any early zephyr owners/enthusiasts?

[MrFlibbles]

i have recently purchased a 1953 mk1 zephyr zodiac. now here is my problem i am torn between restoring it(to its original glory!) or mildly customizing it (matte paint pinstripes etc). does anyone have one that they have restored or customed? i am doing most of the work myself, as i have a really good rust free base to start with. Also looking for tips on what parts out of later zephyrs will fit ? any of the oldies about here remember them???

[montyv8]

thats something you don't come across too often.. I say customize ;)
matte black, pinstripes, red steelies/baby moons/whitewalls, etc etc..
if you get stuck for parts my boss's mate's dad has a restored MK1 ute, think he may have some gear stashed away. I think the guy that lives in the house behind mine has just bought one aswell..

[buickman]

I work with a bloke that has a MK1 Zephyr & a MK1 Consul both FLAT dashes. If the car is a flat dash which is the rare 1st lot then it would be better to restore the car if its not then go the mild custom.If its a Zodiac version flat dash that is a rare car and would be sought after in the UK. Aussies tend to go the MK2 & MK3's in customising Zephyr's. The MK4 destroyed the name ugly square box shape but some had rare AWD most on the UK police versions.

[MrFlibbles]

heres a picture of the dash, i have no idea if its a flat dash or not!i will also post up a picture of the car as is in the shed i bought it out of, it sits high because it is on axle stands, as it has sat for nearly 30 years, its a genuine one owner with 63,000 miles on it, there is a bend in the front bar and panel behind it, but should be relatively easy to straighten. if i decide to custom it i will change the thread to a project thread.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...04-07_1428.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...04-07_1411.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...04-07_1447.jpg

[FPV 5TH]

My father had a Mk1 Zephyr when i was a kid. In fact it was the first car i ever drove when i was 9 years old : That will be a great project car. Good Luck!

[ebxr8240]

Restore it !! They don't make then like that any more....

[buickman]

A link to the MK1's that the bloke at work has. The car in ypur pic shows the later MK1 not the flat dash. The car look to good to custom I tend to agree the car would be worth more restored.

http://www.fivestars.co.uk/PhotoGall...0/Default.aspx

[buickman]

A link to the MK1's that the bloke at work has. The car in your pic shows the later MK1 not the flat dash. The car looks to good to custom I tend to agree the car would be worth more restored.

http://www.fivestars.co.uk/PhotoGall...0/Default.aspx

[MrFlibbles]

if i restore it i will have to get another one to customise!

[buickman]

Originally Posted by MrFlibbles

if i restore it i will have to get another one to customise!

Go for the MK2's for customising they look tough with a V8.
There is one of Fords uglist cars the MK4 for sale one the trading posts site.
No wonder they dropped Zephyr name & went Granada after the MK4.

[montyv8]

pro-street it. its screaming for a pair of 15x15 convo's :hihi:

[montyv8]

some good tech info on this site:
http://groups.msn.com/GaleforceZephyrs/homepage.msnw

[Fordmuscle1965]

Originally Posted by montyv8

some good tech info on this site:
http://groups.msn.com/GaleforceZephyrs/homepage.msnw

I used to think that zephyrs were just plain ugly, but years ago I saw a zephyr that was tubbed, gunmetal grey and have a stonking V8 in it and thought what a great unique car that is, as there arnt to many left around. Few years later that same car came up for sale and as I was needing a new ride I bought it. Now I love the cars, all models except MK4's which look like the designer was sniffing petrol. :

:
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...per/zephyr.jpg
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...carpics006.jpg
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z...carpics004.jpg
:

P.S After a good set of MK3 Bumper bars if anyone know of any!

