A Focus SVT Build (California Content)

11th June 2013, 03:22

So this all started back in October 2012 when I traded in my 98 Jetta GL for this SVT

I got lucky and found her with less than 60k miles on it! :bow:

First mod was a K&N drop in panel filter to replace the crappy OEM one.

Next thing taken care of was the brakes... replaced all 4 corners with Centric Rotors and Hawk HPS Pads.

Now for a mod that kinda splits opinions...

Next up was to replace a worn part... so instead of replacing I upgraded

Now at this point I decided to test the limits of the car (and my driving) by going to an auto-x

Just after that I decided it was time for a good service

Thank god I did it! The plugs were well passed their best!

Honestly at this point nothing really happened for a while until this

So got the tyres swapped over from my standard wheels and this was the result

Just recently I decided to clean up the calipers a bit with a lick of paint

And this was meant to be the end point until late in the year but well with it being a Ford something had to break... A strut decided it was time to die so few messages among NorCal sorted me out with some replacements....

And that brings you up to the current day :evilgrin:

Massive thanks along the way go to Chris (Norcalfocus01), Rick (lolibater, he hooked me up with the struts), Ryan (lowlifestyle), Jesse and basically all the NorCal folks over on FocalJet

28th July 2013, 04:04

Okay so the long awaited update; Part 1

I picked up a debadged grill while I was back home in Scotland and this is the result

I did have to hacksaw some stuff to make it fit, part of the lock stuff behind the grill needed cut back and then had to cut and bend part of the top of the grill for the catch handle.

and some more photo whoring

Oh and this happened the other day

She is getting old!! (clicked over to 80k miles!)

30th July 2013, 03:05

Had a go at making the big dent in the front bumper a bit better, came of half decent also filled the holes from taking the front plate off with some trim clips, front bumper still needs a proper going over and plasti-welding the plate holes and part of that dent. But for now this shall suffice.

Pics on saturday for you lot since thats when the car will be clean (canibeat monthly meet on friday night for me!)

30th July 2013, 17:35

looks great, keep up the good work

1st August 2013, 19:48

nice car!

very lucky fucker going to the usa! ican only dream of ever doing the same!

1st August 2013, 19:58

Must be hot if you have to put up shade to work on the motor.

2nd August 2013, 02:00

Looks good project...

2nd August 2013, 02:38

i am also another USA dreamer lol......one can only dream ey!
Nice looking car though pal!

18th August 2013, 06:31

So I went down to FBF with the NorCal crew

here are some pictures from it..

This one is on our way down to Santa Barbara, we stopped off in San Luis Obisbo

Couple pics from the show

This one shows the custom parcel shelf me and Chris (NorCalfocus01) made

My new plate surround I picked up at the show

and finally a rolling shot on the way home (thanks to Nick and Frush for this one)

next up will be some coilovers for me

LAbour day is coming up which usually means sales so hoping there is some good discounts on coilovers

15th September 2013, 05:32

Coilovers are now on, ended up going with ST Suspension coilovers, got them pretty cheap too ($774.99 to my door)

Gotta give the car a clean tomorrow and then I shall post up some pics!

I do now need to roll the rear arches though, I get some rubbing on hard cornering/large dips/bumps

17th September 2013, 19:34

The better late than never photo update

And my new alignment specs

I will take some proper pics once I've properly got the rear arches sorted and I can borrow my dads camera

26th December 2013, 05:43

this may seem a bit out of place without reference but hey ho copied over from my thread on focaljet...

Well at the weekend the car got her christmas presents:

so this is a huge change! Absolutely love it!

Raised the rear end a little when i did it as well.

Also fitted my steeda short shifter and boss 302 knob

26th December 2013, 11:19

Really like this! Good work

26th December 2013, 17:00

Do these have the same 2.0 st 170 engine as uk focus's?

26th December 2013, 19:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by saxo_singh

Do these have the same 2.0 st 170 engine as uk focus's?

Yup the very same.

