FTO donor car. Colt shell. Do-able?
Discussion
Apologies if been done before, but I'm on the hunt for a country road and track car... And the boss at work has mentioned that he has 3 cars to rid off, as his kids and mrs have bought newer stuff.
1 is a pov spec corsa, so he can weigh that in for all I care.
The other 2 are as follows:
1x late 90s, Mitsi Colt, 1300cc (IIRC) non-runner, been SORN for years. Shell is solid, rest is scrap.
1x runner but SORN FTO 2.0 MIVEC (he thinks with flappy paddle box... he's no car nut) that the shell is OK but nowt special.
Would, theoretically, without massive headache, the Colt be able to be relieved of it's puny 1300 lump and box, and be able to take FTO running gear inc. brakes, then a set of coilovers, before being given an MOT and run as a DD (5miles to work, 5miles home) and tracked?
Or is it one big can of worms I should avoid even debating?
Only ask as the Colt is FREE TO ME if I want it, and the FTO he'll take offers over £700 from me.
1 is a pov spec corsa, so he can weigh that in for all I care.
The other 2 are as follows:
1x late 90s, Mitsi Colt, 1300cc (IIRC) non-runner, been SORN for years. Shell is solid, rest is scrap.
1x runner but SORN FTO 2.0 MIVEC (he thinks with flappy paddle box... he's no car nut) that the shell is OK but nowt special.
Would, theoretically, without massive headache, the Colt be able to be relieved of it's puny 1300 lump and box, and be able to take FTO running gear inc. brakes, then a set of coilovers, before being given an MOT and run as a DD (5miles to work, 5miles home) and tracked?
Or is it one big can of worms I should avoid even debating?
Only ask as the Colt is FREE TO ME if I want it, and the FTO he'll take offers over £700 from me.
Yeah I've seen the Evo swap in mags.
The semi-auto boxes with paddles on FTOs, they any good?
The boss' FTO is 200bhp MIVEC, flappy box, and to me, due to limited test and no tax, it'd be a £500 car. Been sat in a garage 6months wrapped.
A service, a valet, and yank out all the interior, would see a nippy and lightweight car I would of thought
The semi-auto boxes with paddles on FTOs, they any good?
The boss' FTO is 200bhp MIVEC, flappy box, and to me, due to limited test and no tax, it'd be a £500 car. Been sat in a garage 6months wrapped.
A service, a valet, and yank out all the interior, would see a nippy and lightweight car I would of thought
right, first things first, your bosses FTO has nowhere near 200 bhp, the tiptronic box saps around 30% of the power from the engine, moost pre-facelift 1994-1996 cars with tip boxes are running around 160bhp.
get yourself over to the FTOOC and get on board, you get 30 posts before you join (£18) so use them wisely.
there is already a member on there who has done exactly as you are asking, he's stuck a mivec in a colt and to be fair its a pretty handy piece of kit! cant remember his username at the moment but AFAIK he's the only one in the UK that has dont it.
the 2.0 V6 is pretty highly tuned out of the factory and you will not see great gains from the usual basics i.e exhaust, induction, etc so they cn be expensive to tune. good car though - ive had a GPX (2.0 mivec) and currently have a GPvR (2.0 mivec, lightweight, stiffened, lowered and facelift only).
the FTO gets ridiculed by some jap clubs as being the "FT-SLOW" but having won numerous awards over the years, they are one of the best handling FWD cars available today. the looks are timeless too and the rarity is also quite nice.
insurance is something to bear in mind though as for some reason they are unusually expensive to cover - mine costs £50 more to insure than my 300BHP impreza.
if you go for the FTO - the best power for pound mod you could do is to do a manual conversion, depending how handy you are, this can cost around £500 and is one of the most highly rated mods in the OC.
there are other options for big power but big power means big money -
Evo engine conversion approx £3000
popular Galant engine conversion (2.5L twin turbo) approx £4000
Mini cooper suppercharger conversion approx £2000.
i recommend them as a good drivers car and are fantastic fun to track (mines been on castle coombe during japfest)and the sound of the Mivec VVT kicking in @ 5500 rpm is something genuinley special.
find out which model is being offered to you as they break down like this:
GS - 4 pot 1.8
GR - 2.0 non mivec
GPX - 2.0 mivec
GPvR - 2.0 mivec (rarest and most desirable)
there are a couple of other model variations but the 4 above are the main ones. feel free to PM me if you have any questions, if not, get on FTOOC.org and ask questions.
all the best.
