Ford Cortina

Does anyone on the BCF have a Ford Cortina Mark II ('67-'69)? They have always reminded me of a mid-'60s U.S. Falcon.

Several friends (retirees with LBCs) are interested in the potential for "retromoding" a Cortina with a modern, higher HP engine, 5-apeed. 4-wheel disk brakes, larger diameter wheels, etc. So, we're curious what others may have done.

Also, how many were imported and are there any clubs for them? I have looked in the BCF classifieds, the Hemmings Web classifieds, Collector Car Trader.com, and eBay without finding a single one. Are they really that rare or did they just get junked?

If you have one, does it still have the OHV 1600 engine or has the engine been replaced? If replaced, what engine was it replaced with and what other mods had to be made to install it?

Any help would be appreciated.

that would be a cool mod. Do you know Retro Ford Magazine?

https://www.retrofordmagazine.co.uk/

or

Retro Cars Magazine

https://tinyurl.com/5m5rbq

neither have particularly good websites but that's what they do

good luck finding one though

I had a Mk-I Lotus version for years. Loved it. Sold it in '88, shoulda kept it...

Doug (AngliaGT) should pop in shortly, he's a REAL Cortina freak.

I've driven the 1600 Mk II Cortina seen below lots of times, including a 1-Hour enduro at BeaveRun
(that's me in the Spridget leading it at Watkins Glen last Fall).

It has plenty of poke, but to be honest, it's a dog to drive.
Mostly due to the heavy steering and baulky handling (in my opinion).
It's pretty well set up....a solid, amateur-built car.

Right now it's for sale for about $5000. Would make a good vintage racer.
Not street legal by a long shot.

Doesn't Tony Barnhill have one???

Tony?

I used to have a very early Mk II 1600GT. Last summer it went to a BCF member in Washington State. Fun car. A popular conversion to larger engines are Pinto OHC engines but if your really updating the engine/power specs ZTec engines have become very popular. You can do a lot of Ford Parts Bin engineering on them. So rear discs should be an easy thing. Type-9 five speeds bolt right in (might have to shorten the drive-shaft though). The bolt pattern is a very common Ford pattern (4X100 I believe). Mine had 15"X7" 5.0 liter Mustang wheels on it when I bought it. They were replaced by authentic 13"X6" Mini-lite sprint wheels. It felt sluggish with the big wide wheels and was much more fun to drive with the smaller lighter wheels. You can also get rack and pinion steering by using a Mk1 Escort "World Cup" cross-member and an appropriate sump pan on the engine. Front brakes and suspension can be upgraded with Capri units.

Not aware of any specific Cortina clubs in the US but there is the North American English Ford Registry. BCF'er "Anglia GT" is heavy into EnFo's.

A well built 1600 cross-flow or twin cam can really make them strong performers. The cars barely weigh 2000 pounds soaking wet.

I always thought a Cortina Savage would be a hoot. They had the 3.0 litre Ford "Essex" V6 in them.

If only I had the time to have kept up my Cortina I would still have it. My TR6 and TR8 are more than enough for me right now though. Though I may get a Cortina again some years from now. They are a lot of fun.

I too had a 1600GT in England years ago, and it was one of my favourites. As Shawn says, there's a lot of other Ford bits that will fit without much persuasion, but engine-wise the 1600 crossflow can be made into a real performer pretty easily, with bolt-on bits and a camshaft.
Just be certain the base engine (block, crank, rods, oil pump, etc.) is in good shape and that you have the strongest crankshaft you can afford!

WOW! Ask and ye shall receive. Thanks, guys.

JP, "Retro Cars" published its last issue in December 2006, according to one Website I found. But the "Retro Ford" magazine looks like a keeper, so thanks for that lead. Do you think there is more chance of finding a Cortina in Canada than in the U.S.?

Nial, I love the looks and paint job on the Cortina in your photo. Reminds me of the scheme used on the racing Datsun 510s in the early '70s--the ones that waxed the BMWs! And the steering and suspension were part of the reason for a "retromod", rather than just an engine swap.

Shawn, once again, you have exactly the kind of info I was looking for. Sure wish you had kept yours for another year, since you are so close. We could have used yours as a model for measurements and bounced ideas off you!

We have actually discussed keeping a Cortina "all-Ford" but weren't sure how it could be done other than considering using a recent Ford Duratec DOHC, 140-hp, 2.0-liter I-4 from a wrecked Focus for a possibly "easy" engine swap. But we certainly had not come up with any ideas on what to use for the tranny, brakes, disks, wheels, steering, or suspension. Your suggestions are a terrific place to start.

Finally, some questions for Doc, Shawn, and Roger, since you guys have actually owned Cortinas. What are the weakest parts of the cars? How much of a problem is rust and in which parts of the car is it worst? How strong is the differential and what could it be replaced with?

