ok so i was thinking.. all these people are talking about swaps and v8s but i was wondering since they put a 2.3 turboed motor in the mustang and they also put a 302 and a 351 in the same type of mustang why could we put the 2.3 turboed svo motor and make it rear wheel drive just like the v8 swap but build the svo motor to 500whp and still get the descent gas milage of the 4 cylinder. it should be a straight forward swap shouldnt it? what do you think? anyone done it? or thought about it?

just converting a fwd to rwd takes lots of time and money! and then swapping tranny's engine mounts, wiring harnesses...ect,ect the list gets plenty long with engine and rwd swaps!

i know its pretty expensive.. but it wouldnt be any more expensive than a v8 swap and to me a svo mustang drivetrain would be a great swap. im just asking if anyone has done it. and if so how they liked it. also some opinions on whether or not it would be a good swap. i thought about the v8 swap but to me it makes the car entirely to unbalanced. which for all around use whether it be drifting or track use a lighter 4cylinder would be better in the front than a big v8.... plus it would spool up faster and be better on gas. plus be cheaper. you can get a svo mustang alot cheaper than a 5.0.

I don't think that's the motor I would go for if I were to do a swap. Definitely an intriguing idea though. Do it! Do it!

agreed, very interesting idea and i would like to see it done but a complete SVO motor will be much more expensive than a 302 because it is much much harder to find. and it still wont be legal to drive on the street. the only kind of swap you could do on a focus and still drive it on the road would be to do swap a SVT 2.0, zetec, or duratec 2.0 or 2.3 from another focus. however there are kits available to mate the stock zetec engine to a mustang tranny thereby converting to RWD. but i think you stilll would have to turn the engine sideways.

The 2.3T is REALLY HEAVY, and requires premium fuel, unlike the 5.0.

I have an 86 XR4Ti with a 2.3T. It's a WHOLE 'NOTHER ANIMAL. I would do plenty of homework before I got serious about using it in a swap.

The 2.3T from the SVO is a good, strong motor, but the money for the required swap could be spent building up your zetec/duratec engine for boost. And you wouldn't have to swap ECUs. I think over in Europe they had a swap to make the mk1 a RWD platform...can't remember though...

Few things:

You cannot find the 2.3 Turbo motor for less than one would find a 302, by a LONG SHOT. The 2.3 Turbo came in the TurboCoupe Thunderbird, The Merkur XR4Ti and the Mustang SVO. To take this motor fro ma junkyard expect to pay anywhere from $500 -$1300 without the tranny. You could easily find a 302 in a junkyard and snag it for $250 as I have done many times.

A conversion from fwd to rwd is painstaking. Alot of money and time would need to be dumped into it. So it would'nt wise to be on tight budget.

Adding a V8 into a Focus WILL NOT make the car unbalanced. This is one of the most misunderstood facts about engine swaps. Once you add a big heavy V8 you will SHIFT balance, not lose. If you do a swap correctly and calculate the best place for the Engine mounts to sit, the car will ride perfectly and steer great. Realizing the tranny will now be in the middle of the car will further aid stabilization. One only think of all the weight on the front of a V8 Focus, but the tranny is in the middle and the hefty 8.8 rear end is in the REAR, not to mention the modified gas sump will be raised, and the elimination of front suspension pieces and the addition of rear suspension pieces will keep the car feeling good.

One final thing 4 bangers do not get better gas mileage than a V8 at anywhere near 500whp range. With less- Gas, throttle, torque, intertia, spark, needed to produce 500 hp in a V8 it will undoubtedly get better mileage. A 4 banger will need twice as much of the above mentioned things to create the same power, there fore decreasing it's driveability.

Everything I have mentioned, I know from experience.

One final thing 4 bangers do not get better gas mileage than a V8 at anywhere near 500whp range. With less- Gas, throttle, torque, intertia, spark, needed to produce 500 hp in a V8 it will undoubtedly get better mileage. A 4 banger will need twice as much of the above mentioned things to create the same power, there fore decreasing it's driveability.
I disagree with this statement entirely. you see when you are running turbo you are not always producing that kind of power only when you want it. i have a 370whp ford focus that can still get in excess of 30mpg you show me any v8 at any power that gets 30mpg. i do agree that when im running 370whp im using gas like its going out of style but that is the point to putting a smaller motor so i dont always have to be running that kind of power which in turn makes it more fuel efficient. and about the cost of conversion an svo mustang is cheaper to buy than a 5.0 mustang due to everybody wanting a 5.0. i was thinking in terms of buying the whole car and using what i could off of it. i would love to take my motor and turn it sideways due to i know what my motor does and how it runs and i already have it but i havent seen any conversion kits for that. the reason i was thinking of the svo is it is in the same car that the 302 comes in and they make all kinds of v8 conversion kits. but it would be better on gas and put out a good amount of power to really make your car move.

