1993 Ford Escort KL swap / SCCA SMF build

Heh, me too!!! I'm a little worried about sound levels, though... These are LOUD motors, let alone in this form.

Sounds like a winner to me!

Then again I'm trying to see how small a muffler I can put on my RX7 before exceeding decible levels at the track.

Just read the thread from start to finish, you have a lot of patience my friend!

Good luck with the build, and I like how realistic you are about the suspected ride quality: Bone-jarring is probably accurate (scared the cat with "HA").

-Richard

RPSadler wrote: Just read the thread from start to finish, you have a lot of patience my friend! Good luck with the build, and I like how realistic you are about the suspected ride quality: Bone-jarring is probably accurate (scared the cat with "HA"). -Richard

I could have probably used some MORE patience with this thing. I'm pretty sure there's a fist-shaped dent or two in one of the doors at this point. (It's ok, the doors were pretty hosed anyways with 300k miles of door dings )

I appreciate the luck! I'll need it... "judgement day" is within the next two weeks.

I just read the thread from beginning to end over the last two days and I cannot express how epic this thing is.
I'm excited for the first running and driving video!
very inspiring, keep up the swank!

DaveEstey wrote: I think that's the ballpark you'll have to be in to be competitive nationally. I know the gentleman who owns the Blue CRX that won nationals this year in SMF and he's around 350 whp.

And I thought my 270 whp in a 2700 lb car was impressive. I can't imagine how he gets that kind of power to the ground in a 2000 lb car. Although since he won, he must be able to somehow.

corytate wrote: I just read the thread from beginning to end over the last two days and I cannot express how epic this thing is. I'm excited for the first running and driving video! very inspiring, keep up the swank!

Well the bad news is that this particular chassis is epic. An epic pile of E36 M3. I don't know how or WHY this thing has a clear title. It's pretty severely tweaked and for whatever reason i just NOW realized why the floor in front of the passenger seat always felt weird. It's buckled up a good 2".

I think it can align ok anyways, so i'm going to roll with it for now, but i'm going to be looking for a clean base 323 to move all this stuff to.

jstein77 wrote:

DaveEstey wrote: I think that's the ballpark you'll have to be in to be competitive nationally. I know the gentleman who owns the Blue CRX that won nationals this year in SMF and he's around 350 whp.

And I thought my 270 whp in a 2700 lb car was impressive. I can't imagine how he gets that kind of power to the ground in a 2000 lb car. Although since he won, he must be able to somehow.

I'm guessing a lot of throttle modulation or a curve that's tuned to be friendly. (Centrifugal instead of roots?)

I can put down power in an autocross situation well enough with my 300whp+ 2600lb daily driver on street tires, and i think with some huge R-comps, it wouldn't be that bad. Throw in a good diff and you're ready to rock, but would still need some pedaling.

What i'm banking on is the relatively "soft" low end of the Escort will let me just bury the gas coming out of corners, sort of like a mild turbo lag without the massive sudden torque shock to break everything loose.

Of course, this is "relative." This should weigh in the 2100-2200lb area, be geared to hell and back, and make about 100whp more than the 2700-2900lb cars these motors usually come in. And more like 200whp more with the next motor.

In reply to Swank Force One:

Here's his plot:

Jackson Racing supercharger, according to this site.

Edit: per the 2.0 build link at the site I linked to, its a Rotrex centrifugal supercharger now.

Yeah a Rotrex makes sense.

I had thought about doing a roots M90 on the KL before the ITBs popped up. Might still go back to that if this doesn't work well.

But really what would probably happen would be i'd go back to a BP with a Rotrex or a small BW EFR if this KL thing isn't what i need.

Well actually... if the KL doesn't do it, this will go back to street car or non-autocross competition and i'll go play in SSM with another project i'll be starting this summer.

Holy crap, how have I never seen this build?

Also when the hell did your name change?

Swank Force One wrote: What i'm banking on is the relatively "soft" low end of the Escort will let me just bury the gas coming out of corners, sort of like a mild turbo lag without the massive sudden torque shock to break everything loose. Of course, this is "relative." This should weigh in the 2100-2200lb area, be geared to hell and back, and make about 100whp more than the 2700-2900lb cars these motors usually come in. And more like 200whp more with the next motor.

I am curious what you are planning to do to get it down to that weight?? My KLG4 323 is around 2200lbs... Your escort is larger and heavier stock then my car.. SMF doesn't allow a whole lot for weight reduction...

In reply to SyntheticBlinkerFluid:

When i sold my Celica.

In reply to crazycanadian:

Pure guess at this point, but it barely tipped 2300 before i started. Lots of things have been removed, the new suspension is lighter, wheels way lighter, the itbs weigh about 3lbs at most, etc etc etc. Will be switching to a lighter exhaust and a 5gal fuel cell later in the season.

Maybe i'll be wrong, in which case i'll just keep looking for a 323 like planned because this chassis is crap. Thinking about a BF 323 hatch. Or maybe sedan for the rigidity advantage and the ability to use a cf trunk.

