1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Post pics of your Fiesta here.

1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Wed Jan 02, 2013 3:00 pm

1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Hi I am new to fforums and have been encouraged to share my recent purchase. I did put a post on previously but it wasn’t very well written so I thought I would start again and try to put together a better post.

I recently sold a 98 plate fiesta and my much loved Saab 900 convertible. I did this in a fit of being sensible and wanting to buy a family car. I had thought of doing this when my little girl was born but managed to put it off for three years. So I went and bought a Ford Fusion 1.6 Automatic. My wife was happy however I was a more than a little distraught and took to cycling everywhere. I argued with myself thinking I have done the adult thing and at 35 its time to grow up and be an adult.

I’ve owned all kinds of cars both cooking model cars and performance cars but Fiestas have always held a special place in my greasy heart. I have owned two Mk2’s and an Mk3 and Mk4 Fiesta and of course the Fusion which is a Fiesta on steroids. My first car was a mk2 Fiesta 1.4 Ghia. Everyone thinks I am mad squeezing my 6”3 inch frame into a Fiesta but they just have a certain allure.

After several months of sensible car ownership I decided to start looking for a replacement retro car for myself. I was willing to go for anything but kept gravitating back towards Fiestas particularly Mk2 XR2’s. I had a grand in my pocket but after months of searching I could not find one that was not rotten or generally ragged.

I finally came upon my current car an XR2i in Grey with only 22,000 miles on the clock all genuine. At first I couldn’t believe it 22,000 miles the seller was backing it up with all the old MOT’s. I enquired and the car had changed hands between friends several times as they couldn’t afford to insure the car. The last owner had been given a work van and had had left it standing. The car was doing 100 miles a year by now which was to drive it up and down the road occasionally and an annual pilgrimage to the MOT Centre.

Being a cynical so and so I carried out HPI checks and MOT checks all of which backed up the mileage.

I spoke to the owner who explained all of this and went to Slough to pick it up. When I got there I couldn’t believe it the condition of the car backed up the mileage it even had then new ford car smell which took me back a decade or two. Not a spot of rust so original thoughts were drive it back give it a quick clean and away I go. Whilst driving her back the 80 miles or so home I started making lists of things to do. Anyway here are some photos.

Image

The exhaust has a slight blow and I need to source and replace the boot stickers. I found the ford logo badge in the boot where the car had been debadged. Also needed a replacement rear cluster which had gone crusty this was sourced and posted to me by Hamps another forum member and is spot on.

Image

Again no rust around the petrol cap. Whilst cleaning I got all the mud and gunk out. The reason they rust in this area is that mud literally sits up on top of the petrol filler pipe holding water against the wing and the inner arch causing the horrific rust. This car hasn’t been affected due to the low miles she has covered.

Image

The roof again in immaculate condition apart from the rain covers which have been butchered to fit a roof rack. I simply went down to a scrap yard and replaced them. The only other fault was the sunroof was leaking. I replaced the sunroof and tightened the ariel mount with no success. I traced it to the sunroof hinge where the bolts had rusted through and were letting water in. I drilled these outs and replaced the bolts using mastic to ensure they were properly sealed.

Image

Image

Image

I took the opportunity to clean out all the drain holes and made sure they flowed properly.

Image

Got all of the above from a local scrappy for £20

Image

From the driver side just as clean dent free and scratch free.

The interior was a bit grungy but almost no wear just in need of a clean-up. The revcounter and fuel gauge was also knackered but managed to find some clocks of another Xr2i and replace the relevant dials.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Even the original stereo was in place so I got it recoded and works a dream I did have to turn the bass down as the last owner had it cranked up to the max 

Image

From the front it still has the original amber indicators these always seemed to get swapped for clear ones. The bonnet was aligned incorrectly and sitting low on one side so a quick tweak and it was sorted and raised to the correct height. The wiper arms are going to be removed rubbed down and re-sprayed in satin black.

Image

And for me in some ways the money shot all perfectly standard and un molested. Well apart from the suspicious brown wire going to the thermostat. Someone had bodged the wiring. This had to be traced back and un bodged by my local mechanic. She was running a little rough so there was more work than I thought needed but more on that later.

