[eddiebrockjr]

Okay...apologize to all you seasoned vets to the site/car modification scene...however...I am totally new to the car modification scene. I have searched this forum to try to find reasonable answers to my curiosity. Enough of my "screw you newbie" disclaimer...
What I really want to know is, with my recent aquistion of a 2001 4 Door SE Focus, I am looking to maybe swap an SVT motor/trans (by the way, my car is an automatic currently....) into my car. What is it exactly that I will have to do to prep for to get this done? I have several thousand ready to drop into this car, that is having transmission and severe suspension issues. What should be my first move? Do I repair/upgrade the suspension first to get the car ready to handle approximately 40 more horsepower? What is it going to be like for me to get a six speed manual into my car that is an automatic? I have checked out focus-power.com, and they seem to have the hardware that I need, but I am just lost in this whirlwind of making sure that my seven-year-old car is going to accept its' new "heart transplant" and run efficiently.

Please, somebody point a noob (and recent Focus-lover) in the right direction!!!

 

[honhon]

there is actually a thread created for someone that did this exact thing, went from an auto zetec motor and put in a getrag and sct motor...

i cant remember the thread right now, but i know its in this section.

 

[jetrinka]

Isn't that what besthaticouldo did? A total SVT transplant? I don't know if he had an auto before though but its basically the same thing. Just a little more work involved.

 

[illinipo]

I dont say this often, being a huge modder and mtx swapper myself, but im going to recommend you take that money and throw it at a real SVT.

"huge suspension problems" are only really fixed by getting brand new bushings everywhere, and struts and shocks... expensive and time consuming!

mtx75 swap can be cheap but the 6-speed swap can be a bit more pricey...

svt engine and ecu will run you an easy 1200-1500...

and it will still have your old dingy seats that are no longer supportive.


like i said, im speaking from experience here, after modding the crap out of my car it is now faster than an SVT in both straight lines and autocross, but I was able to do it for less money than just buying an svt, and i did it over time having fun with each individual mod. the build took about 2.5 years. But the fact remains that my bushings and seats and interior all have 180k miles on them... they are by no means SVT quality.

So step back and take an assessment, do you want to throw $6000-8000 at this car, or spend $8000-10000 on a really nice SVT?

 

[Captain Moonpie]

illinipo is right.

Also, take into consideration your experiance. Doing a motor and tranny swap is a HUGE undertaking, especially for someone that is new to the car modding scene.

 

[verse187]

Power Works Supercharger they have 'em for automatics