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<strong>How</strong> to modify:<br />
/ modifying guide / MK6 escort/<br />
escort mk6<br />
Not as pokey as RS-badged<br />
<strong>Escort</strong>s, but with the right bits<br />
the late 16-valve Zetec models<br />
can mix with the best of ’em.<br />
Despite<br />
the absence of the<br />
legendary RS badge, lastof-the-line<br />
<strong>Escort</strong>s still had some pleasant surprises.<br />
They’re a cracking second-hand buy with a cockpit full<br />
of goodies, and a gutsy Zetec 16-valve up front, but<br />
without the price tag of an RS-branded model.<br />
There are a few <strong>Mk6</strong>s you should avoid, namely<br />
the 1.3 and 1.4-litre models, which use the older, and<br />
frankly slow, CVH engines. Stick to the 1.6 and 1.8-litre<br />
Zetec 16-valvers and you’ll be on to a winner. Obviously<br />
the fastest <strong>Mk6</strong> in standard form is the RS2000 with<br />
150 bhp on tap, but we’ll stick to looking at models that<br />
won’t have your bank manager going crazy.<br />
EnginE<br />
Even though in this guide we are only<br />
looking at the 1.6 and 1.8-Zetec<br />
versions, there are still a number<br />
of different variations. There are<br />
three different 1.8-litre Zetec engines<br />
available. Firstly there was the ‘pre-<br />
98’ Zetec, which had hydraulic lifters<br />
and smaller valves than the solid<br />
lifter equipped ‘post-98’ Zetec. That<br />
same engine was found in the Fiesta<br />
RS1800, which had 130 bhp.<br />
For the benefit of this guide,<br />
and to make sure things don’t get<br />
too confusing we’re going to stick<br />
with the most common engine; the<br />
115 bhp ‘pre-98’ 1.8-litre Zetec. If you<br />
have one of the other Zetecs under<br />
your bonnet don’t panic, the same<br />
work can be carried out and similar<br />
bhp gains can be expected.<br />
Right, now we know which engine<br />
we’re talking about let’s get on with<br />
upping the power. First on your<br />
shopping list will be a decent induction<br />
kit and exhaust so you can get more air<br />
in and out faster. Vulcan Engineering can<br />
supply you with a K&N 57i kit for £78, a<br />
four-branch 2.25 inch Ashley manifold<br />
for £160, and a 2.25 inch complete<br />
exhaust system for £175.<br />
It may seem a bit expensive for<br />
the first step, but will see gains of<br />
around 6-8 bhp, make a lovely noise,<br />
and set you in the right direction for<br />
future mods. If you add in an uprated<br />
chip from Collins Performance at £235<br />
you can squeeze out another 10 bhp.<br />
With the air flowing freely, it’s time to<br />
look at getting more fuel into the engine.<br />
Vulcan offers its Maxiflow 1 head for<br />
£650, which comes with brand-new<br />
valves and guides, and will give you an<br />
extra 12 bhp thanks to the porting,<br />
polishing and gasflowing. Nail in a set<br />
of Kent cams at £390 and you’ll have<br />
another 6 or 7 bhp at your disposal.<br />
The next step would be a Maxiflow 2<br />
head, which includes bigger valves as<br />
well as all the porting and gasflowing<br />
work. They come in at £795 but will gain<br />
you 20 bhp, if you’ve made the exhaust<br />
and induction mods. You can then<br />
couple this with a set of slightly more<br />
aggressive cams at £390 for another<br />
12-15 ponies.<br />
After this stage you’re going to be<br />
looking at digging deep into your<br />
pockets to fund a set of throttle bodies.<br />
A cheaper option would be to source<br />
the single throttle body and plenum<br />
from a 2-litre Zetec, as this will gain<br />
around 10 bhp on top of the other mods.<br />
For a throttle body kit you can expect<br />
to pay around £2200, which sounds a lot<br />
but you do get plenty of kit for your<br />
money. The kit includes Jenvey throttle<br />
This GTi’s owner has done a great<br />
job of turning it into something a<br />
bit special. Good effort sir!<br />
bodies, an Omex management system<br />
and all the wiring and gubbins needed<br />
to make them work. A session on the<br />
rollers may be required at this point to<br />
make the most of the mods, but you can<br />
expect to see an increase of 20 bhp.<br />
