Alright, our own forum! 
🤘 🥳 👍
I do have a Rigz thread for Focus Rising 2011 (my goal to get (some of) the conversion done), but I'm putting all the juicy details in here! My RS conversion mostly just covers the exterior of the car except for a couple of small details here and there.
My plans started jumbling through my brain as far back as 2004, when I bought my first Focus, a 2002 SVT. My buddy Bryan (blk90sc) already owned a fully loaded ZTS and basically made me a fan of the Focus through the work we did on his car and watching the Focus RS dominate WRC. While it was still a couple years from becoming an actual plan, this is where the RS conversion dreams started. Unfortunately I ended up totalling that poor SVT only weeks after purchasing it. Thank god for GAP insurance.
In 2006, less than a month after buying the car I have now, one of my first mods (second only to some clear sidemarkers) was the Focus RS upper grille. To me, it was the best looking out of all the Euro grilles and I simply had to have it.
June '06:
![7521]( "7521")
I was still going through a lot of ideas in my head through 2006. The RS look was at the top of the list but it was too expensive for me back then and parts were becoming scarce, so I entertained various other ideas.
In '07 an opportunity came my way: someone in CA was trying to sell a pair of new rear quarterpanels and the front fascia for the RS, and was willing to ship. I finally made the decision: I'll pay for parts over time until I get everything and then do the conversion rather than try to get everything all at once. So I pulled the trigger.
July '07:
![7522]( "7522")
While waiting for the parts to arrive, I pulled together a concept in Photoshop:
July '07:
![7523]( "7523")
I kept things pretty quiet, but '07 saw a lot of planning come together. I was making friends with a number of guys on the RS Owner's Club forums in the UK, planning various custom details, and ordering miscellaneous parts for the conversion. In this pic are the Euro washer reservoir, rear reverse lights left and right, and smoked sidemarkers:
December '07:
![7524]( "7524")
I had also ordered carbon fiber bumper vents and foglight bezels from the original company that made them which arrived in '08. To everybody's terrible dismay, the company's shop went up in flames later that year and they lost nearly everything. Today, there is at least one other company making both of these parts:
February '08:
![7525]( "7525")
![7526]( "7526")
Then I got a custom Euro plate made. E for Euro, No 3370 is the car's build number from SVT, and 06/27/03 is the car's build date. I only really use this for shows on the back of the car. I don't like front plates no matter where they come from.
April '08:
![7527]( "7527")
During '08 I came up with another Photoshop concept, this time to bring a little RS flavor into the interior. Here is the concept:
May '08:
![7528]( "7528")
The steering wheel was professionally stripped and re-wrapped, with a "blackwood" center indicator to match my shifter bezel and radio surround. The dimensions are exactly the same as the real RS wheel:
July '08:
![7529]( "7529")
And here is the finished product after finally getting both front doorpanels done:
November '09
![7530]( "7530")
I still have to do the rear inserts, but since nobody notices them they're not too high on my list at the moment. I still have the leather for them so I'll get around to it eventually.
Anyway, back to the RS parts! I finally tracked down a lower grille for the front bumper.
January '09:
![Image]()
And a complete rear bumper assembly with the crash bar and foam:
August '08 in the UK:
![Image]()
May '09 when I finally had it shipped:
![Image]()
I do have to repair that crash foam, but I don't expect it to be that difficult with some dowels and glue.
Otherwise, most of '09 was spent working on the engine in my car swapping on a ported head and installing my JRSC, then getting it tuned and working out small issues here and there. The next year I finally bought an RS spoiler after trying for years, unsuccessfully, to track down a carbon M-Sport spoiler like the one on McRae's Focus. It's still on my list of things to find, though.
May '10:
![Image]()
I also bought the fenders with the rear spoiler when Capaldi was selling everything. At some point shortly thereafter, I found a set of RS sideskirts. I haven't taken any pictures of either of these yet (man I am lazy sometimes! lol).
Earlier this year I finally got the last RS-specific pieces... the front crash bar, quarterpanel trim pieces, and the fender brackets:
January '11:
![Image]()
And then had both crash bars and the rear bumper mounting brace powdercoated:
February '11:
![Image]()
Since I was doing a Euro lock conversion on the whole car, I sprang for the locking fuel door as well.