I started by giving her a good wash and polish and turned my attention to the interior.

Lifted the boot carpet and found this.

Image

So gave her a good clean and polished the boot floor resulting in this

Image

Took the boot carpet out and gave it three cycles in the washing machine.

Image

It was the originality of the car that impressed me. Even the under tray was still on the car.

Image

The underside of the car was just as good as the rest with no welding or rust.

Image

Image

Image

Image

I washed all the arches and found pristine factory paint.

Image

Image

Image



On with the cleaning the parcel shelf was filthy along the leading edge so after using different cleaners managed to get it cleaned up. Replaced a broken shelf strap and I was away.

Image

Lifted up the rear seat to just find dirt and the usual filth.

Image

So after a quick clean up and polish I had this

Image

Whilst lifting the bonnet and moving the stay arm managed to snap the catch however found this on e bay.

Image

Back to one of the main faults with the car. It was running rough on idle and was over fuelling massively with the smell of petrol following me everywhere.

Tried all the usual culprits HT leads Spark plugs even put a new air filter in as there wasn’t one to start with. Eventually after much head scratching my local mechanic traced it back to seized lifters of all things. It seems that even though it wasn’t run much the oil had not been changed in years and was thick and gunky which these engines don’t like. Took many phone calls to find them but managed to track the lifters down. Turns out ford don’t stock them and local motor factors have issues getting them. Ebay was no good as I had heard too many horror stories.

Image

Image

I decided to overhaul the cooling system so drained the radiator. Loosened the tap and expected the coolant to come out. No such luck the rad was full of gunk as well as not changing the oil the previous owner had been using plain water or very little coolant so I had to squeeze the pipes to get it started and out came the following gunk.

Image

Whilst the weather was bad I managed to track down some original handbooks for the car. I only have a drive to do the work on so am limited to dry days when working on the car.

Image

Also tracked down some original decals with help from the guys on the forum.

Image

Couldn’t help getting some period music on cassette tape for when the car was built 

Image

Also Managed to pick up a panel filter for a £1 !!!

Image


She has also had a oil change and filter with the correct grade of oil. The rocker cover gasket was replaced as they have a habit of weeping oil. At present just waiting for some better weather so I can get the seats out to clean up the interior and clean up the engine bay. They are all pretty minor jobs at present. I am intending to get the car back to standard and then rustproof it and then go from there.


The Ariel was leaking and was a bit rough so replaced it with a new one.

Image


The doner set of clocks all I ended up needing was the fuel gauge as can be seen this one is showing half a tank.

Image

Next on the list was the wipers blade arms. Where the car had been sitting all those years the arms for the wipers had been rusting away. So I thought why not refurbish them. I removed them rubbed them all down and gave them a coat in black spray paint. For a first attempt they have come up quite well.

Image

And after painting.

Image

I was quite pleased with the result as I have never tried spray painting in any form previously before. Following on from this marginal success I decided to tackle the mould that had come about due to the water coming in from the sun roof. Armed with a bottle of vanish stain remover and microfiber cloth I was faced with this.

Image

Image

After very little scrubbing thanks to the vanish cleaner I got it to this state.

Image

Image

Pleased that with the results I thought the next day I would take it for a spin. It had the alternator replaced so I thought I was good to go. However the battery thought differently and decided it couldn’t hold a charge fortunately I already had a trip to Cost Co planned and replaced the old lion battery shown below with a Bosch Silvertop at £50 over £40 cheaper than a Halfrauds one. This pretty much paid for the years membership in itself.

Image

Image

Today I thought I would start sorting the exterior. I aligned the bonnet and the boot as it was out of line. With the help of other forum members it was quite a easy job.

The rear light cluster seals had gone and had started leaking. Resulting in the following.

Image

Hants another forum member sent me a immaculate light cluster which I fitted.

Image

The radiator spoiler had come of and this was reattached with some clips.

Image

Apparently protects the radiator and improves air flow.

Image

Ended up with a leaking set of rad hoses so ended up replacing those today. Ford for some reason don’t keep much in stock. I gave the rad a flush with a top tip from a mechanic friend he suggested two dishwasher tablets in the header tank to flush the radiator out and even though it is the second rad flush in as many months it was still full of sludge.
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby black2 on Wed Jan 02, 2013 3:27 pm

Wow thats a great find.

