cypressbill

HI ALL. HERE IS MY NEW THREAD I THINK YOU'RE GONNA LIKE.
i brought my '97 mk4 fiesta 1.3 LX for £270 in october and i really want to turn it into something special. its the 1st car ive had in 10 years so my insurance is a bit pricey
ive been looking around for ideas over the winter and have come up with a plan. i want a fast road car which is easily adaptable into a rally car.
funny thing is i am not a mechanic, i used to be a chef so i'm very good with my hands and have an eye for the details, my motto really is if it aint perfect then i need to try harder.
i strongly believe that with the right research, tools, advice and willingness to succeed i can achieve anything.
i've changed brake pads, oil and spark plugs on my mk2 XR2 years ago installed car audio systems but thats about it. what can go wrong (he said nievely) lols

my plan is as follows:
bigger wheels 15"
LP tires 195/45/R15
lowered 40-50mm all round on fully adjustable springs and dampers`
polybushed all round
rear brake disc conversion
uprated front calipers, discs and pads perhaps from a mondeo or focus
sports exhaust system
mk5 zetec S front/rear bumpers,
side skirts and a rear diffuser which i'm gonna make myself
rear spoiler and front aero kit
1.7 Zetec puma engine 1st then 2.0 Zetec later on which will be super/turbocharged
ive got an idea for some different head/side lights `like on the american dodge charger, individual round lights set back with a big grill in the middle what do you think of my plan overall?

this is the car the day before purchase

cypressbill

first up was wheels. i paid £80 for these with tires and more importantly no curb marks

rubbed them down


primed

painted matte black
i used spray cans. never spray painted anything in my life but well happy with the result.


i thought i'd go the extra mile and got hold of some vinyl wrap carbon look. look ok dont they?

gjh

Very nice! I own a mk4 myself, very under rated, keep us updated!

cypressbill

picked up this baby for £30 a bit dirty with a few scuffs but no damage . so after a few days hand sanding and a quick rattle can prime and respray it looks brand new

cypressbill

cypressbill

having the new wheels on is a transformation

cypressbill

back bumper £37 from ebay same as front no damage but needed respraying

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

These mk4 fiestas are a good car
Sadly most of them have rotted away now.

cypressbill

test fitted the bumper. had to cut off 2 small bits of plastic to get it to fit right other than that just bolts straight on. also fitted the exhaust which is called a hornet £32 from ebay

Mk4 Rick

I had a 2 litre zetec mk4 fiesta .I had a donor mondeo to get the bits from though.It was an easy swap

cypressbill

yeah i know what you mean. i ripped out the rear arch liner and found this

ive been out with the angle grinder yesterday most of its gone now. gonna strip the bottom from the fuel tank to the rear back to bare metal and zinc primer ,stonechip then waxoil. weve got some nice weather atm so best time to do it

Prince_Thain

Interesting seeing a 5 door one of these done, which will be very different.
Sounds like it will end up being very expensive by the time you're done. Perhaps work out how much you would have spent by the end of it and think about what other car with decent power etc you could get for that price.
I have a project and realised I could have got an ST by the time I finished!
Yours would be far more unique though, well done on what you've done so far.

cypressbill

i see what you mean. it would have to be a new ST though as i dont like the mk6.

cypressbill

i do like the diffuser

cypressbill

this is a common problem with the mk4

its the drivers door sill
by the time i got rid of the rust it lookled like this

now i would like your thoughts on the next one please is it a or

i used expanding foam for the cavity and ill use this to fill

what would you have used

Scott_Rst

Nice wee project mate, not being rude,,but expanding foam and filler ontop is a total bodge job,, always remove rust then replace with fresh metal, just my 2pence worth!

cypressbill

thats what im after constructive criticism. buying a welder is on my shopping list. will this do for the time being ?

cypressbill

good old fiesta arches

cypressbill

no expanding foam was used during this process

got another layer of filler to go on

mk1turboestate

iTrader: (2)

Please don't leave the expanding foam in, get it welded properly, other than that good effort

cypressbill

hycote zinc primer goes on thick

clairendave

Expanding foam will absorb any moisture/water it can get its pores on. That little hole will be a huge issue in time to come. The foam will also make it messy to weld properly now. Keep it up tho, just loose the foam

Dave

cypressbill

gonna finish the rear arch then test fit the front bumper . as i understand it some slight modification is needed with a file. we shall see

cypressbill

i found this earlier . how bizzare. rear end ford focus

front-end mk 5 zs fiesta the ford ikon as its called

cypressbill

the rear arch is looking much better. anyone with an idea for a replacement arch liner, something that water doesnt soak into like the std one ( stupid idea ford)

cypressbill

cypressbill

i have listened to your advice about the foam and you'll be pleased to know its going as soon as i get a welder

gjh

Ye but get a welder ASAP, that stuff needs fresh metal, its coming on nicely with you, and don't worry, I'll be in the same boat as you with mine. Saving up to do mine, which hopefully will begin next spring. Keep up the good work.

cypressbill

knocked up a stencil for spraying my custom grill

cypressbill

i paid £150 for this engine, gearbox,loom,ecu key & ignition barrell
i could fit this myself but would need some paid help to wire it up and get it running as i wouldnt know where to begin.
but that job is a few months down the line as i am reconditioning, adding cams and port and polishing

cypressbill

there's only one way to learn and that's getting the spanners dirty. i had problems with my std 1.3 endura engine it kept stalling when coming to a standstill. i diagnosed as a dirty idle control valve quick spray with

and problem solved

cypressbill

3 coats of 2k clear on both bumpers done

cypressbill

my spoiler £12 ebay

dunno if im gonna respray as might be doing a blue carbon wrapped roof with welded plate over the sunroof

mk1turboestate

iTrader: (2)

If your doing the plate over the sunroof yourself I wouldn't bother if you haven't welded before it will more than likely end up a mess as it's such a difficult panel

cypressbill

no i wont be dooing it.

cypressbill

i might buy a mot failure for pennies so i can practice cutting bits off and welding back on. plus swap out any parts i may need

cypressbill

at least if its a zetec ill be able to see how the loom is wired up

Shaun's

Just my 2 pence.....but it might be easier to ask how to do things first instead of after you've bodged something.....don't get me wrong I've bodged plenty in the past but because I didn't have the wealth of the Internet...( I'm in my 40s ) everyone's here to help mate.

cypressbill

ok here's a question. whoever changed the sparkplugs or what ever has rounded off some of these alllen bolts from the engine cover. any tips on how to get these out?

obviously i would normally just drill them out with a left handed drillbit but there must be another way

cypressbill

here's a good example of my idea for custom lights. what do you think ??