Owner's 1970s Ford Escort Mk2 RS2000 restoration
PassionFord — Escort Mk2 RS2000 Restoration Update
Read the full write-up at PassionFord — Escort Mk2 RS2000 Restoration Update ↗
Photo: PassionFord — Escort Mk2 RS2000 Restoration UpdateRebuilding a rusty Ford Escort Mk2 RS2000 shell, chassis legs and all
Gabbo documents a slow, home-garage rebuild of his Escort Mk2 RS2000, starting from a heavily rusted shell that he stripped years earlier. The thread covers dipping the body, fabricating a jig to hold the shell square, cutting out and replacing both rotten rear chassis legs, and repairing the floor, sills and inner arches before moving on to door and quarter panel work ahead of bodyshop prep. It is a useful read for anyone tackling major chassis leg and floor fabrication on a rust-prone Mk2 shell.
Parts used
Parts named as used in the original write-up, grouped the way the Parts page groups them. Where one of the shops we index lists the same thing for this car, it is shown underneath with a link to the shop.
Body & Trim 7
- Lower crossmember
New crossmember welded into the front of the shell during early repairs
- Radiator support panels
Pair fitted to the front end alongside the crossmember repair
In the shops
Radiator Support Panel - Rubber Bumper Models ↗James Paddock Ltd· £49.50 GBP
Radiator Support Panel - Chrome Bumper Models ↗
Radiator Access Panel ↗
Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $27.25 USD - Ford rear chassis legs
Genuine Ford chassis legs obtained free, shot blasted, zinc coated and welded in to replace both rotten rear legs
In the shops
Chassis Leg Rear R/H ↗
Chassis Leg Rear L/H ↗
Rear Chassis Leg Spring Cup Panel ↗ - Inner sill repair panel
Part bought, part self-made repair panel ground and zinc coated before fitting to the inner sill
In the shops
Rear Inner Sill Repair Panel (Mk1) ↗
MX5 City· $95.84 USD
Rear Inner Sill Repair Panel - Mk2/2.5 ↗MX5 City· $95.84 USD
Sill & Wheel-Arch Repair Panel ↗MX5 City· $107.57 USD - N/S/F floor panel section
New floor panel obtained to fit the nearside front area
In the shops
Boot Floor Panel ↗
Floor Front/Rear Panel RH ↗
Floor Front/Rear Panel LH ↗ - Door skin
New skin fitted to the repaired passenger door
In the shops
Door Skin R/H ↗
Door Skin R/H ↗
Door Skin L/H ↗ - Quarter panels
New quarter panels fitted as part of the body repair progress
In the shopsRear Inner Quarter Panel R/H - GT ↗Rear Inner Quarter Panel L/H - GT ↗
Round Interior Lamp, Rear Quarter Panel ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $0.00 USD
Electrical 1
- Second hand fuse box panel
Replacement fuse box section fitted after repairing that area of the shell
In the shops
Fuse Box ↗MGbits4U· £47.91 GBP
Fuse Box ↗Betaset (France)· €21.93 EUR
Fuse Box Cover ↗Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $37.99 USD
Photos
118 pictures collected from the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from PassionFord — Escort Mk2 RS2000 Restoration Update. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.
gabbo · Mar 20, 2011 | 09:38 PM 21this post at PassionFord — Escort Mk2 RS2000 Restoration Update ↗
gabbo · Apr 3, 2011 | 08:34 PM 3this post at PassionFord — Escort Mk2 RS2000 Restoration Update ↗
gabbo · Apr 12, 2011 | 09:56 PM 14this post at PassionFord — Escort Mk2 RS2000 Restoration Update ↗
gabbo · Jun 12, 2011 | 08:41 PM 21this post at PassionFord — Escort Mk2 RS2000 Restoration Update ↗
gabbo · Jul 17, 2011 | 09:36 PM 25this post at PassionFord — Escort Mk2 RS2000 Restoration Update ↗
gabbo · Jan 22, 2012 | 07:44 PM 34this post at PassionFord — Escort Mk2 RS2000 Restoration Update ↗
How it was done
Starting condition
Gabbo had bought the RS2000 some years earlier and stripped most of it, uncovering a lot of rust. After an initial round of welding in a lower crossmember, radiator support panels, repaired inner wings, upper bulkhead and lower windscreen panel, the bare shell was moved to a friend's larger workshop, then had the body chemically dipped in Birmingham and coated in epoxy primer to protect it while work continued.
Chassis leg replacement
Both rear chassis legs were found to be rotten. Gabbo sourced a genuine Ford pair for free from a local engineering contact, shot blasted and zinc coated them, then built a makeshift jig from axle stands, tube and bar to hold the shell square. The old chassis legs were drilled out and cut away, the floor and inner arches repaired as a base, and the new legs progressively welded in on each side.
Floor and sill repairs
Alongside the chassis leg work, Gabbo repaired sections of the boot floor around the shock mounts, the inner sill, and front floor panels, using a mix of bought repair panels and pieces he fabricated and fitted himself, grinding and zinc coating them before welding.
Door and panel work
By January 2012 Gabbo had repaired the passenger door, fitted a new door skin and new quarter panels, with the shell progressing toward being ready for the bodyshop.
Progress so far
As of the final update the car was not yet finished; Gabbo was hoping to get the shell into the bodyshop by the end of March, where filler and paint work would be carried out by a colleague before the rebuild continues.
A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is in the original write-up: read it at PassionFord — Escort Mk2 RS2000 Restoration Update ↗