10/4 having the struts and link installed next weekend. just wanted to keep an eye out for other items I may need for future upgrades.

 

A little bit of an update is long overdue. Going back to the original post in this thread, I had initially intended to use the MTX75, and had a 5-speed shifter assembly installed. When I switched to the MMT6 mid-project, I also had to switch to ST shifter cables, and the 5-speed shifter assembly worked (but without the reverse lockout, making first and second a little hard to find without some practice). A while back, I got a 6-speed shifter assembly, but the cable lengths didn't match up--even lifting the lockout collar, going all the way left (with the side-to-side cable at max adjustment) still landed you in first gear instead of reverse. I put the 5-speed shifter assembly back in, and ordered Transit Connect cables from Lithuania. And waited...

Last week I finally had all the parts in one place to try to set everything up. I hooked the cables to the shifter and transmission, and everything worked just like I expected. Went through the hassle of fishing the cables through the floor, and--uh-oh--the cables were too short. Looking at what I got, and the cables I had in hand, I'd ended up with cables for the 1.5L diesel Transit Connect, which uses the iB6 6-speed. Tried again with a set of cables for the MMT6/1.6L diesel combo, and it still wasn't quite right (but closer).

In the end, I just modified the ST left-right cable, cutting a little bit off of the end of the threaded rod, to get the adjustment I needed:

Now it has the right shifter installed, and shifts like it should:

Yesterday I went ahead and changed oil (but forgot to collect a sample to send to Blackstone...ugh), and put on a new hard plastic engine cover. I knew these existed because of some threads on this forum, but was only finding them upwards of $200 shipped. Since I needed one for each Transit Connect, my partner's C-Max and Focus, I took a gamble on a bulk order from overseas (had to order 10, and didn't really get to see any pictures of what I was getting). Since the old one had been thoroughly soaked in brake fluid from the slave cylinder failing, and has been on there for 187,000 miles, it was time to go. Fit was good, and the panel is solid. The new opening to direct air over the AC compressor should add at least 10 hp, right?

I'm taking comfort in knowing that if I ever have another leak, fluid will either puddle on the engine cover or drip down, making it easier to catch and address before getting stuck on an off-ramp in the middle of nowhere at 2 am with no clutch pedal. The panels I don't need are currently listed in the classifieds.

Next up is new struts (currently leaning toward Bilstien B6s, but open to suggestions).

 

Another quick update--I was needing to haul a bunch of stuff again (moving is an odyssey...), and went for a hitch rack instead of a trailer this time. I bought the "ATV" rack from Harbor Freight since it has a few inches of rise and the TC hitch is really low, and it worked out just about perfect for the 6 big containers I loaded on the back.

That trip crossed the 31,000-mile post-swap mark, and I think the containers were a neutral or slight positive impact on fuel mileage. This trip logged just shy of 25 mpg, with most of it cruising at just under 80. Real close to 300 lbs on the hitch rack, and at least 1,000 lbs of stuff behind the second row (ignore the straps--that was temporary just shuffling vehicles in and out of the driveway).

 

I suppose no news is good news here--life has been busy, so the little van that could has been doing all kinds of work. Another 1,000 mile trip with a U-haul trailer is in the books, transported a new washer and dryer (with room in the second row still for the furry guy), and picked up 10 (!!!) bundles of attic insulation--doors closed. I managed to forget to take pictures, but if you want this van to be dead quiet at 80 mph, that does the trick. It was stuffed to the point that both back doors and side doors were helping to compress insulation, so there was simply no room for anything to rattle.

I didn't go across the scales this time--a little less weight in the van itself, but definitely more in the trailer. Didn't fight headwinds quite as much, so finished the trip on the high side of 20 mpg.

 

Duff, I am doing a similar swap right now. Mechanically and electrically I am done. I am down to the Central Configuration changes. I have trued 3 different J2534 adaptors and none have worked. Which adaptor are you using with Forscan? Thanks in advance.