Is that an original plastic undertray I see aswell?

Nice car, great work cleaning it up also.

Gareth.
Image

The return to standard, from the above sig pics - back to how Ford intended..............
and-so-it-begins-update-24-02-08-vt162934/
black2
Elite Post Master
Elite Post Master
User avatar
Posts: 2514
Joined: Thu Sep 25, 2003 1:50 pm
Location: Devon

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Wed Jan 02, 2013 3:32 pm

Thanks mate, yes it's the origional under tray just waiting for the weather to improve so I can get it properly rust proofed
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby FRSJON on Wed Jan 02, 2013 3:43 pm

a nice find :) that poor engine though :o by the looks of the black sludge in it it never had a oil change :(
Image
FRSJON
Elite Post Master
Elite Post Master
User avatar
Posts: 4662
Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 10:26 pm
Location: ISLE OF WIGHT
Your car: frozen white/carbon zt

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Wed Jan 02, 2013 4:31 pm

TBH honest I dont think it had a oil change or coolant change for may years judging by the crud that came out of it. She had spent many years stood up doing nothing. I can never understand it a oil change can be done by a garage for £35 and 20 minutes of waiting around.

I strongly believe the reason the hydraulic lifters were seized was because of the oil that had never been changed. I am going to another couple of hundred miles and then get the oil changed again kind of like a engine flush and then settle down to egular oil changes.
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby mikeymikeyp on Wed Jan 02, 2013 6:38 pm

Thats sweet mate and you seem to be doing the right sort of stuff with it :) :)
mikeymikeyp
Elite Post Master
Elite Post Master
 
Posts: 1796
Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2009 9:01 pm
Location: hamilton thats scotland

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby FRSJON on Wed Jan 02, 2013 7:36 pm

i see you have the number plate covered up,can i ask what year the car is? as it says Britain on the chassis plate id say its was on a j plate as as far as i remember only the last of them were build in the uk ,but the car has a remote iscv of the type i never knew were fitted in this configuration. always thought there were only two options..old style remote valve on the air box or the valve you have mated to the side of the inlet..(your style i thought was only on later fords) plus does anyone else think the master cylinder looks more modern ? again i thought they were all gloss black and rounded on the end not dimpled like other models..all probably me getting old and senile and in no way demeaning to your lovely car :)
Image
FRSJON
Elite Post Master
Elite Post Master
User avatar
Posts: 4662
Joined: Mon Oct 30, 2006 10:26 pm
Location: ISLE OF WIGHT
Your car: frozen white/carbon zt

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Wed Jan 02, 2013 7:59 pm

Hi it's a early 1991 H reg
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby Tweek on Wed Jan 02, 2013 8:20 pm

Great car you've found there, the work you've done so far looks great :D
Image
Tweek
Elite Post Master
Elite Post Master
User avatar
Posts: 9240
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2005 1:22 am
Location: Gloucester
Your car: VW Golf GTD

Car: 1996 Ford Fiesta Zetec Turbo

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby jonyb4 on Wed Jan 02, 2013 9:55 pm

seems alot of issues for a gen 22k to me

but none the less a nice car! even 122k isnt particually bad :P
Image
1800 Zetec 133bhp 140lbs/ft
mk2 pop 1.4i
jonyb4
Elite Post Master
Elite Post Master
 
Posts: 9235
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:05 am
Location: Port Talbot, South Wales
Your car: Si 1.8, mk2 950, 2.0 capri

Car: 1995 Ford Fiesta Si 16v

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:24 pm

Definitely genuine 22k car , HPI check all old mots and history went as far as calling the mot garage. The car was just say up and not well looked after hence the issues and some inept home servicing the interior is as new with even the bolsters as firm as new. If the engine had been run and serviced it wouldn't have had the issues conversely
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby Excursion on Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:41 pm

It looks more like 122k to me too on first glance, but I'm sure it won't once you've sorted all the neglect.

