The Free-Esta1.25
Discussion
Digitalize said:
In theory yes, but it only really applies when it is standard equipment.
Either way what I meant was your original dash would not have had an ABS light, so you could just put tape over it or whatever, and not need to worry about the fact it wouldn't show at ignition on because the original car wouldn't have had.
I might be wrong and the original dash would have had an ABS light though, can't remember if my first one had one.
I've still got the original dash in there, and that's where the light is. I was quite surprised when I saw it as it didn't occur to me that other cars in the range would have had abs in 1998Either way what I meant was your original dash would not have had an ABS light, so you could just put tape over it or whatever, and not need to worry about the fact it wouldn't show at ignition on because the original car wouldn't have had.
I might be wrong and the original dash would have had an ABS light though, can't remember if my first one had one.
Digitalize said:
Does it light up with the original ECU in? If it doesn't you should be fine to just blank it over.
It doesn't, so that's the route I'll take. Thanks for all your help on thisdaniel-5zjw7 said:
Great work OP :-) I've got a MK4 myself, albeit the 1.4 version and so far have decided to stick with the standard engine so concentrated on suspension/brakes etc instead.
Hows your car standing up in terms of the shell? Rust is most definitely the enemy on these now and I've seen a few with shocking amounts of corrosion, from sills/rear panels/door shuts/floors etc.
JonJon your mk4 looked great :-) is it still about?
In terms of the dash, I had my cluster out recently to tape up the airbag light and fit a new front cover, and I can't remember either whether my non ABS car is equipped with an ABS light or not! It is easy to just tape it up though, however make sure you do it first time.. the cluster is a bit of a ballache to get out if you still have the standard steering wheel so not a job you want to do twice should the bulb still partially illuminate!! (yes it happened to me!)
If you need a little guide on removing the cluster let me know as I've done it so many times now!
The shell's in really good condition, apart from a couple of small niggles - cosmetically, it's awful, and that's one of the things I like about it. The roof looks like all the previous owners have had handbags, it's been keyed down the driver's side, and sideswiped by a delivery truck a few months ago leaving red paint on the rear arch. I did talk to the guy but it didn't go any further as I'd be embarrassed rolling up to a bodyshop in itHows your car standing up in terms of the shell? Rust is most definitely the enemy on these now and I've seen a few with shocking amounts of corrosion, from sills/rear panels/door shuts/floors etc.
JonJon your mk4 looked great :-) is it still about?
In terms of the dash, I had my cluster out recently to tape up the airbag light and fit a new front cover, and I can't remember either whether my non ABS car is equipped with an ABS light or not! It is easy to just tape it up though, however make sure you do it first time.. the cluster is a bit of a ballache to get out if you still have the standard steering wheel so not a job you want to do twice should the bulb still partially illuminate!! (yes it happened to me!)
If you need a little guide on removing the cluster let me know as I've done it so many times now!
There's a bit of powdery rust in the boot, but I'm not sure where it's come from as there are no structural issues in there. It looks more like minor surface rust where the paint's worn through a bit, and there's a little bubble about 5mm wide on the body behind the door, above the level of the rear arch.
Sills and all other problem areas were checked before the Puma event and are good.
I'll take you up on that guide for the clocks if that's ok?
daniel-5zjw7 said:
Hi,
Apologies for the delayed response! If you haven't already done this..
2. remove top of the steering wheel cowl
4. remove instrument cluster surround which incorporates air vents etc, there are two screws in the top above the instruments, and one hiding behind a plastic cover in the very corner beside the passenger air vent, there are then two metal clips that hold it in around the steering cowl area, if this trim has been removed before these will probably be broken anyway, if not the trim will need a good tug. Once removed again it can hang out of the way above the stereo head unit.
5. Remove the small torx screws holding the actual cluster in.
6. Tilt the cluster forward
9. cover accordingly, on my second attempt I used black nail varnish as well as tape on top of that.
