Instead of dropping the hard earned coin on an ST, I decided to go ahead and let the guys at Rebel Devil Customs do it for me. I'm in California, so I'll be shipping my Focus SE 5 speed to them in Noblesville, Indiana. When I get my car back from AAA, after smacking a deer, I'll be making arrangements to have the car transported over there. I'll post pictures of my car before it's shipped. Every update I get, I'll post. Each update will range from auto transport cost to the actual cost of the conversion, to the modifications RDC does to the car. I'm totally excited for the conversion.
EDIT:
Rebel Devil Customs by Henry H | Photobucket
The car is back in my possession. Every photo that RDC took is in that photo album as well as on their Facebook page found here.
https://www.facebook.com/RebelDevilCustoms/?fref=ts
Total cost of the build, roughly 12k, including the donor car. Now this doesn't include the selling of my original NA 2.0 and five speed, the ST Recaro seats, wheels, and other miscellaneous stuff that came from the donor. All together, a rough estimate, will run about 10k to do a full conversion from an SE to ST. I won't have the final cost until the parts are sold off though I would be safe to say 10k is a reasonable estimation. Let me break down the ENTIRE process.
Before sending the car:
Mike walked me through the donor purchasing part very easily. Basically, Copart is an online auction that deals with crashed vehicles with salvage titles. The website is easy to use and can be filtered with many different options. I sent Mike a $400 deposit, which is equivalent to $4,000 purchasing power, to buy what he needed. Total cost of the donor was $4,800 after tax and other bullshit fees (the invoice is in the link).
After that, I spoke to Mike probably five or six times more picking his mind about the entire process. What has to happen now, what do I need to do, etc. He gave me the information in a clear cut, informative manner. He quoted me an estimate of around 10k with selling the parts from the donor and my car. We scheduled a date and time approximately when my car would arrive in Indiana, so I had a shipping company called Global Auto Transport ship my car in an open truck for $795, from Glendale, CA to Noblesville, IN. It took my car about seven days to get there. Side note, to those who are interested in doing this, make sure your car is completely empty. Glove box, hatch/trunk, behind the seats, etc. I forgot to do that.
Once the car arrived:
My 2012 Focus SE five speed arrived and Mike immediately told me about it. Problem occurred when the driver asked for COD. I gave a $200 deposit to the company for shipping the car, but no one told me about a COD. I had to give Mike the extra cash, so he could take delivery. Again, side note, make sure you give Mike the extra amount, so the COD mess doesn't occur.
Building process:
Mike ran through literally everything he wanted to do to the car. We make a list of things to modify and leave alone before my car entered his garage. Everything was crystal clear with no hidden surprises and charges. I told Mike you have cart blanc to do whatever he wants because I trusted his judgment and opinion for good taste. My only stipulation was to keep the car stock looking as much as possible. Other than that, go to town and call me for any major issues that arise. He sent me constant updates while I bugged him in the middle of the night, as the man worked on the Focus. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Almost two months without a car can do that to a person.
Completed:
I scheduled the pick up and delivery of my Focus from his shop. I used a guy named Charles Holly from Ship4U. Dude was cool in the gang. $925 to ship the car back to California. I don't know who drove that truck, but that person had to be going 100 mph. Indiana to California in four days boggles my mind. Once the car neared its completion, Mike teased me with hints of the body kit he used for the rear valiance. Needless to say, the dual exhaust Zetec ST look dropped my jaw when I oogled at it. The car arrived around 2 pm PST while I was at work. I couldn't think from then on. My students had to suffer from worksheets while I day dreamed about burning rubber.
My initial response:
******g wow. Just wow. Everything. I couldn't even speak. Seeing the touch screen NAV (I had to buy the SD card from Amazon), the dual exhaust, hearing the note, just brought me to pieces. My wife jumped in the car with me. The clutch is definitely more grabby. I think the tune was set to 252 HP and 340 TQ to the wheels. I took that sucker around a turn and straight so fast I screamed and my wife clutched the seat. She calls it the death trap now and refuses to ride with me. That's fine.......
I am overjoyed to have such a car in my possession now. Mike is going to mail me the title of the new drive train while he crushes the body of the donor.
Cost break down from California:
2016 Focus ST, ST2 package is 32k out the door.
2012 Focus SE, fully loaded was 22k out the door.
ST conversion and stuff is 12k.
Right now, I'm about even with cost of a new ST, BUT BUT BUT, I have a tuned and upgraded version of a new car. Once I receive the money back from the parts sold, I will have spent FAR LESS than a brand new ST is to build to where it is now. Just pull the trigger and do it. I'm the fourth car to have this conversion done and it's amazing. My friends are jealous, my wife hates me, my co workers think I'm nuts, and my dad patted me on the back.
