my scar on my elbow way better than that lol ,nice work on the motor

 

Whats the story behind your scar?

Mines always gonna be there and noticeable, but I'm glad its gonna be pretty neat, don't really want it to look like I've had a shark nibbling on my arm

 

I like where this car is going Ben.Keep up the good work,also my rear springs was a pain to get out it took me a day for the whole spring change in my back yard.Looking forward to the updates well done

 

Looking good at a guess tho your ball joint came out if the hub because the pinch bolt had stretched and wouldn't tighten? I fit new bolts every time I have a ball joint out of a hub just incase

 

Looks a smart little car Mate

 

Thanks

Nah I replaced the bolts... it was the actual hub... for whatever reason the bolts weren't pinching in the hole, the garage couldn't work out why though because it hadn't been drilled or machined, and it looked the same size, but either way its sorted now

Thanks buddy

 

Top project.Me and the wife have a mk1.5 focus zetec.Get some ghia interior lights fitted.I put a rear light in ours.It was a bit nerve racking cutting the headlining.

 

Is there much difference in power with the st170 air box and snorkle fitted.

 

I'm gonna look into that at a later date I think... might retrim the headlining at the same time... cover it with a dark alcantara or something.

Probably not a lot of difference in power... but definitely in throttle response. You put your foot down and something happens a lot quicker.

Also makes much more of an induction roar at higher revs, without being OTT.

That'll be partly down to the snorkel, partly down to the K&N filter.

Once I get the exhaust fitted to get the air out quicker, then the real benefits of the snorkel will be noticed I think.

 

got a 1.6 mk 1 myself mate.

with the filter bought a k+n panel and bought a k+n air feed which i fitted from the base of the air box without resonator and fed to the lower grill although i had to reposition the horn slightly. i found this gave the best air feed. i also fitted bosch super 4 plugs and took it to collins performance for a powerchip. this made a slight difference with the LUK clutch i had fitted. the chassis makes up for the lack of performance and the lack of power. therefore i fitted EBC discs and pads with silicone fluid so you can slam the anchors a bit later lol

 

Looking at either Bosch Super 4s (which I fitted to my sisters 1.3 Ka and made a MASSIVE difference over old standard ones), or the Denso Iridium plugs, which I've heard just as good things about.

Also thinking of fitting Magnecor leads as these probably haven't been changed for several years, if at all.


Motul RBF600 racing brake fluid will be going in when the rear disc conversion gets done... then Ferrodo DS2500 pads and new discs all round when I can afford it. With decent tyres on, should literally hurt when braking hard.


Long term I'm probably gonna get cams, and a live remap to get best out of the ECU and map it to run RONNIE-99 petrol, then do the clutch as that'll be on its way out, especially with the power increase... Helix of some description probably.

 

I fancy fitting the st air box n snorkle to the wifes.

 

Are your leather seats out of a 3dr st.

 

They are... So the door cards won't fit, but the seats fit fine, just the front ones will fold forwards

 

Ben why don't you see if anyone is breaking a 5 door ST for the door cards mate?

 

Have been keeping a look out, but I'd need them from a 5 door ST WITH the Recaro upgrade (cos standard ST170 is half-leather with blue doorcards), or from a 5 door non-ST with leather interior... but don't want the Ghia ones which have the wood-effect strip, unless they're removeable and paintable.

Haven't seen a full set of anything 5dr AND leather though, so may just retrim mine (and spray the inserts BMW Titan Silver to match the centre console), which is possible if I take it to an upholsterer

 

Could you not get some leather door cards and put your silver door card strips in.

 

I think the Ghia and Zetec door cards are the only ones with strips in, the others don't seem to have them. Certainly the ST170 ones don't.

I don't know whether they are actually removable or not though, they might break if I try to remove them, they might come off easily, I've got no idea.

The strips I mean are not the door handle, they're these, just incase I was confusing you:





If I was to find a full set of 5dr (black) leather door cards in good condition at good price, I'd buy them. If they had the Ghia wood strip, I'd consider buying them if the price was good enough, but they're not high on the list right now, other things which I'm going to prioritise as funds become available.

 

OIL MAN'S BEEN!!!



