Info on 98 4 door

[scarlemthug]

First off the car is a 98 ford escort 4 door and its automatic. It is my dads car and he wanted it manual but they didnt have any when he ordered his so it came as an automatic. Well I have been thinking and I was wondering if it would be possible to drop a manual engine from a 98 escort ZX2? and if this is possible how difficult would it be and what performance options would I have?

Second I am wondering what body styling options are available for a 98 4-door. Are there any body kits, headlights, hoods, fender flares? Also what are the biggest rims you could put in it and how much could you drop it?

third the cars A/c control panel thing is radio and cassette, I am wondering if there is a way to replace this with a factory replacement cd player?

Any other options that are available for this car would be much appreciated to read.
THANKS

[anthony417]

ok first off do u have a zx2 engine in the car now or dose it have the 2.o if its a 2.0 i dont think it would be worth it as for swaping trans......it could be done u need to get the trand clutch pedals and all the other neccary parts dont know off hand but i know of a few ppl twho have done the swap .............as for the body if it is a zx2 http://www.escortracing.com/zx2parts.html has a list of parts
and if its a 3rd gen..........http://www.escortracing.com/3rdgenparts.html
also im not sure about a factory replacement cd player but if u buy a new one from http://www.crutchfield.com/S-iCMcKTukb0B/ they give u a harnes....as for the rims i see some with 18's but you have to roll your fenders with a pole or bat to get rid of the underlip.........well hope this helps since nobody else would help ya

[scarlemthug]

thanx for the info. The car is a 98 4 door. Not the Zx2 model and i think the engine is the 2.0 105 hp engine? Is the auto to manual swap hard?

[letemsmoke]

Why a factory replacement CD player?
Best Buy sells an adapter plate to put any DIN size aftermarket radio in. They sell for around $60 and look pretty nice. Almost like factory. As for rims, tire rack can help. Just click on one of their adds on this page. Can't help much with the engine swap. Just remember the computer and wiring harnesses for either an engine or trans swap.