Hi everyone , I am the newbie here. I am a mechanic from Suffolk who has had a long passion for RS fords and especially cosworths, but ive never had the cash!! I have had in my time mk2 mexicos,rs2000’s and also owned nearly every version of sierra excluding rs500,3 dr cossie and sapphire cosworth until now.
I wanted to buy a cossie this year but had a very tight budget. I looked at 12 in total & everyone of them had problems, from more rust than the titanic, butchered wiring from hell, interiors that looked like a 40yr old pub carpet,& it was after travelling 4 & a half hours on the promise of a mint concours car & arriving to find a bodged up piece of rubbish.
I gave up and bought a one owner 2.9 xr4x4 that needed some cosmetic work but was in good order. So i bought it back and stripped it ready for painting & a new wing. Two weeks after bringing it home to my workshop i had a call asking if i was still looking for a cosworth. I was then told of a 1989 moonstone blue 2wd sapphire cosworth that was a guys project but he needed some cash quickly so i went to look at it. The car had already had a bare metal respray, a full retrim in half leather at a cost of £700,£600 worth of brand new 18inch alloys and tyres, full stainless steel exhaust system& polybushed all round. But the engine was in bits.It came with a new block so a deal was struck & i was the proud owner of the car i had always dreamed of.
Now the fun started as the other half said i could not do anything to the cossie until the xr4x4 was finished. So thats where i am now. But the plan for the cosworth is this: full engine rebuild &balance,803 green injectors,-31 actuater,3 bar map sensor & induction kit. But i have several questions that i need your advice with, they are as follows:
1) Whats the best value engine mods?
2) Where can i get these parts & is it poss to get them 2nd hand?
3) To dump valve or not, as u hear good & bad reports about them?
4) Wheels! Whats the best size to fit as i have a set of 17 inch 7 spoke softline rs wheels. One set of team dynamics 18 inch alloys & one set of standard lattice alloys.
5) My side skirts don’t look right and hang down funny! Why and how do i fix it?
I know theres a lot of questions but this is the start of my dream & i want to get it right!!
Best regards skippy312

 

http://www.rscosworthbreakers.co.uk/

http://www.cosworthrsspares.co.uk/

Both guys use this site, always someone breaking there car in cosworth parts for sale section

https://passionford.com/forum/ford-r...s-for-sale-34/

Clips always break on sideskirts of bodykit

 

Powerwise i'd go for 330bhp, your car has the parts, probably just needs a setup once built?

 

oh oh ,wallet bashing about to commence ,i take it your wife has no idea how much money you can spend on a cossie lol
you will find everything you need in the for sale section


cheers james

 

cheers for the replies so far ! and yes the wife knows how much cossies can consume , but luckily she loves them 2 and has always been a big rs fan.

 

you really do need a dump valve on these as they come out the box with them fitted!you can just rebuild it too standard spec,put a 4x4 intercooler or a rs500 type intercooler,T34.48,dark green injectors,3 bar map sensor you will have a good strong 330-350bhp motor,perfect for fast road use mate

 

I'd go for either stage 1 or stage 3, even stage 1 gives a massive increase in ability especially torque wise.
A stage 3 is a seriously rapid car in 2wd form.
DV, some like it, some not, there is a reason why manufacturers fit them, some don't fit them as they like turbo chatter, some like them as they are more responsive with them, but this can vary from car to car, I run one, a atmo one, for the chavy sound!!
As this is your first cossie, and 2wd, be aware they are lethal in the wet, the boost control on the std ecu is crap in that there is a delay after letting go of the throttle and boost dying, one of the many reasons why I changed my ecu for aftermarket.
Once you have done all the mods you want, I would get it live mapped, that is done on your car as an individual car, not just off the shelf chip, it will be better and money well spent.
tabetha

 

as above can always go for karl norris stage 1 gunships!

 

wow guys and gals ! i am definatly thinking about the stage 3 set up. do i need a special chip fitted to get it live mapped . and also is the 4wd intercooler bigger then the std 2wd ? the other thing is to get to 300 bhp do i need to change the turbo ?
thanks for your help , i am so glad i joined this site .
your all the greatest !!!!!!!!!!!!!
thanks .
skippy312

 

std turbo will do 300 no problem, anyone who can map them(has software) can do this on any chip that is fitted.
The 4wd i/cooler is bigger by about another 1/3 capacity, longer + deeper, but for good act's a RS500 type would be much better, especially for later on when you want more power!!
You would benefit greatly by the usual decent exhaust, K&N air filter, either element in std airbox, or group a cone filter for loads of noise!!
tabetha

 

I'd go t34.48 simens blacks (55's) 500 cooler mongoose exhaust 330-350 bhp job done.