V8 Conversion ?? Anyone interested

Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

I am currently researching the interest in a V8 swap kit for Countour/Cougar. We have put together a V8 Focus and a few Contour and Cougar owners have expressed an interest in having a conversion for their cars. You can check out our Focus at www.atimotorsports.com. I am not soliciting sales just try to judge interest. Any feedback positive or negative would be greatly appreciated. Thanks...

No offense homie... But if it's going to cose as much as the Focus, I think you might have a tough sell on your hands since majority of the people here have a tough time swinging the cost of turbos, superchargers, and 3.0 Swaps.

But... If you have interest and can pull it off - I'll be impressed.

Holy crap $70K for a Supercharged V8 Focus.....Gulp!

F that

"Structure
Body reinforced with welded subframe connectors
Custom tubular K-member
Custom strut tower brace
Modified rear IRS cradle"

and i thought the gold member was bad enough...

I think that price is the biggest determining factor. I myself am saving up for a 3 liter/Turbo conversion. If I could get a small block stuffed under the hood for a couple of xtra $K, I might consider it.

Since the 3L upgrade appears to be pretty straight forward (and fairly affordable) ATI may want to consider throwing that idea around the office.

-Mike

honestly, isn't that what most of you end up spending on a new engine, transmission, and installation?

I don't know, since I got a 2003 V8 4Runner with 320tq, all I've been thinking about is TORQUE, and granted a SF TC would suffice (props to Stazi!), can't beat a NA V8. . .it's the price of small car, but if you're getting a new engine and transmission and all we're supplying is the shell, well, I think you can salvage some costs by selling the MTX75, the engine, etc. . .probably come to about $10k net after everything's sold, which is what most boosted 3L engine builds cost around here. . .

I think adding the V-8 would be a little overboard for me ,I would like to try the Turbo-3L and see what i get from that !

well obviously the V8 contour buzz has started once again....

Posts regarding this topic are now in 3 different forums.

seems this happens about once a month around here.

Originally posted by JonGordo8:
well obviously the V8 contour buzz has started once again....

Posts regarding this topic are now in 3 different forums.

seems this happens about once a month around here.

Yes, and as always, someone will say someting like, "Imagine the look on the dealers face when you pull up for an oil change...." etc.

Ummm... Don't forget you need a RWD Conversion as well on our car.

No way in hell I would drive a FWD V-8 Contour... Ugh.

And that's something I would like to see done.

First off, I'll never be able to afford it, so even if I love the idea, I wouldn't really be a potential customer.

That said, IMHO, any V-8, RWD conversion for this car had better at least maintain the present handling characteristics. No stagecoach technology on my "Euro Touring Sedan," TYVM.

As for the V-8, I would much rather see a "modern" interpretation, such as a Lincoln or Jag block, than the old 302, venerable and developed as it is. I like the old soldier in many applications, but it is somehow at odds with the aesthetic of this car.

In my view, the A1 Rally Sport conversion on the Focus was much more elegant, pushing over 500 hp through the rear wheels, from a 2.0L Cossie powerplant. A similar treatment of this car with, say, a Cossie Sierra V-6, would represent an ideal, but still unaffordable, package.

http://www.a1rallysport.co.uk/html/focustechnical.html

For the 5.0 conversion costs are about 15,000 they say...
Turbo 3L runs about 7,000 in parts. With this package you could have a car that you would keep for the next 15 years. if stock handling were retained, you would have a sleeper, a very fast car with an engine that has basically unlimited mod potential, and beautiful styling...When you add those all up, and think about keeping a car of this caliber for the long run, it's not that bad of a deal.

Just playing devils advocate.

Quote:

Decoy 5" 'Melon Shooter' exhaust tip optional

Originally posted by {Kontofosho}:
For the 5.0 conversion costs are about 15,000 they say...
Turbo 3L runs about 7,000 in parts. With this package you could have a car that you would keep for the next 15 years. if stock handling were retained, you would have a sleeper, a very fast car with an engine that has basically unlimited mod potential, and beautiful styling...When you add those all up, and think about keeping a car of this caliber for the long run, it's not that bad of a deal.

Just playing devils advocate.

That's what I'm thinking.

As far as old-tech vs new-tech debate goes, I don't care how many valves an engine has or how they are actuated. How about good old reliable & driveable horsepower? You can take horsepower per liter (the most over-rated production engine stat ever), I'll take plain old horsepower.

the whole "old tech vs new tech" arguments are ridiculous and totally inapplicable to, well, anything.

As far as a V8 rwd contour, I say cool, build it, I would love to see it. But to be honest, I don't think you will find a buyer, especially if it is the same price range as that V8 focus. There are many other cars you would spend $50k+ on before going after a setup like that.

Good luck man, and if you build one, please post some pics for us.

Originally posted by Rara:
the whole "old tech vs new tech" arguments are ridiculous and totally inapplicable to, well, anything.

As far as a V8 rwd contour, I say cool, build it, I would love to see it. But to be honest, I don't think you will find a buyer, especially if it is the same price range as that V8 focus. There are many other cars you would spend $50k+ on before going after a setup like that.

Good luck man, and if you build one, please post some pics for us.

