morning all

i have the chance to buy a rare saloon 4 x 4 mondeo zetec which is stripped with bucket seats and koni's ready for the track

it currently has a zetec engine which i would dump in favour of full yb 4x4 running gear

i know most people have done focus conversions; but what i want to know is how much work is invloved in getting the mondeo to accept the yb running gear

can i use the mt75, front are rear diffs from a sapphire 4x4 with relative ease? - has anyone done it who can give me a breif run down of what's required?

i'm guessing the tunnel wont have to be modded as its already 4x4 so i guess that takes out most of the pissing about

martin reyland is the man to posibly help but i know he's a busy man!

cheers
matt

 

TOTALLY different layout, it being 4wd already really isnt going to help you much IMHO

Tunnel will need loads of modification, 4wd mondeo shell or not.

 

cheers chip; so in your opinion a complete arse ache then?

too much fabrication to make it work

 

Its perfectly possible (martin hadland has done it) but its a lot of work, and being a 4wd one just means its got a little bit of spcae for a transverse layout transfer box, it doesnt mean it will accept a 4wd cossie box hung down the middle of it.

Just turbo the zetec, that would be a piece of cake and still a cool car

 

I'm certain the tunnel will need a lot of fabrication work doing to it. The Cosworth tunnel is HUGE!

It'd make a great Zetec Turbo project, but the transfer box is very problematic. They're not exactly plentiful and very weak, so going big power may cause problems.

 

i did think about that; buy i have zero experience of zetec turbo's, i only know YB's!

do you know a ball park figure for turbo'ing a zetec? assuming i do the build myself?
can i use the exisiting management?

 

The YB will bolt up to the existing transmission if you really want a YB.

Turboing a zetec is pretty straightforward, budget depends on the power you want though, like any engine if you are talking big power its big money!

 

heard the running gear in these is pretty weak... and hard to find spare parts due to rarity...

honestly think it would be a right ball ache if Turbo'd.... and slow as you like if left atmo...

try a cheap Scooby if you want cheap 4wd track car in my opinion.

 

i dont want anything silly power wise; just enough to be half handy round a track as the car is already ready for the track (minus a powerful motor)

i'd be happy with 270-300hp

 

Very useful site apart from most of the pictures are now down

http://turbo.me.uk/

If you really can do everything yourself, I reckon you could make a healthy-spec'd 2.0 Zetec Turbo for £4k or so.

1.8 can be done cheaper, but no point as you've got a 2.0 in there already, plus what makes for a nice, quick (Focus ST-ish performance) budget 1.8 FWD Escort, would feel much slower in a 4x4 Mondeo

 

Cant argue with that, handling thats easily a match (well better reallly) for a cossie, just as practical as a mondeo, and can be bought for a few K in good order.

 

lee; i would probably give the same advise if someone was to ask me; but the car is pretty much ready as it is; it has the suspension sorted, bucket seats with harness; stipped out interior; sunroof removed etc

 

what else is done to the car track prep wise mate?

I'm still thinking this is not a wise move financially, driving fun wise, or in any way actually!

 

You sir, are a delusional cock, but in a lovely optimistic way

Its got a pair of buckets in it so the hard work is done in terms of making it into a 4wd cossie powered track weapon?

 

gotcha...

brakes?

you say suspension sorted? I wouldn't call a set of road Konis 'sorting' a Mondeo mate...

interior stripped is good weight wise, but means it nasty on road...

Honestly... a £4k nicely modded Scooby or Evo is gonna be ALOT better, faster and more reliable and fun (and sellable after) in my opinion

 

errrm thanks; i love you too!

after re-reading it; it probably sounds like i'm some delusional 17 year old dreaming of cheap cossie power!

perhaps i should have kept my saff!

the car can be had cheaply; hence my questioning - perhaps i'm being a little naive!

 

I see Chip has been less diplomatic than I was trying to be

You are being a little Niave mate...

leave the Mondeo where it is. Its cheap for a reason!



Want Cheap track fun??? Clio 172.

4wd? Scooby.

 

The problem is, even if you get GIVEN the car for free, its still not cheap cossie power when you think about the amount of work involved in fitting cossie running gear, and the price of the running gear in the first place.

Decent nick YB + 4wd setup is going to be at least 3K, thats your scooby bought, you will have to bin the suspension anyway as you will need a cossie front end and back end on it mechanically.

Seriously, if you want some MASSIVE project that costs a fortune is a huige amount of work and is mega cool at the end of it then go for it, if you want something to get out on track with 4wd in the next couple of years for sensible money, buy a scooby.

 

its fully pollybushed; with new koni's adjustables

i can get the car for £500; which to me isnt bad considering what's been done already; the front bucket seats wernt cheap either together with the harnesses

i think this is a case of my heart ruling my head!

 

PS

I agree with Lee, Clio's are awesome for cheap track fun, more enjoyable per pound than a cheap hooker

 

The bushes wont be on there once its cossie running gear, neither will the konis


Buy it and break it and buy a clio with the money then if you think the bits will fetch way more than the car costs (I doubt it personally)

Your heart really does know FUCK ALL about track cars

 

You wouldnt say that if you could see what i've spent on mine!!!

<REAL TEARS!!!

 

time for a cup of coffee to wake myself up from this dream i think!

cheers for the input

Matt

 

You SERIOUSLY think it would have cost you less to run a cosworth?

Relatively speaking Clio's are very cheap trackday fun, bottom line though is that any car you really drive the arse off on track and start buying bits to modify, will end up costing a few quid.

