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Restoration 101 : Chapter III : Ford Cortina MK3 - #Tina254

Ryk Mchoraji and NerimaSendeyo
Mar 4, 2019
4 min read

That was challenge number one on the project !

‎August ‎2017

Well ... here she is - old, beat, in despair ... my other woman

everything needs to get out

she needed love - attention and yes all our money! can you blame me?

tired - weak

unkempt

her smile decayed

Front sub-frame and suspension - OUT :

previous bushes were made by my clans-men

whenever I think about the steering rack condition I get a chill down my spine

Prop shaft, rear differential and suspension - OUT :

Gear box and transmission bell housing - OUT :

Bonnet - OUT :

Engine - OUT :

Doors- OUT :

25th November 2017

Metal work !!!

Being exposed to the elements for more than 40 years and more so under the maintenance standards of them days definitely means Tina's body panels and pans are Swiss cheese.

So, arrived early Saturday and found the sensei ready ... let's get cutting !

Floor-pan is porous like a sponge

Well ... sometimes in life, just like the Pheonix; you must destroy in order to grow.

Tina is in no condition to be called a car let alone be mentioned against competition pedigree automobiles with a floor like this.

So, we cut

Turned her upside down for easier assessment and access - no rotisserie here - this is Africa

Fault lines along the sub-frame lines

Mother nature was winning ... so were Kenyan roads - she got a beating at the bottom

peel the rust off

you know things are thick when your floor is being torn

'hii si chuma - hakuna tofauti na chapo'

this is the most critical part of this restoration - structural integrity is everything ... I have a feeling bodywork will take waaaaay more than I had planned for

ready for an elevated view?

wacha turarue hapa - power to weight ratio iongezeke

hii ilikua gari mzuri sana ... unaona imefika kilo ngapi sasa? (' ',)

Gaping holes - yes I know ... we did not weld tension bars in the body to prevent warp ... will tackle that later

Done with the floor - over to the wheel well.

Since we have significantly wider rims - dimensions need to be revised as well

These original size 13s skinny latex vs.

Custom widened 15s steelies

pima kitu ... measure twice

cut once

ventilated

Hemisphere exit

Whose's laughing now? not my wallet

Can you see potential body mounted muffler tips on Tina's rear valance? Thinking of keeping them

Floor - OUT!

Lower sub-frame - OUT

Over to the sides - front (anapopima) and rear valance as well

swiss cheese

sieve ... anyone?

measure here

measure there

think about life and the true meaning of rust

human existence is pure God - the difference between a brand new and classic car ... is rust

bye bye

Mungu wangu I bought rust

I know ... it's bad

What cross member?

So ... since it was somewhat a dream to even think about getting Tina specific floor pans and frames like the illustration below, we decided to make them on our own - this is Africa

this is Africa my fren' ... ama namna gani?

I cnt remember the gauge of the sheet metal

PART No. 60 : Left side - check | right, check

PART No. 61 : Monoshell support frames

PART No. 62 : Bottom trunk floor plate

PART No. 63 : Wheel well floor

Well interesting to see how life is - you plan to reach destination B with resources approximated to get you to destination B ... God just laughs at our naivety

A lot more has to go into this project to make her safe and aesthetically pleasing during audit ... basically budget tripples ... Ma'Enzo will loose it

Ma' Enzo :

well ... a bend here - a mallet there and a bolt of lightning - floor

yes yes I know - no strengthening bends - we will revisit

drought hold tacks

know what the trick is - bends ...

it must fit

somebody ordered a drum?

we will fill in those holes ...

what was most interesting - the size and quality of the tig weld power plant

shinny

I actually do not know what to say ... we just do what we can do

Turned her over to right side up to see how she sits ... definition of a long short car

How she looks inside - reinforced cross members

Inspection kiasi

I knew Tina was just showering to go in for a long night ... so we had to seal one or two pores

these emulsions need to seal these holes

sasa ni kafinga

new valance - sealed

under carriage seams; sealed

seal so good it oozed into the cab

Well, that will be enough to preserve her for another 2 or so years as we continue with phase II of gathering her parts in Chapter IV

comparison time?

Well - 1st third of metal work has been completed

NEXT - SAND BLASTING

Ma'Enzo :

Me : Sometimes the sad thing about life, I am an idealist with the highest index on patience ... hehe this means mfuko inaumia yake yote when it comes down to putting words into action.

So, no budget allocated for sandblasting before HAS to be found !!! I know there are consequences but what can man do? Make your dreams a reality - life is short

Thus below

Friday, ‎14 ‎September ‎2018

Shout to my sandblasting link : Mike Komba 0734 526 001 / 0723 901 653

Had the whole suspension and power train delivered on location

BEFORE :

CURRENT :

AFTER :

BEFORE / AFTER :

Ma' Enzo :

Me : No pain no Gain -- the only way I moved from being a 63 Kg long distance runner / basket baller to a 92 Kg body builder was nothing but pain and eating more than I was used and what happened? Growth, milestones ... achieving that dream.

Our children will only realize that they can achieve their dreams as long as they have God by their side and pure determination and planning.

I admit yes I de-prioritized everything else except my dream to raise rust from the dead but at least if I die ... I know I did my best beside you my love ...

Ma' Enzo :