BP in a 3rd gen Escort

[coldblooded]

I've been thinking of putting a BP in my 97 Escort (the 96 needs an SPI for the wife, what a better donor than the 97 :D ). I can't say I'm enthused about putting a bunch of time & money into turbo'ing or building up a SOHC that hardly anyone is hitting 15s in without a bunch of effort & a few pukes. The BP just seems to make more sense for a long-term project car.

Givens:
I know technically any BP will probably swap into the 3rd gen Escort, as it is just another BG chassis, with enough wiring & fuel system changes.
I know economically & time-wise on paper, buying a 2nd gen GT or Protege would be smarter. In my eyes, there's something to be said for a clean chassis with all of the suspension & rolling stock fresh & ready to go, with nice interior. So don't school me just yet Wink

Legal requirements (this is a very daily driver):
OBD-II compatible
97+ to be my year-model or greater

Here is what I turned up for options in digging around...
95-97 1.8 Kia (1839cc) Sephia GS, LS, RS 16- Valve DOHC 4 cyl.
90-99 1.8 Mazda (1839cc) Protege BPD 16-Valve DOHC 4 cyl. eng.

However, here are my general grips about finding BP engines so far:
- Low mile Escort GTs & Proteges can be a tough find, especially in TX
- Prices on BPs can be high (IMO) both in Scorts & Pros

So, based on this, it looks like the Kias are _way_ cheaper in the boneyards, plausibly because most ppl just throw them away & never fix them, due to the Kia reputation.
Has anyone swapped a Kia BP into a Scort or Pro chassis, who could speak to any issues they ran into? I'm thinking this could be something to watch for in the salvage market...just buy a donor car cheap & swipe the BP setup.

P.S. Shouldn't the rear disc setup swap from the Sephias as well? This could certainly open up a lot more options for those of use searching for deals to get rid of the drums.

[ScOrTGtC]

hmm.... never heard of a BP in a 3rd gen... but ive seen a mazda speed protege with a BPT on it .. good luck with it !!!if a Zetec fits the 2nd gen Escort Lx.... the bp might then...but migh ost some cutting and welding

[D323]

Why not find a 2nd gen ES (BP) that way it will be ODB-II for the legality part, and use megasquirt or some other aftermarket ECU to run it.

We had one member swap a kia BP into his protege w/o issue. It was even boosted.

Welcome to the board btw... if your ever up in dallas, I can get you a 1st gen BP for ~50 bux. They are very plentiful here. I even know of a few kia BP's lying around for sub 200 bux.

[Denis]

Hey, coldblooded, my neighbor is going to be selling his 1st gen protege soon. It's a SOHC though not a DOHC, but would be an easier swap out.

[Mazda_Powered]

the BP should fit man, i know people with the 2nd gen escorts with the 1.9SEFI, they swap the 2.0SPI in it all the time. you'll just need a 2nd gen BP since you have a 98

shouldnt be to crazy do to, just like a first gen pro swap or a 2md gen escort swap.

so on that note you can use your stock clutch if you really want to, because you my friend have a G-series transmission! might even be able to use the axles..i dont really know about those though. as for the rest, wiring harness/ecu/tranny/shiftlinkage/ maybe axles and spindles.....doubtful since you have a g-series tranny though.

JACK

[Denis]

the BP should fit man, i know people with the 2nd gen escorts with the 1.9SEFI, they swap the 2.0SPI in it all the time. you'll just need a 2nd gen BP since you have a 98

shouldnt be to crazy do to, just like a first gen pro swap or a 2md gen escort swap.

so on that note you can use your stock clutch if you really want to, because you my friend have a G-series transmission! might even be able to use the axles..i dont really know about those though. as for the rest, wiring harness/ecu/tranny/shiftlinkage/ maybe axles and spindles.....doubtful since you have a g-series tranny though.

JACK

He would have to take out everything under the hood of his 3rd gen get a donor 2nd gen gt or 1st gen pro and swap every thing under the hood to the 3rd gen escort. Yes it can be done but is alot of work and parts. It wont pass inspection afterward either.

[ScOrTGtC]

denis knows best with inspection in texas hehehehehehe...

[Denis]

denis knows best with inspection in texas hehehehehehe...

He might be able to pull it off it has a working OBD II port which means swaping everything from a rare 96 EGT.

[coldblooded]

He might be able to pull it off it has a working OBD II port which means swaping everything from a rare 96 EGT.

Yeah the whole 'legality' thing is what makes it a pain. Finding an OBDII 96 EGT donor car w/ a good motor/drivetrain is like a needle in a haystack. The reason I was looking into the Kia thing is that there are a bunch of them in the junkyards, and prices are pretty reasonable. Still not sure about finding a donor car tho...harumph.

Maybe I'll just start collecting those turbo parts for the SPI...sometimes that seems like better bang for the buck. And let's face it, I do want to screw around with turbo.
We'll see, this spring I'm probably going to set aside a chunk & do something for speed, now that the chassis is pretty well sorted.


Denis, get your car going & come autoxing on the 21st in SA @ Verizon...you can at least take rides with me & laugh at my measly SPI We'll also be doing runs in my friend's new Scooby Legacy GT...250hp AWD turbo fun w00t.

[D323]

He might be able to pull it off it has a working OBD II port which means swaping everything from a rare 96 EGT.

He can pass if he finds a 98 Protege ES... OBD-II and still a BP.