Rstar_man

After owning my focus for about 8 years now.





The original engine covered over 180.000 miles, the piston rings deciding not to be where they should be along time ago meant the car began smoking quite bad when under any form of throttle movement.


So as the weather was kind of ok yesterday I decided it was time to remove the once prime engine. So with help from my lovely girlfriend (who kept on reminding me that the car isn't a Nissan and that I should get one instead) we set to getting the engine out. After a long days work and stopping just in time of the rain this is the progress so far.














I still have to paint the underside of the bonnet yet and then refit the new engine and also a gearbox that I've given to a friend to rebuild for me with a Quaife diff and different final drive.


I'm sure I will keep updating when I do more work. Hoping to have the engine back in tomorrow if the weather is good.


Here's a recent picture of mine and my girlfriend's cars from a few weeks back -

PaulinhoT

Looking good so far

atm

Looks tidy. What engines going in?

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

I would rather walk and have a nissan lol.

The focus are a bloody good car.

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

What's the plans for it then? Like the mx5, looks a bit like a s2000!

Rstar_man

I showed her your comment about it looking like a S2000 her reply was a bit more then just "sod off" (she's not too keen on Honda's)


Got a bit more done on the car today having problems bleeding the clutch. no matter how fast my mate was pumping the pedal by hand or foot just couldn't get a sodding pedal back. So I'm going to put a long pipe on the bleed nipple and open the nipple for the day tomorrow and see if any air is trapped that I can't shift.


I'm putting another 1600 back in. Due to the fact I've always loved the sound of a super 1600 rally car on full chat, I plan to fit cams and throttle bodies on it by the end of the year and next year look at making my own turbo kit to fit with ITB's (just for a laugh) to see if it will work.


Any way some more pictures of today's progress.








Don't worry I'm not using the old crappy looking cam cover. My good friend Paul from Spooner restorations is sorting me out with a nice new shiny cam cover.





Check his Facebook profile out if you need/want anything painting

Mile30

Nice work; what better time than a major service to give the entire bay a new look?!

Rstar_man

Its been a busy few days with my car and my girls car. Not really much to do but clean the hell out of her car as we was on Moss Miata's stand at the MX5 National Rally yesterday.





Back to my car. On Saturday night I went and picked my cam and plug cover from Paul at Spooner Restorations and as always his work is second to none.





Would highly recommend him if you want your cam cover painted. Check his Facebook page out Spooner Restorations


Today I got the car all back together and running. Just a small issue of I now have is that battery light on but I'm getting 13-14 volts when the car is running and 12-13 when nothing is on


Here is a few pictures of it all together again






Still contemplating painting the strut brace black and the underside of the bonnet red

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

Looking good. As for the battery light, did you disconnect the small wiring plug on the alternator? It's not uncommon for the pins in the plug to corrode / break off so wouldn't be surprised if that's happened.

Rstar_man

I check the plug on the alternator which was a little bit fury. Cleaned it the best I could but battery light is still on bloody car


Found the earth strap on the starter had broke when I was driving to my girlfriends which meant a jump start to get home





After a bit of time off it was back to work and bashing this thing back in shape.......... AGAIN

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

If you have 14 volts when running it will be a problem with the smart charge system. When the system has a fault the alternator will revert to working like a normal alt so should be OK.

PaulinhoT

Have to love the front end on that touring car

Rstar_man

When I've checked it, it has between 13-14 volts but the light seems to come and go as it pleases. sodding thing.

Rstar_man

I've got plenty of pictures of it not looking so pretty

Rstar_man

Finally the postman has been and dropped off my latest purchase








Just need to order new diff bearings then throw it all at my friend who is going been putting all together for me

Cos500

Lucky man having a girlfriend into cars like that, ive had to promise mine a horse so I can finish my cossie, loving the mx5 and the focus is really coming along, are you changing the colour of the car?

Rstar_man

Yeah it has its perks but she would prefer it if I had some turbo'd, jap and rear wheel drive but so do I sometimes. I'm not planning on changing the colour any time soon as would rather spend the money on other stuff first. I need to get the ECU looked at and adjusted do to it reading MAP instead of MAF and is over fuelling like crazy and idle a bit rough and then can save for cams and ITB's and then put an Omex ECU in

costina

iTrader: (1)

Tell her she can have 700 horses

but under the bonnet of the cos😉

sorted.

Cos500

Its not gonna happen haha, she likes older stuff pre 1970's and thinks all 80s fords are boy racer rubbish, no chance of talking her round.

Rstar_man

Hi everyone, its been a while since I've posted any progress. I've been a bit busy in the last few months (mainly with my girlfriends MX5).


I've decided to enter Time Attack later this year in the Focus but so far the build progress is VERY.........VERY slow but will hopefully pick up speed in the next few weeks/months.


Picked up a this a while back





I have also put in bucket seats and TRS harnesses and managed to pick up a set of ST170 wheels for cheap which I had powder coated by the guy's at Mint Alloys.





And a few pics of my girlfriends MX5






I will get a few better pics of both cars at the weekend and will try and do better at posting the progress of the focus when I get round to working on it and have the time.


Hope you enjoy

stevos

That mx5 looks the nuts mate very nicely moded and a great stance. Top job mate.

