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2016 focus st track build

21K views 108 replies 21 participants last post by  Clayton Performance  
#1 ·
Hello Everyone,

As some of you know i listed my car for sale and not long after i sent a rod through the oil pan. So i decided to keep the car and convert it to a track car only with as little weight as possible.

In the future we do plan to swap some sort of AWD system into the car as well as a stand alone ECU, full cage, and Full port injection only. Although for now i will make due with the budget i have until i can save some more money LOL.

Google Drive link below, pics of the starting point when the motor went, and current status of the car and parts i have attained so far.

Starting Pictures

I will be documenting the entire build on this thread as time goes on. Unfortunately upon assembling my new motor with built internals, and ARP stud snapped before i hit the final torque target on the bolt of 70lbs. Luckily SP63 already sent a replacment in the mail Free of charge.

I will be looking to make 550 whp on this setup until i can afford higher numbers, mainly just trying to get the car running again as quickly as possible.
 
#3 ·
Thank you! And I went to auto school, but honestly it wasn’t worth it. I’ve learned more using YouTube, watching other people, forums, and just figuring it out as I go. Now most of it is fairly simple and self explanatory to me except electrical. That stuff still makes no sense :LOL: so I’m not quite a mechanic by trade but I do have extensive knowledge!
 
#8 ·
Well I have the pieces back on the dash that are necessary. Got some wire cleanup to do this weekend and get the seats back into the car. But made some good progress tonight! Only running the stock gauge cluster for now until I can order the mxg strada 1.2 street display, and get a panel made for some glow shift gauges. All in all, happy with the progress!
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#10 ·
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#13 ·
Alright. Made a little more progress. Got my battery and aux kill switch wiring cleaned up. Got the seats and a few other things back in. Going to be getting fia reg NRG halo seats and new 6 points once I get the cage but these will do for now. Next I have to get a steering wheel and short hub, then make brackets for the small display buttons and cruise control for map switching.

Got the tb rear strut bar mounted with some aluminum spacers made from 1.5” x 1/8” strap from Home Depot. The first pic you see is with the carpet. The lsd, synchros, and act 6 puck clutch have been ordered as well. Car should be able to be started in about 2 months so I can break the motor in and start tuning!
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#15 ·
Exciting!

I'm sure you will tie the cage into the rear cross member replacing the TB bar right? Those trigger welds look really cold 🥶
I’m not sure, I’ve been considering getting an auto power rear half cage and adding onto it for the front end. It would be the cheapest and most effective route. If I do that, the tb bar would stay as is
 
#16 ·
Okay, so I did some more reading and in order to run in the limited series time attack, I am required to retain the dash, or the dash skin at least lol. So the dash is back in now. Still need to get a wheel and quick release. I also need to make the center aluminum plate to cover the hole from the old sync3 to mount some aftermarket gauges and eliminate the stock ones. Then cage and new halo seat and harnesses. But on the bright side, the motor is back together now. Just waiting on the oil baffle for my balance shaft delete then the motor will be complete. Don’t make the mistake of leaving the vacuum pump flange on the end of the cam when trying to time the motor, I didn’t realize I still had it on and took my an hour to figure out why the timing tool didn’t fit 😂 but other than that hiccup, it’s going good!
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#18 ·
The only thing missing from this setup is a Ford Performance calibration! #FRPPboostedracecarPOWER 🏆🏆🏆😛
 
#21 ·
Sorry for the delay in updates, I’ve been focusing on some other stuff and the holidays. So I’m still waiting on tranny parts, but I was able to make some interior progress. The motor is also 100% done as well. Got the doors gutted also. I picked up some 1/8th inch thick ABS sheets and made front door cards, air vent covers, and making a center console cover tomorrow to mount some gauges! Also got a quick release installed and a custom steering wheel button bracket being made. Progress is slow but still coming along!
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#22 ·
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Alright, center console cover is made. Since these pieces will be permanent, I’ll be picking up some black silicone to fill in the edges and clean the look up. I was going to get a cage built but since I found AGI, I’ll be getting an FIA regulation bolt in 6 point instead as well.
Lastly, does anyone know the easiest way to get off all the sound deadening foam on the body without destroying the paint?
 
#23 ·
View attachment 412200 Alright, center console cover is made. Since these pieces will be permanent, I’ll be picking up some black silicone to fill in the edges and clean the look up. I was going to get a cage built but since I found AGI, I’ll be getting an FIA regulation bolt in 6 point instead as well.
Lastly, does anyone know the easiest way to get off all the sound deadening foam on the body without destroying the paint?
Using dry ice and alcohol. Plastic scraper.
 
#24 ·
Nice progress!

I've also used dry ice and IPA mix to harden and scrap off some old crappy sound-deadening stuffs with a buddy of mine. It worked quite well, and we had some very cool 'smokey' drinks to boot =-D
 
#26 ·
Hello Everyone,

As some of you know i listed my car for sale and not long after i sent a rod through the oil pan. So i decided to keep the car and convert it to a track car only with as little weight as possible.

In the future we do plan to swap some sort of AWD system into the car as well as a stand alone ECU, full cage, and Full port injection only. Although for now i will make due with the budget i have until i can save some more money LOL.

Google Drive link below, pics of the starting point when the motor went, and current status of the car and parts i have attained so far.

