A series of unexpected engine failures
has seen Mark King’s Nouveau Red 4x4 Sapphire Cosworth evolve into a mega-spec,
seven-speed, 500bhp fast-road racer!
Wouldn’t it be nice if, once in a while,
things went according to plan when working on your project car? Of course,
there are those who seem to have all the luck in the world and sail through
their builds without so much as dropping a spanner, but the majority of us have
to put up with unexpected obstacles and wallet emptying surprises in our quest
for Blue Oval bliss.
A
series of unexpected engine failures has seen Mark King’s Nouveau Red 4x4
Sapphire Cosworth evolve into a mega-spec, seven-speed, 500bhp fast-road racer!
Take former mechanic, Mark King, for
example. The thirty year-old property developer has spent the past decade
dealing with engine failures after treating himself to a low mileage Nouveau
Red Sapphire Cosworth that promised hassle-free motoring. “I was frustrated at
the length of time that my Series 2 Escort RS Turbo restoration was taking and
hoped that a new car would provide me with some carefree fast-road fun while
the work dragged on,” he tells us.
The 1992 all-wheel drive Cossie bore the
hallmarks of a sound investment thanks to its factory state of tune, a wealth
of service history and a careful previous owner. Mark enjoyed six months of
uneventful action behind the wheel of his new toy, and is happy to admit that
he wasn’t overly concerned when the stock turbocharger showed signs of failure
thereafter. “I considered it to be a victim of wear and tear and sent it away
to be rebuilt before revelling in another half year of easy going motoring,” he
says. Happy days.
Mark took the opportunity to apply a few tweaks to the engine, and it was
soon wearing a T4 turbo, an RS500 spec intercooler and a host of other
easily-reversible updates that were joined by an MSD chip and ignition system.
Work on the Escort continued as planned,
but progress was brought to a halt as the Sapphire’s two-litre lump was in need
of a major service. Mark took the opportunity to apply a few tweaks to the
engine, and it was soon wearing a T4 turbo, an RS500 spec intercooler and a
host of other easily-reversible updates that were joined by an MSD chip and
ignition system.
Lagging Behind
The resulting 420bhp was certainly a step
up from the YB’s earlier power output, yet the fast Ford’s proud pilot was less
than happy with the results of his handiwork. “There was a ridiculous amount of
lag unless I was going hell for leather on full boost. Furthermore, the car
registered its dissatisfaction with my efforts by shedding oil from every
orifice. I was left with no choice but to haul the engine out and prepare for a
comprehensive rebuild of its nuts and bolts,” he frowns.
Detecting an opportunity for further
mechanical enhancement, Mark instructed an engineering shop close to his Bangor
residence to port and polish his Cosworth’s cylinder head. The firm also
supplied reprofiled camshafts which sat atop a parts pile that included a
Mountune long studded block, forged pistons and DTA standalone management.
Unfortunately, the company that supplied the new brain were ill-equipped to
configure a four wheel drive motor, and – to put it bluntly – buggered any
chance that it had of operating reliably thanks to a decidedly shoddy mapping
session.
Consequently, the upgraded power plant gave
Mark cause for concern just two hundred miles into its running-in phase.
“Taking the needle past 3000rpm caused the engine to dump petrol everywhere.
Moreover, fuel was making its way into the sump and would have caused a severe
amount of under-bonnet damage had I not shut the power down as soon as I’d
realised that something was amiss,” he sighs.
8x18in
Compomotive TH rims, OZ Racing graphics, Toyo T1-R 215/35x18 tyres
Help was at hand in the form of Derbyshire
Blue Oval tuning outfit, Norris Motorsport. Head honcho, Karl Norris, had been
offering his expertise and advice regarding the Escort project, and he was only
too happy to straighten out the Sapphire shaped mess that inhabited Mark’s
garage. Subsequently, the car was shipped across the Irish Sea bound for
England, and efforts to resurrect the fault-ridden Ford began as soon as it
rolled into sunny Alfreton.
