being worth
seven grand or even eight.

And that would be a nice
little profit for Ed and me.

Right, we're nearly back at the workshop.

I'm hating delivering another
car to Ed on the back of a trailer,

but I've got a funny feeling when
he sees that brown little Escort,

he's going to put a big smile on his face.

That's looking fantastic. Well done.

I thought you'd like that.

I've got us one of our
favourite cars, an Escort Mark 1.

I actually had it trailing in,

but I've managed to drive
it around the corner that

last few yards, and I'll
tell you, it feels good.

It is a real British hero of motoring,

and there's a lot of people out there
with a really big soft spot for this car.

This was the car of my dreams, and if
you had one of these back in the day,

I'll tell you what, you were the man.

I think you are the man now, sir.
Let's face it,

you've got a two-door,
which is the more desirable,

and looking at it, it
seems really solid as well.

Yeah, and that's what attracted
me to the car in the first place.

It's a bit tatty on the body,

but trust me, this is probably one of
the most solid Mark 1 shells out there.

Have a look inside. Yeah.

Look at that.

Oh, hang on, these seats
are a bit high up, aren't they?

Are they out of an XR2?

Very good guess, yeah,
they are out of an XR2,

and that's common of what people
have done with these cars over the years,

taken bits out of other
Folds and bolted them in this,

but they're wrong, and
we need to change them.

Absolutely, along with things
like the door card, the carpet,

the dashboard, pretty much
everywhere I'm looking needs attention.

Pop the bonnet.

I think we should look
under there, yeah, absolutely.

There you are.

Originally it was a 1.3 litre,

and the previous owner
changed it for a 1.6 litre,

and it actually goes really well.

It's nice and strong.

The shell, the bodywork, is amazing.

It's properly clean, and
you've done well with it.

Yeah, I know, I told you, it's one of the
most solid ones I've ever found out there.

If only it would stop a bit better.

Well, the thing is,
when it came out of the

factory, this car would
have been fitted with drums,

and I'm convinced there's
going to be some kind of disc

brake conversion for it, so
that should be easy to do.

Well, we definitely need to do that.

Cool, okay.

So what's your plan then?

Originally I thought we could
go down the rally Mexico route,

you know, put a roll
cage in it, some spotlights,

change the interior, but
actually I think that's wrong.

I think what we need to do
with this car is change the paints,

do the interior, put some wheels
on it, make it nice and smart,

and make it a proper
Wheeler dealer's Mark 1 escort.

That makes sense, yes.

I think with all the right kind of
period mods that would be very cool,

and there's also a nice
opportunity to get rid of this

horrible metallic poo brown
that can't be that desirable.

Up until yesterday I would
have agreed with you,

but the more time I spend
with a car, the more I like it.

You are getting sucked
into the 70s, aren't you?

I am getting sucked into the 70s, again,

and I'll tell you why I like it.

This colour was attractive back in the 70s,

and the people we want to sell
this car to are those customers today.

So I think, me and you
can argue about the colour,

we've got a lot of work to do
before it gets to the paint shop,

but in the meantime, should
we get it in the workshop?

I think so.

Time for a nice big 70s tea, I reckon.

Yeah, lovely.

It's great though, isn't it?

It's cool, I think you don't want one.

Lots of people have been begging
us to get an Escort Mk1 on the show,

and at last we have a lovely
solid example in the workshop.

Unfortunately, it's not a given that this
Ford is going to make us any money, though.

We've got to renovate it sensitively,

or we'll lose the fans that
love this car's originality,

which is surely its trump card.

So how can we add to it in a way that
doesn't take away any of the car's magic?

Well, upgrading the brakes is one
of those jobs which, if I do it right,

will not bug the purists.

Now, back in the day, many cars
were fitted with drum brakes all round,

and that was fine, but
you'd find on modern cars

they've got the much
more efficient disc

brakes fitted, particularly
on the front axle.

Now, the reason for that is that
drum brakes aren't particularly efficient.

You can see here you've got your shoes
on either side with the friction material,

and the idea here is that
the sl*ve cylinders get kind

of pumped up when you
put your foot on the brakes.

They push the shoes
into the inside of the drum.

That causes a bit of friction.

That rubbing action
actually then converts

the kinetic energy of the rotation into
heat, and therefore your car slows down.

The problem is, that's
one of the big issues.

If you make too much
heat, you get brake fade,

and of course that seriously
compromises your braking performance.

