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EssEntials

What youll need!Costs

Engine, K&N, ECU, loom 200Used our-branch maniold 20Custom stainless exhaust 2000925 multi-groove alternatorbelt 5Timing belt and tensioner kit 40Oil, oil lter and anti-reeze 25Spark plugs 10Repro uel pump hanger 50

(or used 10)New pattern RS/XR uel tankincluding swirl pot 60

Inertia switch 5Inline an switch and temp gaugehousings 20 eachWire, connectors, relays, uses,hose clips etc 30

Where From?

Free ads, eBay, motor actors

hoW long to do?

A long weekend

hoW hard to Fit?

I youve tted a standardengine you can do this. Thereare some ddly areas though.

in the toolkit

Engine hoist, axle stands,drill, Mig welder, spanners,

screwdrivers

Thanks

www.sitechracing.comwww.simonscustomexhausts.co.uk

Ayear ago I ound that

the equipment I was

taking to shoots had ar

outgrown a regular hatchback

and I had to fnd an estate.

None o the typical modern

options really took my ancy,

but being a die-hard 80s Ford

an the now very rare Mk4

Escort estate did!

Ater a long search I ound this

solid example and put it to work. All

was great except or the standard

75bhp 1.4 which was giving around

20mpg! An RS Turbo powerplantwould have been a nice easy fx,

but that was never going to be

economical, and I would just end

up tuning it and breaking it.

A sensible motorway-munching

lump was needed. A turbo diesel

might be the most logical thing

to ft, but Im allergic to the weird

powerband, clattery engine note

and all the inevitable soot. So, a

2-litre 16-valve Mondeo engine

seemed like the best compromise.

More than standard RST power

and torque, decent mpg and

theyre cheap and plentiul.

The Escort really needs to

be on the road earning me a

living and not being another

project so a trip to SiTech Racing

was in order or a quick turnaround

in its capable hands. Main manSimons usually used to dealing

with big power builds but at the

same time is always open to a

challenge and something dierent,

so the estates conversion went

to him.

Words and photos: ai B

Well, there soon Will be. We folloWff snapper ade brannans escortestates sWap to Zetec poWer.

Zetec InsIde

before

after

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We used a 220mm clutch rom a 1.8 Zetec. Also available in thesame size with a crank trigger is the FRST clutch and fywheel with

more uprated options, but a actory clutch is ne or our power levels.

The original 1.4 CVH gearbox spacer plate blanks the crank trigger,so this must be trimmed to accommodate.

I, like me, youre using an originally carbed car the wholeuel system will need uprating. The RS Turbo/XR3i system

is perect.

The CVH engine mount needs adapting. Oer it up, and youll seehow. One lug with a mounting hole has to be cut o and re-welded

on the opposing side so it matches with the Zetecs bolt layout.

Fit the CVH alternator brackets and Zetec alternator, its tight butit all lines up perectly! An 0925 multi-groove belt is what you now

need to purchase as no actory Ford option is quite right.

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8 9

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Theres a huge range o Zetec inlet maniolds but some like the2-litre Mondeo version wont t in a Mk4 Escort. We used a 1.6

Escort maniold with the 2-litre injectors and throttle body tted.

We opted to remove the anti-roll bar and drop the old CVH engine and gearbox out below.

Remove air con, alternator bracket, two-piece Mondeo sump andZetec engine mount and chuck them in the bin.

While the engine is out you can t the Escort/Fiesta sump, dip-stick, oil pick-up and water pump rom a 1.6/1.8 Zetec. My Mondy

engine had already had this done as it had been tted to a Mk6 Escort.

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While youve got the engine out it would be criminal not to t anew timing belt, tensioner and idler pulleys, available in kit orm

cheaply at all motor actors.

During a visit to Ford I ound that most o the RS/XR electric pumphanger set-up is no longer available. A search on eBay ound this

nice custom repro hanger, ree o rust and seized bolts that usedversions always have. We chose to mount the pump ully under thespare wheel well as opposed to hal on the chassis as per the actorydesign. This kept it urther rom the exhaust and any speed bumps.

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The original engine loom has a couple o now redundant handyignition-switched lives rom the coil and distributor that can have

relays added or the new set-up.

Its always advisable to use a wiring diagram, but as a basic guidewe ound that the main connections were:

Green/black engine sensor powerRed/black Lambda powerBlack ignition and injector powerBrown earth

The 1.4 CVH throttle cable tted straight on, with onlythe surround requiring some trimming or ull travel to

be achieved.

The coolant hoses t with some mixing and cutting o CVH and Zetec parts. For the temperature gauge and an switch inline universalsender housings are ideal, and handily join the hybrid hoses.

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Sourcing the correct tank complete with swirl pot, injection outlets and sender compatibility can be tricky as there are countless minorvariations. Here the sender proved to be too small. So, a circular section was cut rom the old tank (which had been drained, soaked and

thoroughly fushed out), hammered fat and then slotted in under the senders securing seal. A top bit o SiTech resourceulness in action!

Feed wiring rom the pump through the grommet under the rearseat to an ignition live used relay. An inertia switchs a good saety

addition and can be ound in most modern cars in a breakers yard.

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Crane the engine back in. Now that the modded engine mount istted everything will bolt up just as i it was a actory installation.

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This engine came with a our-branch maniold, which just tted in.Its tight but theres no need to use a CVH maniold (which requires

retapping the head). A standard Escort/Fiesta maniold should also t.

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With the 2-litre tted the car istotally transormed, and to behonest a lot quicker than I wasexpecting! So much so that itseasily outgrown the standardsuspension, which will have tobe replaced soon, as the caris more like a torque-steeringbouncy castle than the relaxed

cruiser I was expecting!To prove how much extra

torque the 2-litre producesyou only need to see the

Escorts original gearbox. Ave-minute blast with Zetecpower destroyed one o the dibearings. All is well now thoughwith a LSD box rom an S2RST now evenly spreading thepower between each wheel.

For ultimate power and unId still choose a turbo lump,

but or a daily driver or even ahassle ree track car, a 2-litreZetec on standard managementis a great option.

ConClusion

The Zetec maniold wont mate up to a CVH exhaust. I had astainless system made by www.simonscustomexhausts.com.

The standard exhaust was welded on but this was very restrictivehigher in the rev range. The 2in bore system let it breath ar easier.

The ECU isnt waterproo, so the best thing to do is drill a hole inthe bulkhead and eed through each labelled pin rom the main

connector, which can then be mounted under the glovebox.

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Top TipGet a good conditionloom with no missingconnectors. I learntthe hard way witha loom that had theair temp sensor plugmissing, it had beencut back just a bittoo far making instal-lation more timeconsuming. This canbe especially frus-

trating when you findout after the engineis fitted and you aredesperate to get itup and running.

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