Doug's 99 Ford Escort LX

[stephen_yfc]

Hey, you mentioned you were getting a laptop mount. I have been looking for one for my 97. Did you find one online? Most of the places I have been looking don't list one for Escorts.

[ihartmacz]

Both cars are super nice! I like the 1996 body style more, but that's just me. I know you want a more modern car that looks nicer.

I had a ZX2 with the Zetec and that's a hell of a good motor, that would make a good swap if you wanted more power.

But this isn't about motor swaps, the Ford SOHC 2-valve 1.9L and 2.0L are superb engines that are known for long life, reliability, good low-end power, and economy. I drove a 5-speed Escort like the one you have and it was very easy to drive with a light, direct clutch. The engine felt like it had good power, too so keeping up with traffic is very easy.

Congrats on the great car. I know you'll get a lot of miles out of it since you took care of the rust. The Escort is probably one of the best cars that Ford made and one of the best used sub-compact cars on the market because of the great reliability and longevity of components.

6 Thumbs up!

[theholycow]

Clean...at least after you did the work to it.

Aesthetically I like the '96 better, but I bet the '99 gets better fuel economy.

[WA1DH]

Hey, you mentioned you were getting a laptop mount. I have been looking for one for my 97. Did you find one online? Most of the places I have been looking don't list one for Escorts.

There is no specific mount for the Escort, however you can buy ones that work with any vehicle. This is what I bought: http://www.amazon.com/Jeniko-Cfl-800-La ... 973&sr=8-4

And here it is installed:






It's bolted into the floor. The entire thing comes out with a hex nut leaving only the little 1" tall mounting post in the floor when it's not in use. The only difficult part about installing it was lining it up right to cut the hole in the carpet and pulling the carpet back to bolt it in. I did have to drill through an air duct but it has still held well.

[WA1DH]

Congrats on the great car. I know you'll get a lot of miles out of it since you took care of the rust. The Escort is probably one of the best cars that Ford made and one of the best used sub-compact cars on the market because of the great reliability and longevity of components.

6 Thumbs up!

It sucks that they stopped making them. I still think the Escort looks nicer than the Focus, and if I'm not mistaken, the Escort engines were more reliable.

[ElectroGhandi]

What's the laptop for?

[WA1DH]

What's the laptop for?

To run Street Atlas and APRS (auto position reporting system). It's like the amateur radio version of lo-jack, except you get car-car text messaging too

[stephen_yfc]

There is no specific mount for the Escort, however you can buy ones that work with any vehicle. This is what I bought: http://www.amazon.com/Jeniko-Cfl-800-La ... 973&sr=8-4

And here it is installed:






It's bolted into the floor. The entire thing comes out with a hex nut leaving only the little 1" tall mounting post in the floor when it's not in use. The only difficult part about installing it was lining it up right to cut the hole in the carpet and pulling the carpet back to bolt it in. I did have to drill through an air duct but it has still held well.

Thanks a lot. Through an air duct huh, not sure I'm at that level but I think I might have a go at it. I was hoping for a no drill mount, found a universal one that could work but the price is three times as much, and with what you've said I should be off to a good start. Thanks!

////Edit: For anyone else wanting to do this, I've found this (http://www.prohoists.com/Shopping.idc?ProductID=154),

which I think might work as well for Escorts, and costs about half as much before shipping and handling. I plan on getting it soon so I'll know then.

[theholycow]

Folks on the truck forum I frequent say they're pretty happy with this laptop mount:
http://www.jottodesk.com

[WA1DH]

Folks on the truck forum I frequent say they're pretty happy with this laptop mount:
http://www.jottodesk.com

The ones that bolt to the seat (like that one) are the cleanest way to go, but also the most expensive (as you can see). The Prohoists one looks similar to what I have as far as the mounting is concerned. Either way though, I think you'll have to go through the air duct for a floor-mount setup. You can't bolt to the center console where the shifter is (it's just thin plastic). I think I had to run 2 bolts through the air duct and the rest went right into the floor. When all is done with the carpet over you can't even tell.

[stephen_yfc]

Folks on the truck forum I frequent say they're pretty happy with this laptop mount:
http://www.jottodesk.com

The ones that bolt to the seat (like that one) are the cleanest way to go, but also the most expensive (as you can see). The Prohoists one looks similar to what I have as far as the mounting is concerned. Either way though, I think you'll have to go through the air duct for a floor-mount setup. You can't bolt to the center console where the shifter is (it's just thin plastic). I think I had to run 2 bolts through the air duct and the rest went right into the floor. When all is done with the carpet over you can't even tell.

Yeah I was looking at it last night and noticed that. I wasn't planing on trying to bypass the air duct, I'm just probably going to do my best to make sure everything is pretty air tight around the screws, just cause I"m anal. But all things considered, not only is this way cheaper, I think these mounts are more minimalistic than some of the no screw one's I've seen. I like your setup.

///Edit: Apologies for spamming. Appreciate the help!

[theholycow]