One final thing 4 bangers do not get better gas mileage than a V8 at anywhere near 500whp range. With less- Gas, throttle, torque, intertia, spark, needed to produce 500 hp in a V8 it will undoubtedly get better mileage. A 4 banger will need twice as much of the above mentioned things to create the same power, there fore decreasing it's driveability.
I disagree with this statement entirely. you see when you are running turbo you are not always producing that kind of power only when you want it. i have a 370whp ford focus that can still get in excess of 30mpg you show me any v8 at any power that gets 30mpg. i do agree that when im running 370whp im using gas like its going out of style but that is the point to putting a smaller motor so i dont always have to be running that kind of power which in turn makes it more fuel efficient. and about the cost of conversion an svo mustang is cheaper to buy than a 5.0 mustang due to everybody wanting a 5.0. i was thinking in terms of buying the whole car and using what i could off of it. i would love to take my motor and turn it sideways due to i know what my motor does and how it runs and i already have it but i havent seen any conversion kits for that. the reason i was thinking of the svo is it is in the same car that the 302 comes in and they make all kinds of v8 conversion kits. but it would be better on gas and put out a good amount of power to really make your car move.

The 2.3T is REALLY HEAVY, and requires premium fuel, unlike the 5.0.

I have an 86 XR4Ti with a 2.3T. It's a WHOLE 'NOTHER ANIMAL. I would do plenty of homework before I got serious about using it in a swap.

I was amazed at how freakin heavy that 2.3 is from my Merkur. At least 100 lbs more than the Zetec.
And funny how things work but I am swapping a Zetec into a Merkur. I never liked the 2.3 from the Merkur-single cam, heavy and I don't like how it looks or sounds.

I was amazed at how freakin heavy that 2.3 is from my Merkur. At least 100 lbs more than the Zetec.
And funny how things work but I am swapping a Zetec into a Merkur. I never liked the 2.3 from the Merkur-single cam, heavy and I don't like how it looks or sounds.

It is a lump, indeed.

I assume you've seen the guy who swapped a turbo Duratec 3.0 into his XR4Ti? He brings it to Carlisle every year; it's crazy sick.

so why is the 2.3t so much heavier? just the materials its made out of? i think converting mine to rwd would be awesome... then not only could i set it up to be faster on the track but it would make a great drift car....and that would be sweet.. you dont see very many of those.. a focus drifting...

my mom has a new z06 itys 500hp and it gets about 30 miles to the gallon and thats from factory

cylinder shutoff is why. you may want to have her take that car back to the dealership before its too late tho. Didnt chevy have a recall on all their vehicles with cylinder shutoff due to problems with severe carbon buildup leading to engine failure in under 30k miles?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwNF0xy1qxY
how about that. lookie a focus drifting. is that RWD? no....

so why is the 2.3t so much heavier? just the materials its made out of?

The Zetec has a cast-iron block, but the cylinder head is aluminum, at least. The 2.3T is all cast-iron. Back in the 80's, there wasn't nearly as much aluminum used in engine manufacturing as there is now.

Fun fact - the Zetec and Duratec Cougars are nearly identical in weight, because the Duratec V6 is all-aluminum, block AND heads.

Gas mileage goes down when your foot goes down. I get 20 mpg in my stang around the street and about 24-25 on the hwy.

I have 300rwhp. A 4 banger with 300whp will not get 20 mpg in the street.

my mom has a new z06 itys 500hp and it gets about 30 miles to the gallon and thats from factory

That is thanks to the Chevy "Skip-a- Shift" where it keep the revs down by not lettign them get above 3k

my mom has a new z06 itys 500hp and it gets about 30 miles to the gallon and thats from factory
yeah i forgot about the displacement on demand.... damn technology..lol
Gas mileage goes down when your foot goes down. I get 20 mpg in my stang around the street and about 24-25 on the hwy.

I have 300rwhp. A 4 banger with 300whp will not get 20 mpg in the street.
SO TRU... i can get 12mpg or 35mpg out of my car... all depending on how i drive.. i average about 24-27 and im pretty rough on her...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwNF0xy1qxY
how about that. lookie a focus drifting. is that RWD? no....
LOOKS SO SWEET!!!!! I WANT ONE!!!!

yeah i forgot about the displacement on demand.... damn technology..lol


ZO6 is not equipped with DOD. It saves gas using Skip-a-shift. Which is the ONLY reason it one of the few V8's to not have a "Gas- Guzzler" tax.

DOD is in other GM vehicles such as the Chrysler 300c, Magnum, and Charger.

