Nickson Motorsport 944 turbo bare shell rebuild
- Thread starter nicksonmsport
- Start date
nicksonmsport
New member
some more good news tonight. i decided to do a leak down test on the engine, to see how healthy it may or may not be.
results were as follows.
cyl 1= perfect, 0% loss
cyl 2= very good 15% loss
cyl 3= average 35% loss
cyl 4= poor 75% loss
now you may look at these results and think they look poor, but the good thing is that when testing the leakdown you can hear exactly where the leak is coming from. on cyl 3 and 4 you could clearly hear the leak coming out of the intake ports pointing to poor intake valve seating.
i then proceeeded to remove the cylinder head. once removed i did a simple test that involves filling the ports with thinners and seeing for any leaks. this confirmed exactly what i thought. cyl 4 dripped fluid past the intake valve with a drip every 2 seconds or so showing a poor seal. cyl 3 showed one drip every 30 seconds or so, and cyl 3 showed slight damping round the valve seat with no drip. cyl 1 was bone dry. i also tested the exhaust valves in the same way, which were all perfect.
this is a very easy fix and just means the inlet valves want re seating to give a perfect seal. i will of course re seat all 8 valves not just the ones leaking.
more good news is that the head gasket was in tact even though last time it was changed was around 10 years ago. it came off in one piece with no eveidence of any water or gas leaks. the cylinder head face also has no signs of any corrosion! which is something i found when removing my s2 head, that had many porous/bubbly type imperfections where the water jacket was.
the bores all look very good aswell, there is a slight pickup on cyl 4, a perfect straight line down the bore that u can just pick up with a finger nail. all the other bores are near perfect. zero detonation detected on any of the pistons, and minimal carbon deposits.
for an engine thats done 180k miles and is near 27 years old its in incredible shape really! it certainly ran very well when in the car, no smoke whatsoever, and felt very smooth and powerful, will be even better once the inlet valves are perfectly seated!
very pleased with my findings today!
pics coming soon
results were as follows.
cyl 1= perfect, 0% loss
cyl 2= very good 15% loss
cyl 3= average 35% loss
cyl 4= poor 75% loss
now you may look at these results and think they look poor, but the good thing is that when testing the leakdown you can hear exactly where the leak is coming from. on cyl 3 and 4 you could clearly hear the leak coming out of the intake ports pointing to poor intake valve seating.
i then proceeeded to remove the cylinder head. once removed i did a simple test that involves filling the ports with thinners and seeing for any leaks. this confirmed exactly what i thought. cyl 4 dripped fluid past the intake valve with a drip every 2 seconds or so showing a poor seal. cyl 3 showed one drip every 30 seconds or so, and cyl 3 showed slight damping round the valve seat with no drip. cyl 1 was bone dry. i also tested the exhaust valves in the same way, which were all perfect.
this is a very easy fix and just means the inlet valves want re seating to give a perfect seal. i will of course re seat all 8 valves not just the ones leaking.
more good news is that the head gasket was in tact even though last time it was changed was around 10 years ago. it came off in one piece with no eveidence of any water or gas leaks. the cylinder head face also has no signs of any corrosion! which is something i found when removing my s2 head, that had many porous/bubbly type imperfections where the water jacket was.
the bores all look very good aswell, there is a slight pickup on cyl 4, a perfect straight line down the bore that u can just pick up with a finger nail. all the other bores are near perfect. zero detonation detected on any of the pistons, and minimal carbon deposits.
for an engine thats done 180k miles and is near 27 years old its in incredible shape really! it certainly ran very well when in the car, no smoke whatsoever, and felt very smooth and powerful, will be even better once the inlet valves are perfectly seated!
very pleased with my findings today!
pics coming soon
nicksonmsport
New member
nicksonmsport
New member
nice find! new old stock genuine oil cooler, got it for a great price in comparison to new item!
on the look out for really nice parts, so any1 that has anything of interest give me a shout! must be in very good or nearly new condition. thanks
nick
on the look out for really nice parts, so any1 that has anything of interest give me a shout! must be in very good or nearly new condition. thanks
nick
nicksonmsport
New member
bit more progress on the shell today, and more good news!
continued cutting out an old repair on the inner sill behind where the torsion tube carrier bolts to the car. i then removed the jacking point in that area, (bolt in part) i will be making a new one of them as it was a bit knackered/bent. this also allowed me full access to the brackets where the torsion tubes bolts to the body, which i then cleaned right up removing any sign of surface rust, then treated the area with more fertan.
i also did more digging for rust in areas it could be hiding behind underseal. i removed the rear diffuser, and then removed all the stone chip from the rear lower 1/4 panels, an area rust is very good at destroying! the result? MINT! this shell literally has 2 bits of rust on it lol! outer sills, and small repair to the inner sill behind the torsion tube carriers!
this is great news as the repair wont take to long, and then i can get on with prepping the shell for paint!
i also removed the porsche sticker across the back panel, and the stonechip guards which came of with ease with a heat gun.
pics soon
continued cutting out an old repair on the inner sill behind where the torsion tube carrier bolts to the car. i then removed the jacking point in that area, (bolt in part) i will be making a new one of them as it was a bit knackered/bent. this also allowed me full access to the brackets where the torsion tubes bolts to the body, which i then cleaned right up removing any sign of surface rust, then treated the area with more fertan.
