potential st170 conversion

[Mad Mexico]

Hi guys, I may have the option of a cheap st170, all runs fine 110k well servicEd etc. He just can't be bothered with sorting it's few little niggles to pass it's mot.

So, I have a 2.0 zetec sitting in my garage, do I fit that or drop the 170 unit in my Mexico and can the gearbox be made to fit, I only have the ib5 at the moment so a good upgrade as in the long run I want to boost the scort. I can keep both sets of calipers for my fez and the wheels as spares, anything else worth keeping that may be useful for an escort Before I sell the leftover bits?

[Stu]

It's a complex conversion. Not for the faint hearted!

[Mad Mexico]

Engine or gearbox? Or both? Im aware it's not a straight forward job to fit either and I'm not expecting it to be very easy. Time isn't a problem, the poor old thing hasnt seen a road in four years so not fussed if it's a long process lol

[scottybo]

Take off the front hubs. They sell for quite a bit because theyre different to regular focus hubs and are a good for upgrading regular focus front brakes

 

Take the entire rear disc setup and bolt it onto your escort (if you dont already have discs on the back)

 

If you dont want them. Ill buy tge rear hubs from you

[Mad Mexico]

Okay cheers, I appreciate the info. I'll keep you posted the. Fingers crossed It goes ahead :-D

[SLEEMAN]

the st170 engine can fit onto the ib5 gearbox, you just need to change the flywheel over. you just need to lock off the vvt, or buy a vvt delete kit for it.

 

someone has already done it on an escort gti. and all works perfectly including the air con.

 

don't think its as easy as you think though, got to modify the mounts etc.

 

so if you want the st engine go for it but take your time doing it

[Mad Mexico]

Okay cheers sleeman, sounding tempting, will look into it some more.

 

Is there any parts that people maybe interested interested?

[Mex]

The blacktop engine goes in fairly easily.  You need to extend Escort's the rear engine mount and drill an extra hole for bolting it to the engine.  The the Escort ancillary bracket needs part of it chopped out to accomodate the water pump outlet.  You don't have to worry about the water pump, it runs the right way if you use a serpentine belt.  That's it really for fitting the engine.  Some people mess about fitting the the Escort sump but it pretty pointless since I found the Focus sump clears the exhaust in mine fine anyway.

 

I assume the Electrics are the same as if you where doing any other conversion and since you have the whole car you won't be missing anything necessary.

 

Fitting the gearbox will be a lot of work and very costly.  I remember reading in Fast Ford that you were probably looking at £2000+ if getting someone else to do it.  You'll need a pedal box for the brakes and also a hydraulic clutch, the track is wider on the Focus so you'll need custom drive shafts and you'll need custom mounts.  If you can do all that stuff yourself and don't mind the amount of effort involved then it might be worthwhile.  If you've got money to burn for a stronger box it's worth considering that you could have an ib5 rebult with Quaife gears and an ATB diff for less.

 

I run ITB's and have similar power to the ST170 and still use the ib5 here and it's coped fine with the power with a decent standard clutch.  I had it rebuilt with new bearings and a Quaife ATB when the standard diff was on it's last legs and the car will now do 70Mph in 2nd.  I've worn a standard diff out with a standard 1.6 so I put the failure down to years of abuse rather the extra power itself.

 

Like others said, swap the brakes over from the ST170 since they're considerable upgrade and cheap since you have the car.  The front discs are bigger than what the Cosworths got but I don't think they'll fit behind anything smaller than 16" wheels.  I think you just need the RS2000 cable anddifferent hoses.  I think it's Mondeo hoses on the front and Puma on the rear but double check that before splashing out, a good time to upgrade to braided hoses here.  I think the mount holes on the hub carrier need drilling out like with the Mondeo V6 calipers.

[Mad Mexico]

It's currently running it's original 1.6 Silvertop.I do have a 2.0 Silvertop to go in but I've always fancied something different like a 170 lump. Good thing about the black top is u can still pick them up with 0 miles.

 

Regarding the gearbox I knew about the driveshafts needing to be custom made. Having to fit a new pedal box is more of a reason for me to fit it because I want my pedals spaced out more, far to close for me to heel-toe and really drive it hard.

70 in 2nd! Did u change the final drive when it was rebuilt. And how much and where if u do that mind me asking?

I will use the brakes for my fiesta st and maybe re-use the beam with the fiesta calipers. I'm abit skeptical about having a to big a brake set on the rear. I've had the back twice many atime with drums on because it's so light and stripped out. Iknow there will be many people who disagree with me on that but that's just my personal thoughts on the matter.I do have an old rs2000 disc beam but it's seen better day. How would u say the 170 beam fairs up to It? Better or not? Oh I have a 280mm set so fronts are sorted.

Do you have a build thread mex. You are very knowledgeable, and sleeman. :-) cheers

[SLEEMAN]

if you want more power from the 2.0 you can always buy the st170 engine, and remove the pistons and put them in the silvertop, they fit and from factory they are forged . so you can use them for turbo or high power n/a if you modify the silvertop head along with throttle bodies or carbs and that will be a sweet engine!

[scottybo]

The focus doesnt have a rear beam as such because it has independant rear suspension

 

To fit the 280mm rear discs to the escort. Unbolt the hubs from the focus and bolt them to the escort beam (check my thread as ive done the same thing) its literally a nuts and bolts job.

 

The focus handbrake cable will also fit. Do not waste yoir dollar on an rs cable as you dont need it

 

What you will need though is a set of fiesta mk4/puma front brake hoses

 

So for the cost of the hoses (bout a tenner new) you can swap from tiny drum brakes to massive discs in less than a mornings work!!!

[Stu]

ST170 doesn't have forged pistons.

 

The issue with this conversion is the management. You won't get good results if you try and run this engine on normal 2.0 zetec management. Using the ST170 management is a challenging job.

 

Personally I'd use aftermarket stuff and get someone experienced to tune it. A much more stress free solution albeit more expensive.

 

Add some throttle bodies and a decent exhaust system and you should be knocking on 200bhp.

[Mad Mexico]

I have a set of gsx bodies and 170 fuel rail and injectors anyway so I'd need aftermarket management so I that's no problem

[scottybo]

Right its settled then. Crack on and get it done

[Mad Mexico]

I'll be ringing the guy tomorrow to see if it's still a goer So we'll have to wait and see. anybody know the typical prices that bumpers, projector lights and interiors can fetch to recoop some funds back? Ebay varies so bloody much these days.