Mk 1 Escort Vans, Jungle Juice and export shells.
Initially, Mk 1 Escorts never really attracted me for various reasons. I was never a fan of the running gear. The suspension was crap, the diffs were weak and the gearboxes were horrible in my opinion after driving a MK 2 RS2000 with a quickshifer everyday for seven years. Again, initially the shape didn't attract me. It always looked like a poor man's version of the Capri.
It wasn't until I became familiar with the RS models with the round lights that I even started to warm to the model. None of which made there way out to Australia, in large numbers, anyway. Australia got a very limited number of Twin Cam Escorts, no RS models, Mexico, RS2000 or RS1600s. There were a few 1300GTs sold but rare in the land of the V8. 1300GT seemed like an oxymoron. The Kent engine was nothing more than a lawnmower sized engine and adding the GT just signified it was barely able to keep up with traffic. Many of the Mk 1 Escorts sold in Australia were also automatic, so top speed was never great and somewhat scarily only achieved on the back roads. Taking one onto an Aussie highway was like taking a horse and cart on a race track. It was essentially a hinderance to other road users.
Slowly, I came around to the shape of the MK 1 Escort, but it was mainly the Vans that interested me. The practicality was the key to my interest and being lighter than a sedan it had some performance potential. With Mk 2 running gear, particular in 2.0lt form, lowered suspension from a Capri, it was an exciting prospect.
At various times of self-employment as a building designer, I would travel to sites with my surveying equipment. I had always hoped to find an Escort van to perform this duty but even in the semi-dry climate of Australia, Escorts and particularly vans have not faired well. They were never looked after being commercial vehicles and having a much smaller payload than the Ford Falcon and Holden rivals. I would generally come across one every now and again and have to move it on due to terminal rust or worn out Kent engines that I never really had much success with.
One example I bought from a wreckers yard for $1000 had potential. It had a 1600 engine upgrade but it was rough in spots, full of body filler and patches of grey primer. I exchanged funds and drove it home on a permit and it seem ok until I dropped in at my mechanics for his assessment.
Just a little sideline - The wrecker I bought the van off was a bit of a strange character. It was a simple transaction purchasing this particular van as I had to endure a sales pitch for a certain wonder drink that was reported to cure everything from genital warts to rheumatoid arthritis. Suffice to say, my response was something along the lines of, "I'll just buy the van, I think. No Jungle Juice for me, thank you."
The mechanic at the time I was using was an Ex-pat Englishman. A miserable man who was from my part of the country (Nottingham) and was not a fan of the Blue Oval. I think the only positive thing he said about the van was the potential of the Kent engine which, for a Vauxhall fan, he surprising had much praise for. Sadly he wouldn't look at performing a roadworthy test on it (MOT) until I sorted out all the potential rust at great expense. It just wasn't in my budget so I shelved the project and looked at for a better shell.
Finding a better Escort van shell was something that always eluded me. I thought I had found one in country Victoria but some dodgy photos and breaking the cardinal rule of not viewing the vehicle before parting with the cash. The van literally turned up outside my house and the guy had his hand out for the money. Being the nice guy I was, I just handed it over and let him head back to the country with a slightly less serious look on his face that "cuntry-folk" seem to have when they visit the "big smoke."
For whatever reason, I cut my losses and sold it for $500 to a contact who promptly shipped it over to the UK. Looking back at the photos, I can't see why I let it go so cheap but I did. No regrets, but would I have let it go so cheap today? Like hell, I would.
It wasn't until I became familiar with the RS models with the round lights that I even started to warm to the model. None of which made there way out to Australia, in large numbers, anyway. Australia got a very limited number of Twin Cam Escorts, no RS models, Mexico, RS2000 or RS1600s. There were a few 1300GTs sold but rare in the land of the V8. 1300GT seemed like an oxymoron. The Kent engine was nothing more than a lawnmower sized engine and adding the GT just signified it was barely able to keep up with traffic. Many of the Mk 1 Escorts sold in Australia were also automatic, so top speed was never great and somewhat scarily only achieved on the back roads. Taking one onto an Aussie highway was like taking a horse and cart on a race track. It was essentially a hinderance to other road users.
Slowly, I came around to the shape of the MK 1 Escort, but it was mainly the Vans that interested me. The practicality was the key to my interest and being lighter than a sedan it had some performance potential. With Mk 2 running gear, particular in 2.0lt form, lowered suspension from a Capri, it was an exciting prospect.
At various times of self-employment as a building designer, I would travel to sites with my surveying equipment. I had always hoped to find an Escort van to perform this duty but even in the semi-dry climate of Australia, Escorts and particularly vans have not faired well. They were never looked after being commercial vehicles and having a much smaller payload than the Ford Falcon and Holden rivals. I would generally come across one every now and again and have to move it on due to terminal rust or worn out Kent engines that I never really had much success with.
One example I bought from a wreckers yard for $1000 had potential. It had a 1600 engine upgrade but it was rough in spots, full of body filler and patches of grey primer. I exchanged funds and drove it home on a permit and it seem ok until I dropped in at my mechanics for his assessment.
Just a little sideline - The wrecker I bought the van off was a bit of a strange character. It was a simple transaction purchasing this particular van as I had to endure a sales pitch for a certain wonder drink that was reported to cure everything from genital warts to rheumatoid arthritis. Suffice to say, my response was something along the lines of, "I'll just buy the van, I think. No Jungle Juice for me, thank you."
The mechanic at the time I was using was an Ex-pat Englishman. A miserable man who was from my part of the country (Nottingham) and was not a fan of the Blue Oval. I think the only positive thing he said about the van was the potential of the Kent engine which, for a Vauxhall fan, he surprising had much praise for. Sadly he wouldn't look at performing a roadworthy test on it (MOT) until I sorted out all the potential rust at great expense. It just wasn't in my budget so I shelved the project and looked at for a better shell.
Finding a better Escort van shell was something that always eluded me. I thought I had found one in country Victoria but some dodgy photos and breaking the cardinal rule of not viewing the vehicle before parting with the cash. The van literally turned up outside my house and the guy had his hand out for the money. Being the nice guy I was, I just handed it over and let him head back to the country with a slightly less serious look on his face that "cuntry-folk" seem to have when they visit the "big smoke."
For whatever reason, I cut my losses and sold it for $500 to a contact who promptly shipped it over to the UK. Looking back at the photos, I can't see why I let it go so cheap but I did. No regrets, but would I have let it go so cheap today? Like hell, I would.
Comments
Post a Comment