Escort MK2 Mexico (1978)

sold 2005 now a rallycar.

Getting it ready for the track!

I have finally gone back to my roots by buying another MK2 Escort RS, This time I went for a flat front type, a Mexico. This particular model is a 1978 (S reg), and has been modified since it was built. It now sports a 2.0 RS2000 engine with hot cam and modified head which was built by Scholar Engines. The car is totally stripped out for racing purposes, so there are no creature comforts like carpet, door panels or back seats.

There is a full SD cage with door bars, bucket seats with harnesses and a firewall, quickrack, perspex windows, plastic doors and front wings. I still need to do a lot to the car to get it how I want it, which includes twin 48 carbs, BVH and Piper 285 cam, bias brakes, GP2 exhaust, lines inside, hydraulic/flyoff handbrake, fit the bumpers, some alloys and I may even arch it.

I intend to do RSOC track days aswell as some sprints, slaloms and hill climbs through the Bournemouth & District Car Club which I am now a member of.

This "Mex" has only had 5 previous owners and has been stored in a garage for the last 3 years, but once we reset the points it fired up first time! that's Ford's for you.

I have finally pulled my finger out and started to work on the Mex, this is mainly because I have booked a track day on July 13th 2002 at Castle Coombe (RSOC regional Day) . So this is the story so far !

So at last the engine and box are out, clutch is unsiezed, and everything is out of the engine bay. It has taken me a while to rub the engine bay down as someone has sprayed it before (not very well). As you can see the engine bay as of 02/03/02 is ready for spraying, and will hopefully be done this weekend, well the primer will be anyway.

Well the old credit card has been getting a bashing aswell as I have also brought a WCXM and brackets, a bias pedal box and a Group 2, three piece exhaust manifold. So hopefully it will be up and ready for RSOC day @ Castle coombe in July.

At last the engine bay has some primer on it, makes a difference already..

Mean while I have treated myself to a new Fuji Finepix 2800 zoom Digi camera so all future pics will be much better quality, and you can click on the picture to see it even bigger.

Well a week later and the top coat was on, wow that looks so much nicer (am I going OTT for a track car?)
Time to start putting things back together now, engine and box first...oh dear problem with the engine mounts on the WCCM, looks like the trader I brought them off has given my x-flow ones, more delays. a quick phone call to Rally Design (excellent products and superb service) for some pinto mounts, along with some new bottles for the pedal box.

Been a bit quiet as my boss keeps sending my abroad, first Geneva then Spain, but over the Jubilee BH I have managed to fit the GRP 2 exhaust manifold. the anti dive kit and Twin Cam ARB, alternator and alloy bracket, strut brace, suspension legs. Next will be the inlet manifold and twin 48's. (01/06/02)

(03/07/02) Well been a bit busy lately as now there is only one week till Castle Coombe !! Car is booked in at Sigma Engineering in Shaftesbury for a rolling road tune next Friday and then I will be trailering it up to Coombe. As you can see from the above pictures, the Webber 48's and Rally Design linkage are finally on, along with the 2 1/4 twin box system from Peter Lloyd Rallying . I resprayed the Burton cam cover, and have covered the brake pipes, clutch cable and speedo cable in heat resistant cloth/tape, as they are very close to the Group 2 manifold.

Tonight with the help of Brett and Richie, we modified the o/s engine mount (so not to hit the manifold), fitted the radiator and pipes, fitted the fuel pipe and engine earth. Only thing left to do is fit a 73 degree's thermostat and find a battery box, oh and fit the whole interior in a week !!.

Well I made it on the track at Castle coombe, mind you I was still doing some finishing touches on the Friday night while camping @ Coombe. ! Friday morning, I had the intermediate tyres put on by mate Simon @ New Milton tyres. Next it was load the car on the trailer and head for Sigma Engineering to have the Mex set up on a rolling road. the guy's there did an excellent job and after all the tinkering it made 147 BHP @ Wheels (about 175BHP @ flywheel). Was I ever pleased !!

So on to Castle coombe with Brett and his orange MK2 Mexico, Richie and his MK1 RS2000 (white/blue), and Graeme's newly acquired white X-pack RS2000. We arrived about 19.30 on Friday night and soon had the barbie going. Pics above taken by Andy of me on the track. Only a few probs during the day, a ignition lead came off, one of the brake reservoirs leaked, and the kenlowe fan live wire came off and it got a bit hot. ! A big thanks to Brett, Richie, Tom Beck, Glyn and Graeme, roll on the next track day !!

Here are some pics I have taken recently, which show the Mex at it's present state--for now anyway, as I have just brought some Gartrac Monte Carlo alloy arches and a Group 4 spoiler. Now to fill those massive arches I am thinking of getting some 15x10" wheels on the rear and 15x8" on the front. So watch this space over the winter for the next installment, complete with step by step pics... 07/11/02

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The MK2 Mexico originaly came with a 1600 OHC (Pinto) engine and used the same gearbox and axle as the RS2000 and RS1800. The interior was identical to the RS1800, having black "rolltop" front seats and door panels that did not go to the top of the doors. It also did not have any of the RS2000 custom features like, clock and pod, centre console, boot carpet, remote drivers mirror, orange needle dash, glovebox etc.

The Mexico was made from 1975 to 1978, the first being "P" registered and the last being "T" reg in the UK.

More info to follow soon...

These pages were last updated by Mark Cooke on June 7, 2007

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