So captain Clive....... The insomnia kicked in, so I took your advice and did the cover to cover thread.
Glad I did because all the pictures showed up on my iPad, when I clicked the first page on the puter at work they didn't.
Don't think Emma shared my enthusiasm with the iPad glaring at her at stupid o'clock in bed..... She will learn one day lol.
Anyhoo.... Gorgeous car, yellow is my fav colour, but you've done it to death so no chance of me doing the Rotus that colour, even in my fav shade called " reddish yellow cocktail" which used from Kenny Roberts Yamaha America colours back in the 70s/80s. So I'll stick with mandarin orange lol.
The colour suits it, the size of wheels suit it and glad you gone with a more period engine.
The lines are to die for, I'm very jealous. You dropped on a gem of a shell. I had a similar fortune on my mk1 escort estate. Some old boy crashed his back in the 70s, bought a brand new shell from Ford and transferred all the bits over, had a heart attack, never finished it and the car sat collecting dust and pigeon poo for years to come.
Then in 2005 ish I got my hands on it, I was building a Vauxhall powered Anglia 105e at the time, but I didn't have the skills I have today and couldn't see the light at the end of the tunnel. A deal was made and I set to the escort with an angle grinder fitting a whole new transmission tunnel, grp4 suspension turrets and 4 link boxes.
Ok it made front cover of classic ford magazine, but I wish I had taken your route of more period mods, maybe do an RS2000 estate replica, Ford only made one.
It's such a god send to find shells in this condition, it's peace of mind, no never ending months of sourcing replacement panels and lay on your back getting burnt to death welding. They are worth so much more in original condition, and as you've said, it can all be put back to stock with wheels etc.
Great thread Clive, great car, can't wait to see it in the flesh.
In the words of Richard Rawlings ...... Winner winner chicken dinner !