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My work in progress 2004 PZEV sedan

9K views 53 replies 30 participants last post by  pssdfocus 
#1 · (Edited)
Well, after a long year of work, here's the current state of my 2004 PZEV lx sedan. *UPDATED 4/17/2008*

What was initially just going to be a a few "comfort" mods has turned into attempting to replicate an SVT/st170 as close as possible without swapping the engine and transmission. What can I say, Massive and CaysE are inspiring, cheers gus!!

Base model: 2004 LX sedan in CD silver, 2.3L PZEV engine, and mtx-75 manual transmission


Some highlights:

Interior:

SVT EAP Recaro seats (front and rear!), SVT steering wheel, SVT pedals, full factory power windows/mirrors/door locks/ keyless entry conversion, tilt & telescoping steering column, instrument cluster with tach & ST bezel, SVT center console, Factory blaupunkt radio with working AVC, European black dashboard air vents, 2008 "bullit" mustang shift knob, Sparco aluminum e-brake handle (with the SVT silver button), custom redlinegoods leather boots, European "black wood" radio surround with dash clock and the illuminated power port trim ring, European HVAC dials, Stock shifter cut down ~3inches, intermittent wiper control, door lock switch LED mod, dome light with map lights, replacement ignition cylinder, 2004 SVT owners manual & case, cabin air filter

Exterior:

MACH/HID headlights, SVT mirrors, Painted door handles w/ blanked driver door, Painted door trim, SVT glossy door pillar trim, painted trunk handle, SVT degas cover, st170 upper radiator grille with "moondust silver" surround, european 1998 lower radiator grille, factory foglight conversion, clear corner sidemarker lights, 2005+ SAP2 style spoiler, chrome metal "SVT" license plate frame, and of course its been debadged.

Engine, Performance, Etc:

SVT 2003 5-spoke 17" wheels with 215/45ZR17 goodyear eagle f1 all season tires, FRPP SVT brakes (calipers painted black), FRPP SVT suspension, Roush 22mm rear swaybar with polyurethane bushings and endlinks, Prothane polyurethane front swaybar bushings, Focussport Cold Air Intake, FRPP Borla 2.5" stainless steel exhaust, VF rear motor mount, Cosworth balance shaft delete, Russell stainless steel brake lines, Russell speed bleeders, Focussport front strut bar, custom rear stress bar, P-51 rear shims, Brisk LGS spark plugs,

Coming soon:

appearance: custom "EAP style" black perforated leather door inserts, Custom modified Mazda3 engine cover, Painted HIDs (just like cdsilver02), window tint (35% front, 20% rear), "CD silver" frame for the st170 upper grille, lamin-x (once I get the SVT front - clear on the HIDs, yelow on the Fogs), European taillights

engine/performance: Mazdaspeed3 6-speed transmission (with LSD), Oil sump baffle, Exedy clutch kit (probably a stage 2, depends on the mazdaspeed transmission swap and future turbo plans), SVT 16" alloy spare tire, HAWK HPS brake pads (when I need them)

Someday (planned for 2008-2009):

FRPP SVT front fascia kit (CD silver, with the foglight housings painted black), st170 center console with (light grey with "black wood" shifter surround to match the radio surround), Focussport stage 2 turbo kit (with gt28rs, CA-91 octane tune, and raised idle), Autometer NEXUS series gauges (boost/vacuum, wideband, oil temperature), Ported throttle body, Oil cooler, SVT side skirts, tire pressure monitoring system, auto-dimming homelink mirror, modified SAP rear bumper (to fit with 2004 trunk & lights)

Pipe Dream (2009+):

Cosworth Forged connecting rods, Supertech 9.0:1 pistons, Clevite 77 Heavy Duty main bearings, Ford Ranger crankshaft, Crane stage 1 cams, Supertech valves, Supertech valve springs & retainers, Cosworth intake manifold, 60LB fuel injectors, Cosworth head studs, Cosworth main studs, Cosworth crank pulley bolt, Cosworth flywheel bolts, Brembo 328mm GT front brake kit (black calipers), 298mm rear rotor conversion (svt rear calipers, painted black), H&R Touring Suspension, Seibon EVO carbon-fiber hood (painted CD silver), European keys/locks conversion, European hood lock, European under-steering-wheel pocket

Misc:


4/17/2008 - Well... a lot of my short-term future plans may be changing, including forgoing the SVT bumper for the time being... I got a lead on a mazdaspeed 3 6-speed manual transmission (dirt cheap) and may have to jump on it (I know I'll need to have custom axles made, and probably a rear mount, as well as figuring out the shifter, sensors, etc.). The beauty here is that the 6-speed comes with an LSD from the factory, so I won't need the torsen anymore (and I'd be getting the whole tranny for the cost of the torsen.) Anyway, I took some time this week and painted my last door handle bezel, so my driver door is now "blanked" with no key hole. I'm also in the process of painting the HID inserts, and hope to have them finished by the weekend, you can see pictures here. Lastly, I've got a lead on a replacement for the ruined door panel, and my local tint shop (where I'm going to get my tint done) says they should be able to cover the inserts for me, basically free of charge with the tinting.

