focus on the mountains
last weekend we decided to take a “fun day” out from working on the house (and it was raining anyway) so we planned a trip to leavenworth, wa and on to ellensburg, wa to go to Central Washington University.
read on for details — this was the last run through the mountains on my summer tires and rims, so i had a bit of fun along the way.
left everett at 9:30, right on schedule (which is good for us — usually “up and at ‘em” on the weekends is tough to come by). heading east on highway 2. light rain in everett. stopped in monroe, wa at a starbucks for breakfasty things and coffee. moderately heavy rain in monroe.
back on hwy 2, through the cascade foothills towards Stevens Pass. rain getting heavier. traffic is somewhat frustrating. lots of people in big vehicles who can’t go fast in the turns, but speed up to around 80 in the straights (passing zones). got past them, usually in 4th at around 4000-4500rpm. (gosh i need a little more top end).
ended up in 4th for most of the trip, it was pouring pretty consistently so i needed to power through it. this was where the tires were worth their weight in gold — this summer i picked up a set of Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires from the Tire Rack. if you look at the tread pattern, you’d guess that they do well in the wet, and they certainly did not disappoint me. faster, harder cornering, they never lost grip, my confidence continued to build as the trip went along.
i was passing all-wheel-drive vehicles, large SUVs, pretty much everything we encountered. you want good summer tires that do amazingly in the rain, check them out. </advertisement> pull them off before winter, however. down in the 30’s i hear they lose grip because they’re summer compound.
after we stopped for cookies in leavenworth, it was route 97 southbound towards ellensburg, other side of the mountains. more of a desert climate in the summer, but it pours in the winter. kinda weird. the trees are different than we’re used to in the northeast, they actually do turn colors but it’s all generally one color — they were all a really beautiful, almost glowing, golden color. very pretty. definitely not new england oaks and maples in bright red/orange/yellow, but still pretty.
had lunch in ellensburg at “The TAV,” total college bar but the only one in town we could find on short notice with at least a few good micros on tap. went on to CWU, hit the bookstore for aforementioned swag. i have to say, CWU seemed pretty cool, but they pointed us to “visitor parking” that we never could seem to find.
we had planned to take US-90 back home, but we onramped directly into stop-and-go traffic. via cell phone browser we deciphered that said traffic continued for 16 miles ahead; we jumped back off the highway and went to retrace our route back up 97 to 2. stopped at leavenworth again at yet another starbucks, and through the pass just after dark. pouring rain, dark, steep grades, standing water. again, the F1s led the day. actually, i was setting the pace for the large SUVs again.
home just before 9. was a fun trip. next time we’ll probably stick closer; i think we put around 500 miles round trip. going to shoot for 2-300 next time - we’ll be in the Escape anyway so not so much fun on the drive itself.
focus has new shoes
so, the past few weekends were dedicated to my car mostly, in preperation for a car show this past sunday (i didn’t place — but that’s okay. i had strong competition).
read on for more boring car-centric details!
the wheels are Team Dynamics Pro Race 1, size 17×7 (45mm offset) in anthracite finish. the tires are Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3, 215/45r17 87W (1201lbs load rated). i purchased the rims used from another focus owner, and the tires new from the Tire Rack for $88 each! (in this service description — the XL load rated tires cost $135).
last weekend we cleaned my paint with a Meguiar’s Clay Bar system — it uses a lump of clay-like material to remove oxidation and embedded contaminants from your paint.
the results are quite astounding. you can literally feel the difference between an area you used the bar on, and one that you did not. of course, my car has had 5 years to build up oxidation and junk, but i plan now to repeat this annually.
after the clay bar, a coat of cleaner wax. i had hoped to then get another coat of carnuba wax over that before the show, but i ran out of time.
the wheels and tires fit quite well and handle nicely too. i’m running, as i said, 215/45r17 size tires, which match the OEM sized tires that Ford ships on the SVT focus. i knew that, since i was running the SVT suspension, this should be a safe tire size. the only real difference is the offset — the stock SVT wheels have a 49mm offset (that is — the measurement from the centerline of the rim, to the inside surface of the rim which mates to the hub). my aftermarket wheels have a 45mm offset. this means that the tire is actually 4 millimeters farther out from the hub, which increases the chance of rubbing on the fender.
i haven’t had any fender issues yet, however. i think the change is so slight that i would only have a problem if i were running with a lower car — if i’d gone with a different suspension that would have dropped the ride height more. from stock ZX3 to SVT suspension is only about 3/4 inch lower (most aftermarket setups start at 1.5 inch drops).
chunk of concrete + focus @ 65mph = ouch!
so, on the way home yesterday on I-5, i was switching lanes just before the exit to get home. it was dark. i saw a lighter colored blob come into view in my driver’s headlight, directly aligned with my driver’s side front wheel. i don’t know if i moved to the right instinctively or not, but…
… i hit it. not so bad in the front, but much worse in the back. i continued off the exit figuring if the tire was deflating, it would at least get me that far. just off the exit i got out and looked — they all still had air, so i drove it home (about 3 blocks away).
end result: impact bruise on front driver’s tire, deep impact bruise & bent rim on driver’s rear. the car’s going back into the alignment shop on sunday to get the suspension & steering components checked out.
rear:
front:
massive motor mayhem: the f100
nothing really prepares you for this.
you start it up, and the first thing that greets you is the ROAR. the second thing is the lopey idle. the third is the realization that, if it’s this loud now, how are you going to take 250 miles at 60mph?
