Hello all,

Some of you may remember I got ahold of a part-finished S4 a few years ago and set about completing it. Actually it was sold to me as an Eagle P21/25 but it turned out the seller didn't know a right lot about these things and it's a Dutton S4. Also was sold with a (seized) 1600 X-flow engine which under closer inspection turned out to be a standard 1300 out of a van although I couldn't tell the difference at the time. Live and learn!

Anyway it's on the road now, I'll try and upload a photo or two. I've been lurking here every now and then but not posted for some time. It was a fairly low-cost project so has very little in the way of "luxury" fittings.

If anyone wants a low down on what exactly was done I'll happily write more but don't want to bore the general public :P

The problem is it's a bit sluggish. It's running a recently overhauled 1300 x-flow out of a crashed escort ghia (so it's the GT model) but even so isn't particularly quick. I know these engines can be tuned quite a bit but this one's already operating pretty well and I don't want to start throwing money at over-boring etc. Does anyone have any experience/suggestions with an upgrade? I was thinking of something like a Capri V6, rather than going along the V8 route (tempting as it is), and then could probably use the axle from that as well. Would the rear leaf springs stand up to this? Although if we're looking at more power a move to coils is pretty inevitable I guess.

Ed

:D Congrats on getting the car back on the road and I for one would be keen to hear a bit more about the trials - It may make a change for the other to read something other than my continual ramblings <_<

Certainly sounds like there were a few similarities to my rebuilds reference the previous owners complete lack of knowledge about the car.

As for the performance upgrade - My experience is that if you have a good running car - don't start there - sell it and use the money to buy another restoration project that you rebuild with the performance and dynamics that you want.

Andrew

Hey Andy,

It's quite a problem really with a lot of sellers. This one in particular was selling it on behalf of a friend (who didn't have the internet) so had the caveat "I'm only saying what I've been told, I know nothing about these things". But we got it with the intention of changing the engine out for the recon 1300 anyway - apart from anything else it would be cheaper on the insurance for me. It worked out that even with the 1300 it'd cost £2000 for me - I'm 23 albeit with no points/claims, so my dad's driving it instead (£100).

Selling this then buying another might cause upset, should we say...

OK now the work, I'll try and split it into coherent sections...

Engine/gearbox fits in a treat - should do since it was designed for it! Transplanted rear axle/leaves from the Escort so as not to screw up the speedo. For anyone still using original Escort suspension on their car, new parts are very easy to source - we had a leaking brake cylinder and knackered dampers so replaced all those. Found that the engine mounts weren't quite matched to the chassis on the kit, plus the rubber was split (easy way to fail an MOT) so took the rubber off entirely with a hacksaw and used a couple of these: engine mounts (the bigger ones).

Must add at this point that car builder solutions were extremely useful for the whole build (and no I don't work for them :P )

Air filter for carb fouls pedalbox bulkhead so that was modified with a hacksaw then replaced with a large K&N from ebay. Haven't tested that yet to see if it's a big improvement.

Currently it has the standard 1300 exhaust manifold, not the GT 4-2-1 system. The latter runs the connecting flange too low so needs shortening (although that might be tricky).

Engine runs far too hot without heater box connected.

Glad to hear its back on the road :D

Must agree with Andy on the performance upgrade thou, sell it and use the money to buy another restoration project.

Or just enjoy the 1.3 x/flow ;)

I'll have to mull that one over for the time being. It's quite fun as it is anyway :)

More notes on the build:

Andy - after trawling through old posts today I noticed you asked about foglights/spotlights for the recesses in the S4 bumper a fair while back so this is probably not much use for you but hopefully of some use to future S4 owners. We've fitted a pair of Hella Comet 500 (Spots about £15 for the pair, fitted but never used, again from ebay). Sit almost flush with the bumper. They're pretty darn bright but a pain in the backside to adjust as it means taking them off, repositioning the clamp, then refitting. Height adjustment on the sealed beam headlights is considerably easier...

All the brake pipes were horribly corroded so we've put some new ones in. Pedal box is new (again, straight out of the Escort) and there's now some steel plates reinforcing the fibreglass where it attaches. No room for a servo but stops fairly easily anyway.

Another fairly big thing was a new fuel tank - someone had fibreglassed an Escort saloon tank (anyone who's seen one of these will know it's completely the wrong shape for the job) in which had rusted and was leaking. Cut out the entire boot section, replaced it with a steel "box" and got a custom made aluminium fuel tank with sump (which is a must when designing your own) from these guys. Again, highly recommended. When fitting I'd recommend insulating it from steel though because of galvanic corrosion.

Seats (which one of you chaps might recognise ;) ) are now on escort seat runners which is very useful for getting in and out. Dash is uninteresting but functional!

Oh and exhaust was a fun task - currently a bit of a bodge from 2 complete Escort systems which had rusted through in various places. And a lot of help from a friend who's extremely good with a MIG welder. Also proved useful with welding in a plate to strengthen the front (thin) crossmember supporting the steering rack (we literally cut a section out of the escort chassis and welded it to a plate to give better support than was previously there). Needs a proper exhaust system anyway but this'll do for now :)

For anyone interested, the trick to correctly identifying a 1600 x-flow without looking at the block code (NOT the serial number) which is located towards the bottom of the block on the exhaust side (BA means 1600, AA means 1300), is to look at the carb and exhaust manifold. Stock carb for a 1600 x-flow was the twin-choke weber and stock exhaust manifold was the 4-2-1 (both according to mk2 escort haynes manual). 1300GT also shares these parts.

Chances are anything with a single choke carb and standard 4-1 exhaust manifold is a 1300 or smaller. But always worth double checking on the block!

Pictures! Fiesta numberplate blanked just in case there's any savoury characters out there :P

Wellers for the front fit but rub when on full lock. Need to sort that out sometime but for the time being the Escort wheels do the job. Forgive the soap subs, I'd just washed it.