Dodgy Diver

im not a purist in any way so don't be offended please

i fancy a mk4 escort convertible rs turbo
I'm aware that none where actually made by ford

so whats easier
buy one done or buy a normal one and do it my self
i will do a full rest and bare metal respray so ill have to totally strip the car and also re build the engine
but my questions are
how easy would it be to find all the parts needed to convert and what are the costs likely to be
what other turbo'd engines are a option
has anyone here done a build on the forum
thanks

visa_broke

should be a few builds on here, personally i'd find a cab then go zetec turbo route and do it yourself, no point in paying more to fix other people's problems

Dodgy Diver

so what car would i use as a donor vehicle

Chas

IMHO it is worth buying one already done but with a few caveats:

-Go over the car with a very fine toothed comb. It may run almost well enough and 'require a tune up' but IME this is also a code for 'I tried what I could to make it go better and now I have given up" or "there is more wrong with this than what meets the eye". If there is a niggling doubt I'd objectively look at what may be doing and not simple a 'best case scenario'.

What kind of quality is the conversion? Does the wiring look like something of nightmares or is it actually a tidy conversion?

-Has it been driven much? OK alot of these cars are show cars but if it has only done a 100 miles between MOTs why is this the case? Maybe I am alone here but if the car was working well I'd want to be driving it alot! I have probably put more miles on in my RST in the past year than the previous owners did over 5! I have ironed out alot of faults however and made it drive IMHO like what an RST should as you can see via this thread.

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thre...urbo-bit-essex

-What quality of parts have been fitted? There is alot of shite out there for sale these days for these cars (ignition parts, suspension bits etc.). If they have skimped on bits here where else have the costs been saved?

The above may end up with you looking at a car which looks stupidly expensive but it will most likely be cheaper in the long run on the assumption that you have done your homework. I am sure that others will say that their conversions/projects have not been cheap cars to use!

Building one yourself IMHO is the best way but I would not underestimate the costs. I know my RST cost somewhere into 5 figures to build (car, engine, turbo, suspension, brakes etc. etc.) and from previous projects I have probably spent half as much to create a well running, but poorly finished result (i.e the bodywork was left as a result of the cash going into the car itself on suspension, engine etc!).

Try not to laugh here, but a friend of mine has just built a Rover 216i Coupe using Honda VTEC parts as part of the turbocharging process, with the gearbox/engine etc. all being rebuilt and so on. Without him touching the bodywork, or suspension or even mapping the car or making the exhaust he is already well over Ł5k into the build... I am sure others have done it for cheaper but it is something I have rarely seen and generally not without issues (there is always an exception to the rule before someone puts me back in my box to say "I built mine for Ł3k and it's fine....").

That is not to say I would not buy a done car secondhand. My Porsche 944 Turbo was built prior to me buying it and it did 10,000 miles of trouble free miles for the year, and it is serving the new owner well as a daily! My Triumph Spitfire again was ready built and despite a few issues not described when I bought it the car was cheaper and building one myself and the same goes for my S1 RST, albeit it has been a little more troublesome than the above!

Dodgy Diver

i think i would prefer a normal turbo efi engine if i can find such a beast
the body work is not a issue or any welding
any fabrication will be easy enough
i will struggle with wiring tho

Chas

How much power would you be after? If less than 170BHP I wouldn't rule out KE-Jetronic.

mentalasanything

I would say it really depends what you're after as an end result. If you want a Zetec turbo, unless the car is already running a Zetec Turbo there isn't a whole lot a cab running a CVH on MFi can offer you. If it's running on Konis with decent brake upgrades it may be worth it, but his tends not to be the case with cab conversions. Also, if it's running MFi and you want any kind of power then you'll be rewiring the car.

If I were starting again I'd be looking for a nice clean XR3i EFi Cab. Then work up from there. Shouldn't break the bank, your choice of CVH or Zetec Turbo, Zetec > MK4 has been done plenty of times, minimal rewiring if you go CVH, a little more rewiring if you go Zetec.

To get to where mine is today I broke my ERST for parts, I didn't quite cover what it cost me and I kept the interior, running gear, turbo, engine and gearbox, probably lost me Ł1000 all told. I paid Ł650 for my cab and I spent Ł600 getting the bodywork tidied. I spent countless hours refurbishing the ERST running gear as I wanted to retain the rear ARB from the ERST. I spent a ridiculous number of hours refurbishing the EFi wiring loom I bought, but it did work perfectly first time and hasn't missed a beat. I had to lay out for Konis, brake upgrades, polybushes, EFi parts, ECU & Chip, ally rad, Front Mount Intercooler, Mongoose Exhaust: you can probably add Ł2500 for all of that. It all adds up (albeit over 10 years ), but I built it to my standards, wiring is spot on, and if you added up my hours I dread to think how much that could cost.

Build thread:
https://passionford.com/forum/restor...cab-turbo.html

The end result makes me smile though and last year it did 2,500 miles with a lot of thrashing!

Lee

Dodgy Diver

im not after big power as such
i have a 6 litre chevy for that

just so its driveable

Dodgy Diver

i think a std turbo engine would be of got my needs . what year did the EFI start

mentalasanything

EFi was only produced for the 1990 run of MK4's.

I guess I should have asked more on your requirements. If all you're after is a standard power ERST engine then buy one ready converted (EFi or MFi) just make sure it runs and idles well. If you plan to go through it from top to bottom anyway it will be already fitted with 99% of what you need, you may just choose to upgrade and replace bits and pieces.

Mine runs low boost in comparison to the spec, and it's fun enough until I fit some more safeguards to allow me to increase the boost. When I first got my ERST it was running standard power, but it was still fun to drive as the big T3 makes it quite laggy, but punchy.

Lee

Chas

In that case I would be buying the best converted turbo cabrio you can afford irrespective of the fuelling system. Maybe not in terms of mods but the overall running and condition of the car .

Dodgy Diver

so if i can get a efi turbo or a mfi turbo with out spending fortunes on the engine what power will i expect
i have no issues doing a full engine re build if rep , my only issue would be the electrics

mentalasanything

Standard is 132 BHP so a nice fresh build running well with a good setup should see that. As a guide, in my ERST I ran standard boost, K&N panel, Mongoose exhaust and an airtec FMIC and it made 144 BHP.

Lee

Dodgy Diver

is that the efi or the mfi figures quoted
thanks

Chas

AFAIK both the MFI and EFi made 132BHP from the factory on stock boost. Most will make the figures shown below or a few horses more (just shy of 170BHP) with a Stage 1 tune but then a -31 actuator and chip will be needed then. However, it would not surprise me if most RSTs had these mods in addition to the exhausts and intercoolers.