Hell with a heavy car like that mondeo, realistically he would do the value of the car in his first 2 trackdays just in tyres

 

agreed! - hence my questioning

 

Cool idea though mate, Im with you on that one

 

I bet this mondeo project would end-up costing as much as relatively newish Scoob/Evo with decent suspension setup/brakes etc and will take many months to complete anyway.

In fact it would require massive amounts of money to make proper Cosworth drive like one of these....

 

Chip....yes that is a fair point but to be honest I wouldnt ever track a cosworth anyway......too much to go wrong and cooling turbo cars always seems to be an issue in my experience - the clio doesnt even break a sweat even after nearly an hour constant out on track at Bedford! Needle goes up to halfway then sits there and stays put - no longer do I have to drive with one eye on the temp gauge any longer - its bliss! LOL!

I could have probably had quite half decent stripped out scooby though for what I have paid....but then theres the turbo car thing again which on track I'm defo shying away from.....NA all the way! LOL!

 

I'll wave as I SAIL past you in my TURBO bathtub!

It wont get hot... it has a PROPER radiator!




well thats the PLAN anyway

Sierra NEVER ran hot on track either to be honest. Even on roasting hot days! water about 87 on track. Oil was TOO cool as well... never went above 95! ooops

Would love a Passenger ride in the Clio though. Awesome cars. I need one in my life I think.

I'm gonna let Spiky sort his one and then nick it off him I think!

 

Lee, I'm booked on twice for donno, once for the astra, and once for either my nova or my clio williams (well i say mine, but I havent actually got it yet, the bloke ive arranged to get it off is still dicking around changing a driveshaft), if im in the clio you are more than welcome to take it out for a go

 

Porkie.....swap ya a passenger ride in mine then for one in yours at xmas Donno!!! Spiky aint tracking his clio I dont think....the big girl!!

Yeh true, I suppose if you spent a decent amount on cooling then its bound to pay off - fair comment.

Chip....dont talk to me about driveshafts....I'm on my 4th!! LOL!

 

Animal

 

As is the case in most of these saloon cars / track day cars, weight is the enemy, and always will be.

A mondeo is always gonna be a hefty thing, bit like my nissan really, it all boils down to what your prepared to "put up with"

My nissan is hefty, handles well and is cheap. End of. Never be anything different. if i spent 5k on suspension, brakes etc etc, it would be marginally quicker but them im still left with a heavy (and now)expensive lump of shit which is still worth nothing in the grand scheme of things!

Gotta say, follow chip and porkies advice and go for something light and quick (to begin with) and you can only improve on it!

 

Matt i've 8 weeks off soon could do witha bit of welding

find me a 4x4 cos running gear and floor pan an i will do it

or

put a focue RS engine in it to replace the zetec

Paul

 

just up the power of the engine,then its still a cheap track car.
i have a mondeo 4x4,and with 235/40 17 r888,i cant make it slide on a corner.probably because it wont go fast enougth to lose traction lol.

 

ello paul mate; the fabrication isnt a problem as i get it all done for nothing anyway; i just have to supply materials - just wondered how much of a ball ache it would be

its Blokie's 4x4 mondeo i was thinking about doing it on

anyway; you've got enough to do on the Cortina

 

I can supply doors, front wings , bonnet & tailgate for the Mondeo shape up to 05 ( i think ), i got the moulds when i bought the mondeo cosworth i owned a few years ago .

 

Could you not sling a YB in the front mounted the way the original Zetecs mounted?

Sure i've seen a FWD YB Escort GTi so it would be similar except for running the original 4x4 Mondeo running gear which I would have thought would be fine coping with your estimated power output

 

the transfer boxes dont like a lot of power, 250bhp + and its going to get expensive.

you could do a cheap zetec turbo using a decomp plate and rs turbo manifold and T3.

for a quick run down, these are some of the prices i can remember off the top of my head for the costs of my ZT lol

block £100
head (big valve ported and polished) £1200
carrillo rods £800
wiseco pistons £600
focus rs head gasket £30
focus rs head bolts £30
modifed 200sx top mount turbo manifold (wonf fit fwd layout) £200
T3/T4 turbo £280 (its an xs power jobby, bit smaller than an rs500 t4)
injectors £150
titan motorsport roller barrel throttles £850
titan inlet manifold £150
plenum cover would have been about £300
winged/baffled sump £50
piper bd10 grind cam kit £450
piper vernier pulleys £200
cam belt £30
gaskets/bolts etc £100
focus rs spark plugs £40

thats all i can think of at the mo, so whats that, about £5700

fuck

 

got a mondy 4x4 project on the go at the mo was planning a 300bhp zetec turbo motor for it,was going to get a few bits and bobs from across the pond to get me going,was looking at emerald to run the engine and a few other bits

if you want the mondy then go for it is 4x4 got traction control its lowered so half way there
get it strip out fit some st170 disc, mark 3 mondy calipers and get some good disc and pads,
could use the current engine to turbo charge or remove the lump and drop a rs focus lump in there the internals are good for 360bhp with the right mods and the rs focus clutch will go in there too as the mondy runs same flywheel and is hydraulic and rod drive to saab intercooler fit a treat in front of the front panel,then there engine management some thing like emerald omex etc also got to sort out a custom exhaust system for it too.
as for the tranny problems have a word with bernie at cts to see if he can strip the internals of the transffer box and gearbox and uprate them