Automatic to Manual

(ANNOUNCER)>> OUR KAISER JEEP PROJECT PRESENTS A TRICKY CHALLENGE. HOW CAN WE ADD MODERN HIGH PERFORMANCE PARTS AND STILL KEEP THE SOUL OF THIS VINTAGE MILITARY TRUCK? TODAY ON XTREME OFF ROAD WE DRAW UP A PLAN OF ACTION AND GET TO WORK. PLUS WE'LL DROP A MANUAL TRANS INTO OUR FOCUS AND BREAK IT IN WITH A FEW RALLY STAGES.

(IAN)>> WE'RE GONNA KICK THINGS OFF TODAY BY HAVING A LOOK AT OUR LATEST PROJECT, THIS JEEP M-715 THAT WE PULLED OUT OF A JUNKYARD. NOW YES, I KNOW WE'VE GOT A LOT OF THINGS ON THE GO RIGHT NOW, BUT YOU CAN'T TURN YOUR BACK ON A RIG LIKE THIS WHEN YOU FIND IT.

AND FOR THIS PROJECT WE'VE GOT SOMETHING PRETTY COOL PLANNED. THESE TON AND A QUARTER TRUCKS WERE COMMISSIONED

BY THE US MILITARY AND BUILT IN TOLEDO, OHIO. THEY WERE A VERSATILE PLATFORM USED AS PICK UPS, AMBULANCES, AND TROOP CARRIERS. THEY COST THE US GOVERNMENT JUST OVER $4,000 DOLLARS PER TRUCK, AND KAISER JEEP BUILT RIGHT AROUND 30,000 OF THEM. I FOUND THIS ONE AT OUR LOCAL JUNKYARD WHERE IT HAD BEEN DROPPED OFF FOR SCRAP. I KNEW THAT IT HAD TO BE SAVED. SO I BOUGHT IT, HAULED IT BACK TO THE XTREME SHOP,

WHERE IT WILL TAKE ON A NEW LIFE AS AN OFF ROAD CAB TRUCK. PROJECT NAMES CAN COME FROM ANYWHERE AND THIS TRUCK EARNED ITS NAME THE MINUTE I OPENED THE DOOR AND HAD A LOOK AT ALL OF THE RUST ON THE INNER FLOOR BOARDS. THE REST OF THE TRUCK IS IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE, BUT

RIDING AROUND INSIDE THIS CAB THERE'S A GOOD

CHANCE THAT YOU COULD GET SOME TETANUS. THAT'S WHY WE'RE CALLING IT PROJECT LOCK JAW. THE OUTSIDE OF THIS TRUCK OOZES CHARACTER, WEARING ALMOST 50 YEARS OF WELL EARNED PATINA. SO THE FADED RED OVER THE ORIGINAL OLIVE DRAB GREEN PAINT IS GONNA STAY.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE TRUCK? I GET ASKED ALL THE TIME, WHERE DO THE IDEAS FOR THE PROJECTS COME FROM.

NOW ON A TRUCK LIKE THIS THE PROJECT SHOWED UP, BUT

THE DIRECTION THAT WE TAKE IT SOMETIMES YOU'VE JUST

GOT TO FOLLOW THE VEHICLE'S LEAD. THERE IS NO WAY THAT WE'RE GONNA BE RESTORING THIS OLD JEEP. SO THIS ORIGINAL STRAIGHT SIX OVERHEAD CAM ENGINE IS OF NO USE TO US. YEAH WE'LL PULL IT OUT AND SAVE IT BECAUSE IT'S PRETTY COOL. BUT THEY WERE NOT RELIABLE AND MAINTAINING THEM WAS VERY DIFFICULT, NOT TO MENTION NOT A LOT OF HORSEPOWER.