Starting Pictures

I will be documenting the entire build on this thread as time goes on. Unfortunately upon assembling my new motor with built internals, and ARP stud snapped before i hit the final torque target on the bolt of 70lbs. Luckily SP63 already sent a replacment in the mail Free of charge.

I will be looking to make 550 whp on this setup until i can afford higher numbers, mainly just trying to get the car running again as quickly as possible.
this looks really nice, a lot of it reminds me of when i was starting on mine,but yours looks like it could still be street legal unlike my tin can.

What series are you planning on running it in? I see you said Limited class, so i'm assuming Global Time Attack?

if so let me know if you have any questions. I originally built my ST for GTA limited class, and im friends with the 3 guys who write the rulebook and who tech the cars. I've had enough discussions with them over the years that i pretty much know everything that they will and wont sign off on at events, and all of the things in the "Grey" area.

btw I see that you have a pretty high power goal for this car. Honestly for any type of road course usage, this type of power will cause more issues than anything else. Everything else will have to be built overkill and on this chassis it pretty much isnt possible to harness that type of power. My car is ROWDY at only 450-500whp and runs similar lap times to other cars that ive raced that make 100 or more less HP just due to a lack of mechanical grip. My 8th gen SI at 350whp ran similar lap times to my ST. These cars don't brake very well at these types of speeds either. at only 400whp my ST could top 150mph on the straits at most of my local tracks. Of course the extra power will just cause extra stress on the engine, drivetrain, brakes, tires, and your temps.
 
#27 ·
If you have any questions about safety related stuff too, please PM me. I see a few things that are fairly easy fixes, that they would definitely fail you on that aren't a big deal to fix before your first event.
 
#28 ·
Well this was a few weeks ago, as of now it is definitely not street legal. No horns, building a custom PDU unit and switch panel for the lighting and ignition and have a standalone kit on the way going in in about two weeks. Ill be getting a full cage built shortly and an exhaust to make it legal without the ventilation setup. Then a halo seat and six points. But yes you are correct, I was expecting to run limited class in our local GTA time trial down in AZ with NASA motorsports. Although with the mods I'm making, ill probably qualify in unlimited. Although I know I cannot compete in unlimited class, i just wanna build a ridiculous and rowdy car and go have fun. That's my primary goal, and to say I did it myself in my own garage is what I'm wanting. Whether i place first or last :LOL:, I'm just wanting to enjoy myself. I still have a lot of work ahead of me lol. But I do appreciate it, ill be sure to reach out with some questions. I do have many questions about that rear diffuser, ive been looking at yours daily and the small thread you had on it to try and replicate it lol.

But here are some updated pics, what safety recommendations did you have? Again, ignore the harness bar and the harness angle. That will all be fixed with the new cage, seats, and 6 points. and those wires running in the open will be re ran in the new loom and hidden.


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#29 ·
yea honestly the seat angle and harness bar height was the main thing that i seen.

ive never done one of the Nasa events, but my buddy Tony is the one that runs those. hes also the Chief Tech inspector for GTA. really nice guy, although the first time you meet him you may think hes an ass haha. hes just very concerned about safety.
 
#30 ·
Awesome thanks for the input. Ill definitely reach out as i get closer to completing to get some advice on my safety setups. I do have one question for you. It seems all the seats and fixed brackets sit extremely low. For the cage you run, (im assuiming it was custom fabricated), did you build or buy a cage that had the crossbar for harnesses lower than premade options? Or did you run spacers on the seat bracket to lift the seat an inch or two to fix the harness angle.

It seems everything i find or see, the seat is too low compared to the crossbar since most of the premade options out there are built with the stock seats in mind.
 
#31 ·
Alright,

Here is another progress update for those that still look at this string. I wrapped the car myself. Once you learn how to work the material its actually pretty easy. All besides the bumpers and wing. With the pattern I struggled to not deform the wrap on those pieces and gave up. Lost my patience and am having my buddy who wraps do those last ones.

Picked up a new OMP HTE-R seat which fits me almost perfectly. So if you are 6', 180lbs with a 32 inch waist, I would recommend this seat. Now that the seat is in we have began measuring for an 8 point cage. The material will be getting cut next week and will begin installing in about 3 weeks. Ill post updates on that as it comes.

I got the standalone factory ecu and harness in the mail and started playing with mounting locations. Im considering leaving it where it is in the picture and cutting a heat shield with the honey comb pattern to match the wrap, tint, and intake manifold. The IQ3 street dash should be ordered in the next few weeks as well.

Lastly, we rebuilt the exhaust manifold. As some of you know from previously, the manifold ran over the top of the motor right next to my HPFP and fuel lines. I had actually blown 2 of those lines because of it. Now it is ran behind the block and getting mocked up with by 3071 on it. Ill change the turbo out for a g30-660 in due time, although I must say I love the new placement. The new hood dump should be built in the next 5-7 days for weekend street shenanigans. And a full exhaust will be built once the cage is completed.

The is my list of updates as of now lol :LOL: It doesn't seem like much but it feels like it is while your doing it for sure. And my pockets definitely aren't happy with me. Hope to post some additional updates in the upcoming weeks for you all!



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Attachments

#32 ·
New thread title: "Man buys car, throws half of it away, and pocketbook protests." :)
 
#40 ·
Its got a couple purposes. The primary reason is for when at the track and hitting the pits you can make quick adjustments in tire pressure. So you can connect an accurate tire pressure gauge and either release air or fill the tire with the second stem. Antoehr use is for purging nitrogen or air quickly when swapping between the two.