Hey All!
Today, I want to take a look at what will be one of the most iconic cars in the MK3 Focus community. This post has been so long awaited. Not only by me, but by everyone in the Focus community! Before I get started, I would like to give a quick back story of the owner and car.
Mike started Rebel Devil Customs (RDC) in 2012 as a hot rod and resto-mod shop, which was around the same time he got his Focus. In 2013 he became a parts vendor and was very active in getting parts for Focus community members. I began talking to Mike on the Focus Fanatics forum when we were part of Sonic’s MK3 Crew, which was an online “crew” dedicated to being pioneers in the MK3 Focus community. The more parts started becoming available, the more Mike, Bill at ThreeTwenty, and I collaborated to try and achieve one similar goal: To each create a sedan that stood out among the huge crowd of sedans in this community. Little by little we went our own ways, and our builds took the shape they are now. The three of us had the visual modifications we wanted, but we needed some more grunt under the hood than just our naturally aspirated engines and bolt-ons.
Enter Steve at SAR Auto. Mike discovered a wrecked ST at Steve’s parts yard. The reason the ST engine is wanted is because of the fact that it comes factory with a turbo and is rated at 250 horsepower. Meanwhile our S/SE/Titanium Focus counterparts have a naturally aspirated engine at 160 horsepower.
He pulled the engine from the ST, and all the electrical parts needed to swap. He then began to create an absolute devil of a sedan.
He started by taking everything apart, and then removed the engine. Pretty straight forward so far.
He also stripped the interior because new electrical and mechanical parts were going in.
Then, it came together. Mike spent a lot of hours after this trying to figure out the electrical and programming side of this swap. There were some parts that needed to be added over from the ST, but there were also a lot of parts from the original car that were left on. Once he finished up all of the wiring, the car had finally turned over! He sent Bill and I a Facebook Message with a video right away, and we were so excited to hear that engine cranking.
The car is a beast! The modification list agrees, because he decided to modify this engine while he had everything apart.
For performance he has: A Focus ST drivetrain swap which includes and engine and transmission, an FS Werks intake tube, Levels Stage 3 front mount intercooler, Steeda downpipe, Stratified Stage 3 Tune, Pumaspeed charge tubing, Boomba Racing short throw shifter and shifter bushings, Altitude Autoworks symposer delete, and an RDC catback exhaust,
In the Suspenision/Braking area, there is: A brake kit by Stoptech, Hawk brake pads, ST front struts, Koni rear shocks, Vmaxx lowering springs, Styluz M575 Staggered fitment wheels (18×8 front and 18×9 rear), Duro tires (225/40 front and 245/40 rear), and an FS Werks modified rear stress bar.
He didn’t leave the visual mods out either, he has done: An RDC grill delete, 3D Carbon sides skirts and rear valance,  Focus Zetec S front lip and grilles, TLF headlights, Vintage Black suede headliner, all black interior, and ST2 front seats.
Mike also has plenty of sponsors: Rebel Devil Customs, Stratified Tuning, Altitude Autoworks, Boomba Racing, Levels, Steeda, Don Hinds Ford Performance, and Pumaspeed.
Mike revealed the Red Devil today at Focus Fest, one of the biggest Focus gatherings in the country. I was lucky enough to follow this build a few weeks before, when he initially started it. It was down for a total of about 2-3 weeks. He would stay up late nights to work on the car, and would give Bill and I constant updates. Little by little, the car came together after the initial tear down. The progress was actually fairly quick compared to most swaps, and that gives me reassurance that I too can complete something of this nature without having the car down for months. Mike completed this project alone too, which is a feat in and of itself.
He also uploaded a few videos to YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuZziaAYjNQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5_BmflnXMg&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzArqNS6lWo&feature=youtu.be
The cool thing about this swap, is that it now gives Focus S/SE/Titanium owners hope, that we too can make this happen. This brings up a valid question: Who will be next? We’ll see in the next few years, as warranties run out and cars and engines become more readily available.
I apologize as the pictures aren’t as high quality as normal, but high quality pictures were definitely not a huge priority during this swap. I am honored to be able to feature this car on the blog, as I am with any other car. Bill at officialthreetwenty.com is also glad to feature this car too! We both hope to give you more updates of this car later on with high quality pictures. I have a few more shows I plan on attending in the area, and will update you guys on those as well. Thanks for tuning in, and Godspeed!
-Jose
FiveThirty 
How much would it cost for you guys to do a switch for a customer, 2014 ford focus SE
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Is my only luck at doing this finding a wrecked st with a good engine? Is there simply a way to change the transmission as well as adding a turbo similar to the st engine. Or is my best bet trying to purchase a wrecked st with a working engine?
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