FocusCanada Forums

So, yeah... I've been away from here for a bit. Not by intent, just by dint of the fact I've been busy as hell lately.

So, first thing's first. How's Subsonic?

Aside from still needing paint and a body job (coming in the spring), it's mechanically 99% - just some really odd and minor things to fix (pass door trim molding, driver's seat replacement, e-brake's being a tard, etc). The last lingering major mechanical issue was sorted in December - there was a 2-point vacuum leak which required a new hard vac line from Ford (thankfully it's cheap). All leanness and idle issues are now GONE. Wet weather running issues (lumpy idle, hesitation, stalls) GONE.

So, what's next? In no real order, but all coming this spring: Rota Slipstream 16s, single-stage matte-black (Focus RS500-type) paint, full body job, Comp Cams Stage 3 cams, CFM adjustable cam gears, new high-flow muffler (or glasspack, depending), re-tune with Randy at FSWerks.

Given my abysmal numbers at the fall dyno day, I feel confident that I'm at a solid 130-140WHP right now. I can feel that the factory cams are holding me back horribly in 3rd and above over 6000 RPMs. So, out they go. After that, with a successful re-tune and another dyno run to see where I'm at, I'll decide on whether I'm going 11:1 pistons and forged rods. In reality, before I do that I might do a LSD. It needs one badly already.

The car is SO MUCH fun to drive now. Granted, it's not a 230WHP boost monster, but it's light and responsive - especially between 3000-6000RPMs. I can't accurately describe how awesome the clutch is, or snapping off shifts while blasting up my fave back roads. Keep in mind, it just rolled over 334,000KMs a little while ago - and it doesn't burn a drop of oil.

Here's a quick vid I did, with some pictures overlaying the sound track of a soft launch and run up to about 4K in each gear, followed by an uphill pull in 2nd from 5000-7200RPMs.



These are the cams I'm getting:



I'm looking forward to the spring.

Adam

Nice project dude!! That cam video you posted is the same one that sold me on getting that cam. How I would LOVE if my focus sounded like that!


Keep up the work so we can keep up with following your progress!

I was wondering what happened to this buggy!

Glad your still moving forward with it.
Can't wait to see the progress!

So, yeh... a minor update. My body/paint guy was fired from his job of 16 years last week. I'm not panicking (yet) as I have a lot of contacts in the customs industry up here, but that was my best option available to me. So, I'll have to start idea shopping and getting quotes in the spring. In the meantime, I'll still be ordering my cams and possibly my LSD as at least my main mechanic buddy is still around!

Also, I may end up going with SVT front/rear bumper covers. This is an idea I've cooked up in the last couple of weeks and would take the car a long way towards being more of a SVT-type build. Once the cam is in and it's putting down well over 140WHP, I wouldn't have any shame in having those front/rear covers on there. To some of those who don't know me, it sounds like a lot of hand-wringing over nothing... but for those who do, you know me all too well. I don't like flashy stuff, and I hate, hate, HATE cars that advertise as being more than they are. Plus, swaps are direct and wiring is easy for the fogs, so it's a win. It would go nice with the NA SVT headlights already there, plus my SVT suspension and interior panels.

Time will tell.

Question: besides Saliva, what goes "CLICK CLICK BOOM"?

Answer: me downshifting into a left-hand turn lane and aurally witnessing the final end of my Magnaflow muffler. I sounded like a school bus on meth all the way to get supper last night and back. The rear exhaust pipe (muffler to tip) survived so I'll keep it and either glasspack it or install something else squally as free-flowing and obnoxious. It's what I do - power at all costs, your eardrums be damned.

Haha - update: we actually FIXED the muffler at the custom exhaust shop I deal with. Once again, Jay delivers!

Question: how do you fix an exhaust? Answer: Weld ALL the seams! Car sounds perfectly rally-certified now (read: disgusting).

I'll get another vid on the next real warm day.