Mk2 Escort RS2000 Custom restoration
ford mk2 escort5-page write-up
PassionFord — Mk2 Escort RS2000 Resto
Read the full write-up at PassionFord — Mk2 Escort RS2000 Resto ↗
Photo: PassionFord — Mk2 Escort RS2000 RestoA rotten Mk2 Escort RS2000 Custom rebuilt panel by panel in a home workshop
A Mk2 Escort RS2000 Custom that had sat under a lean-to for fourteen years, with the passenger side badly corroded, was brought to professional restorer Martin (redwizz) in August 2010 for a full rebuild. The thread documents the bare-shell strip down, extensive fabrication of bulkhead, floor, sill and inner wing sections, and the car's eventual return from the body shop in midnight blue before heading to the trimmers. It is a detailed, photo-led account of hands-on sheet metal repair by a trade-trained panel worker.
Specs
As stated in the original write-up.
- Paint colour
- Midnight Blue
- Gearbox
- Five-speed gearbox fitted, with mounts relocated
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.
Gearbox & Drivetrain 1
- Five-speed gearbox
Fitted to the car with gearbox mounts relocated and re-welded
In the shops
N7 Mazda MX5 Five Speed Gearbox (Used) ↗Retroford (Gloucester)· £453.85 GBPFive Speed Gearbox Conversion Kit ↗
MGOC Spares· £5,280.00Five Speed Gearbox Conversion, Aftermarket ↗Moss Europe (UK)· £8,181.25 GBP
Suspension & Steering 1
- New front cross member
New cross member bolted into the engine bay during rebuild
In the shops
Cross Member Powder Coating Service ↗
Ralloy· £48.60 GBP
Front Cross Member (Used) ↗
MX5 City· $225.52 USD
Front Subframe Cross Member - Mk3/3.5 (Refurbished) ↗MX5 City· $558.14 USD
Body & Trim 11
- Second-hand boot lid
Replaced with a good used boot lid needing only minor dent removal and a DA rub down
In the shopsBoot Lid Stay ↗MGOC SparesBoot Lid Striker ↗MGOC Spares· £30.95
Boot Lid (Mk2/2.5) ↗MX5 City· $358.96 USD - Second-hand passenger door
Replaced with a second-hand door that needed extra repair work after being poorly painted
In the shops
Ford Escort MK2 Door Mirror - Passenger Side ↗West Wales Rally Spares· £82.64
- Donor bulkhead top panel with dashboard
Used bulkhead sourced from a donor car, repaired at the edges and welded in; its attached dashboard was reused with a glovebox hole cut
In the shops
Rear Bulkhead Panel ↗James Paddock Ltd· £90.00 GBP
Dashboard Main Panel ↗MGbits4U· £497.83 GBP
Instrument Panel Dashboard ↗ - Rear door aperture infill panel
Cut from a donor panel and welded into the passenger side rear door aperture
In the shops
MK2 Rear Quarter Panel to Back Panel Infill R/H ↗Rally Design· £20.00 GBP
MK2 Rear Quarter Panel to Back Panel Infill L/H ↗
Mk2 Escort Rear Quarter Panel to Back Panel Infill ↗
C Bradley Motorsport· £24.80 GBP - Donor rear quarter panel section
Part cut from a customer-supplied donor rear quarter panel to repair the car's rear quarter
In the shopsMK2 Rear Quarter Panel to Back Panel Infill R/H ↗MK2 Rear Quarter Panel to Back Panel Infill L/H ↗Mk2 Escort Rear Quarter Panel to Back Panel Infill ↗C Bradley Motorsport· £24.80 GBP - Second-hand scuttle panel
Sourced from an Escort breaker to fit a clean scuttle with the heater bowl plug-welded in
In the shops
Front Footwell Scuttle Panel LH (LHD) ↗
Windscreen Grille/Scuttle Panel - Mk1/2/2.5 ↗MX5 City· $106.55 USD
Front Footwell Scuttle Panel LH (LHD, Colours) ↗ - Body strengthening kit
Fitted to the shell once chassis repairs were complete to restore structural rigidity
In the shops
Escort MK1/2 Body Strengthening Plating Kit ↗
Evans & Son Rally Spares· £34.54 GBPEscort Mk1/2 Body Strengthening Plating Kit ↗Evans & Son Rally Spares· £34.54 GBP - New replacement wing top panels
