• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

1997 Zetec Overhaul/rebuild

well got an update. piston rings are on their way along with a gasket kit (including tty bolts) piston rings have to come from IL though so i could be waiting a little while for them. the cylinders are ok they just need to be deglazed. pistons are good enough that they can be reused. not 100% on the crank yet i am going to try polishing out the marks on the one area as they are not deep more of a discoloration see what i can do otherwise its going to the machine shop and its getting oversized bearings put in. gonna talk to my dad about the waterpump and timing pulleys, im pretty sure they are original. the head should be off of my uncles parts car within the week so i should be able to start putting stuff back together once i figure out whats up with the tranny. then i get to put a new tranny in my grand prix, then a new heater core hose, gas tank, and exhaust on my sable, get my escort running then new heads for my lebaron, and maybe a 302 for my bronco 2... busy summer ahead of me!!
 
Go chase some skirts

Go chase some skirts

[QUOTE once i figure out whats up with the tranny. then i get to put a new tranny in my grand prix, then a new heater core hose, gas tank, and exhaust on my sable, get my escort running then new heads for my lebaron, and maybe a 302 for my bronco 2... busy summer ahead of me!![/QUOTE]

My $.02 worth. Too many projects, I once had 12 restoration projects in my shop, had a revelation one day and got rid of every last one of them. Bought a modern motorcycle, got out of my garage, rode the bike, and discovered what a great world we live in. Not only did I open myself up to new experiences, I got rid of alot of mind trash (always thinking about the projects I had waiting for me and my money). Since then I have met and married an amazing wife, I would have never met in my garage and have turned the rest of the energy into a successful business. Besides, you live in a beautiful place to enjoy (at least in the summer)
 
eh i am gonna work hard on these for now then sell most (well about half) of them (grand prix, lebaron, escort) then pay off some stuff then it will be time to have fun! lol
 
I know that this will bring a Sh&t storm of hate mail

I know that this will bring a Sh&t storm of hate mail

then pay off some stuff then it will be time to have fun! lol[/QUOTE said:
Given the list of cars and the work you have to do, I think you'd be time and money ahead just to rid yourself of them now. Although you probably have the minnescrotum work ethic you are spending a dollar to get a penny.

With the list of cars you have, don't think any of them are babe magnets, especially the contour.

If you really want to enjoy life, get out of the garage and start interacting with real people. Take it from an old ex minnescrotum guy who has been there and done that.
Click to expand...
 
Sable23 said:
eh i am gonna work hard on these for now then sell most (well about half) of them (grand prix, lebaron, escort) then pay off some stuff then it will be time to have fun! lol
Click to expand...

So you wouldn't sell the tour? If you decide to after you finish it I'm over in Hutch :laugh:
 
im not going to flame anyone for giving me their opinion. i bought the grand prix for 400 bucks besides the tranny it is in excelent shape, the engine has less than 100k on it and there is no rust i put alittle bit of time into it and i can easily make a profit on the car. the escort i bought for 100 have put 150 into it and have two people offer 500 for it already. the point i am getting at is this is the kind of stuff i love to do, i am going to school for it right now (well on summer break but...) so i can work on this stuff at school if i need to. where i have access to lifts and tons of specialty tools. the lebaron i already lost money on the guy that sold it too me lied and told me it needed a tranny well it also needed heads but i may have found some a friend has for next to nothing and i should be able to get most of my money back out of it. i dont care id they are chick magnets or not im not looking for a relationship right now and im pretty sure my sable isnt a grandma car anymore lol

the contour i am going to keep at least untill i get done with school just because after all the work i am doing to it it should be reliable and its gets way better milage then my sable does (i have a35 mile commute to school) but if i find a good deal i will let you know!! god knows i dont need another car lol
 
not to dwell off topic too much... but i love my tour and would love to get my hands on a reliable mtx and since your in the area......
dont leave me out of the loop when you decide to sell it...:laugh:
 
well back on topic lol all of my gaskets and bolts and bearings etc. just arived... off to work though will probably start reassembly tomorrow. the window on my lebaron got busted out last night so i may be spending some time replacing that as well
 
well got a little hold up realized that my dad did not order rod cap bolts so i asked they cant get them at napa went to the dealer today and they wanted 28 something each!!!! plus tax so it would of been like 240 just for the 8 bolts i need. does anyone know where i can get them cheaper? and i go to pick up my head and exhaust manifold on sunday... so i am just waiting on those rod cap bolts now...


i did get the crank put in along with the oil pump and the pistons are in but the bolts are just finger tight untill i get some new ones i have been taking pics not sure how specific you wanted the pics... will post them up within the next few days. also found out the waterpump only has like a couple thousand miles on it so that is being reused
 
just curious

just curious

Have you managed to spend more on the engine than the car is worth yet? Just curious.

If you want to get more out of life, you should never do something because you can do it, rather you should ask yourself, 'should I do it'.

Best of luck, now jetison those junkers and chase some skirts. I need you to reproduce so that you and your children can contribute to my social security.
 
depends on what the value of the car is? the value before i rebuild engine, with a bad tranny and a blown clutch or after the new clutch, tranny and rebuild? because so far i will have 850 bucks into completely rebuilding the car under the hood and paid 500 for it (at the time in good running and driving condition) so 1350 for a car that is practically brand new under the hood and should be very reliable i would say it has been very worth my time. and no i am not going to reproduce. just because you want me to. if there were not people like me all cars would end up in a junk yard after only a few years of life
 
well i am sorry that you guys only think of other human beings as a way to fulfill your selfish needs... but BACK ON TOPIC!!!

i did kinda forgot about this thread i been workin on my sable the last couple days.

i got most of the lower end put together except the oil pan. i went and got another head turned out to be basically junk... good thing it was free!! that engine had a piston disintegrate after hitting the head and bending a few valves. it also sucked metal up into the head and screwed the cams up.
anyway between the 2 heads i will make one good one. i looked more closely at the head off my contour and i am pretty sure there is a broken valve spring.
cracked open the tranny today first gear syncro was cracked, and 2nd and 3rd were kinda chewed up, going to go pick up one with 70k on it tomorrow for 75 bucks.

i have quite a few pics im not going to put them in any specific order. but as requested here they are:
DSCF8544.jpg

DSCF8547.jpg

DSCF8552.jpg

DSCF8548.jpg

DSCF8550.jpg

DSCF8551.jpg

broken to clean out ring grooves
DSCF8565.jpg

DSCF8571.jpg

DSCF8572.jpg

brushes for cleaning out oil/coolant passages and stuff
DSCF8629.jpg
 
well after taking a break on this project and focusing on my sable (which is getting the exhaust redone in a couple weeks and than is done for a while). i cant do anything more on the sable now untill my magnaflow parts and tips come in. so it's back to the contour for now. i really have not gotten much done since my last update. i got my spare valve cover painted (looks good dark garnet red) and found out that the ticking i was having prior to tear down was a combination of the cracked exhaust manifold and a bad lifter. so i took a lifter from my spare head and cleaned it up good (yes i know that this is not the "right" way to do it as the cams and lifters wear together but after having to reuse the rod cap bolts i am not putting any more money into this engine than i have to and if it blows then it will be time for a trip to the junkyard)

heres a couple pics

DSCF8842.jpg

DSCF8841.jpg

DSCF8843.jpg


should have the engine back together by friday if i can figure out the timing. and i hope to have the car back together in about 3 weeks or so
 
I'm impressed with the progress. Don't let the old farts get you down with their grumpiness on this thread. It looks like you're doing what you enjoy and that's all that matters.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top