 

This one: Amazon.com

 

@Duff This is amazing! I have been wanting to do this swap for a long time on my 2014 Transit Connect. I'd love to compare wiring notes sometime. Are all major functions working? The only other Transit Connect swap I know of in the US had all kinds of problems with ABS, Cruise, etc. but they tried to use the Focus ST cluster (not sure if that was the issue). I visited the shop 4+ years ago while they were still working on it and I don't think they ever solved it, then the owner got frustrated and sold it off.

 

@Duff This is amazing! I have been wanting to do this swap for a long time on my 2014 Transit Connect. I'd love to compare wiring notes sometime. Are all major functions working? The only other Transit Connect swap I know of in the US had all kinds of problems with ABS, Cruise, etc. but they tried to use the Focus ST cluster (not sure if that was the issue). I visited the shop 4+ years ago while they were still working on it and I don't think they ever solved it, then the owner got frustrated and sold it off.

Yep. Everything works. I have two minor codes (no CEL or anything), for not having the sound symposor or grille shutters. I do need to sort out a non-working third brake light as of yesterday though (unrelated to the swap)--seems there's a bad solder joint or something inside the light--it works or doesn't depending on how you tilt/shake it. Ford wants $75 for a new one, but the LEDs all work and I'm pretty sure I can repair it.

How do you like the big mirrors? I've thought about putting them on, but don't know if I'd find them worth as much as they go for. Do they fold in closer than the standard mirrors?

 

Here's my van. Only mods are its lowered with new wheels/tires and I put in Sync3. Oh, and I put on the big cargo side mirrors.

 

I'd welcome the contribution. Transit Connect info is generally poorly scattered between forums for other vehicles like this one and places like Facebook groups where it's needle-in-a-haystack searching for what you're after. It's also not helped by all the people that don't know the difference between a Transit and a Transit Connect, and the difficulty searching for one without the other. The more stuff we can get in one place, the better for this small-but-slightly-crazy crowd.

For the engine/transmission swap, I have most of the shopping list together (a good bit of it in the first post in this thread, but definitely missing some stuff).

My intent with the second one is to clean up the wiring a little more--it's already a plug-in engine harness, but I want to make up an adapter harness to plug into the connector where the automatic's shifter was, connecting to the clutch pedal switches. With most of the small electrical components, if you're buying one, you might as well buy a dozen, so it'll probably end up like the engine covers I'm handling now.

I still need to track down the right connectors for the instrument panel cluster upgrade too. I have the newer cluster, but I'm not quite at the stage of wanting to cut the factory connector on either of my vans. I've kind of gotten used to the deep binnacles over the gauges, but would still like to make the newer cluster work.

 

Quick little upgrade after stopping in at Damond Motorsports over the weekend. Despite the Ford part numbers being different for the Transit Connect and ST for the passenger side motor mount, we can now confirm that the ST mount Matt offers will fit, and will also fit on a stock Transit Connect (14-18, with 2.5L). It's a lot easier to pull the coolant reservoir out now, which is basically a necessity for adding coolant on these things with how far forward the cowl is.

Like a lot of aftermarket/racing motor mounts, it transmits a little more NVH than stock, but far from bothersome at idle (where it's usually the worst)--we haven't both gone anywhere in it yet, but we'll see if my partner comments on or even notices the difference. There's probably still less noise/vibration with this mount than in TCST#2 idling in drive on stock mounts.

While there, I also dropped off control arms that came off of this TC, for Matt to put new bushings and ball joints on. They'll go on TCST#2 while it's apart unless I decide to redo the struts/springs on this TC before I get to that point.

 

Since y'all were taking about it, the Mazda5 rear suspension is basically identical to the Focus and other C1 platform cars. There's differences in the knuckles, sway bars, springs, shocks, but for the most part, many of the components transfer to other C1 platform cars.

So not a really easy swap or anything. I do like the twist beam rear suspension on the transit, apart from the weird shock angle.

Side note. I run bags in the rear springs on my Mazda5 as well.

 

Side note. I run bags in the rear springs on my Mazda5 as well.

