Switchback's Fiesta Fun Car Build

[Switchback]

Hi Everyone! I've recently purchased my new (to me) 2015 Tuxedo Black Fiesta ST! After looking for a suitable car for a long while, I finally found one and ultimately bought it.

Background
So to begin I want to speak a bit about myself and my history with the Fiesta ST. Back when I was 21 years old, I purchased a Kona Blue Fiesta ST off the lot. I wanted something sporty, learn how to drive stick, and overall have a fun car that didn't break the bank. At 21k OTD (I think my price before taxes was 18 or 19k) with 0% APR for 72 months it was a fantastic deal, especially considering I had just joined the workforce and was making all of 47k a year in a NOC tech support role. I lived with my KB FiST for 6 years, moving from Maryland to Massachusetts to California. It survived multiple brutal winters and overall was a great car. After I moved to Cali, I was getting older and wanting something more. I bought a bigger more comfortable sedan (Kia Stinger GT) and sold my Fiesta ST (for 17.5k, thanks Carvana). It was...okay. Then I moved to a Tesla Model 3 because of the tax incentive and interest in not buying premium gas for a twin-turbo V6. Since I've bought the Tesla, I was more and more longing for something manual and /fun/. One way I describe the Tesla is that it's a Washing Machine with wheels. It's certainly quick, but it's boring. It's an appliance. I'm now older, have disposable income and a driveway where I can park fun things.

I started looking at cars. First I looked at Miatas, specifically the NC. I thought it had the most potential for upgradability, and having a CARB compliant turbo kit was a huge boon. But, after test driving one I realized I don't really...fit. I'm to tall. It also didn't give me a smile when I drove it. Then I looked at Veloster Ns. Went up to Irvine and tested one on a Carmax lot. It was fun, but the price was high and out of my "fun cheap fun car" budget. Looked at a few rebuilt salvage title cars. I loved the concept, it felt like a Fiesta ST that had grown up a bit and gotten more electronic niceties. But reading into it the VN had tons of electrical gremlins that would pop up, so I passed. And then, back to Fiestas. Had a few bought out from under me before finding this one. A MY2015 Tuxedo Black Fiesta ST with Recaros and the Moonroof. I would have preferred a slicktop but this was priced right and had some nice features that I wanted.

My Goals
I know a lot of people say this, but OEM+ is the goal. I want to preserve the spirited driving style but won't be against adding extra power. Reliability is important to me, I want to take it out on the weekends for a spirited drive and not worry about "will this be the day the FiST dies". That being said, I'm not against something like a Hybrid Turbo, as long as the car remains fun. I do want to limit/remove the tripoding if possible, as its a safety concern in my eyes.

The Car
Okay so enough backstory. Here it is! My 2015 Tuxedo Black Fiesta ST!


I lifted these photos off the Facebook Marketplace listing. Mod List when purchased:
- Boomba Wing Spacer Kit
- Mountune Radiator
- Cobb Rear Motor Mount
- Cobb Access Port with Stage 1 91 Octane Tune (Thanks California)
- Enkei RPF1 16 Inch Wheels
- Straight-Piped Exhaust
- Spare Parts Included with Purchase: Replacement Water Pump, Powerflex Rear Spring Bushings

Here's what I've done so far in terms of repairs:
- Replacement Door Handles (Interior): Passenger side was broken on purchase, with driver side really loose. 60$ off amazon later and some time with my power drill and they work better than ever!
- Ford OEM Rubber Fiesta ST floor Mats: The cloth ones where in rough shape, and the Ford OEM ones were pretty inexpensive so I picked up a new set on amazon for $160.

Planned Fixes/Changes:
- Remove the Boomba Wing Spacers: Not a fan to be honest, it also makes the hatch rattle and I'm not a fan.
- Replace LEDs for interior cabin and License Plate Lights: Rear lights and the license plate lights are dead.
- Left and Right Rubber Windshield Gaskets/seals: Dry rotted, needs to be replaced.
- Rear Door Window Motors: Driver Side Rear Window does not roll, and the passenger rear door has been going slower and slower. Likely both motors need to be repaired/replaced.
- Tint: Its bubbling, turning purple. Probably going to go with a less-absurd tint like 30% or 50%, instead of the 5% that's currently on the car.
- Exhaust: Straight Pipes are loud. I love the burble when decelerating, but highway drone and overall livability is impacted. I don't want to be pulled over by the police if I am on the highway driving to a curvy road.
- Remove the Tow Hitch: I don't understand why someone would put a tow hitch on a FiST. I must right the wrong.

 

[Switchback]

Picture-less update time! So this weekend I set out to install a new short-shift kit, bushings, exhaust and remove the Boomba Wing Spacers. Needless to say it did not go perfectly, and I only got 1/3 items completed.

Short-Shift kit went in without any issues, as well as the Transmission Shifter brackets. The Whoosh Motorsports kit worked fantastically, even if I struggled for a long while getting the shifter cables out from the bracket. Went with the 25% reduction, which works phenomenally and gives me a nice short snappy throw.

Exhaust couldn't go in because I couldn't get the downpipe bolts off unfortunately, and the garage air compressor is currently out for the count due to something exploding internally. (We are trying to repair it to support the Lemons build we are working on concurrently) I'm probably just going to take it to a shop to get someone to give it a few good Ugga Duggas (Yes it's a technical term, trust me I'm an engineer). I bought the Thermal R&D Whoosh spec exhaust for reference.

Lastly, the thing I'm most pissed about is the Wing Risers. So going into the removal I knew the outer-most posts where separated and would need to be repaired. However what I didn't know was how broken it /actually/ was. It took a lot of struggle to remove the wing due to the seized/stripped/completely ruined screw threads, and as a result only 1 of the 6 mounting points on the spoiler is reusable. So I think it's safe to say the Boomba risers are bad and should never be used again. I've purchased a new wing off ebay (Looks to be an OEM wing in gloss black), once it arrives I'll see if the gloss black looks good enough with my current Tuxedo black, and if not I'll take it to the shop for a re-spray to the body color. $233 for an OEM wing, and I was quoted $215 for painting, using the old spoiler as a paint match. Not a fantastic way to spend $448 but at the end of the day I hated the wing risers. If anyone wants them I'll sell them off for a good price. (With the warning that they may implode your spoiler if you ever try removing them. Unless it was just the previous owner who was a dummy, but I don't know)

I also purchased the parts for the Timing Belt service, that one I am going to have a mechanic do because I don't have time/patience for it. Garage I quoted it at said it'd likely be in the $900 to $1000 range, which is reasonable enough for me. Not sure if I should do the Serpentine or accessory belts at the same time though.