D
get yourself over to the FTOOC and get on board, you get 30 posts before you join (£18) so use them wisely.
there is already a member on there who has done exactly as you are asking, he's stuck a mivec in a colt and to be fair its a pretty handy piece of kit! cant remember his username at the moment but AFAIK he's the only one in the UK that has dont it.
the 2.0 V6 is pretty highly tuned out of the factory and you will not see great gains from the usual basics i.e exhaust, induction, etc so they cn be expensive to tune. good car though - ive had a GPX (2.0 mivec) and currently have a GPvR (2.0 mivec, lightweight, stiffened, lowered and facelift only).
the FTO gets ridiculed by some jap clubs as being the "FT-SLOW" but having won numerous awards over the years, they are one of the best handling FWD cars available today. the looks are timeless too and the rarity is also quite nice.
insurance is something to bear in mind though as for some reason they are unusually expensive to cover - mine costs £50 more to insure than my 300BHP impreza.
if you go for the FTO - the best power for pound mod you could do is to do a manual conversion, depending how handy you are, this can cost around £500 and is one of the most highly rated mods in the OC.
there are other options for big power but big power means big money -
Evo engine conversion approx £3000
popular Galant engine conversion (2.5L twin turbo) approx £4000
Mini cooper suppercharger conversion approx £2000.
i recommend them as a good drivers car and are fantastic fun to track (mines been on castle coombe during japfest)and the sound of the Mivec VVT kicking in @ 5500 rpm is something genuinley special.
find out which model is being offered to you as they break down like this:
GS - 4 pot 1.8
GR - 2.0 non mivec
GPX - 2.0 mivec
GPvR - 2.0 mivec (rarest and most desirable)
there are a couple of other model variations but the 4 above are the main ones. feel free to PM me if you have any questions, if not, get on FTOOC.org and ask questions.
all the best.
D
Right, you really are a minefield of info.
Well since the boss' offer I've found another, local-er, at a dealer I got my classic car off.
He has a trade in FTO which is as follows:
mid 90s, 5speed manual, 2.0 non-mivec. 170,000 km on the clock. LOTS of paper work.
BUT it's layshaft whines like a b
h when in neutral and makes groaning noises when in gear.
The bodywork of the car is imacculate, even has MOMO wheels and 4x good tyres on it. EBC brakes, stainless exhaust, etc.
Been chavved in places, but nothing that won't unbolt.
If I can sell the snotter, I'm tempted to take a punt on it. and strip the interior barring front seats, and run as is for a DD/track toy. Big power doesn't bother me. I've been there before, and it's not my thing. Handling and thrashable-ness (if that's a word) are far more my scene courtesy of the roads.
The FTO will not idle when cold either, is this the dreaded stepper motor circa £130 to replace?
When warmed up, it idled fine.
Courtesy of the guy remembering me, and it being a trade in car, he'd let me have it with no tax, but 6months test for circa £400. which to me, aint bad.
The plan would be:
fix the idle, leave the gearbox until it blew. Cheapish set of coilovers. brake service and engine service.
Besides the whiny box, and non-working cold idle, it appears to be in good nick, well looked after (10years of MOTs and receipts) paint is good, chassis solid, brakes good, steering good.
From 200SX experience, a whiny box is more an annoyance, than an end of the world problem, so I'd run it until it went bang, then do a swap for 2nd hand one. Know somewhere I can borrow a kitted workshop and 2poster ramp for token gesture.
