MK 1 Escort Sports Question.

[Limey 666]

OK this could get a bit longwinded so I will try and condense it as far as I can.
Many years ago when I was a teenager my grandfather bought an escort sport it was the first one on Teesside where we lived and it was in neshams (local ford dealer at that time) and it was going round on one of those turntable things anyway my grandfather bought it and we all loved it and I often used to wash it etc.
My friend and I who where both car crazy often used to lift the bonnet and check the oil and fluids etc and we noticed that it had twin stromberg carbs and never ever seeing another for obvious reasons assumed that was what they would all have, so about maybe eight years later I meet a ford trained mechanic to whom I tell this story and he never ever believed me and said they all had a twin choke weber.
So basicly has anyone else seen one of these ever or was it a one off ???.

[DBSV8]

The mk1 Escort was first introduced in 1968 on an F plate until the mk2 came out in 1975
The mk1 came in 1100 or 1300 2/4 door sedan or as a GT or 1600 twin cam then RS 1600 Introduced in 1970 with 947 produced including the Mexico series and finaly the RS 2000 model

all engines were based on the Kent crossflow ohv engine they were fitted with single weber or twin ( twin cam/rs models ) carburetors as standard. Except 2.0 rs which used the pinto ohc engine.

The Escort Sport was a tuned 1300L with flared wings and used the trim from the basic range , It was fitted with a weber carburetor

Cannot find any varient that had SU carbs , It looks likely that this could have been fitted as a non standard item possibly requested by the owner ? , You would have to ask why would you fit SU'S instead of twin webbers ?

edit to add , Does your grandfather still have the car , would be worth a fair bit now espcially one owner ?

Edited by DBSV8 on Saturday 1st November 10:59

[lewis1]

I think they had a Weber 28/36 twin choke on the 711m block as loved by the FF1600 boys.

[john2443]

I agree with DBSV8, except "all engines were based on the Kent crossflow ohv engine" - true apart from the RS1600 and RS1800 which were BDA not Kent, and slightly splitting hairs "The Escort Sport..used the trim from the basic range" - it also had the 6 dial dash used in the 1300XL, E and GT.

I do agree about Strombergs not being used I can't see Ford having anything to do with a carbs that was (I think I'm corrcet to say) a Rootes item.

[RedexR]

Ford always used Weber for Sporting models of that time , Fomoco own versions as their lesser powered vehicles , I've never heard of SUs on an Escort.

[eglf]

John2443 "true apart from the RS1600 and RS1800 which were BDA not Kent,"

John I rememeber reading that the BDA engine was based on the Kent block, sorry for splitting hairs again.

[john2443]

eglf said:

I remember reading that the BDA engine was based on the Kent block, sorry for splitting hairs again.

Oh! I didn't know that; have just Googled and found 'Although the 1600 BDA was adapted from the 1600 push rod bottom end (the uprated 711M version) only the block and the con rods are interchangeable' so you are right.

You learn something new every day - I'd always assumed it was a new from scratch Cosworth engine.

Edited by john2443 on Saturday 1st November 20:09

[hot metal]

I take it this is a MK1 ,they were all 1300`s ,were they 711 blocks? The stromberg thing seems odd


I think some South African or Aussie derivatives may have had Strombergs but only on the Pinto engines I seem to remember.

Edited by hot metal on Saturday 1st November 20:16

Edited by hot metal on Saturday 1st November 20:19

[Joe T]

Mmm, well I have heard of some of the Lotus powered machinery having strombergs http://www.burtonpower.com/technical_1/lotus_twin_...

It also states in this article that the later twincam block was a special
casting.

But a twincam is unlikely to pop up in a sport model.

[PeteG]

Limey 666 said:

...Teesside where we lived and it was in neshams (local ford dealer at that time)...

Am I showing my age by remembering Neshams? They must have closed down 10 years since...

[ferg]

Certainly as above some of the Twinks used Strombergs. They were a Zenith carb and similar to the SU in that they were constant depression, variable venturi.
Although not an SU carb so.......

