Project: Resto-Mod SVT

[BOTTLEFED]

Hi guys
This is kind of my introduction/project thread.

I decided to jump head-first into the Focus world by buying 2 infra-red 3doors



One is a base-model 2001 ZX3 with no cruise, no power windows, and stock everything.
The other is a 2002 SVT with many mods and many problems.

A little history behind this project.
After driving my first SVT I was in love. The handling and driveability of these cars is awesome. I haven't felt so connected with a car since I owned my FD RX-7. Everything felt right and fit me perfectly.
I was looking for a DD that I could autoX. I was looking at the Nissan SE-R specV mostly, then I came across a 5dr SVT at a local dealer and took it for a drive. I ended up going back there 3 more times to go for a "test" drive and loved it. I started looking into buying it, but was leaving for a vacation for a week so the purchase was put on hold. When I came back it had sold

So I looked for another SVT and couldn't find any within a reasonable distance. Then a few weeks later I stumbled upon this SVT in the classifieds. The dealer wanted $3500 for it. I called and talked to him for awhile. He didn't know anything about the car. He bought it cheap at an auction and thought he could turn it for a good profit. Little did he know what he was getting.
The car was actually almost 200mi from me. I set up an appointment to come see it and he had taken it back to the auction to try to get rid of it. I went straight down there with my trade-in right after it didn't sell at the auction.
He couldn't get it started and the mechanics at the auction wanted big bucks to look at it since it was so modified. So it sat at the auction.
That night I helped him diagnose the problem and it ended up being a bad alternator and battery.
When I got the alt. out, I noticed the bracket was loose. Upon further inspection, I could see it was in 2 pieces


to be continued...

[dj_kurruption]

I like where this is going....

[Me007gold]

looks good man, i pick up mine on friday. Its also a red three door

[BOTTLEFED]

This car has had a hard life in its measly 49K miles.


driver's seat is overly worn and has a hole in the leather


passenger seat is ok but a few stains


supposedly this car had a NOS setup (so who knows what condition the motor is in)


dash has holes and misc glue on it from some ricer putting unnecessary gadgets in it


other interior panels that have been ruined

[BOTTLEFED]

Now the fun part
A previous owner thought it would be cool to try his hand at making a custom headliner. It is a mess. It is not mounted correctly and is sagging.


It has this panel with a bunch of mini switches that don't really do anything but look ghetto. And the start button isn't even connected to anything
Oh, and they painted all the light gray pillar trim black as well (which is chipping off).

[BOTTLEFED]

To top that, they installed lambo doors... and shaved the door handles
The strut on the driver's door is shot.


The doors are a mess and the fenders are nicked and chipped from the doors hitting them.


The interior door handles and panels are busted from abuse of the hinge system.




The bondo used to fill the door handle holes is cracking and chipping on both doors

[mustang6tee8]

wow, looks like youve got some work cut out for you. good luck

[BOTTLEFED]

With the alternator bracket broken, it was going to need a lot of work and I just didn't want to not have a DD while I tried to fix it.

I could see why the alt. was bad. The wire going to it from the battery was almost broke in half and hanging by just a few strands. The grounding wires that were "upgraded" were crap. Most were loose or broken and homemade.
This thing was a wiring nightmare.
And it had a flat tire too

So I was not about to pay $3500 for a car that wouldn't start and needed a lot of work. I told the guy I wasn't interested in buying it and good luck finding someone who would.

I started the 200mi. trip back home, thinking about this poor car all the way. I had budgeted $2500-3000 for a DD along with my trade (94 toyota 4runner that I got a good deal on for $1500).
So when I got home I started looking for the cheapest Focus I could find. I found one for $2500 that looked exactly like the SVT - red 3dr. If I could use this car as a DD while I fix up the SVT and use some of the parts off it as well, then I just might be able to make this all work out...

So I call the dealer. I offer to trade him straight across - the 4runner for the SVT. I reminded him of the condition and that it would be impossible to find someone to buy it since it wasn't running. He knew he was going to lose money on the car and I had already helped him with it. He agreed and I left the next morning to come sign the papers and trade vehicles.
But then I was without a running car and 200mi from my house. So I called a friend and went and offered $2000 for the ZX3 I had seen in the classifieds. He took it and now I have 2 Ford Focus' ( or Foci, or Focus's, or whatever )






more to come...

[SVTADAM]

Someone needs to find the previous owner of that SVT and slap them. That is horrible.

[SaucyMuffin]

That is awesome that you have two Foci, but it totaly sucks to see how abused that SVT is. There is a guy around here that put a fart can on just a stock ZX3 and I want to slap him everytime I see him.

[BOTTLEFED]

The next day I change out the alternator and the battery and do some work on the grounding and it starts right up.



I drive it around the parking lot a little and it drives great.







I try to get the tire fixed and they show me that the sidewall blew out when they tried to air it up. It needed new tires anyway so I bought 4 new Dunlops.
I drive it home and everything goes well. It drives nice and straight and all the features work (except the stereo because it doesn't have a faceplate )

[BOTTLEFED]

This weekend I started cleaning it up and pulling out all the wiring.