I've got a high flow cat and a remap on mine so should be slightly nippier than normal, certainly nicer to drive anyway!

26th December 2013, 23:27

damn what happened with the plugs??

28th December 2013, 06:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammys

damn what happened with the plugs??

I think they were the original plugs from 04!

The interval for changing them is 60k and car was at 59500 when I got it.

28th December 2013, 08:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whiskerzz

Yup the very same.

I've got a high flow cat and a remap on mine so should be slightly nippier than normal, certainly nicer to drive anyway!

i was told they were the 2.3 non turbo, same as the mazda 3 sport? one down from the mps which i have?

28th December 2013, 21:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chr15

i was told they were the 2.3 non turbo, same as the mazda 3 sport? one down from the mps which i have?

We have the SVT 2L 16v Zetec same as st170

Then in normal focus spec we have
2L Zetec
2L duratec
2.3L duratec

The 2.3 duratec is the one most people over here turbo, seems to be the best for holding boost.

30th December 2013, 09:23

If you ever need a reliable parts supplier a friend of mine is a focus specialist and supplies alot of european parts to the yanks.

Looks nice, only thing i don't link on the SVT's is the rear shelf.. i mean bumper. Glad you changed it

4th January 2014, 04:28

Yeah parts wise for maintence im alright, albeit for euro parts i should be fine now too, only other parts i would want would be RS wheels (They sell for crazy money over here, but there are plenty sets despite the RS never being sold in the US!)

5th January 2014, 01:14

Alright so wind deflectors are on

7th January 2014, 10:16

Well any parts you need give Jordan a shout at JB's Garage.
https://www.facebook.com/jbs.garage.5?fref=ts

He is a focus specialist

23rd January 2014, 05:38

Bought that the other day....won't get it until march though, getting it sent to my parents in Fife then when they come over on holiday I will get it then.

29th January 2014, 03:27

Car passed smog today, registration payed for another year and I ordered custom plates

I got WHISKRZ

I wanted SVT170 but it wasn't available

But now I gotta put the high flow back on and re flash the Ecu with my custom tune before auto-x on the 9th feb.

Car is slowly coming together!

14th April 2014, 01:43

car has been given a few more mods recently

drivers side poly engine mount
replacement poly bushes for passenger side engine mount
stainless braided brakes lines and fresh brake fluid
biggest available rear anti roll bar 28.6mm
high flow cat got welded up as had a hole from living the low life haha

5th November 2014, 23:34

Since its been a long time since I last posted in here I thought I'd just throw some photos in for the hell of it, no cosmetic changes as yet but there should be big changes happening over winter/before show season 2015 :devillook:devillook:devillook

As you can see in the last photo, this car badly needs some wider wheels and a touch more low!

Im hoping to get some 2/3 piece wheels ordered before the end of the year. Expect to see this car out at a bunch of shows in the Bay Area, California next year!

As you can see. colour change on the wheels, wrapped the mirror caps in white.

And I do run a facebook page now (www.facebook.com/CleanCarCulture) hoping to have a website up and running by the start of 2015!

7th November 2014, 13:15

respect that you still come on here and post, must be somthing in the air, i think the last time i was on here was the last time you was lol

7th November 2014, 17:20

I'm liking this matey, good work!

9th November 2014, 02:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by W343NNA

respect that you still come on here and post, must be somthing in the air, i think the last time i was on here was the last time you was lol

I come back on every so often, I try to update my build threads all at once but I do forget to update everything except the focus one from time to time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobVT

I'm liking this matey, good work!

Its getting there, needs some more work over winter.

Stiffer rear springs
Ford Edge rear wiper swap
"Show" wheels (aiming for 3 piece or 2 piece)

12th December 2014, 05:14

Well I bought a set of show wheels

Bought Rotiform BLQ. 17x8 all round, 2x ET30 2x ET20

Considering the currently wheels are 17x7 ET42 it should make for a big difference in the stance! Honestly can't wait

14th December 2014, 02:27

My wheels are almost making there way to me!

