The project is officially underway as a few might be aware. I have received the components to finish the front end conversion including mounts, suspension conversion pieces, steering rack extension etc. I have not had a lot of time to work on it lately but I figured I would let you know what is up. Special thanks to Mr. Squatch for his help on this!

I am installing a 351W V8 engine that currently makes about 465hp (with changes could add another 25) with the following specs:

351W bored .040 10.5:1 compression (built for 200+ shot)

TRW lightweight forged pistons

Eagle Forged rods

Edelbrock performer intake (changing to Torker II or Victor Jr)

Holley 650 cfm carb (changing to 750)

Ford Racing 9mm plug wires

Pertronix electronic ignition

Edelbrock Performer aluminum heads w/ 190 int / 160 exh, ported and polished

Milodon stainless valves

Comp Cams hardened chromoly pushrods

Comp Cams Magnum valve springs, w/ titanium retainers

Comp Cams magnum roller cam : .533 lift , 284 duration, 110 LSA, 106 centerline

Comp Cams magnum roller lifters

Comp Cams pro magnum 1.7 roller rockers

Comp Cams double roller timing chain

Clevite bearings

Pro Comp balancer

Edelbrock elite valve covers, and air cleaner

Accel cool blue air filter



I have not settled on a transmission yet but have narrowed it down to:

C-4 Super comp with manual valve body and 3500 stall or Tremec TKO 5 speed.

The rear end is a 8.8 out of a 87 T-bird turbo coupe (4x108 with disk brakes)


I have some high expectations for this project. I definitely see some crazy timeslips in my future.

Here are a couple of pics:

http://www.ksracing.net/v8swap/focus13.jpg

http://www.ksracing.net/v8swap/focus15.jpg

http://www.ksracing.net/v8swap/focus18.jpg

http://www.ksracing.net/v8swap/focus19.jpg

http://www.ksracing.net/v8swap/focus2.jpg

http://www.ksracing.net/v8swap/focus7.jpg

http://www.ksracing.net/v8swap/focus8.jpg


You can view the index of pics here: http://www.ksracing.net/v8swap/ More pics will be added as I go.

It will be a lot of work but I am not too worried. If all goes well, look for it on the streets in May!

omg, that looks and sounds crazy!!! you're gonna have alot of horsepower in that focus......can't wait to see the time slips! good luck [thumb]

good luck man...looks like you'll have that done before I get all my tranny swap parts! lol...later

omg. . . good luck with that one. I can't wait to see it all finished

how much was the convertion kit?
and what does it have ?
what you gonna do about the RWD convertion...
just curios

holy moley. awesome someone on this site actually has the money to do this...

lemme drive her when you're done. [:)]

[thumb] I like it. get some pics on here when you're finished

Thats some crazy power for FWD. Gona need to put like glue on whatever slicks you run in the quarter. LOL, since it seems like your not pressed for cash why not do a RWD conversion, could put more power down. On second thought, not sure if this is something you should do, has the possibility for disaster...

Did you sell your turbo set-up yet???.......:)

Peace...............

The conversion will be RWD when completed.

went to a site and the part without engine, tranny or dif is arroud 5.5k...
not bad...
includes the suspension....
not bad IMO...
i would put a SC engine though....

Well, waddaya know, someone's actually going to do it. Very interesting. Why did you choose the 351 Windsor engine? Just something you had already available or....?

Man I need to win the lotto so I will have the only Viper-powered midengine AWD ZX5 around.......oooo think fo the burnouts that would be one hardass car to drive...

Originally posted by el_pio

i would put a SC engine though....

...SC V8 makes the Focus a rocket ready to reach the moon......:)

Peace..........

Me and My dad want to make a v8 fucus but with a mustang 5.0....And i just thought of somehting could yopu make a v8 focus with all wheel drive???? now that would be the shit

Will the Focus have an independent rear suspension when completed? Any plans for an lsd? Will the AdvanceTrac still be functional?

Just curious...Why a big TALL 351 and not a 302??

