Saw a clean silver ZX2 this morning and thought of your car. Such a cool and unique build. You don’t see these tastefully modded EVER, so a properly build one is a true unicorn.
I own a 98 ford escort zx2 with 250k miles, and it still runs strong, mine won't ever be like his, but I will keep it running as I really enjoy the car... that blue paint job though is gorgeous.
I definitely appreciate how you are willing to provide all sorts of information regarding your build, and the possible mistakes made during it. This opens you up to judgements by the internet people of course, and it's refreshing to see you are not afraid of that. We are not all expert engine builders, and should learn from our experiences both positive and negative. I'm happy you are not afraid to learn from yours, and to help the community learn as well by posting it all in high definition with crystal clear audio! If you're ever in San Francisco, you won't have to pay for beer. :thumbup:
I bought a ZX2 back in high school to rival my friends Honda’s. I had a great time building that car up with what money I had. I’ve since graduated up to a Focus ST. Love any video that has your zx2 in it. Great throwback to my early days
Damn, who else in the last 20 years was ever relieved they had a local RadioShack? Nice problem solving. And that head bolt problem seems as tedious as it was important. Those cam gears are gorgeous though.
TH-cam should have a golden button beside the thumbs up button, because these guys deserve more than a thumbs up. Their videos are superb and on point, you guys are great and please keep up the good work cause I'm A huge fan of you guys.
I'm 41 now. I was probably in my early 20s when I got My first car in the navy was a silver Ford escort zx2 manual. I was stationed in California. I had no clue what I was doing, took a lot of time and patience, my first project. I did cold air, lowered eibach 2.0 springs, greddy exhaust, light weight pulleys, strut brace, wings west ground effects kit, pep boys premium rims you use to see along the walls. Cut the governor black wire... I thought I was so cool, I remember smoking some Asian boys only cosmetic in the Oakland Tunnel, down shift and I was out! One thing I regret that gave out to the end was the clutch! Smh 😦 I really loved that car! Thanks for bringing back awesome memories. I miss that car! Smoked a lot of people lol. It's nice to see the hard you work you've done. I can appreciate that. Ty.
It's beautiful that when your a car enthusiast and you love a car you will never let it go you've had this car for over 10 years!!!!!!!!!! that's a long time!!
I love the timelapses/montages, and i love how well you explain your issues and how you fix them. Beautiful camera work and a sweet, unique car that I never see modded. Love this channel, stay safe on the track.
I have a ZX2 and I also get that no start.. no turning.. the problem is in the steering column sensors .. just move the steering wheel around until it makes contact and starts.
This build inspired me to start my channel and document my build on my 93 escort, just wish I had you cinematography skills lol. I used to have a 2001 ZX2 that probably would have turned out like this if it didn't get rear ended and totaled. Love the build, love the channel and what it's become.
Such a great video again, I love watching these types of videos they are so interesting and educational! thank you! Did you study Engineering or where does your knowledge about cars come from? That is so impressing, I mean you can do everything on your car by your own.. just wow. Keep up the good work!
Gears and Gasoline how sweet! I've been learning from TH-cam videos, Forums, websites, how to's, and everything that you can think of! I only learn from the best so you know why I'm even here :)
Many of us (if not most) learned by doing. I don't know anyone whos heavily into modding their cars thats actually gone to school for it (fabricating, tuning, etc). But they do it. Trial and error, learning from mistakes, and its really about having the proper (and easily attainable) tools to do a job. Clutches, brakes, head swaps, its all straight forward and most cars are decent to work on.. there are of course models you dont know until you get into...buy it, wrench on it, then to find out its a really crappy design to customize XD
I would like to get one of those KLZE V6 swap it and turbo it. Maybe even a wagon for the extra giggles. It fits with an MX-3 V6 crossmember and an axle mix.
