RSF2000 Rally Sport Focus! RWD Revolution

RWD Focus:

Why;
1 They are very plentiful there are over 2,000,000 in the us alone!
From 2000 to now they have not changed suspension framing, With a few minor
changes like in 05 they moved to ears for there front brakes. 2000 to 2004 are
showing up in our local inexpensive junk yards, where spare rack and pinions and
components are cheap and in huge numbers.

2 The cars are only falling more in price I have seen running 2000 focus's for
under 1000 and almost free if they have motor issues. Also now on CL there is two 2005
with 2.0 duratecs for 3500 obo.

3 The Duratec! a very versatile and good power plant that picking up a huge after market
fallowing thanks to open wheel and custom swaps in the UK and states.
The ford harness is flashable and easy to adapt and swap. In the states any mazda
turbo 2.3 steel crank will fit the 2.3, and they go for $300.

4 The swap parts are easy to find, such as ford explorer rear diff and t5
transmission. The explorer diff has a limited slip factory but can be upgraded with
a carbon Kevlar clutch pack and forged housing for under $300 and can
have custom preload for little extra, along with about any gear choice needed for street or rally.

5 The front and rear frame will have to be replaced and thats what I will be building
and selling The goal for the frame's cost will be $1200 for front and rear frame. There are
quite a bit more parts that it will require but this to get to a point where the focus can be
the best RWD for the buck.

6 Cost. I want to set people up with the options to have a rwd car that with have a near
perfect formula, Close ratio gear box good limited slip and with plenty of power NA or turbo.
If the budget is tight there are several stock ford transmissions like ranger or miata 6 speed.
and stock gear ratios and limited slips are not that far off from pretty damn good.

7 Repairs and spares. With the cost of diffs and t5s and duratecs people can afford
to have spares. Going home with blown motors or a dead box's would be a thing of the past
for the entry level racer.

8 Other cars This swap kit will not be just for focus it will cross in too the mazda 3,
volvo s40 60 80 and c30. It will also work with for the UK focus market.



The build
I am using the ford explorer rear IRS from 2002 to present, there spline count is 31 and 29 outer.
They are rather large but made of aluminum and can withstand huge hp numbers. I will retain the
stock explorer cv and outer flange and bearing, the cv is overkill but cheap and plentiful.

The diff will be mounted with similar geometry as the stock focus, the was the diff is made allows
for mounts that will make the diff pull out from the bottom making changing them in to 8 bolts,
4 for the drive line and 4 for the diff on a 06 plus and 3 for a 2002 to 05.

I will be making a fabricated rear knuckle and use the focus trailing mount its tucked up and in
which is great for protection. The knuckle with be shaped with a void at the bottom so
when you unbolt the hub you can pull the hub brake and cv at once. With this you can change a
cv in 3 or 4 minutes.

The back of the car has quite a bit of room but will require a small tower to be installed for
a coil over shock, My goal is 12" of travel with the set up. The rest will be bolt on.

in the front I will retain the stock power steering and build a new direct bolt on frame
and move the rack forward and bolt in from the bottom. with this there will be the
second peace of fabricating, of installing a small preformed tranny tunnel that
would be best welded in.

motor mount will have to be fabricated but should require little to no welding on the car, due to
the existing mounts on the passengers side and fabricated ones on the drivers side.

front suspension will not be changed unless wanted I do plan on making long travel
parts, with fabricated arms but this would be icing on the cake.

The bolt pattern will be changed to 5 on 4.5 and the mazda 3 knuckles already have this
in the front and swap over. for brakes I will make a large brake kit but again thats more
parts that are outside of the RWD swap.




Thanks for reading This is what I hope to make my niche for years to come.

So today I go a full back half of a 2006 explorer frame for $150

that limited slip and cvs an all the other junk it comes with
very interesting that the focus looks like explorer's little
brother. The links are all the same positioning and seem to have the
same off set of the short front link. I would say the shorter front lower link
provides more toe in on drupe to keep the car stable when
lifting off the ground.

this is the hub the flange is a re drilled stock explorer and stock bearing.
allen head bolts will stick right in there and allow a farther off set for more material
around the bearing.
Now that I have the diff in hand i can draw up an compleet idea of the frame and rear diff with arms.

Very interesting.

William you will be the King of the Focus!

---

Robert.

"You are way too normal to be on Rally Anarchy." Eddie Fiorelli.

Have you seen the Kugel Komponents swap kit that already exists for making a Focus RWD? It is a well engineered kit that I believe was designed with Ford's help since it came out just weeks after the focus came to the US.

http://www.kugelkomponents.com/focus/focus.html

Looks like an interesting project. The biggest issue I see is getting the steering to work right since the knuckles that are on the car and the ones that are you looking to use are both designed for the rack to be behind the wheels. Are you going to swap the knuckles side to side? If you are going that far why not use a RWD knuckle like the one off a miata or mustang so you do not have to deal with the FWD wheel bearings.

Good luck.