My thoughts exactly, curious as to what size cowl you are going to use to clear the taller deck and the air cleaner.

so whats gonna be the regular daily car?...3500 stall...hmm. good luck man,

you are a [:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)]g badass i hope it turns out good :)

Originally posted by Infra3sv
Will the Focus have an independent rear suspension when completed? Any plans for an lsd? Will the AdvanceTrac still be functional?

8.8 from t-bird, so no.

wow, i am jealous....

BTW: this is the #1 item on me "when i win the lotto" list...

What kind of rear suspension is it?

I chose the 351 because nobody has done it before. Yes, it is tall but there is plenty of room to grow in displacement if I feel the need.

Yes the turbo stuff has been sold.

No, it will not have an IRS. It will have a lsd or possibly an air locker differential in it (BTW, the Turbo T-bird rear end came with a 3.73 gear and traction-loc in it already).

3500 Stall. Yeah, that is pretty high for a daily driver but I don't care. I have driven bitchy cars on the street. What fun would it be if it was easy to drive? It won't likely see rain unless I get caught out in it. If fuel economy was a concern, I wouldn't be doing it.

I will have my body man make me a custom hood. I am not a big fan of most designs out there.

I don't think there will be any way to to make this AWD. That is a project for another car.

As far as boosting it, I am running a carb setup with nitrous this year. After this summer, I will probably convert it to fuel injection once I get more familiar with the AEM standalone. Once it is fuel injected, look for boost if I think the car can handle it.

The money spent so far is about $3000 not including the engine. I am not a rich man but I spend wisely and selling my old mods have covered everything so far. Wait for the right deal and have cash in hand to take advantage of it.

More to come...

nice.. how are you ever going to grab traction? I read about a svt focus w/ a svt supercharged cobra motor that would spin way too much.. thats going to be one fast little car..

(eyes glazed over and wide open... slight drool rope from mouth to floor... and nothing to say)

that car will never be a daily drive.....

Yea it could be a daily driver if you could aford the gas and he says he can so i give him a big thumbs up and good luck...not to mention im jealous as hell

well i respect being different. good luck to ya man. can't wait to see the outcome.

i want him to finish and slap some drag radials on it get us all some times

Hell yea Solaris got the right idea

when is the expected finish date?

You freaking ROCK! I'm stoked to see the results of that badboy! Please keep us updated!

OMG I just noticed you are in OK. I'm down here in Dallas Texas. I'm serious about coming to see your car when it is finished. Please keep me posted! I would love to sit in that car!

Very cool[thumb] Ahhh, a V8 in a focus, then I could whoop my friend's @$$ in his little Acura Integgy.

hey man nice work :) I want to see pics asap ;) at least you have enough money to dfo it and thats all that matters. what do you do for a living???

I will be interested to see pics of the body work that is needed for this swap. Good luck. [thumb]

This is going to be like that cobra engine swap, he's not going to be able to put any of the power to the ground. It's cool and all, but would be easier to drive with less power.

that needs a nice big cowl hood :) and then maybe incorparate a shaker scoop, ala mach 1 :P

Hmmn spinning tires yea thats a good point but all he needs are some nice slickes and a tight suspension...ask this guy how it is to drive hes already got a v8 http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/321109

The estimated finish date will be May if I can afford the rest of the components by then.

It won't be easy to lay that power down but with suspension tuning and the right tire it should do very well. The rear end suspension components are much better suited to transferring the power than the Cobra IRS that they used in the magazine car. It will definitely be running slicks at the track.

I will probably do a test fit of the engine this weekend and I will know more about the hood clearance issues then.

What are slicks?

Slicks are tires made of a special compound of rubber designed for maximum traction. They become extremely sticky when heated up and provide high levels of grip for maximum acceleration. By design, they have no tread or almost no tread. They have a very soft sidewall that actually wrinkles under acceleration. The wrinkling effect increases the footprint (contact patch) of the tire to increase grip. A true slick is not a street legal tire and would be difficult to drive on. There are a few with minimal tread depth that have a D.O.T. certification for street use. This type of tire is not a radial design like most modern street tires and they often use a tube inside. They are screwed to the rim usually to prevent the wheel from spinning inside the tire and use extremely low air pressure.

