July Focus of the Month: Cone Dodgers - tparker!

[Ataru]

The Competitors

And the winner:

tparker

Here is the story of the Transfomer.
It got this name because of all of the continuous changes that have been made. ZonaKona gave it that name because every time he saw it he would comment on how something else has changed so he started calling it the Transfomer.
On to the changes. First thing I did, the same day I baught it was to have the windows tinted. The Ford dealer I baught it from threw in the tint with the purchase, I just had to take it to the tint place. Two days after I got it I got KW lowering springs from Ford Racing. They went on 3 days later. Just those 2 changes made the car a much better looking car. I put the carbon fiber hood on because the stock one got creased when I hit a tire in the road and it was cheeper to buy the CF then to put a stock one back on. That is how I found parts for the Focus on ebay and I went nuts. Cold air intake, blue white headlight bulbs, FC under drive pulleys, FC throtle body, S&S crome header and flex, pretty much all the bolt-ons I could find. It had become the ebay special. Then the worst thing ever, Rain in the desert, drove threw a puddle(flooded street) and sucked water into the engine. It didn't throw the rod for 2 weeks. So the current engine was found already built with everything on it and a trans with and LSD, so I got it.
This is where my relationship with Focus Sport started. Trying to get this engine running took a lot of work and patience. Thanks to Randys knowledge and understanding we worked out some programs on the Xcal and got it running. Then I got the FS header, flex and Steath cat back, all parts I already had but switch to FS because of there service and quality. Then the FS/VF Supercharger, H & R coilovers, and a lot of other stuff up to the latest purchase of the front and rear stress bars. Focus Sport is a great company filled with great guys all willing to help with any questions I haved had. I would like to thank them all for all of there help and great service.
Now on to the thanks to everyone who voted for the Transformer, it would not have won if you didn't vote for it. The win is all yours. Thanks goes out to the Dezert Focus guys and gal for voting. You guys are the best to hang out with and work on cars with. The very best bunch of people I have ever had the pleasure to hang out with. A special thanks goes to Massive for the first nomination. It is too bad that his car didn't make it last month.
Also I have to thank FocalJet for being the coolest web site on the internet and has been my home page since Les(befocusedonthis) hooked me up with it. I am hooked I check here everyday. I love reading everything everyone has to say about everything. What a great group of people all for the focus. It is a great honor to have you all like my car enough to want to see it for a month. Thank you all.

Name: The Transformer(per Kona)
License: NYD4SPD
Model:2004 ZX3
Engine:2.0L Zetec
Horse Power; Torque: 254 whp/181 ft/lbs @ 8000rpm on 100 octane

Engine Mods:
FS/VF Supercharger W/Stage 2 pulley
42lbs. injectors
02 Mustang GT MAF in FS housing
Crower forged rods
JE pistons
ported & polished head
Crower springs & retainers
1-mm larger intake & exhaust valves
Crower custom cams
2000 intake manifold
ported 04 throttle body
FC 5.7” overdrive pulley
Snow water/methanol injection
FS plug wires
Autolite copper plugs

Exhaust:
FS 4 - 1 race header
FS flex
FS stealth cat-back system

Drive train:
FS light weight flywheel
ACT pressure plate with street/strip full surface sprung disc
Quafe LSD
04 MTX-75 five speed
stock axles
Brembo drilled & slotted rotors
Hawk pads
stock rear drums
Rota 15 X 6.5 Slipstream wheels
BFG KDW 205/50/15 tires
Stock sway bars front and rear
H & R coil over kit
FS front strut bar
FS rear strut bar

Exterior:
Carbon Fiber hood
SVT front lip
Euro grills upper and lower
SVT black head lights
de-badged
limo tint(5%) rear 3 windows, 20% side windows
FS stickers

Interior:
Gutted everything accept the dash
Corbeau FX1 seats
Ford Racing triple gauge pod
AEM ugeo wide-band AF gauge
Autometer Phantom boost and oil pressure gauges
XM roady 2 and stock 6 disc changer

[x714x]

gj todd!

[Z63R]

Impressive car, good guy.

Congratulations.

[focusfuri75]

nice car, congrats!!!


Laz

[Focci01]

Congrats clean ride.

[o2_designs]

Awesome! When's the front page being updated?

[John B]

Congrats!

LOL I like how you gutted the interior but left in the cup holders! Was that to keep it legal for SM? Cool pics!

[FocusVA]

Congrats man. Very nice car!

[BRZX3R]

Very impressive car! Looks very clean on the outside, but pure buisness on the inside and under the hood. I like the cupholders!

[03ZXthree]

that's an awesome ZX3...

[thefrush]

Originally Posted by John B

LOL I like how you gutted the interior but left in the cup holders! Was that to keep it legal for SM? Cool pics!

I'm gonna guess it was to hold cups.

[Ray]

uhm i dont think you can have a removed carpet in SM. he'd be in EP, wouldn't he?

[hatched]

That is a seriously nice Focus!

[Smurf]

Originally Posted by demonfire

uhm i dont think you can have a removed carpet in SM. he'd be in EP, wouldn't he?

yup. No front door panels will cause that too.

[lordgoldthroneroom]

that is a sick car man..congrats

[OmniFocus]

Congrats! Great looking car, for sure! ...and from all the input, sounds like a great guy as well.

[Zona Kona]

Originally Posted by Ataru

Name: The Transformer (per Kona)

LOL thanks so what will you be doing to it this week JK. So what do you get for FOTM? BTW congrats!

the Dirt Brown Kona in Arizona

[azbobbybooshay_10]

IDK if you want it posted, but I do have a video (not a super great quality, taken with a 4.1MP digi cam) of tparker taking myself for a spin on the auto-x course. And with my 200 lbs of additional ballast, still put up a lap faster than most other cars out there with NO passengers.

I just don't know where to "post it" though, anyone have any tips for posting a video?

[John B]

Try photobucket.com
It's free.

[SVTRallyFocus]

You the man blue!

[tparker]

I had to put the $1.99 cup holder in so that I could drink(diet coke) and drive. Of all of the interior that was removed the cup holders were missed the most. Thanks for all the kind compliments.

[halftoned]

hey, congrats! nice to see the dezert being represented!

[azbobbybooshay_10]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty8NCU0MSpc

That's tparker's run at the Auto-X out at GT Live in May, with my fat ass in the passenger seat.

[Ataru]

WOW.....you didn't ahve to wear helmets for that auto-x?

[tparker]

Originally Posted by Ataru

WOW.....you didn't ahve to wear helmets for that auto-x?

That's what I said when we got there. I had my helmet behind the seat the whole time. We got to run back to back for as long as we wanted to. I got in about 20 runs for only $25.00. It was very fun. I have payed triple that for only 4 runs at a go-kart track. If you can get out to a GT Live event, get out there early and run auto X all day for only $25.00, best deal around. They even had there own corner workers fixing the cones. The only thing we had to do was hope the engine and breaks would cool down before it was our turn again. Basically it was an un-sanctioned practice with a time clock, no printed times. If you wanted a record of your time you had to take a picture of it. LOL It was the perfect venue for anyone who ever wanted to try out auto X but were afraid to go threw all of the structured stuff that happens at a real auto X event. If the SCCA held events like this they would have 100 X the participation that they have now. Also the veteran drivers would enjoy the chance to practice before they made there official timed runs. Kind of like a test and tune lane at the drag strip. Lots of fun but you don't win anything for it.