Focus Fanatics Forum banner

ST Style "Conversion" bumper on eBay

50K views 85 replies 22 participants last post by  Spinner 
#1 · (Edited)
First two photos I have on post 60
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4915483&postcount=60


Has anybody seen this yet?

http://tinyurl.com/q8kn8u5

I was just searching through the pages of eBay looking for something good when this caught my eye. Anybody have any opinions/experience with this? Surely it isn't a direct swap on our non ST focii, I have read the conversion thread just as most of you have, I am sure, and it is a lot harder than dropping one and installing the other...

If it were direct I might contemplate snatching on up, the ST style is just sexy! [8D]
 
#49 ·
Another update!!

My friend took everything to Maaco back home, three days of labor, paint, and installation is going to run $550 before tax! Should be able to get everybody pictures by the end of this week! They said they checked out the front bumper and mounting and it is going to have no problems at all as far as mounting goes, its a direct fit!! Anybody interested in buying shouldn't have to worry about it any longer, I can't wait to see the finished product!!

Also, I am leaving my MOS school in three weeks and will be stationed ~30 minutes North of San Diego, Ca at Camp Pendleton. I hope there are a lot of you Fanatics in the local area! ;)

Oh, and in regards to the side skirts I bought; I know I am not the only one that has seen the ST replica side skirts, unfortunately they are the skirts I bought and they DO NOT FIT!!!! Don't buy them as you are looking at roughly $1200 worth the custom fab. work to get them mounted and looking stock, I am having the guys at Maaco just sand and paint my stock skirts instead and the after markets are going back.
 
#50 ·
One last update before the unveiling

My friend is heading back to Maaco to pick up my car tomorrow, he said he is going to wash it and promptly get me photos of it, so by the end of the day tomorrow there will finally be install pictures in this thread! I called them this morning and gave my credit card info, I asked to double check and the front bumper definitely had no issues, the only thing they needed to do was a little bit of molding on the rear valance to make it look stock. All in all a total of $700 after tax isn't a bad investment at all in my book! Just making my FoFo stand out a little more than the rest!!
 
#52 ·
I definitely agree, my friend has quite a past with modification/showing vehicles, though, besides that and our friendship I have a lot of trust in him and am not worried one bit. I am hoping it turns out as great as I am picturing in my head.

I am just wrapping up training for 0612, Field wireman, TSO, and whatever the hell it will be called next year after the merge with 0651. Really though, I setup phone networks. Hoping to lat move to 0613 (Fibre Specialist) in the future.
 
#59 ·
My friend asked about it and I guess they baked it to help the paint cure a little faster.

My friend is getting the car now, and in the pictures it is looking nice! I have to run now, but will be posting them later today!
 
#60 ·
I only have the two, ill hopefully be getting more later. It definitely looks like an ST, so I suppose this should suffice for now.


They painted the rear bumper wrong, instead of the valence being black they painted the entire thing black, so it's going back tomorrow to be repainted, otherwise it looks like it turned out great!!

Sent from my SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 

Attachments

#62 ·
If you reread my last post I said its going back tomorrow for the rear bumper to be repainted [;)] The valance is staying black, but the rest of the bumper will be painted to match.

As for the roof and spoiler; I would like to do the roof in black vinyl but I haven't tackled it due to the moon roof, and the spoiler is going to be replaced. Going to snatch up an RS spoiler as soon as I have the extra funds!
 
#64 ·
I didn't want to waste the money on painting it since I am replacing it sometime in the near future. Besides, I like it better black than painted to match!
 
#67 ·
Thanks, guys :D the rear was dropped off today and should be finished Tuesday, hopefully then I can get pics up of the entire car, I am definitely happy with how it turned out either way!

Sent from my SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 
#69 ·
Everything ran $700 after tax for paint/install, I'm not sure on individual pieces, couldn't have been that much for just the front bumper. $500 for the bumper ~$150 for paint and $50 on the install. Not bad for a direct swap ST lookalike.
 
#71 ·
sorry if this stated somewhere prior to this page, but what rear bumper is that and (the main question) does it have an exhaust opening on the other side of bumper? (running fswerks set up)
 
#74 ·
You are correct, there are cutouts on either side for a dual exit setup. I am hoping sometime next year to upgrade the exhaust and do quad exit tips like in the stock photos of this bumper on the european-parts website.

And for clarification this is the Stoffler rear bumper, I ordered it from european-parts.net and received it after ~6 days. After shipping it ran around $480 total. Very happy with this purchase, it is one of the best looking aftermarket rear bumpers I have seen for the mk3 hatchback.