Mike, you're awesome. I wish you all the best in the world with Rebel Devil Customs. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
EDIT:
Rebel Devil Customs by Henry H | Photobucket
The car is back in my possession. Every photo that RDC took is in that photo album as well as on their Facebook page found here.
https://www.facebook.com/RebelDevilCustoms/?fref=ts
Total cost of the build, roughly 12k, including the donor car. Now this doesn't include the selling of my original NA 2.0 and five speed, the ST Recaro seats, wheels, and other miscellaneous stuff that came from the donor. All together, a rough estimate, will run about 10k to do a full conversion from an SE to ST. I won't have the final cost until the parts are sold off though I would be safe to say 10k is a reasonable estimation. Let me break down the ENTIRE process.
Before sending the car:
Mike walked me through the donor purchasing part very easily. Basically, Copart is an online auction that deals with crashed vehicles with salvage titles. The website is easy to use and can be filtered with many different options. I sent Mike a $400 deposit, which is equivalent to $4,000 purchasing power, to buy what he needed. Total cost of the donor was $4,800 after tax and other bullshit fees (the invoice is in the link).
After that, I spoke to Mike probably five or six times more picking his mind about the entire process. What has to happen now, what do I need to do, etc. He gave me the information in a clear cut, informative manner. He quoted me an estimate of around 10k with selling the parts from the donor and my car. We scheduled a date and time approximately when my car would arrive in Indiana, so I had a shipping company called Global Auto Transport ship my car in an open truck for $795, from Glendale, CA to Noblesville, IN. It took my car about seven days to get there. Side note, to those who are interested in doing this, make sure your car is completely empty. Glove box, hatch/trunk, behind the seats, etc. I forgot to do that.
Once the car arrived:
My 2012 Focus SE five speed arrived and Mike immediately told me about it. Problem occurred when the driver asked for COD. I gave a $200 deposit to the company for shipping the car, but no one told me about a COD. I had to give Mike the extra cash, so he could take delivery. Again, side note, make sure you give Mike the extra amount, so the COD mess doesn't occur.
Building process:
Mike ran through literally everything he wanted to do to the car. We make a list of things to modify and leave alone before my car entered his garage. Everything was crystal clear with no hidden surprises and charges. I told Mike you have cart blanc to do whatever he wants because I trusted his judgment and opinion for good taste. My only stipulation was to keep the car stock looking as much as possible. Other than that, go to town and call me for any major issues that arise. He sent me constant updates while I bugged him in the middle of the night, as the man worked on the Focus. I couldn't stop thinking about it. Almost two months without a car can do that to a person.
Completed:
I scheduled the pick up and delivery of my Focus from his shop. I used a guy named Charles Holly from Ship4U. Dude was cool in the gang. $925 to ship the car back to California. I don't know who drove that truck, but that person had to be going 100 mph. Indiana to California in four days boggles my mind. Once the car neared its completion, Mike teased me with hints of the body kit he used for the rear valiance. Needless to say, the dual exhaust Zetec ST look dropped my jaw when I oogled at it. The car arrived around 2 pm PST while I was at work. I couldn't think from then on. My students had to suffer from worksheets while I day dreamed about burning rubber.
My initial response:
******g wow. Just wow. Everything. I couldn't even speak. Seeing the touch screen NAV (I had to buy the SD card from Amazon), the dual exhaust, hearing the note, just brought me to pieces. My wife jumped in the car with me. The clutch is definitely more grabby. I think the tune was set to 252 HP and 340 TQ to the wheels. I took that sucker around a turn and straight so fast I screamed and my wife clutched the seat. She calls it the death trap now and refuses to ride with me. That's fine.......
I am overjoyed to have such a car in my possession now. Mike is going to mail me the title of the new drive train while he crushes the body of the donor.
Cost break down from California:
2016 Focus ST, ST2 package is 32k out the door.
2012 Focus SE, fully loaded was 22k out the door.
ST conversion and stuff is 12k.
Right now, I'm about even with cost of a new ST, BUT BUT BUT, I have a tuned and upgraded version of a new car. Once I receive the money back from the parts sold, I will have spent FAR LESS than a brand new ST is to build to where it is now. Just pull the trigger and do it. I'm the fourth car to have this conversion done and it's amazing. My friends are jealous, my wife hates me, my co workers think I'm nuts, and my dad patted me on the back.
Mike, you're awesome. I wish you all the best in the world with Rebel Devil Customs. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
