1966 Mk1 Cortina GT

9 minute(s) of a 210 minute read

Thank you Rob, that's a huge compliment as I've seen the work you've done on you coupe.

As technology has progressed I had added a bluetooth radio to the Cortina which is truly awful to use hand free! I had the thought of using my phone for sat nav rather than buying AA maps like the good old days!

Annoyingly when the Cortina was designed (a loose term!) They had the foresight to add plenty of ash trays but nothing in the way of phone holders unless you purchased the Ogle developed Cortina that could have had a phone and a television if the adverts are to be believed.

As I don't smoke but I needed a place where I can reliably place a phone where I can see the screen (for map reasons) So I have printed a prototype phone holder. It slots over the ash tray lid and hold the phone at an angle where I can then see the map. It fits and works as it should but I am working on a 2nd version that doesn't use fasteners and has two hinged joints so I can fold it flat when not in use.

the print looks a little rough because of the support structure I used but I have also altered the design so it fits the phone better and can be printed without supports so it looks smoother - I'm also dropping the speed holes as I don't like it

11-18-2021

In the last few weeks I have been driving the Cortina with very few issues, fuelling is a problem and I'm averaging low 20's which is painful! I have checked the ignition and reset the static timing as I had a bit of pinking whilst on a run to Lincoln. With the engine running between 50 and 70 medium throttle so it wasn't bad but has been easily sorted.

Lincoln was an excellent day out helping a friend with his 944 and then going karting - 45 mins of solid back to back racing followed by just over an hours drive in a 55 year old car meant Sunday I was walking around like a chap twice my age!

The drivers seat needs some attention as the padding/ springs resonate differently to the rest of the car so I feel my lower back getting tense after a while. I also think that when the Cortina goes into hibernation I'll remove the interior and add some more sound deadening as anything over 50mph it gets noisy!

I have bought a Lotus Cortina to restore and keep me entertained, it needs some work but should be a quick project

11-25-2021

The commuting has been fun but it became quite interesting last week when my washer jets weren't washing the screen, I say interesting what I actually mean was nerve racking as I had just joined the motorway and was given a dose of filth from a truck to only realise my washer pump had decided after 55 years (15 off duty for good behaviour!) to decide now was the time to retire!

thankfully it my screen was wet enough to move the material and when I pulled off the motorway a junction later I used the bottle of water in the car to clean the screen and head to the office. A quick ebay session whilst on lunch put me onto 2 replacement pumps an original in box (shown below) from Australia at £200 without postage or a used one for £30. I liked the novelty of a manual washer pump but after that mornings debacle I decided that some modernity would be nice without joining the bourgeoisie!

In what was an unusual bit go forward thinking by myself when rewiring the Cortina for a second time I prewired 2 relays with fuses and switches that sit under the dash for fog lights or a reverse light, so within 30 minutes I had fully functioning washer jets that work but would need to be turned off manually. I have since changed the switch for a momentary toggle so I just pull it for as long as I need, this is a temporary fix which I'll sort over winter.

Whilst I'm looking at the windscreen and it's cleaning I had found that the 1 speed wipers are ok in drizzle but a bit rubbish in rain, 2 speed wipers were available on the top spec mk2 and Corsair which are a direct replacement but are seldom seen on ebay these days. Taking from my experience of engineering and living in Yorkshire for 6 years I decided to buy a cheap modern wiper motor from ebay with the intention of pre wiring and then when I take the cortina off the road making it fit with the original system.

It's from a Volvo S40 (1995-2003), I need to find a wiring diagram but a quick play yesterday I managed to get slow and fast speeds working but that leaves the other 3 pins unidentified. One will be neutral and another is for park but more research is required. it has given me a few options.

This is my wiper assembly taken last year, the motor is actually larger it appears and is wired to a 3 pin 2 way switch ( Off, Park and On). Park hasn't worked for a long time but it's wired to the switch and a live feed comes from the loom to the switch. This is helpful as I don't need to alter the loom in any way!


As I have time I'd like to see if I can figure out how to make the new motor park but it does give me some options given the change in washer pump...

The dash is held in by the washer pump, wiper switch, light switch and ignition switch. This means if I am to make a change I can't deviate from that or my dials fall out!

I could wire the wiper switch as it is now (with park if I am smart enough!) and change the washer pump for a momentary push button that I'll print a few parts to use the original chrome trim and push button so nobody will notice.

It's a little pie in the sky but change the washer pump to a 4 setting rotary switch (and make it look original) to control the wipers - off, intermittent, speed 1 and speed 2. Swap the current wiper switch for the momentary switch and operate it as a wash/ wipe. This definitely take some tea and beard stroking but would have a great pay off.

4-7-2021

I hadn't realised the last post I made was back in November!

To be honest the last few months have been busy with other things other than the Cortina and having some problems with running rich and breaking down at Silverstone during the lap of lights which was embarrassing!

Over christmas I had some time on my own as Mrs Jim was working to keep me in the lifestyle that I had become accustomed to! I figured that the Cortina won't be on the road till the weather improves I would not only clean her but also spend some time wet sanding, polishing and waxing.

Not looking too bad after a wash but I can make it look better.

The bumpers and trim were quickly removed so I could take the body on without having to work around any awkward parts

Setting upon the body with good intentions and 1000 grit wet and dry I carefully made headway levelling the orange peel etc without going too hard at it and following up with 1500 and 2000. The paint started to look like it wasn't painted by an amateur! Polishing was straight forward but used tentatively.

The roof was the test piece as I could work the area comfortably stood up, at first I thought the lines were issues in the paint work but it's actually the reflection of the garage roof!

45 hours later....

With knackered fingers and RSI I must admit that it's much better than I ever expected