PLUS THIS TRUCK DESERVES SOMETHING A LOT BETTER, AND I PICKED IT UP AT THE JUNKYARD. BEFORE I LEFT THE JUNKYARD WITH OUR KEISER JEEP, I TOOK A LOOK AT ALL THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR

ENGINES THAT I COULD SWAP UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. THERE WAS SOME GM FIVE POINT THREES, SOME SIX LITERS, SOME BIG BLOCKS, EVEN A DIESEL, BUT THIS CAUGHT MY EYE. THIS IS AN '07 FIVE POINT SEVEN LITER

DODGE TRUCK HEMI. FROM THE FACTORY IT HAS 345 HORSEPOWER. THAT IS TWO AND A HALF TIMES THE AMOUNT OF

HORSEPOWER THAT THE KEISER LEFT THE FACTORY WITH BACK IN THE '60'S. AND IT'S THE PERFECT SWAP FOR THIS PROJECT. MODERN JEEPS HAVE HEMIS UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. NOW BEHIND IT I'M GONNA USE THE STOCK 545 RFE TRANSMISSION. IT'S A FIVE SPEED OVERDRIVE AUTOMATIC. AND THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHEN YOU'RE PICKING PARTS FOR A PROJECT, YOU DON'T WANT TO JUST OPEN UP A CATALOG AND THROW A BUNCH OF MONEY AT IT.

YOU'VE GOT TO THINK IT OUT. THE HEMI'S THE PERFECT FIT, IT CAME FROM THE JUNKYARD, IT'LL MATCH OUR JEEP PERFECTLY. JUST LIKE ANY GOOD BUILD, THE FIRST STEP IS TO START TEARING IT APART. NUMBER ONE ON MY LIST IS THIS GOOFY GALVANIZED ALUMINUM ROOF THAT A PREVIOUS OWNER HAD BOLTED ONTO THE TOP OF THE JEEP.

THEN I'LL CLEAN OUT THE BACK, GET RID OF ALL THESE SPARE PARTS THAT WERE THROWN IN THE BACK TO ADD EXTRA WEIGHT TO THIS RIG WHEN IT WAS ROLLED ACROSS THE SCALES AT THE SCRAPYARD.

THEN I'LL PREP THE BED FOR A VERY IMPORTANT BODY MOD. THE LIST OF BODY MODS ON THIS TRUCK IS VERY MINIMAL. THE PLAN RIGHT NOW IS TO SIMPLY BOB THE BED, OR TAKE THE REAR PART OF THE BED, MOVE IT FORWARD

ALMOST 18 INCHES, EVEN MOVE THE REAR LEAF SPRING SWING SHACKLE TO IMPROVE THE DEPARTURE ANGLE OF THE RIG WHEN WE'RE OFF ROAD. STILL KEEP THAT CLASSIC LOOK BUT WE'LL BE ABLE

TO WHEEL IT A LITTLE BIT BETTER. ASIDE FROM THAT I'LL HAVE A CANVAS TOP MADE FOR THE TOP AND GET RID OF THAT GOOFY GALVANIZED ROOFING. I'M GONNA LEAVE IT LEAF SPRUNG SUSPENSION ALL THE WAY AROUND CAUSE I THINK THAT'S COOL. THROW A COUPLE OF ONE TONS UNDERNEATH IT, SOME 40'S. THIS IS GONNA BE ONE BAD TRUCK.

(ANNOUNCER)>> GOT A JOB THAT'S GOTTA GET DONE BUT YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TOOL? BUILD IT YOURSELF!

