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Dan fusses over the panel gaps as the front end of the Cossie comes back together
QUICK SPEC 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
Ford has never been what you’d call a premium brand. Stack ’em high, sell ’em cheap has pretty much been the Blue Oval’s motto since the Model T first trundled around town. Perfect paintwork and precision-aligned panel gaps were the last thing on Uncle Henry’s production sheet.
And although the 1970s were a low point in build quality (of many brands, not specifically Ford), the 1980s weren’t much better. We all know Ford built cars from pre-rusted Kit Kat wrappers in the mid-Eighties, and I surely wouldn’t be the only person reading this mag who watched a D-reg Escort disintegrate before my eyes.
So, what hope does my 1986 Sierra have of looking like it left the Rolls-Royce factory?
Even so, when you’ve restored (or partrestored) an old car, it’s natural to try to make everything look right. And on an old Sierra, that’s not easy.
With the help of my mate Pete, I refitted the bonnet without a fuss. We repaired one of the front bumper brackets (thankfully a captive bolt had snapped, as opposed to the bracket itself), then used a little silicone spray to slide it onto the plastic corner-brackets. All good. Or was it?
Each side of the bumper had a hefty gap where it joined the front wing. Yes, they were even, but surely they couldn’t be right…?
Perhaps the wheelarch extensions would tell a different story. So, we slapped on a load of Tigerseal (no point drilling screw holes to give moisture an entry point), and taped the arches in place to set.
But, hang on. It wasn’t right. There was a sizeable gap between wheelarch and bumper, where it looked like the bottom should line up with the swage line in the wing. What the fiddlesticks had we done wrong?
We pulled and pushed. We sweated and swore. But still this bloomin’ Sierra wouldn’t close its gaps.
In the end, we left it overnight to think about a solution. In the meantime, I knew who’d know the answer: my mate Mr RS500, Paul Linfoot.
I sent Paul a few photos, and awaited a response that said I’d got brackets upside down, or welds in the wrong place, or not quite enough Yorkshire in my accent.
Instead, Paul replied: “Looks about perfect. Most have a small gap like that.”
Why I didn’t just ask Paul in the first place, I’ll never know. But it’s good to know there are always experts around in the Ford world to help when you get stuck.
Talking of stuck, I need to get back to the Tigerseal – in a panic, I removed the arches, and now I’ve loads of sticky white gunge to remove before I can stick them on again…