[atec77]

Originally Posted by MrFlibbles

i have recently purchased a 1953 mk1 zephyr zodiac. now here is my problem i am torn between restoring it(to its original glory!) or mildly customizing it (matte paint pinstripes etc). does anyone have one that they have restored or customesd? i am doing most of the work myself, as i have a really good rust free base to start with. Also looking for tips on what parts out of later zephyrs will fit ? any of the oldies about here remember them???

noothing special about them actually apart from having the worst and weakest diffs ever , I had several one with a capri v6 and MKIII manual box with cut down MKII diff , mate had one with a 289 /shortened fairlane diff and jag box , they can look very tidy when the back gards are pumped and the mechanicals sorted , front ends are a bit weak but later model gear can be fitted to compensate ( and the brakes suck
good luck with it anyway ( the MKII was the best and fitted with bedford pistons they go hard)

[MrFlibbles]

thanks for the posts guys, i was originally looking for a mark 2 zephyr but this one came up at the right price and condition!
montyv8 if you know anyone with bits they might want to get rid of id love to know!

[nos_james]

do you have a link to the mk 4 thats for sale as my old mans fixing one up with a clevo in it will be a good fun car not the best looking but the indipendent rear is good

[ebxr8240]

For 1966 design the Mlv wasn't that bad..It had irs, 4 wheel disc brakes and 4 speed box.. Its just the engine was there biggest let down, mainly i cooling dept. The radiator was lower than heads and the early models didn't have a header tank above the heads..There is a cardboard shield that was supposed to help air through radiator.. But on 90% of them this shield lifted while driving blocking off 1/3 of radiator.. Very hard to find as when car was stationary the shield would drop back in correct possition....

[buickman]

Originally Posted by nos_james

do you have a link to the mk 4 thats for sale as my old mans fixing one up with a clevo in it will be a good fun car not the best looking but the indipendent rear is good

The car is overpriced but here is the link.


http://www.autotrader.com.au/iteminf...6+Unique+Cars_

[nos_james]

ah yeh that one looked at it when it was in ringwood about 5 years ago seams he is still dreaming lol

[nos_james]

a lot of rust in that one only good for parts realy

[Zephyr]

I have 1953 Mk1 Zephyr.
Currently in the middle of being restored. Thinking about replacing all the wiring and replacing it with new loom. The old loom it almost 55 years old..

The current pain is the oil filter not sealing properly on the block.

[MrFlibbles]

cool, im not the only one with one!! do you have any pics of it?

i just joined galeforce zephyrs and have been reading that site top to bottom!

[thexyking]

A mate of mine has a Mk1 Convertible, a MkII ute and a MkIII Zodiac and a lot of 'fixer uppers'! There is a MKI conv in Melbounre, maroon with a 289W in it. It is done so well it looks like a factory job (but cost over $50k to do).

I reckon you restore physically to original and customise with reversible alterations but make mechanical upgrades so the car stops and goes around corners much more comfortably. Let me know your plans and I'll talk to my mate about some of the changes he makes to get his cars to go better (The MkI conv will travel at 80mph all day.

[bathurst77]

I don have one, but i love zephyrs and zodiacs.

I recon the mk4s look cool!
You know why? coz whe i was 4 years old I had a matchbox mk4 zodiac .. t was my fave.

LOOK!

[ebxr8240]

VERY big long bonnets for a V6...Looked more like the latter X.D Falcons....
Some pics on here don't do them justice...
Here's a nicer example...

[Nostalgia]

Definetely customise it. Not too extreme though. Basically restore it then just spray it in Red Oxide or similar and put scallops and pinstripes on it etc etc. Long live Nostalgia. :

[ebxr8240]

Yea with high aerial's and squeegee bottle's on them...

[Charliewool]

Surely not John Peterson thread-mining??

[Geoff EL 4.0]

My uncles zephyr sounds beautiful, looks great and it does have engine mods .
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSC00010.jpg
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSC00009.jpg
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSC00008.jpg
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSC00007.jpg
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSC00006.jpg
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSC00005.jpg
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...1/DSC00004.jpg
EDIT: Also here a pic from that day as he left doing a little skid .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptuKTbbxt_k
im trying to upload a vid from a burnout comp he did at avalon and will be up within 10min.

[Tles]

Just at the Ford Discovery Centre Sunday and they had both a few Zephyrs and Zodiacs, and a flier on the desk for club and owners.

If you do modify I'd only go with a prostreet look, enhance the character to what a showcar would have looked like sort of deal. Pristine is nice, but I like to see what the ultimate would have looked like, sort of like looking into the designers head, before the beancounters and engineering approvals guys showed their hands.