I've been thinking about doing a 302 swap/conversion with my Contour, but I'm not sure if the swap will work. I don't know if I want to leave it FWD or convert it to RWD if the swap is possible. I suppose that anything is possible if you've got the money, or a big enough hammer, but what do you guys think? Do it? Or do something else? And if something else, what?
That'd be pretty sweet to have a rwd tour with a small block. That would be the ultimate sleeper.
Originally posted by contourspd98:
That'd be pretty sweet to have a rwd tour with a small block. That would be the ultimate sleeper.
and be the ultimate bank account breaker
People have done them with focuses, so I would imagine you could do it with our car too. From what I remember from the focus swap conversion, they changed all the suspension, steering, everything, which would be a good idea since the car would act diffrently. I think for the focus it was like 20kish for the parts. You can google it, and see if you get any ideas. If I had money to spend id love to have a rwd contour!!!
Originally posted by hyperlitenerd:
People have done them with focuses, so I would imagine you could do it with our car too. From what I remember from the focus swap conversion, they changed all the suspension, steering, everything, which would be a good idea since the car would act diffrently. I think for the focus it was like 20kish for the parts. You can google it, and see if you get any ideas. If I had money to spend id love to have a rwd contour!!!
focus'es also have a 'tunnel' down the middle of them to allow room for a driveshaft, last time i checked a contour didn't have this.
The contour has a tunnel. It's just not very big. The 302 "will" fit with some mods under the hood well, at least between the fenderwells. The firewall needs some modding that can be hidden with the center console. I never had a hood on the clip so I'm not sure about hood clearance. A 4.6 will not fit without tower surgery. I had a boneyard front clip I was trying all this out on and it can be done. Just a question of how much? How much do you love the car, and of course how much $$ and time. The direction to look is a 302, 5 speed, (smaller) and a lincoln or explorer IRS. That way you dont have to worry so much about driveshaft movement. And the radiator will most likely have to go in front of the support. I still have the 302, 5 speed and a lincoln IRS in the shed but will not be going forward for a while longer as I'm too busy on other projects now. (and work)
Jim T
I love these threads, it always starts off great, and then someone comes and whips out a big handfull of reality.
Originally posted by Tourige:
I love these threads, it always starts off great, and then someone comes and whips out a big handfull of reality.
I'm not even gonna say anything other than:
Get a clue (especially with the FWD 302 comment)
Talk about hitting the crack pipe.
i wouldn't even try it-- unless you like your daily driver and your bank account-- the time and money would be rediculous, and thats if you get it to work well
Originally posted by RawBurt:
Originally posted by Tourige:
I love these threads, it always starts off great, and then someone comes and whips out a big handfull of reality.
DROP THE TOOLS AND STEP AWAY FROM THE CAR!
Originally posted by Mytourburnsrice:
Or do something else? And if something else, what?
If you want a fast drag car, get something else and build that up. This chassis just doesn't have what it takes to be crazy fast in the 1/4 mile.
If you like the Contour, but want some real power, do a 3.0L swap. If that's not enough, put a turbo on the 3.0L engine. Whereas the 302 would be a project of Biblical proportions (think about putting a pyramid into Noah's ark ), the turbo 3L has been done, and the bugs are worked out. If you're good enough to swap an engine that doesn't even come close to fitting, a 3L turbo could be done in a few weeks. It'll cost much, much less, look stock, go like stink, and not be any harder that the stock car to fix.
Certainly, there are interesting things you can do that have never been done, but you can really get all the power you could ever want this way. With a lot of work, 500 fwhp is almost certainly possible. 300 fwhp is cheap and almost easy. And those aren't dyno queens, you can get a reasonably sized turbo to peak at 300hp and have a great flat torque curve.
Why bother with anything else when you can have that? Just keep it stock looking, so they'll never know what hit 'em when you show up and run low 13's all night. 
Ok to all the haters/doubters
There is a guy in the UK who is doing a RWD V8 conversion.
On a Mondeo. Yes, thats right. Here is the link.
http://www.fordmondeo.org/forum/showtopic.php?tid/689585/hl/rear%5C%7Cwheel%5C%7Cdrive/tp/3/I am not sure where he's at right now, but I should message him and find out!
you can do ANYTHING with enough time and money
d^mn right you can, and i support anyone trying this.
Originally posted by mySVT:
d^mn right you can, and i support anyone trying this.
What does that mean? You donate money to the cause ...or you sit back and cheer?
Seriously though, there are so many that say they will do this and that....talk's cheap.
Originally posted by RawBurt:
Originally posted by Tourige:
I love these threads, it always starts off great, and then someone comes and whips out a big handfull of reality.
Originally posted by stilov:
Originally posted by mySVT:
d^mn right you can, and i support anyone trying this.
What does that mean? You donate money to the cause ...or you sit back and cheer?
Seriously though, there are so many that say they will do this and that....talk's cheap.
Easy now. Give the MEG boys their props for at least getting started. They're already father along than anybody I've seen...
I like their use of boards layed across scaffolding to support the front end of the car.
Originally posted by SVTfrog:
I like their use of boards layed across scaffolding to support the front end of the car.
I had no idea they had camaros over there!