Thanks for coming back to me - I actually managed to get this done with only the steps I've quoted, figuring it out as I went. I found that without disconnecting the cluster, I could tilt it forward enough to remove the traction control light on the left. I couldn't quite reach the abs light, so I packed the recess it sits in with duct tape and that's worked a treat Apologies for the delayed response! If you haven't already done this..
2. remove top of the steering wheel cowl
4. remove instrument cluster surround which incorporates air vents etc, there are two screws in the top above the instruments, and one hiding behind a plastic cover in the very corner beside the passenger air vent, there are then two metal clips that hold it in around the steering cowl area, if this trim has been removed before these will probably be broken anyway, if not the trim will need a good tug. Once removed again it can hang out of the way above the stereo head unit.
5. Remove the small torx screws holding the actual cluster in.
6. Tilt the cluster forward
9. cover accordingly, on my second attempt I used black nail varnish as well as tape on top of that.
cg360 said:
Good man!
I had two 1.25 Fiestas of this vintage - they were a really sweet drive. Lovey little things with great turn-in.
C
It's great, and the Puma engine must be very light because the turn-in if anything feels much improved, although that could have something to do with the Puma wheels and Hankook tyres. The power steering has robbed a little bit of steering feel but it's a great driveI had two 1.25 Fiestas of this vintage - they were a really sweet drive. Lovey little things with great turn-in.
C
New discs and pads today as the old discs had a bit of a warp. Made for much entertainment braking from above around 50mph
Next plan is to start looking at suspension. It has the Puma bits on the front as that was easy to do with the engine swap, and much more sensible than leaving the Fiesta stuff on there. The lower arm bushes are just beginning to perish though so will need changing soon and the rear isn't well controlled enough for my tastes. I'm thinking adjustable top mounts, lower springs and uprated shocks all round. Any recommendations?
Next plan is to start looking at suspension. It has the Puma bits on the front as that was easy to do with the engine swap, and much more sensible than leaving the Fiesta stuff on there. The lower arm bushes are just beginning to perish though so will need changing soon and the rear isn't well controlled enough for my tastes. I'm thinking adjustable top mounts, lower springs and uprated shocks all round. Any recommendations?
geeks said:
Digitalize said:
Keeping standard brakes is just awful advice, they're too small for the car.
Not sure that is true, the OP slotted in the Puma brakes so with a decent pad and disc setup should be more than up to the job.Great advice about suspension, thanks. I'll start there and then move on to doing something with the engine, it needs a new rocker gasket so I figure that's a good reason to change the cams for some Piper ones while I'm in there. Will also get a decat exhaust fitted with an inline sport cat, as the current one is a manifold item so that's got to go
JonJon2015 said:
A word of warning if you go down the new manifold + new exhaust + in-line cat route and suspension work route: there's not a lot of room under there with even a very modest amount of lowering if keeping to a smaller wheel rim (which I would recommend you do). Mine was lowered only around 35mm on a Spax kit for the Puma with 15" rims and a 45 profile tyre but the only room we could find for the cat was w-a-y back in the system, tucked up near the nearside rear wheel well. It did work and pass emissions (just!) but obviously took a very long time to get up to temperature. The flexi between the manifold and exhaust took quite a battering on sleeping policemen and replacement of it, and the nearby lambda sensor, almost became a regular service item.
I'd hold off on some of the planned go-faster bits and echo the comments from other contributors to concentrate your efforts on making it grip, turn and stop better first.
That's useful info, thanks. Mine's on 15" Puma wheels (the 'Propeller' ones) and 195/50 Hankooks, which I'm liking so far. I'll bear in mind what you've said re ground clearance though and we'll see what can be done. I really want to do something about the cat though as the close-coupled one is super restrictive. Handling will be first though. It doesn't need to come down much if at all at the front but the rear is still running Fiesta suspenders so it's just too high. Ideally I'd be happy with no drop at the front and about 20mm down at the rear with some quality shocks all round. I'll post a pic when I have one so you can see what I meanI'd hold off on some of the planned go-faster bits and echo the comments from other contributors to concentrate your efforts on making it grip, turn and stop better first.
Digitalize said:
Oh wow, 240mm brakes! I forgot it was an early Puma you swapped it out of. They are awful. I'd really not want to use them on track.