ZO6 is not equipped with DOD. It saves gas using Skip-a-shift. Which is the ONLY reason it one of the few V8's to not have a "Gas- Guzzler" tax.

ok this is a new one to me what is this skip-a-shift?

ok this is a new one to me what is this skip-a-shift?

It's a device used by Chevy where under 3k rpms the driver CANNOT shift from 1st-2nd. The car will redirect you shifter to go into 4th gear from 1st.

This aids in keeping the rpms down while street driving. But when you want to drop the hammer one can shift normally from 1st-2nd-3rd-4th-5th-6th

All Corvette's since 1998 have had this feature along with the Trans Am and the Camaro. All LS1 powered Chevy sports cars. Along with the newer Corvettes as well, hence the new Zo6 and Zr1

the skip shift can be deleted and also big v8's can get into teh 30 mpg range becuse of the 6th gear. my best friend had an 05 gto with custon exhaust header back, and was superchiped by super chips, his car is why superchips has a tun out for 05 and 06 gto. plenty of times have i seen him on the hwy in 6th gear at 1500 rpms, getting real time mpg 34-36. the corvettes and gto and cobra's all have a very tall 6th gear.

and on another not how is a rwd focus not street legal, who said that.

[QUOTE=focusmaniaczx3;2695521]agreed, very interesting idea and i would like to see it done but a complete SVO motor will be much more expensive than a 302 because it is much much harder to find. and it still wont be legal to drive on the street.[QUOTE]

Huh? Why wouldn't it be legal to drive on the street? They are legal to drive on the street here in Ohio at least. I would have to agree on the rarity of the SVO 2.3L Turbo engine. I had tried looking for a Merkur for the longest time and it seems the only ones I find are the ones that should be scrapped anyways. For some odd reason I have always liked those cars just never got around to owning one. Not sure why someone would want to go through the effort of doing this swap when companies already have swap kits for V8s and the like. But hey if you want to do it as a project that's all good for you.

ZO6 is not equipped with DOD. It saves gas using Skip-a-shift. Which is the ONLY reason it one of the few V8's to not have a "Gas- Guzzler" tax.

DOD is in other GM vehicles such as the Chrysler 300c, Magnum, and Charger.

did u say GM vehicles such as the Chrysler 300c, Magnum, and Charger????
last time i checked chrysler made all those vehicles....lol u had a little typo here.

you show me any v8 at any power that gets 30mpg.

i had a 2006 impala ss with the 5.3L 303hp v8 that got 30mpg highway, new corvettes are well over 400hp and pushing close to 30mpg, hell the z06 is 500hp and gets 26mpg, for that matter the new ZR1 has 640hp and is still rated at 24-26mpg not bad for one of the fastest production cars out there.

yes the second you get on the gas that mpg drops to about 8 but the same thing happens when you are on the gas in a 4 banger. anything can get decent mpgs as long as you stay out of the throttle.

funny thing is that impala was a front wheel drive v8, wonder if that would work in a focus? that would be a interesting swap lol[headbang]

^^ damn i didnt realize all the corvettes got that good of gas milege thats pretty sweet. and about the v8 fwd swap.. thatd be about pointless...lol smoking tires...

you know what would be a sweet swap.. a z51 corvette drive train...lol..

Huh? Why wouldn't it be legal to drive on the street? They are legal to drive on the street here in Ohio at least. I would have to agree on the rarity of the SVO 2.3L Turbo engine. I had tried looking for a Merkur for the longest time and it seems the only ones I find are the ones that should be scrapped anyways. For some odd reason I have always liked those cars just never got around to owning one. Not sure why someone would want to go through the effort of doing this swap when companies already have swap kits for V8s and the like. But hey if you want to do it as a project that's all good for you.

its illegal due to emissions. if im not mistaken i believe on vehicles 1994 and back you can swap in whatever kind of engine you like but after that the engine basically has to be from the same make and model vehicle to be driven on the street. basically on a focus if you want to legally drive it on the street you have to either put the 2.0spi/zetec/svt/duratec engine in it or the 2.3 duratec. ever heard of "monster miata"? look it up on youtube. freaking crazy. guys stuffing 302's into miatas and driving them on the street. its all this company does is take a beater miata and stuff 5.0's in them. but notice they wont touch it if it is newer than '94. i know you're going to say "hey! ive seen videos of foci with v8 swaps! and they are out on the road!" well buddy you can ask anybody who owns or makes them and they will tell you its illegal as hell to drive it on the street.

EDIT: as a matter of fact why dont you ask tom? is has put together quite a few v8 foci and im sure he would know. im man enough to admit when im wrong and if i am then i am. but im fairly certain that whatever he says will be correct.

the illegal part is only for emissions purposes... there are alot of towns that dont have emissions. and when you dont have emissions you have no worries as to whats in the car.

