As for the driveshafts, I've done a bit of sleuthing.
The LR (Mk1) Focus has very close to the same front hubs as the WQ (Mk6) Fiesta, and
has the same spline specs. They both have 25mm out dia spline, 23mm inner dia spline, and 53.4 'seal' diameter. The threads on the end of the shaft are all M22 x 1.5. The MkII Focus has very different out driveshafts to that, with a 36mm outer dia and an 'internal thead' on the wheel end.
Versions of the LR Focus also had an MTX75 gearbox, according to Wikpedia, for the 2.0 16v Zetec, and the 1.8 Diesels. No Diesels in Oz, but there were quite a few 2.0's. The only gotcha might be the right driveshafter extender mount - which may or may not be different bolted to the side of the Zetec engine versus the Duratec HE.
According to
www.onlineparts.co.uk, the ST150 and the MkI Focus driveshaft lengths are pretty damn close. The LH shafts are both 610-616 mm long depending on the brand. But the RH shafts on the WQ are 915-930 vs 943-946 on the LR. This may or may not be solely because of the different between the MTX and the IB5 diff spacing.
The real kicker is doing the same track width comparison on the cars themselves. From above, the WQ advertised dimensions and calculated hub to hub again:
length:3921 mm
width:1683 mm
height:1468 mm
wheelbase:2486 mm
front track width:1464 mm
rear track width:1434 mm
ground clearance:140 mm
ST150 Standard Wheel Offset is 52.5mm, which means the hub to hub dimensions are
1569mm
The LR Focus:
length: 4174mm
width: 1683mm
height: 1468mm
wheelbase: 2615mm
Front Track Width*: 1494mm (*Measured with 185/65R14 tyres)
Rear Track Width: 1487mm
185/65R14 Offset: 43.5mm
Hub to Hub =
1581mm!!! That's only 12mm difference in total, or 6mm either side, which is within what I see as the error margin for those shafts!
NOW we have something worthwhile to try!
Lukeyson