New panels ordered and fitted to replace rotten inner wing tops and front edges
In the shops-Photoroom.jpg)
Rear Wing Panel ↗MX5 City· $361.27 USD-Photoroom.jpg)
Front Wing Panel ↗MX5 City· $191.63 USD
Wing Nut, Air Filter Top ↗
Moss Motors – Triumph TR6/TR250· $19.99 USD - Stone chip coating
Applied as a first coat over repaired underside and sills before paint
In the shopsStone Chip Shield 600ml Black ↗MGOC Spares· £12.35 - Etch primer and primer system
Ordered and applied to the bare metal shell ahead of paint, together with stone guard
In the shops
Aerosol Etch Primer ↗ - Midnight Blue paint
Final overcoat colour applied to the shell at the body shop
In the shops
Surf Blue Paint Aerosol ↗Teal Blue Paint Aerosol ↗Iris Blue Paint Aerosol ↗
Photos
362 pictures collected from the write-up, in the order they were posted, shown from PassionFord — Mk2 Escort RS2000 Resto. A picture opens larger here, with the way through to the page it is on.
redwizz · May 7, 2011 | 07:09 AM 40this post at PassionFord — Mk2 Escort RS2000 Resto ↗
redwizz · May 7, 2011 | 07:15 AM 17this post at PassionFord — Mk2 Escort RS2000 Resto ↗
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redwizz · May 19, 2012 | 07:39 PM 8this post at PassionFord — Mk2 Escort RS2000 Resto ↗
How it was done
Starting condition
The RS2000 Custom arrived in August 2010 described as nearly scrap. It had stood outdoors for fourteen years with the passenger side exposed to weather. On inspection the shell showed heavy rust, especially on the passenger side, though the chassis rails were in surprisingly sound condition. The car was stripped to a bare shell and a list of needed panels and parts was drawn up.
Engine bay and bulkhead repair
Work began on the engine bay, the worst affected area. Wings, front panel, slam panel, battery tray, radiator mounts and front cross member were removed, with new inner wing top panels ordered. The bulkhead had rusted through on the passenger side and been poorly repaired on the driver's side, so a second-hand bulkhead and A post were sourced and grafted in using a jig to keep panels square.
Floor, sill and inner wing fabrication
Extensive patch work followed on the floors, inner sills, chassis rail strengtheners and suspension strut mounting plates, much of it fabricated from scratch in 20 and 16 SWG steel. Both sides of the car were tackled in turn, with donor and second-hand panels used where available, including a rear door aperture infill and sections of rear quarter panel, alongside custom-made patches and brackets.
Final metalwork and stone chip
The boot, bonnet and both doors were rebuilt using a mix of second-hand panels and new skins, with corner and frame repairs carried out. By late 2011 all metalwork and stone chip coating was complete and the shell was sent to the body shop.
Paint and reassembly
After delays, the shell returned from the body shop in its Midnight Blue finish by spring 2012, following some repaint rework. The car was then reassembled, including fitting new front struts and wheels, soundproofing, and preparing to send the car to the trimmers.
A summary in our own words. The full account, with all its detail, is in the original write-up: read it at PassionFord — Mk2 Escort RS2000 Resto ↗
Worth knowing
- Working on this Escort was a steep learning curve for discovering where these cars typically rust.
- Butt welding keeps repairs looking factory-original, while overlap welding is faster but better suited to quick MOT repairs.
- Placing a piece of copper behind a hole makes it much easier to fill thin steel with a MIG welder.