Handily, there is a disc brake
conversion available using Ford parts.

The Ford Capri 2.8 used discs, and it's a
common and accepted swap to use most

of the hardware from that
car on a Mark 1 Escort.

It's a fairly meaty job though,

as you need to swap over the
whole hub and upright to make it work.

The kits aren't common, but I've managed to
source everything I need from a specialist.

Well, this is our replacement
suspension strut and brake assembly.

They cost about £290 for the pair,

but unfortunately you can't
get brand new complete kits,

so this has been made up of
refurbished parts and brand new parts,

so all of this is refurbished,
including the shock absorber,

which is actually slightly uprated,

so you're going to get a slightly less
woolly or wallowy suspension feel.

Then you've got the all-important
brand new vented brake disc,

the caliper, and even a nice
brand new dust cover as well.

I need to separate the
old hub from the wishbone,

but first the steering track rod end
needs to be separated from the hub.

I break apart the ball
joint using just a hammer.

I always put back the retaining nut, as
losing that will cause problems later on.

Now I disconnect the old brake lines or
hoses, which will need to be replaced later,

and then I get to separate the ball joint
that holds the wishbone to the upright.

I need mechanical support
before I can go any further.

So I now need to try and
separate this bottom ball joint,

but the problem is the spring is
pushing the suspension down,

and the anti-roll bar is
pulling this bottom arm up,

so I need to find a safe
way of actually separating

them without pushing
the car off the ramp.

So my plan is to use a ratchet strap,

which is actually just going to slip
over the anti-roll bar and pull that down,

and I'm going to use a transmission
Jack to push the strut up.

Seems fairly involved, doesn't it,
for effectively loosening a few bolts.

That would explain why a specialist
would ask £250 to do this job.

Though I'd say it's definitely
possible to try at home.

Now for the moment of truth.

One tap to break the taper.

I free the anti-roll bar
to reduce the tension.

And painlessly lift off the wishbones.

Well, that's everything undone
now at the bottom of the suspension,

so the only thing holding our old
strut in place are the three bolts,

just at the very, very
top inside the engine bay.

Now I can slot in and bolt
up the shiny new shock,

reattach the wishbone,

and fit some new brake hoses.

Then I'm repeating the whole
process for the other side,

and with the anti-roll bar tightened up,

I'd like to say, braking upgrade complete.

But I can't.

These new vented discs
and calipers look great,

but it's the improvement to our Ford's
braking performance that really matters.

Unfortunately, when
the special models of

the MK1 Escort were
fitted with disc brakes,

they used a different
master cylinder fitted

with a servo, which
gives power assistance.

So now I need to fit that upgrade too.

This is one of those hidden costs you
must research when looking at an upgrade.

The servo-assisted master
cylinder is another 70 pounds.

The old single-circuit
cylinder simply unbolts.

The new dual-circuit one
inserts in the same cavity,

but because it's longer, it needs
new mounts on the inner wing,

and some modification to the brake lines.

To fashion the ends of
the copper pipe, you need

a flaring tool, which is
around 50 pounds to buy.

Very professional looking.

Well, my work on the front-end
mechanicals is complete,

and by adding the
period mods of new vented

discs and the servo-assisted
master cylinder,

our Escort is going to stop
much more like a car of today.

Ed's busy, I'm busy, and I need to get
some clobber for my little MK1 Escort,

and I know the best place in
the world to come and get it.

This is the British classic motor show.

100,000 people descend here
every year to gawp round the 11 holes.

to see the 1,500 cars out on display,

and I could spend hours looking
round at the likes of that Marina

and this wonderful Austin Princess.

I haven't come for this.
No, I've come for this.

This is the auto jumble, one of the
biggest you'll find anywhere in Europe,

and it's the perfect hunting
ground for parts for my Escort MK1.

The MK1 is a popular car, and these days,
original parts are attracting a premium.

I'm hunting down the chrome
details that will set our car apart.

Now, I do want to bling up our Escort,

but I don't want to do
anything that's too flashy.

I want to do period modifications.

What I really want is some
nice, tasty spot lamps on the front,

but I don't want to go for those
great big rally-style spec ones,

something discreet.

They look like new.

What can you tell me about these?

1970s, they were a run done by
Lucas for the competitions world.

They were used on quite
a number of rally cars.

Okay, would that be for my Escort MK1?

Yep, they work quite well.

They would, wouldn't they?

£90 for the pair. Will you take £70?