Coilovers on the road are perfectly fine as long as they're spec'd soft.
Of course there's no right way to do it, just some wrong ones.
Polybushes are very stiff for the road, but when you want to drive it they're great.
I've finished bedding in the new discs now so I gave them a bit of stick last night and in terms of stopping power they're more than adequate - as long as the brakes are used properly (i.e. not just stamped on) they can just about break the front tyres free.Coilovers on the road are perfectly fine as long as they're spec'd soft.
Of course there's no right way to do it, just some wrong ones.
Polybushes are very stiff for the road, but when you want to drive it they're great.
For prolonged use though I imagine you'll be right due to the smaller size limiting their ability to shed heat, I expect fade would become a big problem. Kwik Fit's warranty and free replacement pad offer is on a manufacturer spec basis so if I do as suggested and get some ST170 gear on there I should still be able to take advantage of it
I think I'm going to get the car polybushed. OC Motorsport will do the whole lot for £425 which seems reasonable when I remember the pain that replacing the front lower arms and rear bushes involved
The ultimate use of the car will be trips to Sainsbury's and back, track days, occasional trips further afield that I can't do on my motorbike, and next year probably the ring.
Also: would I be mad to try and tow a bike trailer with it? I've not towed before. I'm predicting either "no, it'll be easy, you just need a tow hitch" or a barrage of the traditional PH abuse. Don't disappoint me, guys
edited for speeling
Digitalize said:
Stopping once they should be fine, but they just get so hot so quickly that they quickly become pretty scary.
I've seen Fiesta's tow before, little trailers for trips to the dump etc, motorbike should be do-able.
Suspect you're spot on re brakesI've seen Fiesta's tow before, little trailers for trips to the dump etc, motorbike should be do-able.
Re trailer - should mean I can do both car and bike round the 'ring in the same trip, and travel there more comfortably. Sweeeeet
Digitalize said:
Just keep an eye out for this, and jump on them when you find a decent looking set for a price you want to pay, then get some braided hoses too.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-FIESTA-MK6-ST-150-F...
Ideally with no pads or discs though, you just need the calipers and carriers and they'll bolt straight on. M1144 or DS2500 pads and some decent discs and you'll definitely notice a nice improvement.
Thanks, I've saved a search so I can snap some up when I'm ready.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-FIESTA-MK6-ST-150-F...
Ideally with no pads or discs though, you just need the calipers and carriers and they'll bolt straight on. M1144 or DS2500 pads and some decent discs and you'll definitely notice a nice improvement.
Have you got any tips on cold air intakes? FRP inlet setups are available but hugely expensive. I was thinking of getting a BMC CDA intake, replacing all the stock hoses with silicone to make things a bit less restrictive, and drilling through the bumper to mount an external intake for cold air.
Aftermarket intakes are more hindrance than help if they're not done properly, so I want to get this right
daniel-5zjw7 said:
If you really want full polybushes at £425 go for it, but I'd suggest OC's kit which switches the powerflex rear lower arm bushes for the FRP items and costs £115 less.. the £115 saved would almost get you a set of braided lines fitted.
I wouldn't mess about with the intake, there's nothing wrong with the standard set up certainly at your level of tune.
Thanks, I spoke to them this morning and it's going in early Sep for the cheaper option at £310.I wouldn't mess about with the intake, there's nothing wrong with the standard set up certainly at your level of tune.
Re: intake - this will need some attention as the final piece in the puzzle will be Piper cams and a remap, so the intake and exhaust will both be getting some attention
JonJon2015 said:
In an earlier post in this thread I put up something about my old FRP-based 1.7 Fiesta and wrote
I hope the OP is still enjoying his.
That's such a cool outcome! You must be incredibly pleased to have it back.JonJon2015 said:
... It’s still the car I wish I’d never sold ...
Well it's funny how things work out but a couple of weeks ago I discovered that it was available again and so bought it back, making me the first and the third owner on the V5. It's still as much of a hoot on the back roads as I remember but after nearly 5 years absence I have a long list of upgrades and improvements for the weeks and months ahead.I hope the OP is still enjoying his.
