Mk2 Escort RS2000 Restoration – Build Diary

Since the shop began we have longed to get the chance to rebuild this Blue ovaled icon. This will be our finest build to date as it undergoes a full nut and bolt restoration. There is a lot planned for this Escort, starting with a full bare shell strip down and chemical dipping process at Enviro Strip UK, to ensure a paint/sealer and rust free body shell for the metalwork to begin. New replacement panels will be sourced where necessary to complete the body, with the car then being mounted up to a jig to ensure it is straight and true before any more work is started. We will then carry out full leading and body work with no area left untouched before applying various primers and surfacers leading up the oil slick Black paint job.

It’s all down hill after that. Just rebuild every mechanical item on the car. Restore the interior, find new bronze glass and shoe horn in the rebuilt 2.2 engine. But before we get far ahead of ourselves let’s focus on the beginning.

Dry Stored since 1991, we opened the locked garage door to see it had clearly not moved an inch since it was placed in there all that time ago. With the wheels and brakes ceased with 25yrs of rust and grime, we had to drag the shell out on the car transporter.

From the first time we viewed the images sent by the owner George we had a vision of a ‘barn find’ style pre-restoration photo shoot. I briefed our transport driver Tony of LVL transport ” Don’t mess with it”, “Don’t brush down the side in the garage”. We wanted to preserve that barn find look for our Photographer Matthew Dear. As you can see its in a sorry state. The owner George told us that some kids broke into the garage years pervously and smashed the lights and most of the glass. This has thrown up an issues already as this RS2000 custom has bronze tint glass which is notoriously hard to find.

With a crack of the winch, Tony broke the Escort free of its 25 year cave, but that was the simple part. Pulling it up onto the flatbed, tyres flat and wheels creased was a breeze. But once we got to our storage facility it put up a fight to come off the flatbed without the help of the winch.

An hour later, red faced, sore hands and a worn trolley jack, we had the car off the truck and in position for Matthew Dear Photography to capture the car in all it’s pre-restoration glory. Check out the images below and check back with us for the big strip down.

Thanks for reading