Someone else in the Focus scene had a set of BLQ they ran this gives you an idea of how mine will look once I get the wheels on.

Honestly cant wait to get the wheels, thinking about getting them powdercoated but as of yet im super split on what colour to go with.... Candy red is my currrent thinking

15th December 2014, 11:54

Wow they look better than i expected polished ftw, whats car scence like over there ?

15th December 2014, 12:27

Like the wheels but not in red! The above picture looks fine.

Where in Cali do you live? I'm slightly jealous...

15th December 2014, 21:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dany4494

Wow they look better than i expected polished ftw, whats car scence like over there ?

Car scene is pretty big here, WAY more high end builds than back home though... So many people have Dailys and then a project lol

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jizanthapus

Like the wheels but not in red! The above picture looks fine.

Where in Cali do you live? I'm slightly jealous...

I'm in the Bay Area

NorCal ftw! Fcuk SoCal ��

I dunno I will throw up the pics I found of a black Jetta Wagon on candy red ones if I can find them again.

http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15695 (here Ya go in this thread!)

15th December 2014, 21:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whiskerzz

I'm in the Bay Area

NorCal ftw! Fcuk SoCal ��

I dunno I will throw up the pics I found of a black Jetta Wagon on candy red ones if I can find them again.

http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15695 (here Ya go in this thread!)

Awesome, I was there in the summer it's an amazing place. My dream is to live there one day, and drive some kind of v8 lol. How did you go about living there, if you don't mind me asking? I assume work or family?

That Jetta does suit those wheels in red, but I think it's just me - I like silver wheels

16th December 2014, 00:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jizanthapus

Awesome, I was there in the summer it's an amazing place. My dream is to live there one day, and drive some kind of v8 lol. How did you go about living there, if you don't mind me asking? I assume work or family?

That Jetta does suit those wheels in red, but I think it's just me - I like silver wheels

Family for me

Silver wheels bore me haha, plus these are used so I dont expect the faces to be all way shiney by now =/ polish is a biatch to keep in good nick

3rd January 2015, 02:56

But now that we are in 2015 I wanna reveal my plans for the car over the course of this calender year.

2015 build plans

-Raid pick n pull for headliner, sunroof cover and a,b,c pillars for wrapping in suede
-BLQ going on
-SPC camber arms (if required to make the BLQ fit right)
- get the BLQ powdercoated toward the end of the year (most likely Candy Red)
-Stiffer rear springs
-Get front bumper repaired and repainted, then wrapped in clear

10th January 2015, 22:12

Alright I finally got tyres mounted to the two BLQ that never came with any.

End result once the wheels were on the car

Car still needs a little dialing in fitment wise but that will come with time

12th January 2015, 01:51

Did a little bit of work on the old gal today, dropped the ass a little bit, think I will invest in camber arms in a bit but kinda skint just now.

Finally adjusted my front endlinks so they are actually the same length haha

And I got a few shots of the car with my DSLR when I got home, not the best as i never used my tripod but hey ho....

12th January 2015, 16:01

I think i'm going to move to cali! but i'll be in some sort of V8/supra

13th January 2015, 04:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobVT

I think i'm going to move to cali! but i'll be in some sort of V8/supra

haha screw V8! and for a mk4 supra youre looking at $20k

15th January 2015, 14:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whiskerzz

haha screw V8! and for a mk4 supra youre looking at $20k

Worth it!

19th January 2015, 23:25

Well since we had a paid day off today I decided to get out and try find a decent spot for photos in my new area...

Found myself a decent little spot so here are some of the pictures from the day.