4/13/2008 - Money is tight and work on the car is slowing down, :( . Anyway, I updated the pictures with some higher resolution shots of the euro radio bezel. I received my backup HID inserts to prep for painting in the coming weeks, I'll take some pictures along the way and do try to do a write-up of the process at the end. I made a first attempt at covering the door inserts, and wow, worlds harder than I initially thought, I ruined the passenger-rear door panel in the process and have put the project on hold while I look for a replacement. Drama continues with getting my SVT front bumper, but hopefully I'll get it paid for and on its way to me sometime this week. I also found a set of P-51 rear shims, and got them installed, I'm amazed at how much they quieted down the rear suspension. I'm also looking into adding an aftermarket tire pressure monitoring system, hoping I can mold the display into the coin tray area, so it looks close to factory, similar to the european trip computer. Lastly, I've found the passenger side SVT side skirt, still looking for the driver side.

4/3/2008 - Couple more updates, I installed my custom rear stress bar, seems like a solid design (bolted to the top of the shocks) though I'm not sure how it compares to the focussport bar, which almost certainly stiffens the chassis more.) I also got my Euro radio bezel and dash clock installed, and I'm quite happy so far. Lastly, I got my door panels yesterday, now I'm just waiting on the leather (perforated black, to match the shift boots) to cover the inserts before I install them. A couple other tidbits, I'm waiting on an SVT 16" alloy spare tire, and should have my SVT front bumper soon, and I'm still saving for the turbo, though with the economy right now, its going to take longer than I'd like.

3/23/2008 - A few night shots, see thread here: http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=154282

3/22/2008 - Gave it a quick bath, see thread here: http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=154160

3/20/2008 - Today I swapped over the black gauge face for my instrument cluster, and in my opinion it looks worlds better than the grey. I also decided to sell my steeda tri-ax, and instead just cut down my stock shifter by around 3 inches, and at the same time, trimmed a tiny bit of excess leather from the top of the shifter boot, and cleaned up the stitching on the front seam. I also just bought a used Mazda3 engine cover which will have the mazda logo and the "variable timing" text sanded off, and will be painted satin black with a ford emblem molded in. Lastly, I bought a metal license plate frame that just says "SVT."

3/15/2008 - Well, the forced induction bug is gnawing at me more than ever, so as of right now, I'm hoping to save for either the Focussport or F2 stage-2 (intercooled) turbo kit, and I want to have it on by the end of the year. As such, I'm still looking into which clutch I want to purchase now, and after e-mailing Randy at focussport, I'm no longer going through with the 3.82 final drive conversion, just going to swap in the LSD and the appropriate clutch (probably the exedy stage 2 kit.)

3/10/2008 - Anyway, to the best of my knowledge the door panels will be one-of-a-kind as the ZX5 EAP SVT cars didn't have the same leather inserts in the doors that the zx3 models did. I also still need to do some body filler work on the 2005 spoiler, as it sits flatter than the 2000-2004 style did, so if you look closely, there's a slight gap that I need to fill in. Lastly (for the time being) I'm working on modifying the SVT mirrors so that the defrost symbols light up, I'm just trying to find the time to sit down and wire up some green LEDs (what can I say, I really like the factory green illumination.)


Enjoy the few pictures below, you can see the rest of the pictures (and always the newest) at my gallery here:

http://photo.michaelmallon.net/v/fordfocus/

cheers everyone!

-- michael


4/13/2008



I never thought that having a separate clock on the dash would be worthwhile, but now, I love it!


test fitting the leather, of course this is before I ruined the panel... :bang:



3/20/2008


I still can't believe how much better the black face looks!



I love how much nicer the boot sits with the shorter shifter.



and a quick photoshop of what I plan on doing with the engine cover



and in anticipation of going turbo...



3/10/2008











(3/22/2008) - I still can't believe how bad the old grey face looks, lol.

 
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26
#11 ·
That was basically my goal.

I prefer my cars to look as stock as possible, it keeps cops and idiot ricer kids at bay, and lord knows there are TONS of both out here in the Los Angeles area.

cheers!

-- michael
 
#10 ·
the plate frame is a placeholder, I'm waiting on a chromed metal frame that simply says "SVT"

cheers everyone!

-- michael
 
#13 ·
Hi,

the e-brake handle slides over the existing assembly once you remove the factory cover (either by putting it in a vice and prying it off with a hammer and chisel, or by cutting) though for the best fit, you need to file down the bottom part of the lip around the button 1/4" or more, else the button will only stick out by 1/4" or so, and since the handle is shorter than the stock handle, the boot will pull off whenever the brake is disengaged.

All things considered, it was fairly easy once I decided to remove the brake assembly from the car to get the factory handle off, though I cut open 3 knuckles trying to pry the damn cover off before I did that!

thanks for the compliments, cheers!

-- michael
 
#14 ·
how in the world did you do factory power windows locks and everything? can you teach me master?!
 