A 4 banger with 300whp will not get 20 mpg in the street.



Thats total Bull Shit.....

365whp Turbo SVT in mixed everyday driving I still average 25mpg, and I get low 30's on the highway.

My V8 Focus would be LUCKY if it got 15 on the highway.

Also my V8 Focus is fully liscened and insured... I drive it all the time on public roads.

Thats total Bull Shit.....

365whp Turbo SVT in mixed everyday driving I still average 25mpg, and I get low 30's on the highway.

My V8 Focus would be LUCKY if it got 15 on the highway.

agreed its much like the jeeps with 4 bangers or inline 6 or s10's with a 4 banger or the massive i think 4.3 v6

the 4 cylinder has to strain all that weight and its transmission is geared for torque making it work harder at higher speeds

i think any car no matter what engine or power it makes is based on the driver and transmission plays a major part also the engineering design of that vehicle from the manufacturer

i would just go with toms 2.3 strocker and turbo it it will be cheaper and less of a head ache but thats me its your car do what you want with it

did u say GM vehicles such as the Chrysler 300c, Magnum, and Charger????
last time i checked chrysler made all those vehicles....lol u had a little typo here.

haha everyone on here is making some "major" statements on this thread and ripping quotes to put in there signature how harsh i love it all of it

i would just go with toms 2.3 strocker and turbo it it will be cheaper and less of a head ache but thats me its your car do what you want with it
not to be what ever but why would i do that.. i already have to much power as it is... i want rwd.. that is the whole point to the swap. [cheers]

Also my V8 Focus is fully liscened and insured... I drive it all the time on public roads.

you live in ohio with no emissions laws. its legal out there. for about 75%-90% of the rest of us mere mortals we have emissions laws where we live.[bawling]

focuzed here is a solution for you. instead of doing a complete motor/tranny swap you can do this and keep that monster you already have under the hood. just turn it sideways and use a ford t5 or t9 depending on preferance.
i present custom bellhousings to mate the zetec to rwd ford tranny. http://quad4rods.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=3&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=100041

I could still pass a sniffer test, I'd just make up a set of bolt in cats for the occasion... you can make any car/motor combo street legal.

I do agree, I would go with a T5 (abit over kill) or a T45 tranny... they are plentiful in junk yards (Mustang GT's ran both trannys for years and years) and are not that expensive to freshen up.

aboutt he whole legal thing. i saw on the on one of the powerblock shows they made a newer jeep with a hemi in it. the only reason it was legal is because the jeep wrangler frame is used on another chrysler vehicle that had the hemi as an option. but for a focus they never made a v8 option from factory so technicly it is illegal to drive on the street but on a side note it is very possible to get around it and do inspection and what not.
but than again i think the show was talking about cali. laws.... so not too sure.

yes you can get away with having the car and driving it on the street, but if a cop (around here is bad) wanted to be a real dick he would pop your hood and impound the car. friend of mine dropped a LS1 in a 99 civic and had that happen. you can insure it as a ford focus and have a tag and title and everything for it but God forbid if you ever get into a wreck with it because then you will only get $ for a standard ZX3. or can you insure it as a highly modified street eater and get your money back out of it if the car is wrecked?

EDIT: side note on my buddy with the LS1 honda. he passed the cop going around 160+ mph. dunno for sure the speedo maxed out at 160. D/A said they could impound his car anyway because of emissions laws.

When I insured it I got full coverage and made SURE they knew it had been modified... back to what FiFoci said.... you know there are thousands of street legal rail buggies and dune buggies on the road... and NONE of them came from a manufacterer with all different engine/trannies configurations.

As long as you can pass emmissions and the safety inspection in most states your fine, they even have it now where you can apply for different types of titles for highly altered cars in some states.

ooo that gives me an idea. very true there are tons of street legal rail buggies and dune buggies on the road but those are pretty much hand made cars. i dont know as much about this particular set of laws as i would like. i figure ill do a little research into it now that my curiousity is peaked. i wonder if a focus could be put in the same category as a dune buggy or something like that if it was a salvaged title?

^^^^ i like how you're thinking.

went and spoke with a local magistrate a little bit ago. if the car is a salvaged title you can do whatever the heck you want with it as long as the emissions of that vehicle is below a certain threshold. so you still need a cat but it can be done. this is looking like it could be fun. i have a 440 magnum at my parents on an engine stand... im gonna take some measurements in the morning just for kicks and giggles lol

also about the has to come with the car......... you can buy a v8 ford focus from the factory its called the rs8 comes with the svt cobra drivetrain and its like $80k just in case that ever came up.. and the focus also now comes with a 2.3 so im good no mater what i did..lol