With all the mods mentioned so far<br />
you should be looking at around 175-<br />
180 bhp for your <strong>Mk6</strong>, which is probably<br />
enough for everyday road use. <strong>How</strong>ever,<br />
if you did want to go crazy Vulcan can<br />
build you an engine to your individual<br />
spec, just don’t forget your chequebook.<br />
If you didn’t fancy tuning the N/A way<br />
you could always opt for a turbo. Engine<br />
Advantages offers the forced induction<br />
conversion on a ‘drive-in, drive-out’<br />
basis for £3000. For this you will get a<br />
T25 turbo, front-mount intercooler, all<br />
the necessary pipework, an uprated<br />
chip to run with the turbo, and a session<br />
on the rollers to ensure everything’s<br />
working. Typical bhp gains for<br />
whacking on a turbo are about a 70-80<br />
bhp. You could opt for a high boost<br />
turbo conversion capable of 400-plus<br />
bhp, but that’s a major rebuild and will<br />
be very expensive.<br />
Another quick and easy way to get<br />
more out of the Zetec is to bolt on a<br />
bottle of N20. A standard 1.8 Zetec will<br />
be able to cope with a 50 bhp shot of<br />
nitrous without any problems, and it’s<br />
fairly cheap at around £1000 fitted.<br />
That’ll give you something to talk about<br />
down the pub...<br />
EnginE swaps<br />
The most obvious engine transplant<br />
is to drop in the RS2000 I4 lump, as<br />
this will provide 150 bhp in standard<br />
trim and will fit straight in without<br />
too much trouble. The only problem<br />
is finding a decent I4 engine at the<br />
right price. You don’t see many on<br />
the road let alone in the scrap yard,<br />
and if you do find a bent one, the<br />
chances are someone has already<br />
robbed the engine.<br />
Another option would be to fit<br />
the engine and ‘box from a Focus<br />
ST170. This gives you more power<br />
than the RS2000 engine, and also<br />
has the advantage of a six-speed<br />
gearbox already hooked up on the<br />
end of it. The only headache with<br />
this transplant is that the Focus is<br />
wider than the <strong>Escort</strong>, so you would<br />
need a pair of modified driveshafts for<br />
it to work.<br />
The ultimate transplant also<br />
involves robbing bits from a Focus,<br />
the RS model. The 2-litre<br />
turbocharged engine is tunable to<br />
around 350 bhp without too much<br />
Words: Jamie King<br />
Photos: Gerard Hughes<br />
effort, and will drop into the hole<br />
where your 1.6 or 1.8 Zetec used to<br />
live.<br />
With the RS having an even<br />
wider track than the normal Focus,<br />
the driveshafts will need looking at<br />
again, but put simply you just need<br />
to chop more out of them than you<br />
would if fitting the ST170 set-up.<br />
The Focus RS motor will fit without much bother<br />
0128 november 2006 <strong>Fast</strong> <strong>Ford</strong> <strong>Fast</strong> <strong>Ford</strong> november 2006 0129
0130<br />
Transmission<br />
The IB5 ‘box found in the Zetec models is<br />
fairly strong in standard form, so unless<br />
you’re bolting on a turbo and going for<br />
massive power there’s not much to do<br />
here. If you are intent on big power<br />
Competition Transmission Services can<br />
supply a Quaife gear set for £1225.<br />
One thing worth looking at if you are<br />
increasing the power is the diff. The<br />
Zetec models didn’t come with an LSD<br />
so you may have a few traction issues.<br />
CTS can do you a Quaife ATB diff for<br />
£495, which is seriously worth<br />
considering if you use the car everyday.<br />
Other than that you can speed the<br />
gear changes up with a B&M<br />
quickshifter for £165.<br />
november 2006 <strong>Fast</strong> <strong>Ford</strong><br />
/ modifying guide / MK6 escort/<br />
EXTErior<br />
Any mods will depend on the look you’re after. Cosworth replica kits are<br />
available for the <strong>Mk6</strong> if you want to go down that route, or you could<br />
try one of the modern and more adventurous kits.<br />
There are loads of different style bonnets, light clusters and<br />
decal kits currently available, so making your <strong>Mk6</strong> truly custom<br />