Thanks alot guys! that is a sweet bumper, I'm going to have to look into that. The hardest part about finding a rear bumper is finding something compatible with the fswerks exhaust set up. [thumb]
 
#76 ·
Sorry but this looks ok from a distance but I'm not sure if it's the paint job or the parts but the area around the cut out for the tow hook looks quite rough, the missing Ford Logo from the front also draws my attention.

That and the inconsistent gaps between the hood and bumper cover as well as the gap between the fenders and the cover.

As long as you're happy that's all that matters but I can see where corners were cut with the pattern parts vs the o.e. ones.

10/10 for style, minus several million for good thinking - Zaphod Beeblebrox, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy ( Movie 2005)

It cost $330 ish to have a dealer body shop paint and install the cover on my old Focus, so if you had maaco paint the cover, skirts, and rear valance for around $500 then more corners were likely cut.
 
#77 ·
From what I am told it looks better in person, I agree the tow cover looks like garbage but that's what happens when you order an $8 used part from overseas, the Ford logo will also be in place soon, haven't gotten around to ordering it yet. Compared to an actual ST I am told the gap between the hood and bumper are nearly the same, as for the fender and the bumper I'm not sure, it does definitely look like a gap but I won't know how it looks in person for a few more weeks. All in all I've been told by several friends/family that it looks great, all I can do for now is cross my fingers and hope that is such. Thanks for the constructive criticism, though! :thumbup:

If it isn't perfect then it looks like I will someday swap the parts out to fix it, for now I am happy, though.

Sent from my SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
 
#80 ·
@suss

You do realize that the quality of the pictures that were posted are not the greatest. So you're making assumptions on pictures that are sub-par. Wait until OP gets clear pictures, then state your opinion.

Not to mention, you're coming from a MK3 that had a ST swap. Not to mention, own a ST. Of course you're going to nit pick.

Quit raining on the mans parade.
 
#81 ·
I'm not raining on anyone's parade.

It's quite clear that even if the pictures were not the greatest that there is sufficient evidence to point out the issues with the parts in question. The area around the cover is one such issue, but that's the nature of mixing a used and possibly damaged o.e. piece and a pattern or replica part.

If no one tried the parts other than the ebay ad then it would not be a known quantity, but in their picture it looks like there were fewer fit issues that might be associated with the shop rather than the parts, although there is still the issue of the disappearing gap.


I received much harsher criticism for even thinking of doing the swap let alone after I did it, but that's not why I critiqued his car. There are a few glaring issues with the fit that anyone who knows the car would notice, but might not be obvious to the lay person. And given how much better the parts seem to fit in the supplier's photograph there appears to be some problem with how it was aligned. I'm sure some of this could be better judged and adjusted in person, but like I said before if he likes it then that's all that matters.

It is not a coincidence that I would be interested in seeing how this turned out having followed the first conversion out of necessity (a front end collision in that case that wiped out the entire front end) v.s. mine out of minor necessity, due to damaging the cover a second time right after getting the car back from the shop finally.

Constructive criticism is beneficial and positive. If everyone always agreed with me then I'd be worried that they weren't being honest and that both of us would be wrong. I have not said the o.p. should not have done this conversion ever, and although I'm not as fond of pattern or replica parts in some cases they do have their place. I just wish for his sake that he will be reunited with the car sooner rather than later so he can judge the work he ordered from afar.
 
#83 ·
Do you guys really want that gap so much? i personally think the replica looks better not having it. less gap makes for a much smoother look and isn't that what buying the part is all about? aesthetics.
i'm not trying to make my S model look like an ST. i just prefer the style of it's bumper. again, just my opinion, there was a lot of emphasis on something i don't understand.
 
#84 ·
The gap is intentional as a part of the tolerance stacks as well as for allowing airflow through the engine bay. Closing the gap looks worse, and it's likely to to cause the bumper cover to rub on the corners of the hood.

You have the exact same gap on the base MK3 fascia as on the ST but you don't notice it as much on the basis of the center grille.

Also reducing the gap makes the car look like the Fiesta ST, or the new Focus ST, which looks awkward imo.

It could be that the front bumper and insulator are also different then the N/A they have more of a curve shape and could be a little bit lower.
No, the hood, headlamps, and fenders are all identical across the model range, and from the S-ST3 all have the same exact gap between the hood and the bumper cover with o.e.m. parts.
 
#86 ·
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top