yes, we bought carrie her f100 this weekend, and drove it home from Salem, OR. and it made it. so did i. (just barely).
it begins.
first off: yes, from a distance, the truck looks badass. for what it is, it’s pretty cool. “rat rod” tends to translate directly, however, to “don’t wanna do precision bodywork” and this truck is no exception. but - we didn’t pay for good bodywork, trust me.
as you get closer to the truck, it starts to go from badass to just bad. then closer still, and it starts to look like ass. it’s nothing we can’t fix. we were just happy to find a running Short WheelBase (SWB) automatic f100 locally for a reasonable price. (and the metal of the bed is beautiful!)
it’s ours!
after the money and title changed hands, i started her up. as i said before - it’s loud. no mufflers. (that’ll change). it has a 351 windsor V8, that’s having trouble keeping it’s oil and coolant from mixing (both with each other, and the environment.)
the truck is equipped with power steering and manual brakes. the power steering worked flawlessly, besides a slushly steering box. the manual brakes gave me a new admiration for fred flintstone. stopping is difficult enough, but keeping it still is where the challenge lies.
the truck is also equipped with a ford FMX automatic transmission. this is a three speed auto in which the first gear is very low (also sometimes called a “granny gear” for the speed at which it moves the truck). this gear provides a dramatic amount of torque from the motor for activities like pulling heavy things.
unfortunately that also means, if you wish to keep the truck motionless at a red light, you either need to shift out into neutral, or literally stand on the brake pedal with both feet. once on the highway, however, things change.
it’s moving!
since first gear is so low, it shifts out of first at a relatively slow speed (somewhere around 10mph). second lasts from 10 to 30 or so. this leaves - third. third goes from 30 to … as fast as the truck goes, or as fast/loud as you’re willing to drive it.
at around 60mph (70 on the dash… i trust the GPS unit more) it hits a drone which rattles you to your soul. it leaves just enough fidelity in your ears to enjoy the noise of the transmission, various rattles, squeaks, and the occasional thunk. if you roll the window down more than 2 inches, the smell of gasoline fills the cabin.
this is a visceral experience that tests all your senses; nevermind that your brain is busy worrying about “how much transmission fluid is left? will that head gasket hold out? if i blew a tire, how badly would i be damaged, rattling around inside a 5000lb steel box with only a lap belt holding me back against an 18 gallon fuel tank?”
it’s tempermental.
no time for that — your arms are busy flailing away sawing back and forth through the dead zone in the steering, to make minute adjustments as crosswinds batter this rather squarish vehicle and try to push it into whichever lane it wants to.
and when i actually DO want to change lanes, forget warning other drivers, or even seeing them — the turn signals don’t want to blink, plus one of the previous owners removed the side mirrors (for a “shaved” look). i found myself repeatedly staring at the rusted frame of the vent window wondering “shouldn’t there be something shiny on the outside? helps me see backwards, and to the left?”
it’s comfortable?
well, i’m not going that far. but it does contain various acoutrements to foster a pleasant driving experience. your backside? vinyl bench seat, with big squeaky springs which absorb at least a fraction of the bumpy stuff.
heat? lots of it! and you adjust it by rolling your window up or down (the knobs on the dash do nothing).
musical selections are limited to a sort of post-industrial noise-influenced techno. provided not by the radio, but by the mechanicals (as i said before - the cacophany of the machinery could easily be recorded to compact disc and marketed as an AFX vs. Coldcut collaboration EP).
it’s … home.
yes, i’m sure to quantifiable chagrin had by our neighbors, we rolled into the driveway around 7pm. i then followed up the trip by drinking enough Imperial IPA so that i lost feeling in various regions of my own face. the following day, it reluctantly went into the garage.
it begins again.
this is the beginning of a project. the first stage is complete; acquisition. the next stages will be: assessment, decisioning, replacement, restoration, tuning, and finishing.
do i know how to do all this? not right now. not by a longshot. but each day/week/year that passes, a bit more will be done. the next time it rolls out of the garage, it should be quieter and less drippy. then the next time, it should be running better and parts of it may be absent. then the next time - straighter. then the next time - shinier. and so on and so on.
stay tuned, we’re only getting started!
focus suspension, aligned and finished
i know, i know. enough about the car already. well here it is, SVT suspension installed on my focus. been about a week, so the rear springs are really starting to settle down. enjoy. see the end of the post for a scan of my alignment sheet — no wonder my steering wheel was off-center.
it’s really settled the attitude of the car down. even with 50,000 miles on my stock suspension, this sits it about 3/4″ lower.
suspension, installed!
today, in about 4 hours - i finally got my suspension done. picking up the parts earlier in the week, i set out to get it installed this afternoon and it went quite smoothly. i actually took the luxury of doing some things slow & methodically, to be extra-careful.
plenty of pics follow - except i forgot to snap one after i rolled the car out of the garage, but trust me it’s out and i’ve driven it. yay!
parts still in their bags
these are the inside bolts that hold the lower control arm
these are the cams & nuts that hold the inside of the lower control arm
these are the bolts that attach the lower control arm to the knuckle on the outside
thse are the new lower control arms
here’s the rear suspension with the lower control arms removed
a detail of the knuckle on one side with the lower control arm removed
the new lower control arms and SVT springs/shocks installed
detail of one side with the lower control arm and spring installed
suspension - the cavalry arrives
finally got my replacement lower control arms (LCA) for my focus. now, i can get the rear SVT suspension installed — and drive my car this weekend! it’s been a month, i think. i miss it.