Here is a pic:

Here is the "street version". I doubt you would enjoy this when it rains...[eek]

A " shaker" hood is a good idea if you are into building one, have fun and keep us up to date!

Originally posted by Mr.Pressurized
Here is the "street version". I doubt you would enjoy this when it rains...[eek]

Thanks.

okay, after all of that, what's a "shaker hood"?

Look at the Mach 1's hood or an old Trans Am. Its a hood that has a section removed to allow room for whats beneath it. I think its usually for an intake or carborator. I believe it got its name from it shaking when at idol... although the new Mach 1 doesn't do a whloe lot a shaking.

Mr.Pressurized you have one hell of a sleeper right now.

I think I just wet myself thats a bad bitch

Originally posted by eggyolk
This is going to be like that cobra engine swap, he's not going to be able to put any of the power to the ground. It's cool and all, but would be easier to drive with less power.

WRONG!! It'll put as much power as he has to the ground and more. You tune traction, like you tune anything else. Other wise, the 2000 hp 6 second Mustangs wouldn't run in the 6's. The mustang has LESS wheelbase too. Joe Morgan runs a turbo 2.3 based engine in a Focus wagon that makes WAYYYY more power than this and he hooks up.

Rock on!! Sweet car. I hope you make it look as sleeper an possible.

LoL you need to do the engine swap in a Wagon then it would be sleeper I can't wait for this Its gonna kick ass Traction will be a problem but you will solve it

If it's a drag car, ya, slicks and some weight will get you down the track. Next time I will state the obvious so I don't get called on it. But I still think it's too much power for anything else. It didn't sound like he was building it as a drag car, sounds to me like he wanted to drive it around and maybe take it to a track with some turns in it.

Originally posted by eggyolk
If it's a drag car, ya, slicks and some weight will get you down the track. Next time I will state the obvious so I don't get called on it. But I still think it's too much power for anything else. It didn't sound like he was building it as a drag car, sounds to me like he wanted to drive it around and maybe take it to a track with some turns in it.

NASCAR race cars make about 700hp and they run around legendary road course tracks like Watkins Glen and handle quite nicely. Plenty of road race cars make the kind of power he has and they handle just fine. There are thousands of high horsepower cars roaming the streets everyday that handle well.

Now I'm not saying it won't be handfull to control with that kind of power. But it can be done and done well. He'll have about 350-375 hp at the wheels. Plenty of power, but not an extreme ammount.

It will see slicks and be at the track. This car will be a street driven car. I have a full interior and I am planning on have a/c too.

I am glad someone understand "tuning the suspension". This is exactly what you have to do. With a longer wheel base and lighter chassis, I should be able to put some serious numbers down. Only time will tell.

I spent the weekend cutting the trans tunnell and test fitting things. I will post some pics soon.

You going to run the same wheels? Those are sweet looking. Is the rear end width correct for the backspacing of your wheels? Which rear end do they reccommend for the correct width?

This is soooo cool!!!

That is just going to be sick, I can't wait to hear the 1/4 mile time for her...

Holy s[:)][:)][:)][:)][:)][:)]! (Huge smile and ectsay moan here) LOL Good Luck and u rock 4 doing this!! I can't beleive I barely read this!

If you have $70,000 here is the supercharged cobra engine and all the other goodies....

http://www.atimotorsports.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=76


and here is the plain old 5.0

http://www.atimotorsports.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=77

I cannot wait...

There are two other companies that do this too.... save $$$$$

this thread gets me all hot and bothered

A lot of people seem to have this illusion that 500 horsepower isn't streetable. True, it isn't well-behaved in the sense that you need to watch the throttle, but as long as you're not retarded on the street and gunning it at stoplights, you'll pick up just fine. Throttle modulation is key. True, you can't go wide open from first gear, but once the car is rolling you can stomp on it and have all the power go to the pavement.

The couple of times that I've been in my friend's 700 rwhp blown solid roller 383 Z28, it seemed just fine going through street traffic. Granted it was deafeningly loud and I'm sure cops looooooved hearing a blowoff valve every time he shifted, but the car didn't flip upside down or do donuts just because he touched the gas pedal.