(IAN)>> TODAY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A DAY WITH A BUNCH OF LITTLE FINISHING TOUCHES ON OUR FORD FOCUS RALLY CAR, BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. AFTER SPENDING SOME TIME AT A RALLY TRAINING SCHOOL, I KNEW I WANTED TO MAKE ONE LAST CHANGE TO THIS CAR, AND IT'S GOING TO BE A BIG ONE. NOW A LOT OF YOU GUYS HAVE GIVEN ME A BUNCH OF FEEDBACK ABOUT OUR PROJECT HOCUS FOCUS. SOME OF YOU LOVE IT, SOME OF YOU HATE IT, BUT NO MATTER WHICH WAY YOU LEAN YOU HAVE TO ADMIT THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BUILD A FUNCTIONING RACE CAR FOR LESS THAN $5,000 DOLLARS. IT ALL STARTED WHEN WE PICKED UP THIS STOCK FORD FOCUS HATCHBACK FOR UNDER $1,000 DOLLARS. THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS WAS TO EVALUATE THE CAR AND REPLACE ANY WORN OUT PARTS IN THE SUSPENSION. AT THE SAME TIME I UPGRADED THE SHOCKS, STRUTS, AND SPRINGS. THEN WE TOOK ON THE ENGINE WITH A MILD TUNE UP AND A FEW PERFORMANCE GOODIES. A SET OF SNOW TIRES AND STEEL WHEELS WOULD GET US RACE READY. AND THEN IT WAS TIME TO MAKE THIS FOCUS INTO AN ACTUAL RACE CAR WITH A FULL RALLY SPEC CAGE AND A SET OF RACING SEATS. THE BIG PROJECT I'VE GOT PLANNED FOR HOCUS FOCUS TODAY IS NOT THAT HARD, JUST LABOR INTENSIVE. I'M GONNA CONVERT THIS CAR FROM AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TO A MANUAL. TO REMOVE THE TRANSMISSION, THE LINKAGE, EXHAUST, AND AXLES ARE DISCONNECTED.

BELL HOUSING BOLTS ARE REMOVED, AND THE FLEX PLATE IS ROTATED TO ACCESS THE TORQUE CONVERTER BOLTS THROUGH THE WINDOW BELOW THE STARTER. WITH THE CAR LOWERED, THE BATTERY BOX AND AIR BOX ASSEMBLY NEED TO BE REMOVED TO GET ACCESS TO THE UPPER TRANSMISSION MOUNT. NOW THIS IS WHERE THINGS BECOME A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT BECAUSE WE'RE DEALING WITH A TRANSVERSELY MOUNTED ENGINE IN A FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CAR. IF WE WERE REMOVING THE TRANSMISSION FROM A REAR WHEEL DRIVE ENGINE THE ENGINE WOULD STAY PUT WHEN WE REMOVED THE TRANSMISSION BECAUSE THE BLOCK HAS MOUNTS ON EITHER SIDE. FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CARS LIKE OUR FOCUS HAVE A

MOUNT AT THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE AND AT THE

BACK OF THE TRANSMISSION. BASICALLY MOUNTING THE DRIVETRAIN AS A PACKAGE.

NOW THE PROBLEM IS WE WANT TO REMOVE THE TRANSMISSION AND THE NEXT STEP IS TO REMOVE THAT REAR UPPER TRANSMISSION MOUNT. IF WE DON'T SUPPORT THE ENGINE, IT'LL JUST FALL OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR. AND YEAH, SURE, WE COULD SLIDE A JACK UNDERNEATH IT AND JACK IT UP UNDERNEATH THE OIL PAN, BUT THEN WE COULDN'T PUT THE CAR UP AND DOWN ON THE LIFT ANY MORE. NOW A MECHANIC SHOP OR A SPECIALIZED TRANSMISSION SHOP HAD A TOOL TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM. IT BASICALLY ANCHORS OF THE RADIATOR SHELL AND OFF THE BACK OF THE STRUT TOWERS. IT HANGS THE MOTOR FROM THIS HOOK RIGHT HERE. NOW I DON'T HAVE THAT TOOL BECAUSE I DON'T WORK ON A

BUNCH OF FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CARS HERE IN THE XOR SHOP. WHAT I DO HAVE IS A BUNCH OF TUBING AND SOME WELDERS. USING SOME SCRAP ANGLE IRON AND A PIECE OF INCH

AND A HALF DOM, AND ENGINE SUPPORT TOOL IS BUILT USING A CCLAMP TO HOLD UP THE BACK OF OUR ENGINE. [ welder crackling ]

(IAN)>> THEN THE UPPER MOUNT CAN BE REMOVED AND THE TRANSMISSION IS READY TO DROP OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF OUR FOCUS.

LAST STEP IS REMOVING THE FLEX PLATE FROM THE CRANK SHAFT.

(ANNOUNCER)>> UP NEXT A MAN WHO KNOWS THE FOCUS INSIDE AND OUT STOPS BY WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION AND SOME INSTALLATION ADVICE. THEN WE'LL PUSH OUR RALLY CAR TO THE LIMIT!

