cort1977

It seems like both FJ and AF have been trying to tighten up their rules and squeeze about a bit more profit. Fj tried to cancel my van policy recently and it took 30 minutes of patiently explaining the details to them to get them to back down. Totally agree that they need to be better regulated, it clearly is a profitable business, it's just less hassle for them to increase rates across the board rather than fight all these whiplash claims which would require medical second opinions, court cases and risk. Much easier to increase the policy cost on old Cortinas. I'll get off my soap box now...

Does anyone know what is the standard ofset for a Mk 2? I have googled it and couldn't find a clear answer. I have some minilite type wheels fitted and I think that the offset is incorrect.

I reckon it is SA as in South Australia. I think South African cars usually have the province on the plate somewhere e.g. Gauteng. Got to say I won't be rushing to get one of these for my estate...

I'm in Texas which is a long way from Montana but closer than you are. Paperwork and car registration is done by each state (as I'm sure you know) but i'm happy to help if I can.

I'm thinking about these... http://www.ebay.com/itm/150600712272?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I have got a 1300 engine and box for a Mk 2. Removed about 8 years ago and been sat at the back of the garage since. Was running well when removed but obviously I can't tell what state is it in now. My mum wants it out of her garage :wife: Collection from Chingford, London E4 close to North Circular Road.

So managed to get this fixed in the end. I cut the saloon boot seal in half and glued the tubular section in place. This seals up the tailgate nicely and because the glue is being applied to the cut section it sticks in place really well. All sorted now so off for an inspection this week. :showoff:

Thanks for that info GO and RonV. It's really helpful to see a correct seal, I can see why the saloon is never going to work! I can get various types of seal so I'll keep trying. It's the last thing needed to get my car past the roadworthy test so I'm keen to get it done. :rolleyes: Thanks again.

Hi, Can anyone advise me about the rubber seal for a mk 2 tailgate? I have tried fitting a boot seal for a saloon but this seems too thick and the tailgate won't close fully with this in place. Can you adjust the tailgate position? I have moved the bolts on the catch and on the hinge where it bolts to the tailgate but not checked the other end where it is under a cover on the roof. Is there a different seal for the estate? Is this available anywhere? Phil's Rotary part here in Australia don't sell a different one. Any advice much appreciated.

OK, thanks for that.

Hi, I have the same problem so thanks for the pictures. What is a suitable glue to use to hold the seal in place? Cheers, john

Hi, I exported my Mk 2 from UK to Perth, Western Australia for £1000 about 2 years ago. Obviously a different route but similar in some ways in that there are regular container ship services. Your route would be US East Coast to UK direct whereas they trans-shipped mine in Singapore and it was still a lot cheaper. On that basis your quote for shipping sounds quite expensive to me. I was offered several options ro-ro, part container and full container of your own. I didn't go for ro-ro as they said that if it didn't start when they came to drive it off they would toww it off and they could be quite rough. Having seen how wharfies unload new cars I didn't want anything to do with that so went with the part container. Hope this is slightly helpful. John

I've done this exact job, getting the whole seat out is the way to go. From memory it is 4 bolts, take them out, seat upside down, remove the hessian type stuff that has probably torn and then use something to hold the seat base in place instead. I used para cord laced between the existing hooks. Not original but hidden and works well as the cord has a certain amount of 'give' in it. This is the best job I ever did on the car as far as my wife is concerned as she no longer slowly sinks down to the floor when she sits in the passenger seat. :lol:

I've got one, imported from the UK a couple of years ago. There are two others in Australia I believe; all personal imports as they were never sold here although the saloon was quite popular.

Hi all, I want to fit some seatbelts to my Mk2 estate. I had a look on the securon website, they list them for the Mk2 estate and saloon with the same part number. I don't think this can be right can it as the estate has no shelf to bolt the anchor points? My car (1970 Series 2) looks to have some threaded anchor points behind the rear seats but are these up to scratch? Does anyone have a photo of some estate rear seatbelts or knows where to get an estate seat belt kit? Then i have to put in an extra bolt in the boot floor to meet the Australian child seat requirements but that's another story... Regards, John

I've always thought the chrome Mk1 Fiesta type would look good on a Mk 2. that's what i want to get on mine.

Cool. I wish my car could be put in a 'de ville' condition. :lol:

Hi Paul, Can't help with the Cortinas but I might be able to help if you have any questions about moving to Oz. I moved out to Perth from the UK about 5 years ago and have to say it's a great place. Not sure what work you're in but Perth and WA are about to take off on another mining boom so there is plenty of work here. By the way, you wouldn't believe the price of the Falcon GT - the GTHO Phase 3 ones are going for $600000! Anyway, all the best with your move. John

It does seem a bit odd, I probably wouldn't have noticed if that note hadn't been put in with the new ones. When you put them together you can see a difference though and the posted picture shows a difference as well (at least to my eye). Having said that, the difference is slight, with a few worn bushes and a dodgy steering box like mine i reckon you could easily fit them the wrong way round or two of one type and it might not make much difference to the steering. By the way GO, your build thread is an inspiration for my estate. :thumbup:

That pic is very useful, the passenger side one is definitely more angled. Thanks a lot for the help and fast replies. :thumbup:

Hi all, I have had a good search of the forum but can't find an answer. Thanks to the good advice on this forum I was able to find some TCAs at a reasonable price. I have now stripped down all the suspension and cleaned, replaced or powder coated the lot. As i was putting it back together on the weekend I opened the box that my new ball joints came in. A small bit of paper dropped out with a very important instruction on it: "make sure you make a note of which side the long balljoints go on before dismantling the suspension as they are not the same'. Needless to say I didn';t do this. :cheers: Doh! The long balljoints have a slightly different bend in them and I don't know which side is which. The Kim Henson book 'Restoring Mk1& 2 Cortinas and Escorts' and the Haynes manual don't define it clearly. Is there any way of telling them apart? Cheers

If you were upgrading to a 5 speed it might be worth going for a MT-75 from a twin cam sierra or granada. It's a better box than a type 9 which will bolt up to the engine OK but there might be other issues with the mounts? Worth considering anyway.

After checking out the options (and prices) I decided that my TCAs balljoints were fine and got some new rubbers for $12. :thumbup: Only trouble is now i have taken it all apart I don't want to put rusty old bits back on so they have all gone off to be powdercoated. Thanks all for the advice.

Also, don't forget that the Puma is one of the best handling cars around. I'm jealous, they didn't bring them to Oz...

Thanks for the replies, sounds like good news. I think the joints are actually OK as there are only small splits in them, grease inside and I couldn't feel any play. I will see what is available down here.