Aspire Seats

[Hecka]

I just bought me a set of Aspire seats from the junk yard. Spent two hours trying to figure out how to put one of the festiva brackets onto the aspire seat. I still haven't figured it out completely. I wasn't able to get the plastic/metal bearing into the bracket. After those two hours, I ended up taking off the spring loaded grabber thingy that locks the seat in place after moving it forward. Then I decided to just throw one of the metal bearing pieces as far as I could since it wasn't allowing the bracket to complete the mount. Now I can't figure out how to load the spring again, now that the bracket's on. I don't think I'll ever be doing something like this again.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the seats.:

Before cleaning


During cleaning


After cleaning

[jawja jim]

Check out this write up:

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?5736-ESCORT-GT-SEAT-SWAP-write-up-LOTS-OF-PICS&highlight=escort+seat

And this one:

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?21984-Easy-Aspire-front-seat-swap&highlight=escort+seat

If you haven't gone too far already, I believe you may gain some insight from these. I did the escort seat swap last year and it doesn't require any mod to the frames. You take the cushions and covers off both frames and put the donor seat's bottoms onto the festiva frame and then put the seat backs onto the festiva bottom. Undo the hog rings that fasten the bottoms to the frame and peel everything. I used zip ties to hook it back. The seat back (escort) then requires one of the holes to be enlarged slightly, like the next step up on a step drill, but then it bolts, or screws right on. I added a fourth spring to my festy bottoms because I had extras and the bracket for the 4th is already there. That makes the seat sit up a little higher in the front, but I like it better that way.

[sketchman]

I thought Aspire seats were a direct swap. Hmm. That's too bad.

[TominMO]

I thought Aspire seats were a direct swap. Hmm. That's too bad.

You can do both seats in under an hour, start to finish, with my writeup.

[sketchman]

Do you get to keep the Aspire sliders?

I've had too many Festivas to every spend the time swapping seats onto those sliders. I hate them with a passion.

[TominMO]

Do you get to keep the Aspire sliders?

I've had too many Festivas to every spend the time swapping seats onto those sliders. I hate them with a passion.

Read the writeup.

[sketchman]

Yeah, I'm not swapping covers. The Festiva sliders suck, and even the reclining mech is failing in the current one I have on the driver's side.

[navdoc101]

Since you would be swapping the Complete back, you would be getting the recliner from the new swapped back.
No more Festy recliner.

[Hecka]

Yeah it's a shame i went too far on the passenger seat. Thankfully I only messed that seat up, and not the driver's

[Hecka]

I got the festiva rails onto the aspire seats. Now the other aspire rail that I left on the seat is too long for the mounting holes, but I'm going to buy a spacer and a longer bolt and install it. Maybe it'll be just as secure.

[Hecka]

I finally got both seats installed.


I figured out a solution to the gap in the other Aspire seat rail, which allowed me to only have to switch out the one rail on each seat. I bought a longer bolt and some washers to use as a spacer.



It's pretty solid. The only thing that's a bummer with this setup is that the threads on these new bolts are a bit more dense than the OEM bolt's. It still worked just fine though, and I was able to tighten the bolt in very tight. I tested the seats and after driving around for 30 minutes taking corners and such, I don't think it'll be a problem.

So for $90 I was able to get new feeling seats in the festiva. They're much more comfortable, too!

[bravekozak]

Heck, for all the trouble changing seats, I prefer black leather. But, I am still eyeballing your drink holder, even though I'm not that thirsty.

This summer is going to be a cool one on the Lakes. All of the ash and smoke from the forest fires in BC is riding the jet stream right over us. What you see today will be the pattern for the rest of the season. The East is green.

[Hecka]

Once i figured out how to get that bearing on(and skip trying to have it perfect) the whole thing took me about 15 minutes to do, per seat.