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Nice to have read on the Internet somewhere that the fabled suspension swap is only a 4 hour undertaking including scavenging the donor Aspire. This afternoon I finally had a go at starting to perform this miracle transplant.
For novices out there; do not for one minute believe that this is a simple backyard-mechanic undertaking.
Find somebody with automotive experience, hoist, proper (air impact, 1/2 inch drive etc) tools and a 'blue wrench' (acetylene torches), particularly if you happen to live in areas where they use salt on the roads. The Aspire (a 97 low mileage auto that I bought and drove from Montreal before Christmas) came apart cleanly enough (lots of brute force, big hammer and a really long bar) over the course of a couple of days and I grabbed anything and everything suspension-related (plus the motor) before sending that strange-looking machine off to the recycler. The entire car fit on its side in the bed of a 3/4 ton long box Chev!
Part One; rear wheels. Festiva-wise: without removing the actual driver's side trailing arm pivot bracket the pivot bolt cannot be fully driven out because the GD (Gosh Darned) gas tank is in the way. Ultimately it turns out Aspire brackets are not only Festiva compatible but they're much more robust with thicker steel and they also lower the trailing arm pivot points so that bolt removal (on both sides of the car) is much easier. I noticed that the spring perch of an Aspire shock is situated about 3/8 in higher up than that of a Festiva so tomorrow I will compare newly ordered Aspire shocks with Festiva ones (Monroe mfg) before deciding on which ones to use. In theory there is less chance of tire rubbing with a higher spring perch but it remains to be seen if the Festiva springs will adapt.
The Festiva trailing arm was torched (because it was a SOB to get the shocks off undamaged at the wheel hubs) and the Aspire assembly was installed late this afternoon and tomorrow is scheduled for brake line and e-brake hookup, shocks and other rear end stuff. I would be taking pictures all along the way but the garage is dark, dirty and messy and, truth be known, all I really want to see is the end product.
For novices out there; do not for one minute believe that this is a simple backyard-mechanic undertaking.
Find somebody with automotive experience, hoist, proper (air impact, 1/2 inch drive etc) tools and a 'blue wrench' (acetylene torches), particularly if you happen to live in areas where they use salt on the roads. The Aspire (a 97 low mileage auto that I bought and drove from Montreal before Christmas) came apart cleanly enough (lots of brute force, big hammer and a really long bar) over the course of a couple of days and I grabbed anything and everything suspension-related (plus the motor) before sending that strange-looking machine off to the recycler. The entire car fit on its side in the bed of a 3/4 ton long box Chev!
Part One; rear wheels. Festiva-wise: without removing the actual driver's side trailing arm pivot bracket the pivot bolt cannot be fully driven out because the GD (Gosh Darned) gas tank is in the way. Ultimately it turns out Aspire brackets are not only Festiva compatible but they're much more robust with thicker steel and they also lower the trailing arm pivot points so that bolt removal (on both sides of the car) is much easier. I noticed that the spring perch of an Aspire shock is situated about 3/8 in higher up than that of a Festiva so tomorrow I will compare newly ordered Aspire shocks with Festiva ones (Monroe mfg) before deciding on which ones to use. In theory there is less chance of tire rubbing with a higher spring perch but it remains to be seen if the Festiva springs will adapt.
The Festiva trailing arm was torched (because it was a SOB to get the shocks off undamaged at the wheel hubs) and the Aspire assembly was installed late this afternoon and tomorrow is scheduled for brake line and e-brake hookup, shocks and other rear end stuff. I would be taking pictures all along the way but the garage is dark, dirty and messy and, truth be known, all I really want to see is the end product.
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