Originally posted by D13:
Reality

This same discussion happened many times for the focus and now there is a nice little beast that kicks #@!.

Bought my Countor for short term. When it is retired, will be my next project. And seeing the above photo only hardens my resolve.

I love the looks, performance, and functionality of the Contour, but they screwed it with front wheel drive.

Was hoping that someone had done it, but since I am use to conquering the impossible...



Hey, no digs intended on you or your dreams. My initial post is only to illustrate what you'd find if you searched: That every time this comes up, that's pretty much how the discussion goes.

This post, however...

Look, I'm all for it. I hope someone does it. But the Contour is no Focus. Whether by design or sheer luck, the Focus is a better platform for this whole conversion. Then again, any body can have its guts removed and replaced with a tube-framed chassis, in which case you could have any drivetrain you wanted. Mid-engine? No problem. How far do you want to go?

I've seen plenty of wild swaps done on the cheap. SBCs in old Fiats, and yes, that Corvette/CRX hybrid is real. But it ain't no CRX no more, let me tell you. Most involve removing the firewall and fabbing a new one; cutting out the tunnel and fabbing a new one; cutting out the floor of the trunk... You get the picture. Not impossible, but certainly not for the weekend wrencher, either, and what you end up with is not really a street car, in any recognizable sense.

Bottom line: It's been talked to death, but nobody has done it. Some people have taken measurements. They might get you started. Otherwise, you are on your own. Go do it, and then show us (real) pictures. Until then, you might as well save your breath.

Believe it or not, of the characters in my first post, I'm the opimist.

Good luck.


Function before fashion. '96 Contour SE "Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998