[SuperStockAMX]

Sold the car on ebay in 2015 and they called me and said I got 1st dibs to buy it back! I think I had it 4-5 years...getting old, can’t remember LOL! I know that it was in the best of hands the last 7 years but they are selling as the engine has low compression and high oil consumption. I suspect bent valves on the compression and who knows what on the oil consumption. I intend to fully rebuild the engine. When I had it I put in new pistons and had Diamond build me some forged pistons for it. Unfortunately, that engine started using a lot of oil and they replaced it with a junkyard SVT engine and threw the one with the Dimond pistons away...
They replaced the Koni’s I had on it, the single mass flywheel with Kevlar clutch, the Eibach sway bars, and removed the tribal stripes that were on it when I bought it (yea!) and put on all OEM parts which I am happy they did.
This is an ABSOLUTELY rust free SVT Focus. I will drag my trailer to the midwest 2nd week of August and bring it back to Arizona and get right on fixing’ what needs to be fixed.
As I race in NHRA Stock and Super Stock, and I can’t leave any stone left unturned, I’ll probably have another set of pistons made by GibTech with a custom set of Gapless Total Seal Rings along with various coatings to the piston skirts / crowns and ring lands, rings and bearings, index and equalize the crankshaft stroke, deck the block, etc., while keeping the rest of it stock. Will do light porting of the cylinder head and performance valve job (doubtful I will put a CAT CAM in but I’ll look at their smallest offering).
Yes, I’ve read all through the internet and everyone will tell me I’m wasting time and money but the thrill for me has always been having engines that far exceed expectations.
Anyway, 2-weeks to go and pick it up as I am in process of replacing the front timing set on my ’05 Expedition 5.4 next Saturday and just ordered new trailer tires last night.
Here’s before and current pictures of the car:
2015:

2022:

2022:

2015:

 

[SuperStockAMX]

I see I started my 1st posts here in 2011 so I guess I was owner 2011-2015. Dang! It was a blast driving that car!

Here’s the old 2015 ad here on Focus Fanatics showing extensive list of mods I had:

Competition Orange 2003 Ford Focus SVT EAP

Location: Anthem, Arizona (North Phoenix area) Price: $7,500 INCLUDES SHIPPING TO LOWER 48 STATES IN USA WITH FULL PRICED OFFER. Competition Orange 2003 Ford Focus SVT EAP One of only 301 Produced Selling this fun daily driver as my son is closing in on 16 and my wife insists he is not going...

www.focusfanatics.com

Looks like I’ll go back to Dimond Pistons as they already have the blueprint of what I want and ring package.

 

[BlueKoda]

I see I started my 1st posts here in 2011 so I guess I was owner 2011-2015. Dang! It was a blast driving that car!

Here’s the old 2015 ad here on Focus Fanatics showing extensive list of mods I had:

Competition Orange 2003 Ford Focus SVT EAP

Location: Anthem, Arizona (North Phoenix area) Price: $7,500 INCLUDES SHIPPING TO LOWER 48 STATES IN USA WITH FULL PRICED OFFER. Competition Orange 2003 Ford Focus SVT EAP One of only 301 Produced Selling this fun daily driver as my son is closing in on 16 and my wife insists he is not going...

www.focusfanatics.com

Looks like I’ll go back to Dimond Pistons as they already have the blueprint of what I want and ring package.

This is awesome, welcome back.

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk

 

[hEaT]

That's great! Cool you can get it back and hopefully get it running again.

 

[Jkauto]

An svt has always been one of my favorites

 

[pbfoot]

Nice.

 

[1turbofocus]

Curious why your having custom Pistons made when any of the Zetec Forged Pistons and Eagle rods will work ?

Tom

 

[SuperStockAMX]

Because I don’t want a 9.5:1 compression build. Also I can get better ring package than SVT package. I rebuilt the engine in 2013 and had Diamond build me a set of pistons and Total Seal rings. Unfortunately, I put low-drag oil rings in. Sold the car in 2015 and sometime later he lost compression and high oil consumption and put a salvage yard engine in it. Unfortunately, he got rid of the engine I built. Probably had some bent valves and replace rings to standard tension oil rings and would have fixed the issues. Had a lot of work in the head. And I see the world of $6 SVT valves are long gone. I still have your tune and SCT Scanner though.

 

[SuperStockAMX]

When in New Mexico, you gotta eat at Blakes LotaBurger!

Question...is this where I would do a build thread?

 

[SuperStockAMX]

08/23/2022 Wednesday - Engine pulled. Brought engine home. I used an automotive shop to remove engine as I did not have time or room to do it at home. Barely got the engine in the garage as I have my ’70 AMC AMX on stands working on new front end parts and my son is building an engine for his ’01 Mustang GT. To much crap in the garage out of place!
Spoke to owner of body shop next door to auto shop. Seemed to do good work. I asked how much to repaint both faded bumpers, the rock chipped hood (pretty sure most of the damage here was from my ownership; AZ with lack of rain is murder on front ends!), and the roof spoiler. We agreed on a price. This will not be a color tint match. I’m hoping to keep the original metal / original paint intact because I have this thing for “no dent / no rust / no repairs condition. Friends tell me it’s not a ’65 GT350 barn find that will go to auction house for hundreds of thousands of dollars...I guess that’s a matter of opinion. LOL
08/25/2022 Thursday around 5:30 P.M. - Auto shop pushes engineless (and no trans) SVT next door to paint shop.
08/27/2022 Saturday - Go to Hawaii for 6 nights / 7 days with wife.
08/29/2022 Monday- Still in Hawaii. Body shop is done with work, want to get paid! NEVER in my automotive life have I ever had a body shop do something, anything, in 4 days! Auto shop pays the body shop off for me. I get pictures and I’m happy with the work...but, can I live with mis-matched tint?
09/02/2022 - Home from vacation.
09/03/2022 - paid auto shop for loan. See SVT. I can’t live with mis-matched tint(s). Roof has more yellow tint, sides have light orange tint. Body shop and I agree on work on painting the rest of the SVTF. Body shop will get car back 09/09/2022 and they said about a week for work. I don’t want color sanding as i will “cut & buff” after engine install and paint more cured (although it’s around 108° here so how long does cure process actually take?). I took a bunch of pictures of all the sheetmetal so I can document that the SVTF had no issues other than faded (yet still very shiny) paint.
Will tear down engine later this week and get parts (head / crank / block) off to various locations so I can get in line(s).
No, I will not keep a full diary here as I did tonight, just can’t believe how well it’s going thus far!
Just a few pictures on the painted hood / bumpers / spoiler before painting the rest of the SVTF.

Paint booth:

After on painted bumpers spoiler / hood:

Painted hood, original paint on fender shown:

Dealer installed “Fast & Furious” decals were mostly removed by last owner. “Ghost” striping still evident.

Roof factory paint against freshly painted roof spoiler:

Freshly painted bumper and roof spoiler.

 

[SuperStockAMX]

Decided I could not live with the various shades of sun faded / overly buffed Comp Orange so I sent it back to the auto painter. It goes in tomorrow and he promises 1 week turnaround since there is no body work of any kind necessary. Basically, get rid of the ghost images of old “Fast & Furious tribal stripes” and make it one shade of Competition Orange again.
Picked up Exhaust system from Powder Coater today. I had them apply Cerakote Ceramic Coatings with tubing in bronze and mufflers / resonators in titanium.
Ordered aluminum baffled oil pan from Sheldon Marra yesterday.

 

[SuperStockAMX]

 

[pbfoot]

Wow! Looking good.