Advance Vehicle Operations factory

[Roger Miller]

Long time ago...............

[gen mk 1rs2000]

What,s the story with the pink one ?

[gen mk 1rs2000]

pink? notice the pink shirt on the sales man in the pic ?
Very sexy outfit
A Guest drive by A WOMAN would be most welcome , but MUST --- wear matching fire proof Racewear

[Craig]

Thanks Roger,

being an amateur photo nerd and a Mk1 Escort lover and generally a fan of anything technical and mechanical, I really find these old photos fascinating.

Firstly the quality of those pics are awesome, I bet taken on slide film and by an excellent photographer as well. Top notch!

Secondly, it's so cool seeing them in colour, most books and articles only reproduced them in B&W. No matter how well you restore a car, you still can't reproduce the minty freshness of a brand new car!

Thirdly, I love the detail of the pics, I can't make out what the guy in the left of the pic is assembling in the third pic down but check out the guy in the middle, assembling the front bumper assys. Look at that pile of quarter bumpers!

Thanks again Roger, where did you find them and are there any more?

Craig

[Roger Miller]

Couple more.............

[Peter Hackney]

Thanks for sharing the pics Roger. They are fantastic! I would love to have been able to take a walk around that factory back in the day.

[jpayne]

Despite them being new, I do see a big hammer laying across the pile of 1/4 bumpers, Nothing has changed in the technology over time of fitting things to escorts, or is it the tunnel enlarging tool for the twin cams?
Justin P

[BJ]

I love the pink car!

Problem is; now that I have seen the photo, if I get a MKI it has to be pink.

[Craig]

Hey Justin,

I saw the hammer as well but being a ball pein I though it just might be the tolerance adjusting tool for the bumper irons. If it was a 4lb lump hammer then it could have been the transmission tunnel clearance enhancing tool #69 you mentioned! Did you notice the stick welder laying on the floor? What use would they have for that once everything is all pretty and painted up, I wonder..?


Craig

PS Do a quick tally up of how much all that big pile of BDAs would be worth today...mind blowing!

[Travis Peacey]

Those pics are great I think i might just grab that forklift and take me one of those

[jpayne]

Hey, the stick welder is for the built in corrosion catalyst. I think they used it on Australian heater bubbles and about every 50mm along the bottom of British cars' sills, boot wells and floors, scuttles, bulkheads, window surrounds and rails. Built in redundancy!

Good ol henry Ford!

JP

[keith]

when I die, if I've been good. I'll wake up there, back then.

[Mark Cogan]

here is the last ever MK1 to be assembled at AVO http://www.rwd-escort.co.uk/ploppy.htm

The owner of this car worked as a maintenance electrician at the Aveley factory, where a lot of the old AVO employees were still employed, they had workshops there they used for some prototype stuff, and some remedial work on press cars etc.

So I re-panelled the shell (almost completely) and somehow he talked his bosses into doing all the prep and paintwork, and much of the final assembly at the factory.

Makes it an interesting car

BTW
Just for information, (back in the 70's) when the bodies used by AVO, they were heavy duty "export" shells, so they had the double skinned inner guards and chassis skids,
but the rest of the "type 49" conversions were carried out by hand.

This involved using a Gas Axe to cut holes in the rear chassis rails for the anti-tramp (radius rod) brackets, which were stich welded on.
Gas Axeing the gearstick ring from the top of the trans tunnel and enlarging the hole, before stitch welding a new plate on further back to cover the longer gearboxes
Drilling a hole in the upper bulkhead for the hydraulic clutches (which they also did on RS2000 shells, even though it was not used)
Stich welding on the heavy duty exhaust hangers

and
I think they also brazed the studs into the boot floor for the stone deflectors, which were only fitted to early cars, even though the studs were on all cars,
I never got a definite confirmation on that one though, but it does look like it was done by hand

[smcka]

that restored car is amazing. Never ceases to floor me what the poms will spend time and money on the restoration, whilst we here would trash it as being too far gone.

Imagine what that cost in labour and parts and time looking for parts.

[Mark Cogan]