Why yes I am doing a Zetec conversion.. cause I can ( and did ) get a low mileage Zetec for $300.00 out of the wrecker, and once I have converted I'll have a nice 160 hp ish twin cam that doesn't leak, and if it blows up I can get another one almost anywhere in the world for about the same price..
Try that with my Cowsorth BDA!
So far we are still at the collecting of parts stage, but I think I have everything I need now..
The list looks like this..
Low mileage black top Zetec. This is a 2 liter
rear sump conversion oil pan. This can be had front or rear. You can use the stock pan in a pinch if it fits your chassis, but don't plan on racing or drifting, as the pan will starve you out of oil.. This replacement pan is just a work of art, fully baffled and lot's of capacity..
Zetec conversion motor mounts. Fits directly onto a pinto crossmember, can be lightly modified for a Kent motor replacement..
Water rail kit ( to move thermostate housing to the front of the motor ). This is the Retro Ford one.. lot's of contraversy about these water rails, regarding the thermostate not heating enough, but we'll see..
Water pump rotation kit.. since you can't plug in the 1.8 liter Zetec water pump ( which turns the right way, but doesn't fit.) you need to rearrange the belt to rotate the water pump the right way when you get rid of the power steering pump.. This kit does that, including a new belt of course.
Conversion flywheel for Zetec to suite Pinto clutch. Thus was cool, brand new, not even surfaced yet.. pre drilled to facilitate the ignition sensor..
Pilot bushing ( the stock Zetec doesn't use one )
Conversion starter.. looks like a stock Sierra starter to me, but then I don't live in England so I can't tell for sure..
Trans is really up to the end user.. I don't see any point in running a 4 speed, so it's a 5 gear for me.. I have a stock sierra 5 speed now behind the Pinto lump in the Escort with a short shift, but stock ratio's.. I aslo just picked up a custom bellhousing to suit the T5..( amazing what you can find on the internet! ). The Sierra fits right on, but either can be made to work.. You can get a sierra from a Mercur XR4TI ( remember those? That's a Euro Sierra )
Conversion header for Zetec to Escort.. This was a nice piece, got to be the thickest header I have ever seen, and nice big primaries if I want to do some porting.
Twin Weber intake manifold.. will aslo suit fuel injection. I am running carbs, but lots of folks run either bike throttle bodies or fuel injection. This is where most of your power increse over the stock system comes from, so the more spent here, the better your conversion will seem..
I am going for twin 45's as the ignition mapping is easier and I like carbs anyway, they look more retro.. There are specific 45's for the Zetec, with an extra air bleed drilled..or something like that.. which cures a flat spot that you can experience with normal carbs.. Mine aren't special, so we'll see..
Ignition.. The heart of the matter.. this would all be childs play if these motors had a distributer, but they don't. The stock ecu won't support this conversion, unless you run the stock intake ( not! )
You need to use the stock ignition pickup for the flywheel, not the pickup on the exhaust cam. Go get a Ford DIS 4 ( distributorless ignition system for a 4 cyl ) I can't really say what models this comes from over here, as this is one thing I haven't done yet. I am thinking though that there is probably a ton of them in the wreckers out there, so I'm not worried.
Using that system all wired up will get the motor running, but with no ecu, it will run in safe mode ( 10 degrees advance ) and will need some help to wake up.
I chose the Mega Squirt system, one because it's a North American product, two because it's user programmable, and 3 because IT'S CHEAP!
I got the Mega Jolt lite which just does Ignition map only, using a built in MAF sensor.. I just need to provide an accurate and steady vacume source for it. The computer need to have an appropriate ign map downloaded into it, and that is something that I need to find out more about.. there are places around here that are familliar with this system, so help is not far away..
One important thing you should do is install ARP rod bolts.. Easy and cheap insurance.. I hear the stock rod bolts are quite bad..I have mine already.
And there you go.. I need to finish my brakes ( waiting for a pair of brake lines for my Audi TT calipers on the back..) and find new wheels ( to clear my Audi TT calipers on the back ( damn.. I really messed myself up this time..).
Once the car is done and on the road, then I will start putting the Zetec in.. But first I am going to setup the Zetec on a stand and get it running with the DIS4.. No way I am going to put this all in and find out that I'm not smart enough to figure out how to get it going.. then have to tow it to some tuner in the US..