Where am I with mine? Mechanically, it's had the engine swap and further progress has been delayed by a head gasket failure. The chaps at OC have fixed that for £550 including a head skim, relapped valve seats and new valve stem seals, so it now goes very well indeed. I still want to get the suspension sorted so I've bought a set of Bilstein B4 shocks (£240, eBay) and need to pick up some stiffer and slightly lower springs. Do you think wheelarch clearance will be ok with the Puma wheels and lower springs?
Cosmetically, the car's pretty bad even though it's structurally very sound indeed. The lacquer on the roof has mostly departed and the paint is generally tired-looking. Because of this, I figured I could experiment a bit without making things worse. I bought a book of 1000 Marvel good vs evil stickers and a can of lacquer, and set to work.
Yesterday I loved this, today I hate it. Don't know how I'll feel tomorrow and I'm not sure how to get it all off. I might've made a mistake here as it doesn't really suit a nearly-40 year old man. I liked it initially but I think the moment I went off of it was when it occurred to me that I'm taking my OH for a night away in a very nice hotel this weekend and I'm not sure I'll feel great arriving in an inexpertly stickerbombed 18yo Fiesta...
thoughts?
Edited by amancalledrob on Wednesday 2nd November 13:44
The HG failure was a mixed bag, I think. Yes it was expensive and has delayed progress, but on the bright side I now know the bores and piston rings are in good shape, and with the head work the engine's compression should be as good as it can be. It's a good place to start from re cams and tuning.
The lacquer hasn't formed a coat over the stickers, it's just made them feel like vinyl to the touch. I can still get a fingernail under the edge, probably, so I'll try and get things started from one edge and see if I can jetwash them off. In the short term I'll then polish the surface to get it close to how it was before while I save for a respray. If I can get it sprayed for under £1500 I will, as I plan to keep it for a long time.
I got the car for nothing and so far expenditure over about four years, excluding fuel, tax and insurance looks like this:
First MOT - exhaust back box, 2x tyres, £185
Second MOT - 2x drive shaft gaiters £250
Third MOT - 2x front lower arms, 2x rear bush, 2x front brake flexi hose £250 (bought parts and did the work myself)
Engine swap including buying a whole Ford Puma and having it trailered to OC - £1080
Four new tyres, Hankook Ventus Prime - £200
Head gasket replacement inc skim head, de-coke ports, re-lap valve seats, new valve stem seals, £550
Fourth MOT - 2x drive shaft gaiters (opposite end to last time) and a new drive shaft as the bearings fell apart on the old one - £291.20
So I guess I've paid about £2800 for the car, really. A lot of it is maintenance and some of it is actually the purchase cost of another car, so when I run that through some Man Maths it feels like good value
The lacquer hasn't formed a coat over the stickers, it's just made them feel like vinyl to the touch. I can still get a fingernail under the edge, probably, so I'll try and get things started from one edge and see if I can jetwash them off. In the short term I'll then polish the surface to get it close to how it was before while I save for a respray. If I can get it sprayed for under £1500 I will, as I plan to keep it for a long time.
I got the car for nothing and so far expenditure over about four years, excluding fuel, tax and insurance looks like this:
First MOT - exhaust back box, 2x tyres, £185
Second MOT - 2x drive shaft gaiters £250
Third MOT - 2x front lower arms, 2x rear bush, 2x front brake flexi hose £250 (bought parts and did the work myself)
Engine swap including buying a whole Ford Puma and having it trailered to OC - £1080
Four new tyres, Hankook Ventus Prime - £200
Head gasket replacement inc skim head, de-coke ports, re-lap valve seats, new valve stem seals, £550
Fourth MOT - 2x drive shaft gaiters (opposite end to last time) and a new drive shaft as the bearings fell apart on the old one - £291.20
So I guess I've paid about £2800 for the car, really. A lot of it is maintenance and some of it is actually the purchase cost of another car, so when I run that through some Man Maths it feels like good value
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