How to modify: - Fast Ford

How to modify:
/ modifying guide / MONDEO MK2 /
mondeo mk2
With the right
mods you can
ditch that
repmobile
image for
good, we
show you how.
EnginE swaps
Given the fact you could smuggle
asylum seekers in the huge engine
bay of the Mondeo, space isn’t a
problem. However, some
conversions will require one-off
components so do plenty of research
before you dive in.
Cosworth power’s an option.
Remember the awesome green
Reyland Mondy? Although the
conversion was done on an earlier
model, the basics are the same.
For a more straightforward
conversion a V6 would be a safe bet.
You have the ST24 or the ST200. If
you fancy doing this at home the
best advice is to source a rolled or
crashed ST. You can have both cars
side-by-side and
In standard form the Mk2 Mondy
isn’t the most inspiring car in
the Ford range. OK, it comes
with a solid engine with either
a 115 bhp 1.8 or 130 bhp 2-litre
Zetec, and the V6 ST200 was
swap any necessary parts directly
over. This will see an instant 200 bhp,
then you can modify it further for
more ponies.
used by motorway Police.
However, it seems that lesserspec’d
Mondeos have been
forgotten or used as workhorses.
Admittedly, in factory trim they
are a little bland but they do have
potential and a level of practicality
which a Ka could only dream
of. Even though that’s a slightly
grown-up way of looking at things.
If you go about it the right
way you could have a car that
turns heads, sounds and goes
well and still has room for two
kids and the golf clubs. Or, go
against the grain and say to hell
with passengers, load it with
ICE to wake the neighbours or
go full-on stripped and caged
Touring Car-style. Either way it’s
down to you to make your
repmobile into a
tidy one-off.
EnginE
The Mondeo came with a 1.8 or
2-litre Zetec engine, and by all
accounts the Zetec is a blinding
bit of engineering with a good
reputation for reliability. If yours
has the 1.8 swap your throttle
body for that on the larger 2-litre
to help draw more air. Then fit the
2-litre cams and MAF sensor to bring
it up to 2-litre spec.
Once that’s taken care of you are
on the same path as 2-litre owners.
Now, you need to look at getting air in
and out of the engine. Start with a
free-flowing induction kit from the
Quikshift for £65. To expel nasty
gasses get a stainless exhaust system
from Larkspeed for £359. These on
their own won’t provide huge gains
but will see any restrictions removed,
and make the car more responsive.
Also thanks to the exhaust, you may
see that peak power is produced
higher up in the rev-range, and get a
nice induction and exhaust sound.
For a bigger kick in bhp ring
Vulcan Engineering or Specialised
Engines about their head
and cam packages.
Cams alone
will see
a healthy nudge on the rolling road. To
make the most of the mods so far and
for a 10 per cent increase in power get
a Superchip for £299. This will also
improve driveability.
Throttle bodies are the way
forward, and it’s worth calling Titan
Motorsport. Titan manufactures the
roller barrel throttle bodies, these are
a beautiful bit of engineering and
when open fully have no restriction.
They’re not cheap, but you get what
you pay for.
To maximise the potential from
your Zetec and bodies you need an
aftermarket management system
such as Omex 600. This will allow
complete flexibility for your tuner
when mapping the car. If set up
correctly you will see over 200 bhp of
naturally-aspirated power.
Another option would be a nitrous
kit. This would be ideal if you potter
about most of the time but like to
have a bit in reserve for overtaking or
the occasional RWYB.
If this isn’t enough for you call a
Zetec Turbo specialist such as Area
Six. If you uprate the engine internals
and get a turbo glued to the side of
your engine the only thing limiting you
will be funds. Over 400 bhp in a Mondy
just has to be a riot.
After cams, throttle bodies
and management, dig deep in
your wallet to get even more
Words: Neil
Photos: Matt Woods
0138 february 2007 Fast Ford
Fast Ford february 2007 0139

0140
BrakEs
The first port of call would be a good disc and pad
combo. Try some Tar-Ox Monza brake discs for £87.50
from Larkspeed and fit some Fast Road pads, which will
cope better with any excessive heat, without fading.
While you’re doing your discs you should think
about getting some braided lines fitted for around £50
and fill up with 5.1 fluid. The fluid has a higher boiling
point than standard stuff and with the lines also in
place you will find that the brake pedal doesn’t feel
spongy any more. That’s it if you’re on a budget.
After that you are looking at better callipers. Try
and source some Cosworth or ST callipers and
discs. It won’t be a straightforward conversion but
it would be worth the effort. If not give your wallet
a pounding for a Brembo or AP Racing big brake
kit. Just be sure to check that they will fit inside
your wheels.
Strut braces are great
when it comes to
fighting chassis flex
february 2007 Fast Ford
/ modifying guide / MONDEO MK2 /
A drop in ride height
is always welcome
Get uprated pads and
discs for better braking
suspEnsion
The Mondeo wasn’t designed with a
racetrack in mind; it was built to be
comfortable and good on the motorway.
That’s all well and good, but if you like
your driving or you’ve tuned your engine
then it’s best you get swapping.
Lower and firmer are the key words.
For firming things up it’s worth adding a
full set of polyurethane bushes to refresh
the old Ford stock, then you need to
lower the thing. Larkspeed offers
lowering springs for a drop between 30-
40 mm for £101.95. A full Koni adjustable
suspension kit giving a 30 mm drop is
Braided lines are
a sensible mod
priced at a very reasonable £395.
While you’re at it get some strut
braces bolted securely in the front
and rear, these will make a big
difference as they will prevent flex
when cornering hard.
For the ultimate in adjustability in
height and dampening you need coilovers.
Gaz carries a range of suspension
with the daddy being its Gold products.
These are essentially track suspension,
but you can soften them up for road use.
If set-up correctly you will notice a
massive difference.

