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BobbyCalhoun

New CEG'er
Joined
Nov 9, 2011
Messages
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Ok so my buddy and I have decided to tear apart the contour and build a race car. We will only be racing autocross for now but it's a project we are going to put our hearts into.

I have a lot of questions starting with these:

We have already taken the interior apart completely, dash is the only thing current left in the car because we ran out of today. What i want to know is how we can lighten the car further. We will worry about a roll cage later.

Also I have a question about engines and ecu's. I want to put a zetec from a focus inthis car along with a manual tranny. Im not worried about it fiting we have our ways. My question is, is the zetec from the focus more powerful? and what can we do to make it more powerful? We have access to a junk yard with plenty of zetecs and we will be able to experiment on those. And how will everything be controlled. Will we need to make our own wiring harnesses?

I wanna know what I'm getting myself into.
 
Lol i forgot that I wasn't on fordcontour.org. anyway it's a 96 gl with the 2.0. CD4E tranny. I'm looking to swap that to the MTX though.
 
leave the 96 Zetec in it and install a 96-97 Contour trans. the engines arent any more powerful in the Focus and the pre98 Zetecs are more robust. power wise, it depends entirely on what your HP goal is.
 
Well I'm trying to enter an autocross event and we would like to see 250 HP at the wheels

Also will the MTX bolt on to the engine with no problem? and are there pre existing holes for the clutch?
 
i don't see why not. just get the mtx and a clutch kit with the flywheel and it should all bolt together. and 250 is gonna take some doing with the zetec. it would proly be easier to go find a v6 tour and build that one.
 
250 WHP is not really that difficult to do, just takes some time and money.

first, the MTX will bolt up no problem, just make sure to swap the crank sensor boss from the MTX engine, otherwise it wont get a crank signal. also, i would recommend using the MTX wiring harness and PCM.

for power, you can use a set of forged rods and pistons for the Focus (they have to both be for the Focus as there was a change between the pre98 and 98+ rod/piston assembly and they cannot be mixed). then create a custom turbo setup using a T3 super 60 (or equivalent) turbo. tune the setup however you like, although I recommend using SCT's products with an Xcal flasher. If you were going for 200WHP then you could just use the stock internals as they can support that without problems, 250 is pushing the stock rods/pistons though hence the recommendation of forged ones.
 
cetroutt said:
don't they also need to swap subframes to go from ATX to MTX?
Click to expand...

not technically, but it makes it easier. you can use the ATX subframe if you weld on the bracket for the rear roll resistor.

also, another good possibility for tuning is a complete AEM EMS-4 stand alone unit.
 
hey everyone thanks for the replies, I just had a death in the family so i won't be around much. but i wil reply when i can
 
Hey guys, I'm back. My buddy and I have made some progress on the car, meaning its in a million pieces. And i had a few more questions. We have 2 computers for the car, one just as a backup, and the other for experimenting.

I want to know if it's possible to flash and change tuning with a laptop or desktop pc with software such as ECUflash and a OBD2 to USB cable?

Also is the contour eligable for prepared racing in autox? We have literally gutted everything, we plan on adding a roll cage, 5 point harness racing seat, no airbags, new dashboard, new guages, etc.

Also what are the requirements for exhaust? do I need a CAT? Im looking to get rid of anything economy related if possible.

Im looking to pull the motor out tomorrow, then i'm going to fix wiring that cracked and remove components that aren't needed.

BTW if anybody lives in Jersey and wants to lend a hand, your welcome, just PM me and we can talk.
 
if your looking for the rules on autox events then try looking in the track threads. and the most common choice that i see for computer is an xcal2, I'm sure someone is more knowledgeable then me on that though.
 
striker2 said:
not technically, but it makes it easier. you can use the ATX subframe if you weld on the bracket for the rear roll resistor.

also, another good possibility for tuning is a complete AEM EMS-4 stand alone unit.
Click to expand...

that AEM EMS-4 stand alone unit is very interesting. Are there other choices though? Or do I have to use that one. That seems to be exactly what we are looking for.
 
the EMS-4 was designed with racing 4-cyl engines in mind. there are some other options though, just take a look around at the other AEM EMS units regarding their features and functions to find the one you think will suit you best.
 
looking good. and I would suggest using something like Photobucket for the pics. the program your using now is kinda a PITA to flip through all the pics.
 
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