1979 Ford Cortina 1.6 GL estate in Waterlooville, Hampshire for sale

With deep regret as i'v always wanted a clean mk5 Cortina and particularly one of this spec and condition, is my very very early mk5 oyster gold GL estate. The car was registered in '79 and is build number nine hundred and something, making it most likely built in the first month of mk5 production. It has black, brown and chrome vinyl door cards and brown vinyl/cloth seats much more 70's in style than the majority of mk5's. It is completely standard and original, with the exception of the 5.5j 'sport' ;) steel wheels which may have been added later as I'm not sure that they came with GL models, and a CD player and sony door speakers. PLEASE TAKE TIME TO READ THE ADVERT PROPERLY, OR AT LEAST THE END! THIS CAR IS AVAILABLE AS-IS OR FULLY PREPARED FOR EVERYDAY USE BODYWORK: It is a sought-after Ziebart shell, which means it had much additional rustproofing added from the factory, wax-injected and the shell plugged with unique Ziebart bungs. A lot of the underside rustproofing is now peeling away and needs re-applying, but I have not done this YET so that people can view the car in an honest state (knowing that gallons of fresh wax and underseal is not covering up acres of horrible MOT welding!) The outer sills are original and unwelded. The floorpans, A-pillars kick panels also are immaculate. The front wings are the correct bolt-on type, but I believe have been replaced at some point, and the nearside front wing is in quite poor condition; it looks presentable, but open the bonnet and the mounted section is rotten... fortunately though the mounting rail underneath it is solid. The bottomseam of the tailgate has begun to rot in the middle. The boot floor is perfect. The offside front wing has had a dent pulled out but needs a bit more smoothing, and the nearside rear door was dented by a careless scaffolder dropping a board off his truck! MECHANICALLY: All is 100% standard and original, 1600 pinto 4-speed with single choke carburettor. But is beginning to have some problems (see end of this ad if this concerns you!). Unleaded fuel has taken its toll on the valve seats, giving the car a bit of a 'lumpy' idle missing slightly down the exhaust. The camshaft lobes (as is the tradition on a Pinto!) are visibly worn, however it doesn't breathe or blow fumes out of either end under load, so the bottom end is still good, oil pressure excellent. The original 4-speed gearbox is still quite tight and the synchro's all good, no whines at all, but the detent balls in 2nd gear have worn allowing it to pop out of gear when you let off the accelerator. It is also weeping oil (as is the tradition). The rear axle is the notoriously weak 'baby atlas' only fitted to 1600 Cortinas, giving away how well the car has been looked after by only having the slightest whine which can be cured by nipping up the pinion a tiny bit to take off the inevitable bit of slack which has occoured between the pinion bearings and crush washer since 1979! The bearings themselves don't grumble at all, the rear brakes and handbrake are fine, and the dreaded Void bushes have been replaced (some with solid bushes so that they'll actually last a while!) INTERIOR: excellent, really stunning condition for such an old car. Dash top barely warped at all, heater works on all 3 speeds and provides plenty of heat and doesn't smell! All ventilation, controls, windows (manual wind-ups of course) work perfectly. No rattles or squeaks. Headlining virtually perfect, perfect driver's seat, the original thick rubber footwell mats are still present with perfect brown carpet underneath. The only damage is a faint paint smear on the vinyl side of the passengers' seat (the faces are some sort of chocolate brown hard-wearing cloth, backs and sides vinyl), some paint stains on the vinyl load area padding (the previous owner was an old-school signwriter, and used the car as his daily work tool with ladders on a roof rack, was great to see around Portsmouth just at work like its still 1984!)... and someones dog has had a nibble on the corner of the armrest on one of the back doors. The clock ticks/clunks like a grandfather clock, great for making awkward people really feel the silence! There is a kenwood cd player with ipod connection fitted which looks out of place, however there's a radio shop near me which fits modern car stereo components into old radios! I have both dash undertrays, which are rare as rocking horse ****. The inside of this car is a really smart place to be if you like 70's style. THE DEAL: You can buy this car as it is for £900. The tax has just run out, but its MOT'd till end of October. I have been driving it everyday as it is. Alternatively, I have lots of useful stuff and knowledge on these cars, and can bring the car up to any standard you may like, as I enjoy these things. Example, if you were prepared to pay more like £1700 for the car, I would fit a late-casting unleaded cylinder head from a 1994 1.6 Sierra, a new cam (original, Capri-type for upgrade to twin-choke weber carb; e-max fuel economy cam, take your pick!), your choice of carburettor (I personally don't rate the standard weber ICH, but that is the original equipment), repair the irritating 'pop-out' 2nd gear and whilst there replace all the gearbox seals, gaskets and clutch cable as a matter of course, and put the car through an MOT so it comes to you with a full 12 months. Further to that, for about £300 I could probably persuade my pal at the bodyshop to repair the dented nearside back door and straighten and respray the damaged wing, and if we purchase another front wing to replace the rusting one (I can get a used genuine Ford one for £60) and we've already bought paint for the other repair, I think I can get him to paint that wing into the bargain or at least for not much more. I could get all this work done inside of two weeks. I'd also be obliged to renew the rustproofing and nip up the whiney axle pinion once you've seen the car. Genuinely interested parties please call 6 :)