(IAN)>> WITH OUR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OUT OF THE WAY, THE FIRST STEP IN CONVERTING OUR FORD FOCUS OVER TO MANUAL WILL BE TO REPLACE SOME ITEMS ON THE ENGINE. I PICKED UP A NEW FLYWHEEL AND PRESSURE PLATE AND CLUTCH ASSEMBLY JUST FROM A LOCAL PART SUPPLIER. BUT BEFORE I BOLT THOSE ON I'M GONNA TAKE CARE OF A FEW OIL LEAKS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE. OUR ENGINE'S BEEN LEAKING OIL AND IT DIDN'T TAKE US LONG TO FIGURE OUT WHY. THAT'S ALL I PUT ON IT WAS SOME SILICONE. THAT IS WHY IT'S LEAKING.

WITH THE OIL PAN REMOVED, A NEW GASKET IS INSTALLED. AS WELL AS A NEW REAR MAIN SEAL.

BEFORE THE FLYWHEEL CAN GO ON, THE CRANK SENSOR RETAINER MUST BE SWAPPED OVER TO A MANUAL TRANSVERSION. THEN THE FLYWHEEL AND CLUTCH KIT ARE INSTALLED. WE SCOURED OUR LOCAL JUNKYARDS FOR ALL THE PARTS NEEDED TO CONVERT THIS FOCUS WITH NO LUCK. THEN I FOUND SPEEDWAY RECYCLERS, A FORD FOCUS SPECIFIC JUNKYARD.

(MATT)>> I'D LIKE TO THINK IT'S THE WORLD'S LARGEST FORD FOCUS COLLECTION. I'VE GOT ABOUT 150 CARS, 27 SVT'S.

(IAN)>> AND THE OWNER, MATT ROWE, OFFERED TO DROP OFF EVERYTHING WE'D NEED. HE BROUGHT A PILE OF PARTS, FROM THE CRANK SENSOR RETAINER WE JUST INSTALLED, TO A NEW

TRANSMISSION, SHIFTER, AND SHIFT CABLES.

FULL WIRING HARNESS, PEDAL ASSEMBLY, AND EVEN SOME AXLE SHAFTS. ONCE THE NEW TRANS IS BOLTED ONTO THE ENGINE, THE SHAFTS ARE INSTALLED AND THE NEW MOTOR AND TRANSMISSION MOUNTS ARE PUT INTO PLACE.

THE NEXT STEP IN THIS SWAP IS SPECIFIC TO OUR RACE CAR. IF I WAS BUILDING A STREET LEGAL CAR HERE, I'D WANT TO INSTALL THE TRANSMISSION WIRING HARNESS, FEED IT UP UNDERNEATH THE DASH SO IT'S LIKE A FACTORY INSTALL.

I STILL HAD A CLUTCH SAFETY SWITCH AS WELL AS REVERSE LIGHTS ON THE SHIFT. I DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THAT. I'M GONNA START THE MOTOR WITH A PUSH BUTTON ON THE DASH, AND IF I NEED REVERSE LIGHTS I'LL JUST ADD A SWITCH. THIS IS AN OFF ROAD RACE CAR. ONE THING YOU DO NEED TO MAKE SURE WHEN YOU'RE DOING THIS SWAP IS THAT YOU GET A MATCHING ECU FOR THE CAR WITH KEY, AND THE TUMBLERS THAT GO INSIDE THE STEERING COLUMN, CAUSE THERE IS A THEFT DETERRENT SETUP BUILT INTO THESE TWO PIECES. AND IT NEEDS TO BE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION COMPUTER TO MAKE THE ENGINE RUN.

THEN IT'S JUST A BUNCH OF LITTLE STUFF. I'VE GOT TO SWAP IN A NEW PEDAL ASSEMBLY. I'VE GOT TO ADD THE SHIFTER AND THE SHIFTER CABLES, AND THIS NEW MASTER CYLINDER RESERVOIR THAT NOT ONLY FEEDS THE BRAKES, IT ALSO FEEDS OUR NEW HYDRAULIC CLUTCH. THEN WE'LL HAVE CONVERTED THIS FOCUS FROM AN AUTOMATIC TO A MANUAL.

AFTER OUR TRIP TO THE RALLY SCHOOL, I KNEW I WANTED TO CONVERT OUR FOCUS OVER TO A MANUAL TRANSMISSION AND UPGRADE THE REAR BRAKING TO

IMPROVE THE HAND BRAKE TURNS. EASIEST WAY TO DO THAT IS TO PERFORM A REAR DISC BRAKE CONVERSION. I LOOKED AROUND THE JUNKYARDS, COULDN'T FIND THE PARTS AND PIECES I NEEDED. I DID FIND A COMPANY NAMED MASSIVE SPEED,

AND THEY SPECIALIZE IN REAR DISC BRAKE

CONVERSIONS FOR THE FOCUS. IT USES A COMBINATION OF FACTORY AND AFTERMARKET PARTS. SOME SVT HUGS, A SET OF AFTERMARKET ROTORS, SOME STOCK FOCUS REAR CALIPERS AND BRIDGES, AS WELL AS EBRAKE CABLES, BRAKE HOSES, AND BRAKE PADS. WHAT MAKES THE KIT ALL WORK TOGETHER IS THE MASSIVE SPEED BRACKET THAT WILL BOLT ONTO THE REAR DRUM BRAKE SPINDLE AND ALL US TO CONVERT IT OVER

TO REAR DISC BRAKES. THAT MEANS WE GOT THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. WE'RE ABLE TO REPLACE PARTS AND PIECES WITH JUST FACTORY ITEMS IF THEY EVER WEAR OUT, BUT WE DON'T NEED TO DIG AND FIND THAT ELUSIVE HARD TO FIND REAR DISC BRAKE SPINDLE FOR THE BACK OF THE FOCUS. ALL WE NEED IS THIS BRACKET. THE REAR DRUM ASSEMBLY IS REMOVED AND THE MASSIVE SPEED BRACKETS ARE BOLTED INTO PLACE. THE HUBS, ROTORS, AND CALIPER ASSEMBLIES ARE INSTALLED AND THIS VEHICLE IS READY TO RACE.

(ANNOUNCER)>> THIS SOFTWARE RECORDS ALL KINDS OF DATA ON THE RACE TRACK USING LITTLE MORE THAN YOUR CELL PHONE.

(IAN)>> WE'RE BACK DOWN HERE AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL RALLY AND MOTORSPORTS PARK. NOT FOR MORE DRIVER TRAINING, BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE PUTTING ON A NASA SANCTIONED RALLY. BUT WE DIDN'T COME TO WATCH. WE BROUGHT OUR FORD FOCUS DOWN HERE TO SEE HOW IT HANDLES IN THE DIRT. DRIVING THIS FOCUS AT SPEED THROUGH A RALLY STAGE IS SIMPLY FLAT OUT FUN. NOW I KNOW THAT A LITTLE HATCHBACK LIKE THIS MIGHT NOT BE EVERYONE'S IDEA OF EXTREME OFF ROADING, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THIS RALLY CAR, NUMBERS DON'T LIE. I BOUGHT THIS FOCUS FOR $1,000 BUCKS. REBUILT THE SUSPENSION FRONT AND REAR, AND TUNED

UP THE ENGINE FOR RIGHT AROUND $1,250. CAGE AND SEATS CAME IN AT JUST OVER $1,200 DOLLARS, TIRES AND WHEELS $350. CONVERTING IT FROM AN AUTOMATIC TO A MANUAL TRANSMISSION $1,000 DOLLARS IN USED PARTS. THEN THE REAR DISC BRAKE CONVERSION ROUNDED IT OUT AT $500 BUCKS. TOSS IN AN EXTRA $1,100 BUCKS FOR ODDS AND ENDS LIKE A HELMET, HANS DEVICE, ROOF VENT, AND THE REQUIRED MUD FLAPS, I HAVE A GRAND TOTAL OF $6,400 BUCKS INTO THIS RACE CAR. YEP, I SAID IT, A FULL BLOWN RALLY PREP RACE CAR FOR UNDER $7,000. AND THAT IS A BARGAIN CONSIDERING YOU GET TO DO STUFF LIKE THIS. WE'RE HERE AT THE FIRM TO GET SOME BASELINE DATA ON OUR FOCUS, TO SEE HOW IT WOULD COMPARE WITH THE CARS COMPETING IN THE ACTUAL RACE. TO HELP DO THAT I HAD JAY FROM HP TUNERS HOOK MY FOCUS UP WITH A NEW PHONE APP CALL THE TRACK ADDICT.

(JAY)>> HP TUNERS IS REALLY EXCITED TO BRING A IPHONE AND DROID BASED APP THAT ALLOWS YOU TO COMMUNICATE VIA THE OBD TWO INTERFACE AND IT ALSO UTILIZES THE GPS ON THE PHONE OR AN EXTERNAL GPS IF YOU WANT FINER RESOLUTION. YOU ALSO HAVE THE ABILITY TO UTILIZE THE ACCELEROMETER IN THE PHONE. AND LINK ALL THAT TOGETHER WITH THE CAMERA SO YOU POSITION THE CAMERA NICELY SO YOU HAVE A SHOT OUT THE WINDSHIELD. AND AS YOU'RE DRIVING, YOU'RE RECORDING ALL THIS DATA. YOU CAN SEE IF YOU'RE GETTING IGNITION RETARD COMING OUT OF A CORNER. YOUR DECELERATION RATES, ARE YOU SLOWING DOWN FAST ENOUGH OR DO YOU NEED TO START CHANGING BRAKE PAD MATERIALS. WHATEVER YOU MIGHT BE WORKING ON FOR THAT SESSION. YOU'RE REALLY APPROACHING A FULL STAND ALONE DATA LOGGING SYSTEM.

(IAN)>> WITH THE PHONE MOUNTED IN THE WINDSHIELD, I WOULD RUN A SINGLE STAGE THAT'S BEEN SET UP FOR TOMORROW'S ACTUAL RALLY RACE. THEN COMPARE MY TIMES WITH THE ACTUAL RACE CARS. OFF THE LINE WITH THE FOCUS MAXED OUT, I TOOK TO THE STAGE WITH ONE MISSION, DRIVE THE TIRES OFF THIS FOCUS IN AN ATTEMPT TO LAY DOWN A GOOD TIME. THE FOCUS WORKED GREAT, PULLING ACROSS THE SKID PAD IN THIRD GEAR, FLAT OUT JUST OVER 40 MILES AN HOUR. THE BACK END WOULD START TO GET A LITTLE BIT LOOSE, BUT WITH SOME SLIGHT THROTTLE INPUT IT WOULD STRAIGHTEN RIGHT BACK OUT. ON TO THE ROAD COURSE WITH TIRES SQUEALING AND THEN BACK INTO THE DIRT. A GOOD HIGH SPEED STRAIGHT INTO A HARD LEFT, AND OVER THE JUMP. YEP, YOU HEARD ME, JUMP.

THIS LITTLE FORD FOCUS CAN FLY.

FINALLY A FEW MORE TWISTIES, AND BOOM, ACROSS THE FLYING FINISH WITH A TIME OF TWO MINUTES 41 SECONDS. PRETTY MUCH ON PACE WITH SIMILAR CARS. JUAN CARDOZO IN A COMPARABLE FOCUS WOULD RUN THIS STAGE AT TWOFOURTEEN, WHILE MATT EARL AND HIS FOCUS WOULD DO IT AT TWOFIFTY. OUR PROJECT IS ON PACE TO BE AN ACTUAL RACE CAR. BUT THERE WERE MORE RALLY STAGES TO RUN FOR FUN. AND WITH UNLIMITED ACCESS TO A RACE COURSE, YOU KNOW I'M GONNA TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT. AND TRUST ME, RIPPING THROUGH THE WOODS AND DOWN TIGHT GRAVEL ROADS IN A SMALL CAR LIKE PROJECT HOCUS FOCUS IS WORTHY OF THE TITLE XTREME OFF ROAD!