My Love For Cars Expanded

Cars have been a big part of my life ever since I was playing with my Matchboxes and Hot Wheels on the mat in my room. I have always dreamt of owning fast, cool looking cars. One of the ones I was particularly intrigued with during that time was the somewhat newly released Ford Focus ZX3.

I had no clue at the time that this was a Ford, or even a domestic car for that matter. I thought it was a sleek Japanese hatchback, for a while, I actually thought it was a newer Honda Civic. I saw the sleek, curvy body lines and how to me as a young child, the car looked like it could easily take down fast American muscle with just slight modification.

I saw these cars when they were brand new off the lot and was immediately in love.

For a while, I started to absolutely obsess over Mustangs. Man, did I LOVE Mustangs. My favorite one as an uneducated car enthusiast, which actually still is one of my favorite body styles, is the 2007-2009 body design. My friend's dad had and still has one with a Super Snake kit. I loved the deep, throaty growl of the V8. I thought, that is the definition of a man's car.

Back then, I obviously didn't know much of anything about cars. I didn't know how engines worked, how transmissions work, how the suspension worked. All this knowledge and enthusiasm has come within the last 4-ish years of my life, particularly the last year and a half.

My mom got a 2004 Focus ZTW wagon back in 2007. In 2014, after my first car, a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan, was...um...put out of commission, I got to drive this wagon. I LOVED that car. That was my first real car that I got to drive for more than 2 weeks. It didn't feature as sleek of body lines as the hatchbacks, but for me it was close enough. I had a car very close to the ones I dreamt of owning all those years prior. It didn't take long for me to begin making payments to buy the car off my parents.

As a kid, I always thought that wagon was sporty in its stock form...HA. When I got it, I knew it was nothing super special except for the rare 2.3L Duratec platform engine it sported, unfortunately with an automatic transmission (for those that don't know, the ATX in the Focus is an absolute slushbox). So I knew if this was to be my unique, fun, cool wagon, I needed to modify it.

This is when I got into modifying.

Well, "modifying." My first move was to dip the wheels. They were stock 15" alloy wheels, but I wasn't rolling on stock steelies at least. The next move was a resonator delete on the exhaust. I then moved to remove the crappy, restrictive PZEV airbox and put a pod filter on for better throttle response. I had a black front bumper cover because the stock one was smashed up from a ditch dive the previous winter. Black out the tails, interior LEDs, all the things a high school kid does to mod their cheap cars.

Finally, I got my head on straight and did some things right. I completely deleted the muffler and resonator and made a side exit exhaust. Having 2 catalytic converters, it actually was pleasant sounding, with lots of popping and gurgling and hardly any drone. I had plans to put 17" Focus SVT 5 spoke wheels on, lower it about 2-2.5", and work towards building a faster car with a MTX-75 manual.

I didn't realize it, but I was delving into a world of great people. I joined WCEC and immediately was happy with that decision. After I was rear ended, I got a Focus SVT, and my love for cars and modifying them is as strong as ever.

WCEC

Earlier, I believe I made a reference to WCEC.

If you are outside of the Midwest, you may not have heard of this group. WCEC is the Wisconsin Car Enthusiast Club. With more than 27,000 online members, WCEC is one of the largest car enthusiast groups in the Midwest.

Stance, street, track, rally, crawling, mudding, you name it. WCEC includes trucks, bikes, and cars of all kinds, stock and heavily invested in, street and off road.

Meets sponsored by WCEC are held statewide throughout the car season. Meet and Greets that bring in up to a thousand people and meets like Top Shelf, held in a parking ramp, are many ways that WCEC connects the car culture throughout Wisconsin to bring it together.

Involving local police departments is another way that WCEC has a largely positive impact in the car community and in local communities. Officers attend events, providing security, showing people features of the patrol cars, and talking to attendees about their rides.

It is a hugely positive group, and I am proud to be a part. I haven't gotten to any major meets yet, but you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be at many next year, with pictures and coverage on this blog.

I Owe An Apology

My apologies for some misinformation in my article on the Focus RS.

It was regarding the new Honda Civic Type R. Apparently, the information I received about it being front wheel drive was incorrect. It will be all wheel drive, and will hit the US market around the same time as the Focus RS.

That is all, carry on.

My SVT Focus

I have yet to introduce my car! I don't know how that got put off.

I drive a 2003 Pitch Black Ford Focus ZX3 SVT.

The story of this car begins with my first Focus. Before this, I used my mom's 2004 Focus ZTW wagon for a while. Eventually, I started making payments to her for it. I found out that it had the 2.3L Duratec, a very desirable engine in the Focus. About all I had done to it was plasti dip, a couple of lighting mods, and a resonator delete. That was this past summer. I loved that car. It was to be my year-round daily. 

Come winter, I did a full on muffler delete. So the exhaust setup was a header with a cat, a cat after the flex pipe, and then just straight pipes to a left side exit. I loved the sound.

Then, tragedy struck.

On January 6th, I was turning left at a 2-way stop. I was in the no-stop road, waiting for oncoming traffic to pass. Then, a Nissan Pathfinder came up over the hill behind me at 35+ mph. Car=totaled. I was devastated.

Being the positive thinker that I am, I decided that an upgrade would only be sensible in this time. I started shopping for SVTs, knowing I could probably find a good one. I found this one at Speedway Auto in Maribel, WI. I traded him my salvage-titled wagon and $2500 cash for this.

This is in its stock, unmodified form.

2 weeks into ownership, the engine blew. $1400 and a few months later, and she was back on the road.

Now, she looks like this: 

So far, I've done the following:

SRI

Powerstop drilled and slotted rotors with carbon ceramic pads

Maximizer High Performance Type R exhaust system

OZ Racing wheels with all-season tires

FRPP lowering springs

heavier shift knob

Currently working on wiring in a rearview mirror with a compass and temp reading.

Much more to come!

Stance and Your Attitude In the Car Community

Hellaflush! Stance nation! Camber gang!

All these phrases typed out by stance bros on the internet are the reason stance is hated on. Taking a super cheap car that is barely working mechanically, cutting the springs by a full coil and a half, and throwing wheels worth twice to three times more than the car on are why stance is hated on. 45 degree anglef camber with super-stretched tires is why stance is hated on. Perfectly good track cars "ruined" by slight stretch and camber is why stance is hated on.

What do I think about stance? It goes for every style of car modifications: I respect a person who has a tasteful build with a lot of their own time and hours put into it.

If you buy the car like that, but intend to fix, modify, or change things yourself, I respect that.

If you buy it modified and it is done tastefully, I respect that.

For example, one of my friends from my old hometown bought a nice 1987 Volkswagen Jetta GLI, similar to the car above. It had a Borla catback exhaust, lowering springs that made it one of the lowest cars in the city, Stance Encore wheels with slight tire stretch, and a roof rack. I loved that car.

Bottom line for me is that I appreciate good track builds, good trucks, good muscle cars, good sports cars, basically any car where the owner is a dedicated enthusiast who is respectful and gives back to the community. This includes stance. If it is done right and clean, I love the car.

Bottom line, it's all about your attitude.