I'm surprised that the header tank is rusty as with only 22k I would have expected it to be on the original antifreeze. It would be worth changing that for a better one and painting the ABS pipes.
Excursion
Bulletin Board User
Bulletin Board User
User avatar
Posts: 15265
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: Skynet
Your car: Ford Fiesta

Car: 1990 Ford Fiesta XR2i

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Thu Jan 03, 2013 12:06 am

Mwstewart of excellent piston heads build ? I've been following your build with great interest.


Definitely 22k at time of purchase I went as far as ensuring the service history was not forged. Took a while but I was able to ensure the mots were not forged and the history all correlated correctly so that I wasn't buying a car that had been ringed many years ago. I only paid £800 in the end so to go to that trouble to defraud someone wouldn't be financially viable. And not worth the risk of prosecution for fraud by misrepresentation.

I had all the same doubts as posted here because it didn't ring true. The header tank contained pretty much neat water hence the state of the water tank.

The issue with the sunroof and the rear light cluster was I discovered from the vehicle being parked at a slight angle leaning over close to a maple tree, the car was motD every year at different mot stations that corresponded with being the closest one to the owner. They seemed to drive it up and down the road occasionally and mot it but do nothing else which seems insane to me.

Out of the five tyres only one has been replaced the other four are the Pirelli variant it left the factory with. These have the right amount of wear on them corresponding with the mileage. The car has had no rust repairs.

This is going to sound strange but I know a man who is an expert in mileage verification after 35 years in the trade and he verified it was correct. He does however mock me for buying such a small car :-)

Some of the issues have come from attempted break ins and various home installed alarms.

One of the oddities is that it still has that new ford smell. Even the buttons on the dash and levers click as if brand new even the door handles feel tight and as new.

The gear linkage feels tight rather than the porridge feel of most mk3 I've driven.

As a final check the car was checked over by a trained police traffic officer and the only thing he could find was neglect haphazard servicing and possibly a replacment front wing.

The only thing that troubled me was why does someone keep a car for ten years only to do 1000 miles but mot it every year but not look after a car that was probably worth a few thousand back then.

The car had gone between affluent families but its not the kind of car that is cosseted and hardly driven.
It did 15k miles in its first 13 years of life approx and then only another 7 k miles over the next 8 years approximately.

This has been the most difficult part to understand to me the thought of parking a car up and watching it devalue year after year makes no sense. The previous owner said and was able to prove that the car had gone between him and a friend as they were able to afford the car but not the premiums. At the point they could afford the premiums they had ammases other more interesting cars and hardly drove it as they had other better vehicles. The current owner did have another four classic cars and three motorbikes so it rings true to an extent but at the same time I can't understand why you woyldnt look after the car better. This is however my philosophy in life and not shared by all.
In summary ether I have been well and truly duped or its the best example of a 122k car I've ever seen :-)
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby RS EDDIE on Thu Jan 03, 2013 1:54 am

Here Here!! Nice find mate. :D

Its odd what people do with cars. Theres a very genuine series1 escort turbo down the road from me, which hasnt moved for the best part of ten years.

Covered in moss, rain streaks and flat tyres, although still looking very standard, but crying out to have a few days spent on it tidying it up.

After knocking on the door and posting letters to the fella, ......will he sell it???...Nope, not interested in the slightest!!! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
RS EDDIE
Elite Post Master
Elite Post Master
 
Posts: 2724
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2006 9:08 pm
Location: ESSEX RM

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby Michael! on Thu Jan 03, 2013 3:41 am

Genuinely enjoyed reading that. It's so nice to see them standard and getting looked after. I have a soft spot for these and rs's.


Sorry if I missed but you mentioned thinking up ideas for it, have you anything in mind or just a general tidy up?
Image
Looking for other members? Add yourself to the ft.com members map!
ft-com-members-map-vt190192/
Michael!
Elite Post Master
Elite Post Master
 
Posts: 2088
Joined: Tue Jul 27, 2010 2:15 pm
Location: Blackpool
Your car: RS1800 Sleeper Project + 6N2

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby Excursion on Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:10 am

willowandmikey :Mwstewart of excellent piston heads build ? I've been following your build with great interest.


Definitely 22k at time of purchase I went as far as ensuring the service history was not forged. Took a while but I was able to ensure the mots were not forged and the history all correlated correctly so that I wasn't buying a car that had been ringed many years ago. I only paid £800 in the end so to go to that trouble to defraud someone wouldn't be financially viable. And not worth the risk of prosecution for fraud by misrepresentation.