30th January 2015, 23:42

http://www.racingsprings.com/6-to-10...x450/Item/2359

Just ordered those 6" 450# springs... so lets hope they fit :lol:

Car really needs them, the rubbing is getting on my nerves now, but gladly I dont have to drive next week, the wonders of carpooling

20th March 2015, 05:41

Well to update the last post the springs actually didnt fit

But now I'm looking into ordering a set of custom spring rate BC Racing coilovers instead

The BC's are the only coilovers available with camber plate top mounts still available for the mk1 Focus. (current thinking for spring rates is 525F 575R)

26th March 2015, 12:09

Just placed my order for custom rate BC Racing Coilovers ended up going with 9k front 10k rear... Or 504#F 560#R depending which way you're used to seeing spring rates :lol:

Can't wait to get them on the car and dialed in. Might yet order camber arms for the rear.
Already waiting on solid shifter bushings to ship as well! Car is getting treated royally this year.

4th April 2015, 21:15

Well its now only 6 weeks until my first show of the year (Offset Kings @ Sonoma Raceway) so I really have to shift things into gear and get started on all the little niggly things I gotta get finished before the show season starts.

Already contacting uhpolstry shops to get quotes for interior work, and gotta put some elbow grease into cleaning up the engine bay.

Still waiting on new coilovers coming as well as solid shifter bushes and a Ford Edge rear wiper.

So expect a bunch of updates over the next few weeks/months!

9th April 2015, 16:26

Places a sizable order with Chemical Guys as well yesterday.

Now have the following coming out to me:
Hybrid v7 quick detailer & sealant 16oz
Afterwash 1gal
Allclean+ 1gal
Wheel & rim sealant
GlassworkZ 16oz
3 heavy duty sprayer bottles
1 detailing brush, goats hair

All together was like $145 order. I only went on to order the wheel sealant :lol: :lol:

Edge rear wiper got posted out yesterday so photo update coming soon for that!

24th April 2015, 01:25

Alright so finally getting to throw a couple parts I have sitting on the car.

Before:

After:

Comparison:

Installed:

24th April 2015, 07:30

Car looks nice fella, plate is cool shame we can't have cool plates with anything we want!

PS: Do you own a firearm yet haha

24th April 2015, 15:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamie

Car looks nice fella, plate is cool shame we can't have cool plates with anything we want!

PS: Do you own a firearm yet haha

Still waiting on my new Coilovers getting here so I can get a little lower and add a touch of camber front and back.

Sadly I'm in the only state where I can't own a gun until I'm a citizen (I can start the application process next August for that)

1st May 2015, 21:42

Alright so I had Taylor Kas pick and send me a set of mk2 OEM black sunvisors ($25 all in, thanks again Taylor!)

First part of the conversion to a black headliner and pillars, got painted handles already. Gonna get headliner and pillars done once I sell the Coilovers that are currently on the car.

I am looking into getting a set of lightweight wheels in 17/18x8 but have yet to decide on a wheel (very picky). I love the look of the TurboMacs but I fear they are gonna be too heavy for what I want... The search continues!

8th May 2015, 05:49

Well my BC's finally turned up today, hoping to have enough time to do the swap to BC's plus SPC camber arms this weekend. Will update with pictures once Comcast fix my internet

12th May 2015, 05:05

Coilovers went on over the weekend. Reads didn't go anywhere near as low as I had hoped so....

I went to Nicks and test fit 18x8 et35 Team Dynamics PR1.2 with 215/40 on them. They fit great so I went ahead and ordered a set myself from Chalon!

High power silver. For tyres I went with hankook Ventus v12 evo2 in 215/40.

I do still need to fit the camber arms and get an alignment but I wanna wait for the 18s so I can set the height before taking the car in for an alignment.

12th May 2015, 22:44

So some potato pics to keep thread lively while I wait on wheels and tyres being delivered.

Test fit of same wheels I bought

Now this is with 0 camber on the front as I have not had the car aligned yet

18th May 2015, 20:36

Wheels are on and a nice alignment later the car is a new beast. I do however need to switch back to the SVG rear sway bar from the 28.6mm Steeda on. First corner I really pushed the car on she kicked the ass out so hard it was like RWD :lol: fun but scary lol.

