This month brings us our first non-protege feature for ClubProtege Ride of the Month. This month our winner is an Escort GT(X). Lex is a fairly new member, compared to past RotM winner's, and we welcome him to our community. He has made a custom AFC to work with our cars, and has more projects under way. All I can say is, wow! Enough of that, on to the car!
1991 Ford Escort GT
I loved the way it drove, how it was reliable, and how it was mine, all mine.
Modifications:
- Full GTX motor (330cc injectors, VJ20 turbo)
- Walbro 255l/h in-tank fuel pump
- GTX 4WD clutch and flywheel
- Solid (filled) front and rear motor mounts
- BP26 ECU
- Modified Escort GT harness
- Knock sensor, 4-wire TPS
- RX-7 VAF with cone filter
- Custom Starion FMIC with 2.5" inlet/outlet
- 2.5" custom mandrel bent intake piping throughout
- 3" custom exhaust turbo back
- Throttle body thermal spacer
- A/C and cruise control removed
- Mangnaflow high-flow catalytic converter
- Apexi N1 muffler
- B&M short shifter, boot, and knob
- Sprint lowering springs (2" drop)
- KYB GR-2 struts
- Corksport front and rear upper strut bars
- Energy rear swaybar bushings
- Clear Mercury Tracer front turn signals
- Painted red rear turn signals, calipers, and valvecover
- Custom Nissan 240sx front bumper lip
- Alpine MP3 in-dash CD player
- Clarion 5.25" front speakers
- Boost, A/F, EGT, Oil pressure gauges
- Entire trunk lining and rear speakers/pods removed
Future Plans:
- Re-mapped BP26 ECU or engine tuned with RRFPR and AFC
- VF10 hybrid turbo or T3 turbo
- Better tires
Distant Future Plans:
- Rebuild old BP with forged internals
- T3/T4 turbo
- Stand-alone engine management
- Full car repainted/underbody coated
- Full interior re-upholstered
About the car:
I bought this blue 1991 5speed Escort GT in June 2003 from an older man that was selling it for his daughter. At the time, I didn't know much about the BG chassis and it's potential; actually I was looking to buy a 240sx. The 240s were expensive and I finally decided to go see this little blue car. At first sight, it looked very clean and well cared for - and had only 190,000 km on the odometer. Once I took it for a test drive and felt how it was peppier than the 240s I was testing; I was hooked. After some bargaining, and having it mechanically tested, I drove away in my first car with $2000CAD less in my pocket. I loved the way it drove, how it was reliable, and how it was mine, all mine.
Initially I had no plans to modify the car aside from putting in a CD player. I was a huge car fan ever since I was a kid however and it wasn't long before I started to really do my homework. It also didn't take me long to figure out my little blue was smoking the blue ... aka burning oil. I was heartbroken - I didn't know how to fix it and had no money to pay for an engine rebuild; so I put her away for a year while I was in school and started to look at my options. I soon discovered sites like this one; where I have learned invaluable information that helped me get the car where it is today.
My heart was set on an engine swap and I came accross a great deal on a motor someone was selling locally. Picked the motor up even before I re-insured my car in April of this year. Then, after convincing my parents that it was a good idea to do an engine swap in their garage; armed with the FSM, many hours of reading, a box of tools, a good friend and his cousin, and many car parts the adventure of the swap began. Two weeks later, the car was running and I couldn't rub the smile it put on my face when it first hit boost.
From then-on the car underwent a much-needed suspension upgrade, exhaust upgrade ... and so forth; while never letting me down as a daily driver. It is such a rewarding feeling to have something that I put a lot of work into and I am sure these are the feelings shared by many of the enthusiasts on this forum.
About Lex:
I'm a 22 year-old Systems Engineering student and I live in Vancouver, beautiful British Columbia. I have been a car fan since I was as little kid and even before I got my license I loved tinkering with gadgets and electronics. My hobbies went through many stages: building computers, building stereo systems, building bicycles, and finally, (much to the pain of my wallet) playing around with cars and their electronics. I hope that my electronics engineering schooling along with my practical mechanical experience will eventually lend me a job in the automotive field - which will hopefully soon be followed by my the start company. My friends and I are already testing the waters with things such as AFCs and digital tachometers! I must thank my buddy Russ for the many late nights under the hood of a car, Clubprotege for all the information, and all you guys for embracing a little blue Ford! If you have any questions, feel free to ask, I'm more than willing to share and give back to this great community.
1991 Ford Escort GT
I loved the way it drove, how it was reliable, and how it was mine, all mine.
Modifications:
- Full GTX motor (330cc injectors, VJ20 turbo)
- Walbro 255l/h in-tank fuel pump
- GTX 4WD clutch and flywheel
- Solid (filled) front and rear motor mounts
- BP26 ECU
- Modified Escort GT harness
- Knock sensor, 4-wire TPS
- RX-7 VAF with cone filter
- Custom Starion FMIC with 2.5" inlet/outlet
- 2.5" custom mandrel bent intake piping throughout
- 3" custom exhaust turbo back
- Throttle body thermal spacer
- A/C and cruise control removed
- Mangnaflow high-flow catalytic converter
- Apexi N1 muffler
- B&M short shifter, boot, and knob
- Sprint lowering springs (2" drop)
- KYB GR-2 struts
- Corksport front and rear upper strut bars
- Energy rear swaybar bushings
- Clear Mercury Tracer front turn signals
- Painted red rear turn signals, calipers, and valvecover
- Custom Nissan 240sx front bumper lip
- Alpine MP3 in-dash CD player
- Clarion 5.25" front speakers
- Boost, A/F, EGT, Oil pressure gauges
- Entire trunk lining and rear speakers/pods removed
Future Plans:
- Re-mapped BP26 ECU or engine tuned with RRFPR and AFC
- VF10 hybrid turbo or T3 turbo
- Better tires
Distant Future Plans:
- Rebuild old BP with forged internals
- T3/T4 turbo
- Stand-alone engine management
- Full car repainted/underbody coated
- Full interior re-upholstered
About the car:
I bought this blue 1991 5speed Escort GT in June 2003 from an older man that was selling it for his daughter. At the time, I didn't know much about the BG chassis and it's potential; actually I was looking to buy a 240sx. The 240s were expensive and I finally decided to go see this little blue car. At first sight, it looked very clean and well cared for - and had only 190,000 km on the odometer. Once I took it for a test drive and felt how it was peppier than the 240s I was testing; I was hooked. After some bargaining, and having it mechanically tested, I drove away in my first car with $2000CAD less in my pocket. I loved the way it drove, how it was reliable, and how it was mine, all mine.
Initially I had no plans to modify the car aside from putting in a CD player. I was a huge car fan ever since I was a kid however and it wasn't long before I started to really do my homework. It also didn't take me long to figure out my little blue was smoking the blue ... aka burning oil. I was heartbroken - I didn't know how to fix it and had no money to pay for an engine rebuild; so I put her away for a year while I was in school and started to look at my options. I soon discovered sites like this one; where I have learned invaluable information that helped me get the car where it is today.
My heart was set on an engine swap and I came accross a great deal on a motor someone was selling locally. Picked the motor up even before I re-insured my car in April of this year. Then, after convincing my parents that it was a good idea to do an engine swap in their garage; armed with the FSM, many hours of reading, a box of tools, a good friend and his cousin, and many car parts the adventure of the swap began. Two weeks later, the car was running and I couldn't rub the smile it put on my face when it first hit boost.
From then-on the car underwent a much-needed suspension upgrade, exhaust upgrade ... and so forth; while never letting me down as a daily driver. It is such a rewarding feeling to have something that I put a lot of work into and I am sure these are the feelings shared by many of the enthusiasts on this forum.
About Lex:
I'm a 22 year-old Systems Engineering student and I live in Vancouver, beautiful British Columbia. I have been a car fan since I was as little kid and even before I got my license I loved tinkering with gadgets and electronics. My hobbies went through many stages: building computers, building stereo systems, building bicycles, and finally, (much to the pain of my wallet) playing around with cars and their electronics. I hope that my electronics engineering schooling along with my practical mechanical experience will eventually lend me a job in the automotive field - which will hopefully soon be followed by my the start company. My friends and I are already testing the waters with things such as AFCs and digital tachometers! I must thank my buddy Russ for the many late nights under the hood of a car, Clubprotege for all the information, and all you guys for embracing a little blue Ford! If you have any questions, feel free to ask, I'm more than willing to share and give back to this great community.
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