#16 ·
Don't forget powered and heated mirrors too! lol.

Oh if only you knew how much work it was, I think the parts were collecting over a 2 month period from the time I first got the itch to do the conversion, lol!

Actually I lucked out and scored most of the parts from a seller on ebay, I got the small door panel trim pieces, the mirror caps, all the switches, factory wiring looms for all 4 doors with their respective interior pigtails (cut from the donor car) as well as all 4 window regulators and motors. Then I found 2 of the power lock units from a separate seller, the GEM from a third and final ebayer, and only had to buy two of the locking units new (at our discounted rate.)

Then of course I realized what a disaster it all was and had to buy the factory wiring diagram on ebay too, [?|]

If you're actually curious I can type something up and send it your way.

Again, thanks for all the nice comments guys, cheers!

-- michael
 
#15 ·
Very nice. It has a lot of similarities to my car.
I also have OEM black air vents in my interior.
I wish I had a set of those Recaro seats.....so nice.
Very nice job of keeping the exterior look clean also.
Where are you getting the european taillights from?
I traded tails with a guy from Australia, they got shipped out last friday.
So they should be here soon.
They are coming with a full wiring harness and two sets of bulbs.
I'll probably make a how-to. When are you expecting yours?
 
#17 ·
I'm getting my tails from the U.K., and they're also coming with the full wiring harness, but no extra bulbs.

There's already a decent write-up online by Josh Wardell here:

http://www.jwardell.com/focus/tails.html

that page was actually what inspired me to do the taillights.

be sure to post some pictures when yours are done!

cheers,

-- michael
 
#18 ·
Hey Michael, your cars looking good! The HIDs look nice, but I like the ST170s better lol [joke] . I think some EAP wheels would set it off, and maybe a little bit more of a drop(and send me your Euro HVAC controls hehe). That's definitely a nice looking car you have there, modded so the regular peolpe of the world don't notice but focus enthusiasts do. [cheers]
 
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#21 ·
man those are nice looking...the more i look at this car the more i like it. the SVT front is gonna be badass
 
#22 ·
Heya, thanks for the compliments, like I said, I owe a lot to Massive and CaysE.

My plans of course are always changing, I think now (since realistically I'll never be able to boost the car thanks to CA smog laws) that I'm going to go with the new Exedy OEM replacement (Randy @ focussport equated it to a stage 0.75 kit) as it will save almost $300, which will just about cover the cost of the H&R rear swaybar and the 24 LB injectors.

I was really surprised at how big a difference the black vents made, I didn't think it would be that dramatic, but it really ties the dash together as the factory vents were an awful light grey.

I'm also tossing around in my head swapping just the EL gauge face from an SVT, rigging my own inverter for the glow, and wiring in some type of speed corrector to make sure that the speed read-out still functions properly and accurately, though I'm hoping the latter can be tweaked with a tune, but I'm not holding my breath. If It works, I think i'd be one of the only (maybe the one one?) duratec cars with an SVT gauge face.

My oil sump baffle was shipped yesterday, and its coming from F2 only about 90 miles away, so it will probably be here tomorrow.

I still need to find a local shop that will press the tranny gears onto the new 3.82 final drive for me, as well as the new bearings onto the torsen at a reasonable price... then I can finalize my budget, and start ordering more parts, [clap]

Thanks again, cheers!

-- michael
 
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#28 ·
Thanks!

I think next I have to imitate cdsilver02 in his absolutely stunning HID painting!





simply too gorgeous NOT to do it!

cheers,

-- michael
 
#29 · (Edited)
Well, another update.

My radio bezel is on the way, and should be here in a week or so (its coming from austria) and Once I get it installed I'll be sure to update the pictures.

Also, I opted for one of the custom rear stress bars made by Roushturboedzx3 (thread about them here) as it looks solid, doesn't require drilling, and he's going to paint it gloss black to match my front bar.

Next step is the door panels, which I'm hoping to pick up on monday, and then have them covered by the end of the week, and after that, I'm going to paint my HIDs like cdsilver02 did, and then its window tint.

Once the tint is done I may go ahead and start buying the parts I'l need to swap the 3.82 final drive and install the Torsen, since the SVT front bumper is on backorder, but we'll see how it everything pans out.

cheers everyone, and thanks again for all the nice comments!

-- michael
 
#30 ·
Another update (I added this to the first post too)...

Well, I think the forced induction bug is gnawing at me more than ever, so tentatively, I'm hoping to save for either the Focussport or F2 stage-2 (intercooled) turbo kit, to have it on by the end of the year. I don't have the time or money to build the engine first, so its going to be a stock stage-2 kit.

Either shop want to sponsor my car and use it for shows?:D

cheers everyone,

-- michael
 
#32 ·
updated the first post with some new information, some updated future plans for my car, and a few new pictures of a couple small new mods.

cheers everyone!

-- michael
 
#38 ·
Hi, thanks for the comments.

I bought the ST gauge bezel (it was about $25) and swapped the 2004 indicator light piece onto it.

cheers,

-- michael
 
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