Escort Pro-Stock

[TarheelRick]

Picked up an Escort kit at last Fall's CKM model show.  It was missing a few pieces, but that didn't bother me too much because my plans all along was to use the Firefighter chassis and build the Escort into a Pro-Stock.  Well all good plans of mice and men....  Chassis would not fit - of course not, they were totally different wheelbase cars.  Anyway I drug out one of the Revellogram 55 Chevy Pro-Streets and began to copy that chassis design to fit under the Escort, it was tedious but came out better than I expected.  I will be using the Firefighter engine (cough, cough).  The front of the interior is from the Firefighter, the rear green portion is from a box of stuff I got off Ebay and I believe is from the Revell Snap Pro-Stock Firebird.

[W-409]

Nice work on making the chassis and interior fit into that body! I also like the roll cage, it's not easy to do properly, but yours is looking very good. But, I'm pretty sure they never ran these Escorts in Pro Stock so you might need to change your class.

[NYLIBUD]

Looks real good so far.Keep the pics coming.

[iBorg]

I agree they never ran these in NHRA (if so it was darn rare) but maybe in Europe. When Glidden ran a Probe, around the time this body was made, it had an extended wheelbase. You just can't stuff a V8 in hat short of an engine bay.

 

[Reeves Racing]

20 minutes ago, iBorg said:

I agree they never ran these in NHRA

 

Not true, Bob Glidden also ran a EXP which was the "sportier" model of the Escort.

[wku88]

Interesting fact: The EXP was heavier than the standard 2 dr sedan, despite not having a rear seat!

[iBorg]

I had an Escort and lusted after an EXP (some early signs of dementia), While the base chassis were the same, that seems where 90%of the similarities ended. To quote Wikipedia, "Sharing the dashboard, wheelbase, suspension, and powertrain with the Ford Escort, the EXP was longer, lower, and more aerodynamic than its five-seat counterpart."

[NYLIBUD]

Bob Glidden did run this short wheelbase EXP Escort.Google it,there are pictures of the car.Forgot what motor was in it.But then again,you wanna talk about a small wheel based car,take a look at his Pintos he ran.

1 hour ago, Reeves Racing said:

Not true, Bob Glidden also ran a EXP which was the "sportier" model of the Escort.

 

[TarheelRick]

Guess I could change it to an Outlaw, but that would mean NOx, turbos, or prochargers and this one is giving me enough headaches.  So my story is it is a local build for the local unaffiliated dragstrip.

[Reeves Racing]

4 hours ago, NYLIBUD said:

Bob Glidden did run this short wheelbase EXP Escort.Google it,there are pictures of the car.Forgot what motor was in it.But then again,you wanna talk about a small wheel based car,take a look at his Pintos he ran.

 

Yep. That's the one I knew about. There were probably others too.

[PorkChopPaws]

Nice work Rick

[Daddyfink]

5 hours ago, NYLIBUD said:

Bob Glidden did run this short wheelbase EXP Escort.Google it,there are pictures of the car.Forgot what motor was in it.But then again,you wanna talk about a small wheel based car,take a look at his Pintos he ran.

 

and in 1/32

[NYLIBUD]

Wow,hmmm,I have never seen these kits before.I guess for one reason,I don't build 1/32 scale models.The Glidden one is really interesting,since it's not really a drag car,but more like a road course car.

[crossfire 2004]

We had several V8 Mk 3/4 Escort race cars here in the U.K. here is a example that ran in Super Gas class.

There is even a tubbed street driven van variant here too.

 

 

[TarheelRick]

12 hours ago, iBorg said:

You just can't stuff a V8 in hat short of an engine bay.

With a big enough shoehorn and a lot of ingenuity it can happen.

[W-409]

10 hours ago, TarheelRick said:

.  So my story is it is a local build for the local unaffiliated dragstrip.

That would work for sure!

Or if you want to build it for some "real" class, it could very well run in Comp Eliminator with that engine and naturally aspirated. Anyway, no matter what you do with the class business, it's going to be an interesting project!

[Daddyfink]

9 hours ago, NYLIBUD said:

Wow,hmmm,I have never seen these kits before.I guess for one reason,I don't build 1/32 scale models.The Glidden one is really interesting,since it's not really a drag car,but more like a road course car.

The Blue EXP is 1/25

[Force]

I believe Glidden ran a 351 Cleveland based engine in the EXP, it was back when they had weight break rules in Pro Stock and the 500 cui rule came later.
Here in Sweden we had a class back in the early 80's called Pro Street (nothing like Pro Street today) wich was pretty much like Pro Stock but with a little looser rules regarding body style and engines, and there was one Escort in that class.
This class was replaced with NHRA spec Pro Stock with one year delay in the rules from the NHRA cars up to a year or so ago.
Today the European Pro Stock cars have a longer time span for bodies and they haven't implemented the EFI rules yet so they still run carburetors and hood scoops over here.

[NYLIBUD]

1 hour ago, Daddyfink said:

The Blue EXP is 1/25

Oh yea,I know.I guess it's a pretty rare kit,and the 1/32,is probably even more rare.

[426 pack]

This is awesome. I love when people put big V8s in small cars.

[Mark]

21 hours ago, iBorg said:

I agree they never ran these in NHRA (if so it was darn rare) but maybe in Europe. When Glidden ran a Probe, around the time this body was made, it had an extended wheelbase. You just can't stuff a V8 in hat short of an engine bay.

 

A guy around here built an EXP with a Boss 429 engine in it.  The car had the (stock) EXP body over a rectangular tube frame.  As I remember, the engine sat a bit further forward than it would in a Pro Stock (furthest forward spark plug in line with the center of the front wheels) but still went back into the passenger compartment a bit.  It did have a stock instrument panel, and generally looked like a drivable car.  I never saw it on the street, but it had license plates.  The engine was pretty much stock (single four barrel, no scoop sticking through the hood).  It was at a few local car shows in the Eighties, but I haven't seen it since. 

[dodgefever]

12 hours ago, crossfire 2004 said:

We had several V8 Mk 3/4 Escort race cars here in the U.K. here is a example that ran in Super Gas class.

There is even a tubbed street driven van variant here too.

Yes,  I remember a yellow Mk3 Escort with a 460 Ford, think that one ran S/G as well.

[1930fordpickup]

21 hours ago, NYLIBUD said:

Bob Glidden did run this short wheelbase EXP Escort.Google it,there are pictures of the car.Forgot what motor was in it.But then again,you wanna talk about a small wheel based car,take a look at his Pintos he ran.

 

He ran a Boss 429. Car was built for a 351 Cleveland but because of a rules change he made the switch. He said it was the Worst handling car he ever drove at the time, like a fuel Altered.  

[Force]

Yes you are absolutely right, I had saved an article about this car from 1982 in my files, and he for sure ran a Boss 429 based 500 in this car, I thought the 500 cui rule came later so I assumed he ran a Cleveland without checking the facts...my bad. 
He changed to the Thunderbird in 1983.

Edited February 22, 2018 by Force

[NYLIBUD]

It really sucks that he had to pass away recently..RIP Bob Glidden.