No, I'll do a deal at £75, if you like.

Hold that in your hand.

First deal done. Fantastic.

I grab a lovely genuine sports steering
wheel and get some chrome mirrors.

Not strictly original, but a
common sight, and I know they fit.

A deal at £170.

Yeah, I'll have all of that. Brilliant.

Hello, mate.

What have you got here for an Escort MK1?

There's a tuned-up
cylinder head over there,

petal cap, overriders,
pair of overriders here.

Very good order.

I've also got a bumper
on the rack over there.

Can I have a look at the bumper?

Yeah, sure.

Oh, look at that.

That's brilliant.

And these are the
overriders for that, aren't they?

Yep.

Okay, yeah, lovely.

20, 40, 60, 81, 20.

Lovely job.

Fantastic. Thank you very much.

Thanks very much. Good luck.

Cheers.

The break-up break cost me deer,

and now I've got them
blown £425 at the show.

The kitty is taking a bashing,

but I've got some genuine
Ford collectibles to show for it.

Now I can't wait to get back to the workshop
so they can sear and bolt it to our car.

The Ford Escort MK1
is a motor from my youth.

I feel like 17 again.

It's a car that's had a tough life, but
we've got serious ambitions for our fun Ford.

Make it a proper
Wheeler-dealer's MK1 Escort.

Ed's retasked the break-in,

and now he wants to look at ways
of taming the Escort's lively back end.

Mike believes we can scoop a profit on this
car by adding a few period improvements.

Now, having made our Escort stop better,

it's now time to make the
most of that wonderful 1600

cross-flow engine and
get it off the line quicker.

There is a clever mod
I've got up my sleeve.

It's not visible on the car, but it
improves grip and responsiveness,

and it's hidden inside the differential.

Now, a differential transfers the
drive from the prop shaft to the wheels,

but it allows them to spin at different
speeds to accommodate cornering.

Now, unfortunately, the power
follows the path of least resistance,

which means you can end up
with one wheel spinning while

the other one is stationary,
losing you drive and control.

Now, the fix for this is
a limited-slip differential,

and as the name suggests,
it limits the loss of drive

by resisting the difference in
motion between the wheels,

so keeping them both rotating.

Upgrading to an LSD or
limited-slip diff has loads of benefits,

but this is not a job
for the faint-hearted.

The first thing to do is to
get the diff out of the car,

which involves disconnecting the rear
half shafts and unbolting the prop shaft,

basically disconnecting
the unit from the drive.

With the differential now out of the car,
it's much easier to see what's going on.

In fact, if I just pop in this half shaft,

hopefully you can see then, if I was to
then pretend I'm being the prop shaft,

just spinning around
this bottom flange here,

that in turn moves the pinion gear,

which obviously also in turn moves

this great big crown wheel
here, or this crown gear.

What we need is this, a limited-slip diff,

and that needs to go
in place of all of that.

So I need to take this out,
remove the crown wheel,

and swap everything over,
and then pop this back in.

Sounds like a walk in the park, doesn't it?

Well, it's not.

Most LSDs are professionally swapped over
because it requires a degree of engineering

that's beyond the scope
of many home mechanics.

I've got to get to the crown wheel
and pinion in the heart of the diff.

And with all the bits separated down,

I give them a thorough clean.

Now comes the delicate
job of building it all up again,

setting the bearings carefully
at both ends of the pinion.

I'm using a new set of bearings,

which is not absolutely
necessary, but very sensible.

And now for the flange.

Once it's lubricated, I can bolt it on,

but it's critical that the
nut is neither too tight nor

too loose, as it affects
the preload of the bearings.

Well, that's now nipped up nicely, but I
now need to set the preload on the bearings.

And the way to do that is to actually
check the drag, or the rolling torque.

Now, some clever chap's worked out that
it's between 0.23 and 0.29 kilogram metres.

I'm going to go with
0.26, bang in the middle.

And the way I'm going to do this,

by using a clever
little tool I've just made

up, using an old weight
and a bit of studding,

and some washers, and some nuts.

If I now just pop that into position there,

the combination of this weight and a
certain distance away from this centre

means it's going to be
applying 0.26 kilogram metres.

So I could use a kilogram weight exactly
26 centimetres away from the centre.

So the idea is, once it's tight enough,

just a little bit of extra
force with my finger

will be enough to turn
it around, but no more.

In a specialist workshop,
this is done using a

torque transducer,
which is a costly bit of kit.