For that price?
Can you say 'almost' BMW M5??? I would be all over a car like that first and in a few years after I owned it I would be dropping even more power to the wheels. Can't say that a V8 contour could compare to it other than as a curiosity. Kind of like Andre the Giant was for his size and strength...one of a kind and fun to watch.

warmonger

We need to get some pricing.. not exact just in the ballpark.

imagine the look on the dealer's face when you go in to get a water pump.

Originally posted by RogerB:

As for the V-8, I would much rather see a "modern" interpretation, such as a Lincoln or Jag block, than the old 302, venerable and developed as it is. I like the old soldier in many applications, but it is somehow at odds with the aesthetic of this car.

On top of having more mod potential, a pushrod motor is physically smaller than an OHC motor, therefore making a swap much easier.

I have been throwing around this idea for a while. Why would it cost so much in the first place? I think, ideally just to get it off the ground, I'd find a way to graft mustang suspension components (front and rear) to the Contour's Chassis. I'm sure all the parts could be had for well under 6 Grand. Engine, Tranny, Axle from a Mustang. There's definitley going to be a loss in the handling department, but I'd be willing to take that hit for a 4-Door vehicle with comparable performance to a Mustang.

Yeah there'd be hella custom fab work, but I seriously doubt it to be infeasible. Not to mention it would DEFINITLEY be worth it.

Quote:

I'd find a way to graft mustang suspension components (front and rear) to the Contour's Chassis.

Utter blasphemy.

Look, my point wasn't so much "old" vs "new." My point was that some other outfit did a rwd on a Focus, kept the indy suspension, improved the weight balance tremendously, used the legendary Cossie 2.0, and ended up with a monstrous, but very streetable Focus. Without adding 300 lbs in driveline weight.

Pass the joint man... Don't be stingy.

Originally posted by friction:
I have been throwing around this idea for a while. Why would it cost so much in the first place? I think, ideally just to get it off the ground, I'd find a way to graft mustang suspension components (front and rear) to the Contour's Chassis. I'm sure all the parts could be had for well under 6 Grand. Engine, Tranny, Axle from a Mustang. There's definitley going to be a loss in the handling department, but I'd be willing to take that hit for a 4-Door vehicle with comparable performance to a Mustang.

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
imagine the look on the dealer's face when you go in to get a water pump.

Bastard! You beat me to it

It seems like alot of people on here are confused.

1)He posted this over at SVTPerformance.com and I recommend (though warned him) to post it here and the 'other' Contour site as you call it http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31833

2)the 03 Cobra motor is NOT pushrod

3)I think the 'extra' weight is a moot point. Let see and additional 200hp and 235+/- ftlbs of torque are going to out weigh the addtional weight.

But why fight against weight? Why not have the power going to pushing a lighter car?

Whatever. Nevermind the engine choice. But live axle? No friggin way. Not on my Contour.

Actually, if I want a roomy sedan (though not 4-door, I admit) with Mustang V-8 performance, I'll drop that 302 in a Merkur XR4Ti.

Otherwise, I like the "SVO potential" of the Merkur, just as it is.

Um, its also IRS, has been since 99.

Originally posted by RogerB:
But why fight against weight? Why not have the power going to pushing a lighter car?

Whatever. Nevermind the engine choice. But live axle? No friggin way. Not on my Contour.

Originally posted by RTStabler51:
Um, its also IRS, has been since 99.

Originally posted by RogerB:
But why fight against weight? Why not have the power going to pushing a lighter car?

Whatever. Nevermind the engine choice. But live axle? No friggin way. Not on my Contour.

Really? I thought that was only on the Cobra. I know we're talking about the Cobra powerplant, but I guess, well, nevermind. I make no claims to Mustang knowledge.

Well, OK then.

Why not just drop in a Hemi? Or a Viper motor?

Whatever.

It'll be something, and it might even be cool, but it won't be a Contour in my eyes.

It is only the Cobra, sorry for the confusing, that's all I have been talking about

Quote:

3)I think the 'extra' weight is a moot point. Let see and additional 200hp and 235+/- ftlbs of torque are going to out weigh the addtional weight.

you are forgeting one simple fact- Contour were never drag racers- they already have about a 65-35 weight dist to the front- so why add 300 +lbs to the front and make it something compleatly stupid like 70-30?????

If you want a RWD get the Cossie conversion- cost is only about 16K and it is a monster of 500 hp and even AWD! This without adding wight to the front end- in fact it prob evens out the dist to close to 55-45.

so as for me - I think a Cossie SVT would be TITS- but not a V8 one!

Originally posted by DanLeCompte:

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
imagine the look on the dealer's face when you go in to get a water pump.

Bastard! You beat me to it

Imagine the look when you have to pull the motor to get the water pump out!

Originally posted by SpeedTeufel:

Originally posted by DanLeCompte:

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
imagine the look on the dealer's face when you go in to get a water pump.

Bastard! You beat me to it

Imagine the look when you have to pull the motor to get the water pump out!

Imagine the look when you tell everyone at the Ford dealership that, due to popular demand, this is the new 2004 Mustang

And if they ask, "Yes, Ford still uses a plastic impellar on the water pump!"