My 2000 SVT Contour

[Contour'd]

Here are some pics of my 2 SVT Contours. I bought a 2000 a little over a year and a half ago with a 3L Ford Escape block and 2.5 Cougar heads. The rust got the best of it, so I decided to pick up another 2000 in the same color and swap all of the good parts over. The first car has been featured in 2 contour.org calendars, got 1st place at All Ford Nats in Carlisle for the SVT Contour class, and 2nd at the Hoffman Ford Car show last summer. It was also in the running for Ride of the Month in ModdedMustangs September memorial ROTM. I'm working on getting the second one to get it looking like the first one.

Here is the first SVTC that I bought.









After getting the "new" SVTC





Engine swap



I blew the 3L motor 2 weeks after dropping it in the new car, so I had to return it to the stock 2.5.

Here is how the new SVT sits now in winter mode.






The 3L motor dyno'd at 195whp and 182wtq unturned with just the 3L swap, optimized TB, AEM short ram intake and MSDS Y pipe. It ran a best of 15.2 @ 89.9mph at Beaver Springs Dragway 3 days after dropping a built trans into it. I couldn't get it into 2nd gear half of the time. Later found the shifter tower had tons of slop and needed swapped out.

With the current rebuild of my 3L, i'm looking to run forged rods, balance the bottom end, 3L valves in the 2.5 heads, custom cams, and a good tune. I also have headers to install. I'm hoping to see somewhere around 250whp N/A

Here is one of my best runs of the day.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoOrp-m5QA0"]Contour SVT vs Plymouth Duster - YouTube[/ame]

[95V6]

Super clean car man. Makes me want a Contour!

[mineralrob]

Welcome..nice ride from another csvt owner...(:

[jaa55]

Very cool, always liked these

[sutyak]

Looks good, and best of luck on the next build!

[PaxtonShelby]

Nice ride. I used to have your car's big brother - a 1995 SHO 5-speed. Loved that car.

[CollinsPC]

Welcome.

Very nice Contours. wish I still had mine.

[Mark Aubele]

I had a '99 back in '01 in silver. Took the side mouldings off, removed the amber lenses from inside the headlights, H&R springs, and an off road y-pipe. Car ran 15.2@87 bone stock, then went 14.8@92 with the y-pipe and open K&N. Sold it to a friend back here while I was still in Tech School in Biloxi, MS and he promptly stuffed it. Loved that car.

[Mitternacht]

Nice ride. I used to have your car's big brother - a 1995 SHO 5-speed. Loved that car.

I had its competition; 93 Z-34 Lumina. Fantastic ride also.

[PaxtonShelby]

I had its competition; 93 Z-34 Lumina. Fantastic ride also.

Nice ride - but no competition for the SHO!!! Don't feel bad though - the SHO showed its taillights to its fair share of Fox 5.0's and even a couple late 80's Vettes.

[Contour'd]

Welcome..nice ride from another csvt owner...(:

Thanks! Take care of that gem!

Nice ride. I used to have your car's big brother - a 1995 SHO 5-speed. Loved that car.

Always loved first and second gen SHOs

I had a '99 back in '01 in silver. Took the side mouldings off, removed the amber lenses from inside the headlights, H&R springs, and an off road y-pipe. Car ran 15.2@87 bone stock, then went 14.8@92 with the y-pipe and open K&N. Sold it to a friend back here while I was still in Tech School in Biloxi, MS and he promptly stuffed it. Loved that car.

That's pretty quick for a stock car. When I ran mine, it wasn't going into gear right, the IMRC was acting up and I wasn't launching due to the tow truck already having to tow one car home from the track.

Nice ride - but no competition for the SHO!!! Don't feel bad though - the SHO showed its taillights to its fair share of Fox 5.0's and even a couple late 80's Vettes.

This is not so true. With the 3L swapped in, they'll eat 3.0, 3.2L and 3.4L powered SHOs. Stock they're pretty even.

[PaxtonShelby]

Contour'd - I wasn't talking about your car - I was talking about the Z34. No doubt a 3.0 in a smaller Contour would outrun a much heavier SHO with the same displacement.

I know the Z34's run pretty well, but the auto really held them back.

[Tony71502]

How do you blow an engine so soon? Was it used?

[Monkeygrits]

I was planning on doing a full 3.0 swap on my cougar but decided to sell it and get the stang. If I remember running the cougar heads (hybrid I think they called it) were hit or miss on durability. I was gonna go full 3.0. It was a great car indeed. Fun platform just limited on aftermarket and it takes money to make power.

[Contour'd]

Contour'd - I wasn't talking about your car - I was talking about the Z34. No doubt a 3.0 in a smaller Contour would outrun a much heavier SHO with the same displacement.

I know the Z34's run pretty well, but the auto really held them back.

I guess I need to pay better attention

How do you blow an engine so soon? Was it used?

The motor that I blew was out of my first SVT, so I had a year of abuse on it. From what I know, it had about 65-70K on it. I believe it was a combo of revving to 7250rpm and possible oil starvation. It spun 4 out of the six rod bearings.

I was planning on doing a full 3.0 swap on my cougar but decided to sell it and get the stang. If I remember running the cougar heads (hybrid I think they called it) were hit or miss on durability. I was gonna go full 3.0. It was a great car indeed. Fun platform just limited on aftermarket and it takes money to make power.

Everyone says the Hybrids are not reliable, but it all depends on how its put together. Mine was stock bottom end with stock heads. Not really built for the high rpms and higher 11.25:1 compression ratio.

[Mark Aubele]

I know the Z34's run pretty well, but the auto really held them back.

You could get a manual in the earlier ones. My dad test drove one back before he got his emerald green '93 5 speed SHO 20 years ago.

[PaxtonShelby]

You could get a manual in the earlier ones. My dad test drove one back before he got his emerald green '93 5 speed SHO 20 years ago.

Wow - that had to be a seriously rare car. I bet less than 1-2% would have been manuals.

Just thinking - maybe you were thinking about a Z24 ( cavalier-based ) and not a Z34 (Lumina)? I know you know your stuff...just wondering...

[Mark Aubele]

They made them!

[PaxtonShelby]

I figured as much - just wanted to double check. Any idea how many of those puppies were actually produced? It HAS to be a low number...

[Mark Aubele]

I figured as much - just wanted to double check. Any idea how many of those puppies were actually produced? It HAS to be a low number...

I think like 6