Andrew_Frick Andrew Frick Super Moderator Location: Greenville, SC Join Date: 05/18/2007 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 684 Rally Car: Rally Spec Ford Focus |
Pete, The zetec is tough but no reason not to go with a Duratec if you swaping any way.
I have raced both in similar states of tune and the Duratec wins hands down. I ran a bunch of numbers in my rally car of building a zetec vs. swapping in a Duratec. I tried to make the Zetec work since it was the least amount of change to the rally car but I just could not. Basically I would have spent similar money to build a Zetec motor for what it cost for the entire swap to a Duratec and would have had the same power with less torque. And for the Duratec all I did was intake, intake manifold, open exhaust, and a tune. Long block is still stock, balance shafts and all. vs. full bottom end, head work, fancy cams, etc, etc on the Zetec. |
Pete Pete Remner Mod Moderator Location: Cleveland, Ohio Join Date: 01/11/2006 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 2,022 |
Oh, a Zetec would probably just get 10-12psi of horsepressure and we'll see how long things last there.
Ranger transmissions are cheap, and the ratios aren't horrid (better than RX-7 boxes actually) but the shifter comes up in the middle of the heater core. Not a problem if you have no dash but this car gets driven about 25k/year so having niceties like an interior and heat and stuff is Good. Pete Remner Cleveland, Ohio 1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing) 1978 Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver. |
john vanlandingham John Vanlandingham Godlike Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
Huh? Really? I thought it camed out at the end of the trans. You gonna make me go up in the "Upper 40" and look? John Vanlandingham Sleezattle, WA, USA Vive le Prole-le-ralliat www.rallyrace.net/jvab CALL +1 206 431-9696 Remember! Pacific Standard Time is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time. |
Pete Pete Remner Mod Moderator Location: Cleveland, Ohio Join Date: 01/11/2006 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 2,022 |
eBay transmission searches suggest the shifter comes out in the middle, not hung way out over the front U-joint like where it would need to be. Some of the older ones did come out in the right spot, but those don't bolt to Duratecs.
Part of me wonders how bad it'd be to extend the selector rod out the back and make the shifter remote, the rest of me knows what a complete waste of time that would be. Pete Remner Cleveland, Ohio 1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing) 1978 Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver. |
john vanlandingham John Vanlandingham Godlike Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
I ain't crawling up there to check but the Maz-dog one i have does bolt to Duratec---and the remote thing: I have a sketch to do something for those pooor poooor bastids that buy those hideously deformed 7 series Volvos which need something hanging off the end of the box---when using T5s of course. Very simple and very easy to make and doesnt reverse the pattern! But I have to run and make more chips fly..Been slacking too much (not really but no rest for the wicked! Idle hands are the devils playthings! haste makes waste! Loose lips sink ships!) John Vanlandingham Sleezattle, WA, USA Vive le Prole-le-ralliat www.rallyrace.net/jvab CALL +1 206 431-9696 Remember! Pacific Standard Time is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time. |
RALLYRS Mike Ball Elite Moderator Location: Simi Valley,Ca. Join Date: 07/15/2011 Age: Ancient Posts: 466 Rally Car: Nope...I wish...RWD 2 Door Jeep XJ 4.0 5-spd Dirt-o-cross car(we have no grass!)2.3 ZX3 rallyx car(sold) |
Can't say i know anyone who's done this-but-there is a Duratec tensioner mod-here(scroll down page): http://www.dubaipetrolheads.com/biggles/mods.html ................................................. ..................... Support your Local North American Rally Forum!! While they are still around-and get the hell off Farsebook!! We still have Specialstage & RallyAnarchy. Post up Here: https://rallyanarchy.com/phorum/posting.php and here: https://www.specialstage.com/forums/forum.php |
I guess I was spoiled.....the old Opels came with a oil pressurized automatic tensioner back in the late 60's. I sometimes worried about the chain, but never broke or threw one, even with rpm's constantly in the 7k-8k+ range and a very heavy cam and stiff valve springs. Never had a problem with the Starion chains either. But, I always was ready to put a fresh chain in any engine; just not enough $$ involved to not do it unless the engine only had a couple of events on it. |
RALLYRS Mike Ball Elite Moderator Location: Simi Valley,Ca. Join Date: 07/15/2011 Age: Ancient Posts: 466 Rally Car: Nope...I wish...RWD 2 Door Jeep XJ 4.0 5-spd Dirt-o-cross car(we have no grass!)2.3 ZX3 rallyx car(sold) |
Hanging around many highly built(and stock) duratec owners,both na and turbo and on various forums for years-I don't know anyone who has had timing chain or tensioner issues.
And I don't know that any of them have the tensioner mod. But seems like the mod might be cheap insurance if one was to consistantly rev above 7400. Worth a call to that Raceline uk guy for a chat-I suppose.... I'm not even SCT tuned yet on mine..so my fuel cut is at the stock 6750 rpm.... Not too worried about mine! ................................................. ..................... Support your Local North American Rally Forum!! While they are still around-and get the hell off Farsebook!! We still have Specialstage & RallyAnarchy. Post up Here: https://rallyanarchy.com/phorum/posting.php and here: https://www.specialstage.com/forums/forum.php |
Pete Pete Remner Mod Moderator Location: Cleveland, Ohio Join Date: 01/11/2006 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 2,022 |
For record, the trans from a 2.5 Ranger has the shifter roughly 18.5" from the bellhousing face. And it uses the same input pilot/clutch spline as a turbo RX-7. Good to know, not sure why but it's still good to know.
And the 13B sounds too freakin' sweet at 10k to want to go to something that only revs to 8000 or whatever... Pete Remner Cleveland, Ohio 1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing) 1978 Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver. Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/2013 07:16PM by Pete. |