Back in 1998-99 when seeking my first car after highschool I too was gonna purchase the ford escort zx2. Love the headlights and tailights. I like how yours has the lip kits and volk wheels. Sorta reminds me of nissan silvia...especially with thr blue
I cant believe you have a zx2! these cars were actually really sporty back in their day. I actually had one about 10 years ago myself but it couldnt keep transmissions. just stock they run damn good. ours really caught people off guard by how I ran. I'm pretty sure yours will run awesome!
i had a 2000 zx2 as my first car. 5 speed no ac. i never modded it but your editing style was so euphoric! the first time i ever did a photo shoot was on my iphone in the Spokane Wa. mall parking garage a lot like the one you were in and it was raining with snow on the ground. i miss the sound of that ztec 2.0 when id redline it with wheel spin. i used to "rally" it in my uncles cow pasture too haha amazing little cars
its been that long since the last build video on this car? i honestly didn't believe you so i went back in the history. seems like just yesterday that i was watching your escort build. glad to see its getting some love again
Production quality of your videos is always amazing. And I love the ZX2; had one myself for 6 years, lots of fond memories of that car (manual to boot!)
nice job on the push button starter setup, and for cleaning up the wiring. For the firewall holes, i hope you put in some sort of gasket or body panel gasket, but really quality work.
I know you guys get this a lot, but it still blows my mind you’re only at 200K subs! Your content is informative, passionate, beautifully shot and gives a lot of your viewers much needed inspiration. I look forward to these every week :)
Im so proud of you fellas! I love watching you and have enjoyed since who knows when? Im happy to see a good mixture between mini documentaries and videos where you feature yourselves in! Keep it up! Your quality has significantly improved from before, you deserve a lot more attention!
I love sleeper builds! My 91 Miata has a rather big turbo for its engine and has around 300hp (weighs 2070lbs dry/stock). My 2004 Cavalier i just sold was a complete LSJ motor swap with an upgraded blower. Keeping them nearly stock looking and seeing the faces of even blown V8's losing sub 120mph runs is great! This is a cool car with very simple upgrades and its an awesome color (love the wheels too!). Making me want to go wrench on my Miata again right now lol
I know this is old video at this point, but i wanted to say that, as an electrician, there were many, many better choices of wire than #10 thwn. The casing on that wire is meant to be only in a conduit, it will probably short out eventually from vibrations. I would have chose something more rubberized with thicker casing like 16ga FINE stranded cord like speaker wire more. The fine stranded wire is better at not dropping dc voltage over distance aswell BTW i love all ur vids
That's awesome! And a gorgeous color too. After driving a family members ZX2 I always had the thought of what would it be like really done up. I would have left the interior and HVAC though. Nothing worse than leaving a boiling hot car show in a boiling hot car lol. I guess it's all just part of the experience
Dude! The car looks pretty dope.!! All the work you've been doing on her so far and the mini heart attack you had when you saw coolant in the engine oil, you fixed it though, this video made my day.! Take care man. Love from Hyderabad, India.
Amazing video as always guys!! You should look into uploading more videos at 60fps, the smoothness of the video would really compliment the good cinematography.
Loved the video- I love the blue on the ZX2. Makes me miss my old one that much more. Good Luck with all the work- Im sure your work will be excellent.
At 6:21 *TORQUE* *STEER* *ON* *A* *US* *FORD* *ESCORT* ....my mind is blown! I had a 2001 US Escort, and was working for about 5 years upgrading it, performing weight reduction, modifying the engine, suspension, exhaust etc... It was too difficult to find performance parts for it back then (2001-2006). Every other tuner I knew always laughed at the idea I was trying to upgrade an Escort, but the car actually has a lot of potential. Not as much potential as the UK/Euro Ford Escort models, it's a totally different car with a proud racing/rally lineage there. I ended up saving up and buying my first Japanese car in '07 and it was *way* easier to find upgrades and components, and it required way less work to start seeing performance improvements. Still though, I've always wished I could have spent more time tuning and upgrading that Escort, so this video is really intriguing, I've never actually seen another US Escort build before! And this car is really impressive!