I have no idea why anyone would ever need helper springs, or why a stock 6F35 transmission would ever fail...

 

Well after numerous backorders, and my VCM3 finally showing up we got another one.
This was 1.6EB now 2.0EB manual with a Focus ST ECU and 100% Focus ST front end now.
Full Mountune chargepipes with silicone, RS intake box, Garret intercooled, RS Brembos with stainless lines, 18x9.5 advans, pilot sports AS4, bilstein PSS9, AWE track exhaust, and COBB down pipe.

Ill snap some pics this weekend.

 

The stance guys at the parts store say it's "Slammin" while the older guys say "It's a sleeper in more ways than one" Either way this is our 2020 Transit Connect 2.0L XL Cargo

NOTE: Image was taken before the lowering springs were added. In this image, There's a gap of 4'' above the rear tires.

List of Upgrades/Modifications:

• 19''x8.5 ET40 Axe CS Lite wheels ordered from England
• 245/40/R19 Nokian G4 tires ordered from Canada
• NGK spark plugs Rockauto
• Bilstein B6 Struts
• Cobra Suspension 40mm Rear Lowering Springs Netherlands
• Custom Diamond Tucked Carbon Fiber Interior
• 17'' balloon Spare from a 2005 Thunderbird Mounted inside the Van

Soon to be added:

• 28mm Hardrace sway bar
• 300mm +/- Super-Pro end links
• Bilstein Shocks

Drawbacks to installing a 19'' wheel.. Our 2 ton floor jack had to be modified so that it can lift the van high enough off the ground in order to rotate the tires. Next, 1 year later and we have to replace the 73mm-63.4mm wheel rings as the tire shop wasn't watching what they were doing and damaged the rings.

These 40mm Cobra Suspension Springs are referred to as road rate springs and yes they do make contact when compressed. Also, wrapped the rear shocks just to see what they will look like when the Bilstein's are installed.

One thing I'll say about any lowering spring kits. Eibach and Cobra seem to have this covered. Both of their 20/40 springs are ideal for vans looking to a mild lower/stance. if you're going to stay with 16'', 17'' or 18'' wheels the 20/40 set up will work just fine for you without ay modification. However once you get into the 19'' and even 20'' wheels the 40mm will work on the rear of the van. But the 20mm will be too low for the front And seeing how no one makes a set of 10mm lowering springs, we're having to cut a set of the factory springs by 5mm-8mm just to bring the front end down a little.

Here's we were testing turtle wax wheel and tire cleaner on the struts as calipers.

Removed all 6 panels form the cargo area covered them with the diamond tucked carbon fiber.

Using a ATV spare tire mount, we removed the plastic molding, cut a hole larger enough as to allow the spare tire mount to poke through and then added the t-bird spare tire. We've had to use the spare several time just recently as one of the rear tires got 2 nail in it. The t-bird spare mounted right up. With the left over Diamond tucked material, we're currently working on making a spare tire cover.

Before and After Installing lowering springs:

The Cargo Van has stiffer and taller springs which made for a 4'' (101mm) gap at the rear wheels.

After installing the lowering springs and over time the rear end of the van is now lower than the front and no one makes a set of 10mm lowering springs. So we're going to have to cut a set of factory springs and fit those on a new set of Bilstein struts.

With the help of John Hotchkis, we test fitted a 27mm, 28mm, and 32mm sway bar designed for the Ford Focus on our 2020 Connect and it doesn't work. Reason being is that the Focus engine cradle is designed different than the Connect cradle. So for the record, No a performance sway bar made for the Ford Focus will not work on a Transit Connect. However there is hope on the horizon.. Seems hardrace makes a 28mm sway bar designed for the Ford KUGA (Escape) which uses the same engine cradle as the Connect.

But first we've shortened the 300mm Super-pro end links in order to tighten up the front end. When the van sits level the sway bar is approx 10° below level. Optimal positioning for the sway bar is 20° below, Level or 10° above level.

