Sonic and the rat

[supersonicsvt]

The blue one is my 2002 SVTF DD, which has been retired from HPDE duty. It has served me well, angering more than one high-dollar BMW driver. Steeda springs, Koni sports, 25mm adjustable SB, FS STB, Tom's tune, '04 wheels, SS brake lines, oil cooler, PS cooler, Wet Okole seat covers, Momo shift knob, short shifter w/lengthened lever,Redline mats, Schroth harnesses.




This black SVTF is my track rat, almost ready. Saved it from the scrap heap.....lots and lots of work, parts, safety gear and customizing. CF hood is on the way.




Here is what I started with:



I had to completely gut it, just to clean it. Here is the carpet out, AFTER I cleaned out a garbage bag full of crap. I pressure washed everything and scrubbed it with carpet cleaner. No maggots, but they were on the way:

[2focusd]

Oh man, that black SVT's interior was filthy! I love the look of it with the gold EAPs though

-Brian

[biscuitninja]

Does $90 in pennies come with the car?


So what was wrong with the car when you got it?
(Race car).
-bix

[SVT3658]

I'm jealous...you have two SVTs haha
lookin good

[focuz04]

curious as to why you stripped the black one but haven't removed the sub? wouldn't there be some good weight saving without it? either way nice save.
jake

[98LowRanger]

Wow, look at all those pennys that you discovered. Nice looking SVTs and I'm always happy to see someone save one from the crusher/junk yard. Keep up the good work!

[SVTRSST]

niceeee hadnt seen someone with 2 svts looking good man hehe keep it going

[supersonicsvt]

My colors are black and blue........

I ate lunch three times off the gooey change I found (once I washed it) - no joke. Most of it was literally stuck to the carpet.

I left what was left of the stereo system intact because I drive to the track events - I really like to be able to listen on the way. I sold the fancy DVD player that was GLUED in, fixed the plastic, bought a bezel and put my old busted factory audiophile in (that won't play CDs) and kludged a harness, wire by wire. I also left the A/C system in - and my instructors really appreciate the A/C while we are waiting on the grid in July!

[supersonicsvt]

Originally Posted by biscuitninja

So what was wrong with the car when you got it?
(Race car).
-bix

Where to start...........

The car had been run over a concrete block (backwards) so the underside, front body work and front end was tore up. The radiator and condenser was held on by tie-wraps and leaning on the header shield. Busted headlights, bent front metal, busted grills, fogs missing, no horns or side lights, lots of dents and dings like the hood where someone sat on it and oil-canned it - no matter, the quickie paint job on the hood was coming off anyway. Lots of general abuse, stupidity and neglect. The inside was completely (purposely) trashed and some trim/parts removed never to be found.

The CEL was on (we have emissions here so the PO couldn't drive it). The MIL was on. The ABS light was on. The brake light was on. All four 5-spoke wheels were square and found the dumpster, the tires were corded garbage, the driver's window didn't work, the cam timing was way off, wrong spark plugs, ABS exciter rings chewed up in the rear, bad ABs sensor in the front, bad rear hub bearings, bad wheel alignment (like, 2" toe out in the rear?), the rear brake pads put on without indexing the piston so the pads ran at an angle on the rotors............

Evidently, however, the oil was changed consistently. Go figure.

That's what I remember off the top of my head. Steve and Kevin can prolly add a bunch more based on the truckloads of parts I bought. Thanks again to Steve/Tousley for all the help. If they had a sticker, I'd put it on the race car.....

".....yeah, I'd like to thank all the guys in the shop and my engine builder; the Tousley, Focus Sport, Motovicity, Discovery Parts, H&R, Koni, Schroth, GForce, Sparco, FRPP, OMP LCR Ford Focus SVT really ran great today, passing all those BMW M3s..."

[LowZX3on17s]

nice whips...the seat covers are amazing.

[hotrodkris]

Nice cars! That 'rescue SVT' is amazing now.

[Phacade]

I can almost see Sally Struthers now asking us to save a poor SVT from the heap...

Nice find!

[Spatakula]

Man kudos on saving the SVT. Good stuff. I love the seat covers on the SB SVT.

-spatakula

[Ataru]

Mad props for all the work you put into the black one and keeping a relly clean, multi-purpose Sonic SVT as well.

How much did you pay for the black one? And considering all the problems, was it a total when you bought it?

[Wagamos]

Nice cars!

[FORDSVTPARTS]

It's about time you showed them off Neal. Nice work!!

[supersonicsvt]

Everyone is asking about the stealth seat covers - they are Wet Okole, made in Hawaii (www.wetokole.com). They arent cheap, but they fit perfectly, add comfort/support, and they don't stain like the factory fabric (I got tired of cleaning it). They offer custom stuff (like the "SVT" emblem) also.

The blue was a perfect match - it looks like the factory and matches the rear seats.

[supersonicsvt]

Originally Posted by Ataru

Mad props for all the work you put into the black one and keeping a relly clean, multi-purpose Sonic SVT as well.

How much did you pay for the black one? And considering all the problems, was it a total when you bought it?

It wasn't totalled, I drove it home. I'll say that I have exceeded my planned max outlay, unfortunately. Mostly, I've way overspent on the safety gear - roll bar, seats, and harnesses - about $2500. for that stuff, but at least I can transfer the seats and harnesses to another car if need be. I've had stuff surprise me that needed to be replaced that wasn't in the budget - timing belt and associated, rear hubs, SVT front bumper setup (thot I coould find a decent ZX3 cover, but couldn't; I even had to buy the foam support). Steve really helped a lot with the SVT bumper kit - got the whole setup for what a used SVT bump cover would cost, I just had to paint it. The new fogs will go on the blue car.

I've got pics of the buildup I will post.......stay tuned!

[supersonicsvt]

Busted radiator/condenser/support


Wrapped cat for future turbo app (later) and to keep heat off the oil pan. Fabbed an aluminum shield as well. Lower engine mount urethane inserts in the back ground. In the second picture, you can see goop all over the tranny - both coolant plugs were leaking (new o-rings installed!).



Headers wrapped, modifed the shield to still block heat but easily removed:



Intake kluge - when I got it, it had a FS ITG Cool-Flo that the filter was ripped completely off of. I didn't think the FS free replacement offer would be valid, so I kept the bellmouth and used windshield urethane glue/sealer to mount the K&N filter to it (sorry Randy!). I will eventually trim the FS warm air shield to fit and add it as well. The rest is couplers and a 2.75" elbow:


Suspension installed. Koni Sports, H&R race springs, LCR camber plates. SS brake lines and UDP in the background.



Brake scoops - mount on top of the lower control arm

[PCP_TwilightZX3]

^can we get a pic of those installed?

[panchocito]

Nice work!

[supersonicsvt]

Originally Posted by PCP_TwilightZX3

^can we get a pic of those installed?

I don't have any. I put them on the blue SVTF for the July track event, and they worked great. But since I retired the blue DD, I took the scoops off. Installed they look like the other pics on this forum - just a different way to mount them.