Eight years in the build — and it shows.
The result of almost eight years’ hard work, Dave Wilson’s stunning, 350 bhp YB-engined Escort is a fire-breathing work of art.
“IT’S TAKEN ME ALMOST EIGHT YEARS TO BUILD, AND I’M PROUD TO HAVE DONE ALMOST EVERYTHING MYSELF”
Sat in the car park of an industrial estate in Wiltshire, the peace and quiet is suddenly broken by the bark of an exhaust echoing off the nearby factories.
A couple who have just come out of the gym opposite turn to see what’s making all the noise, just as a bright green Escort roars past. They both nod and smile. “Nice car — need a couple of models to pose with it?”
We’ve not even started taking photos and this feisty Ford is already attracting attention. But then the owner, Dave Wilson, didn’t build it to hide away.
“It took me almost eight years to complete,” he reveals. “I’m very proud to have tackled pretty much everything myself. I did over 90 per cent of all the welding and fabrication; I sandblasted the whole shell — every inch! I refreshed and detailed the engine and refurbished almost every part. I assembled all of the suspension, the brakes and axles, I fitted the trim — and did the headlining with my good friend, Dean,” he states.
“The one thing I didn’t do was the final paintjob. The work is amazing — it’s even painted and polished under the carpets, under the headlining, behind the door panels and
behind the dash! I admitted defeat with the filler work after two months and had a friend, Simon Coulson, do the final prep,” concedes Dave. The amount of work that’s gone into transforming this once-tired Escort into an immaculate, better-than-factory example, packing a Cossie lump is staggering — especially when you consider it was all done at weekends and during evenings after work. So how did the project begin?
The long game
“The criteria was it had to be a two-door, preferably not an RS, so I didn’t feel guilty about modifying it,” laughs Dave. “I’d known of the car for about 10 years; it took me that long to get the deal done with the original owner!”
Once Escort ownership had been secured, a plan was put in place. “I wanted a subtle modified, low, clean car. Initially I was going to put in a Focus ST170 engine, but the plans changed when my friend, Dean, offered me a written off three-door Cosworth track car; it got out of control from there!” laughs Dave.
Take some time to look around the car and you’ll soon discover that not a single part has escaped Dave’s ultra-critical eye.
The process began by tackling the tatty shell. New full-length inner wing tops were added, together with the radiator crossmember, slam panel, front wings, rear arches and rear panel. There was also further fabrication work including a custom firewall, round turrets, gusseted rear arches and Type 49 shell reinforcements. A huge amount of work went into the body before Jason at JB Autos coated it in several layers of beautiful Le Mans green paint. The exterior also boasts a motorsport front panel and custom steel rear arches, with subtle lips welded into the front RS arches. There’s a pair of shiny Wipac headlights and all of the chrome has been redone. It really does look stunning — although we have to keep removing little flies that also seem to love it.
Inside, the cabin looks brand new. A set of Sparco Rev bucket seats kicks things off, really suiting the ’70s styling. The rear bench has been trimmed to match, and modified to fit around the firewall bulkhead. A set of Escort Twin Cam dash clocks has been added — handy as they read to 140 mph and 8000 rpm... The dash has also been flocked and a retro-looking Sparco wheel fitted. And it doesn’t end there. The carpets have all been replaced and a classy looking, black RS headliner added (another tricky job to get right).
“INITIALLY I WAS GOING TO FIT AN ST170 ZETEC ENGINE, THEN MY FRIEND, DEAN OFFERED ME A WRITTEN-OFF SIERRA COSWORTH TRACK CAR...”
Every aspect of this stunning Escort looks factory-fresh.
YB challenged
Open the bonnet and you’re greeted by an immaculate YB lump sat in a clinically clean engine bay. However, the engine tested Dave’s skills and resilience to the limit, as he explains:
“Everything involving the engine transplant was challenging. I wanted the car to look like it came from factory with the engine, so making the cooling system fit without altering the look of the slam panel, while retaining the bonnet cable, was quite tricky.” He continues: “Every bracket is custom-made to mount the ancillaries away from the inner wings to keep it as clean as possible. I decided at the last minute to fit a rear seat after having a custom firewall and diff tunnel fitted. I ended up refabricating the existing frame to fit and then had it trimmed. Making the 8 inch wide wheels fit an unarched car was also fun!”
The engine itself is far from stock and has been built to produce strong, reliable
power. A T34 turbo mated to a 4x4 manifold produces the boost, while a Radtec alloy radiator and intercooler keep the temps down; they’re finished in stealthy black and look terrific. A set of green injectors and 044 fuel pumps get the super unleaded in fast and every single part of the engine has been fully detailed, polished or replaced.
The boot houses a stunning alloy fuel tank, together with the rest of the fuel system — there’s even a full size Minilite spare mounted in the middle.
Power is fed via a rebuilt T5 gearbox, with an AP Racing clutch and heavy-duty propshaft — again, Dave paid particular attention to the bits that would take a hammering from his heavy right foot.
When he isn’t busy working one on of many projects, you’ll often find Dave going sideways on track as his favourite pastime is drifting with his mates, Trig and the crew. Not surprisingly, he’s put a lot of time into perfecting the suspension and steering on the Escort.
A set of GAZ Gold front coil-overs with adjustable top mounts allow him to get the right camber, while the rest of the chassis has been suitably beefed up. Get it up on the ramps and you’ll find a Fostek thick-tubed Atlas axle with a ZF Motorsport LSD.
Always learning
Challenges aside, Dave has enjoyed the process, which has given him enormous satisfaction. He’s certainly learned a lot from it:
“I was perhaps a little overly-critical of myself during the build of this car,” he admits. “The headaches may come and go, but it’s really important to enjoy doing it — I would just close the garage door and walk away on the bad days, and not let it get to me. A good support group helps, too!” he laughs.
So what’s it like to drive? Well, a 350 bhp Cosworth YB in a featherlight Mk1 Escort was always going to be a bit lively and this one doesn’t disappoint.
“I’m not sure of the 0-60 times and all that just yet, but the Escort certainly gets there quick. It takes no encouragement to step sideways either — even changing gear on dual carriageways. It just keeps accelerating until you run out of gears,” laughs Dave.
Right from the off, the plan was to build something super-strong and reliable that could be used to put a smile on Dave’s face — now, the fact it’s also immaculate, just adds to the appeal.
It’s been Dave’s life for the last eight years and it truly deserves to be called a masterpiece.
“DAVE’S PAID PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THE BITS THAT GET A HAMMERING FROM HIS RIGHT FOOT”