1966 Mk1 Cortina GT

6 minute(s) of a 210 minute read

Whilst the loom was being reconstructed I had also started work on the fuel system. I'd already decided on a small fuel pump which will put out 4psi which is plenty, it also needs to sit close to the fuel tank.

I didn't want the fuel pump to have it bolted through the boot floor so I made up a removeable plate with 2 supports that are welded to the underside of the boot floor. The reason I made the pump plate removeable was so if I change the type of pump I use whether that's for carbs or fuel injection which I am tempted by.

I needed a fuel tank as my original was in a bad way, I have kept it as it could be fixed/ modified but I still haven't got round to it! At the time I found an ebay auction for 2 tanks and a Frost fuel tank seal kit for £50! which came at the right time! I went to pick them up - he threw in a 3rd tank!

I stripped the paint off them, cleaned them up using the Frost kit and fixed the pin holes using plumbers solder - an easy way to plug the pinholes that has a low thermal impact on the tank

This just reminds me of a bad night out!

I can't find any photos of them finished but I managed to refurb all 3 and sold 2 which paid for the wiring loom - stonks!

I moved onto the fuel line which I wanted to put some extra brackets on - again if I chose to go injection I'll need 2 fuel lines so I thought I'd sort that now plus the Cortina's fuel lines are held in with hair clips!

They have an M5 nut welded to the back and are dimensionally the same as the brake line brackets.

With a safe fuel supply I ran the engine - 7 years after it was refurbished! It was an amazing feeling to know that I had a running car, the motivation levels were through the roof!

My wife wasn't as enthused - I had been running the engine and tuning the carb and ignition with no exhaust and was worried about what the neighbours would say!

Performance exhausts for the Cortina are surprisingly sparse when compared to the escort. the Ashley ones are poorly made and mild steel, 105 speed used to have a manifold and system made by piper but the manifolds are no longer available and the systems will need modifying to work with the GT's original 4 branch manifold.

Modifying a £250 exhaust system wasn't what I wanted to do and as nice a that exhasut system is its a 2" system which is too large for the Cortina's performance. Fortunately I know a guy who can weld stainless so for the price of a few beers I'd make a system, tack weld it and he'd finish off the welding.

I bought 3 U bends, and over axle set, a 2m straight length and a straight through silencer - all in 1.75" and cost £120!

Once it was all welded up it's quiet on idle and has a nice rasp to it, I have videos of it but not sure how I can share it.

The plan was to get the Cortina essentially "built" basically running with parts that needed fabricating all taken on before the paint because that's how a paint job gets ruined!

Becasue I wanted to keep the Cortina as built as much as possible for as long as possible I started the bodywork with everything in situ so I could run the engine for 5 mins after a day of sanding which is quite frankly boring!

As you can see in the photos repairs had been started so the body was a mix of Ermine white, red oxide, etch primer, rust and filler!

I used nitromorse type stripper to get to the steel and then laid a 2K epoxy primer over the body.

 then took a 300mm long sanding block and a 180 grit pad to find the high and low points, This isn't the most effiecient way to work as you use double the epoxy primer but it does help find problem areas on your bodywork.

it was at this point the Cortina was stripped back down to a rolling shell.