black98svt
CEG'er
Technically I've owned this car for about a year and a half, but I just got it back from my little brother, so there's a story to tell about this red SVT that now resides in my garage again. So sit back, relax, and learn how one man transformed this heap, into something beautiful again.
About a year and half ago I was casually browsing the CEG (Contour Enthusiast Group) forums and noticed that there was a T-red Contour SVT for sale here in Kansas City with a "bad" transmission. I drove out to the Ford dealer off Noland Road to take a peek at it, to see what kind of shape the car was in, and IF a new transmission was worth getting the car back onto the road. Surprisingly, the car was in AWESOME shape! No dents, no rust, no mods, and low miles (120K). I had to have it, so I made the guy a cash offer and towed it home that day.
After getting the car back to the house and giving a thorough inspection, I noticed that the shifter just flopped around, almost as if nothing was attached to it. First I checked the shift cables, and they were attached, so I moved onto the shift tower which also moved around quite sloppily. Must be internal then I thought, so I started shopping around for another MTX-75, which is hard to find for an SVT. Upon my shopping I researched to see if others were experiencing the same problems I was, and sure as hell there were quite a few. The beauty of it though is that there was a fix, a REALLY, REALLY, cheap fix. Basically there's a bolt in the shift tower that will shear off and essentially cause the shifter/tower assembly to go into neutral, which makes you "think" that you have a serious internal transmission issue. Well, 1.5 hours later, 1 bolt, and some Loctite, this pristine, low mileage SVT was on the road again! Until... I gave it to my brother for college a few days later. Family comes first right?
Fast forward to about 3 weeks ago. I'm driving a high mileage 03 Mazdaspeed Protégé that I just put a TON of work into. While I like it, I really didn't love it and I really wanted another N/A 6-cylinder sedan again, basically another CSVT. I search CL, CEG, and searchtempest only finding expensive, rusty, and molested CSVT's. Guess I'll wait, or so I thought. Guess who likes my Mazdaspeed? Oh, hey there little brother! You want to trade? Sure! Let's do it, as I always have loved this car. Wait, you completely trashed this thing!!! WTF man? Screw it I said, it might be worth it.
So, after 3 weeks of turning wrenches, 3 weeks of parts searching, 3 weeks of junkyard finds, 3 weeks of driving too far for parts, and 3 weeks of blood, sweat, and frustration, SHE IS DONE.
Here's what "little brother" did to her while he had it.
1.Wrecked her into a parked car. (front end damage)
2.Put her sideways into a snow drift. (side damage)
3.Broke many misc interior parts.
4.Broke many misc exterior parts.
5.Half-assed any underhood repairs.
6.Overall just really trashed it.
Here's what I did to bring her back to life. (Major stuff)
1.(2) Used fenders from junkyard.
2. (1) Used hood from junkyard.
3. (2) Passenger side doors from junkyard
4. (1) SVT Front bumper from junkyard, repaired and painted ($300).
5. (2) New headlamps from individual off CL
6. (1) Center taillamp (he broke the trim off old one)
7. (1) Lower grille from individual off CL.
8. (1) RF axle
9. (1) RF knuckle and hub assembly
10.(1) LF lower control arm with bushings and balljoint.
11.(1) Driver front window regulator
Minor stuff:
(12) Swapped all electrical from dented doors to new doors which had a manual setup. What a pain!!!
(13) Installed new horn (old one was crushed)
(14) Replaced broken power mirror knob
(15) Replaced broken sun visor on driver side
(16) Replaced broken sunroof flap
(17) Repaired broken glove box
(18) Repaired CD player surround (crappy install)
(19) Swapped my tinted windows in the new doors
(20) Fixed small coolant leak at thermostat housing (missing bolt)
(21) Secured sideskirts properly and replaced missing jack point cover
(22) Repaired wipers (bolts loose)
(23) Installed revised cupholders
Mods:
(24) Painted the brakes all nice and pretty.
(25) Had 17" Focus SVT wheels/tires shipped in from OKC and installed.
Finally, cosmetically there's a few more things that need some attention. I need to remove the "door ding" moldings as they don't match up on the passenger side. I also need a little PDR on the RR quarter, however I'm not sure how much will come out. Then, a nice claybar and wax will be the final touch. Hope you guys like it!
