It's about time I broke down and made one of these things. 1,000 posts and no build thread... I just thought that I really haven't done much to Ruth, but now that I've taken all the pictures I've needed for this thread, I realized I did quite a lot.
MOD LIST (updated 9/7/15):
- 2.25" flexback exhaust (27" Glasspack as only muffler)
- 225/45/R17 tires on genuine SVT 5-spokes
- Short ram intake
- Lightly tinted tails and markers
- Blue and white LED lights in interior footwells
- 'ZX5' shadow on one hood bulge
- Double Platinum plugs
- Debadge
So first, a background on why I chose the name Ruth. I got the car from the original owner, well, sort of. What happened was it was my mother's (new) husband's mom's car (say that 5 times fast) and when she passed, he inherited it. His mother's name was Ruth, so I thought I would pay a little respect to her. Plus, it looks like a Ruth. Weird, I know.
So back to your regularly scheduled nonsense. I received the car on January 28th, 2014. It was sitting in my grandparent's pull barn for a few weeks until my father got it insured, then I went to go do my permit test, and boom, I had a car.
Here's some pictures of her the day I got it. It's in very good condition, with low miles. It was basically a grocery getter every once in awhile and church on Sunday. That's it. If the weather was bad, she didn't go anywhere.
Whew, that's a lot of pictures. So, this ZX5 has the Zetec 2.0L 16 valve DOHC engine, with the 4 speed automatic w/overdrive. It has fog lights, the optional Blaupunkt radio, a tach cluster, 16" alloys, and that's about all I can think of for options.
So, let's get to "modding!" I view most of the things I've done so far as minor, and not really all that special, but it does make it look better than stock IMO.
So first, I installed a Pilot Motorsports 3.5" resonated exhaust tip, just to cover up the stock drinking straw. Looks decent, but I wish it was longer.
The car basically stayed the same, other than a fresh set of tires once summer came around (driving on 11 year old tires during the winter was VERY fun). I washed it, washed it, washed it. My father once said that I was going to wash the paint off of it.
Then, the big day came...
I got my license. That's right, WATCH OUT WORLD!
It was a really exciting day for me. I drove to work that night, and saw the first accident ever in my lifetime (as it happened, anyways). I hoped this wasn't an omen to what would happen down the road, but so far I'm all right.
First interior mod I did was the "paint pen cluster" job. All I did was painted the outer ring with a metallic silver paint pen, to match the Silver Frost outside.
So the next thing on the list is Plasti Dipped rims. The stock silver rims had some curb kisses, gouges, and just didn't look all to good. Plus, black looks better.
My stock muffler is slowly rotting away. It looks like garbage, but somehow works completely fine. No leaks... yet.
Then the idea of Nightshade came along. I went crazy with the stuff. I like the more blacked out look to match the 'dipped rims.
First fogs:
Then tails:
Then side markers:
I also wash this thing weekly. People make fun of me for it, but I find it fun cleaning your car. It gives you a sense of pride that it is yours and you take care of it on your own.
Then, I found a little Ford emblem laying around, so I slapped it on my dashboard.
I think at this point along the lines I did the intake resonator delete, but I can't be 100% sure the exact date. I think 4 or 5 weeks now without issue.
And now, the most recent mod, two Kicker CS68s in the front doors.
And now, here is how my Ruth sits today.
So far, I love the car. It handles well, and gets good gas mileage. It is an amazing cruising machine. I'm excited to see what is to come, and I am glad to be a part of Focus Fanatics! [loveff]
So a drop but not to much of one. But that kit has nice handling. My intake netted me about one more mpg than previous. I probably won't touch my exhaust.
Yeah I know how winters get. We get good snowfall in Indiana where I am. I don't think a 2 inch drop will hurt me any. If it does then it will be a looooong winter. You'd be surprised to hear the engine after an intake is put in. Sounds a whole lot better.
So I am still fairly new to the focus, but I figured I might as well start a build thread since I'll be around a while. So I bought my 2008 Focus SES in February with 197,000kms on it. Had a few issues with it recently. Had to put in a new engine, steering rack and sway bar links. Still have to...
Zetec Rear lower bumper cover, painted side rockers, ST rear spoiler, Zetec front lower spoiler and updated grill. In a few months I want to update the exhaust by switching out the muffler to something dual output, I just haven't found the right muffler yet.
Here starts build thread V2...pictures and less chatter I hope. While staying on topic.
LETS GET TO IT!!
So Betsy was bought back in February of 2012, and was the first car I owner myself. She is a 2002 Ford Focus Se and had 24,000 miles on her when I first bought her. It was a grocery getter...
Here‘s my 2011. Received it last year with only 20,000mi, all original. I reckon no one wanted to see a bone stock SE sedan with two years of unwashed pollen on it, seven hornets nests in all the door/trunk/hood gaps, and absolutely zero panache so let’s jump right to it’s current iteration...
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