Am I mad?
Well since the boss' offer I've found another, local-er, at a dealer I got my classic car off.
He has a trade in FTO which is as follows:
mid 90s, 5speed manual, 2.0 non-mivec. 170,000 km on the clock. LOTS of paper work.
BUT it's layshaft whines like a b
h when in neutral and makes groaning noises when in gear.The bodywork of the car is imacculate, even has MOMO wheels and 4x good tyres on it. EBC brakes, stainless exhaust, etc.
Been chavved in places, but nothing that won't unbolt.
If I can sell the snotter, I'm tempted to take a punt on it. and strip the interior barring front seats, and run as is for a DD/track toy. Big power doesn't bother me. I've been there before, and it's not my thing. Handling and thrashable-ness (if that's a word) are far more my scene courtesy of the roads.
The FTO will not idle when cold either, is this the dreaded stepper motor circa £130 to replace?
When warmed up, it idled fine.
Courtesy of the guy remembering me, and it being a trade in car, he'd let me have it with no tax, but 6months test for circa £400. which to me, aint bad.
The plan would be:
fix the idle, leave the gearbox until it blew. Cheapish set of coilovers. brake service and engine service.
Besides the whiny box, and non-working cold idle, it appears to be in good nick, well looked after (10years of MOTs and receipts) paint is good, chassis solid, brakes good, steering good.
From 200SX experience, a whiny box is more an annoyance, than an end of the world problem, so I'd run it until it went bang, then do a swap for 2nd hand one. Know somewhere I can borrow a kitted workshop and 2poster ramp for token gesture.
Am I mad?
mgmrw said:
Right, you really are a minefield of info.
Well since the boss' offer I've found another, local-er, at a dealer I got my classic car off.
He has a trade in FTO which is as follows:
mid 90s, 5speed manual, 2.0 non-mivec. 170,000 km on the clock. LOTS of paper work.
BUT it's layshaft whines like a bh when in neutral and makes groaning noises when in gear.
The bodywork of the car is imacculate, even has MOMO wheels and 4x good tyres on it. EBC brakes, stainless exhaust, etc.
Been chavved in places, but nothing that won't unbolt.
If I can sell the snotter, I'm tempted to take a punt on it. and strip the interior barring front seats, and run as is for a DD/track toy. Big power doesn't bother me. I've been there before, and it's not my thing. Handling and thrashable-ness (if that's a word) are far more my scene courtesy of the roads.
The FTO will not idle when cold either, is this the dreaded stepper motor circa £130 to replace?
When warmed up, it idled fine.
Courtesy of the guy remembering me, and it being a trade in car, he'd let me have it with no tax, but 6months test for circa £400. which to me, aint bad.
The plan would be:
fix the idle, leave the gearbox until it blew. Cheapish set of coilovers. brake service and engine service.
Besides the whiny box, and non-working cold idle, it appears to be in good nick, well looked after (10years of MOTs and receipts) paint is good, chassis solid, brakes good, steering good.
From 200SX experience, a whiny box is more an annoyance, than an end of the world problem, so I'd run it until it went bang, then do a swap for 2nd hand one. Know somewhere I can borrow a kitted workshop and 2poster ramp for token gesture.
Am I mad?
Mad? For that money - no way! Though the GR is missing the instant kick of mivec at 5500 still a great car! Ul be asked a few times a week what it is. Well since the boss' offer I've found another, local-er, at a dealer I got my classic car off.
He has a trade in FTO which is as follows:
mid 90s, 5speed manual, 2.0 non-mivec. 170,000 km on the clock. LOTS of paper work.
BUT it's layshaft whines like a b
h when in neutral and makes groaning noises when in gear.The bodywork of the car is imacculate, even has MOMO wheels and 4x good tyres on it. EBC brakes, stainless exhaust, etc.
Been chavved in places, but nothing that won't unbolt.
