This will surely perplex any criminal wanting to liberate this Focus from its driveway.
A talented mechanic in Canada has completed a manual transmission swap on a 2013 Ford Focus with the dreaded DCT gearbox. Nothing special about that, you say, but this particular vehicle retains the stock automatic gear lever, creating what is surely the greatest theft-prevention system yet.
First reported by The Drive, Reddit users Desroad and purpsoli have documented the bizarre build that started after the owner started experiencing issues with his dual-clutch transmission. If you aren't aware, the gearbox fitted to Focus and Fiesta vehicles a few years ago was plagued with problems. Ford eventually extended the warranty of these problematic 'boxes and even reimbursed owners who paid for repairs out of pocket.
To this day, the dual-clutch is vilified by owners past and present, with many electing to manual-swap their vehicles. So, what led to this peculiar creation?
As purpsoli explains, the vehicle was in a good condition otherwise, and purchasing a new car would have been more expensive than performing a manual transmission replacement. He quickly got to work sourcing the necessary parts, and even documented the extensive task for those who may want to tackle it themselves.
But instead of sourcing a manual gear knob and shifter boot, the duo decided it would be amusing to retain the automatic shifter and gate. A few months ago, the mechanic commented, “did a manual swap on a client's DCT Focus, and he wanted to keep the automatic trims to weird out passengers! I'm working on modding the auto-shift knob right now.”
As you can see from the video below, the shifter works remarkably well and is sure to baffle any passengers – let alone opportunistic thieves.
“We began the project in August (collecting all the parts needed from u-pull it yards and ordering some online), and actually did it in October. It's still not 100% finished, but I use the car daily,” explained owner Desroad to The Drive.
Overall, he rates the difficulty of the job at 6.5 out of 10. “I pretty much had nothing to cut or modify, except to add two wires to the PCM harness for the clutch pedal and reverse. Everything else is bolt-on.”
While many contemplating a manual transmission swap will spring for a manual shifter, it's a rather unique way to cut down on cost and waste, and have something unique. As mentioned, it will also confuse car thieves who are under the impression they're helping themselves to an automatic-equipped vehicle.
Keyword: Manual-Swapped Ford Focus With Automatic Gear Lever Is The Ultimate Theft Deterrent