I had all the same doubts as posted here because it didn't ring true. The header tank contained pretty much neat water hence the state of the water tank.

The issue with the sunroof and the rear light cluster was I discovered from the vehicle being parked at a slight angle leaning over close to a maple tree, the car was motD every year at different mot stations that corresponded with being the closest one to the owner. They seemed to drive it up and down the road occasionally and mot it but do nothing else which seems insane to me.

Out of the five tyres only one has been replaced the other four are the Pirelli variant it left the factory with. These have the right amount of wear on them corresponding with the mileage. The car has had no rust repairs.

This is going to sound strange but I know a man who is an expert in mileage verification after 35 years in the trade and he verified it was correct. He does however mock me for buying such a small car :-)

Some of the issues have come from attempted break ins and various home installed alarms.

One of the oddities is that it still has that new ford smell. Even the buttons on the dash and levers click as if brand new even the door handles feel tight and as new.

The gear linkage feels tight rather than the porridge feel of most mk3 I've driven.

As a final check the car was checked over by a trained police traffic officer and the only thing he could find was neglect haphazard servicing and possibly a replacment front wing.

The only thing that troubled me was why does someone keep a car for ten years only to do 1000 miles but mot it every year but not look after a car that was probably worth a few thousand back then.

The car had gone between affluent families but its not the kind of car that is cosseted and hardly driven.
It did 15k miles in its first 13 years of life approx and then only another 7 k miles over the next 8 years approximately.

This has been the most difficult part to understand to me the thought of parking a car up and watching it devalue year after year makes no sense. The previous owner said and was able to prove that the car had gone between him and a friend as they were able to afford the car but not the premiums. At the point they could afford the premiums they had ammases other more interesting cars and hardly drove it as they had other better vehicles. The current owner did have another four classic cars and three motorbikes so it rings true to an extent but at the same time I can't understand why you woyldnt look after the car better. This is however my philosophy in life and not shared by all.
In summary ether I have been well and truly duped or its the best example of a 122k car I've ever seen :-)


Yes, it is I :) I enjoyed reading that. It's good to know the basics are there as so often with Mk3 Fiesta restorations, the mileage and provenance is almost forgotten. To me, for a restored car be of interest it needs to have genuine low mileage and a sound provenance, and it seems yours does. You can't easily recreate some of the small details that you described above, yet they make all the difference :D

I look forward to more updates on this.
Excursion
Bulletin Board User
Bulletin Board User
User avatar
Posts: 15265
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: Skynet
Your car: Ford Fiesta

Car: 1990 Ford Fiesta XR2i

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Thu Jan 03, 2013 2:41 pm

Plans at present are to keep it completely standard. I work strange hours so don't get much time. Mr Stewart can I just say the work is outstanding and inspirational on your fiesta.
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby Excursion on Thu Jan 03, 2013 4:24 pm

willowandmikey :Plans at present are to keep it completely standard. I work strange hours so don't get much time. Mr Stewart can I just say the work is outstanding and inspirational on your fiesta.


Thank you, very kind. Like you I work long hours and it's also a 220 mile round trip to work on the car, so my project is crawling along too.
Excursion
Bulletin Board User
Bulletin Board User
User avatar
Posts: 15265
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am
Location: Skynet
Your car: Ford Fiesta

Car: 1990 Ford Fiesta XR2i

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby Rs Adz on Sun Jan 06, 2013 2:06 pm

wow nice xr shocking low milliage did you get it off ebay
Rs Adz
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 447
Joined: Thu Nov 25, 2004 3:48 pm
Location: blackpool
Your car: xr2i and mk1 fiesta

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:21 pm

Hi yes got it off e bay, took longer to do all the research on it than it did to pick it up. Its had a few issues however these have been mostly resolved.
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Sun Mar 31, 2013 3:26 pm

I have not had a huge amount of time recently to get much done. Well actually it was cold and I am a big wuss so I only recently plucked up some courage recently to go tackle a few bits on the car.