And how much power do you think the car could actually handle? Our group is a V-8/6-cylinder crowd--my TR8, 2 guys with 3.5/3.9-liter V-8 MGBs, one vintage racer with many 4-cylinder MGs who also still has his 1-owner '68 390 AMX, and one with one 6-cylinder and one 12-cylinder E-Type. So, in our wildest imaginings, we could picture a lightweight V-8 or V-6 for power. For example, would a Ford 302 or Rover V-8 fit in the engine compartment and could the car handle it? Or perhaps a supercharged Taurus SHO V-6? You know, only 300 or so horsepower!!!! :lol:

Some of the guys at Dave Bean Engineering (look it up) could really tell you some stories. I have heard, and seen pics somewhere, of a Mk II in California with a 5.0 liter V8 under the bonnet. The MkII's used live axles (mine still used radius rods to locate the rear axle but I understand that they were deleted from Jan. 1968 on. So you could conceivably bolt up a narrowed Ford 9 inch. Which would be extremely difficult to break. Even a narrowed 8.8 out of a Mustang could get you posi-trac and rear discs.

The Z-Tec is the Ford 4-Cylinder out of the focus. The Duratec is the V6. The Morgan "Roadster" used the Duratec V6 instead of the Rover V8 for better power, lighter weight and better weight distribution. Its pretty much the same engine you could find in a Taurus (3.0 Liter).

Like any car from the sixties, watch for rust. The strut towers can rust quickly and that spells trouble. Mine had evidence of repair/reinforcement and were pretty darn solid. Otherwise it is a solid shell. The steering boxes can wear, they use a cam/peg style, and can very difficult to find the parts to rebuild them. Which is why the Rack and pinion conversion could be a worthwhile investment.

Cortina's can be had in the US. They just take some looking. Try hooking up with NAEFR. The boys at Dave Bean might be able to help too. The last time I took it to the Conclave I talked to several other Cortina owners. They were not driving theirs or they didn't run but they were all in the Denver area. You might try a "wanted ad" for a couple of weeks. Don't be surprised if you find a couple of four door versions out there as well.

Sounds fun. Keep me informed.

Steve,
I'll send you a PM so I don't bore
everyone with information.

- Doug

MGA Steve said:

WOW! Ask and ye shall receive. Thanks, guys.

JP, "Retro Cars" published its last issue in December 2006, according to one Website I found. But the "Retro Ford" magazine looks like a keeper, so thanks for that lead. Do you think there is more chance of finding a Cortina in Canada than in the U.S.?


We have actually discussed keeping a Cortina "all-Ford" but weren't sure how it could be done other than considering using a recent Ford Duratec DOHC, 140-hp, 2.0-liter I-4 from a wrecked Focus for a possibly "easy" engine swap.

Click to expand...

Glad to help - I can certainly keep my eyes open for one. RE: the Focus engine, I know that at one point I had an article from Retro Cars on that conversion. I doubt I still have it but I'll look. I do however recall that the engine is really easy to swap to rear wheel drive. I think you only need to swap oil pans or something like that.

did a quick google search and got these hits real quick

https://www.burtonpower.com/technical_1/duratec_he.aspx

https://www.sbdev.co.uk/New_Products_Duratec.htm

there seems to be lots of support out there

BTW - what year are you looking for?

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/car/598945961.html

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/car/627727076.html

https://stockton.craigslist.org/car/626525440.html

https://louisville.craigslist.org/car/619069446.html

https://albany.craigslist.org/car/599630291.html

Try looking for "Classic Ford" Magazine. Its another British Publication. I think EWA still carries it.

https://ewa1.com/mghcd.html

JPSmit said:

did a quick google search and got these hits real quick

https://www.burtonpower.com/technical_1/duratec_he.aspx

https://www.sbdev.co.uk/New_Products_Duratec.htm

there seems to be lots of support out there

BTW - what year are you looking for?

Click to expand...

Thanks again, John-Peter. I bookmarked both of those sites--the Burton site looks especially helpful and is in the U.S. Hard to believe they could get 300 hp out of a 2.0 HE! With even just part of that power, we may have to rethink using a lightweight V-8!

We are really only considering the '67-'69 Mark II Cortina. The Mark I's are pretty rare in the states and the Lotus' are too pricey. Those 4 cars you found for sale are 4 more than I found, but I did not look on craigslist.

swift6 said:

Try looking for "Classic Ford" Magazine. Its another British Publication. I think EWA still carries it.

https://ewa1.com/mghcd.html

Click to expand...

Bookmarked that one too, Shawn. With two magazines available, we should be able to find anything we need. Thanks again.

A great (and often overlooked) engine for this type of application is the Ford 23 Duratec MZR. The engine tends to be overlooked because it's a "truck engine".