If I can sell the snotter, I'm tempted to take a punt on it. and strip the interior barring front seats, and run as is for a DD/track toy. Big power doesn't bother me. I've been there before, and it's not my thing. Handling and thrashable-ness (if that's a word) are far more my scene courtesy of the roads.
The FTO will not idle when cold either, is this the dreaded stepper motor circa £130 to replace?
When warmed up, it idled fine.
Courtesy of the guy remembering me, and it being a trade in car, he'd let me have it with no tax, but 6months test for circa £400. which to me, aint bad.
The plan would be:
fix the idle, leave the gearbox until it blew. Cheapish set of coilovers. brake service and engine service.
Besides the whiny box, and non-working cold idle, it appears to be in good nick, well looked after (10years of MOTs and receipts) paint is good, chassis solid, brakes good, steering good.
From 200SX experience, a whiny box is more an annoyance, than an end of the world problem, so I'd run it until it went bang, then do a swap for 2nd hand one. Know somewhere I can borrow a kitted workshop and 2poster ramp for token gesture.
Am I mad?
Not idling when cold could be the stepper, which doesnt have to cost £130 - there are plenty of breakers around, which slso means u can get hold of a gearbox pretty easily, and you could then break that car for some extra cash.
Stripping out and setting up for track is definitely the way to go!
Do it! Do it now!
Flux have come back wanting £1500 for insurance. May try and "haggle" a better deal, multicar etc.
Problem is, it's gotta be insured as a DD due to the OH needing the derv bus for her postgrad related commute.
I would have bought it yesterday on the spot, he dropped 33% off the price due to knowing him, BUT the bloody BMW has sold 3 times on "the bay" and had no shows to look, let alone pay and take with
Problem is, it's gotta be insured as a DD due to the OH needing the derv bus for her postgrad related commute.
I would have bought it yesterday on the spot, he dropped 33% off the price due to knowing him, BUT the bloody BMW has sold 3 times on "the bay" and had no shows to look, let alone pay and take with
mgmrw said:
what the hell? It's 3insurance groups lower than my SAAB and 2lower than my BMW and the cheapest insurance quote is:
2500gbp. 5times the other 2.
I did warn you!
Sky insurance are the OC affiliated insurer and you get 10% off with membership but it worth trying adrian flux and a-plan too
Its Mainly due to supply of parts, everything major has to come from japan so fixing them can be expensive but there are specialist breakers just for FTOs eg: s&s spares.
How? Why? How?
mgmrw said:
Flux have come back wanting £1500 for insurance. May try and "haggle" a better deal, multicar etc.
Problem is, it's gotta be insured as a DD due to the OH needing the derv bus for her postgrad related commute.
I would have bought it yesterday on the spot, he dropped 33% off the price due to knowing him, BUT the bloody BMW has sold 3 times on "the bay" and had no shows to look, let alone pay and take with
What bmw is it? Problem is, it's gotta be insured as a DD due to the OH needing the derv bus for her postgrad related commute.
I would have bought it yesterday on the spot, he dropped 33% off the price due to knowing him, BUT the bloody BMW has sold 3 times on "the bay" and had no shows to look, let alone pay and take with
chuntington101 said:
Pidsy, what gearbox do the Evo engined FTO guys run? do they keep the FWD?
Chris.
Hi chris, the majority use the evo box or thevr4 box but some modification needs to be made to the bell housing.Chris.
As for the 4wd, there are 3 i think in existance:
Marco at fully loaded cars is building a convertible 4wd evo one
A guy in south america races his 4wd one
And someone in the australian OC is building one now.
Not sure where you are in the uk but i would suggest calling or better visiting either:
South east uk:
Mark and ben at eurospec2000
These guys are the godfathers of the fto and usually have 20 or so in their workshop in different stages of conversion or tuning - they look after my cars
Or if you are further up the country you need to speak to giles @ japco - a specialist workshop for ftos
Ive also heard good things about cms further up north but dont have personal experience with them
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