February '11:
![Image]()
And so begins this build thread!
🤘 🥳 👍I do have a Rigz thread for Focus Rising 2011 (my goal to get (some of) the conversion done), but I'm putting all the juicy details in here!
My RS conversion mostly just covers the exterior of the car except for a couple of small details here and there.My plans started jumbling through my brain as far back as 2004, when I bought my first Focus, a 2002 SVT. My buddy Bryan (blk90sc) already owned a fully loaded ZTS and basically made me a fan of the Focus through the work we did on his car and watching the Focus RS dominate WRC. While it was still a couple years from becoming an actual plan, this is where the RS conversion dreams started. Unfortunately I ended up totalling that poor SVT only weeks after purchasing it. Thank god for GAP insurance.
In 2006, less than a month after buying the car I have now, one of my first mods (second only to some clear sidemarkers) was the Focus RS upper grille. To me, it was the best looking out of all the Euro grilles and I simply had to have it.
June '06:
I was still going through a lot of ideas in my head through 2006. The RS look was at the top of the list but it was too expensive for me back then and parts were becoming scarce, so I entertained various other ideas.
In '07 an opportunity came my way: someone in CA was trying to sell a pair of new rear quarterpanels and the front fascia for the RS, and was willing to ship. I finally made the decision: I'll pay for parts over time until I get everything and then do the conversion rather than try to get everything all at once. So I pulled the trigger.
July '07:
While waiting for the parts to arrive, I pulled together a concept in Photoshop:
July '07:
I kept things pretty quiet, but '07 saw a lot of planning come together. I was making friends with a number of guys on the RS Owner's Club forums in the UK, planning various custom details, and ordering miscellaneous parts for the conversion. In this pic are the Euro washer reservoir, rear reverse lights left and right, and smoked sidemarkers:
December '07:
I had also ordered carbon fiber bumper vents and foglight bezels from the original company that made them which arrived in '08. To everybody's terrible dismay, the company's shop went up in flames later that year and they lost nearly everything. Today, there is at least one other company making both of these parts:
February '08:
Then I got a custom Euro plate made.
E for Euro, No 3370 is the car's build number from SVT, and 06/27/03 is the car's build date. I only really use this for shows on the back of the car. I don't like front plates no matter where they come from.April '08:
During '08 I came up with another Photoshop concept, this time to bring a little RS flavor into the interior. Here is the concept:
May '08:
The steering wheel was professionally stripped and re-wrapped, with a "blackwood" center indicator to match my shifter bezel and radio surround. The dimensions are exactly the same as the real RS wheel:
July '08:
And here is the finished product after finally getting both front doorpanels done:
November '09
I still have to do the rear inserts, but since nobody notices them they're not too high on my list at the moment. I still have the leather for them so I'll get around to it eventually.
Anyway, back to the RS parts! I finally tracked down a lower grille for the front bumper.
January '09:
And a complete rear bumper assembly with the crash bar and foam:
August '08 in the UK:
May '09 when I finally had it shipped:
I do have to repair that crash foam, but I don't expect it to be that difficult with some dowels and glue.
Otherwise, most of '09 was spent working on the engine in my car swapping on a ported head and installing my JRSC, then getting it tuned and working out small issues here and there. The next year I finally bought an RS spoiler after trying for years, unsuccessfully, to track down a carbon M-Sport spoiler like the one on McRae's Focus. It's still on my list of things to find, though.
May '10:
I also bought the fenders with the rear spoiler when Capaldi was selling everything. At some point shortly thereafter, I found a set of RS sideskirts. I haven't taken any pictures of either of these yet (man I am lazy sometimes! lol).
Earlier this year I finally got the last RS-specific pieces... the front crash bar, quarterpanel trim pieces, and the fender brackets:
January '11:
And then had both crash bars and the rear bumper mounting brace powdercoated:
February '11:
Since I was doing a Euro lock conversion on the whole car, I sprang for the locking fuel door as well.
February '11:
And so begins this build thread!