PaulinhoT

Really liking the rear cage, looks good. Also liking the MX5, and the wide arches, I wish they did something like that for the Focus

Caddyshack

I think the colour match for the under bonnet mat have the wrong code as it isn't 100% the same as the body of the car to my trained eye.

Love the mx5 wide arches

Rstar_man

Yeh mate I picked up the wrong can of paint was painting the inside of a friends rally car and had a few left over which I saved for when I took the engine out, something a bit different I guess

Rstar_man

After work tonight the girlfriend and I went to the garage where the MX5 is kept to bring it out for the weekend. Both need a good clean thought a trip to the polish tomorrow hahahahaha





A game of spot the difference for you all





Thanks for the comments

stevos

Man dancing in the garage. What do I win.

The Black Count

Time attack in a 1.6 even with bodies etc is odd, don't you need more power? like the rear cage though

Rstar_man

The front half is being made by a friend at Tylah Motorsport and painted the same colour should hopefully have it in a few weeks.


Time Attack in a 1.6 might be odd to some but after 12 years working in motorsport a well setup car handling and braking wise is much more important then "power". It should be fun at what your budget can afford and what your goals are, I've not got a mind set of I'm going to set the world on fire just a well presented car that I can have fun in and see what I can do in a 1.6 against other cars in the same class with more power

The Black Count

I fully understand and wish you well but would it not have been better to have sold it (looked a tidy car) and bought a 2litre that would have given you a bigger engine and rear disc brakes, I paid Ł80 for my 3 door Ł200 for the 5 door so very cheap at the moment. To do anything with the front brakes you will need st170 hubs so buying an st and selling the wheels would have been a good move.

All is what could have been, will keep an eye out for updates

Rstar_man

I'm planning on entering Pocket Rocket class which is up to a 1.7 engine hence staying with a 1.6 as I said for me its going to be a bit of fun. I've got rear disc conversion hubs with ready to got on just waiting for braided lines to fit them on hopefully at the weekend

Rstar_man

Bit of a busy weekend not working on my car but spent car shopping with my girlfriends dad. I'm happy to report back after looking at a few cars we found him a very clean and standard (not for long) MK2 RS





With a bit of sunlight left and the rain clouds holding back I started to paint the inside of the shed





But I ran out of paint I've also been thinking of a wrap for when the car is ready for some track abuse, thinking of this lately

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

That evo rap isnt for me. Are your rear inner arches ok.

Rstar_man

Yeh my rear inner arches are fine I sorted them out a while ago. I think the wrap will stand out while going round track but that wont happen for a while yet got to get everything else finished first an dits not a short list either

Rstar_man

Some more progress on the shed over the weekend. I've finally managed to get the shinny ST170 wheels on the car.





Ordered a volt gauge awhile back to keep and eye on the charge rate due to still having the battery light come on and off as and when it likes, made a pod out of a dash heater vent.





And got round to finishing off painting the inside.






Still have a mountain of parts to fit before the 19th June so going to be a busy few weeks

gcfcos

I must get my Cossie done in that rusty evo wrap. That would piss off the purists at the rs shows lol.

Rstar_man

That was my thought, it's different and would piss a few people off

JC600

Nice build thread, cars coming on well.

Rstar_man

Thanks man

Rstar_man

As it was a nice sunny day today started playing with the shed again, as parts are starting to arrive fast so out with the spanners I went.







My girlfriend cleaned the engine bay for me while I was finally painting the underside of the bonnet





Wanted to fit my new Airtec rad but I need to order a new fan as the standard one on my old rad is no where near going to work. So a call to Alan at Airtec tomorrow to arrange one being posted out is needed.


To be honest I didn't take many pictures while I was working on it but once it was back together a trip to the pub was needed





Hopefully will get more done on the car after work during the week.

Rstar_man

As normal with me now updates aren't that regular. But I've been busy with both mine and my girlfriends cars and also with work.


Here is a little update to what has been happening,


I've been in touch with the guys at Puma Speed about engine mounts and they have supplied me with a nice solid bushed torque mount to replace my standard one.



And after speaking to Alan at Airtec he has came through with a new MK1 focus RS rad in satin black with a 12inch sucker fan to mount to it.


(sorry picture is blurry)

And RamAir Filters have sorted me out with a new filter, and are going to custom make a heat shield/filter housing once I have relocated and replaced the battery to inside the car.




With these few bits done to the car I had a few track sessions during the Brands Hatch Time Attack round at Tuner Fest South! Between my sessions I spent the day with RamAir Filters on their stand.







Using the track time as a shakedown I found that I had a few things that need to be changed on the car. Firstly the coilovers, I am already looking at going for the BC BR range as they seem decent for the price and I've seen that a few people here have them. I also need to change the roll bars so if anyone can suggest a particular company to go for that aren't mega money but are adjustable then that would be great.


Even my old dear wants to have a drive





My girlfriends mk2 Mazda (left) on stand at JapFest Rock at Rockingham after winning a competition to be with the MX5 Punks for the day.





I'll try to get better with updates from now on


Just to finish off with a casual drive way pic of my focus , the gf's mx5 and her old mans RS