It was funny to see this car because like u said i wasnt subscribed to your channel when you were building it but i knew i recognized it. I watched some of those old videos and i was right, i actually lived nextdoor to you when you were building it. Wish i knew about your channel then. Always wondered why you spent so much time working on that escort now i know, good job.
i was working on my 97 Escort, going to stuff a 1/2 ton axle on the back and a 5.7L in it, but it is a bit rusty so it needs a full sub frame for that.
I am pretty surprised by this escort and I really lime it. I had a 1991 ford escort gt and I loved that car. I would love to find another one but I don't see them often.
8:28 instead of smoothing that out, I would cut 1 solid piece of solid straight black plastic, and place over it for now. Cutouts for switches ofcourse.
From the side i almost thought it was an s15
From the thumbnail it looks like a s15
Tuner_fan me tooo
i was like why is he calling a s15 and escort? lmao
Hellolife but u do see though now right, from thumbnail
Me too lol that's why I clicked
Very Creative shot around 5:40 :) Great work Ben(s)!
I want to own my car for 10 years bro. That’s insane how much dedication you have for this build. Mad respect
Saw a clean silver ZX2 this morning and thought of your car. Such a cool and unique build. You don’t see these tastefully modded EVER, so a properly build one is a true unicorn.
I own a 98 ford escort zx2 with 250k miles, and it still runs strong, mine won't ever be like his, but I will keep it running as I really enjoy the car... that blue paint job though is gorgeous.
Your escort is completely different from ours
Are you european?
Marios Pantouvanos
Brazilian. But I think here in Brazil we had the same escort as you guys in Europe, with a few drivetrain differences
Yeah, yours are cooler :/
Gears and Gasoline Yours look pretty sweet though!
Not the ford escort I am used to seeing
From the side on the thumbnail it looks kinda like S15. Very nice car :D
Kessuga™ I thought it was an S15 😂
and from the front a Lexus sc300
I guess it's an SC15 😂
Look again, it's a carbon copy of the 1997 Pontiac GP GTP
hEaDGaSkET?!? 😬
Excellent work as usual, Bens!
Albon you watch these gods aswell? Respect! :)
:D Nice one, I can't even read "head gasket" without hearing Marty's voice in my head ^^
Wow with those rims and with it lowered like that it actually looks like an exotic sports car! It’s really sharp. Plus you can’t beat that ford blue!
I definitely appreciate how you are willing to provide all sorts of information regarding your build, and the possible mistakes made during it. This opens you up to judgements by the internet people of course, and it's refreshing to see you are not afraid of that. We are not all expert engine builders, and should learn from our experiences both positive and negative. I'm happy you are not afraid to learn from yours, and to help the community learn as well by posting it all in high definition with crystal clear audio!
If you're ever in San Francisco, you won't have to pay for beer. :thumbup:
I bought a ZX2 back in high school to rival my friends Honda’s. I had a great time building that car up with what money I had. I’ve since graduated up to a Focus ST. Love any video that has your zx2 in it. Great throwback to my early days
Not really a fan of gutted dashboard,but overall,the car looks sick
Damn, who else in the last 20 years was ever relieved they had a local RadioShack? Nice problem solving. And that head bolt problem seems as tedious as it was important. Those cam gears are gorgeous though.
Sam they killed all the Radio Shacks around me, here in FL 😞
Jonas Raab by now they did indefinitely
Jonas Raab yea, but there “special” discounts are stupid. It’s almost like there trying hard to not look defeated.
It’s still a shame that there going...
Jonas Raab was he well off?
Following this build for a while now. Motivates me to put my car back together and hit the track as well.
TH-cam should have a golden button beside the thumbs up button, because these guys deserve more than a thumbs up. Their videos are superb and on point, you guys are great and please keep up the good work cause I'm A huge fan of you guys.
This car is the reason I found you guys. Glad you are bringing it back!