First off was quite easy. With all the older cars getting stolen to be scrapped lately I thought I would add some added security and all for £20. It has a cat1 alarm and immobiliser and is parked behind another two cars but I get paranoid.

Image

Also got out the claybar kit managed to claybar one side of the car before a old injury said no more. Very satisfiying when applying the wax and polish as it just went on so easily. I intend to claybar the rest of the car in stages.

Image

Image

Image

Whilst staring out at the cold window I went online and found a few small bits to try to smarten her up bought this battery cover quite cheap as you can see by the condition.

Image

I cleaned it up as best as I could but its still not great if anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

Image

One of the front indicators was chipped around the edges

Image

Whilst the other had a crack in the middle of it.

Image

So I sourced another pair and fitted them. It was unfortunately more difficult than it should have been as I have been cursed with hands that king kong would be envious off. But they were whipped off and replaced with only a few curse words.

Image

Image

I am going for a standard look so stuck with amber indicators rather than going for clear indicators.

The next job was to start the rust proofing on the car. I did quite a bit of research and was offered loads of advice by people on this forum which I have followed. All of it well balanced and informative. I settled on Dinitrol products and started by spraying the inside of the wings. Using the long extension that comes with the kit it was a doddle.

I decided to pull up the carpet to check the floor plan which was completely solid with no sign of rust. As I was stripping out the interior I found out that it was probably the best way of getting to the inside of the sills. On the MK3 fiesta the sill trims are held in place to the sills with large clips. Once these are removed it gives you great access to the inside of the sills so I happily sprayed away loading them up with dintrol and then cleaning the drainage holes once it had dried.

I still need to do the doors rear quarters and boot as well as under sealing underneath but it got too cold so I retreated. I cycle to work and have access to two other cars so I don’t intend to take it anywhere near a salted road 

The holes I mentioned for accessing the sills are under the kick panels.

Image

Image


I have not had much time or to be honest inclination to do much on the car recently due to the cold weather so I took some close up pics of the paintwork which show it at its best. Just waiting on some parts to turn up at the moment.
Image
Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Ive got a genuine XR2I wheel carrier on its way to me at the moment. Its been powdercoated and treated already so a big bonus. I was after the trims for the passenger wing and was being quoted upwards of £50 till I found someone with the shell willing to sell them to me for the princely sum of £3 which I was understandably happy about.

Image

Image
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby - Danny Boy - on Sun Mar 31, 2013 4:44 pm

Very nice clean car! Those undertrays must be a very rare item these days!
- Danny Boy -
Elite Post Master
Elite Post Master
 
Posts: 3844
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2007 5:49 pm
Location: Portsmouth
Your car: Fiesta Si 2.0

1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Sun Mar 31, 2013 5:24 pm

Thanks mate there's loads of origionAl parts I've been collecting
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Wed Apr 24, 2013 1:45 pm

So the spare wheel carrier finally turned up. Turns out it was for a later model fiesta so out came the angle grinder. It hurt me to do it because it was in perfect refurbished condition.

Image

Image

Image
And finally fitted holding the spare wheel in place. These things are impossible to get hold of being made of paper thin steel so when this popped up reconditioned and powder coated I couldn’t resist.
I turned my attention to the door cards. The fabric had started lifting which is common on these so they were removed I glued them on and used clothes pegs to keep them in place. Whilst there I noticed the wing mirror was held together with a wood screw so that was also replaced and the door got a healthy coat of Dinitrol whilst I was there.
Image
Image

Image

Image
Image
Image
She’s also had four new tyres to cure the rumbling noise I was getting and also benefitted from the engine bay being cleaned.
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby RS EDDIE on Wed Apr 24, 2013 9:15 pm

I dont think the tray is for a later mk3 mate. They just go in at an angle dont they??

