In Episode 2 the Escort shell comes back from blasting, and Retropower finds out whether the gamble they took buying a repainted car has paid off. The second half of the episode is the engineering plan: which panels get replaced, how the shell gets lighter, and why Gordon Murray’s Mk1 ends up with independent rear suspension.
Video: Retropower on YouTube · watch “Gordon Murray's MK1 Escort - Retropower Build Episode 2” on YouTube
What happens in Episode 2
The verdict on the shell (0:00–3:00). The blasted shell turns out better than feared. The main rust is in the floor pans and the heater intake below the windscreen, where water sits because the drain hole is a few millimetres above the bottom of the panel. There’s a bit more accident damage than they’d like, but none of it means more work than planned.
Panel strategy (2:58). Both rear quarters come off. They look fine, but nobody trusts a 50-year-old spot-welded seam, and taking them off also lets the team clean the arch lips and make room for wider wheels. The new quarter pressings impressed them so much they ordered a second. The front wings and the front and rear panels are replaced with new panels too.
Weight saving (4:50). One door needs a new skin and frame repairs anyway. A carbon boot lid is chosen over aluminium because aluminium cost far more for no real gain. The doors get aluminium skins, not carbon. A carbon skin has to be bonded on with an open edge, and the different expansion of steel and carbon would eventually crack it, while aluminium folds round the frame the way the originals did. The bonnet is full carbon, frame and all.
Jig and dry build (6:56). The shell goes on a jig to check the pillar that took the hit and to give a datum for every new mounting point. All the revised mechanicals are then trial-fitted in a “dry build” before final welding.
Front suspension (8:33). It’s mostly off-the-shelf competition parts: adjustable front uprights with separate strut inserts for built-in camber adjustment, ready-made lower arms (with bushes swapped in where the kit used rose joints, for road compliance), a crossmember with fully enclosed engine-mount bushes, a 2.4-turns-lock-to-lock quick rack, aluminium hubs and AP Racing brakes. Wheel size, offset and ride height have to be fixed early because the rear arch tubs are designed around them.
Why independent rear (12:08). Gordon originally wanted a live axle and loves his Mk1 Cortina. Retropower talked him round: on today’s broken roads a live axle needs very expensive damping to stay comfortable. The proposed layout, mocked up from a scrapyard Land Rover Freelander upright, is a MacPherson strut with two transverse links and a trailing link, modelled in suspension software. Gordon’s Lotus Elan uses a similar Chapman-strut design, which reassured the engineer, but he admits the pressure is on him to make it work.
Parts, tools and suppliers mentioned
- New quarter panels, front wings, front and rear panels
- Carbon bonnet and boot lid, aluminium door skins
- Competition front uprights and lower arms, quick rack, aluminium hubs, AP Racing brakes
- Land Rover Freelander rear upright (as a mock-up reference)
- Chassis jig and suspension design software
Lessons for your own Mk1
- Check the heater intake and scuttle drain. Water sits there on every Mk1, so expect rot.
- Test one new panel before buying a full set. Quality varies. Retropower bought a single quarter first, then ordered the second.
- Think about mixed materials. Carbon skins bonded onto steel frames can crack at the edge over time. Aluminium can be folded like the original steel.
- Fix the ride height and wheel offset before you cut. Arch tubs and rear suspension geometry all hang off the axle centre line.
Mk1 context
Every standard Mk1 has MacPherson struts at the front and a live rear axle on leaf springs. Going independent at the back is one of the biggest departures from original spec a Mk1 build can make, which is why the team spends so long justifying it.
Related
- Series hub: all Retropower Gordon Murray Mk1 episodes
- Background: the complete history of the Mk1 Ford Escort
- More builds on video: Mk1 Escort build videos