I'm 41 now. I was probably in my early 20s when I got My first car in the navy was a silver Ford escort zx2 manual. I was stationed in California. I had no clue what I was doing, took a lot of time and patience, my first project. I did cold air, lowered eibach 2.0 springs, greddy exhaust, light weight pulleys, strut brace, wings west ground effects kit, pep boys premium rims you use to see along the walls. Cut the governor black wire... I thought I was so cool, I remember smoking some Asian boys only cosmetic in the Oakland Tunnel, down shift and I was out! One thing I regret that gave out to the end was the clutch! Smh 😦 I really loved that car! Thanks for bringing back awesome memories. I miss that car! Smoked a lot of people lol. It's nice to see the hard you work you've done. I can appreciate that. Ty.
Your courage to take on wiring/electrical astounds me. That stuff just terrifies me.
It's beautiful that when your a car enthusiast and you love a car you will never let it go
you've had this car for over 10 years!!!!!!!!!!
that's a long time!!
Still the only TH-cam channel I watch without fast forwarding, great content every week.
I love the timelapses/montages, and i love how well you explain your issues and how you fix them. Beautiful camera work and a sweet, unique car that I never see modded. Love this channel, stay safe on the track.
More videos like these you indirectly teach us a lot even though no actual diy format was used
I have a ZX2 and I also get that no start.. no turning.. the problem is in the steering column sensors .. just move the steering wheel around until it makes contact and starts.
That car is seriously amazing. Just proves how capable the escort is
Coulda talked ish about Ford quality, but why; this could happen to anyone. IMHO respect to all you do and how you show the true love of cars.
good knowledge of cars and engines from the owner. good man
Love reading the updates on the forum! Nice to finally see some video of where it's at!
Love all of your vids, and definitely informational. Inspires me to have the “built not bought” approach. Keep up the good content!
This build inspired me to start my channel and document my build on my 93 escort, just wish I had you cinematography skills lol. I used to have a 2001 ZX2 that probably would have turned out like this if it didn't get rear ended and totaled. Love the build, love the channel and what it's become.
hmh... whats up with these wierd looking escorts? is this an american thing?
Glad to still see this car around, I came back around to the Z's. Picked a S/R up with 63k and a focus SVT swap in it. Keep the videos coming!
I don’t expect to be fast but I do expect to have fun... The time and dedication you have is awesome.
Finally. I’m one of your OG subscribers bc of the escort since I had one. I definitely appreciate this vid. Can’t wait to see it finished!
i guess he had a friend filming the whole time, what a nice friend.
Such a great video again, I love watching these types of videos they are so interesting and educational! thank you! Did you study Engineering or where does your knowledge about cars come from? That is so impressing, I mean you can do everything on your car by your own.. just wow. Keep up the good work!
Thanks! Lots of watching videos on TH-cam to get the knowledge!
Wow this is so amazing, huge respect.
That is really amazing! Any particular channels/video series that you recommend?
Gears and Gasoline how sweet! I've been learning from TH-cam videos, Forums, websites, how to's, and everything that you can think of! I only learn from the best so you know why I'm even here :)
Many of us (if not most) learned by doing. I don't know anyone whos heavily into modding their cars thats actually gone to school for it (fabricating, tuning, etc). But they do it. Trial and error, learning from mistakes, and its really about having the proper (and easily attainable) tools to do a job. Clutches, brakes, head swaps, its all straight forward and most cars are decent to work on.. there are of course models you dont know until you get into...buy it, wrench on it, then to find out its a really crappy design to customize XD
Every time I heard Escort I remember and miss my 1993 Mk.4 Ford Escort 1.8 s I had untill last year
Winged Thoughts what happened? Sell it? Wrecked it? Scrapped it?
Why don't you have it anymore?
I would like to get one of those KLZE V6 swap it and turbo it. Maybe even a wagon for the extra giggles. It fits with an MX-3 V6 crossmember and an axle mix.
PGTMR2 do the wagon so sleepy sleeper that kicks the shit out of everyone else 😈
I wonder if the stock hubcaps would hold on? :D
This guy can talk about how amazing the toyota prius is. And I would still watch the whole video.
