Went to look at a mk3 cortina yesterday (always wanted one) and I turned up expecting a rot box but it was far from it all rot had been cut out and new 1mm plate steel put in and by far a lot more work was done than I expected the chassis was completely clean underneath zero rust and not a single spot of p38 or p40 in sight everything had been red lead painted and most of the transmission rebuilt better than new and painted orange to say I was stunned would be an understatement so Now my wallets £1500 short and I need an engine 😆

Roll on the Hairy ford cortina build will add picks later when it’s dropped off at my garage 😀

What model?

Ooh, some pics would be good.

From where did you bring it? 😉

Oft, this sounds sweet~ I just googled mk3 thinking it was the last one before the sierra, but pending pics of your find, it seems you have a musclecar-esque beauty.

Have you seen this (not as pretty) Granada?:

http://passionford.com/forum/restorations-rebuilds-and-projects/231097-zzz-zzz-sleeper-granada.html

you always wanted a mk3 ? are you father ted ?

but i do love old fords 😀 – buddy at works got an 86 capri with the 2l pinto on bike carbs pushing 150 on the dyno.

Any ford motor will fit well 4 pot rear wheel drive lump

Please put piccies up when you can.

I always wanted a Mk3 Capri 3.0L Sport or a Cortina Mk4 2.0L Ghia (the last one because it was the first car I drove and, at the time, it was a fantastically quick car). I remember being able to wheelspin it in 2nd at 40mph (and it could get to 60 in 2nd too) 🙂

No there was a Mk 4

I always faniced a mk3 as well, nearly went for a green 4 door with black vinyl roof, turned it down to bid on a mk2 mexico, lost that and ended up with a mk 4 golf. I love old fords!

I had a Mk111 2000GT in about 1979. I thought it was reet fast at the time. I think it was a ‘K’ plate, so ’71-’72. It was metallic bronze (brown). I had it resprayed red, for some reason. Swapped it for a Vauxhall Viva …….

Oh Pigface, you bad, mk4 is bad enough, but you only went and beiged it!!

Here is some sweet rumped medicine for the eyes:

No there was a Mk 4

And that one is a Ghia by the look of the alloy wheels and bumper inlays.

EDIT: Although the plastic moulding appears to be missing from under the front vallance.

I think these are lovely and saw one the other day.

My dad had an estate back in the seventies. I mostly remember burning my legs on the vinyl seats when wearing shorts on sunny days.

And a mark 5. 🙂

We had a Cordoba Beige 2.3 Ghia S with a brown vinyl roof – ATE 858V.
Lovely car, wish my old fella had kept it.

The brown mark 4 was OCB 16R.

And the gold mark 3 was GTD 69N.

I love Cortinas.

There was a 5 but it was a cheater really as it was just a facelifted 4.

My dad had a MK3 GXL think it was a 1.6 but not sure might have been a 2.0 , it was metalic green. (he had a 4 & 5 too) Pretty much all the running gear floorpans, suspension is very similar for the 3,4,5..

Nice looking car.

I had a MK2 1600E when I was 17, thought it was badass, but I think reality may be different.

mmmmm, i love these mk3!

My dad had a mk 2 1.6L estate in white, a mk3 1.6GL in metallic brown (with vinyl roof) and (after a brief flirtation with the amazingly-powered Maxi 1750HL twin carb) the mk4 (although given the above it may have been a mk 5 – it was ‘W’ reg – 2.0L Ghia which was (IIRC) a twin overhead cam.

Ah, happy summers days scorching the skin on my shorts clad legs on vinyl seats of my Dad’s Mk3.

