The Competitors
and the winner:
mysvtftoy
Quote:
Focustein and FocalJet
This Ford Focus SVT started its journey in April 2004 as #1883 of 1978 made that year. It was one of the last 100 SVTs made. When we initially purchased the car at the end of May 2004, it was planned to be a dual purpose car: part-time track-toy, part-time grocery-getter. By the end of the year, it had racing seats, a welded-in 4-point roll bar, a fire-suppression system and harnesses. My wife never drove it again. Its first visit to the track was in June 2004 (less than month after purchase). It's made 32 visits to our local tracks since then. I've tried to be rational about the process of moving the car forward as a track-oriented street car, but along the way *many* parts have gone on and come off. Some have gone back on. Some new bits are sitting in my office even now pending installation (to replace aftermarket bits that had replaced stock bits). Does it ever end? I *think* I'm getting close. The only thing I'd probably do differently -- if I could turn back the clock -- is that I would have waited on any engine/power mods until I was ready to go with the Powerworks supercharger. The bolt-on parts (short of forced induction) just don't make that much difference for my purposes...until you strap on that big MAHLE part. "Yeah baby, yeah."
Over the past three years I've posted countless questions to [FJ] forums and PMs to members regarding suspension setup, tire pressures, splitters, wings, fluids, superchargers, turbos, airbag deletion issues, CF hoods, brake pads, extended lug bolts, spark plugs gap, etc. You name it. The list is nearly infinite. I owe much of what the car has become to the resulting bits of e-advice from the many responding members here -- folks like belacyrf, bri, Byron 3465, COSDEVSVT, FORDSVTPARTS, the late garyk, rheacer, and a host of others.
I've also had the good fortune to actually meet a number of quality local [FJ] members. Portland's captain-orange saved my butt at a Mustangs Northwest track day in July 2005 after my car's shift linkage assembly popped apart. The transmission was stuck in second gear. We jacked the car up and he fixed it on the spot (with Dfocusin and McSVT lending moral support). I didn't even miss a session. It was awesome. Another local member made my personal favorite modification. It's a mounting plate that attaches the stock cruise control buttons under my aftermarket steering wheel. Violent_Ed replicated the one he made for himself and installed it in my car the day before a March 2005 Portland track day. We have a great (albeit small) crew of folks up here.
To everyone at [FJ]: Thank you. 
Keep the shiny side up.
Modifications
Suspension - KW Variant 3 coilovers
- H&R 24mm rear sway bar
- SPC front camber kit and rear camber adjustment bolts with replacement bits waiting to go on
Drive Train - Quaife automatic torque biasing differential
- Spec Stage 1 clutch and aluminum flywheel
- Steeda Tri-Ax/F short throw shifter
Engine - Powerworks supercharger
- VF Engineering motor mounts
- Mocal 19-row/235 matrix oil cooler and SP1T sandwich plate-type thermostat
- CFM PCV oil separator kit and Jaz Products oil catch can/breather
- Denso Iridium ITV24 spark plugs and Focus Sport wires
- Focushack grounding upgrade (thanks demonfire)
Exhaust - Borla exhaust
- Random Technologies high-flow cat
- Alt: Marcy Motorsports (FC) strainless steel ORP
Safety - Custom 4-point, welded-in roll bar (1.75 x 0.12 wall DOM)
- Recaro Pole Position seats
- FIA-spec Sparco/Schrott 5-point harnesses
- Spa Technique LWM 50 SL AFFF 2-nozzle fire suppression setup
- Kill switch
- Arai GP-5K helmet and HANS K20 harness
- Tow hooks; front and back
Brakes - Porsche 993-adapted air flow deflectors
- Castrol SRF brake fluid
- Track pads: Carbotech XP10s in front and XP8s in rear
- Goodridge stainless-steel jacketed brake hoses
Wheels/Tires/Steering Nitto NT01 tires in 205/40-17 on stock 2004 Ford SVT 6-spoke wheels
Falken Azenis RT-615 tires in 215/45-16 on Rota Slipstream wheels
Rain—Hankook RS2 Z212s in 215/45-17 on Centerline Storm wheels - Winter: Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2s in 215/45-17 on Ford SVT Focus Euro wheels
- Power steering: Modified high-pressure assembly and improvised Focus ATX cooler
Aerodynamics - Road Race Gear air dam with custom splitter/tray
Interior - Spa dual-function oil pressure/oil temperature and boost/water temperature gauges
- Sparco 345 steering wheel with Nathan Mulcahy's awesome cruise control bracket
- OMP style "1000" replacement pedals and Redline Tuning dead pedal
Exterior - 12-lbs. carbon fiber hood from Gemini via ZX3Tuning.com
- Ford ST170 headlamps and 2002 European upper grill
- F2 RS carbon fiber spoiler
Focustein at the Track Then (2004) and Now (2007)
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Photos Courtesy of Sideline Sports Photography (Portland International Raceway, November 2004)
Photos Courtesy of On Sight Productions (Portland International Raceway, April 2007)
Video clip from my first visit to Portland in Sept. 2004:
Right click to download (5 MBytes)
More photos, periodic updates, links, etc.:
Focustein's page