I got some DSLR shots but haven't edited them yet so here's a few potato pictures for now. Offset Kings is this Saturday so car goes in for a full detail Friday, can't wait to have nice corrected paint again!

As you can see the SVT brakes even look small now.... Makes me wanna get a BBK

19th May 2015, 01:33

A couple DSLR pics with the new wheels

and a miata well because im always at my friends shop (VL Motorsports) and they specialised in Miatas, this one happens to be Rotrex supercharged with some Wilwoods on it!

22nd May 2015, 07:14

Just bought a F2 RS Style spoiler, its even black already, needs some paint correction and a bit of touch of most likely but man I got it cheap! (thanks g.forces! FJ member)

So thats the next thing going on the car

Just gotta get the BLQ sold and then I should be good for a long while, got the timing belt change coming up in about 15k miles too but given my mileage rate recently thats probably about 9-12months away which is nice!

So for me its gonna be focusing on my CleanCarCulture stuff for a while and trying to grow that, I actually need to restock my stickers for that and get a t-shirt designed and on the website too. So if anyone wants anything CCC wise just hit me up via PM, I can hook it up :lol:

25th May 2015, 04:36

Took the SVT out to its first show since 2013 yesterday, went out to Offset Kings at Sonoma Raceway.

Heres a few pictures I took of the car and one I found online that someone else took!

the one I never took

30th May 2015, 06:26

Alright so I received my F2 RS style spoiler today, I knew the paint was bad when I bought it but I had hoped a good going over with compound would fix most of it but sadly it wasnt to be.

So the new plan is to get the holes from the front plate mount filled in and have a go at fixing that dent in the front bumper. Once the front bumper work is complete throw the car into a body shop to have the wing and front bumper painted, wing mounted.

To fund these little projects I gotta clear out a couple sets of wheels I have laying around, so my old BLQ set up is up for sale and my old Team Dynamics 5 spokes. I dont have the car registered for any more shows until August 1st so I should have enough time to get it all done hopefully.

Im seriously considering getting the front bumper clear bra'd once its painted as it attracts rock chips like a mofo being so flat fronted!

30th May 2015, 23:28

I have just come back from Florida, I envy you so much being able to pay what you do for fuel. Was driving a Chevy Suburban 5.3 V8 and loved it

1st June 2015, 05:32

It's not as cheap in California sadly and we don't get as high octane here either. We are paying close to $4 a gallon (3.89L) here just now. We get 91oct as our highest (something like 97RON so like mid grade back home)

7th July 2015, 06:54

No updates on the car lately. Been playing with the dampening on the front coilovers to get the feel mid corner correct, almost there.

Sold my Rotiform BLQ (tentatively, awaiting payment), still gotta sell my white 5 spokes.

Still need to repair the front bumper before sending it and the RS spoiler off for paint. But I do now have a date that needs to be done by! Headed up to Washington at end of August for Ocean Shores Focus Wars with a friend, about a 14hr drive for me. So having bumper and spoiler done by then is a must! Hopefully I can even swing it by the end of July since I have Spocom at the start of August too.

7th July 2015, 10:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whiskerzz

But I do now have a date that needs to be done by! Headed up to Washington at end of August for Ocean Shores Focus Wars with a friend, about a 14hr drive for me. So having bumper and spoiler done by then is a must! Hopefully I can even swing it by the end of July since I have Spocom at the start of August too.

That'll be an awesome journey! One day I will do it.

Make sure you take lots of pics

8th July 2015, 00:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jizanthapus

That'll be an awesome journey! One day I will do it.

Make sure you take lots of pics

Most of it will be at night sadly, think we are gonna leave around 9pm and aim to be up there around 11am for check in to the hotel.

23rd July 2015, 21:06

Finally dropped off my front bumper, euro grill and f2 rs spoiler off for paint yesterday.

Should get the stuff back either tomorrow, Saturday or Monday. Then I have to fit the spoiler myself which is a scaring concept but hey gotta learn sometime!

