I will be posting a couple of pictures as I go along.
This is a 3-4 previous owner 1985 car, originally sold in Edmonton Alberta in late ’85. For the last 7 years it has been garaged and un-driven so a nice layer of dust and very little rust was found when I saw it. I picked it up from Kijiji as a “project car” for the princely sum of $550 Cdn, included in this vast expense were a brand new clutch kit, a steering rack, spare prop shaft, fuel tank with pump and 2 ecu’s. Not a bad haul.
It does have 220,000 Km/ 136,000 miles on it, however the inside and majority of the outside don’t look like it, it does have the small rust spot on the spare wheel well, as well as around the door moulding mounting holes. Nothing that a welder and a bit of tin can’t fix.
As it was never a Cosworth I will not be putting a whale tail or RS500 bottom spoiler, neither will I be cutting out the rear quarter panel to make it look like a 3 door. I’m not knocking those that do, however it’s not my thing, it is and always will be an XR4Ti. I will be turning this into an Open 2wd rally car to compete in the Canadian National Rally Championship so it won’t be a pretty as most but better that it is at the moment.
The plan is to use a bunch of tried and tested Sierra go fast bits from Blighty as well as a few upgrades I have seen here, mostly in the area of restricted supply consumables. Like moving to late Focus rear calipers, the GM lsd conversion for the 7.5, and putting in an hydraulic clutch instead of that stupid quadrant, which the rest of the workshop and I agreed in 80’s that it was stupid!
I had a spare 4 hours to spend the other day so did a little stripping of the interior. All the seats and carpet have been removed as well as the unneeded brackets. Most of the loom has been pulled out as well as the spare wiring that is not needed; radio, aerial, rear wash wipe, central locking, and the electric windows. Next to get rid of the sound deadening crud and fill the sunroof hole. Then on to removing the AC unit, and plating the hole in the bulkhead left by it.
Xr4ti by Matt Pullen, on Flickr
XR2 by Matt Pullen, on Flickr
XR6 by Matt Pullen, on Flickr
XR7 by Matt Pullen, on Flickr