My method is free and works just as well.

Look at that, perfect.

So now just a little tiny bit
of pressure from my finger.

It just rolls around beautifully.

So now we know we've
got exactly the right amount.

of pre-loading in our bearings,

so we can now crack
on with a really hard bit,

which is sorting out the crown wheel.

The crown wheel needs to be heated to expand
it slightly so it'll slip over the LSD.

The Crave unit I've chosen to install

is known not to be too
aggressive with its power delivery.

It's ideal for our road car.

I bolt it up, fit the bearings
and slide it into the housing.

Now comes a round of highly
precise measurement and fettling

as I make sure that
the backlash is set

correctly between the
crown wheel and the pinion.

The factory-coated tolerance
is within 7 thou of an inch.

Then I use a torque wrench
to tighten up the casing itself.

So now that's all set up.

I've got one more test to do,
a bit of belt and braces really.

I'm just going to use some Engineering
Blue just to check to make sure.

that those teeth are meshing properly.

Engineering Blue is a dye compound I
paint onto the leading edge of the gears.

As the dye transfers to the opposing teeth,

it should leave a central even
pattern if the setup is spot on.

Right, I've spun that round a few times

just to see what kind of wear
pattern we're going to get here.

And you can see there's
actually a line of the blue

on both the inside and
the outside of the tooth.

And you've got an even
kind of smear, if you like,

from the heel to the toe
of each of these teeth,

which means you've got a
really lovely wear pattern, which

means we're good to go,
and this can go back in the car.

If you do decide to tackle this job,

you'll need a clean environment
and it'll take about a day.

But if you prefer to pay for it,

a specialist will charge you around £200.

Now you could probably
shave about £50 off those fees.

by at least getting the diff out yourself.

The last job is to fill
the diff with EP80 oil.

Job done.

Now I know we're not
building a rally replica,

but fitting a limited-slip diff
to our little Mark 1 Escort here

is going to mean it's going
to get off the line more quickly,

it's going to be more
predictable on loose material,

and it's going to make what's already
a really fun car to drive even more fun.

And the best bit is, this
is the kind of modification

that would have been done
by enthusiasts 40 years ago.

Ed, how are you doing, mate? You alright?

I'm good, sir. How are you?

I'm very good.

I always get excited about
coming down and seeing you,

but today I'm even more
excited to see our little

Escort Mark 1 and see
what you've done with it.

So what have you been up to?

Well, as you can see, I've
done nothing on the bodywork

because I've been concentrating
on all of the mechanical stuff.

So it now has a disc brake front end,

so it's going to stop much better.

But also, to go with that,

I've got a servo brake cylinder as
well, so that's going to be much better.

And also, on the back end,
we've got a limited-slip diff,

so it's just going to be
a bit more get-up-and-go

about it, but also it's
going to stop more safely.

That means that this car can
now compete with modern traffic.

Well, I've been busy too.

At the classic motor show, I
went round the auto jumble.

I could have gone and
got some stupid bits to

bolt to the car, but
actually I thought about it.

I've got some nice original
parts like this steering wheel.

I like that.

That's nice.

Yeah, I like that.

Look at these mirrors.

Cool.

How nice are they?

That's going to be fun.

Now, I wanted to put
some spotlights on the front.

Give it a different face.

Look what I found.

New Luca spot lamps from the day.

Yeah, very tasteful.

Nice, isn't he?

Of course, none of this stuff is
going to get bolted on just yet

because I now have
to prep, ready for paint.

Now, paint.

I don't want to fall
out with you over this,

but I fought long and hard about it.

I want to come down quite firm and
say that I really like this bronze colour.

I still think it might be nice to freshen
the whole thing up with a whole new colour,

but maybe we just need to talk to a
few more people, get a few more opinions.

Let's think about that.

I can do that for you.

Our Escort is in good condition and
structurally, but despite being rust-free,

cosmetically, the
battered and scratched

bodywork does need a
great deal of attention.

And there's no getting away from it.

I'm looking at a full respray,

and that means stripping the
Mark 1 back to a bare shell.

Time for a bit of graft.

I'll start with the interior.

It might seem a little bit extreme taking
the doors off just to get the interior out.

Sure, it's going to make
my life a lot easier in here,

but also, it's going to help the
paint shop, but the main thing is,

it'll be vital for a job
I need to do later on.

I'm not a big fan of these seats,
but they might be useful to someone.

