500+bhp Mk3 Fiesta Project
Discussion
I also like Silver and think it may look better on the new colour.
A wiring order I placed has arrived which contained everything required to integrate the Focus Xenon levelling system into the Fiesta, and all wire colours are OEM which will future diagnosis a lot easier! I have also cleaned any non metallic levelling components and all of them have cleaned up nicely. The metal parts are at the electro platers and should hopefully come back in a similar state.
You may recall that the Mk3 Fiesta never had electronic ABS and so I incorporated the loom from a later (Mk5) Fiesta so that I can use it. The Mk5 Fiesta rear ABS wiring comes through a central grommet under the rear seat which I've now removed and replaced with separate grommets on both sides of car. The O/S ABS wiring and grommet is now shared by the new levelling wiring.
Once parts are back from the electro platers I can refit the dashboard etc. and start to make some real progress.
A wiring order I placed has arrived which contained everything required to integrate the Focus Xenon levelling system into the Fiesta, and all wire colours are OEM which will future diagnosis a lot easier! I have also cleaned any non metallic levelling components and all of them have cleaned up nicely. The metal parts are at the electro platers and should hopefully come back in a similar state.
You may recall that the Mk3 Fiesta never had electronic ABS and so I incorporated the loom from a later (Mk5) Fiesta so that I can use it. The Mk5 Fiesta rear ABS wiring comes through a central grommet under the rear seat which I've now removed and replaced with separate grommets on both sides of car. The O/S ABS wiring and grommet is now shared by the new levelling wiring.
Once parts are back from the electro platers I can refit the dashboard etc. and start to make some real progress.
I'm retrofitting opening rear quarter quarter windows to the car and the external nut part of the through-bolt fixings tend to rust underneath their cosmetic caps leaving a near permanent stain on the glass. I want to avoid this as the glass I'm using is brand new, so I've had the externally facing part of the fixing replicated in stainless steel. The freshly painted stainless version can be seen in the top of the photo and in the foreground is a comparison of standard vs stainless.
New glass built up with new fittings and rubber seals.
I bought a professional Rivnut tool to add captive fittings to the shell. It's the best tool purchase I've made for a while.
I've removed the Mk3 tailgate wiring and its sometimes unreliable brass pin and contact plate system that was used both to send power to the tailgate and act as an ajar switch, and replaced it with a tilt sensor inside the tailgate and rubber grommet to feed the loom inside. I've blanked up the original pin and contact plate holes with parts from a foreign market poverty spec model that didn't have a heated rear window or wiper.
For a Ford fixing I thought the floor drain plugs were a very good part; they have a bead of wax around the circumference and once in position a hot air gun is used to melt the wax and seal them to the floor. They are almost Audi like in that they solve a problem where there isn't one (Ford could have used seam sealer instead).
I now have most of my parts back from the electro platers. The finish is far better than any plating work I've had done in the past.
New glass built up with new fittings and rubber seals.
I bought a professional Rivnut tool to add captive fittings to the shell. It's the best tool purchase I've made for a while.
I've removed the Mk3 tailgate wiring and its sometimes unreliable brass pin and contact plate system that was used both to send power to the tailgate and act as an ajar switch, and replaced it with a tilt sensor inside the tailgate and rubber grommet to feed the loom inside. I've blanked up the original pin and contact plate holes with parts from a foreign market poverty spec model that didn't have a heated rear window or wiper.
For a Ford fixing I thought the floor drain plugs were a very good part; they have a bead of wax around the circumference and once in position a hot air gun is used to melt the wax and seal them to the floor. They are almost Audi like in that they solve a problem where there isn't one (Ford could have used seam sealer instead).
I now have most of my parts back from the electro platers. The finish is far better than any plating work I've had done in the past.
Those speakers are to die for. Without sounding like a complete tit, do those drivers have any kind of housing or are they exposed for a reason? Where do you intend on mounting them?
Also, like i have mentioned in this thread already, please carry on updating us. It's the detail in the build i love.
Nick
Also, like i have mentioned in this thread already, please carry on updating us. It's the detail in the build i love.