"Fuchs Titan Race Pro S" esther-synthetic oil (4 x 5-litre)
"Motul RBF 600" racing brake fluid (3 x 500ml)
"Denso Iridium" spark plugs (x 4)
UFI active-carbon cabin filter (x 2)
UFI oil filter (x 2)
UFI fuel filter (x 2)


Motul RBF will be put in when the rear disc conversion and braided hoses go on... not got an exact date on that yet but will be Feb/March hopefully.

Then will do a service hopefully early Feb... just need to get some HT Leads too when I know exactly what ones I need on the car (due to different coilpacks on different years etc)

 

Yeh i knew what strip u ment matey.

The titan oil is brill.

 

Have you got the wiper stalk with the intermittent wiper speed adjustment on it. It a straight swap. A cool cheap mod.

I also put lights in the footwells which i later found out that th STs had them.

 

Yeah I've heard good stuff about it, and it's (one of the ones) recommended by Opie Oils as best 5W30 out there. Always use the best oil I can, and it makes a massive difference.

Regularly changing the spark plugs & fuel filter every year, and oil & oil filter every 6 months and cleaning the K&N at the same time kept all my previous cars running at their optimum.

I have, although the washer button is sometimes a bit temperamental so I might look at replacing it again. Much better to have adjustable speed intermittent though.

Not so interested in the footwell lights right now though, maybe as a touch once the car is "finished", we'll see.

 

I think the wiper stalk is a top mod.Remove cowelings unplug wiper stalk refit new stalk fit cowelings.

 

Our focus when we got it.



I put my old wheels off my cossie on it.



The stalk.


footwell lights.

 

Car has gone to the garage for exhaust & suspension fitting.

More stuff ordered too, nothing especially exciting, just some Magnecor HT leads and a magnetic sump plug

 

I would advise using genuine ford plugs and leads. Zetecs are very fussy when it comes to them for some reason. On more than a couple of occasions I have seen misfiring zetecs, the culprit was aftermarket plugs, often nearly new ones. A set of genuine Ford plugs and leads and they are all good again. Genuine plugs are often cheaper than other brands too!

 

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Also have a 1.6 but mine it's the mk1! Have some mods in it, but keeping the most part to do at once.

The ST170 snorkel and airbox, is that much of a difference to the 1.6 stuff? And the automatic deflector? I really don't know it it's quite that of a difference...but you tell me.

I went a little more extreme with brakes...Brembo FRS in front and ST170 in the back. I'm getting a full rebuild on them, and buying the same stuff you did when you got the brakes changed. Hopefully will get it sorted soon...
I'm planning on swapping the engine for a 2.0....powerwise would be better and cheaper to get some more juice out off it, and more power right out off the box...you should have some thought about it

P.S.: Where did you get the US Rears? I've been hunting for a pair of those for such a long time :\

P.S. 2: Have you fitted the spoiler? Is it easy to do?

 

Definitely made a noticeable difference to the throttle response. It's much sharper and if you're in the power band, you put your foot down and instantly you feel it, whereas before there was a slight hesitation as the air made its way into the engine.

Which bit it is down to (ST170 snorkel, K&N filter, Auto air deflector) I don't know, or maybe its a bit of all of it.

I looked into FRS Brembos, but don't you have to get custom brackets made up so that they'll fit onto the ST170 hubs? I saw pics somewhere that involved cutting and grinding, so decided against it for now, cos of the cost of purchase and fitting.

US Rears I found on ebay, they're not all that common, sometimes come up on focus forums or other sites, but gotta keep an eye out cos they usually get snapped up pretty quick.

Haven't fitted the spoiler yet no, it's on its way to my friend to get sprayed up later this week. Been reading through the instructions though and doesn't look too hard to fit tbh... just a bit time consuming maybe.

 

And as for power. A 1.6 will do me for now... when I want to go fast, I go on my bike.

Car is a tool, bike is a toy.

I'm just making my car more of a fun tool.

When I can afford a 2nd car, and engine tuning, I may look at an FRS engine swap, and tune that. Or some other conversion. Then could keep this car for fun and track.

 

I'll have to get my hands on a set like that and see if it does any difference.
Before i decided for the engine swap, i was also thinking in getting the intake manifold, throttle body and injectors from the Puma 1.7...

Yeah...you do have to make a pair of custom brackets, and grind a tiny bit of the carrier but nothing major, and the brackets are easy to do, but beside everything, it's worth it.

