Jupiter Red Mark4

The rubber inserts in the front and rear bumpers were fitted until September 1978.

Is the 40 year ruling based on the build date, or the date of first registration? My one Cortina has a build date of June 1978 with a date of first registration of 1st August 1978.

Did your Oyster Gold GL have a tan interior and if so was it still in the original Diamond fabric trim? I'm still looking for front seats with the optional (for the UK market) headrests. I understand that the Taunus GL had these fitted as standard. Thanks.

The Cortina was HPU754T (first registered 12/07/1979). The episode was called The Acorn Syndrome filmed 10th-26th September 1979 and first broadcast 7th September 1980. As well as the desk falling of the roof of the Cortina, I remember at the end of the chase (with the Honey Starmist FD Victor 2000SL) the Cortina being slammed into a kerb. Here's some images for the Cortina: https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR3n98rw7zP3MZfma78l6_BBZg0QP2EBSGFdYFzLGTQmecVUUQW https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSbXsslcntacXI_4FB-kAtUKh-D5rLlz6TN4ti89u6Ulq36_E_Kvg http://www.mark-1.co.uk/Professionals/images/ep_locs/d01/CarChase5.jpg What happened to the desk : https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRrpjO9fBpiqcI3FzyXJchFcINwFxICRPHZkmqz8lLGa7fjlk_c0A and the FD Victor :wub: http://www.mark-1.co.uk/Professionals/images/ep_locs/d01/CarChase2.jpg http://www.mark-1.co.uk/Professionals/images/ep_locs/d01/CarChase4.jpg You Tube link for the chase : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bReuTqEae9M The Cortina didn't handle much better without the desk on the roof! :sofa:

Hi Kev. Lots of the Ford "press" fleet cars had a GB sticker fitted. The sticker on the "earlier" cars I understand featured a BRDC (British Racing Drivers Club) emblem/shield to the left of the GB sticker and was fitted to the RS2000 in the Professionals PNO641T on the show but actually PNO672R. Here's an image of the Doyle RS2000. I had a close up of the sticker saved somewhere but can't find it - I was going to see if I could get some made up for my cars. I also have an interior photo somewhere where the BRDC emblem/shield is shown on the rear of a tax disc holder on a "press" car. https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQia9qGriwDmSokMTLsGl-RuvdIdXxXt3D0rdPDb1TLBy7kJ-s_gw HPU 723T a Mark 5 2.0GL is in the background. This one also has a GB sticker (the later one like on MHK545V) fitted.

It was probably MHK545V, a 1.6LS saloon in Venetian Red/Black Vinyl Roof and a red interior. It featured in a number of Series 3 episodes of The Professionals. First registered 15/01/1980 Last Change V5 18/06/1991 Tax ran out 29/06/1993. Here's some images of it. http://www.imcdb.org/i184790.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y3/tono300/DSC04786.jpg http://pics.imcdb.org/0is529/prof31427ki9.1414.jpg

Hi Gary, really sorry to hear the news. I'm always afraid at shows when people are carrying panels or bumpers that they have bought and then decide to look at the cars. As you know the edges on panels can really be sharp - I wonder if this is what happened? The "smart" type of cosmetic repairers say that they paint the scratch and not the panel - I wonder if they could do anything with it and retaining as much of the original paint on the car?? It could work out cheaper for you as well. Someone in work backed into my company car (Audi A4 Avant Quattro :poo: with steel like tissue paper) and put a dent a few inches long in the front offside wing. The resulting crease in the wheelarch lip I manage to push back using my hands which popped out a lot of the dent in the vertical face of the wing. Using the company recognised repairer through with the third party party's insurance £500, cash payment £300 (no insurance) as the garage reckons that they need to paint the whole side of the car to blend in the paint (at the time it was 10 months old). Cosmetic repair £82 for paintless dent removal and £100 is the whole dent cannot be removed and that they need to use filler and paint. Just shows again why our insurance is so high. Haven't had it fixed yet (can't be bothered with everything else that is going on) so I cannot vouch what the quality of the repair would be but it cannot be any worse that the rubbish quality the company's recognised bodyshop churns out. How about a BMW 3 series with one black plastic kidney grille and one chrome kidney grille and the bodyshop owner couldn't see what the problem was!

