Well, I bought a hold-me-over car...

[DarkBuddha]

My Mach has been on hold for a while now, primarily because of a lack of time on either my part and my father's part. The tough thing is that I'm in Seattle, and the Mach is in Tampa. I've decided it's impossible to turn wrenches from 3000 miles away, and since I've been sharing an '03 Corolla with my wife (and her '92 prior to that) for the last 6 years, I lost my crap and decided I needed to have an enthusiast car again.

So what'd I buy? 1989 Merkur XR4ti. 2.3 turbo (non intercooled version of the SVO Mustang motor), 175hp, 5 speed, IRS, leather interior, etc. The kicker was that it only had 59000 original miles (documented), and it had only been driven 3500 miles in the last 9 years. It even came with a K&N filter, full 3" exhaust, a new clutch, and new Goodyears. And I got all the documenation, owners manuals, service records, service manuals, magazine articles, etc. All for $1200.

The strange thing was the guy wasn't even selling it... I just knocked on the door and asked. Turns out he's primarily a Land Rover enthusiast, but he's got a '02 Viper and a couple R model Volvos. I found out about the Viper when I noticed the huge turbo and 10 pistons sitting on his bookshelves in his office. Can you say 800hp!

Anyway, I'm pretty psych'd about this little car, and I've got some fun low budget plans for it, including an intercooler and ECU upgrade. I should be able to get it to 220hp without much effort really. Here are some pics for your amusement:

http://img116.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=asfoundresized2hq.jpg

[Rick Dorion]

I always thought they were kind of cool. For your investment, you can have a ball.

[BonzoHansen]

I hated when those things came in the shop - I could never get parts!

[DarkBuddha]

I hated when those things came in the shop - I could never get parts!
Yeah, parts are tough and pricey, but thanks to the internet and enthusiast market, a lot of parts are available now. Since the chassis is the same as the oh-so-common Ford of Europe Sierra, there are internet parts stores in England and Germany that sell parts for 'em. Then there are all the enthusiast aftermarket companies like BAT, Rapido, Overboosted, OPMD, etc. :razz:

[4MuscleMachines]

Back in my younger days, I always wanted one but could never find one at the right price. You got yourself a steal! I always thought they were cool in a rare sort of way.

[protour_chevelle]

Yeah, parts are tough and pricey, but thanks to the internet and enthusiast market, a lot of parts are available now. Since the chassis is the same as the oh-so-common Ford of Europe Sierra, there are internet parts stores in England and Germany that sell parts for 'em. Then there are all the enthusiast aftermarket companies like BAT, Rapido, Overboosted, OPMD, etc. :razz:

Move to Canada. Theres usually 2 2.3 turbo stangs and a couple Merkurs in each picknpull.

My buddy has a Merku, equal length manifold, custom intake, boost turned up, and a few other go fast goodies...

Cool cars for sure!

-Matt

[DarkBuddha]

Move to Canada. Theres usually 2 2.3 turbo stangs and a couple Merkurs in each picknpull.

My buddy has a Merku, equal length manifold, custom intake, boost turned up, and a few other go fast goodies...

Cool cars for sure!

-Matt
Yeah, I always see parts on eBay from Canadian sellers... Canadians must've had more of a taste for the turbo cars. Luckily, my father currently has access to 4 XRs in a u-pull-it yard in Tampa right now, so he's gonna pull a bunch of stuff and send it to me. I'm also close enough to Canada that I could pop up to pick stuff up in Vancouver if I ever needed to. And I'm fortunate that these cars were pretty popular in the Northwest in general. There is a decent group of enthusiasts in the area.

And your buddy's Merk sounds pretty sweet! Does he have a website? I'm looking for all the tips and tricks I can find. My plans right now are to add a Turbo coupe or SVO intercooler and ECU. In combination with a cheap adjustable boost controller, the 3" exhaust, and the K&N filter, I'm hoping to be around 220hp... that should make it scoot.

[protour_chevelle]

And your buddy's Merk sounds pretty sweet! Does he have a website? I'm looking for all the tips and tricks I can find. My plans right now are to add a Turbo coupe or SVO intercooler and ECU. In combination with a cheap adjustable boost controller, the 3" exhaust, and the K&N filter, I'm hoping to be around 220hp... that should make it scoot.

Sorry for the plug.... but http://www.performance-shop.com/yabbse/index.php has TONS of info. Its a forum that is based locally to me. Theres lots of 2.3turbo guys on there.

I think there is also a 2.3turbo Ford site aswell?

-Matt