I learnt to drive in one of those. The pedal on the right made the back of the car overtake the front. That was it’s only redeeming feature.

it was a 2.ol xl but the wheel arches have been flared out all made from steel again the rear window has been well here’s a pic of the ebay add looks far better in the metal http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171094496651?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

gonna buy an old pinto 2.0l and rebuild it myself race spec with super charger yes you heard that right super charger

And putting a rounded ovel shape window in the back bad ass still toying with colour either bronze gold or sky blue if i go sky blue I’m having a cream leather interior with sky blue stitching and if bronze gold then black leather from the bottom of the door’s up cream leather though oowwwww

Friend had one of these when we were in our 20s (and big Sweeney fans)…

Only car I’ve ever been in which you could accurately describe as “badass”.

Only car I’ve ever been in which you could accurately describe as “badass”.

That’s the only time a cortina has ever been described as “badass”.

Did I live through a different 70s to everyone else?

It’s only bad ass as modern cars are crap too look at (well every day cars excluding exotic’s)

That’s the only time a cortina has ever been described as “badass”.

Did I live through a different 70s to everyone else?

Obviously it’s no Mk 1 Granada…

Enigne bay looks reasonable spacious, I recon you could shoe horn the volvo / ford T5 2.5L turbo in that space. They make 415bhp with a Borg Warner K16 turbo 3.5″ DP and 3″ Intake / exhaust 😀 😀 😈

Not that I would recommend putting a modern engine in an classic (says the owner of the vw camper with the 165bhp scooby engine in it) but it is awfully fun 😛

bloody scooby lump in a vee dub!!!!!!!!! your not the only one a few mates have done the same. I’m going to race build a pinto mate plus there’s no awkward electronic’s to go wrong if I don’t stick a modern lump in 😳 plus hours and hours of carb tuning fun lol

Shame its been bastadised. Would take much to make it look nice again. Colleague has a 1600 GXL is yellow, which from the outside looks standard. Underneath lies a 2.9 v6 Cosworth with MT75 box. Uprated brakes, rear axle etc. All bolt in stuff. Its just had its first respray since Ford built it 3 months ago. Not much rot in that, but it had non original wings, so they were replace at nearly £600 a pair from Express Panels. Other than that, he replaced the front panel just because the wings were off.

Obviously it’s no Mk 1 Granada…

I had 2 v6 granadas 😀

I quite like the way it’s been modded but is gonna need a fair bit to get it right. I just can’t wait to get my hand’s on it now

my folks had a yellow mk3 with a vinyl roof.
by all accounts it was a shitheap.
but a lot better than the Austin 1100 that it replaced.

Cossie turbo engine 😉

my mate wishes he had put in an st150 lump in the end……

hes got a bored out , re cammed , bike carbed 2l pinto

loves it , but says looking back he wishes he had put the st150 lump in.

You can get soooo much power out of the ford / volvo turbo 2.5l. 220bhp as stock, 300+ with 3,5″ downpipe, 3″ exhaust and 3″ turbo intake, and 415bhp with a K16 turbo upgrade. Its what my S40 is get next 😈

where did you BRING if from?

You would only ‘safely’ get over 300 bhp from an RS 2.5l not an ST lump. Issues with cracked liners and higher compression ratio is the cause. Running 300 in my ST and wont go higher.
Personally I wouldn’t put a pinto back in the car. They are dog engines and never produce decent power and are boat anchors in weight. If you want an engine that runs ‘easily’ then I would look at a Zetec 2ltr. Had a standard Black top in my westie with throttle bodies which on Emeralds rollers was pushing 182 bhp. Standard head and cams. You would be struggling that reliably with a pinto turbo. You could also turbo the zetec with a decompression plate and RS focus mk1 exhaust manifold for an easy 280 bhp.

My grandad had a Mk4, brilliant car, looked like a brick except bricks don’t rust. He sold it on to a Ford enthusiast who basically gave it one solid kick and watched it dissolve as all the isopon fell out… But it’s still on the road, every time I see it I’m tempted to chase him down and just throw £50 notes at him for it.

With those large turbo petrol Volvo engines you can run them on ethanol which allows you to use far more boost than with petrol, and get stupid amounts of power.