FULLY LOADED
It’s 15 years and counting so far, but Mike Binning’ incredible two-door, V8 Mk5 Estate is now running and he can see an end in sight!
W ell here’s a first… Sometimes, when a project is completed, we get to feature cars in Classic Ford that have previously been the subject of our Grafters’ section. But this month we’re revisiting a former grafter, in the Grafters pages… if that makes sense.
Mike Binning and his nearly-but-not quite-finished extreme V8 Cortina Estate are the reason we’re back in Swindon. We first visited Mike all the way back in 2007, when he was six years in to the build of his subtle-looking but incredibly-engineered Mk5, and things were looking good for an end date somewhere around 2009/10… Yeah, and we all know what deadlines are good for… naff all!
Fast forward another nine years to 2016, and there’s definitely light at the end of the lengthy tunnel for Mike as his Windsor-engined, tubbed and massively modified wagon is now up and running, with just some last few mechanical jobs and some trimming issues to sort. For a more complete low-down on the incredible quantity (and highly-skilled) fabrication and car craft involved in Mike’s Estate build, check out his website dedicated to the car at www.Mk5cortinaestate.co.uk. Give yourself a couple of hours though… it’s an epic ‘journey’.
Here are the highlights of what’s been going on in the Binning (remarkably small) garage for a decade and a half…
What made you want a Cortina Estate in the first place?
My third car, back in 1992 was a Mk5 Cortina Estate that I modified into street-race spec and I was gutted when it rotted around me. So in 2000, I began again with a new car — a very clean and tidy one-family owned Estate whose elderly owner was giving up driving — and this time was determined I would build it more radical… and to last.
Where did you start?
The original plan was nowhere near where I’m at now. My starting point was for a Rover V8 engine, but that changed when I realised the price of tuning one of those compared to a small-block Ford. Parts are so cheap to buy from the States that sticking to a Ford motor was a no-brainer. The 351 cu.in Windsor came partially seized and very rusty, but a full strip, rebuild and tune was always planned.
And why the conversion to a two-door?
Two reasons. One aesthetic as there were a couple of Mk3 Estates on the scene that looked excellent, the other practical — I’d bought some very wide Revolutions for the project, but dismissed flared arches as I’m not brilliant with bodywork. Tubbing the rear-end, with a bespoke chassis and narrowed 9 inch axle was the solution, and that worked best with a two-door shell — not that one ever actually existed for the Mk5 Estate!
How hard was that to carry out?
Not too bad, though cutting out the old B-pillar created a lot of extra remedial work to the shell and sills. I managed to buy two NOS Mk4 doors, the B-pillars and some saloon rear quarters (along with a front wing) for just £400 and these genuine panels made the job a lot easier. Chopping the rear quarters at the midline of the arch, fitting them where the rear doors used to be and re-constructing internal strength back in behind them was time consuming, but not as difficult as it sounds. Mk4 bits had to be used, of course, as the Mk5 saloon had a taller roofline.
And the tubbed back-end?
I basically positioned the car at a determined height using wooden blocks measured precisely to the height of the bumper brackets, then welded some bracing in the rear hatch aperture. When I was sure nothing could flex or sag, an angle grinder was taken to the complete rear floor section from side to side leaving a gaping hole.The new chassis, floor panelling, with lots of stiffening and bracing and a four-linked rear-end gradually evolved over the years.
Did you make the cage too?
That is based on a Custom Cages (www. customcages.co.uk) kit with the main loop side X-braces and dash rail, but they kindly supplied lots of extra tubing too, so I could add in the additional bars to the rear end.
So the engine is in and running?
Yes, both it and the gearbox were stripped and rebuilt, with a Holley four-barrel nicked off a mate’s Dodge Charger supplying the fuel-air mix via an aftermarket intake manifold and in to the cylinders through ported heads.The 351 V8 is plate mounted to the chassis and bulkhead, and one of my worst days on the whole project came when I realised my beautifully planned,
laser cut mid plate was useless as I’d made the mounts to the bulkhead right where the cylinder heads sat, giving me no access to get the bolts in! The exhaust looks like a work of art, too Yes, it’s pretty much all custom-made, with modified headers to clear the steering and other components, which needed chopping and sectioning many times as I have no pipe bender.
What about the brakes and suspension?
The suspension uses AVO (www.avouk. com) coil-over kits front and back and they sit the car nice and low. The alloy front hubs I machined myself, and have Wilwood discs and Dynalite callipers attached via custom brackets. The rear brakes are Mercedes solid discs and Citroen BX front callipers. The master cylinder is a Land Rover unit on a Girling servo and there’s a brake bias valve and line-lock in the system too.
The windows look good!
I had to get the side windows made up as no two-door Mk5 Estate exists from the factory. I used an aluminium template which was curved to the correct shape and handed with other templates to Plastics4Performance, which made them up in polycarbonate.
What’s left to do?
There’s a bit more metalwork to do in the rear load area to allow for the internal panelling to be put in. The door, side and rear hatch cards will all be bespoke and the car will eventually be carpeted throughout. I also need some seats, some gauges need to be found and fitted to the custom centre console, and there are numerous other trim
“I COULD PROBABLY CRACK ON AND GET IT FINISHED THIS YEAR, BUT WITH A FAMILY TIME IS TIGHT, SO I’M NOT GOING TO RUSH”
and details to be sorted. Painting is nearly complete too as just the bonnet needs a coat of the Brilliant White I’ve gone for to finish that too.
And the final finish line is when?
Ah, I’m not promising anything this time. I could probably crack on and get it done this year but, with a family, money and time often needs to go elsewhere, so I’m not going to rush. With some luck I will be done by Summer 2017. At least I can start the engine, drive it and have a bit of yobboaction with the line-lock to get some encouragement now. (See the videos on Mike’s website as proof of this!).
Anyone you’d like to thank?
Wiltshire Classic Ford Club (www.swindoncc.bravepages.com/Club_Car. htm, all on BuySellCortina (www. buysellcortina.co.uk), Performance Unlimited for engine work (www. performanceunlimited.co.uk), Plastics4Performance for the side windows (https://plastics4performance.com), friends Daniel, James and Dan for help throughout, and my wife Helen for all her help and support.