shouldn’t be a problem. Have a quick look through the pages of<br />
FF and you’ll find all the stuff you’re looking for, and more.<br />
Sleek bonnet vent helps<br />
cool the blown motor
inTErior<br />
The interior design depends largely on<br />
your taste. If you want the inside to look<br />
like Henry built it, but don’t want the<br />
nasty standard trim then think about<br />
robbing the interior from a dead RS2000.<br />
The half leather Recaros add a bit luxury,<br />
and are fairly cheap if you can get a<br />
decent second-hand set.<br />
Other than that, the options of<br />
aftermarket bucket seats, dash kits,<br />
gauges, lighting and other interior styling<br />
products are endless, from a stripped-out<br />
track slag to a blinged-up cruiser. Give<br />
specialists like Essex Racing, Demon<br />
Tweeks, and ESP Design a bell.<br />
0132 november 2006 <strong>Fast</strong> <strong>Ford</strong><br />
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Standard interior is quite funky,<br />
but even better with a retrim<br />
Standard GTi skirts work well<br />
with the ST24 rear bumper<br />
You can even watch<br />
your fave flick while<br />
on board this tidy GTi<br />
Quality ICE install lets the<br />
neighbours know Luci is home
BrakEs<br />
<strong>How</strong> mad you need to go on your<br />
stoppers will depend how much<br />
you’ve tuned the motor, and what you<br />
use the car for. At the very least you<br />
should be looking at a decent set of<br />
pads. LPS offers a set of EBC Green Stuff<br />
pads for £40, and if you’re after a set of<br />
drilled and grooved discs, these come in at<br />
£110.<br />
If you want monster brakes you can<br />
get brackets made up to allow fitment<br />
of Cossie discs and callipers, but for real<br />
stopping power you want a set of Tar-Ox<br />
278 mm discs and six-pot callipers,<br />
which LPS can do for a very respectable<br />
£750 for the complete kit.<br />
There are insane brake conversions<br />
out there, like the Tar-Ox 330 mm disc<br />
and 10-pot calliper kit, which cost a<br />
fortune at £1900, and really are too<br />
much for <strong>Fast</strong> Road use, but if your<br />
Escy is a track animal it may be<br />
worth considering.<br />
If you’re going to play with the<br />
fronts it might be worth looking at a<br />
rear disc conversion too. The most<br />
common, and cost-effective, way to<br />
get rear discs is to rob them off an<br />
RS2000. The beauty of this is that<br />
most of the parts are still available<br />
from <strong>Ford</strong>, so refurbing them<br />
before refitting isn’t a problem.<br />
wHEELs & TYrEs<br />
As with most <strong>Ford</strong>s there is a wide<br />
range of alloys that will fit, and more<br />
importantly suit the style you’re<br />
going for. You don’t have to stick<br />
with aftermarket rims, as there are<br />
plenty of genuine <strong>Ford</strong> items to<br />
choose from.<br />
Loud and low, just<br />
how we like ’em<br />
Big brake kits all-round:<br />
look good, stop better<br />
A set of 17s will fit under the <strong>Escort</strong><br />
arches without any problems, but<br />
bigger than that and you’re looking at<br />
chopping away at the side of your car.<br />
There are dealers who will give you<br />
exactly what you want, so flick through<br />
the mag and make some calls.<br />
suspEnsion<br />
What you use your <strong>Mk6</strong> for will<br />
greatly influence your choice of<br />
suspension. The <strong>Escort</strong>’s handling in<br />
standard form was a bit wobbly to<br />
say the least, so a decent set of<br />
dampers and lowering springs will be<br />
high on the to-do list. Any of the big<br />
names like AVO, SPAX, and KW will be<br />
able to supply you with a decent<br />
lowering kit. We’d recommend not<br />
just going for the lowering springs, as<br />
they won’t match the shocks and will<br />
simply lower the car, not necessarily<br />
improve the handling.<br />
<strong>To</strong> firm things up more you could<br />
go for a front and rear strut brace, if<br />
you haven’t filled the boot with ICE,<br />
and fit a set of polyurethane bushes.<br />
If you want anything stiffer than<br />
