[Sstyle]

Before I list ideas, I would stay away from any that involve cutting the vehicle's body. Unibody cars are designed to use the entire structure, and removing parts (especially any part of the roof) can adversely affect its structural integrity. You seem like a nice enough guy, I'd like too see you stay alive.

With that said, I present:

The Gascort
1997 Ford Escort Wagon MPG Project
2.0 SPI 4cyl Gasoline Engine
Manual Transaxle

Engine:
-Factory 2.0 SPI Engine
-Header & Free Flowing Exhaust
-Replace 2nd O2 sensor with appropriate resistor now that you dont have a cat (its part of the header, so it goes when you replace the header), otherwise you will throw a CEL
-Port the head, gasket match intake manifold and head
-50% Under Drive Crankshaft Pulley
-A/C Delete
-Power Steering Delete (Manual Rack Conversion)
-Get rid of the winsheild wahser fluid resevoir and hoses
-Timing belt upper/bottom cover can be removed, I know i dont run mine.
-Intake with free flow air filter
-Innovate Wideband (you can adjust the A/F ratio sent to the ecu with this via its narrowband output)
-That stock radiator is a bit oversized, run a civic half-size radiator and aftermarket fan.
-If you choose to remove the alternator and belt, you can also remove the belt tensioner as well.

Trans:
-Synthetic fluid
-

Exterior:
-Undercarriage Tray/Paneling
-Driver side Mirrors Replaced with ‘Fold In’ Mirror, passenger side mirror not needed if you have a rear view mirror.
-Grille Block and lower vents blocked
-Rear Door, Rear ¼ and Rear Hatch Glass replaced with Plexiglas for weight savings.
-Rear wheelwell covers
-Carbon fiber hood
-Remove those "bump" strips that run the length of the doors

Interior:
-All Carpet and Sound Deadening Material Removed (weight savings).
-Interior Gutted…Everything behind driver’s seat removed (weight savings).
-You dont need the driver's door panel either, nor the passengers. The door latch handle bolts to the metal door, and you can silicone the window in place and remove the window gears.
-Headliner removed
-You only need one seat to drive....
-Cut off the passenger side of the dash (just watch out for wires)
-For the daring: Remove airbag, then remove airbag computer, wiring, and sensors. Plus since the airbag is removed, you cant control the horn, so it can go as well.
-Dont really need the blower motor, do we?
-Nor much of the HVAC system, all those vents just add weight
-Since you no longer have a functioning HVAC system, it would be a bit silly to leave the heater core. Remove it and bridge the coolant hoses.
-Radios are for the weak....
-Wires have weight, so you can go through the harnesses and remove any that no longer serve a function. Radio, heating, A/C, P/S wires all come to mind.

Suspension/Wheels:
-Front/Rear Lowering Springs
-Miata 14" BBS wheels (the sub 8lb ones)
-Oversized tires at max psi ( I opted for this instead of changing the transmission ratio since its easier, and you can experiment with different sizes)
-Lightweight lug nuts
-Switch to the smaller rotor braking system from 1991 non-gt escorts. It bolts up.
-Note: 13" wheels wont fit over stock rotors

Other:
-Synthetic Fluids
-Hot Air Intake
-Smallest lightweight practical fuel cell for your use.... you dont really need a 11 gallon tank for running around town. You can even mount it where your passenger seat used to be, lowering the amount of fuel line used
-Scangauge2 (how else are ya gonna measure your results)
-


i wouldnt replace the ecu, its surprisingly efficient (yields about 48mpg cruising on a level surface at the 55mph sweet spot on a stock mtx). You can always make some adjustments buy altering the fuel ratio the ECU sees, using the wideband's simulated narrowband output.
see you at feoa...