I removed the center console to clean it (old soda spilled in the cup holders ) and get to the NOS switches and other hidden extra wiring that needed to be dealt with.


I pulled out all the old aftermarket alarm system and wiring for the automatic doors. I didn't get the FOBs so all I have is a key to start the car. I have to leave the window down a little to get to the door latch, which sucks since it won't stop raining here
I removed all the splices and crap connections and taped it all back up.


Here is just some of the wiring I removed from this car so far.


I installed a new Sony deck so I would have something to listen to. Fortunately I got the speakers that were already in there to work.


I also got the trunk release fixed and cigarette lighter working. Now I can get in the trunk (not that there's much in there)


I pulled the door panels off to get them put on better. There is a ***** load of wires for the door releases inside. I reattached the panels since they were just hanging there when I got it. The panels are shot and I ordered some replacements off ebay.
My next step is to change the doors out to get rid of the awful lambo doors. My plan is to use the doors off my ZX3. I'll also swap the fenders since the SVT's are chipped and cut for the lambo hinges.

Then I started pulling out the headliner and pillar trim panels but haven't finished yet. That is where I am now. I'll keep this thread updated with pics as I progress. I can't wait to get this thing on the autoX track in a few weeks

[bmylez]

Good job on fixing all that up man. Those are some of the most distasteful mods I've seen on a Focus in my life, yikes... Lambo doors need to come off asap as well. Tail lights are ok. Canister looks like a knockoff because it doesn't sit right. My HKS has a much better angle. Hood is...a little overstated considering it just has bolt-ons.

Maybe if you had some boost it would be ok, but it sounds like you won't quite have the money for that until everything else is fixed. That headliner and "start button" console cracked me up.

[vdubdoug]

keep up the good work. i want to return to the Focus svt world

[1svt4u2c]

Sweet Jesus! This car looks familiar...............

















Sorry not my car. I just remember seeing that on E-Bay a WHILE ago, and thought (at the time) it looked pretty nifty. Sorry they didn't have any pictures of the trunk or where ever the Nos setup was, but that's some of the pics I have from who knows when. I dont know if I didn't save the pic of the dash showing how many miles were on it, or if they didnt have it posted, because that would help a bit to see how old my pics are. I kinda skimmed over the thread a bit because I remembered seeing this on E-Bay a while back and decided to upload the pics for ya. Hopefully you get everything straightened out.

Finally, Congrats on the purchase, and Welcome to [FJ]!

[1svt4u2c]

Bah, I just looked the pictures over, and just now noticed the FJ sticker on the front bumper. *wonders who's car this used to belong to.....*

[BOTTLEFED]

thanks for the pics

I assumed the previous owner was on here since it has the sticker on the front, so I searched around and found his name was svtchris. He had it back in 2007. The carfax tracked the mileage and it seems to match the 49K miles on the odo.

The car looks like it was nice at one time but went through a lot of abuse in the last few years. The mods are not really my taste but when I was younger I would have done things like that too

[Ataru]

Man......this is a project where I wish I lived by you just to help bring life back to that SVTF!

Good luck on it and do keep us updated on your progress!

also, moving to Rigz where more people can see and follow this thread.

[1svt4u2c]

Ah, I just re-read the thread to make sure I didn't miss anything like......where are you from?

[Spatakula]

Kudos on bringing it back from Riceland. Wow those fender/door gaps are horrible from the hack job for the stupid lambo doors.

Can't wait to see the progress!

-spatakula

[sleeperlove]

So whats with the Viper?

Great project(even if its going to be tough!)

[focusownerskid]

Yep, I knew I remembered that car.

It looked ghetto then too.



MAJOR props bringing it back to it's former glory(ie, before her previous owner).



- Drew

[SVT_Chris]

Originally Posted by BOTTLEFED

thanks for the pics

I assumed the previous owner was on here since it has the sticker on the front, so I searched around and found his name was svtchris.

I hope your not talkin about me, I did NOT own that SVT.

EDIT: Well damn, looks like I need a new name.

[Chaney]

Mods: 2002 Infra-Red SVT
Performance:
HKS Hi-Power Exhaust, FC ORP, Steeda STS, HIA Intake, Prothane Tranny Mount Inserts, Hypnotic tune,
QTP Cutout, NX Wet Kit(soon to be Direct Port), SVT Head .030 Milled, Ferrea Stainless Valves, Cometics HeadGasket, Port Matched, Intake/Exhaust Ports, ARP Head Studs, MUCH MUCH MORE, Done PM if interested.

dudley123 was his name on FF.

Not too many pictures work out of his photobucket account anymore.

Kill switch thread:
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/s...ht=kill+switch

For Sale thread (car was wrecked):
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/s...ghlight=shaved

Yep it was wrecked:
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=91945

[BOTTLEFED]

Originally Posted by 1svt4u2c

Ah, I just re-read the thread to make sure I didn't miss anything like......where are you from?

I thought I put it in my personal info but it doesn't show
I'm from Pocatello, Idaho
I bought the car down in Salt Lake City, UT