i also did more digging for rust in areas it could be hiding behind underseal. i removed the rear diffuser, and then removed all the stone chip from the rear lower 1/4 panels, an area rust is very good at destroying! the result? MINT! this shell literally has 2 bits of rust on it lol! outer sills, and small repair to the inner sill behind the torsion tube carriers!
this is great news as the repair wont take to long, and then i can get on with prepping the shell for paint!
i also removed the porsche sticker across the back panel, and the stonechip guards which came of with ease with a heat gun.
pics soon
nicksonmsport
New member
few pics of the rear diffuser removed, rear 1/4 stonechip removed to inspect panels, and further repair of the torsion tube carrier area.
all surface rust removed and the whole area treated with fertan rust inhibitor.
i cut the brace out between the 2 brackets, 1, for easier access for cleaning up the area, and 2 i will replace with a new piece for maximum strength as the old bit was a little thin due to rust eating away at it, the rest of the area and the brackets are all very strong.
repair can start now.
all surface rust removed and the whole area treated with fertan rust inhibitor.
i cut the brace out between the 2 brackets, 1, for easier access for cleaning up the area, and 2 i will replace with a new piece for maximum strength as the old bit was a little thin due to rust eating away at it, the rest of the area and the brackets are all very strong.
repair can start now.
nicksonmsport
New member
small update from this eve. removed the bonded rubber bushes from the other spring plate, then cut off the bannana bars from the torsion tube, aswell as remove 3 broken studs from the end of the torsion tube where the carriers bolt in.
An extraordinary amount of work going on here. Thanks for posting so many pictures it's fascinating to watch.
One issue with doing so much work is where to draw the line. For example, I have no idea of the cost but having a shell stripped of everything makes you start to think of long term rust protection and re-galvanising the shell. Is this possible / practical?
One issue with doing so much work is where to draw the line. For example, I have no idea of the cost but having a shell stripped of everything makes you start to think of long term rust protection and re-galvanising the shell. Is this possible / practical?
nicksonmsport
New member
yes it is possible to have the shell acid dipped, and then fully immersed in an e coating which is a manufacturer standard of shell protection. it costs around £3500 to have done though, which is a fair whack. luckily this shell is very good, and so i will be treating any area thats got any sign of surface rust, and sealing the insides of the sills etc to protect from rust in the future as best as possible.
yes the mk1 escort is mine, and is soon to be sent off for media blasting back to bare metal ready for restoration and rework.
rob i have seen your thread and your rear 1/4 are pretty bad! its amazing the difference in different cars, my 86 lux is absolutley falling apart lol, but this 86 turbo is very clean!
love getting stuck into a project like this, its just a shame i only get to spend an hour or 2 in the evenings atm! im hoping to spend a full week on it soon to really get things going, i am going to book myself a slot at my own workshop lol, to get this project going, and to finish off my caterham which i want to sell before summer.
yes the mk1 escort is mine, and is soon to be sent off for media blasting back to bare metal ready for restoration and rework.
rob i have seen your thread and your rear 1/4 are pretty bad! its amazing the difference in different cars, my 86 lux is absolutley falling apart lol, but this 86 turbo is very clean!
love getting stuck into a project like this, its just a shame i only get to spend an hour or 2 in the evenings atm! im hoping to spend a full week on it soon to really get things going, i am going to book myself a slot at my own workshop lol, to get this project going, and to finish off my caterham which i want to sell before summer.
nicksonmsport
New member
spanking new radiator arrived today!
nicksonmsport
New member
hi the bushes were already bonded to the spring plates from factory. i removed these rubber bushes as they were worn, and i will be replacing them with solid items because the torsion bar is being removed. this means solid bushes must be used to stop the trailing arm moving about due to the fact the solid support in the form of the torsion bar has been removed.
the new bushes will just push onto the shaft
if u were just replacing these bushes u can get poly bushes which again will just slide into place, if u wanted to stay oem you would have to buy new spring plates with the bushes bonded on, which im pretty sure are silly money
the new bushes will just push onto the shaft
if u were just replacing these bushes u can get poly bushes which again will just slide into place, if u wanted to stay oem you would have to buy new spring plates with the bushes bonded on, which im pretty sure are silly money
Kongsodoken
Active member
Your right Nick silly money [
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other option Elephant racing and Loctite 480[
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My 86 Turbo is also incredibly solid with some very minor blisters to the edge of the front wings due to stone chipping, about an hour to put right, basically a rub down and a blow over, never ever saw a welding torch and the sills all original with nothing at all showing corrosion wise, inner rear arches like new, i was originally going to sell it to fund another project but it is so good i really could not.
If you require any advice regards Escorts, talk to Ruddy on here as he has done numerous Escorts to way better than new and knows them inside out, he is very well known in the RSOC and considered to be a SME (Subject Matter Expert)
Keep the pics coming !
If you require any advice regards Escorts, talk to Ruddy on here as he has done numerous Escorts to way better than new and knows them inside out, he is very well known in the RSOC and considered to be a SME (Subject Matter Expert)
Keep the pics coming !
nicksonmsport
New member
frenchy cheers for the heads up, but i also learned my trade building grp4 rally escorts for world reknowned escort specialists Gartrac. ex ford works team in the 70s, i worked there for 7 years before starting my own company! i helped build escorts for some pretty famous names in motorsport! hence why i went and bought my own lol, just not had the time to get on with it!!
Friend of mine recently sold a Gartrac car, a guy around the corner is building a Group 4 spec MK 2 Shell i was in his garage tonight taking a look around it, i have owned any number of RS Fords the Porsche frankly blows them out of the water as regards engineering which you already know []
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