Swank Force One wrote: In reply to crazycanadian: Pure guess at this point, but it barely tipped 2300 before i started. Lots of things have been removed, the new suspension is lighter, wheels way lighter, the itbs weigh about 3lbs at most, etc etc etc. Will be switching to a lighter exhaust and a 5gal fuel cell later in the season. Maybe i'll be wrong, in which case i'll just keep looking for a 323 like planned because this chassis is crap. Thinking about a BF 323 hatch. Or maybe sedan for the rigidity advantage and the ability to use a cf trunk.

humm... maybe I need to put my 323 on more of a diet then..

I am looking forward to seeing what kind of alignment set up you can muster up... Jims lower control arms might need to make it to my wish list... Right now running RX7 ball joints, Ryans Spherical control arm bearings.. K-sport caster/camber plates I am getting 5 deg of caster.. I would like to get a little more though... These chassis need it...

Goddammit ben- how am I supposed to keep track of you if you change your S/N?

crazycanadian wrote:

Swank Force One wrote: In reply to crazycanadian: Pure guess at this point, but it barely tipped 2300 before i started. Lots of things have been removed, the new suspension is lighter, wheels way lighter, the itbs weigh about 3lbs at most, etc etc etc. Will be switching to a lighter exhaust and a 5gal fuel cell later in the season. Maybe i'll be wrong, in which case i'll just keep looking for a 323 like planned because this chassis is crap. Thinking about a BF 323 hatch. Or maybe sedan for the rigidity advantage and the ability to use a cf trunk.

humm... maybe I need to put my 323 on more of a diet then.. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of alignment set up you can muster up... Jims lower control arms might need to make it to my wish list... Right now running RX7 ball joints, Ryans Spherical control arm bearings.. K-sport caster/camber plates I am getting 5 deg of caster.. I would like to get a little more though... These chassis need it...

Pounds are merely just ounces.

Forgot two biggies: CF sunroof plug will be happening, and i'll be backdating to the 91 Pony HVAC stuff to get rid of the A/C core. The rest of the A/C and power steering is already removed as well.

What will keep this car "heavy" is going to be the hatch.

mndsm wrote: Goddammit ben- how am I supposed to keep track of you if you change your S/N?

Why would i still be CelicaHalftrac if i don't have a Celica?

Yeah I am in the same boat with the 323... grumble grumble grumble can't change out to fiber glass/carbon fiber hatch *grumble grumble grumble.... Damn rules!

haha

Amazing build, and thread dedicated to the build.I read every page. good luck with the rest of the build/first track outings, i am sure your gonna rip it up out there with that high revvin N/A power, and awesome custom suspension.

midniteson wrote: Amazing build, and thread dedicated to the build.I read every page. good luck with the rest of the build/first track outings, i am sure your gonna rip it up out there with that high revvin N/A power, and awesome custom suspension.

Thank you sir!

I should have electrical power to everything on the car that needs it by tomorrow evening, which means.... that my part is pretty much done. All i'll need to do is get the exhaust welded up and cut a HUGE HOLE IN MY HOOD.

DILYSI Dave wrote:

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Just having a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that i'm allowed to use the drivetrain from an MX3.... but not a crossmember with an integral transmission mount.

It's part of SM's motto that anything under the hood is fine, but the chassis is sacred. The theory being that you could take an SM car, a bone stock car, and with nothing but hand tools move all of the parts from one to the other. It isn't exactly that way, but that's the theory. Where your crossmembers come into play is that on some cars the suspension mounts are on the tub, and on others they are on crossmembers that are bolted to the tub. In an effort to attain parity, anything that contains a suspension mount is considered part of the chassis, and thus can't be touched. Every once in a while that results in a paradox where something has to be completed with a welder that could be otherwise be completed with hand tools, but isn't legal doing it that way. The rules aren't perfect, but the above is the reason they are the way they are.

Hey Dave...

Turns out i was being berkeleying stupid.

It's the transmission crossmember. Suspension mounts to the subframe, not the crossmember.

Crossmember = legal.

Well, it looks like a car again.

Some engine bay measurement pics for a massive strut tower bar i'll be getting.

Anyways, what i've spent the last couple days doing is running the power and ground wires from the battery to where they need to go.

Using 2/0 8-strand wire for power and 1/0 8-strand wire for ground has bit me in the ass. Couple that with a 44lb 850cca battery and we have gross overkill and a E36 M3load of weight with this setup. But, i want to make sure that electrical problems are something i won't have to worry about in the slightest while the car is going through its teething stage. In the meantime, though, it's an utter pain in the ass to bend and strap down.

Once the car is somewhat sorted, this setup will be lifted and put into the MX6, and i'll go with some crazy 10lb total battery setup including cables. Current setup weighs every bit of 70lbs.

Also found a second rust hole in the floor yesterday.

This is looking pretty good right about now: http://myrtlebeach.craigslist.org/cto/3492587274.html

looking great Ben! but honestly thats one of the few wagons that DONT look better than its sedan or coupe counterpart...but to each his own. I will say thats one of the cleanest 323s Ive seen in some time.

Part of me wants to see that setup stay in the deathscort....ultimate sleeper.