My guess Hillman Hunter/Avenger GT?

Agreed. My Cortina really couldn't have been better looked after. It was garaged by the first owner for the first year of its life (1978-1979) and by Mum and Dad between 1979- early 1981 (but only when dry - which on reflection wasn't very often in South Wales). Main problem is the part of the country the car is from and the "environment" it lives in, so: 1. Being in South Wales (rain and salt on the roads by the shed load) from 1st August 1978 - December 1990 2, Daily trips to Llanwern Steel works (1978-1979 by the first owner) and then between 1983-1988 by my Dad when the Cortina was demoted to this trip when the Granada was purchased in Feb 1983. 3. Winter of 1988 in the nice Swansea salt air when I was Uni (I've owned the car since July 1988) - virtually finished it off. It was plastered with Waxoyl in the Summer of 1981 but the "rot" was I guess already setting in on the inner panels and box sections and it was too late even by then. But our Cortina was no really different to any other car of its age around this area at the time in terms of rust, but it did look better than most as I was getting a dab hand with Plastic Padding and cans of Dupli Colour (red Velvet was a better match than Jupiter Red) spray paint from the age of 15/16 :rolleyes: .

You can get the window channels from East Kent trim, but you will have to carefully mitre the corners on the 90 degree part of the door frames. If I could have got them, I would have preferred to have fitted excellent condition secondhand ones than the new items that I fitted.

That's great news Greg, and having looked at the item on ebay you've had it for a fantastic price. The NOS one I got for my Mark 4 (amazingly from the dealer stock that supplied my Mark 4 new) was actually for a Mark 5. The opposite way round in your case. The FINIS for the Mark 5 is 6071764 and I paid £56.31! back in 1999/2000. The only difference (I believe) between the Mark4 and Mark 5 panels is the shape of the pressing around the nearside wiper spindle aperture. On the Mark 4 it is more of a lozenge shape. The replacement Mark 5 panel for mine was reshaped to try and resemble this shape, you'll see what I mean if you compare the panels. Please also check the back of the replacement panel for the offside wiper spindle aperture to the original panel as I have often wondered if there was a reinforcement section missing. The reason I say this is that the panel around the offside wiper aperture "pulses" up and down slightly when the wipers are working. Hope this helps.

Beat you to that. My Mark 4 had its first pair of outer sills in Feb/March 1983. The car was built in June 1978. The nearside boot floor was also already holed at this point as well.

Very well done. The locations mentioned particularly Lake Annecy and the photo of the road sign has brought back many happy memories.

Not sure if this helps, but I've taken this from the mark 4 Ford Workshop manual: Spring Usage by model : 1600 (OHC) engine, base L, GL and Ghia 2000 (OHC) engine Ghia Estate and Family Saloon Part Number : 76BB-5310-FA Colour Code : Yellow/Blue Free Length mm (in) : 320 (12.6) Wire Dia mm (in) : 13.6 (0.53) Load Mean kN (lbf) : 5.33 (1198.1) Total Coils : 7.66 I've had problems with the front springs on my Mark 4 (1.6GL saloon). I built up the front suspension using a "donor" unit from a Mark 4 1.6L estate. The front springs in the donor unit still showed the correct colour code of Yellow/Blue. When the refurbished suspension was all refitted etc I couldn't even press down on the front of the car the springs were that stiff. The original springs for the car have now been refitted (ongoing saga). The only thing I can think of that affected the initial replacement springs was that I had them powdercoating process, but I wouldn't have thought that the heat involved would have caused the problem.

Worth the wait then! How long had the neighbour had them?