Honda powered Escort

[Springy]

G'Day all,
Im new to the forum and want to say hi and also ask a couple of questions.

I haven't had a good search through any discussions on here yet and couldn't find a search bar so-

Im after a 2 door mk1 Escort and want to get into track or sprint racing. Im looking at doing a Honda f20c conversion because of the reliability and good power these motors make.

Iv been doing some research and found that a lot more mk2 Escorts have these engine swaps than mk1's. Is there a reason for this or is it just because the mk2 is more availble?

Any info or links would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

[Tickford.]

Hi and welcome.

Availability. MK1's are rarer than MK2's. MK1 coupe's even rarer. No other reason. Except maybe the MK2's look better (personal opinion. )

The S2000 motor is a fantastic motor. But very expensive to do properly in a Escort. Very expensive. Hope you have taken this into consideration. If you have and still want to go ahead, the MK1 would be my choice because of the pre pollution laws of the 1975 and older cars. Which makes the conversion hassle free when it comes to engineering/registration.

This forum is not the best place for all things Escort to be honest. Search for UK based forums where you will be much better advised than here.

A recent UK based conversion below. Again, very expensive.
https://www.fastcar.co.uk/cars/f20c-...rd-escort-mk2/

[Bossxr8]

Ford Racing have conversion kits to put a 2 or 2.3 litre ecoboost into older small Fords. Might be worth a look.

[Springy]

Thanks for the info. You wouldn't have a link or site would you?

[allanv6gt]

If you are going to road register it (prob not given above, I think) ,check the registration requirements for your state. You may find pollution laws (for rego) apply to the younger motor rather than the body shell itself.

Whilst I love the Honda motors, the Ford Ecoboost may have more options for tuning at a cheaper cost (and spares availability).

Good luck with the project......

[simon varley]

zetec is a more common conversion into mk1

there are a few good FB groups running at the moment, and also look at
www.oldskoolford.co.uk
www.rsmotorsport.com.au/forums

[Bossxr8]

https://performanceparts.ford.com/

https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-6017-23T

https://performanceparts.ford.com/part/M-6007-23T

Not real cheap for their crate engines but a wrecked 2 litre ecoboost from a Focus ST or Mondeo, Kuga etc would bring the price well down, and run it with the FRPP control pack.

Would go real well in a lightweight escort.

[Rallye Sport]

http://www.retro-ford.co.uk/shop/
These guys also supply kits for zetec/ duratec into Escort. They even do a BDA style rocker cover for a more period look.
Can be costly but you cab fab the parts yourself, lookout for import duties too. The kit will cost about the same as building a hot Pinto but once you have the bits the engines are a dime a dozen and you just swap them over in case of failure.

[outback_ute]

From what I have seen, the Zetec engine shares its bellhousing pattern with the original engines, but has an iron block. The Duratec is the same as the Mazda engine used in the 6 etc - 2.3-2.5L versions too although the latter has a very long stroke.

I'm in a similar boat, but the early research stage. The Honda K24 looks interesting too and is well-supported. I'm not sure which is easier to transplant into rwd with regard to things being in the way of the firewall.

[Rallye Sport]

From what I know of the zetec conversion the water port has to be redirected to clear the firewall, can be made from steampipe or bought in the kit. The brake booster has to go, I think the coil packs may need repositioning and the alternator changes brackets.
With 5 speed Sierra boxes starting to dry up people are using the 6 speed Mazda RX8 box, conversion parts are becoming available. Worth looking into.