Quote
Andrew_Frick
Have you seen the Kugel Komponents swap kit that already exists for making a Focus RWD? It is a well engineered kit that I believe was designed with Ford's help since it came out just weeks after the focus came to the US.

http://www.kugelkomponents.com/focus/focus.html

Looks like an interesting project. The biggest issue I see is getting the steering to work right since the knuckles that are on the car and the ones that are you looking to use are both designed for the rack to be behind the wheels. Are you going to swap the knuckles side to side? If you are going that far why not use a RWD knuckle like the one off a miata or mustang so you do not have to deal with the FWD wheel bearings.

Good luck.

I have, not to be rude but WTF! solid 8.8 and the rear, shocks hang way below the
axle and bolt on to a little bar under the car. This kit was not meant for more than
5 inches of travel. We know how to make a very affective solid axle car, and its
with 24" plus 4 link.

But due to this car is just the now no v8 no solid axle looks to me they just
wanted a nascar that could parallel park

Then to have to buy custom steering rack, have you seen how
much they gouge you? they say 20000 to put a car together! with my parts
20000 would be fire breathing top level group 2 car like the rest of the world.

I have stared endlessly at there parts I have not seen one interesting or useful
part that looks applicable to a real world multi purpose car. the focus is a light car by todays
standards but a v8 and a beam axle Its just old tech hefty and not needed.

the other little thing is the stock focus and mazda 3 have a sump on the wrong side
well turns out that will be to an advantage due to the cross member mounted back.
that means we can run stock sump and just shift the new frame around till the fit and
maybe make some sort of new connection for the steering.

the front wheel drive wheel bearing is great. just put a bolt threw with the
right washers and tighten it up. The other reason the more i keep the same the less people
I will scare away, with the price and work. I want to make it a point that I have the cheapest
parts as well like a re-drilled ford hub well I can get them for 20 bucks. and toss in
some new holes and a little fat trimming and ill sell hub and bearing for about 70 dollars.

the best thing about there v8 kit is they can make money on them! It's my turn.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/26/2011 12:19PM by SteelSolutions.

Quote
Rallymech
William you will be the King of the Focus!

thanks! I hope so

What about refining what's already been done with these Foci and Fiesters (think O'Neil's Focus and Block's Fiesta). Mock up the tail end of a Escort Cosworth WRC (or Group A...not as nice, but the square beam already exists) and Supra-izing the rear end?

That Exploder stuff is big, ugly, and heavy, and the only real troubles my friend has had with his 2003 Exploder are with the rear wheel bearings (done twice in 150k miles) and the rear diff howling (think it's been replaced three times, maybe just twice).

Just thinking out loud...not gonna be insulted if you think I'm a moe-ron.

Or use an E30 BMW rear suspension. Very similar to the XR/Escort, with a STA, has LOTS of R&P options, and they are in the junkyard too. I know the Supra diff is awesome (one is going in my car soon) but the supply is drying up. E30's are plentiful.

Well OK fiestas rear suspension looks like a golf and has no similarities.

I love the supra diff but they will run out and there older, explorers are still coming out
they howl because they leek if never taken care of and the bearing style they use is just not beefy
enough for a 6000 lbs truck they might be ok in a 2500 car.

the beam swing arms are not and option at all the car dose no have the room its needs to be
just like the explorer and focus they are the same style it must work really well if theres millions of cars
with this varying of geometry.

the beam is a cool idea but the way the floor is set up it would
take some serous cutting and welding to get the beam up in to the car.

The bmw diff is nice too but thats more parts to make for the cvs and other stuff like that
and they are out of production and change quite a bit.

and a big part of it is its ford sounds corny and im not a person that cares how
Frankenstein my car is but I think in the long run of sales ford on ford would prevail.
not to mention theres no hunting needed for these parts.

big and ugly no they are smart! the diff threads from the back and pins form the bottom
it can come out of the car in seconds its large but its aluminum and saving a few lbs o dear.

Potential problem for this in Canada at least is that it could only compete in Open class, against Antoine, and Pat, and all the other subitshies. Gr2 and Gr5 rules prohibit drive configuration changes.

Quote
tmachnik
Potential problem for this in Canada at least is that it could only compete in Open class, against Antoine, and Pat, and all the other subitshies. Gr2 and Gr5 rules prohibit drive configuration changes.

True if it dose get pumped up maybe the rules can be bent or revised.
Rally will be the smallest buying community, street cars will be the main target.

UM ya chevy truck t5 with dog kit and a milled transfer case would make a bitchin
AWD just like a bunch of hill climb cars and hmm the car is already has front drive wheels.

I will make awd for it latter. theres lots of nice little truck front axles that can be adapted
would be funny though to have this in open class for a lot less that a subaru with dog box and
3 diffs and full suspension.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/26/2011 04:48PM by SteelSolutions.

No problems doing this under NASA or MaxAttack rules.

I would bet that you could get the Canucks or RA to bend their rules. Build it and they will come. Don't forget the drifters!

Quote
wvonkessler
No problems doing this under NASA or MaxAttack rules.

I would bet that you could get the Canucks or RA to bend their rules. Build it and they will come. Don't forget the drifters!

my thoughts exactly!

RA already removed the driveline restriction in G2/G5, I'm sure CARS could be persuaded to do so also.