Nick
Nick,
The speakers will be mounted in the Ford standard locations: mid bass in the doors and tweeters in a bezel near the door handle. The speakers I've purchased look similar to most other speakers when not fitted to an enclosure it's just we're all used to seeing the speakers fitted; the rear part of the drivers will be hidden inside the doors, which in a car environment acts as the speaker enclosure.
Thanks,
Mark
I've done a little more work in preparation for a Bi-Xenon headlamp conversion, as the standard Fiesta headlamp wiring and switch configuration is not suitable for either a Xenon or Bi-Xenon conversion. Here's why:
Fiesta: Halogen dip beam, Halogen main beam. Low beam is off when main beam is on. Main beam used to flash.
Xenon: Xenon dip beam, Halogen main beam. Dip beam remains on with main beam. Main beam used to flash.
Bi-Xenon: Xenon dip beam, Xenon main beam (the same bulb but cut off is modified by a solenoid and shield arrangement). Dip beam is main beam so remains on. Dedicated halogen flash unit.
So I had two requirements for Bi-Xenon: 1) modify the Fiesta switching behaviour, and 2) install a dedicated flashing bulb system.
The lack of a dedicated flashing bulb which is not a problem for night time use, as assuming dip beam is already on then the Bi-Xenon solenoid/cut off could be raised as normal to flash using the high beam setting, however during the day this is not an option because rapidly cycling a HID system is very detrimental to its lifespan. The same caveat applies to a Halogen bulb but the replacement cost is much less; also the bulb 'warm up' time for Halogen is much quicker which makes it more suitable for a flashing application. The other problem I must address is that the Fiesta switch configuration means that dip beam is switched off when main beam goes on, which would of course leave me in the dark with a Bi-Xenon system
The wiring configuration consists of a main & dip relay so the logic is actually contained within the column switches. I disassembled those to see how they worked.
I figured out the contacts and wire functions by tracing them back to the loom, and located the the actual dip/main switch which is essentially a mechanical logic gate system. I am really impressed by the engineering that has gone into this switch system, as there are multiple switch axes on the stalks and each has a different state. Here's the switch which is actuated by a wiper moved by the column stalk.
I figured out the states of the standard switch.
...which enabled me to modify it to suit my needs.
The speakers will be mounted in the Ford standard locations: mid bass in the doors and tweeters in a bezel near the door handle. The speakers I've purchased look similar to most other speakers when not fitted to an enclosure it's just we're all used to seeing the speakers fitted; the rear part of the drivers will be hidden inside the doors, which in a car environment acts as the speaker enclosure.
Thanks,
Mark
I've done a little more work in preparation for a Bi-Xenon headlamp conversion, as the standard Fiesta headlamp wiring and switch configuration is not suitable for either a Xenon or Bi-Xenon conversion. Here's why:
Fiesta: Halogen dip beam, Halogen main beam. Low beam is off when main beam is on. Main beam used to flash.
Xenon: Xenon dip beam, Halogen main beam. Dip beam remains on with main beam. Main beam used to flash.
Bi-Xenon: Xenon dip beam, Xenon main beam (the same bulb but cut off is modified by a solenoid and shield arrangement). Dip beam is main beam so remains on. Dedicated halogen flash unit.
So I had two requirements for Bi-Xenon: 1) modify the Fiesta switching behaviour, and 2) install a dedicated flashing bulb system.
The lack of a dedicated flashing bulb which is not a problem for night time use, as assuming dip beam is already on then the Bi-Xenon solenoid/cut off could be raised as normal to flash using the high beam setting, however during the day this is not an option because rapidly cycling a HID system is very detrimental to its lifespan. The same caveat applies to a Halogen bulb but the replacement cost is much less; also the bulb 'warm up' time for Halogen is much quicker which makes it more suitable for a flashing application. The other problem I must address is that the Fiesta switch configuration means that dip beam is switched off when main beam goes on, which would of course leave me in the dark with a Bi-Xenon system
The wiring configuration consists of a main & dip relay so the logic is actually contained within the column switches. I disassembled those to see how they worked.
I figured out the contacts and wire functions by tracing them back to the loom, and located the the actual dip/main switch which is essentially a mechanical logic gate system. I am really impressed by the engineering that has gone into this switch system, as there are multiple switch axes on the stalks and each has a different state. Here's the switch which is actuated by a wiper moved by the column stalk.
I figured out the states of the standard switch.
