ford england factory to close

[cfz2882]

seen on a TV crawler the other day that ford plans to close the Dagenham,England car plant soon-a factory that has made ford cars since the 30s. I think some of the 1971-77 capri sold in the u.s. came from that factory-the others from ford Germany(i have heard there was debate back then on which country built the better capris LOL)

 

[hydralique]

IIRC all of the American spec Capris came from Germany, I'm not sure if left hand drive Capris were ever made in England for any market. The original BOL engine in the Capri was the overhead valve 1600, same as the standard engine in the first Pintos. This engine was English, but few were sold as the much more powerful German made overhead cam 2 liter engine was a very cheap option on both cars. Ford did briefly market the English made Cortina in the US in the late '60s.

 

[supersuds]

Dagenham assembly was closed years ago; what they're closing now is a stamping operation. It will still make diesel engines. An assembly plant in Southampton that makes Transit vans is also closing, as is a big assembly plant in Genk, Belgium. Ford is losing a ton of money in Europe, as most companies are now with their horrible economy and chronic overcapacity.

 

There will be more closings from other makers, including GM/Opel in Bochum, Germany and Peugeot near Paris.

 

[cfz2882]

'72 capri v6

my local junkyard had a 1972 german capri(1983 plates)it had the v6 and the gauges were styled like smiths but were made in germany by either VDO or motometer-forget which.Back in the mid-80s,in high school auto shop,i got used to fixing the timing gear on capris and mustang 2 v6s as the gear was iron with a ring of plastic teeth molded on-after 10-12yrs,the plastic tooth ring would shrink from age and a section would come off,bringing the engine to a stop-i always wondered how many capri v6s went to the junkyard with broken cam gears...

 

[qsd-dan]

i always wondered how many capri v6s went to the junkyard with broken cam gears.

Don't forget the Ford 302's from the 70's and 80's. Always a guaranteed broken cam gear right at the 120K mark; as if Ford engineered them to die at that specific mileage.

 

[goatfarmer]

I had an 86 F250, with the straight six in it. The timing gears on it were fibre. I don't know how they ever expected those to last. When they went out, the replacement gears were steel, which then proceeded to whine incessantly.

 

[whirlcool]

I actually ordered a 72' Mercury Capri (the ones made in Germany were sold by Lincoln/Mercury dealers). But it never came into stock. After a 6 month wait, the dealer told me that they had wrapped up production of the 72's and do I want to wait for another 6 months for a 73'? I didn't want to wait so they gave me my down payment back, hassle free. I believe the cost of the car the way I ordered it was $3,200. or similar. Quite a lot of money for a rather small car.

I considered myself lucky. While I loved the way the Capri looked, they were very unreliable cars. You'd often see a lot of them in the repair bays at the dealership.

 

[hydralique]

I am guessing . . .

that those Ford engines didn't suffer valve damage when the timing gears failed, or it wouldn't have been an easy fix!

 

Through the years I've known a couple of people with those early Capris who had quite good luck with them. I do remember driving a friend's V-6 model back in the early '80s and being rather disappointed in how clunky it felt, as if Ford tried a little too hard to make a smaller Mustang.

 

[cfz2882]

valve clearance

valves must have cleared on those capri v6s-new timing gear always fixed them,some of the replacement cam gears were all iron,some were solid aluminum.Ford v-4 i think used a similar cam gear as a ford v-4 equipped 1973 saab 96 i thought about buying and fixing had stripped timing gear;on this engine the crank snout did not stick out the front of engine to mount accesory pulley,instead there was opposite turning pulley driven off timing gear to drive water pump,alternator and fan.Little v4 mounted at very front of the saab 96

 

[appnut]

Ford did briefly market the English made Cortina in the US i

Friends of my parents had one and I loved that car.  It lasted until it was involved in an accident and was totaled.  This family started out with a total Frigidaire house.  Built on the street in 1963 which had alll Frigidaire kitchens--including Flair wall oven.  They even had a Frigidaire upright freezer.  When they moved to Texas, they brought with them a Control Tower 1957 flowing-head dryer and WI59 washer.  The dryer was replaced with a hand-me-down electronic control highlander tht would only shut off on damp dry and the washer was replaced with the first generation of A606 (I still remember the "new" smell of taht washer to this day).  The dishwasher was replaced with Maytag and successive Maytag(s) as time went on.  They still live in that house. 

 

[maytagbear]

I am very sorry

for those who will lose their jobs in this restructuring. I am particularly sad for those who are over 40, but not old enough to officially retire.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[qsd-dan]

I am guessing that those Ford engines didn't suffer valve damage when the timing gears failed, or it wouldn't have been an easy fix!

Yeah, they're noninterference engines. I even hear most of their front wheel drive timing belted engines are too. At least Ford got that one right.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Ford Cortina

My grandfather had several of these cars:

A Mark II in dark green. I have an early memory of being in that car.

A Mark III in silver grey.

A Mark III in bronze with Leatherette roof (similar to the one in the "Life on Mars" BBC tv series). This one had a serious exhaust fault - fumes entered the cabin gassing my grandparents.

A Mark IV in sky blue. Probably the best loved (by my grandparents) Ford Cortina.

 

[hotpoint95622]

hotpoint 95622

I learned to drive in my dads Ford Cortina Mk5 estate X or Y reg, his was a 2 litre model I think, rather a large car to learn in, maybe that why it took three attempts to pass my test in it!

 

[cfz2882]

beginning drivers in england

thought i seen somewhere novice drivers in england have/had to display a sticker in the windshield to warn other drivers a beginner was at the wheel-true?

 

[hotpoint95622]

hotpoint 95622

That’s right, L plate, White Square with a red L.

 

[ovrphil]

More downsizing. Blah. I know it has to happen, for a company's survival, but ...whether it's realistic or not to say this ...I hope Ford will help relocate some of the workers, as a choice...or keep some of them employed at their present facilities.

Speaking from a Ford family and one who worked at the Ford Rouge Stamping Plant( that burned down years ago)on the Mustang II assembly line..and later at Livonia Transmission Plant (still operating)...I was layed off a few times, just as I was getting a foothold again, financially. In contrast, my dad, his dad and my father-in-law worked for Ford...37, 35, and 10 years respectively(my dad til 1973) and no layoffs or plant closings. It was a different world. Wishing for better times, soon.

(fyi: I always liked those Capri's, thought they were sooo sporty-cool).

 

[davey7]

My grandparents lived in Detroit and then Dearborn, never drove a car built there. When they moved to Dearborn they got rid of the Nash Metropolitan and got a Cortina Mark II - I think it was a bronze metallic color. When my grandfather died my grandmother wanted us to replace our Vega with it. I think he bought his cars in South Detroit (aka Windsor).

Weren't the last Capri's, only made in RHD, from Germany?