Miss Fitts

[HillbillySailor2]

Oh, and you better move on these if you want them. There's only 14 hours left on the bidding as of the time of this post.

[98ciHemi]

Damn. Can't. Want to, but can't.

[98ciHemi]

So, it looks like I am scrapping the idea of building another CVH. I found a deal for a low mileage 2.0 duratec like the one in my daily driver, and I think I am going to go for it. The Duratec is lighter and makes 140 hp from the factory, which I would be lucky to get out of a decently built SOHC engine in race trim. The PITA now is making the Duratec mate with the old manual trans, and running megasquirt to control the engine. It'll probably run me close to a grand to get the engine mated to the transmission (It'll be much cheaper than that if I can get my hands on a proper mill and bandsaw, but I am not counting on that), but it is still cheaper than trying to swap in the focus trans and make custom CV axles.

[mustang13]

Walt, that would be a tasty engine swap if you can pull it off. Lay the engine and tran/axe out on the shop floor and see whats what, you may not have to do much to mate them.

Good Luck with the plan laddy

[Beagle]

Does any of the Mazda 323 or Probe stuff get anywhere close? I think you've read this or it's been mentioned before, but this was a Taurus thread on Duratec/Vulcan/Sho stuff. I don't know if it helps any at all, but thought I'd toss it out for consideration.

http://www.taurusclub.com/forum/87-engine-drivetrain/123881-duratec-vulcan-bellhousing-pattern-same-4.html

how much difference is ther between your Focus and 'scort mounting?

[Beagle]

man it's hard to find information on the Duratec 4 cylinders... can you snag a mtx-75 from a Cougar or something and use that?

[CTX-SLPR]

I have a mill, though no bandsaw, I'd be willing to pitch in spinning the dials on it for material costs? Are we talking steel or aluminum plate?

Quad4Rods I know makes adapter bells for Duratec 4cyl to common RWD transmissions, maybe they can make you a CAD drawing of the Duratec 4cyl bell and you can print it out and sketch bell off of the stock stick box to see what's possible and get a rough shape. If your MechE friends that you work on thier cars can take your sketch and put it into CAD, you might get a machine shop to do one up cheap since you've done the hardwork. They'd just have to import the CAD drawing to the waterjet and let her rip. My local waterjet shop only charges $40 in programming fees, the rest is materials and machine time.

[Thumpin455]

Walt, my neighbor with the airfield about a mile down 28 has a bridgeport, lathe, and even a huge press shear. He rebuilds all sorts of stuff down there, I am sure he could help you out.

[98ciHemi]

Well, it looks like my retired machine trades teacher will help me out with the adapter plate, and with a very discounted labor rate. I think he specified a couple of phone calls a year- he likes to know what his past students are up to and I am in touch with several ('76 Nova kid, last years roommate, and the 90 lb girl that can make a two ton mill break with a glance)

The guy is awesome- He wasn't a curriculum teacher. He asked what you wanted to learn, and did his best to hook you up. He told us that there were to limiting factors to what we could make in the shop. Money and our imaginations. I told him I wanted to learn about engine machining, so he brought in a Kohler 17 horse horizontally opposed twin and told me that it was way down on power and that he wanted it fixed. After finding that the rings were shot and the engine needed a bore, hone, and new pistons, he bought a set of .020 over pistons and rings, a gasket set, and we went to town. We bored the jugs on a bridgeport mill (time consuming way to bore something, but I learned a lot more than I would have with a regular boring bar). Then I ground the valves, hand cut the seats, and ground the ends of the valves to bring the valve/lifter clearance back into spec. After reassembly, the engine went into one of his lawn tractors.

One the Escort, he helped a ton. We made an adjustable timing pulley, air intake, blanchard ground the flywheel, and lots of other little things. He taught me how to program the CNC mill and with that I made the Red Hot Racing key chains. He used one of my junk heads to show me the basics of porting and polishing. Long story short- If you were there to learn, he would do his best to teach you.

He hasn't slowed down in his retirement. He restores tractors, cruises in his '76 vette (11:1 350, muncie, 4:11), and works around the home he built. He is good people.

[98ciHemi]

Well, with Serenity in the works the project has shifted towards becoming my daily driver. I plan on selling the Focus at the end of the school year to either help pay for tuition if I don't get a field training slot, or to pay for airplane parts if I do. Step one is to rebuild the CVH engine with the car now. I decided that even though I don't know if I will have the Escort much after the summer, I am going to do this build right. So I currently have the block at the machine shop getting bored for a set of .040 over domed pistons. I will finish tearing down and cleaning the heads tomorrow to decide which one is going to get shaved and put on the car. When it's all said and done I may be looking at a 9.5-10:1 compression engine. Should have a bit more pep than the old 7.5:1 engine.

There are some things I do need if anyone wants to keep an eye out for for me- I badly need a manual steering column and steering wheel from a 1981-90 Escort. I also am in need of a passenger side headlight housing from a 86-90. Most of these cars have rusted out and are long gone here, so I have had trouble finding what I need.

This project isn't dead, and even with the plane I am going to try and keep it alive and in my hands. Maybe I'll leave it in Marquette. If I hide it behind Ugly, Todd may not notice for awhile.

[Barry Donovan]

compression always works.

I went through 3 of these. The oxide chain did away my will for them.
your plane project, seeing small doing big.. this escort may alter in your in memory for its worth.
I don't have nice things to say from experience.

[98ciHemi]

Well, both heads are torn down and if I have time tomorrow I will take one by the Machine Shop and get it shaved. Assuming all goes as planned, I should have the re-ring kit for it in time to build it over my next break. I have some work to do in the engine bay before I put the engine back in, but once that is done I should have a honest to goodness running driving racecar again.

[98ciHemi]

Well, I have a head and the block back from the machinist. They both look good and for $140 for a bore, hone, valve job and skimming the head I won't complain about the price. Next up is a coat of pontiac engine blue and reassembly.

[TheSilverBuick]

Good color

[HillbillySailor2]

20 bucks plus shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-OE-HEADL...9#ht_500wt_715