I'm currently gathering my pieces for doing a zetec turbo, been looking at doing it with a mondeo rather than a fiesta, but my main question is whether to go for a mk2 with a silver top or mk3 with black top, as far as i know the inlet and exhaust mounts are the same, can someone confirm this also, the differences and which would be a better choice?

 

as far as i know. the only difference between them is an extra cam tensioner.. but i can't remember which it is.. black possibly..

ZT mondeo = heavy
ZT fiesta = fun

 

i can agree with that though i was considering the fact that the weight would help keep it to the ground more than what the fiesta will hopefully giving more grip

 

Technically the later engine is better, but the earlier engines are stronger.. the cranks are there same but thats about the only identical part between the two engines. The inlet and exhaust mountings yes are the same, engine mounts are slightly different. Main difference externally is the timing belt and aux belt setup.

 

weight won't be an issue really. added weight keeps the wheels down, but its also a heavier weight to drag.
fiesta will pull much harder from 50ish i would have thought^^

 

the fiesta wil be a laugh m8

 

silvertop has different top engine mount, sump and downpipe route, inlet manifold and TB, PAS pump, cambelt, pistons, rods etc.

if you do it in a mondeo, the mk1 is lighter than the mk2. and the mk3 weighs LOADS.

i have a supercharged zetec mk1, and a zetec-turbo mk1. both are pretty cool, the ZT one is alot quicker though. very few people have put blowers on mondeo's so it is quite a rarity. alot of people mod them, but usually with stickers/speakers/led's/stupid-bodykits and wheels etc.

my ZT one does torque-steer like a bitch but i have alot of sexy suspension bits sat here which will help. also i will get a LSD later.

the saloon has a slightly stiffer shell than the hatch, due to the metal panel beneath the back window.

they do have pretty good handling as standard, and when the suspension is tweaked the handle surprisingly well for a FWD (remember how good the BTCC ones were?)

there is of course the mk1 4x4 zetec models available aswell.

its quite easy to lose alot of the weight by ditching the back seats, and put buckets in the front (the standard front seats weigh a ton).

plus, they dont rust like a fiesta.

as for silvertop vs blacktop, alot of pro's and con's with both but i'd say the blacktop is a bit better. and more performance parts are available for blacktop from USA (they make all sorts for the american focus, contour and cougar zetecs). for example, you can get a set of 4 Eagle forged steel rods for £180

 

I was looking more towards the mk2 mondeo's as i'm not suprised the mk3s weigh far more. I got an xr2i currently sitting doing nothing and has rust patch under fuel tank

Percy do you mind pm'ing me some links for sites selling parts in the USA. I've seen some sites over there selling the turbos alone and they're like half the price than what they are over hear!! Dam England been so expensive lol

 

the strange thing is the old 1990's escorts and fiesta's are considered so "hip" in the ford circles, and mondeo's are the poor relation.

dont get me wrong i like them but they are so basic in spec and they not very well put together like the mondeo's are. obviously i dont include the Escos in that statement lol

you dont get all the sills, valances, floorpans and inner wings rotting like on the fiesta's and escorts. the mondy back arches do go a bit, and the boot floors get some surface rust due to having no underseal (but i have never seen one rotted right through).

other common probs on the mondy is rear brake lines, front wishbones, and steering rack. none are major money to put right though.

a few links for zetec bits:

www.c-f-m.com
www.focussport.com

also if you look on the forum www.focaljet.com there is more links to zetec parts shops in USA.

 

Pardon me butting in, but my feeling to some extent, if your considering a Mondeo depends on the month/year of manufacture, or to put it another way whether it has a silvertop or a blacktop engine originally. It just makes it a lot easier to stick with the same engine mounts, auxiliaries, etc.

I'm not sure why pa sjo says the earlier (silvertop ?) engine is stronger. Admittedly the main caps are a bit smaller, but generally the block on the later engine is far more rigid, complemented by the alloy lower crankcase. I know of reliable blacktop engines running in the high 200hp and other more exotic ones over 400hp.

As long as you change pistons/rods as complete sets, as the crankcase is the same height, you can use what seems best. Silvertop (as Performance Ford did, but didn't write up - yet) Blacktop, American(ST170) or Focus RS.

Its the head/cam/valves where the major differences are found. Only oversized valves for the silvertop are available in Europe, its USA for a blacktop. I actually use silvertop valves in my blacktop head, but shimming costs are prohibitive. Cams for both silvertop and blacktop engines aren't a problem.

Of course you can take the cheating route.....I found a solid Mondeo 1.8LX July 98 as a winter hack. Unfortunately the cat failed and blocked the exhaust. So I cured it by dropping a Focus RS engine in...seemed to stay with a Focus ST3 (285bhp) reasonably well.