I didn't see anything mentioned about the body flex associated with a rear wheel drive monster. Do you plan on installing a roll cage or something to keep your car from twisting apart? The Focus isn't designed to handle high amounts of rwd torque. I'm sure a roll cage isn't out of your skill level though since you're doing all this other stuff. Just wandering if you've thought about it...it'll take away from the sleeper look (although that rear differential kinda gives it away...oh, and the familiar sound of the v-8).

Good luck...thanks for sharing your project with us.
[thumb] [thumb]

The Focus has a stronger unibody than the Mustangs to. It should handle 650-750 without much trouble. I will probably end up with a roll cage in it due to the fact that the local dragstrip is and NHRA track and they will boot me out (untill I get a cage) if the times are like I expect them to be.

I have some new pics that I will post up. We did a test fit of the engine over the weekend. It looks awesome sitting in there. There are still a few kinks to get worked out but I am still thinking next month.

Use a Performer RPM Air Gap or Victor Jr. Do not go with the old Torker. The Air Gap is probably better matched to your cam. Good luck. It will be bad as hell!!!!


Originally posted by Mr.Pressurized
The project is officially underway as a few might be aware. I have received the components to finish the front end conversion including mounts, suspension conversion pieces, steering rack extension etc. I have not had a lot of time to work on it lately but I figured I would let you know what is up. Special thanks to Mr. Squatch for his help on this!

I am installing a 351W V8 engine that currently makes about 465hp (with changes could add another 25) with the following specs:

351W bored .040 10.5:1 compression (built for 200+ shot)

TRW lightweight forged pistons

Eagle Forged rods

Edelbrock performer intake (changing to Torker II or Victor Jr)

Holley 650 cfm carb (changing to 750)

Ford Racing 9mm plug wires

Pertronix electronic ignition

Edelbrock Performer aluminum heads w/ 190 int / 160 exh, ported and polished

Milodon stainless valves

Comp Cams hardened chromoly pushrods

Comp Cams Magnum valve springs, w/ titanium retainers

Comp Cams magnum roller cam : .533 lift , 284 duration, 110 LSA, 106 centerline

Comp Cams magnum roller lifters

Comp Cams pro magnum 1.7 roller rockers

Comp Cams double roller timing chain

Clevite bearings

Pro Comp balancer

Edelbrock elite valve covers, and air cleaner

Accel cool blue air filter



I have not settled on a transmission yet but have narrowed it down to:

C-4 Super comp with manual valve body and 3500 stall or Tremec TKO 5 speed.

The rear end is a 8.8 out of a 87 T-bird turbo coupe (4x108 with disk brakes)


I have some high expectations for this project. I definitely see some crazy timeslips in my future.


It will be a lot of work but I am not too worried. If all goes well, look for it on the streets in May! [thumb] [thumb]

zx3matt did you reaaaalllly have to quote all the pictures and EVERYTHING? haha 56k warning here.

oops. They are just so sexy...

Here is a link to some pictures I took at the Tulsa Cruise-In last night. The first few are of a V8 Focus.

www.stewartcomputer.com/carshow

Originally posted by zx3matt
oops. They are just so sexy...

Yeah, they are sexy. But can you edit your post and take them out ?? It's a waste of bandwidth.

Originally posted by guerro
Yeah, they are sexy. But can you edit your post and take them out ?? It's a waste of bandwidth.

Done.[rolleyes]

Originally posted by rollout
Here is a link to some pictures I took at the Tulsa Cruise-In last night. The first few are of a V8 Focus.

Personally I found this one more interesting:

http://stewartcomputer.com/carshow/L_IMGP2053.jpg

Why on Earth would anyone ever have used a Renault Dauphine as a police car?? Whether it really was a police car or the car is a "fake" police car made for shows, it's a cruel joke. Criminals could outrun that thing on FOOT! [:D]

Project update:

There hasn't been much lately but I did buy a set of 26x10 Hoosier slicks. The wheels they are on will be replaced with the Weld Draglites in the later pics. These are some previews of what it will look like with the slicks. In one pic you can see the rear axle that will be installed soon. It needs a good cleanup but should work well.

http://ksracing.net/v8swap/beefy1.jpg

http://ksracing.net/v8swap/beefy2.jpg

http://ksracing.net/v8swap/beefy3.jpg

http://ksracing.net/v8swap/beefy4.jpg

http://ksracing.net/v8swap/beefy5.jpg

http://ksracing.net/v8swap/beefy6.jpg

http://ksracing.net/v8swap/beefy7.jpg

Mr.Pressurized, the Focus has a stronger unibody than a Mustang? That's amazing to me.

i didnt think the mustang was a unibody? seeing as it has a frame and subframe?