So while some are trying to swap engines and transmissions, we're perfectly happy with our 2.0L auto trans. Sure it wont win any drag races, but if you want to talk about handing on a road course through the mountains. The van turns on a dime and is very stable after doing just a few of these modifications and we still have a few more things to add. It took use 6 sets of tires to find the correct set of tires for the van.

The main issue with 5 sets of tires, is that the side walls have an over flexing issue, meaning when ever we went into a curve, the tires would flex inward or outward based on the direction of the curve. This lead to some dangerous driving. Several times the van slid into curves because those other set of tire just didn't hold up. Adding the Nokian G4's has taken care of that over flexing issue as these tires have stiffer side walls and are some of the best tires we've ever own. if you're going to up the size of your wheels,, be warned what tires you select. Avoid the trouble we went through and get a set of the Nokian G4's

 

View attachment 420303
Using a ATV spare tire mount, we removed the plastic molding, cut a hole larger enough as to allow the spare tire mount to poke through and then added the t-bird spare tire. We've had to use the spare several time just recently as one of the rear tires got 2 nail in it. The t-bird spare mounted right up. With the left over Diamond tucked material, we're currently working on making a spare tire cover.

I'm assuming you ditched the factory full-size spare to have something similar in diameter to the rest of your tires?

 

With everyone talking about engine and trans swaps.. doesn't anyone remember what Dotmaster/Vaccar did a few months back?. Seems to me, they spent allot of time trying to make an ST out of a Transit Connect. But according to the car&bid site, The van sold for 28K but still has electrical issues and will never pass emissions.. So what's the purpose of these new builds assuming they also may not pass emissions and could have the same electrical issues or has someone stumbled upon some new technology that's allowing these builds to happen?

 

With everyone talking about engine and trans swaps.. doesn't anyone remember what Dotmaster/Vaccar did a few months back?. Seems to me, they spent allot of time trying to make an ST out of a Transit Connect. But according to the car&bid site, the van still has electrical issues and will never pass emissions.. So what's the purpose of these new builds assuming they also may not pass emissions and could have the same electrical issues or has someone stumbled upon some new technology that's allowing these builds to happen?

No issues here. I'm not sure how they went about the electrical, but my build doesn't have any trouble with an emissions test--no check engine light, stock exhaust, etc. It now has over 40K miles post-swap, with the only issue of note being a failed (brand new, OEM) slave cylinder last year. I seem to recall them doing wiring stuff at the BCM, but they also wired in an aftermarket sound system and the ST cluster. Everything I changed was at the battery junction box, on the engine side of the harness.

 

10/4 I was under the impression that some major surgery was needed to make this happen. Not that we're wanting to do this.. but just seem to be a lot of work with nothing really to show for it. So I made my offering above and it may or may not be much to those reading.. but just proving that the Focus Sway bar doesn't work on the Connect was a challenge and a big disappointment. Yet, knowing the KUGA utilizes the same engine cradle as the Connect and Hardrace makes a 28mm sway bar for the KUGA, we're hoping to get this installed.

First the 1 year old carquest end links failed on us. So we have to install the Super-pro links as soon as possible. we've had the shop cut down the 300mm end links as we would not have seen any improvement in just installing these without any sort of modification. We even ordered and have the 28mm Energy suspensions sway bar bushings ready when we purchase the Hardrace sway bar. We've been told that just installing the 28mm sway bar will offer us an increase in handle by as much as 60%. But can't verify this until it happens. What's left to install on our van? Not much. So hopefully something I've added will help others searching for parts.

Oh btw.. while on Instagram, I located at least 6 other TC owners who had the 4 piston Brembo calipers (made for the Focus) installed on their vans.. So yes if it fits on the Focus, it will fit on the Connect..

With the help of IceBoxCustoms out of CA this slammed this detailing van with a bag setup and the Brembo 4 piston calipers.

 

@Duff the 17'' T-Bird spare fits perfectly (same lug pattern and center bore) with the 155/70R17 Continental Spare Tire. The van is nearly level. Don't have a pic of the spare on the van. But here's one of the spare wheel mounted on the van when I was checking the fit after the wheel was powder coated.

