Ford
Anglia
When
you’re interest in tuned Fords began has a significant impact on what you do to
your own car when you’re finally let loose on the roads. If you lusted after
barely road legal, rally-inspired Escorts when you were knee-high, then the
chances are a set of Cibie Oscars were high up the shopping list of parts for
your Mk2 four-door. Similarly, if you pined for an XR3i as a fresh-faced teen,
a set of Cloverleaf alloys would doubtless be winging their way to the arches
of your mum’s 1.1.
Pete’s
fixation with old Fords began in the ’70s, when as a boy he’d watch an
18-year-old neighbour painstakingly fettle his pride and joy, an Anglia,
complete with slot mags and twin 40s slung over the side of the Cross flow. It
obviously left an impression, as Pete began messing about with old Fords at the
first opportunity, and it certainly wasn’t going to change when he got his hands
on this Anglia in 2008.
“The
manager of my local car spares place had it in his yard. It was one of these
projects that never got underway, and I was offered first refusal,” recalls
Pete.
Period
pain
Memories
of that neighbour’s Anglia must have come to mind as Pete opted to build his
own car in a manner that would have been familiar to any ’70s Ford nut. In
practice this meant a 1600 Cross flow mated to a 2000E ’box, and although that
was fun and most definitely how they’d have done it back then, Pete soon realized
the limitations of the set-up. “It was great for blasting up A-roads,” he
reveals, “but it ran out of puff at 65 mph, so it’s not exactly ideal for
modern motorways.”
Of course,
the Cross flow was going to be retained, especially as Pete had actually managed
to accidentally buy one that’d been originally built by George Polley for stock
car racing, but it needed to be re-deployed with a more modern gearbox. “I
bought it in bits for $ 82.95, and then noticed that it had ‘KCGP1’ stamped on
the cam. I did some research and found out about its previous life!”
Ford
Anglia 105E de luxe estate 997cc 1967
Pete
sent the disassembled Cross flow off to Lyndale Engines (01733 305580) for some
tried-and-tested tuning, and the screaming beast that he collected a few weeks
later certainly didn’t disappoint. That Polley cam was joined by a big-valve
head with unleaded seats and a port and a polish, plus a 105Speed manifold and
system. “I ran twin 40s on the car originally, but opted to go for a Bogg
Brothers manifold and bike carb set-up this time around. They still sound
great, but they give a lot more mid-range punch than the Webers.”
This
was mated up to a Type 9 gearbox and RS2000 diff, a set-up that’s designed to
be much better suited to the rig ours of modern roads than the old four-speed.
“It’s much better to drive now and will cruise happily at 80 mph or so,” says
Pete. “I’ve not had it rolling roaded yet, but I estimate it’s around 125 bhp.
Improving
perfection
Body-wise
the Anglia wasn’t in especially bad condition to start with, but this didn’t
stop Pete stripping it to bare metal, seam welding it, then applying a coat of
Lagoon Blue, plus a splash of Ermine White for the roof and stripe. “Obviously
these colours were originally cellulose which I couldn’t find anymore,” he says,
“so I had to match it as closely as I could with two-pack.”
Ford
Anglia 105E DL beautiful view