I'll stick them on to an online auction
and see whether I can win back £200 or so.

The rear seats are original,

but I'll be sending them to the
trimmers to be smartened up later on.

I'm saving £60 by removing
the windscreen myself

and have decided to sacrifice the
rubbers which have perished and cracked.

That way, we can make sure that the
windscreen is not damaged on removal.

A new set of rubbers costs around £100.

Not everything can be tackled on my own,

so nearly new boy Phil
helps me lift off the bonnet.

Well, the stripped-down
process is going rather well,

but I can't ignore these
horrible wings any longer.

They're full of dents and
full of even more filler,

particularly down here,
obviously at the point of impact.

Now, I could spend a long time
trying to straighten them all out,

but to be honest, I
think the neater solution

is just to cut the old
wings off and replace them.

But then, of course,
I'm left with a dilemma.

Do I replace both wings
with a standard wing

or do I just keep that side and only
replace this one and keep the Mexico theme?

It's a tricky dilemma,
but I think while I'm

thinking about it, I'll
just cut this wing off.

To remove this, I take off the wheels and
then cut along the seam of the inner wing.

It needs to be a tidy job because I'm going
to be welding the new wing onto it later.

This panel has been messed with in the
past, but there is a clear path for the cut.

The Escort offers relatively easy access,

but welding and cutting is dangerous work,

and a specialist would ask
about 300 pounds per side.

Now it's time to choose
stock or Mexico wings.

They're the same price at 120 pounds each.

Now, because we're
having to restore the

interior and give our
Escort a lick of paint,

it now seems easier to argue

that the car isn't quite as
original as it might have been.

So going back to these stock wings
isn't going to be quite so important.

Now, the other thing to consider is
that we're going to fit bigger wheels

to accommodate our
lovely new brake conversion.

And of course, Ford actually fitted
the Mexico wings from the factory

precisely to give bigger
wheels a little bit more clearance.

Now, if we add to that the
period bods we've already done

and the wider, higher arch wings
appear to be even more suitable,

so it would seem I don't
really have a choice.

Mexico wings it is.

So back on with the bonnet
before I get busy with the welder.

Now, a good top tip, when
you're trying to fit new panels,

you need as many reference
points as you possibly can.

So we just close this
bonnet down a little bit, Phil.

Right, what I'm trying to do here

is just get the scuttle, which
of course is a fixed point,

to actually match up with the bonnet,
or at least around the other way around.

So once I'm happy
that this is nice and flush

and I've got good short lines
that are even all the way around,

we then know that the
bonnet is in the right position.

We haven't moved the catch, so that's OK.

So now we've got a fantastic
line to use as a reference

to try and get our wing
into the right position.

So we just kind of jiggle it
around until we're really happy,

and we can clamp it or
even tack it into position.

That's not bad, actually.
Is it good at the end?

All right, time for the door, I think.

The door is an important
reference for the wing.

One, because of the visible shut line,

and two, because its position
governs the height of the wing.

I'm happy with the positioning,

so it's now time to fix the
wing permanently into place.

I've decided to plug and seam
weld it depending on access.

Our escort is now stripped
and ready for the paint job

and having resolved that rather tricky
dilemma as to which style of wing to go for,

I've now got the far more contentious
dilemma of which colour of paint to go for.

So what's it going to be, Ed?

Stay with the brown and keep me sweet or
incur my wrath and go for something else?

With what we've put in so far,

the sale price of the
Mark 1 needs to be high

and the colour is going to
decide whether we can achieve it.

Working our escort is well on the way
and as it turns from a teenage hobby car

into something that's
going to fetch big money,

I have strong opinions on that new colour.

I want to come then quite firm and
say that I really like this bronze colour.

And Ed's got to play ball.

Now the workshop's empty
for a change because I'm still

waiting for the escort to
come back from the paint shop.

Now I haven't actually
seen the paint go on,

so this will be the first time
I see it in its new colour.

It's quite exciting.

It should be here any second.

Well that is quite a transformation.

This Daytona yellow, although
it is actually a stock colour,

it just looks so much more
contemporary than the original brown.

It looks really rather wonderful actually.

The best bit is the body
should have put some of the

bits back to save me a
bit of time which is lovely.

Mike really wanted to
go with the original colour

of brown but after
talking to a few people,

it seemed that the best way to
go actually was indeed the yellow.

So I've got two jobs to do really.