Cleaner welds than most "exhaust shops" 👌
We in the community appreciate all you guys do and with great builds come great pains. Keep wrenchin!!!! Love from stl.
Finally another hands on car content creator
Joseph Kim thought I’d let ya know, you have a hair on top of your profile pic.
Back in 1998-99 when seeking my first car after highschool I too was gonna purchase the ford escort zx2. Love the headlights and tailights.
I like how yours has the lip kits and volk wheels. Sorta reminds me of nissan silvia...especially with thr blue
Bro, I LOVE that color and have always liked that body style. Hell of a build.
I cant believe you have a zx2! these cars were actually really sporty back in their day. I actually had one about 10 years ago myself but it couldnt keep transmissions. just stock they run damn good. ours really caught people off guard by how I ran. I'm pretty sure yours will run awesome!
That is a sharp and beautiful escort. Blue was always the best color for them too.
i had a 2000 zx2 as my first car. 5 speed no ac. i never modded it but your editing style was so euphoric! the first time i ever did a photo shoot was on my iphone in the Spokane Wa. mall parking garage a lot like the one you were in and it was raining with snow on the ground. i miss the sound of that ztec 2.0 when id redline it with wheel spin. i used to "rally" it in my uncles cow pasture too haha amazing little cars
It’s so good to see this car back on the channel!
Originally subscribed to follow the escort build stayed for everything else. 😎👍🏽
That's the proove that you can make EVERY CAR look good
Subscribed. Gotta support a fellow American Escort fan. Super excited to see your track day vid.
Dayyyum son! This is immaculate. I'm not sure what's cleaner your car or your video. Both so crisp.
I love how much this channel has changed and how much you guys have grown can't wait to see the track day 😊
its been that long since the last build video on this car? i honestly didn't believe you so i went back in the history. seems like just yesterday that i was watching your escort build. glad to see its getting some love again
Production quality of your videos is always amazing. And I love the ZX2; had one myself for 6 years, lots of fond memories of that car (manual to boot!)
This is the cleanest escort of this generation that I've ever seen! It's actually beautiful!
nice job on the push button starter setup, and for cleaning up the wiring. For the firewall holes, i hope you put in some sort of gasket or body panel gasket, but really quality work.
I know you guys get this a lot, but it still blows my mind you’re only at 200K subs! Your content is informative, passionate, beautifully shot and gives a lot of your viewers much needed inspiration. I look forward to these every week :)
I need to build up my 2000 zx2 s/r like that cuz that looks amazing and is very well done. Props to you for keeping the z alive
Also is that an s/r gauge cluster I see or am I wrong?
Im so proud of you fellas! I love watching you and have enjoyed since who knows when? Im happy to see a good mixture between mini documentaries and videos where you feature yourselves in! Keep it up! Your quality has significantly improved from before, you deserve a lot more attention!
I love sleeper builds! My 91 Miata has a rather big turbo for its engine and has around 300hp (weighs 2070lbs dry/stock). My 2004 Cavalier i just sold was a complete LSJ motor swap with an upgraded blower. Keeping them nearly stock looking and seeing the faces of even blown V8's losing sub 120mph runs is great! This is a cool car with very simple upgrades and its an awesome color (love the wheels too!). Making me want to go wrench on my Miata again right now lol
The thumbnail looks like an S15
I'm just ready to see this car in the truck already. Doll that seem more than all that work put into it. It's about time
My stepdad used to have a four door 1.8 mk6 with mk5 Cassie wing and bonnet, mk6 gti bumpers and skirts in RS orange
Looks great Ben. Glad to see it still alive.
-Dubbs
Nice video.
Reminds me of the struggles I have with mine.
Keep it up dude 👍🏿
You guys really make the best videos on youtube relating to cars imo! Really inspirational! good work yall. goodluck on the track too!!