About a year and half ago I was casually browsing the CEG (Contour Enthusiast Group) forums and noticed that there was a T-red Contour SVT for sale here in Kansas City with a "bad" transmission. I drove out to the Ford dealer off Noland Road to take a peek at it, to see what kind of shape the car was in, and IF a new transmission was worth getting the car back onto the road. Surprisingly, the car was in AWESOME shape! No dents, no rust, no mods, and low miles (120K). I had to have it, so I made the guy a cash offer and towed it home that day.
After getting the car back to the house and giving a thorough inspection, I noticed that the shifter just flopped around, almost as if nothing was attached to it. First I checked the shift cables, and they were attached, so I moved onto the shift tower which also moved around quite sloppily. Must be internal then I thought, so I started shopping around for another MTX-75, which is hard to find for an SVT. Upon my shopping I researched to see if others were experiencing the same problems I was, and sure as hell there were quite a few. The beauty of it though is that there was a fix, a REALLY, REALLY, cheap fix. Basically there's a bolt in the shift tower that will shear off and essentially cause the shifter/tower assembly to go into neutral, which makes you "think" that you have a serious internal transmission issue. Well, 1.5 hours later, 1 bolt, and some Loctite, this pristine, low mileage SVT was on the road again! Until... I gave it to my brother for college a few days later. Family comes first right?
Fast forward to about 3 weeks ago. I'm driving a high mileage 03 Mazdaspeed Protégé that I just put a TON of work into. While I like it, I really didn't love it and I really wanted another N/A 6-cylinder sedan again, basically another CSVT. I search CL, CEG, and searchtempest only finding expensive, rusty, and molested CSVT's. Guess I'll wait, or so I thought. Guess who likes my Mazdaspeed? Oh, hey there little brother! You want to trade? Sure! Let's do it, as I always have loved this car. Wait, you completely trashed this thing!!! WTF man? Screw it I said, it might be worth it.
So, after 3 weeks of turning wrenches, 3 weeks of parts searching, 3 weeks of junkyard finds, 3 weeks of driving too far for parts, and 3 weeks of blood, sweat, and frustration, SHE IS DONE.
Here's what "little brother" did to her while he had it.
1.Wrecked her into a parked car. (front end damage)
2.Put her sideways into a snow drift. (side damage)
3.Broke many misc interior parts.
4.Broke many misc exterior parts.
5.Half-assed any underhood repairs.
6.Overall just really trashed it.
Here's what I did to bring her back to life. (Major stuff)
1.(2) Used fenders from junkyard.
2. (1) Used hood from junkyard.
3. (2) Passenger side doors from junkyard
4. (1) SVT Front bumper from junkyard, repaired and painted ($300).
5. (2) New headlamps from individual off CL
6. (1) Center taillamp (he broke the trim off old one)
7. (1) Lower grille from individual off CL.
8. (1) RF axle
9. (1) RF knuckle and hub assembly
10.(1) LF lower control arm with bushings and balljoint.
11.(1) Driver front window regulator
Minor stuff:
(12) Swapped all electrical from dented doors to new doors which had a manual setup. What a pain!!!
(13) Installed new horn (old one was crushed)
(14) Replaced broken power mirror knob
(15) Replaced broken sun visor on driver side
(16) Replaced broken sunroof flap
(17) Repaired broken glove box
(18) Repaired CD player surround (crappy install)
(19) Swapped my tinted windows in the new doors
(20) Fixed small coolant leak at thermostat housing (missing bolt)
(21) Secured sideskirts properly and replaced missing jack point cover
(22) Repaired wipers (bolts loose)
(23) Installed revised cupholders
Mods:
(24) Painted the brakes all nice and pretty.
(25) Had 17" Focus SVT wheels/tires shipped in from OKC and installed.
Finally, cosmetically there's a few more things that need some attention. I need to remove the "door ding" moldings as they don't match up on the passenger side. I also need a little PDR on the RR quarter, however I'm not sure how much will come out. Then, a nice claybar and wax will be the final touch. Hope you guys like it!
