Readly RF Feb 20

the bumper was like new again! Then some modified
Capri front headlights were bolted up to help match the
round rears. I also managed to find a compelling copy
of the rare series-X Cortina front spoiler to help finish the
front of the car off. When it came to the point of painting
the car, I had no plans to paint it white, but Paul at Tiger
Racing at Wisbech who sprayed the car suggested it. I
don’t think I really had a choice. He was doing it white
no matter what! The thing was though as soon as I saw
the gleaming shell, I knew he was right!” Laughs Les
With the shell looking superb, there was no point
bolting manky worn-out components back on so Les
started with the 3.0L engine. It had a full rebuilt with a
steel timing gear fitted for peace of mind. The heads
were skimmed to up the compression ratio a tad. Then
they were ported and polished to speed the fuel and air
in and out, and this was also aided by a V61 camshaft.
The crowning glory though is the ‘super-rare’ Swaymar
inlet manifold allowing the fitment of a four-barrel Holley
390CFM carburettor!
An engine of this calibre was going to require some
severe underpinnings to get the power down, and this
is where the S.A Cortina shows its ace card! They rolled
out of the Ford factory with a 5-linked rear end and
vertical rear shocks instead of the usual sloping rear
dampers. Les then added uprated -1” springs, coupled
with Gaz Gold rear shocks and poly bushes to make a
far more capable rear end.
Upfront, Gaz golds take care of the front end coupled
up with shorter uprated springs. Unsure which way to
go with the all-important wheel choice, Les then came
across the perfect set of rims for his build… Lenso
7x15” cross-spokes and with the added bonus they
were wrapped up in Toyo Proxy tyres! They were the
right choice and suit the car down to the ground.
Les is suitably chuffed with his build, and it has
turned out even better than he imagined. It might not be
brand new, but we can bet it’s more fun to drive than
his old 1.6L. It might have been a very long wait for it,
but Les is in Cortina nirvana now as he cruises around
listening to the burble of the V6 tailpipes! n
See our behind the scenes footage on Instagram: @retrofordmagazine 101