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General Car Related Discussion.To discuss anything that is related to cars and automotive technology that doesnt naturally fit into another forum catagory.
I am currently in discussion with a friend about purchasing his 1990 mk4 xr3i.
its a clean shell with no rust (recently had work done) with the 1.6 efi engine. I am planning on driving it around for 12 months or so whilst building a zetec turbo engine on a stand.
Ideally i'd like to have it running at a safe 300bhp, and understand that this may be too much power (but f*****g fun!! .
Does anybody know roughly the cost of building an engine up if i already have a 2.0 zetec blacktop? if so, what am i roughly looking at price wise? I've had a look around various forums across the internet and have a general idea of whats needed. it would help it speak to anyone who has previously done this swap before, or worked on the 2.0 zetec.
I'm sure there's plenty of knowledge on here, any pointers would be much appreciated!
I have done two - one was a 'ye olde back street jobbe' - milled , heat treated pistons to lower compression £100 1.6mm head gasket£45 , heat treated and peen shotted conrods £150 , arp bolts all round, uprated valve springs - 250bhp max
other was - a fully forged pro built engine everything except exhaust cam with hybrid gt25 410 at sabre
many options - best bet would be to look out for second hand focus rs mk1 pistons and rods uprated valve springs from st170 and ur good to go
obviously u will need injectors and ecu to suit aswell as turbo but that can be from escort rs turbo etc , inlet again - efi..many options
@t230 i am not so much bothered about the costs, as the car will still be running till the zebec is built. i'd rather chuck a good lump of money at it and have the reassurance that its gonna take abuse and still hold strong.
I've been looking deep into zebec builds and swapping into ERST's and it seems an easy-ish job provided you have fairly deep pockets. i've also considered the ZVH conversion using the efi head that comes on the motor i have now. However I'm not sure if the xr3i efi head will be compatible/same spec as the rst head.
posted some pics below of the car and the engine, not sure if its right as I've only had a quick look over the car. have you any pics of the fully forged engine?
@big_wasa ideally i like the route of fully forged as it gives me that peace of mind that the internals will withstand a decent seeing to. As i stated above,ive also recently considered the ZVH route, as it keeps some of the heart of the escort which i like the idea of. (absolutely mad on them) I've got a rough idea of what I'm looking to spend. Roughly 5k on the engine and drivetrain, and another 5k on the internals of the car and the looks etc (nice pair of shoes, some sticky tyres, carbon fibre).
The price of the engine build isn't including the actual zetec blacktop motor, as I've a mate who has had one sat in his garage for the past 2 years.
Build will all be done by myself and my dad, I've been doing my research and teaching myself everything i need to know about the 1.6 cvh. My dad was a mechanic for around 15 years in the early 90s-2000's and spent all of that time building ERST's and fiestas so he deffo knows his way around the engine bay.
I do have a soft spot for a 3i and that one wants getting of that damp floor ASAP.
5k sounds a lot and is a lot but it won’t do a fully forged reliable 300 with room for more.
To start with the gearbox will shit itself with that much torque. You will be looking at an mtx75 conversion. Probably an Lsd. That will swallow a grand with out a decent clutch.
Engine management.with a couple of dyno sessions will sink another £1500
custom manifolds, decent turbo the project will really escalate.
I'm hoping it'll be safe and sound in my garage in the next month or so, fingers crossed!
what money are you thinking then for a reliable 300?
in terms of everything you'd need mechanically? I'm just looking for a general figure to work around. I've set myself a limit of 15k for the entire build, and would obviously be happy sending a bigger portion of that total to the engine if it meant reliable power. funds will be coming in dribs and drabs over the next 12 months but that 15k is what ill have to play with.
gearbox wise I've been looking at pairing the zetec with the Quaife QKE38Z 5-speed sequential box, and a quaife lsd from the RST.
i am just unsure on fitment into the bay of the xr3i.
(also the cost of the box isn't included in the 15k total mention above).
i believe i commented on a thread that you had recently responded to in the rs turbo specific section with regards to zebec conversion lol,didnt see your name til i'd sent a reply.
My best advice and i said this to my engine builder yesterday is to just go with a fresh crate engine , which is what i regret not doing, and let areasix developments build it to your spec or whoever you prefer
I’ve had some personal stuff this last few weeks but I am back on it. Just a few brackets and I can get that on the road for a shake down.
Should have my head back from porting Thursday. Just about everything I need for 400bhp
So I hope to get some content up soon. I would love to have got a new engine as a base but stocks have just about run out with kitspares now wanting 2k for the last couple they have.
Due to the oval racers wanting good 2.0 lumps the Zetec is very nearly dead and gone.
23-05-2020, 04:48 PM
XR3i rebuild - zetec turbo conversion
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I've got a rough idea of what I'm looking to spend. Roughly 5k on the engine and drivetrain, and another 5k on the internals of the car and the looks etc (nice pair of shoes, some sticky tyres, carbon fibre).