...which enabled me to modify it to suit my needs.
Thank you.
Focus RS gear lever mechanism (short throw) fitted to Rivnuts in the floor pan. I had previously welded up the original shifter mounting aperture.
Front left to right: Airbag module from a 2002 Fiesta, gear change cables and weatherproof grommet, new mounting studs for the Mk4/Mk5 Dashboard, original circular bung for automatic gearbox models, Focus RS linkage and brand new cables. It all just about fits in the centre console area!
Top left is the steering rack universal joint weather seal I'm using from a later Fiesta, and top right is the rack to bulkhead reinforcement straps I'm using which have come back from being shot blasted and powder coated.
Bottom: New Street Ka/Sport Ka steering rack. To recap this is identical to the original rack at 2.4 turns lock-to-lock, only it is solidly mounted for improved feel and the track rods are +10mm.
Bulkhead sound deadening mat fitted, upper and lower sections of the new weather shroud/seal fitted using stainless fixings, and the rack itself in place.
Brake servo brackets fresh back from powder coating. I'm rebuilding everything with brand new parts.
Here's the new Evo X servo mounted, and detail of the hydraulic clutch pipe and mount on the servo bracket. The clutch line is from a Racing Puma and I bent it to fit.
Everything in situ. Please ignore the dirty wheels and suspension components as all that will be replaced in due course. I slid the wrapping over the RS cables to prevent dirt getting to the ball joints.
Focus RS Gearbox mount fitted. It's clear in this photo how far the top of the Evo brake fluid reservoir protrudes from the master cylinder. I'm going to cut this down and plastic weld the cap on a little lower.
During the last few months of Mk5 Fiesta production seat airbags became an option on some models and I've been fortunate enough to track down an undeployed module,the two Bosch side impact sensors for the seats and the loom which is plug and play with my interior loom. The period Recaro’s I've sent for trimming do not actually have seat airbags but I'm still making up my mind if the Recaro CS would suit the car, and if I go that way, I would want functional seat airbags.
I have also picked up a couple of Bosch Parkpilot systems with sensors, one of which comes with a late Ford spec loom. I will install a kit on the rear.
Focus RS gear lever mechanism (short throw) fitted to Rivnuts in the floor pan. I had previously welded up the original shifter mounting aperture.
Front left to right: Airbag module from a 2002 Fiesta, gear change cables and weatherproof grommet, new mounting studs for the Mk4/Mk5 Dashboard, original circular bung for automatic gearbox models, Focus RS linkage and brand new cables. It all just about fits in the centre console area!
Top left is the steering rack universal joint weather seal I'm using from a later Fiesta, and top right is the rack to bulkhead reinforcement straps I'm using which have come back from being shot blasted and powder coated.
Bottom: New Street Ka/Sport Ka steering rack. To recap this is identical to the original rack at 2.4 turns lock-to-lock, only it is solidly mounted for improved feel and the track rods are +10mm.
Bulkhead sound deadening mat fitted, upper and lower sections of the new weather shroud/seal fitted using stainless fixings, and the rack itself in place.
Brake servo brackets fresh back from powder coating. I'm rebuilding everything with brand new parts.
Here's the new Evo X servo mounted, and detail of the hydraulic clutch pipe and mount on the servo bracket. The clutch line is from a Racing Puma and I bent it to fit.
Everything in situ. Please ignore the dirty wheels and suspension components as all that will be replaced in due course. I slid the wrapping over the RS cables to prevent dirt getting to the ball joints.
Focus RS Gearbox mount fitted. It's clear in this photo how far the top of the Evo brake fluid reservoir protrudes from the master cylinder. I'm going to cut this down and plastic weld the cap on a little lower.
During the last few months of Mk5 Fiesta production seat airbags became an option on some models and I've been fortunate enough to track down an undeployed module,the two Bosch side impact sensors for the seats and the loom which is plug and play with my interior loom. The period Recaro’s I've sent for trimming do not actually have seat airbags but I'm still making up my mind if the Recaro CS would suit the car, and if I go that way, I would want functional seat airbags.
I have also picked up a couple of Bosch Parkpilot systems with sensors, one of which comes with a late Ford spec loom. I will install a kit on the rear.
Keep it up, this thread is really quite inspiring!Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff