Actually I forgot this came up. If you can find the guys who's daughter blew
the head gasket, I bet you $100 that is was a SOHC SPI ford 2.0L engine. Not
only do they blow head gaskets, but I swapped an engine for a customer with
an 01 SOHC focus engine where the cylinder blew a chunk of itself into the
coolant passage.. it was about a 1 square inch blow!! They are also
interference engines, and have only ONE redeeming feature which is their
variable runner length intake system.. but the longblocks themselves are
junk compared to the zetec.

The only other two times I've see a cylinder wall blow into a coolant
passage they were both subie 2.5s(this along with the timing belt/waterpump
process, oil pump clearancing, and lifter shimming process, and parts prices
were things that dissuaded us from going the subie route and looking for an
alternative to begin with).

Jim

________________________________________
Bostig Engineering
Engine Systems Voodoo
http://www.bostig.com/
617.272.3800

-----Original Message-----
From: AATransaxle [mailto:daryl@AATRANSAXLE.COM]
Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2006 12:18 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Bostig Zetec kit...WOW...

My son was a ford tech at a dealer recently and he or another tech he now
works with have never seen a Focus blow a head gasket...at least never
through 2 different delers...thts gotta say something..Daryl
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Stewart" <fonman4277@EARTHLINK.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2006 4:17 AM
Subject: Re: Bostig Zetec kit...WOW...

> For a lot of people the clearance would be OK, but I'm certain I
> wouldn't be comfortable with it. Here are my pics:
>
>
> Well, for one thing, it was sitting in tall grass on mushy ground, thanks
> to all the DAMN rain we got for JBB. I think that added to the perception
> that it was hanging very low. Of more concern to me was the fact that one
> of the attendees at JBB said this is the same engine that is in his
> daughter's Ford Focus-and it blew a head gasket at 60K miles. The
> conversion looked very good, and it's one of the ones I'm considering for
> my '84.  Jeff
>