Classic Ford – September 2019

Small-bore Crossfl ow can suffer from piston

and bore wear at circa 60-70k miles — heavy

breathing being the fi rst sign. The 1598cc

engine is stronger, but can be affected by

piston slap at cold. Watch for hot running as the

Crossfl ow has a habit of getting silted up and

overheating if the coolant is neglected. Wear in

the Motorcraft distributor often causes rough

running. The 1600’s twin-choke Weber is far

superior to the 1300’s Motorcraft carburettor,

although wear to the auto choke can cause

starting and idling issues.

September 2019 105

Early models had multi-leaf rear
springs and post-’77 cars single
leafs. Both types sag over time
and replacing the early items can
be diffi cult. Leaking strut inserts
and tired front springs can be
easily replaced though. A
knocking from the front is a sign
of worn bottom ball joints, while
a ‘clunking’ sound when rocking
the steering means the track rods
have worn where they connect to
the steering rack. Vague steering
is a telltale of worn bushes.

SUSPENSION

GEARBOX

Noisy input shaft bearings

indicate the Type 2 single-rail

gearbox is tired. Optional C3

auto needs to shift cleanly and

have a reddish colour of fl uid.

If the fl uid’s black and smells,

then the bands and clutch packs

are worn. A reluctance to

change up until high revs can

simply be due to perishing of

the vacuum pipe from the inlet

manifold to the auto ‘box. Watch

for vibrations on 1600 versions

— it’s a sign that the two-piece

prop’s universal joint and

rubber coupling are worn.