I've got to put the whole
thing back together again

and then I've got to convince
Mike it's the way forward.

And something tells you that the second job
is going to be much easier than the first.

Mike went into a lot of trouble

to get some nice bits and pieces
from the classic motor show.

Now they've all got to go onto the car

but I think I'm going to start with
the outside and the shiny chrome bits.

But before I can do anything
else, I need to fit those headlights.

The main thing to worry about here
are the brackets for the new spotlights.

I need to Mark and drill
the holes in the body.

But I will go to an extra bit of trouble

and paint the exposed metal
and stop rust in the future.

It is possible to mount the
spotlights on the bumpers

but this way is stronger
and it looks better.

The bumper is one of Mike's purchases

and because it uses all the
original hangers, it's easy to fit.

And now to give the Mark on its face.

I resprayed the dog
bone grille in satin black.

It helps to make the front
of the car look factory fresh.

There's always a great call from
Mark 1 fans to fit four spots on the front

and our twin light system is
bordering on controversial but I like it.

Fitting is simple enough but the wiring
does need some slight modification,

an additional relay and
a switch on the dash.

And now all the chrome trim,

such a key part of this car, is in place.

When Mike bought this car,

it seemed as though there
were only a few details to change

but the more you do, the
more you find you need to do

and the new door cards, carpets
and retrimming on the rear seat

set me back 700 pounds which is
more or less what the car costs new.

I sourced a new dash
panel from a specialist

and I'm putting on
Mike's cool steering wheel.

Now for some new front
seatage found online.

A pair of new mirrors.

and a set of 13-inch wheels that
Mike got with the car as part of the deal.

No, they're not alloys but after some
careful repainting, they look wonderful

and give our Wheeler Dealers Mark
1 Special the final touch of elegance.

Only a matter of weeks ago,

this Ford has been
thrashed around in a field.

It's not really where a
car like ours deserves to

spend its days but with
the changes we've made,

it's no longer a motor
someone can treat as a rat car.

It's now a Mark 1 that will be cherished.

Our Escort has new purpose and
it can accompany me anywhere.

Just gently does it to
about, I reckon, here.

Well, I'm going to tell you,
I'm very nervous about this.

Am I going to be happy or
sad with what I'm about to see?

I can't really be responsible
for your emotions.

You just need to kind of open
your eyes gently and just enjoy.

Hello.

What have you done?

I wanted to keep the car in bronze

and you've gone and painted it yellow.

You've gone against everything I've said.

Not everything.

The modifications, got the
spotlights and the mirrors.

I said if you was going to do this,

I was going to tear a strip off you.

Excellent news.

Saying that, it does
look smart, doesn't it?

I do like the look and I'm
sure the yellow will grow on me.

It looks really good.

I think so.

I haven't got to watch my back then.

No, you haven't got to watch your back.

As long as you keep turning
out cars like this for us,

I think you're safe forever and a day.

This is our Ford Escort Mark
1 Wheeler Dealer Special.

We wanted a car that
looks as good on the outside

as it is underneath and
I'd say we've done it.

And special is the only
word that fits this car.

Jeep Mark 1s are rare and I had
to chase this car down in Cornwall.

Where have you been driving it then?

In the fields across the road there.

It was a young lad's toy
and it needed rescuing.

Wonderful.

It's to die for.

It's so much fun.

It was a blast on the B roads but the
braking system was stuck in the 70s

so Ed used a brake
conversion kit from a Ford Capri

with greater control and
ultimate stopping power.

We had to keep the jobs discreet or
we'd spoil the Escort's stock appeal.

So Ed shoehorned in a limited slip diff
which gives better control at the back.

We had to address the
bodywork and paint for

this car and it took a new
wing and colour change

to give us that look at
me appeal that we wanted.

And then it was a matter
of rebuilding the Mark 1

with a re-trimmed interior,
new bumpers and bling.

We've ended up with an icon.

But how much does it owe us?

Mechanical upgrades were not cheap.

Body panels and paint
weighed heavily on the kitty.

The new kit and
re-trimming gave us a total

spend of eight and a
half thousand pounds.

Much more than I wanted but worth it.

The Mark 1 loves country
lanes but we've come somewhere

a bit more industrial for
our last drive in the car.

Ed, did I tell you just how
much I enjoyed driving

our little Westpool before
you got your groovy mitts on it?

I do seem to remember you mentioning
it a few times quite how much you liked it.

I would actually go as far as
to say you were raving about it.