Originally posted by jtour:
Originally posted by RawBurt:
Originally posted by Tourige:
I love these threads, it always starts off great, and then someone comes and whips out a big handfull of reality.
DROP THE TOOLS AND STEP AWAY FROM THE CAR!
i dont know why everybody haggles on him cause he came up with an idea. i mean just this past weekend at carl caspers auto show in Louisville there was a geo storm with a blown 502 and a ford drop out 9" rear end. anything is possible with enough money. if he wants to convert the tour to rwd then let him.
3.0 turbo would be alot better on the wallet and gas mileage would still be ok. hell with the saved money upgrade your suspension, brakes, inteior etc...
It was just a thought, a very ludicrous one at that. It sounded nice, despite all the crazy hardcore modifying I'd have to do, but I'm down for a challenge. I doubt I do it though. Maybe whenever I get super rich or something. I'll probably just take it easy and bust in with a 3.0L turbo like I planned on doing about... 4 or 5 months ago. Haha. I thought about a 350 at first, but I knew that was just insanity, then I thought about an RB25DET swap, but I wasn't to hot on that either. A 302 sounded nice being a nice little V8. Yeah, not happening unless I magically get rich, which would be cool cuz then I would just buy a really nice fast car or something. I really love my Tour despite the squeaky suspension/brakes and the rough shifting, but all that can be fixed alot cheaper than a 302 swap. I'll just run around and try to find a 3.0L engine/tranny swap and keep it simple. How would I go about doing that, besides searching the forums. Haha.
I was giving him a hard time. If he can do it. Mad respect for the time,effort,money and research. I wish him luck and maybe he will prove us all wrong.
How about taking a Ferrari or Porcshe engine and tranny. Dropping them in the back, and leave the tour engine in the front. Then you would have a pretty fast all wheel drive. You would just have to figure out how to mount the suspension components and engine mounts. Oh and a place to put the gas tank. Who needs a back seat and trunk anyways?
Originally posted by Bugzuki:
How about taking a Ferrari or Porcshe engine and tranny. Dropping them in the back, and leave the tour engine in the front. Then you would have a pretty fast all wheel drive. You would just have to figure out how to mount the suspension components and engine mounts. Oh and a place to put the gas tank. Who needs a back seat and trunk anyways?
Ouch! 
Originally posted by MapOfTaziFoShoâ�??¢:
Originally posted by SVTfrog:
I like their use of boards layed across scaffolding to support the front end of the car.
I had no idea they had camaros over there!
[image]removed[/image]
I'm gonna guess that a US military member brought it with them, then sold it to someone in the UK.
There's an ungodly amount of US-spec cars here. I mean, I see at least 5 or 6 Contours a day...
Here's another one for you. Not a Mondy RWD, but an Escort using 2.5 L Duratec twin turbo power......
http://www.fordmondeo.org/forum/showtopic.php?tid/696856/
I don't have the pics anymore, but at the All-Ford Nat's at Carlisle, PA, we saw a SHO motor dropped into a Focus, and a CSVT Duratec in another. Yes, anything is possible, but that doesn't make it plausible. Like has been stated, speed cost money, How fast do you want to go? In our case (Contiques) the turbo 3.0 seems like the cheapest way to go the fastest. Not the only way, but hey, it's your $$. It would be cool to see, but too often these ideas remain pipe dreams. Oh well, fantasies are cool, too. Mine involves my SVT, and the Coors lite girls, but to each his/her own,LOL.
Scott
Looks like someone is gonna get it done!!
RWD Looks like they have the most of the prep work done.
Too bad they're gonna put in a 250hp Range Rover engine. Waste of time and money to use that crap motor.
You guys are missing the fact there is more room to work with under the focus hood. Im not sure, but I dont think you have to do any major firewall mods to get them to fit. Not to mention the tunnel is there all ready making power delivery to the rear much easier.
Originally posted by Mytourburnsrice:
I've been thinking about doing a 302 swap/conversion with my Contour, but I'm not sure if the swap will work. I don't know if I want to leave it FWD or convert it to RWD if the swap is possible. I suppose that anything is possible if you've got the money, or a big enough hammer, but what do you guys think? Do it? Or do something else? And if something else, what?
What cam are you interested in putting into the 302? I'm interested in hearing what kind of grind that you're contemplating.
I've also heard that Jegs has a front cover that allows a different dipstick due to some hood clearance issues too.
Originally posted by Stazi:
Too bad they're gonna put in a 250hp Range Rover engine. Waste of time and money to use that crap motor.
As soon as I read that...I stopped reading...
Originally posted by MapOfTaziFoShoâ�??¢:
As soon as I read that...I stopped reading...
Thats a shame. It actually has some really cool pictures of stuff that the guy is hand fabing. Really interesting stuff.
I'm not sure about what cam. I didn't even think about that. I was just going to take an 89-93 Mustang 302 and get a new T5 tranny and all that other nice neat stuff. I didn't think too much about it because I didn't want to get all psyched up if it was going to be hell all the way through. F it, I'll do it anyway. Sometime. What cam should I use? Or does it matter? I am thus thoroughly confused if I am a Fig Newton, or if I am a Keebler elf. Oh the confusion...