a lowering kit, or if you use your car<br />
on the track, you’ll be looking at<br />
shelling out around £500 for a set<br />
of coil-overs. Although they may be<br />
a bit harsh for everyday road use,<br />
they are essential for the track<br />
as they offer adjustable ride height<br />
and damper settings.<br />
<strong>Fast</strong> <strong>Ford</strong> november 2006<br />
0135
minE aLL minE...<br />
Luciano Pini has owned this sorted<br />
<strong>Mk6</strong> 1.8 GTi for eight years now, but<br />
tells us that it was standard up until<br />
four years ago. “It wasn’t until I started<br />
going to the shows that I thought<br />
about doing the car up properly; turn it<br />
into something special.”<br />
Luci’s motor has come a long way<br />
is those four years, as he explains: “It<br />
started out just by changing the lights,<br />
and it kind of snowballed from there.”<br />
The <strong>Escort</strong>’s first mods were<br />
mostly external, with the addition<br />
of a bonnet scoop, bad-boy bonnet,<br />
Prowler front bumper, ST24 rear<br />
bumper, blue tinted headlights, and<br />
Lexus-style rear lights. Not surprising<br />
when you learn that Luci is a<br />
bodyshop man by trade, so does most<br />
of the styling mods himself.<br />
With the looks taken care of, Luci<br />
decided he wanted more grunt so<br />
opted for a turbo conversion. Prism<br />
Motorsport carried out the job, and<br />
the <strong>Escort</strong> now features a T25 turbo,<br />
chargecooler, ported and polished<br />
head, high lift cams, Powerboost<br />
valve, K&N induction kit, and a<br />
Superchip, and now turns out 197<br />
bhp. The exhaust is a one-off jobbie<br />
made by Powerflow, and to help the<br />
exhaust flow even more Luci is<br />
getting a custom manifold made up<br />
by Primary Designs, which should<br />
give him a few more ponies to play<br />
with.<br />
Stopping is taken<br />
care of by a Cossie bigdisc<br />
conversion with<br />
Hi-Spec four-pots at<br />
the front, and a<br />
0136<br />
november 2006 <strong>Fast</strong> <strong>Ford</strong><br />
/ modifying guide / MK6 escort/<br />
disc conversion at the rear, whilst<br />
the handling is kept in check thanks<br />
to a set of Gaz coil-overs.<br />
Luci’s <strong>Mk6</strong> has still got the original<br />
GTi electric seats in place, but they<br />
have taken a trip to A1 Trimmers for<br />
a full retrim in grey and silver leather,<br />
as have the door cards. Staying<br />
inside, Luci’s filled the <strong>Escort</strong> up with<br />
a host of toys, including a DVD<br />
player, a 12 inch monitor in the boot,<br />
a PS2, and sat nav.<br />
He’s looking at putting the <strong>Escort</strong><br />
in concours competitions next year,<br />
and has even gone to the extent of<br />
painting the underside of the car. “I<br />
belong to both the FEOC and<br />
<strong>Ford</strong>Sport and do the shows with<br />
them. I’ve won seven competitions<br />
so far, but now I want to go into<br />
concours the car will be coming off<br />
the road in December for me to<br />
clean every nut and bolt on it, ready<br />
for next year.”<br />
With one sorted <strong>Escort</strong>,<br />
Luci has definitely got<br />
something to smile about<br />
SPECIAlISTS<br />
AVO UK<br />
01604 708101<br />
www.avouk.com<br />
BPJ Services<br />
01432 351006<br />
Collins Performance<br />
01260 279604<br />
www.powerchips.com<br />
Competition Transmission Services<br />
01582 840008<br />
www.gearboxman.co.uk<br />
Engine Advantages<br />
01376 502522<br />
www.engine-advantages.co.uk<br />
LPS<br />
01473 610102<br />
www.lpsauto.co.uk<br />
Vulcan Engineering<br />
020 8579 3202<br />
www.vulcanengines.com<br />
TYPICAl PRICES<br />
Uprated chip £235<br />
Ashley 4-branch manifold £160<br />
Ashley exhaust system £175<br />
Big-valve Maxiflow 2 head<br />
(exchange) £795<br />
<strong>Fast</strong> Road cams<br />
(pair, exchange) £390<br />
Tar-Ox 278 mm discs and<br />
six-pot callipers £750<br />
AVO coil-overs £500<br />
Quaife ATB £495<br />
ClubS<br />
<strong>Escort</strong> Evolution<br />
www.escortevolution.<br />
co.uk<br />
<strong>Ford</strong> <strong>Escort</strong> OC<br />
www.feoc-uk.com