Originally posted by mofocus
i didnt think the mustang was a unibody? seeing as it has a frame and subframe?

The mustang is a unibody. It has front and rear "subframes".

gotcha

More pics:

http://ksracing.net/v8swap/testfit1.jpg

http://ksracing.net/v8swap/testfit10.jpg

http://ksracing.net/v8swap/testfit11.jpg

http://ksracing.net/v8swap/testfit12.jpg

http://ksracing.net/v8swap/testfit13.jpg

Wow that looks like it fits in there with some room! Cant wait to see it finished!

[eek] that's just amazing. . .

That's hot.... sounds like you're moving right along... god can't wait for some #s from that beast![}:)]

so whats the update with this swap???Run out of money and have to sell the computer to buy more parts?

Busy buying a house and doing a million other little things that you will never see. There are tons of cosmetic things to do, wiring, shopping, etc. Did I mention buying a house?

Not enough hours in the day. Not much internet time.

what are you doing posting? Get back in the garage! Haha, just kiddin bro. We FF members are very appreciative for your knowledge and willingness to show us what we all want to do to our cars. Keep it up bro, it will be worth it in the end.

looks awesome [thumb]

only prob is your going to have to get a new liscene plate, lol

I got a chubb goin reading and seeing those pics. Good luck with it and please keep us posted.[cheers]

thats going to be one bad focus when its done.

any updates???

WOW I want to see the 1/4 mile results.

that looks nice man :) keep it up ! :)

any updates i am hella curious about your progress keep us posted

haha, back from the dead. Now I'm curious....

where would someone have to go to find this!?!?

lol

www.kugelkomponents.com

they tell you everything you need right there. and coincidentally they designed it before ford did,lol. (their rs8 used a kugel kit... go figure...)

Hey Scott, any updates how things worked out? I'm seriously debating of getting one of those as a sleeper (2nd Fofo). Have no place to build it myself so I'm looking at Kugel or getting info abt the RS8 or Seyer. Keep us posted, I'm interested.

we have 2 running around here with a 351 in them and there such a tight fit

I chose the 351 because nobody has done it before. Yes, it is tall but there is plenty of room to grow in displacement if I feel the need.

Yes the turbo stuff has been sold.

No, it will not have an IRS. It will have a lsd or possibly an air locker differential in it (BTW, the Turbo T-bird rear end came with a 3.73 gear and traction-loc in it already).

3500 Stall. Yeah, that is pretty high for a daily driver but I don't care. I have driven bitchy cars on the street. What fun would it be if it was easy to drive? It won't likely see rain unless I get caught out in it. If fuel economy was a concern, I wouldn't be doing it.

I will have my body man make me a custom hood. I am not a big fan of most designs out there.

I don't think there will be any way to to make this AWD. That is a project for another car.

As far as boosting it, I am running a carb setup with nitrous this year. After this summer, I will probably convert it to fuel injection once I get more familiar with the AEM standalone. Once it is fuel injected, look for boost if I think the car can handle it.

The money spent so far is about $3000 not including the engine. I am not a rich man but I spend wisely and selling my old mods have covered everything so far. Wait for the right deal and have cash in hand to take advantage of it.

More to come...

MMMMMMM I have a 351W and a C-4 just wanting to be run again.....

OMG HOLY THREAD RESURRECTION BATMAN!

lol, had to do it.

Search the term ZX351 on this site... also YouTube has a few vids. That's what the end result was, for those who are curious for the "update" on something that happened years ago. [rolleyes] Also IIRC car has been sold.

i looked at his profile and looked through his posts, the car sold early last year for around 16K.

So that was his ZX351 on you tub.... I like watching that video every once in awhile.