The late one is totally different to the early ones.... which i think your one is!! (89-92)

Still.....looking lovely mate. :D
RS EDDIE
Elite Post Master
Elite Post Master
 
Posts: 2724
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2006 9:08 pm
Location: ESSEX RM

1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Wed Apr 24, 2013 9:28 pm

Rs Eddie , I just cried in the corner of the room. I tried getting it in at a angle but being a complete lump I couldn't get it in so I cut part of the hook off as it didn't look like it would fit. I really hope I was right. I'm going to go cry some more :-)
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby RS EDDIE on Thu Apr 25, 2013 8:38 pm

They do go mate, just a bit of a pain. Makes no odds if its fitted mate, I had mega grief when I fitted mine but I'm using an under tray aswell as fitted alloy with mine aswell so was alot of grief!!! :rolleyes:
RS EDDIE
Elite Post Master
Elite Post Master
 
Posts: 2724
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2006 9:08 pm
Location: ESSEX RM

1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Fri Apr 26, 2013 11:20 am

Yeah it's on now and secure, unfortunately I'm 6'3 and a bit of a lump so getting under the car etc is a complete pain. Cleaned the engine bay the other day had to get a mate to help as my hands weren't really fitting
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Sat May 04, 2013 3:21 pm

After getting loads of advice I tackled the engine bay. Tidied up some of the wiring and gave it good covering with autoglym degreaser and cleaned it all and dressed with plastic and vinyl spray.

Image

Image

Stuck some of the trim back on the car.

Image
And finally got round to rebadging the boot.
Image
Image
I tried hunting around for the correct jack for this car for ages as mine was in pretty poor state. They sit right by a water channel under the bonnet so they get soaked and subsequently rust like mad. I have never done much spraying but after looking for so long for the right jack I gave up and had a crack myself.
The jack prior to degrease clean and wire brushing.

Image
Image
I went at the jack like a madman with the wirebrush to get rid of the rust soon as a found I had completed a patch another came back but I was quite pleased with the results.
Image
Image
And the end result.
Image
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Tue Jun 11, 2013 4:01 pm

So I thought I would buy some parts the header tank was a little grungy so I bought a replacement that I set up cleaning with a bleach and daz mixture.

Image
The backbox had started to blow so I purchased a second hand Magnex unit to clean up and install. When I got it I decided it needed cleaning up here is the picture prior to clean up.

Image

Post clean up after three hours of polishing.

Image

Image

Image
Image
Image
Finally started to make a little more progress on the car. Started with replenishing the brake fluid with a complete flush and a new set of OEM discs and pads. It can now actually stop and lock the brakes so driving is a lot more fun.
I then moved onto the cooling system it had been flushed twice already but after years of sitting the sediment was hard to shift so I gave it another flush. Filled it with just water and ran it for a little longer and flushed again and for the final flush used some additive to flush it out. This was all in anticipation of the header tank I had cleaned out and refurbished.
The header tank that was on the car.
Image
Image
All quite murky. The new header tank I installed had been cleaned repeatedly with boiling hot water bleach and stones to agitate the muck inside I think you will find it a lot cleaner.
Image

Image
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Tue Sep 03, 2013 8:52 am

A small update on progress.

Pulled the rear turret covers to discover immaculate paint.
Image
I carried on with the rust proofing confused as to why after all these years the rear quarters hadn’t rotted out as they rot out for fun. I discovered the previous owner had sprayed a little waxoil down inside the rear panels.

Image

I then took a similar attitude that I have taken to the rest of the car with regards to rustproofing and liberally coated the interior door panels.
Image
The wipers were beginning to look tired so took them off and replaced them. Whilst removing them I found the plastic covers under them were cracked and messed up. After much hunting I sourced replacments and fitted them.

Image

Image

Image

Image
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Wed Sep 11, 2013 2:46 pm

Well the last couple of days have seen me in a position I hate to be in. Ether on my back or on my side. After 500 miles of driving the oil had turned black. This I put down to the remnants of the crud left in the engine. The last owner had not changed the oil in ten years they had also not done more than 1000 miles but it was time to flush it out. So armed with a bottle of fortes flush and a oil filter and synthetic oil I approached. Oil and filter change went well once the sump nut came off. I ended up using mole grips to get it off as it was rounded off fortunately I picked up a stock of sump nuts recently so that got changed out. Whilst under there I noticed the underside of the car was greasy and dirty. I walked away from it but my obsession took over so back on the axle stands she went.

