I have avoided adding in my own time on to any of the following calculations. I’m not the most agile or efficient or capable mechanic. So, the times listed are those provided by the craftspeople who performed the tasks requiring talent, skill and experience. My usefulness on the project, if it can be called usefulness, was in performing as many of the menial and grunt tasks as possible. On the Berkeley surgical phase alone I must have pulled and then re-installed the Zetec motor five times. So it didn’t seem to make much sense to try and calculate how long it took me to complete any given phase of the project when virtually anyone else would be able to reach that task’s completion more quickly and more efficiently. And there is the hope that anyone attempting to replicate these adaptations will be able to readily bypass my trial-and-error-afflicted delays and proceed directly to adaptation completion.
The bellhousing modifications took 3 hours. No material costs.
Shift bracket spacing. 30 minutes. Zero dollars.
“A” Brace fabrication. 3.5 hours. $10 in new metal.
Coil bracket fabrication. 2.0 hours. $37 for the modifiable alternative coil mount.
Upper motor mount fabrication. 5.0 hours. $65.95 in aluminum.
Lower motor mount fabrication. 4.0 hours. $30 in miscellaneous items.
Right side engine bay surgery: 1.0 hours. No expenditures.
Left side engine bay surgery: .5 hours. No material costs.
Initial header modification: .5 hours. Zero dollars (already had the headers).
Repositioning lower left engine bay brace: 1.0 hours. No cost.
Redirecting water pump inlet pipe: 1.0 hours. No dollars.
Modifying thermostat housing and outlet pipe: 1.0 hours. No cost. Already had outlet.
Fabricating exhaust header and bracket: 4.0 hours. Header acquired previously.
Fabricate New Large Diagonal Engine Bay Brace: 2.5 hours. $20 in tubing.
Final Welding and Grinding: 1.0 hours. No materials cost.
Water line plumbing: .5 hours modifying swirlpot. $873.76 in hoses and components.
Oil line plumbing: .5 hours modifying oil return tower. $183.23 in hoses and fittings.
Fuel delivery necessities: .5 hours floating saddle modifications. Bosch pump: $299.99.
1.0 hours modifying fuel filler neck. Fittings and hose $300.
Anti Intrusion Panels: My time only. $409.08 in kevlar, resin, hardener and tools.
Alternator Regulator Placement: My time only. Already had the component.
Fabricating ECU shield: 1.0 hours. $30.32 in aluminum sheet metal.
Total Time For Services by Craftspeople: 36 hours.
This 36 hours could potentially equal $3600 if the welder/machinist bills out at $100 an hour. The price drops to $1800 if the hourly billing rate is in the $50 an hour range. And, should the chassis owner/enthusiast possess the requisite equipment, tools and skills, then the price drops into the negligible range.
Total Cost For Materials: $2,259.33
The materials costs included all of the metal, the hoses, fittings and other components needed in the chassis adaptation process. It did not include items that had been purchased for the engine build phase of the project chronicled in The Junk Yard Zetec Project (such as the water outlet/thermostat housing or the used exhaust header system).
And note also, I have not even attempted to calculate what funds might come back into the project via the potential sale of the older single overhead cam motor or any of its related components.
Zetec Conversion 