Hey Guys, I'm fairly new to the site and having just purchased a 172 Cup last weekend from a member on here I thought I'd start a thread to track my progress with it.
At the age of 32 I came to the conclusion that it was time to go out and own a few of the cars that have caught my interest over the years, in that respect I hope that the 172 is the first of many.
I've had a fairly limited car history which started at 17 with a ropey '86 Escort Popular Plus, 1.3L with spaceship miles on it which I subsequently turned into an RS Turbo rep and finally scrapped as it had rusted away whilst I was at uni (no pics sadly..probably for the best). I reckon I pushed that car more than I drove it
Due to a lack of money and the fact I lived in London I didn't get another car until I was 23 when I opted for a mint, 30k miles, FFSH 1.7 Puma and quickly discovered 'detailing'. I guess I had a thing for Fords but you do tend to get a lot of car for your money. I really loved my Puma, the engine was poky compared to what I was used to and chucking it round corners was awesome fun, it felt factory fresh and was a joy to drive.
Gratuitous engine shot (125 horses...):
It was a sad day when I came to sell it but the blow was softened by my purchase of another low mileage (40k) FSH motor, a BMW Z3 2.8. I searched for months to find a later facelift model with M-Sport seats and more importantly twin VANOS (double-variable camshaft control) and it was EPIC! The torque was ever present right through the rev-range and it felt solid and planted compared to the Puma.
After a detailing session (my ex made it into the shot too):
I eventually got rid of the BM for close to what I paid for it and bought a little run-around (1.1, 106 Zest 2) as I needed cash to go travelling. Given most of my time was spend in traffic to and from work I really appreciated its 'go-kart' esque driving and the fact I only had to fill the tank once every three weeks. Plus get a load of those faux-tartan seats.
Some pics from the advert:
How could I resist such stylish mud covered tartan seats..
So now I've been driving my diesel works Mondeo for a year which has been comfy, wafty and spacious and as the months rolled by I decided I wanted something that I enjoyed driving again. After researching a few cars I finally settled on a Cup as it's got a great power-to-weight ratio, is also surprisingly economical...and let's face they look awesome in Mondial blue.
I wanted another low miles (60k) example with decent service history (all MOTs and fully stamped) close to standard example to work from (this one has a PH1 filter and K-Tec exhaust).
Here's a pic of it as advertised:
To be fair it's in very good condition as it is but my plans are (if this rain ever stops) to detail it to within an inch of its life, replace the tyres (I think I've settled on Michelin PS3's) and get any work done which is necessary to bring it right up to scratch....oh and DRIVE IT!
Despite the rain I did manage to start the clean-up operation starting with the boot and spare wheel which was a bit mucky..
You've got woodchips in your bootwell sir...
Weapons of choice
I started by applying AG Wheel Cleaner to the alloy
And then agitated with a toothbrush
The inside of the wheel was shocking..covered in a sludgy sort of grease
I soaked in in AG Engine Degreaser and left it to stand before setting to work with a wheel brush which was pretty useless due to the amount of grease (you can't beat a trusty toothbrush it seems)
Eventually I got through it all, took off the stick mess left from previous wheel balancing efforts and was pretty pleased with the difference, (AG Tar Remover got rid of the last stubborn spots you can see)
Applying Meg's Tyre Dressing with the sponge
I then used AG SRP on the alloy topped off with an LSP of Megs Carnauba Wax which gave a great shine and good protection (it should be easy to get dust off it in future details)
Wheel p**n
I took all of the tools out of the kit and cleaned them individually, hosed the plastic kit box down and left it to dry. It looked much better afterwards
After hoovering the boot out I used quik detailer and SRP to give it a nice shine and put everything back together for a very satisfying finish
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this and I'd welcome any comments you have. I'm based in Surrey so if any of you are local and fancy meeting up please get in touch.
At the age of 32 I came to the conclusion that it was time to go out and own a few of the cars that have caught my interest over the years, in that respect I hope that the 172 is the first of many.
I've had a fairly limited car history which started at 17 with a ropey '86 Escort Popular Plus, 1.3L with spaceship miles on it which I subsequently turned into an RS Turbo rep and finally scrapped as it had rusted away whilst I was at uni (no pics sadly..probably for the best). I reckon I pushed that car more than I drove it
Due to a lack of money and the fact I lived in London I didn't get another car until I was 23 when I opted for a mint, 30k miles, FFSH 1.7 Puma and quickly discovered 'detailing'. I guess I had a thing for Fords but you do tend to get a lot of car for your money. I really loved my Puma, the engine was poky compared to what I was used to and chucking it round corners was awesome fun, it felt factory fresh and was a joy to drive.
Gratuitous engine shot (125 horses...):
It was a sad day when I came to sell it but the blow was softened by my purchase of another low mileage (40k) FSH motor, a BMW Z3 2.8. I searched for months to find a later facelift model with M-Sport seats and more importantly twin VANOS (double-variable camshaft control) and it was EPIC! The torque was ever present right through the rev-range and it felt solid and planted compared to the Puma.
After a detailing session (my ex made it into the shot too):
I eventually got rid of the BM for close to what I paid for it and bought a little run-around (1.1, 106 Zest 2) as I needed cash to go travelling. Given most of my time was spend in traffic to and from work I really appreciated its 'go-kart' esque driving and the fact I only had to fill the tank once every three weeks. Plus get a load of those faux-tartan seats.
Some pics from the advert:
How could I resist such stylish mud covered tartan seats..
So now I've been driving my diesel works Mondeo for a year which has been comfy, wafty and spacious and as the months rolled by I decided I wanted something that I enjoyed driving again. After researching a few cars I finally settled on a Cup as it's got a great power-to-weight ratio, is also surprisingly economical...and let's face they look awesome in Mondial blue.
I wanted another low miles (60k) example with decent service history (all MOTs and fully stamped) close to standard example to work from (this one has a PH1 filter and K-Tec exhaust).
Here's a pic of it as advertised:
To be fair it's in very good condition as it is but my plans are (if this rain ever stops) to detail it to within an inch of its life, replace the tyres (I think I've settled on Michelin PS3's) and get any work done which is necessary to bring it right up to scratch....oh and DRIVE IT!
Despite the rain I did manage to start the clean-up operation starting with the boot and spare wheel which was a bit mucky..
You've got woodchips in your bootwell sir...
Weapons of choice
I started by applying AG Wheel Cleaner to the alloy
And then agitated with a toothbrush
The inside of the wheel was shocking..covered in a sludgy sort of grease
I soaked in in AG Engine Degreaser and left it to stand before setting to work with a wheel brush which was pretty useless due to the amount of grease (you can't beat a trusty toothbrush it seems)
Eventually I got through it all, took off the stick mess left from previous wheel balancing efforts and was pretty pleased with the difference, (AG Tar Remover got rid of the last stubborn spots you can see)
Applying Meg's Tyre Dressing with the sponge
I then used AG SRP on the alloy topped off with an LSP of Megs Carnauba Wax which gave a great shine and good protection (it should be easy to get dust off it in future details)
Wheel p**n
I took all of the tools out of the kit and cleaned them individually, hosed the plastic kit box down and left it to dry. It looked much better afterwards
After hoovering the boot out I used quik detailer and SRP to give it a nice shine and put everything back together for a very satisfying finish
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this and I'd welcome any comments you have. I'm based in Surrey so if any of you are local and fancy meeting up please get in touch.
