1970 Ford Escort Mk1 Van

The time has come to sell our Mk1 Escort van.
It's been in storage for at least ten years, pulled out, washed off and these pictures taken. I've not had it running. But it was running when it went in.
This will be one of the most honest, and probably dull, adverts you'll read this week. So grab a cuppa and if you're still here at the end, you might well be interested in buying it!
The van was originally purchased by us, off of a friend, as a shell in 2003. At this point he'd already taken to it with an angle grinder and fitted four-link boxes and turrets in the rear, and removed the forward section of the van floor (same as a Mk1 Saloon underneath - hence the link boxes). At this time, a weld in cage had also gone in and fibreglass Mexico front wings installed.
The shell sat for a year or so whilst we decided what to do with it, then in early 2005 we decided to get it built ready for Ford Fair of that year.
Someone had already repaired front strut top plates and done a decent job of it for the time, so we opted to leave these. Maybe these days you'd want to see them cut out and completely replaced, but standards have moved on.
The engine is a chassis mounted 2. 1 Vauxhall 16V XE built by OAP Race engines. Using Accralite High-top forged pistons, lightened and balanced crank and rods, ARP rod bolts, a Yukspeed sump, lightly ported Cos-Cast cylinder head, Piper 285 Cams with vernier pulleys, SBD Tapered throttle body kit with MBE management, Piper custom made 4-2-1 stainless steel exhaust manifold and system, Big header RS2000 Radiator. This is bolted to a brand new (installed before it went into storage and never used) 3J Driveline straight-cut Type-9 Gearbox using an SBD Bellhousing.
It was originally running Princess 4-pots when we first built it, then we upgraded to Hi-specs, but now has Alcon four-pots with monster 304mm discs. These were brand new before it went into storage and un-used. Sadly ten years of sitting there means that the brake discs have got some surface rust on them, but the calipers are free. At the rear end it has Sierra Calipers on discs. There's a bias pedal box inside and a line lock too.
The rear axle, which is 5-linked, had a brand new 3J Driveline NXG limited slip diff fitted, along with brand new 3J Driveline tapered two-piece halfshafts - both also fitted just before it went into storage.
There are GAZ Gold adjustable Coilovers front and rear, which were new before it went into storage (replacing Bilstein fronts and SPAX rear). The quick-ratio rack is on a lowered-rack-mount Crossmember, brand new adjustable TCAs and tension struts from Grp-4 Fabrications were also installed prior to going into storage.
Inside there's two Sparco rev bucket seats, roll cage everywhere, two-dial dash with replacement gauges. Alloy centre-console with matching aux gauges. It also had a bespoke wiring loom custom made for it so has a modern fusebox tucked up under the dash.
The body shell was painted Le-Mans green in base coat and lacquer then sign written the old-fashioned way by a man with a stick and a steady hand. Before painting it had, had a number of patches in the past done to a good standard, the rear wheel arch tubs were removed to allow for wheels to tuck up into the arches without rubbing.
So I allude to it going into storage circa 2015, which it did. Maybe a little later than that. Shortly before then, when it had all the new bits fitted (suspension, brakes etc) I thought I was able to run with the cool kids and get a bit of stance on the go, so narrowed the rear axle in order to get wider wheels to fit. The big front brakes necessitate the fitment of at least 15" wheels, but when these 16" Compomotives came up, I got some suitably "sick" tyres stretched onto them and tried them on the van. Sometimes I look at it and like it, other times I wonder what I was thinking. Either way, potentially some banded Mondeo steels might be a better bet.
When it was last on a rolling road to be mapped it made, from memory, just over 200bhp. Which is about right for the spec of the engine.
The price is £20000 ono, £19000 ovno, or £18000 no offers. You are welcome to choose which one suits you best. I'm supposed to tell you here why you'll love the van... If you've got this far, you'll love it. But it needs recommissioning - it's been in storage. Not sure if I mentioned that a few times!?
So, before it went into storage, when I was on a journey to be "scene" and have stance and that, I never actually got it finished. Maybe I realised I'm the least scene person in the world!? So the rear brake lines need plumbing in. I have all of the braided lines and unions - which come with the van. Just not the time to do it.
It has been sat (in storage - there it is again), so all of the brake discs have surface rust on them. As does anything that was new and un-used before it went into storage. But everything still moves. The front suspension bits were all bolted in, but never properly set up. As was the rear axle after being shortened. The dry-cell battery that lives behind the driver's seat is completely dead. The fuel pump was also seized solid. I've installed a fuel pump that now primes. But it's not possible to get a good enough contact on the piddly little dry cell terminals with a jump pack, to get meaningful contact for any prolonged periods of cranking to get the old girl running. But, it's on fuel injection and management, so should be fairly straightforward once a new battery is in place. The important thing is that it does turn over!
This van has many ££££ worth of twiddly bits on it. You could spend a day or two on it getting it up and running and have a bit of a tool to promote your business. Or you could strip all the bits out and sell them, then do what you like with the van shell. The world, as they say, is your oyster.

I welcome serious enquiries only, if you have any questions please just ask. The van is viewable Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm.