Ford 2.3l Turbo Intercooled Merkur Engine in an 85 Escort

[d123420]

merkur loooks way better. plus i dont think that escort has rear independent suspension lol noobs

[chevy385]

@d123420 The escort does have independent rear suspension. Most people have never even seen a Merkur

[TPena92]

it's crazy how he converted it to FWD

[chevy385]

The 2.3 was also used in the Tempo but the RWD block has different engine mounts. The bellhousing bolt pattern is the same.

[TPena92]

@chevy385 ya thats some crazy fabrication...you still have the car?

[chevy385]

It actually wasn't mine. But I talked with the guy who put the engine in and he said the strut towers were rotted out in the back he just fit the engine in for the heck of it. He said on the track it ran low 14s spinning the tires. And it was only running 8psi of boost in the video. He sold it and a believe the fellas who made the video were the guys he sold it to

[matthewchan]

that is nice! ive got a 85 myself. was thinking about putting in a sentra ser drivetrain, or maybe making it rwd with a 5.0 mustang setup ^_^

[chevy385]

go with a 3.0L engine from a tempo if you want a V6. or you could even go with the SHO 3.0L. The RWD conversion would ruin the car I think. Hell even a Zetec or Duratec might work. There are lots of things to do to make it better ;-)

[matthewchan]

ive done some research, and i think im going to just keep it as a dd and keep modding my 240

[420witchdoctor]

Dude, you could probably go stomp all over Civics with that thing.

[chevy385]

It ran low 14s in the 1/4 spinning the tires for the first 60'. So it had plenty more in it yet

[420witchdoctor]

Yep, you could get some Civics with it for sure, haha. Very cool car.

[tonyteb]

i always wanted to put an 86 svo motor in one of those that car would be out

[chevy385]

That very same engine ran really well in this one.

[wearetheos1]

Nice car, cool

[StrangerTurboRanger]

I noticed the intercooler on there. If the car has a good fuel pump and the brown top injectors,tell your buddy to crank the boost up. Then do another vid.

[chevy385]

I gladly would but it is no longer his car :-( I would have bought it myself if I knew he was selling it

[sierraxr4ti]

Nice.... Funny I was in the process of doing the same to an 89 topaz. If your ever in the midwest we should put that up against an XR.

[chevy385]

LOL, like I said before, not my car. But that would be sweet to see. I could go for that!

[Nbx33]

waste of time.. the merkur is already a sleeper when tuned right.. 1 out of every 1500 people know what a merkur is and can do. and fully knowledge about them. Should have stuck that motor in a something else like 4cyl mustang. nice car tho

[chevy385]

don't flame on me for wasting my time, not my car. besides people know Escorts as slow. That makes an Escort cool that can waste a Mustang GT

[3foxstangs]

can you say frankenstein car. wtf why would you want to screw with peoples ego why not just make a fast pinto while youre at it & make everybody cry. do you even wash that car before you take it out on saturday nights?

[chevy385]

it is the perfect sleeper, and screwing with egos is fun, besides it is not my car so you will have to contact the owner to get a true answer

[CorazonConsciente]

What kind of problems did you run into. Did the pullies and stuff clear, or did you have to bring out the hammer? If I wanted to put my 2.3 turbo motor in, what major modification would I have to do, besides electrical, and plumbing?

[chevy385]

I cannot answer 100%, but I talked to the guy who put it all together and he gave me a few tips and hints.The motor mounts were the worst part.They are all custom.He told me he dropped the trans 1.5"(I think)so the intercooler would clear the hood.All of the mounts are custom beings it was a RWD engine.The ATX trans bolts right up as should an MTX I am pretty sure.The pass front frame had to be "clearanced"for the crank pulley.

[chevy385]

The wiring is not that bad if you can find a harness and ECM from a turbocoupe,XR4TI, or SVO mustang.

So, I answer to all that I would have to say the most major mod would be the crank pulley and motor/trans mounts.

[chevy385]

I messed up, it is the water pump pulley that needs the clearance

[golem72002]

why not just use the 2.3L for an SVO or get a built 2.3L Turbo ? 200HP isn't that great.

[chevy385]

200 horsepower is great in a car that weighs 2600 pounds. That engine is the same engine from an SVO or turbocoupe. Besides I doubt it makes the stock 200 horsepower anymore since they liked to play with the boost...

[golem72002]

no mean I new built engine with new stuff on it would make more power. plus you could get a Remote turbo.

[chevy385]

Hmm, ok. But why bother with building one when a stocker will make over 300 horsepower?

[jdsanchez473]

badass! thats what i call a sleeper. I'm working on remote mouting a turbocoupe turbo on my '89 Tempo GLS 5spd.

[chevy385]

I have a 1990 Escort LX I am thinking or remote mounting a turbo on also. Not sure yet. Need to figure out how I would do the EFI part of it first...But yes, who would expect to get wasted by a beat up old 13 sec Escort.  I definately would not tell anyone! LOL

[CorazonConsciente]

How in the hell did you get the motor to mount to the ATX trans!!!

[chevy385]

bolts right up