XR5 AWD Sedan - '5L3P3R"

[Nev Bertwistle]

Back in September 2020 I completed Australia’s first AWD conversion of a MK2 XR5/ST only I did it slightly differently and put the driveline into a sedan bodyshell. I had actually finished the car 6 months earlier but spent that time trying to mix & match PCM’s and ABS modules to get the perfect result. The car took me about 12 months to build and actually started life as a 2011 2L 5sp manual FWD LX Sedan. To get to the finished product I had bought all of the following damaged cars - two TE Kuga’s, a T5 AWD manual Volvo S40, a MK2 RS and several XR5’s. Armed with 4 years of research and a shed full of parts I set about turning my concept into reality.

[Nev Bertwistle]

This is the build sheet for the car. Note there's a lot more in it than this but these are the highlights.

Engine
2012 TE Kuga 2.5 with 57000km, block mod, RS oil cooler, 550cc injectors, AS plenum, new turbo cartridge with 7 blade compressor wheel, new timing belt, tensioner, head gasket & bolts, Forge BOV, Forge actuator, Pumaspeed TCV, Samco water pipe kit, Airtec 50mm alloy radiator, PWR intercooler, Samco boost pipe kit with symposer delete, Full 3” TBE, Stage 8 exhaust to turbo fasteners, Pumaspeed U550 Hybrid tune, OEM Denied CAI, K&N air filter, RS ECU Enclosure, RS plugs

Drivetrain
SPEC single mass flywheel modified to take RS clutch, ARP flywheel bolts, new RS clutch, new clutch concentric slave cylinder, Volvo M66C AWD box (Mondeo ratios), S40 AWD manual RHS side driveshaft and XR5 LHS driveshaft modified with MK3 ST outer CV joints, Kuga transfer case, new gearbox and transfer case seals, S40 tailshaft and mounting brackets, Kuga Gen IV Haldex and rear diff, S40 rear axles, Focus LZ ST rear knuckles, Volvo S40 rear wheel bearings, Redline Lightweight Shockproof oil used in gearbox transfer case and diff, LV Update gear leaver with short shift kit

Front Suspension
TE Kuga/RS MK2 subframe, LV lower control arms with Hardrace MK3 Roll centre adjusted lower ball joints and Superpro front and rear bushes, LZ ST front knuckles, Whiteline 24mm front sway bar and bushes, Pedders LZ MK3 RS Xtreme Coilovers, MK2 RS Steering rack, Hardrace MK2 roll centre adjusted steering arms

Rear Suspension
Volvo S40 AWD rear crossmember, Focus MK2/MK3 lower control arms, Hardrace MK2 adjustable toe arms, Hardrace MK2 adjustable camber arms, Focus LZ ST rear knuckles with centre hole bored out 4mm to take Volvo S40 wheel bearings, bearings tapped to take Focus MK3 ST bearing bolts, Volvo AWD ABS sensor relocated to top of knuckle, Superpro inner & outer lower control arm bushes, Focus LZ ST rear sway bar with Superpro bushes and Hardrace outer links, Pedders MK3 RS Xtreme coilovers

Brakes
New MK2 RS master cylinder, MK2 RS brake booster, new MK2 RS vacuum line from booster to inlet manifold (modified), LV XR5 ABS module & yaw sensor, front RS MK3 350mm discs with Brembo 4 pot calipers, rear RS MK3 302mm discs with RS/ST calipers on new Mazda/Ford caliper brackets

Fuel tank
TE Kuga, Volvo S40 pipework and mounting plate for fuel tank breather componentry above diff. Kuga FPCM and wiring beneath RHS rear seat.

Interior
Focus RS mk2 inner dash & alloy pedals, Hoodlining removed and recovered in black and fitted with XR5/RS wiring (interior lights, PATS antennas, rain sensing wiring), RS rear view mirror, remaining plastic work swapped for XR5 black or for sedan only pieces painted black. XR5/RS outer dash panel with RS dash, instrument cluster, boost gauge, climate control a/c, hid headlights, XR5 front and rear seats & console, Mountune gearshift boot, XR5 door trims, Zenec head unit

Body
2011 LV sedan in Frozen White (originally 2L 5 speed LX), spare wheel well removed from boot floor and replaced with flat section from Volvo S40 sedan, blind nuts welded into underbody for tailshaft mounts, genuine MK2 RS bonnet, XR5 front bar and side skirts, MK2 RS side mirrors with puddle lights, rain sensing and demister front windscreen, genuine MK2 RS HID lights with levelling system and headlight washers, rear park assist, front door locks rebuilt with RS internals mounted to sedan door lock carrier section, keyless entry door handles

Wiring
Engine harness – LV XR5 modified to pick up pin 23 from PCM and feed to Battery Junction Box to ultimately go to Fuel Pump Control Module, added brake vacuum line connector as per RS engine harness
Engine bay harness – MK2 RS modified to run extra line from BJB to floor harness for Fuel Pump Control Module
Inner dash harness – MK2 RS modified to pick up additional fuel level sense wire from fuel pump control module via floor harness through inner dash harness to instrument cluster
Roof Harness – MK2 RS modified to cater for relocated high level brake light from hatch to top of roof at rear.
Floor Harness - MK2 RS completely unpicked and rewired to add in rear doors, enable keyless entry as well as keyless go, using defunct diesel additive circuits for power and HS CAN network connections for Haldex operation, rewiring for addition fuel pump wires, rewiring rear crossmember harness to incorporate Haldex plus rear hid light levelling module, change location of curtain airbag connections from front to rear of roof, changing hatch wiring to boot wiring for boot lock, number plate lights and keyless entry switch, rewired rear lights from hatch to sedan
Door harnesses – MK2 RS modified to incorporate 4 door locking/unlocking plus LIN network extensions for rear power windows using 4dr power window switch in driver’s door

Other
Lots of module coding using Ford IDS, Forscan and ELMConfig
Wheels – MK3 RS Forged 19x8 wheels with Michelin Cup Sport 2