Hi,

I'm fairly new to this forum. I've owned a couple of Fords now (Mk2 XR2 replica and a Focus Black) but have now decided, being a student, to be all sensible and get a Ka. It drives remarkably well, however I can't help but feel the need for improvement. (I am doing a degree in Automotive Technology after all! )

I was wondering what could be done realisticly on not too much of a budget to make it a tad more powerful and better to drive. Lowering springs seem a good place to start, and maybe flow the head. After running my Mk2 Fiesta on a Weber, and loving the throaty roar, I've got the craving to ditch fuel injection for a carb. Is this for the Ka? I'd need to find a new manifold but wouldn't know where to start.. Any other inputs or suggestions to turn this into a real fun run-around would be much appreciated!

Cheers,

James

 

whatever you do don't spend a lot, keep it to a min as you wont get much more power out of it being a 1.3.

i also wouldnt bother going carbs as it'll be shit on fuel and not as nice to drive as fuel injected and they'll require a fair bit of setting up.

personally, i'd do a service and make sure its running 100% and then save the rest for something better in the future.

 

I'm led to believe that the 1.3 does respond well to a few tweeks, but it's never going to give big power gains because it's only a baby engine. I think I'd just fit a decent exhaust and filter so it sounds a bit more naughty, which will make it feel a bit more 'fun' as well.

Then concentrate on making it stop and handle better. Fit some 15s, cossie brakes, poly bushes and a suspension kit and you'd have a right little go kart for the back roads. Could always strip it out a bit too, that would help the speed a bit too, and it's free, so an ideal student mod!

Then when you've got some more money, you can look into engine swaps. Plenty seems to fit in the little Ka, so you have a lot of options, or you can always move onto something different.

Where you studying by the way?

 

Thanks for the advice, I've got an ST170 fund set up, just waiting for insurance to go down! May just get a cheap set of springs and flow the head just for the fun of it. I suppose with my kind of budget i'd get naff all power increase out of the 1.3. It reminds me of my old Fiesta's Valencia engine! Anoyone heard of any interesting engine conversions done out there? I am itching for something to do..

 

Thanks, stripping it out sounds like a plan! At USC this year at Santa Pod we saw a Ka with Audi TT 225 running gear! I'm at Hertfordshire Uni in Hatfield. One of the lecturers is allowing us to turn a couple of Vx220s into track cars. Its a hard life lol..

 

Engine swaps, go for a 1.6 or 1.7 SE, a Zetec-E or even a CVH turbo, keep it standard looking mind for that sleeper look!

 

Sounds good. Think Herts is supposed to have reasonable auto courses. I'm at Staffs myself, did a Motorsport Tech foundation degree, now on Auto Engineering. I had to put up with a MINI Cooper S Works among other things, was a right bucket

 

Noooooo, Ford Racing arches FTW!

 

I've been looking for parts like those! Were they genuine ford parts, a bit like the RS accessories for the old school models? Can't seem to find anywhere to get them..

 

i finished my beng auto engineering with motorsport course at UH.

looks like my year group missed all the fun of the previous years and now you've got all the fun...fucking typical.

i chose that uni too as its fairly high in the standings for auto engineering and then in my second year they nocked down the engineering block with all the cnc machines and pc rooms to make way for more student bars...pricks. thats only serving to entice they lazy fuckers in who do nothing and spend money on overpriced booze. oh yes it is over priced at uh. there is a student union but it costs to get in to the club and you pay pub prices!!!! tis only te odd night when you get a Ł1 a pint. most uni's are Ł1 a pint ALL the time!!!

have you met dr nasser yet? he's a twat. when he gives you his "i've never let anyone eat or drink in my class and i've been teaching for 30 odd years" tell him thats a load of crap as we signed a pettition and won to get a drink as we were stuck in the one room for 3 hours straight and he coming in half way through (different lecturer the first half) barely even wanted to give us a break!!

 

I totally agree Phil, it's overpriced and I can't really see why.. It's Jeff Peters thats letting us loose on the Vx's. Not sure if you were here then but theres now a full engine lab with 20+ Zetecs in there! Fortunately they're a familiar(ish) sight for me now!

 

my final exams were in may so i do know jeff and the 1.6 zetec e's. infact it was final year that we did the engine lab where we stripped the head off, measured everything up and worked out the compression ratio...ours was about 0.5 out though as the pistons were pocketed...they weren't meant to be mind

we also had to time the cams up to non standard settings using some dial gauges and i ended up leading my team in that as most didnt know how and the others were too fucking lazy to tripple check. needless to say we were one of the few to get them spot on.

those vx220's only recently arived, some time during my final year.

Jeff is a good bloke, fucking shte organisational skills and doesnt know the maths behind stuff but what he knows he's shit hot at.

i managed to go to brunters with him and the group who were working on the bmw hand controls for testing. was my first time ever there and we ended up using my car as rescue vehicle as it kept breaking down...out with the laptop and a reset later and back on they go oh and while i remember jeff absolutely hates fucking about, should be ready and quite rightly so.

unfortunately my car wasn't 100% (steering wheel vibration turned out to be shagged drive shafts) so didn't go all out but did blast past the police at 110 mph which was fun and to see them flying about in their actavia's just makes me want one as they left their brakng VERY late and they cornered brilliantly!!

good luck with your degree mate, which one specifically are you doing and what year you in now??

 

my ka has a 2.0 zvh in it looks resonably standard goes like shit of a shovel and embarasses alot of sport cars when they wonder what the @~ck that was when it flys past them