I do have a set i'm watching but the seller doesn't post them to Portugal, afraid that the set comes damaged, which is understandable.

The Ford prices here in Portugal for the spoiler are a total rape...how much did you pay for it? PM me if you want

 

Got the car back from the exhaust place now.
Went in for:
- Manifold, sports cat & catback system all fitted with new gaskets
- Springs and F & R ARBs fitted
- All ARB bushes/droplinks replaced & exhaust mounts replaced.

Ended up also having washer pump changing, and a split CV boot changing as well.

Really pleased with it, looks great without being to in-your-face, and not too loud either, as quiet at motorway speeds as the standard exhaust, but when you put your foot down you get a deep burble, and it goes a lot better now, free'd up some power for sure.

No videos yet, but will get more pics and videos once the springs have settled a bit more.













Said it was probably the easiest exhaust he's ever fitted, because it just went together perfectly, right from the manifold backwards.


Really happy though, and glad to have it back for the Southampton meet tomorrow.

 

Any videos of the sound?

 

Ask and ye shall receive... it says that in the bible.


Anyway, got some vids, but not much of a picture to them tbh, it was dark, and I just stuck the phone in my brodit holder, so mostly it just filmed the dashboard, but its got sound.

There's a nice burble on the overrun, little quiet pop pop pops, sounds cool.



http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/3...drcyiyrxas.mp4
1 - Starting car & driving out car park.


http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/877...lapshjwkdd.mp4
2 - From the traffic lights, onto the bypass, up to 2nd, and stationary traffic ahead stopped me going faster.


http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/2...kegsjenbsb.mp4
3 - From the roundabout onto the motorway slip road.


http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/457...ybzpstxfgm.mp4
4 - 3rd, 4th and 5th on motorway.


http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/5...wswugrfjcx.mp4

 

Thanks

It sure looks like a more deeper sound! Sounds really nice!

Any more ideas for the engine?

Mine is a 3 door, and has a different gear ratio than yours, i can see by the rpm vs speed...

 

Your not getting your mph and km/h mixed up are you? My speedo is in miles per hour... 1.6 km is one mile, so 50mph is actually 80 km/h.

Other plans for engine in next year or two is cams, vernier pulleys and uprated cambelt with that, then remapping.

Plans for the car in general will be audio upgrade, adjustable shock absorbers, and that's about it I think.

 

I'll try and get a video of mine 1st, 2nd and 3rd to the limiter, and you'll see the speeds are different You can check that out on the manual of the car....the ratios are different, not much, but different ...

 

Ah fair enough... what gearbox and final drive ratio does yours have, do you know?

I think this one is the IB5.

 

Got some little plastic strut covers the other day, so now the suspension is fitted, decided to whack these on.







Got some pics of the manifold whilst I was under the bonnet.











Went for a drive out in the New Forest, test the cars improved handling, and it really is improved. Can go nearly double the speed on roundabouts before the tyres start to squeal, only trouble is I don't really wanna be doing 60-odd round the roundabouts with the way the roads are round here... bumpy as hell and don't want to damage anything.

Anyway, whilst I was out in the New Forest, stopped for a few photos. (Car needs a clean!)












Also got a couple more videos of the exhaust...

http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/868...emzvgoduwv.mp4


Bit of popping 16 seconds in on the overrun
http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/3...yijbelkzxr.mp4

 

All the Focus 1.4, 1.6 use IB5 gearbox. Only the 1.8, 2.0 and FRS use MTX75, with LSD in the FRS.
The ST170 uses a Getrag MT285 with 6 speed.

I got the videos for you. Have to put them somewhere. My 2nd, well squeezed, almost hits 110/115 km/h.

An important thing you need to do, if haven't done already, is to update the PCM with the new wheel size. Did it to mine cause i was running 15'' and now i'm running 16''. Ford dealer could do that for you...

I've seen that caps on another forum the other day

Here goes mine Hope you don't mind!

 

What is the PCM?

And why will it need changing.

The wheels have gone from 15" to 17"... but the tyres have only gone from 615mm circumference to 625mm, a total change of 1cm, or 1.6%. That equates to +1mph at 60mph, ie when the speedo "says" 60, I'll be doing 61.
(Except the speedo overreads by 1-2mph anyway, so actually it'll be pretty much bang on)