It was obviously a lovely
car before we started.

It certainly was but
now, gosh, thanks to the

work you've done
with that limited slip diff.

Feels like I'm driving
a new car, I'll tell you.

It feels so much better on the road.

It doesn't sort of snap on the power.

It's not like a hoonigan.

This car feels really
focused and nice and tight.

I will tell you, changing it from drums
to discs has made all the difference.

And the ride, much more comfortable.

So where are we going? Come on.

Well, I'm taking you
to the Ford factory in

Dagenham because this
place is the spiritual home.

This is where they made
all the classic Fords.

Basically around here, they had 50,000
people all working for Ford in the heyday.

Wow, it was Fordville?

It was absolutely Fordville.

And I'm going to show you
something really special.

Oh, look at this.

That looks cool.

Hi, I'm Ed.

Ed, good to see you.

Colin, good to see you again.

Good to see you again, my old buddy.

How are you? You all right?

Still smiling, still smiling, mate, yeah.

Fantastic. Well, this is Colin.

He looks after the Ford Heritage Fleet.

And if I'm not mistaken, you've wheeled out

some classic Escorts
for us to have a look at.

Only for you and Mike.

That's a little 1300 XL, isn't it?

That is a little 1.3 XL, 1974, yeah.

And going by the wings,
that must be a Mexico.

Yep, in Sebring Red, 1974
again, built at Halewood.

And are my eyes deceiving
me, or is that the car?

Is that the Hannu Mikula winning Escort?

That is the car, that
1970 car you got there.

That's the one that actually won
the original 1970 London-Mexico rally

with Hannu Mikula and Gula Palm in the car.

That's pretty cool.

And I guess that then was the inspiration.

for the Mexico model.

Exactly right, Ed, yeah, yeah.

Well, we've created our
own little slice of English

history, because we've got
our own little Ford Escort there.

Mark I looks all right, doesn't it?

It's always nice, and we appreciate
any teams that will get together

and put a new classic
Ford back on the road again.

It's really nice, we appreciate that.

And because I knew you were coming,
in my pocket here, in appreciation

for your team's efforts in getting
another classic Ford back on the road,

a little 1.6 RS Escort there for you.

That's cool.

That is amazing, thank you so much.

That will go a brighter place on
the shelf in our workshop, thank you.

Superb.

And getting up so close and personal

with so many classic Fords is a wonderful
treat after so many jobs well done.

What a fantastic Ford collection,
thank you very much for that.

It's my pleasure, Ed,
and thanks to all the work

you've done with our
wonderful little Escort.

Do you know what?

It competes with anything they've
got in that garage, so well done.

Well, we know it's a lovely car.

I guess the thing now is,

how much are we gonna
be able to sell it for?

This car feels really good on the road.

Not only that, wherever it
goes, it creates such a buzz.

So I reckon 10, maybe 11 grand.

You never know, with this car,

the sky's the limit.

I was planning to ask
10 grand for the Escort,

but a number keeps going round in
my head, and it's 12 and a half grand.

And I'm not being cheeky,
our car is that good.

And I didn't have to
work hard to get interest.

I just mentioned it to some people,

and through word of mouth,

it appeared on a forum,

and immediately I got a
call from this guy behind me.

He's called Max.

The thing is, is he a tire
kicker, or is he a deal maker?

Let's find out.

So then, Max, you do like it then?

Yeah, it's very nice.

What do you think of the color?

I think it's really good, it's period.

Excellent.

I'm glad you like the color, because it
was my decision to paint it in this color.

I like it as well.

And I want 12 and a
half thousand pound for it.

I think 12 and a half is a bit much for it.

Really nice.

Are you open to offers on it?

A little offer?

Go on, make me a little offer.

Be nice to me, Max.

How about 11 and a half?

It's just not enough.

I'll take 12 for it.

11,750.

Oh, don't do this to me.

11,750.

Make it another 50
quid, you've got a deal.

11,800.

Go on.

All right, you've got to.

Yes, you just bought yourself
a Kraken Escort Mark 1.

Well done.

Cheers.

That small shake of the
hand seals me and Ed a

whopping profit of nearly
three and a half grand.

Wow.

Isn't it lovely?

And do you know what?

Even if we hadn't earned a profit,

I'd still be immensely proud
of what we've achieved.

If you want to see more faded
classics being turned around,

then join me and Ed
soon on Wheel Of Dealers.

Tala.