BACK TOGETHER
After being stripped four years ago, the Cossie is finally getting put back together again... very... very... slowly...
QUICK SPEC Sierra RS Cosworth ■ YBB with 205 block and Stage 3 chip ■ RS500 intercooler ■ T34.48 turbo ■ Gaz GHA coilovers ■ Powerflex bushes ■ Hose Technik brake hoses ■ RS500-type splitter ■ Compomotive MO5 7.5x17in rims ■ Momo rear wheel spacers
Once upon a time, before Covid-19, before Brexit, and perhaps even before dinosaurs became extinct, I took some bits off my Sierra to fix a few rust bubbles on the front wings.
What started out as minor paintwork gradually turned into a full front-end restoration, with a host of clandestine bodges taunting me at every turn. From plated front wings to dangerously un-plated suspension turrets, whoever renovated the car before I bought it would need shutting down – if he hadn’t already gone out of business.
And it got worse. When I thought the inner wings were finally ready for a respray, flatting
back the old paint revealed a hairline crack, which opened up into a hole – followed by discovery of a slab of filler over yet more rust. That meant more time with my MIG and another delay.
Problems matching up the correct shade of Diamond White saw the first batch of paintwork flatted back and sprayed a closer colour, and eventually my mate Richard was released from coronavirus lockdown for long enough to finish the job.
So finally, after four years of sitting on stands, I’ve been able to get the old Cossie back on its Comps. For the time being.
It’s unlikely the Sierra will see much track action in future, so I’ll be ditching the coilovers in favour of something more suitable for
local bumpy B-roads. The front brakes are standard kit, so I’ll be replacing them with bigger discs before venturing back onto the tarmac. And as for the shiny bits under the bonnet: they’ve gotta go.
In the meantime, I’ve polished up the paintwork in the engine bay and begun cleaning off several years of grime. With a bit of luck I’ll manage to find half the missing nuts and bolts. Maybe I’ll even work out where a clump of random wires should live.
Tempting though it is to fire up the YB, it’s been unloved for so long that a fair bit of recommissioning will be in order. I’ll add a cambelt to the shopping list and break out the credit card. Anyone want to buy some genuine barn-find dust?