This 2.3L Duratec is a 16 valve all-aluminum engine that is normally found in the newer Ford Rangers, so it is a North/South setup.

The Duratec MZR is actually Mazda designed and uses a 5-speed Mazda manual trans (or automatic). They have about 150 HP.

Another good choice is a 1.8 Miata engine/trans. They have 140 HP (or more). A recent magazine article (I forget which mag?) showed this swap. Easy to get and if you want to create the illusion of a "Ford" engine, the Ford-badged, twin-cam valve cover of a 1.8 Escort will fit (or at least it sure looks like it will fit...I have both of these cars).

Steve, Burton Power is in the UK.

Didn't realize that the newer 4 cylinders were called Duratecs as well. Thought they were still Z-Tec's. Learn something new everyday if you pay attention I guess. :wink:

Dave Bean had a conversion kit for the 1600cc crossflow to turn it into a 1700cc twin cam. It could still be "streetable" making 180hp at 8K RPM. The full race version makes 240hp at 10,000RPM!

Another idea on the Miata engine possibility... give "Flyin' Miata" a call. Colorado company (western slope) and ask them about their 300hp turbocharged Miata/Kia engines. :wink:

No matter the engine. Remember that the MkII Cortina's barely weigh 2,000 lbs fully fited and fueled. Power to weight, power to weight! :hammer:

swift6 said:

Steve, Burton Power is in the UK.

Another idea on the Miata engine possibility... give "Flyin' Miata" a call. Colorado company (western slope) and ask them about their 300hp turbocharged Miata/Kia engines.

No matter the engine. Remember that the MkII Cortina's barely weigh 2,000 lbs fully fited and fueled. Power to weight, power to weight!

Click to expand...

Shawn, Keith Tanner from Flyin' Miata in Grand Junction is going to be at the Glenwood Rallye in June. I will discuss the Miata engines with him then.

On power-to-weight ratio--I am also a big Colin Chapman fan. That's one reason our conversations originated with putting a lightweight V-8 in a car as light as the Cortina--a '60s British muscle car! Sort of like a blown Hemi in a 1949 Anglia, but a little more of a "sleeper." Our major concern was the ability of such a lightweight car to handle all that V-8 torque.

I thought Burton was in the U.S. when I looked at their Web site as it had no "uk" in the address.

I know I'm coming a little late to this party and it's been a *while* since I looked at one of those Cortina's up close.

That being said, there's something I've been wanting to do for a while now that I believe the Cortina would be an excellent fit.

One of the most underappreciated cars of the early 2000's was the Ford Contour SVT. This memory was triggered by an earlier mention of the Duratec V6 which powered the car. In it's base form (in the SVT) it pushed ~200 horsepower. Bondurant Racing used 450hp modified versions for racer training.

What I always liked about the car was that it had a great starter motor, but also the rest of it's drivetrain and suspension was excellent. I know that some people complain about the transmission (and my buddy loses his 3rd gear synchro every 6months, but he also drives like crap, so I blame himmore than I blame the tranny).

Get one of those as a donor. Steal the suspension, drivetrain and brakes and put it on the Cortina. The rebuild of the motor to 450 horses is relatively simple and there's a bazillion bolt on bits for the whole kit and kaboodle.

Based on the difference in dimensions between the Contour and the Cortina you'd obviously need to shorten a few bits, but IIRC the suspension shouldn't be too hard to mount up. The best part is that the weight/horsepower ratio would be better than if you were to go with a big V-8. By utilizing the Contour suspension you'd ensure that it would be able to handle the load of the motor as the original Cortina bits would most likely disintegrate.

The only real weakness on the Contour is the A-Arms. If you want to drive one seriously you need to beef them up by welding supporting plates on them.

And from the total dorky perspective, you could then put the SVT rims on it and have a Cortina SVT.

---

Completely unrelated, you *could* be really wacky and put a Lotus 907/910 under the hood as well. The 45 degree rotation of the motor should ensure no hood interference. Those can also be quite nicely built up as evidenced by Huffaker racing and Dave Bean.

Steve,
The Mk 11 was in production until 1970, by the way. Don't cut yourself off by a year!
I can't add a lot to what's already been said. Ford themselves produced an awful lot of go faster and stronger bits for Cortinas to replace the standard stuff, and don't forget that the Capri had basically the same platform and lots of bits are swappable, including the Cologne 2.8V6 which can really make one motor along very nicely.
Some Escort bits, Rocket Gearboxes, Atlas axles, all will fit. Google them - I don't know what you can get this side of the pond, though.

Regarding rust - front turret towers, rear spring hangers and under-door cills (is that what you call "rockers" over here? Why?) are places to look out for.

I hope you do find one - like I said, I liked mine as a basic, no-nonsense simple vehicle that went pretty well for all that.