36 September 2019
HOMEBUILT HERO
There’s a lot of hearsay around what a Type
49 shell is. The Mk1 Escorts which were
built with Type 49 shells were all two-doors
— the Twin Cam, RS1600, Mexico and
RS2000. Based on the 1300GT shell, they
had a number of notable features that
strengthened them above stock production
bodies: a genuine Type 49 would have
double-skins spot-welded to the strut tops,
anti-tramp bar mountings, skidded spring
hangers, bolts welded to the boot fl oor for
fi tting a stone guard, stiffened trans tunnel,
cutout for a six-dial dash, heavy-duty
exhaust brackets, and a battery tray in the
boot. There were never four-door Type 49
shells from the factory, but the addition of
all of the above can reimagine the more-
door to Type 49 spec. And when you’re
building a car as serious as this one, the
retrofi t makes a lot of sense.WHAT IS A TYPE
49 SHELL?ADDING STRENGTH
Batter and washer bottle were relocated to the boot
to free up space for the Zetec engine conversion.