Over the last few weeks I’ve been having problems starting the van. It has been taking around 10-15 seconds of cranking before it fires. Very odd. I had a similar problem when I was driving around, logging and remapping the megasquirt. On Saturday I decided to take action and mess around with the megasquirts cranking settings. I got the charger on standby and started playing. It got very frustrating because whatever I did, it didn’t improve. But what was worse, the starter was beginning to get louder. As things weren’t getting any better on the starting front, I went back inside to surf the megasquirt site and the forums. After a bit of searching, I found there were a few people having similar problems. They were all using the SquirtNSpark Extra code, version 029q. So was I. It appears there was a bug in that version of the code which buggered up the cranking settings and the after start enrichment. (ASE).
So on Sunday morning, I downloaded the latest code (029t) and uploaded it into the megasquirt. The van seemed to be starting a bit quicker now, but still needed to tweak it. The noise the starter made got louder, then suddenly just a whirring. It wasn’t turning the flywheel. Oh dear (or words to that effect beginning with F). The starter is probably the most awkward component of my setup to remove. You have to take the engine out because it’s so close to the engine mounts. I jacked the van up and reached underneath. The starter was loose. Or rather totally detached from the bellhousing. The lugs for the bolts were still there, so my thought was the last time I had the engine out, I’d not fastened one of the bolts properly, and it’s vibrated the other free. Phew, that’s a relief. I had visions of ringing Neil at 105Speed and ordering a nice compact Brise starter. I may one day, but not today. I just tightened the bolts up, and it was back to normal.
The van is starting up better than before now, but one of the downsides of the new code, is that I’m going to have to remap it again. Oh well, I’ve done it so many times before, once more won’t make a difference.
I happened across an old Road Safety advert from the 70s on YouTube the other day with Alvin Stardust. It’s not really old Ford related apart from the girls crossed the road in front of an Anglia, but it’s a great ad all the same. The second ad with Kevin Keegan has been ‘tweaked’ slightly. Try and spot where.
How many sit up and beg Pickups have you seen? I never knew they even existed. According to this ebay auction, it’s the only one left in this country, as they were built for the Australian market.
Yesterday, myself and friend Simon took a trip up to the Lake District to meet up with some of the guys from the Old Skool Ford forum and have a drive around and a natter. We had my van, another Thames van, a Mk1 Escort, a Mk2, a Mk2 RS2000 and an XR2.
Matty Jones from Denbigh, North Wales has been in touch with some pics of his Mk2 Escort Autograss car. He explains that it’s a standard 1300GT with Pipercross air filter, and that he’s had quite a bit of success at the Prestatyn Autograss Club. He races in Class 2 which is FWD or RWD cars up to 1300cc, and has top finishes every race and a first on his first time out in the Escort. While the season has finished, he’s going to give the Escort a new paint job in Cossack colours. I’ve asked Matty to keep in touch and send some pictures when that’s done and the new seasons starts.
Look at this Mk1 Cortina Consul automatic from 1964. That makes it 42 years old. Nothing special there, until I tell you it has 68 miles from new. I’ll say that again. SIXTY-EIGHT miles from new. That’s just over a mile and a half per year! It has been unregistered and sat in a Ford dealers showroom all its life. And you can buy it on ebay. Currently at £6,600 you’ll need some deep pockets.
Boy oh boy, have I got a treat for you! After spending hours trying to upload this thing to Google Video and it failing, I found the Mac uploader program, so I’ve finally done it!
Don’t attempt to watch this unless you’ve got a spare half hour. Once you start watching it, you won’t be able to turn it off. It’s a documentary of the 1967 Motor Sports season. Cars racing include single seaters, Anglias, Coopers, Lotus Cortinas, Hillman imps etc. It’s fascinating stuff.
I’ll hopefully be posting a nice half hour 60s racing video on Friday which someone on the 105Speed forum brought our attention to. On the back of that, Winnie, one of the the 105Speed regulars said that his uncle used to race an Anglia in the 60s. Not just any old Anglia, but the ‘Wanglia’. Anyone around at the time should remember it, as the body had been cut in two from front to rear (excluding the roof) and widened by 6 inches.
If you click the read more link, there’s scans of Autosport magazine and newpaper cuttings at the time
The Anglia that finished 2nd at Brands, behind the Terry Sanger V8 cortina with the huge wheels, was i think, Roger Taylor. He used to race in the East Anglian Racing Cars team with Alan Peer and my uncle, Maurice Winch. The EARC team cars were always painted grey with a red stripe acroos the bonnet, roof and boot. Roger Taylor used to have an 1800 lotus twin cam engine and was one of the fastest ‘club’ cars around, often beating the V8 engined stuff. Alan Peer used to have a 1 litre MAE engine and nearly always won the smaller capacity class. My uncle used to run an 1800 x-flow and wasn’t as sucessful as the other two drivers, but still won quite a few races.
This is getting all too regular. Why can’t people leave other peoples stuff alone?
Ford Anglia Estate Deluxe
reg BGN 706B stil on the original old raised plastic letter plates that were on the car from new
maroon with grey roof
back of headlining a bit tatty
completely standard but aftermarket carb and pancake filter fitted
stolen from streatham,had a steering lock on the wheel
Blink and you’ll miss it. This weeks clip comes from a truck test to see the effects of a distracted truck driver hitting a queue of traffic. You go away thinking two things. 1. Bloody hell. and 2. I never want to get inside a 2CV. Why is this on a classic Ford site I hear you ask. At the front of the queue is a Mk1 Granada.
