RSF2000 Rally Sport Focus! RWD Revolution

Something like this could be very successful, truly interesting platforms are getting really thin on the ground.

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hudson
Something like this could be very successful, truly interesting platforms are getting really thin on the ground.

That's why we're doing it.
Right now there are plenty of 240 Volvos and Xrattiers where WE are, but there's 8,000,000 spread all over the country.
8 fawkin million.

The question which we don't know---and which bears on the whole viability of the idea is how many people really would cough up for a kit to do it themselves?

Many are consumeroids, and the constantly repeated mantra BUY BUY BUY BUY your complete car because "you'll be out there sooner" (your need for every whim to be instantly satisfied) is powerful.

We'll see.

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Pete
Dumb realization for the rear bearing problem.

Why not just use a bolt on hub assembly from the front of something? That way all you need to fabricate is a big fat plate with a big hole in the middle, and three or four tapped or drilled holes.

I've seen stock press-in style hubs modified to take bolt-in bearings (GM 4-cyl drivetrain into Honda chassis swap) and it didn't fare too badly. Plus pressing bearings when they fail sucks.

edit - just looked at the pictures again - the Explorer looks like it already uses a bolt in bearing/hub. That makes finding parts a little easier...

the only bolt on hub that you talk of is on the newer
jeep grand Cherokee and there not too cheap.
the front on the ford that is 3 bolt is 27 spline and the rear is 29.

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john vanlandingham
The question which we don't know---and which bears on the whole viability of the idea is how many people really would cough up for a kit to do it themselves?

Many are consumeroids, and the constantly repeated mantra BUY BUY BUY BUY your complete car because "you'll be out there sooner" (your need for every whim to be instantly satisfied) is powerful.

We'll see.

I think if you get one together and prove that it's a viable platform, you won't have a lot of trouble selling kits. Especially if you offer the entire thing as a kit, ie buy parts A-F bolt / weld and you're good to go.

I think the major hangups with the Volvo and the Merkurs are the lack of sex appeal and the thought that there is some mysterious modification that needs to be done.

I'm not trying to say the Focus is sexy, but it seems that Volvos just don't do it for a lot of red blooded americans

I've had better sexual relationships since owning my Merkur. The worst dry spell was always when I drove a Subaru.

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hudson

I think if you get one together and prove that it's a viable platform, you won't have a lot of trouble selling kits. Especially if you offer the entire thing as a kit, ie buy parts A-F bolt / weld and you're good to go.

I think the major hangups with the Volvo and the Merkurs are the lack of sex appeal and the thought that there is some mysterious modification that needs to be done.

I'm not trying to say the Focus is sexy, but it seems that Volvos just don't do it for a lot of red blooded americans

The car is really growing on me. I don't know how much red blooded flag wavers
really matter look at the subaru there fast and fun out of the box with out the
super high end price tag. If we can show that it dose cost money for quality and
say its 16000 to get you an sti but what would 16000 get you with a focus?

full swap car full suspension turbo set up tanny the works you could have a full
on top of the line rwd car and spares for 16000. So if your driving a subaru look
at your budget and you could probably have the best gp2 or 5 car on the seen
for half what your in to your car now? need some converts that want to have
a car there not afraid to beat in to the ground and can afford two prepped shells.

I don't want people to think this is some idea OOO super cheap we all know it
cost to play but compared to other formulas this is going to be a very good bang
for the buck and for a lot of people I think the car would test there limits.

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NoCoast
I've had better sexual relationships since owning my Merkur. The worst dry spell was always when I drove a Subaru.

Kevin Hawkinson reported many similar observations.....

so waiting for some cash for a 2005 focus

I was looking at e-bay there are freekin hundreds of duratecs
for under 1000 and some under 500 shipped!!!! hundreds
of motors on car-part for cheap its unreal you could have
2 spares rebuild one and keep one with cams and that's all
for emergency.

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NoCoast
I've had better sexual relationships since owning my Merkur. The worst dry spell was always when I drove a Subaru.

hmmm...

I've seen a few on there, but not hundreds. Lots of the V6 engines.

I'm sure you've seen these guys.
Retro Ford (Link removed)

There's some cool stuff on their site.
I get tempted all the time to find an Escape 2.3 Duratec and put Weber's on it with my T5 behind and a Supra diff and have a heavy but easy, simple, and realiable Group 2 car.

Edit: I removed the link as Mark said Firefox blocked it saying it was a malicous site and I had some gnarly viral attack yesterday that faked a hard drive failure and took a few hours to clear off. It might have been from somewhere else, but just in case...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/15/2011 11:43AM by NoCoast.

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SteelSolutions
I was looking at e-bay there are freekin hundreds of duratecs
for under 1000 and some under 500 shipped!!!! hundreds
of motors on car-part for cheap its unreal you could have
2 spares rebuild one and keep one with cams and that's all
for emergency.

No kidding?

I did some car-part hunting a little while back and I couldn't find Duratecs for cheap at all. What cars were you looking for? I was looking for '02-up Rangers/B2300s because those were already RWD so less screwing around.

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Pete

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SteelSolutions
I was looking at e-bay there are freekin hundreds of duratecs
for under 1000 and some under 500 shipped!!!! hundreds
of motors on car-part for cheap its unreal you could have
2 spares rebuild one and keep one with cams and that's all
for emergency.

No kidding?

I did some car-part hunting a little while back and I couldn't find Duratecs for cheap at all. What cars were you looking for? I was looking for '02-up Rangers/B2300s because those were already RWD so less screwing around.

there are about 2000 ranger 2.3s right now you have to check each year they say there not
compatible some times between years look all the way in to 08 they don't always change
that much in price.

theres freekin thousands of 05 newer foci, 55 pages of them!!!!!!!!!!

I would like to facilitate steel cranks for the 2.0 for around $500 so the doors would
fly open for all the 2.0s out there for the pickings

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SteelSolutions

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Pete

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SteelSolutions
I was looking at e-bay there are freekin hundreds of duratecs
for under 1000 and some under 500 shipped!!!! hundreds
of motors on car-part for cheap its unreal you could have
2 spares rebuild one and keep one with cams and that's all
for emergency.

No kidding?

I did some car-part hunting a little while back and I couldn't find Duratecs for cheap at all. What cars were you looking for? I was looking for '02-up Rangers/B2300s because those were already RWD so less screwing around.
I would like to facilitate steel cranks for the 2.0 for around $500 so the doors would
fly open for all the 2.0s out there for the pickings

[Homer simpson voice on]


Hmmmmmmm steeeel cranks hmmmmmmmmmmm must have steel cranks, [/Homer Simpson voice off]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/2011 10:17PM by john vanlandingham.

Car-part doesn't seem to work for Pete....

They only show an exact change. If a sensor is wrong CP doesn't interchange. Lots of Foci 2.0s as well as 2.2 Ecoteks on there. Inexpensive cars that sold in huge volumes and are easily totaled. Since the engines are so durable and demand low the price is pretty cheap.

Do you think your kit could be retroed into an older Escort just for the heck of it?

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heymagic
Car-part doesn't seem to work for Pete....

They only show an exact change. If a sensor is wrong CP doesn't interchange. Lots of Foci 2.0s as well as 2.2 Ecoteks on there. Inexpensive cars that sold in huge volumes and are easily totaled. Since the engines are so durable and demand low the price is pretty cheap.

Do you think your kit could be retroed into an older Escort just for the heck of it?

Everytime I look at the possiblity of spending money on the Merkur engine I start thinking about just getting a Duratec, Weber carbs, and just go have fun in Group 2 with it.