As for how it was mounted inside the van, we used a Razorback spare tire mount. These are normally used on ATV's we removed the molding and had the shop cut a hole where we were mounting the bracket. A spot over on the side wall shows a flat spot where a seat belt harness would be located which made for a perfect spot for the spare tire mount.

Mounted up the bracket, then replaced the newly cut molding and mounted up the spare.

yes we had Discount Tire yank out the full size spare and the cabling system from under the van.. this has freed up space under the van which we may use for a better exhaust system

 

@Duff the 17'' T-Bird spare fits perfectly (same lug pattern and center bore) with the 155/70R17 Continental Spare Tire. The van is nearly level. Don't have a pic of the spare on the van. But here's one of the spare wheel mounted on the van when I was checking the fit after the wheel was powder coated.

I guess I'm missing why you wouldn't mount it in the factory underfloor position or keep the full-size spare. A tire that size would have plenty of room mounted underneath.

 

Having to lower the full size spare from under the van every 5K miles for a rotation was a very time consuming chore..

Mounting a smaller, easier to remove spare inside the van allows us the freedom to be independent and not have to call Triple A. I will say this, if you're going to have any added weight to your van I would not do the balloon spare. Even though the balloon spare was made for the 2005 thunderbird it will withstand a small amount of added weight. We didn't do any conversion in the back of the van but there is enough room for a twin size bed.

 

Having to lower the full size spare from under the van every 5K miles for a rotation was a very time consuming chore.

You could always just ditch the concept of rotating in the fullsize and just use it purely for spare use, like your T-bird spare now. Same for keeping the new spare under the car to keep more interior space. I'm assuming this is what @Duff was noting

That said, you obviously have enough interior space for your needs for this not to be an issue.

 

@rambleon84 it's come down to that, But as of last weekend, Discount Tire's crew did something to the front end of the van, So I've had to use the spare more than I wanted to. But yes it's designed to be just a spare and mounted inside the van. The extra space under the van does have some possibilities, but I need to remove some of the plastic things attached to the dead axle and I had to cut 20''x8'' off a heat shield which isn't being used anymore and is cause some air flow restrictions un our lowered van. Plus it doesn't help that the muffler is sitting vertical and not horizonal. We're aiming to fix that also.

 

I didn't want to take away from Duff's thread but I had some info on several basic things we've done to the van that could help others. Like wheel size ranges. Wheels can be 16''-20'' tall x 7''-9.5'' wide and good offset range is somewhere between 38-50 Our wheel happens to fit perfectly at an offset of 40.

Tires on the other hand.. is a difficult challenge when you get up the 19'' and 20'' range. Again we tested 6 different sets of tires on the 19'' wheels and found that tires like Nitto, Kumho and others had side wall flexing issues. While tires for the 18'' and 20'' wheels have very low profiles and may not offer a very comfortable ride.

Plus, when we installed the 40mm lowering springs.. the stock or factory springs being stiffer and taller are a good replacement for those wanting to lift their vans. Which is rare and some still want to do this. But no matter what size wheel 16''-20'' there's a 4'' (101mm) gap as the back wheels and fender edge.

btw, these 245/40/R19 Nokian G4's are load rated 98 XL and the wheels will withstand 1600+ lbs.

Here, before the installation of the 40mm lowering springs.. there's a gap of 4'' inches between the tire and fender edge.. that distance was always there no matter what size wheel or tire. just looks accentuated here because of the 19'' wheels.

In the knowing that the Brembo calipers will fit the van. We're not going to go for the 330 rotors. We may opt for a set of 303's instead. A good reference is the Ceika brake site which allows one to customize the brake calipers and rotor setup. This would give you a good idea as to what will fit your van. No matter what brakes you select, I would suggest going with a set of Powerstop carbon fiber/ceramic pads. We've had out set since day one (3 years) and there's loads of life left on them.