intErior
Being a large car you could go luxury
and opt for some quality cow hide,
either from a higher spec’d Mondeo,
or get some quotes for a retrim. If you
are retrimming then a nice Alcantara
and leather combo would look the
nuts and be very plush.
If you are into the more sporty
look then speak to Cobra about a pair
of its Daytona seats. While you’re at it
you can get the rear seats and door
cards retrimmed for a fully matching
Styling: go subtle or
mad, it’s up to you
/ modifying guide / MONDEO MK2 /
and colour-coded interior. For a
finishing touch, Cobra can also
embroider its logo into the rear
bench.
Now you need to junk the
Ford steering wheel for
something better on the palm.
Try Demon Tweeks for a chunky
wheel from the likes of Sparco
or Momo. Match it with some
pedals and a gearknob and
you’re done.
If that sounds too fussy for
you, go Touring Car-style.
Rip everything out and
cage the thing for a
tough and lightweight
approach.
Get on to
Demon
Tweeks for
interior kit
ExtErior
A cheap and tasteful upgrade
would be an ST200 kit. If you have
more extreme modifying tastes
there is a world of bodykits and light
conversions around. Go for the
smoked look, it’s that bit more classy.
To make a big statement Essex
Racing stocks a Street Fighter kit for
£499. Top this off with some Evo 6
wing mirrors for £45 and you’re
nearly there.
Add a bit of aggression with a
Morette twin headlight conversion
from Larkspeed for £339. These look
great, and if you’re going for big
power you could always adapt the
lights to become a cold air feed.
To finish off make a trip to the
bodyshop for some subtle
smoothing, de-locking and debadging.
People will know something’s
different but won’t be able to
put a finger on it straightaway.
0142 february 2007 Fast Ford
Fast Ford february 2007 0143

transmission
The Mondeo comes with an MTX75
gearbox which is a hardy unit. We
have yet to see a Mondy that needs
a gearbox upgrade.
If you’re going mental then you
need to speak to a specialist such as
Competition Transmission Services
about your personal requirements.
The standard Ford clutch should
take 100,000 miles of use, but hard
living and a tuned engine may take
its toll.
For an upgrade, speak to
Larkspeed about a Black Diamond
clutch for £153 or talk to AP Racing
about one of its hardcore paddle
clutches, which will give you the
extra bite you need.
To speed up gearchanges a
quickshifter is a must.
Big arches means
plenty of options for
aftermarket rims
MTX75’s strong,
but for hard use get
something bespoke
wHEELs & tYrEs
Mondeos already have large arches
so you’re laughing when it comes
to wheel choice. You could get
some Escort Cosworth rims for
a slightly wider look, if not the
aftermarket is crawling with
options to choose from.
Any 16s and 17s will fly straight
on and shouldn’t see any ill effects.
18s shouldn’t give you too much
grief either, unless you have
dropped your car stupidly low.
If you’re serious about shows
then 19s are what you want, but
be prepared for a spot of arch
rolling to accommodate them,
and a suspension drop. If you
want to go mad then 20s are
possible, but will affect handling
and acceleration severely.
Remember, if you super-size your
wheels your brakes will look tiny,
so it might be worth upgrading
those at the same time.
Fast Ford february 2007
0145

minE aLL minE...
This month’s car belongs to Mark
Dexter. Mark sent us a request in
the last issue for a Mk2 Mondeo
modifying guide, and being the nice
bunch we are we duly obliged. To
sweeten the deal further we offered
him the chance to get his car on our
hallowed pages.
He has owned the Mondeo for a
couple of years after working his way
through a succession of Capris,
Cortinas, Escorts and Sierras. Mark
was originally looking for a Focus but
after falling in love with the Medium
Steel Blue colour he bought this
Mondy there and then.
He has been busy, with the help of
C&C Garage in Glemsford, uprating
certain areas such as giving the
Mondy a healthy 40 mm drop over the
17 inch alloys. A strut brace is already
in place to stiffen things up when
0146 february 2007 Fast Ford
/ modifying guide / MONDEO MK2 /
cornering, and some
Goodridge hoses are a
sensible move.
The engine has seen
tweaks in the form of a K&N,
sports cat and a Powerflex
full stainless system. This
recently saw 150 bhp on
T&M’s rolling road in
Colchester, not bad going at
all when you consider the
minimal mods.
By the time you read
this a full G-Max kit will be
in place and Mark will be
on the way to yet more
power, with the help of a
Superchip and some
cams and pulleys.
Sounds like there is
plenty more on the
horizon for this Mondeo.
You just can’t
beat shiny stuff
SPECIALISTS
AP Racing
024 7663 9595
www.apracing.com
Area Six
01522 877887
Cobra
01952 684020
www.cobraseats.com
Competition Transmission Services
01582 840008
www.gearboxman.co.uk
Demon Tweeks
www.demon-tweeks.co.uk
Essex Racing
www.essexracing.com
Larkspeed
08707 440101
www.larkspeed.com
Specialised Engines
01375 378606
www.specialisedengines.co.uk
Titan Motorsport
01480 474402
Vulcan Engineering
020 85793202
www.vulcanengines.com
TYPICAL PRICES
K&N air filter £79.50
3.5 inch stainless
exhaust system £359.00
Braided brake lines £49.00
Strut brace £64.50
CLubS
Ford Mondeo Owners’ Club
www.fordmondeoowners
club.co.uk
Mondeo Enthusiasts’ Group
www.fordmondeo.org
A stainless system will
increase the power