is anyone still using a sierra as a donor vehicle or am i stuck in the dark ages

Depending on what you are building then yes people still are using the Sierra.

If going for a road going 7 type then still a popular choice, from Pinto to CVH, generally not the DOHC variant as I think that is a heavy engine.

If you want a relatively easy build with mosty of the issues sorted n here then I would say the way to go especially if you want and age related plate.

CVH can be exchanged for Zetec later or go for zetec and type 9 route from the outset.

MX5 seems another route to take and some have used BMW engines etc. depends on what you want style of car and how deep your pocket are?

Perhaps a bit more on your plans and welcome to the mad house.

Adrian

As above, depends on your build.

However, they are now scarce, hence the availability of builds based on alternative RWD cars
such as the MX5 and BMW 3 series.

With a little ingenuity you can use just about anything as a donor.
I'd say the front upright is the most difficult to get right but Cortina based uprights are available
aftermarket or if your fabrication skills are good enough then make your own.

I guess it boils down to do you want to retain the donor reg or are you happy with a Q plate ?

Ford Sierras used to be abundant in scrap yards 5-10 of them.
Now that number has dwindled, but the bits are all still available, you just have to phone first.
But it isn't that difficult.

The real question is "Is the sierra the best base car given the alternatives available?"

The fact that Mx5's rust their bodywork badly, and BMW 3 series became the new Sierra in the rep-market might suggest that these are good (if more complex) alternatives.

I'm sure you'd soon get the bits you need with a wanted ad rather than buying a whole car, unless you are despo for the V5

quote:

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Originally posted by ReMan
I'm sure you'd soon get the bits you need with a wanted ad rather than buying a whole car, unless you are despo for the V5

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I'm using a Sierra for a haynes roadster build. 12 months ago people were being less positive than the responses you've had so far about whether I'd find one. I did, it wasn't cheap (380 quid) and it was a very old one so had a type 3 gearbox rather than type 9 or mt75 which I think are better for engine upgrade... it was also a 1.6 rather than 2 litre engine...

I was however after a complete car so I could lift bits direct and reuse as much as possible in one go. I suspect it was cheaper than trying to get all the parts separately too...

the point about whether it is the ' best' donor is a good one. I don't know the answer to that though...

Yes they're still a good choice. They do seem to be a bit thin on the ground. One here if your want one
ford sierra 1.8

mine was built using a sierra 15 years ago.

I realised the other week just how scarce parts are, i've been looking for an old 2.0 sierra to buy, just to park it up for when I need something in the future. Not the easiest of things to find now.