Building a Ford Escort Van with a 2JZ-GTE

Mark Murphy lives and drifts in Thailand. A few years ago he purchased a Mk1 Ford Escort Van with the intentions to restore it but after sitting in storage for a while he decided it could make a nice drift machine.

The body required a lot of work. There was a lot of rust that needed to be repaired and some of the thickest body filler I have seen on a car. The floors and sills were so far gone that they were completely removed and replaced with new metal.

Under the body Mark had installed a mashup of Nissan S14 and R33 Skyline subframe, suspension and crossmember components. This gave the car a modern foundation with a wider track and lot of aftermarket support for drifting.

Since Mark had a goal of 500 horsepower he chose a 2JZ-GTE because it would only require a few minor mods to reach it. Behind the engine sits a OS Giken clutch and R154 transmission.

Mark says there are only a few months left before we start seeing this van out drifting.

Source: TurboSport.co.uk