So I gave in and decided to buy a 1.6Si (that and I can now afford to insure one ) so hopefully someone will enjoy my other 1.4Si as much as I did.

A few pictures after a wash, wax, hoover and polish this morning before work.


(there is my other Si peeking out from the driveway)



(after the wax the bumper showed up a few flaws)



(my bag was dumped there as I was about to start fiddling with the fan, then going for a drive)

quite pleased with how the interior came up, it was very muddy and smelled a bit like an ashtray. Still need to get the drivers seat sorted (has a hole and a bit of stuffing missing) so thats quite high on the list.

Managed to get the fan going in the end so the engine won't overheat in traffic now

Theres a few bits that I need/want to do with the car.
Get the second engine mount bolt in!
I'm going to start looking at tyres for it. get some nice ones on it.
replace the lowered springs with standard one (really not enjoying it lowered)
Fit the stereo, sub and amp from my 1.4Si (stereo is to be replaced with the kenwood one I have spare at the moment)
Replace offside foglight
Remove the towbar from the back. Its all hooked up so the electric works on things being towed. I have no need for it so off it comes.
If I can't repair my current drivers seat then buy a replacement for it.
Hopefully by the end of the year it'll be going through a bodyshop. To have the few little rust bubbles (and I mean tiny!) sorted and have a respray to my 1.4Si's colour of tormallard green.
By xmas 2011 I'm thinking of getting a 2l in it but thats a way off yet

Theres probably a few other things that'll happen along the way but I want to try and preserve it as it never been wealded at this point and looking at the seals they are solid still

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1 way to sum up the 197 is like sex, you build upto the best bit and when it eventually happens it only last a few seconds but you always want to do it again!
Poor Orange Si is hurt. Started first time after sitting for 3 weeks and with virtually no petrol in it

that looks sweet mate
get some black rims on it and it'll make it look even better in my opinion

how much is it lowered by

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its currently lowered by 40mm and the back offside tyre scraps when I have any weight in the back. Just annoying.

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1 way to sum up the 197 is like sex, you build upto the best bit and when it eventually happens it only last a few seconds but you always want to do it again!
Poor Orange Si is hurt. Started first time after sitting for 3 weeks and with virtually no petrol in it

well things like that do get abit annoying but still it looks good

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yeah but I'm after a mix of looks and performance, its no good if I can't have mates in the car with me.
It would be more liveable if I dropped down to 14s. Then I'd get my 'go-kart wheels' nickname back, not something I want

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1 way to sum up the 197 is like sex, you build upto the best bit and when it eventually happens it only last a few seconds but you always want to do it again!
Poor Orange Si is hurt. Started first time after sitting for 3 weeks and with virtually no petrol in it

after a wash that looks alot better than it did on the pic's on pf

really good base to start with, lets the mods begin eh?

looks good

yeah i realise that its going to cost me quite a bit to get it resprayed to my colour, im still tempted though. It'll on depend on money at the time i get to the bodywork. I'm planning on having this car for a long time.

At the moment its on 195/50/15 so not the standard fiesta wheels which is probably why it the bacl one is so bad. The front dont catch at all.

It came up beautfully. Under all that dirt there was a good car.

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1 way to sum up the 197 is like sex, you build upto the best bit and when it eventually happens it only last a few seconds but you always want to do it again!
Poor Orange Si is hurt. Started first time after sitting for 3 weeks and with virtually no petrol in it

I had mine lowered 60mm with 15" wheel with 195/45/15R tyres and they scrubbed after two more passengers got in, I put it up to 40mm and had no problems with a full car

Car looks good, the power from a 1.4 to 1.6 is a great feeling, I planned on keeping mine for a while as well until it blew up. Just have to look after them, can understand the change in colour too Looks like a good base to start with.

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don't say that!!

Now I'm gonna be worried

I get no scrubbing when I'm on my own but more often then not i have passengers or stuff in the back, like shopping etc or both at some stages. So having it like that i can't have.

i'm thinking it might be more the width then the actual size. Perhaps if i go <50 it wont be so bad as it sounds like its rubbing on the plastic more then the metal.

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1 way to sum up the 197 is like sex, you build upto the best bit and when it eventually happens it only last a few seconds but you always want to do it again!
Poor Orange Si is hurt. Started first time after sitting for 3 weeks and with virtually no petrol in it

Lol well mine didn't have enough oil in it me thinks, had a leak that was worse than i was told, and a spring that was held together in two places with jubilee clips :l I think the oil light had been disconnected and yeah, it was a "30,000 mile" engine. So I think basically the guy ripped me off a little.
I'm sure your will be fine Yeah could be the width which means its not really gonna do much damage to the tyres, which would be all good news. Just whack some 45 widths on there and you should be good even at 40mm lowered, you can't say the comfort is really bad with it lowered that much, try 60 with a broken spring

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195/45/15 would be fine i think

yeah I thought going 45 would be better then the 50 on it now.
See I'm OTT about the oil and engine fluids, I check them every week so they never get low. I need to buy some oil for my new car as the one recommended for my 1.4 is different then the 1.6.

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1 way to sum up the 197 is like sex, you build upto the best bit and when it eventually happens it only last a few seconds but you always want to do it again!
Poor Orange Si is hurt. Started first time after sitting for 3 weeks and with virtually no petrol in it

thats a good thing tho

your 1.6 will need 5/30w oil

yep already know that
I did a lot of research into the car and the zetec/CVH engines in the 1.4/1.6.

It'll be a trip to halfords come payday.

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1 way to sum up the 197 is like sex, you build upto the best bit and when it eventually happens it only last a few seconds but you always want to do it again!
Poor Orange Si is hurt. Started first time after sitting for 3 weeks and with virtually no petrol in it

looks like a very clean Si you have there

mods sound good and not to over the top.

i quite the nouveau red on the Si (as mine is the same ), why not keep it that colour and save the cost of a full respray and just get the bodywork etc.. mint?

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http://www.newsstand.co.uk the world's largest online newsagents

Looks nice in the pictures as it is with the 40mm drop and the standard wheels and trims

Perfect to drop a 2.0 in it and leave it like that

Certainly would surprise a few people then

How did you stop the interior smelling like an ashtray ? I have a similar problem in mine but will be changing the interior to a proper Si interior this weekend hopefully. Might give the carper a good Febreezing while the seats are out to try and get the smell out

Scott

my back suspension is un-movable, its like driving a skateboard lol. car looks great, lose the toe bar and get some wheels (jump on the band wagon and get some escort gti's lol) also I agree on keeping the original to keep up the Si look