I know this is old video at this point, but i wanted to say that, as an electrician, there were many, many better choices of wire than #10 thwn. The casing on that wire is meant to be only in a conduit, it will probably short out eventually from vibrations. I would have chose something more rubberized with thicker casing like 16ga FINE stranded cord like speaker wire more. The fine stranded wire is better at not dropping dc voltage over distance aswell
BTW i love all ur vids
I never thought I would say this about an escort that thing is badass
That's awesome! And a gorgeous color too. After driving a family members ZX2 I always had the thought of what would it be like really done up. I would have left the interior and HVAC though. Nothing worse than leaving a boiling hot car show in a boiling hot car lol. I guess it's all just part of the experience
Dude!
The car looks pretty dope.!!
All the work you've been doing on her so far and the mini heart attack you had when you saw coolant in the engine oil, you fixed it though, this video made my day.!
Take care man.
Love from Hyderabad, India.
One of my favorite channels now
Keen to see more about the zx2. Love you guys and your work, keep up the amazing work
Such a badass build, this really is one of the very best channels out there🤘
Amazing video as always guys!! You should look into uploading more videos at 60fps, the smoothness of the video would really compliment the good cinematography.
Loved the video- I love the blue on the ZX2. Makes me miss my old one that much more. Good Luck with all the work- Im sure your work will be excellent.
I used to own one of those. this should be a good series.
Thanx.. Very nice video.. I miss this car.. Thanx 4 da update on where it currently stands. 👍
Everything is so clean and new.
The most underrated car channel ever. Keep up with the good cinematography
At 6:21 *TORQUE* *STEER* *ON* *A* *US* *FORD* *ESCORT* ....my mind is blown! I had a 2001 US Escort, and was working for about 5 years upgrading it, performing weight reduction, modifying the engine, suspension, exhaust etc... It was too difficult to find performance parts for it back then (2001-2006). Every other tuner I knew always laughed at the idea I was trying to upgrade an Escort, but the car actually has a lot of potential. Not as much potential as the UK/Euro Ford Escort models, it's a totally different car with a proud racing/rally lineage there. I ended up saving up and buying my first Japanese car in '07 and it was *way* easier to find upgrades and components, and it required way less work to start seeing performance improvements. Still though, I've always wished I could have spent more time tuning and upgrading that Escort, so this video is really intriguing, I've never actually seen another US Escort build before! And this car is really impressive!
Still love the shot from inside the cylinder
Absolutely enjoying every second of your videos.
dude i love this car. glad to see it back.
YES ! Glad you brought it back out in your TH-cam content.
Very cool! I like that you went a road less traveled. Bravo.
Mad props on the build. Nice video.
Glad to see you back at the old Z again.
It was funny to see this car because like u said i wasnt subscribed to your channel when you were building it but i knew i recognized it. I watched some of those old videos and i was right, i actually lived nextdoor to you when you were building it. Wish i knew about your channel then. Always wondered why you spent so much time working on that escort now i know, good job.
Oh wow! When were you my neighbor?
Like 2014-15ish wyndhurst townhouses
I never realized a Ford escort could look so good
Woahhh never thought an Escort would look this good
i was working on my 97 Escort, going to stuff a 1/2 ton axle on the back and a 5.7L in it, but it is a bit rusty so it needs a full sub frame for that.
Awesome video, Ben. Having seen this makes me appreciate riding in it this past weekend! Looking forward to your follow up videos.
I see passion in cars I cry like a man
Congrats on 200k, you deserve it👍
Glad to see an update on the Z cant wait to see track footage!
Really nice build hombre👌 you nailed it with a great color too! Thanks for posting your work, I'm now subscribed to see what more is to come 👍
Love how he’s just sanding the deck on an open engine he’s assembling, lol
Always love your videos. Never thought I’d really like a zx2 escort either. You’ve built one amazing FF track car here.
Your channel is sick. Do more videos like this!!!!! Super informative.
I am pretty surprised by this escort and I really lime it. I had a 1991 ford escort gt and I loved that car. I would love to find another one but I don't see them often.
Props to you for doing something different that you like! Sweet looking car dude!
8:28 instead of smoothing that out, I would cut 1 solid piece of solid straight black plastic, and place over it for now. Cutouts for switches ofcourse.