Words James Photos wwwsmcphotography.co.uk

Declan Munnelly is no stranger to the pages of Retro Ford. Famed for his balls-out, on the rack-stop, drifting heroics, he featured on our October 2008 cover. But Declan is perhaps better known for sliding his 2.4-litre XE powered Mk2 Escort at crazy angles throughuot the UK and Southern Ireland. When he isn't competing in a drift championship or working laboriously in his garage he can be found playing out on the lanes in his immaculately-prepared Mk1 Escort, which thanks to an epic eight-year restoration is now a perfect, unassuming car that also packs quite a punch!

"I bought the 1973 Mk1 Escort about eight years ago; it was a running project that featured a 1600 Crossflow, 2000e 'box, plus a few other choice parts," explains Declan. "It originally started out as an 1100L shell that had been painted in a not-so-nice yellow colour and the dash had been cut and shut to house a six-clock item, which rattled no end." You see, Declan's original intention was to strip down the Escort, give it a cheap blow-over and eventually fit the pushrod with a set of twin 40s but things didn't exactly go to plan.. "When I started stripping down the car I realised that although it needed all the usual repairs such as the rear arches and sill sections, the upper half of the shell was actually in great condition," he says. Recognising the shell's potential, Declan soon set to work sourcing a plethora of bits including rear arches, door sills, a front panel and a slam panel. "I also purchased some mint second-hand Mexico front wings for £350 - those were the days," he chuckles. "The further I progressed with the project the less I wanted to build a usable road car; instead I pined for something a bit more special."

To ensure everything fitted like a glove, Declan also fitted the rear suspension setup that included de-cambered single rear leaf springs, Spax adjustable dampers, one-inch lowering block and an anti-tramp kit. A six-clock dash panel was then sourced from a decidedly rotten Mexico shell to replace the gouged and rather noisy item. Satisfied he'd drilled all his holes and that everything worked as it should, Declan took 4145 ZJ to pieces in preparation for his local bodyshop, A.R.C. (Accident Repair Centre). "Every evening was spent sanding down the panels in preparation for a fresh lick of paint - it finally seemed like there was light at the end of the tunnel," he smiles. "The colour I opted for is a glossy blue but the funny thing it's not even listed for a car, I just picked it from a colour card at the bodyshop." But Declan's decision wasn't an easy one , with many sleepless nights having been spent worrying about it, though he's pleased with the final outcome, as he's explains: "I feel the colour really suits the Mk1 Escort, especially considering I wasn't going to run any stripes on it; I was after an unassuming look leaving people guessing what was underneath the bonnet."

So, with the car fully painted by Spring '05, the project lost momentum when Declan concentrated his efforts, time and money on building his new workshop and later, as he described, a ropey Mk2 RS2000. But this acted as the perfect stopgap until the Mk1 was on the road but as with most projects, this one spiralled out of control.

Initially, Declan spent much of his time partaking in drift and track events, but as he improved, so did the car. He explains: "I started to get carried away bolting bits on, which was closely followed by an XE conversion robbing Mk1 of some of its parts. "With his heart set on drifting, the original Mk2 was then tidied up, flat-fronted, painted and eventually re-shelled into his current beast, which was 'completed' in 2008. "Don't get me wrong, I did feel guilty about the Mk1 and there were times I started work on the old gal again - such as during Christmas holiday period - but the one thing I never did was rush it; it had to be perfect, he justifies, and rightly so.

If that has got you thinking.....

If you've seen Declan's Escort and fancy slotting an XE into yours, here's a quick look at what you'll need , who to speak to and how to go about doing it...