DBSV8 said:

Cannot find any varient that had SU carbs

[john7]

I think the carb was a 32/36 weber.

[hot metal]

john7 said:

I think the carb was a 32/36 weber.

or was it a 28/32?

Edited by hot metal on Sunday 2nd November 22:08

[Limey 666]

DBSV8 said:

The mk1 Escort was first introduced in 1968 on an F plate until the mk2 came out in 1975
The mk1 came in 1100 or 1300 2/4 door sedan or as a GT or 1600 twin cam then RS 1600 Introduced in 1970 with 947 produced including the Mexico series and finaly the RS 2000 model

all engines were based on the Kent crossflow ohv engine they were fitted with single weber or twin ( twin cam/rs models ) carburetors as standard. Except 2.0 rs which used the pinto ohc engine.

The Escort Sport was a tuned 1300L with flared wings and used the trim from the basic range , It was fitted with a weber carburetor

Cannot find any varient that had SU carbs , It looks likely that this could have been fitted as a non standard item possibly requested by the owner ? , You would have to ask why would you fit SU'S instead of twin webbers ?

edit to add , Does your grandfather still have the car , would be worth a fair bit now espcially one owner ?

Edited by DBSV8 on Saturday 1st November 10:59

No the car was bought brand new so it never had a previous owner and there were not any others at the time and he sold it to my uncle in 1973 not sure if its still around as I cant remember the exact reg but it was something like BDC --- K

[Limey 666]

RedexR said:

Ford always used Weber for Sporting models of that time , Fomoco own versions as their lesser powered vehicles , I've never heard of SUs on an Escort.

Yes as I said never seen another one only that one.

[ian2144]

john2443 said:

I agree with DBSV8, except "all engines were based on the Kent crossflow ohv engine" - true apart from the RS1600 and RS1800 which were BDA not Kent, and slightly splitting hairs "The Escort Sport..used the trim from the basic range" - it also had the 6 dial dash used in the 1300XL, E and GT.

I do agree about Strombergs not being used I can't see Ford having anything to do with a carbs that was (I think I'm corrcet to say) a Rootes item.

Back 72, I remember going to look at a Mk1 Sport in lime green, at my local dealer, it had the standard two dial dash with a pod rev counter ??? So when did they change to the six dial one ???

[john2443]

ian2144 said:

john2443 said:

I agree with DBSV8, except "all engines were based on the Kent crossflow ohv engine" - true apart from the RS1600 and RS1800 which were BDA not Kent, and slightly splitting hairs "The Escort Sport..used the trim from the basic range" - it also had the 6 dial dash used in the 1300XL, E and GT.

I do agree about Strombergs not being used I can't see Ford having anything to do with a carbs that was (I think I'm correct to say) a Rootes item.

Back 72, I remember going to look at a Mk1 Sport in lime green, at my local dealer, it had the standard two dial dash with a pod rev counter ??? So when did they change to the six dial one ???

I'm only working from memory so could be wrong, I assumed that all the 1300 S were 6 dial, but maybe not.
I had 2 1300XLs, the 71 had the 2 dial, the 74 was 6 dial, so maybe the S changed at the same time?

[Hybrids]

If I remember correctly, Sports had 2 dial with a rev counter Pod and the GT's had 6 clock (VLV 136H OLG 260H where are you)

edited to change reg number OLG260H was a 1300GT but ended up a big wing running a 1700 X flow on 40's, VLV 136H was a Black XL ending up with a 2.1 with a DGAS

Edited by Hybrids on Wednesday 5th November 14:55

[Limey 666]

Hybrids said:

If I remember correctly, Sports had 2 dial with a rev counter Pod and the GT's had 6 clock (VLV 136H where are you)

Yes your right I forgot that as it was many years ago.

[jonnylayze]

My dad had an Escort Sport and even now reckons it was the best handling car he ever owned