Image
photo_zps7dfaaedf by sapajoh, on Flickr

Once up in the air I could see that the gearbox spoiler was looking crusty as well as the underside. Not majorly as the car has been under sealed but I thought its time to bite the bullet and go rust hunting. As well as rust hunting I thought it was time to remove the under seal and redo it all before the winter sets in. This is what I was presented with.
Image
DSC_5215 by sapajoh, on Flickr

Image
DSC_5219 by sapajoh, on Flickr

Image
DSC_5218 by sapajoh, on Flickr

Image
DSC_5220 by sapajoh, on Flickr

Image
photo_zps476ebe55 by sapajoh, on Flickr
Image
photo_zps77ae55fb by sapajoh, on Flickr
Image
DSC_5218 by sapajoh, on Flickr
Image
DSC_5216 by sapajoh, on Flickr
After quite a bit of wire brushing it was all looking good. There was surface rust but nothing too alarming till I got to the front corner on the passenger side and started to get flicked in the face with bits of metal. Eventually carried onto discover this hole.
Image
photo_zps603de144 by sapajoh, on Flickr

Its due its MOT next week so off to the welder she goes. I have been informed though it can be cut out rewelded and shouldn’t look like its been done so happy days and that’s the only rust I found.
In the mean time I carried on injecting dinitrol 3125 into all the cavities and sealing all the little gaps in the bodywork.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/101600532@N04/9721208047/" title="photo_zpse97ded5c by sapajoh, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5485/9721208047_388e0c108b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="photo_zpse97ded5c"></a>
Image
photo_zpsb967bf54 by sapajoh, on Flickr

Image
photo_zpsec832b96 by sapajoh, on Flickr
Image
photo_zpsb967bf54 by sapajoh, on Flickr

After using tigerseal on the seams I then sprayed the sump and front mount with several coats of hammerite to tidy it all up.
Image
DSC_5229 by sapajoh, on Flickr
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/101600532@N04/9721239395/" title="DSC_5223 by sapajoh, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7329/9721239395_b4a993d6d8.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_5223"></a>
Image
DSC_5227 by sapajoh, on Flickr
Currently waiting for the Hammerite, cavity wax and tiger seal to dry and then squeeze my bulk back under for the underseal.
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby stevesoper87 on Fri Sep 13, 2013 7:07 pm

Fantastic little motor mate and good work with all the repairs you've done so far :wink:
Image
stevesoper87
Newbie Poster
Newbie Poster
 
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2011 7:13 pm
Your car: Ford Fiesta RS1800

1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby willowandmikey on Fri Sep 13, 2013 8:37 pm

Thanks mate. It's the rust that terrifies me I remember back in the day every ford I owned had new sills welded in. I've used five cans of dinitrol cavity wax so far and haven't got to undersealing it yet. If anyone has any suggestions for areas to inject into please let me know. I've done everywhere apart from the floor inside the car doors rear quarters cavities in the boot bonnet inner wings and boot lid. Just need to floor pan and the arches and the sills were loaded till the point it dropped out.
willowandmikey
Senior Poster
Senior Poster
 
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:07 pm
Your car: ford fiesta xr2i 8V

Re: 1991 FORD FIESTA XR2I 8 VALVE CVH WITH ONLY 22,000 MILES

Postby stevesoper87 on Fri Sep 20, 2013 2:56 pm

Not as bad as mine trust me :lol: just had a some sorted now leaving the rear arches and a couple of other tiny bits to do :D
Image
stevesoper87
Newbie Poster
Newbie Poster
 
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2011 7:13 pm
Your car: Ford Fiesta RS1800

Next

Twitter

The second 20th Anniversary article, a dive into the history of how the site came about is available here: https://t.co/kbCfZ4sf0R

17:44, 4th December 2021 Twitter Web App

To celebrate https://t.co/wXVkvJipaS being 20 years old this year, I've written a series of articles detailing the… https://t.co/B0vE0Y3KvP

17:42, 4th December 2021 Twitter Web App

Follow fiestaturbo.com on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/fiestaturbo/

RSS Feeds

Subscribe to the RSS feed

What is RSS?

RSS is a technology that lets you use special applications or modern browsers to notify you you when a site is updated. You can then read the updated content in that application or your browser.

To subscribe to these RSS feeds you need to copy the links above. For instructions on how to add it to the feeds you keep track of, consult the documentation of your RSS reader.