Honestly can't wait to have it all back and have a clean front end! Only thing letting the car down then will be the rock chipped bonnet (hood)

Still have the BLQ, any Citroen, pugoet owners be interested? I could ship em to the UK!

1st August 2015, 05:56

Got my stuff back from paint earlier on this week, so naturally I couldnt wait to put it all on. So here are some pictures!

Stock SVT spoiler

F2 RS Spoiler

Car got detailed tonight for a show in San Jose tomorrow, then August 9th im sharing a booth with my buddies at VL Motorsports at the Stance Show Off/Superstreet Cali Invasion in Stockton.

Then end of August im headed up to Washington for Ocean Shores Focus Wars.

12th August 2015, 13:07

Well after my car dying leaving Spocom on August 1st I needed some maintenance parts.

Battery, battery cable, alternator, tensioner, idler and new serp belt. $500 later it all came in.

Did all the work myself at my mates speed shop. Car now runs and charges the battery once again, happy days!

Got the BLQ sold and still working on selling the TD PR3. May eventually pick up a more show-y set of wheels but for now I'd rather pay off debt.

Still Ocean Shores Focus Wars at the end of the month. Can't wait for that road trip! :lol:

3rd September 2015, 16:03

Well this past weekend I took a trip up to Washington for Ocean Shores Focus Wars, had a great time, cars actually pretty comfortable on long road trips even with the stiff spring rates! Got TONNES of pictures from the weekend up on my website.

http://Www.cleancarculture.com/ocean...s-focus-wars-4

I also shot a feature with my mates Focus ST while I was up there. Check that out too!

Www.cleancarculture.com/brian-reich-focus-st

Will be posting some of the pictures of my car to the thread when i get a chance to upload them to photo-bucket.

12th September 2015, 22:45

So I finally got the pictures of my car up on photobucket so I could post em here, enjoy!

and yes I did have some fun on the beach while I was there, I had to :lol: :lol:

29th November 2015, 21:14

Well its new clutch time for me, clutch has started slipping pretty bad.

Going to order Clutchmasters FX250 if I can get it through my buddies shop. The plan is to boost the car towards the end of next year so having the clutch for it is necessary. Plus I beat on the car quite alot with canyon runs so having a clutch that will take it is paramount.

30th November 2015, 10:56

Awesome man, really like this car

28th June 2016, 08:44

Wow I haven't updated this thread in a long time now...

I passed smog back in February, crappy process that involves taking mods off and flashing back to stock. I sold the intake o had on the car and went back to the stock box with k&n panel filter for now. Plan is to go AEM though....

And for the update from this past weekend, copied from build thread on Focaljet:

So car got its long overdue new axles and wheel bearings.
That job took way longer than it should have due to one of the snap rings being pretty damn well stuck, we broke a few sets of snap ring pliers actually :lol:

So car got new axles, wheel bearings, hubs and a oil change.

Needs an alignment and noticed a nail in one of my tyres so still some work to do, slowly but surely making her a Beauty to drive once again. After those issues are dealt with comes the looks department.

Will be sand blasting and painting my spare valve cover, wrapping the header and maybe, just maybe getting a light tint on the back 3 Windows.

29th August 2016, 03:05

So as promised last time there would be photos with this update!

Few things though....

Dented my header and killed an o2 sense so replacing those (already did the o2)
still need to wrap the header (see above reason)

the pictures aint the best to show off the changes, I will get a dslr quality photo of the engine bay once the header is wrapped and some pictures to show off the tint.

and this photo is from yesterday at Blox Evolution 3 (CleanCarCulture coverage is available www.cleancarculture.com/blox-evolution-3 )

13th October 2016, 06:32

Finally got a replacement header delivered!

Going to try get it wrapped and on the car ASAP! Honestly can't wait to get rid of the ugly ass heat shield :lol:

I'm feeling the itch to get new parts again.... I'm an addict.... Might just wait for Black Friday sales to see what comes up (eyeing up a set of Tarmacs if they do the 25% off again)