 

To Whom ever is interested, we've just confirmed the fit of the 300mm-345mm sway bar end links (designed for the Volvo) that fit on our 2020 Connect. However, at most parts site, the van gets either a 11.9 inch end link or a 13.X end link.. When viewing the van on level surface, the current 11.9 inch end link shows that the sway bar is approx 10° below level. One can install these 300mm Super-pro end link as is.. but they may not gain anything from doing this. What we did was cut 1/4 of an inch off each end of the end link rods/bars then reattached the ball joints. We ended up with a 11.50 inched end links and after installing the sway bar is now completely level Instead of below or above level.

However in this image, we just had the wheels/tire check for balance and round.. turns out Discount Tire dropped the ball again on this one and all four tires were out of balance. So what you're seeing here is that the van was on a lift at a local tire shop, so the sway bar back down to a 20° angle. But once the wheels were placed back on the van, the sway bar returned to the correct orientation of being level.

We've only been driving the van around town and do notice a difference in handling and stiffness. So we're undecided as to if we're going to install the 28mm Hardrace sway bar. We have some running to do this weekend and hopefully I'll be able to find some curvy roads to test the new links.

Just to confirm, yes the Super-Pro 300mm-345mm end links designed and listed for the Volvo will fit on your 2019-2023 Transit Connect and could fit other year Connects.

 

Quick little project before the next road trip...the Transit Connect driver's seat has been replaced with an Escape seat with heat, memory, and power lumbar. The Escape seats definitely have more padding, but less in the way of a bottom bolster. The stock seats were never uncomfortable, but there was no adjustment for the bottom cushion angle. Given the crazy amount of headroom, the ability to sit a little bit higher up is also welcome.

After getting everything set, I still need to pull the seat back out and reinstall the trim and floor tray. After the next trip, I should have upgraded control arms in hand, so it'll be time for a little bit of front suspension work, and maybe an intercooler upgrade.

 

Goodies! It's going to be a scramble to try to get these on before the next road trip, with a slightly more pressing repair needed on the C-Max. Somehow, we ended up with a bolt between the lower edge of the fan shroud and the radiator--not sure if that was dropped when we replaced the ABS module or whether it was when we did the front end repairs right after we bought it, but either way it's been there for at least 10 months and finally managed to poke a small hole.

Still working on getting it the way I want it, but here's a quick photo showing some ODB2 gauge displays via Android Auto and Torque. Next step is getting the graphics themed to match the instrument panel. It'll be nice to be able to keep an eye on things, especially towing, and might help me decide how badly I need to do that intercooler upgrade.

 

Hey @Duff would you have any interest in doing this swap on other vans as a side gig?

 

I've definitely considered it--it's obviously a lot easier and less stressful once you're confident it can be done, and you have a pile of receipts and stuff for exactly what's needed to do it. I currently have a second van I bought off of a guy that had the transmission die and needed it gone quickly--I was going to swap it and sell it, but it's been on the back burner for a bit (have the van, the parts, hoping to find the time next month). I also plan to publish a more detailed guide, but that's been coming along a lot slower than I'd like.

 

How about a current pic of how the van is sitting?

 

Before or after I jack it up and pull the suspension apart for new control arms? It hasn't really changed much, other than needing a little TLC after getting hit with a truck tire carcass on the PA turnpike a few months ago. I still need to get the trim for the Escape seat modified and installed--that seat is a pretty nice upgrade from stock.

 

In progres--

Driver's side done, supervisor has arrived--

 

This is very interesting and I subscribed and joined just to follow. Sorry if I missed it but I was thinking about your shifter situation. Your Lithuania shifter is a 5-speed but your transmission is a 6-speed. Have you considered that the escape and the TC have a very similar dash? The escape comes manual transmission 6 speed in the UK. Thoughts?

 

The 5-speed shifter was ultimately temporary--my initial intent was to use an MTX75, but I had an Escape downpipe and the shifter cables interfered. An MMT6 went in, and just used the 5-speed shifter until I was able to get a 6-speed version (with the reverse lockout) shipped over from Europe.

The second build I'm still hoping to make the 5-speed work (just have to find the time to work on it!).